Album review - "Supermodel" by Foster The People

  

Supermodel (2012)            ★ ★ ★ 1/2

To be honest, I did judge a book by its cover when it came to listening to Foster the People’s sophomore album. While I loved their catchy hooks and sing-a-long creations in Torches, what led me to pay particular attention to this release was the psychedelic touch on the album art, injected with colour, and the hint of something more to come in the music.

While Supermodel doesn’t completely satisfy a psych rock dream, it is definitely a step away from their catchy indie pop of 2011. The album kicks off in full energy with anthemic group vocals and bustling percussion, which seems like the kind of energy which will translate well live.

While opener “Are You What You Want To Be” is an upbeat, lively tune, the following track “Ask Yourself” depends the mood slightly, with heavier and more personal subject material. Of course, Foster The People continue to combine the wordy lyrics with animated music. A sense of anxiety is embedded into atmospheric music but is still perceptible.

Overall, the album works better as separate tracks rather than a complete listen. The songs don’t flow completely into each other but perhaps that’s the way it’s meant to be, jolting the listener from a dark electronic-driven track (“A Beginner’s Guide To Destroying The Moon”) to a slower, almost acoustic meditation (“Goats on Trees”).

And if you listen closely there is bitterness underlying the melodies: “Bitten by an enemy that’s pretended to be my friend.” Other critics have commented on the less-than-subtle lyrics but there is a sense of fragility and openness to this album which makes it endearing. On the other hand, “Pseudologica Fantastica” leans toward a Tame Impala style instrumental section of guitar licks and heavy drumming, but not quite to that depth.

The strongest track remains to be single “Best Friend,” which is led by a strong bass line and the kind of hook that led people to FTP in the first place. This album sees a greater use of electronic effects than in their previous music but essentially they still create rock songs – sort of like a combination of free expression and pop structures that work for MGMT.

The influences of Mark Foster’s three-month escape to India and the Middle East (following the success of “Pumped Up Kicks”) influence the spirit of the album and he has even included weird and wonderful instruments such as the screaming buddha prayer machine.

While it does sound more grown up than their first record, it is not a sound altogether unrecognisable.Supermodel is a listenable album with nothing too obtrusive. It’s just a shame that it doesn’t end as strongly as it starts but there plenty of tracks in there that will become sing-a-long youth anthems in their own right.

Published on theAUreview. 

Teebs ft. Jonti 'Holiday'

Although we’re on the tail end of summer, we’re always keen to hear breezy free-flowing tunes and ‘Holiday’ is a great way to mimic a midweek daydream. Californian producer Teebs has teamed up with Sydney’s Jonti for a track that is lush, warm and rhythmic.

It feels longer than four minutes (in a good way) and from a peaceful start the music opens up into an atmospheric loop. With bird noises, chanting and chimes it starts to feel like you’re lying on the depths of the rainforest floor.

But underlying the rainforest relaxation are some quiet, bitter lyrics, “I’m sorry I hurt you,” and between these two producers there is some sweet work on the vocal harmonies, with a sentimentality that reminds me of Jagwar Ma.

Published on Purple Sneakers. 

Jacques Greene 'No Excuse'

Jacques Greene is back on the radar with brand new original creations, which we’re really happy about having recently heard his remixes and caught him on live circuits. (For one, his set worked really well among the casual summer vibe of Field Day festival in Sydney.)

‘No Excuse’ starts off slow and then builds into something more complex, evolving into a sort of abstract soundtrack. His experimental production work, akin to fellow Canadians Kaytranada and Ryan Hemsworth, evolves with some slicker house synth work as well.

Greene sets up free-flowing vocals among swirling melodies, subtle chimes, then drops shattering percussion through the haze. He disrupts the smooth R&B production that we’re used to but the track still seems to have a meditative quality to it.

After a while we can’t decipher the vocals as they meld into the music. But then again it’s the kind of track which could continue indefinitely. And Jacques Greene doesn’t usually work in single-track mode so it will be interesting to see how he has put his EP together.

‘No Excuse’ will be a part of Jacques Greene’s first solo EP, Phantom Vibrate, due on April 28^th via LuckyMe records.

Published on Purple Sneakers.

Album review: Kitsuné New Faces

While we love supporting our local favourites, we also love to branch into unknown territory and hear something a little different. The new mixtape from French collective Kitsuné offers up a mixed platter of electronic, dreampop and soul music which makes for a great long, lazy listen.

The Kitsuné brand also expands into fashion and merchandise, so selectivity and good taste are among their principle desires. We know that they have already signed Two Door Cinema Club and Delphic and this mixtape showcases all sorts of creative production, from our fellow Aussies Snakadaktal to new material from talented UK musicians among others.

It kicks off with music from London psych band Animatter People, which meets somewhere between the musical universes of Tame Impala and Grizzly Bear, using real instruments among effects, and pushing boundaries with plenty of reverb and lush sound dynamics.

But then Luxury shakes it up with tricky rhythm and high-pitched synths. The album has an overall smoothness to it, with nothing too shaky or controversial, but Kitsuné does stand for the underdog (or fox – their signature logo) and so the artists who they pick are often quite experimental.

Take Hyetal Jam, with moody yet refined electronic music, or Kilo Kish, an American musician with her head well around modern hip-hop.

Among the synth emerge more soulful tunes. Solomon Grey (half-Australian, half-English duo) channel Bon Iver vibes with a combination of production and live instrumentals, sentimental crooning and echoed build-ups. London group Years & Years hark back to the original soul veterans but with a modern freshness and upbeat makeover, and I dig their vocals.

We’re quite familiar with Snakadaktal, and are fans of their slick production. Their addictive dream pop slots in nicely into the collection. And while their work sounds best played all together, one of their heavier tracks was chosen for this mix, which obviously impressed foreign ears.

And while we’re often receiving new tunes in bits and grabs, free downloads and online streams, it’s a nice treat to receive it all in a neat bundle of chewable size.

Published on AdamNOTEve.

Lancelot "Givin' It Up" ft. Antony & Cleopatra (Panda Remix)

It’s always a treat to wake up to something free – and this week we’re digging this new remix from UK producer Panda of Lancelot’s latest single.

While we’ve been keeping track of Lancelot for a while now, he’s been high on the radar recently with his reworks, new EP, and appearances over the summer. But now that he’s on the international stage, it’s time to share his skilful arrangements and disco vibes.

Panda takes off the deep edge and fleshes out the bassline, for a remix that is a little more carefree and smooth. After a drawn-out intro, he also plays around with the vocals as part of the rhythm. Then ‘Givin’ It Up’ evolves into a shimmery dance track, which lasts just a little longer than the original.

All of which means that it sounds something like the wake-up rendition: a morning jam to play while you’re setting off for the day. It’s certainly put me in a better mood.

The track is available now for free download and will be released later as part of a remix package of ‘Givin’ It Up’ from British record label Anjunadeep.

Published on Purple Sneakers. 

Field Day 2014

With a big night before in check, Field Day offered enough dance music to keep the celebrators happy while offering a few more chilled out options for those still recovering from New Year’s Eve. Its size, slightly smaller than a regular festival, meant that it was easier to get around and criss-cross genres throughout the day.

Flight Facilities embraced their wide knowledge of dance music and mixing skills for a 90s-themed DJ set (the decade chosen by popular vote online.) In matching tracksuits and aviation hats the duo bopped together along to forgotten classics both hip-hop and pop. While Field Day tends to celebrate the best of new Australian producers, there is also the opportunity to indulge and revel in nostalgia.

Meanwhile, Ta-ku was playing The Island stage and considering his prolific amount of releases, it was a rich set of familiar remixes, R&B vibes, new original jams and tricky beats. He kept to himself, not saying much during the set, but the visuals behind him spoke for the dynamics of his music.

Back on the main stage, Hermitude were on high energy- always an act to rally up the crowd, it’s no surprise that they are favourites on the Australian festival circuit. Among familiar tracks "The Villain" and "Speak of the Devil", the two played new jams, including of newly dubbed genre mariachi trap, and kept the crowd moving during improvised jams.

While Field Day favours electronic music, other acts such as Crystal Fighters and London Grammar slowed down the pace and offered a slower pace much-needed on January 1st. Crystal Fighters engaged the crowd, walking right to the edge of the stage, shaking around in gypsy clothes, fully immersed in their own playing (their topless bassist didn’t hesitate to show some tricks) and reached beyond the singles in their catalogues.

Similarly, London Grammar gathered an enthusiastic (loud) crowd but weren’t particularly chatty, keeping absorbed in the music which was slowed down and deliberated. Of course, Hannah Reid impressed with the intensity of her voice (even stronger than the record) and began the set with drawn out vocal throws.

The strongest set of the day (mainly in terms of audience interaction and presence) was from A$AP Rocky. The ASAP mob was out in full force, with most of the crowd singing along (and rapping) to each track from "Fuckin’ Problems" to "Goldie". He wasn’t solo on stage, with fellow rappers and musicians spread out in colour-coordinated black and white. After making sure an injured crowd member was escorted to safety (‘we need to clear the mosh out) he blast into "Wild For the Night" and hordes of people rushed on stage to dance and spray champagne into the crowd.

In between main stage sets, Alison Wonderland played short DJ sets. Although she repeated earlier mixes, the sets focused less on trap and more on sing-along or older hip-hop, which worked for a waiting crowd. Chet Faker maintained his casual persona for one of the last daylight sets. His vocals are stronger than ever, and with a strong set of tracks and collaborations now behind him, his live act is one of the standouts of the past year.

Away from the larger stages at the Left Field was a smaller pavilion dedicated to the best of young producers. Tucked away from the chaos under the shade of Domain trees, the fierce lighting stood out and solidified the space. UK-based Shadow Child brought rhythmic bass-driven music and Duskyfollowed with swishy dance floor creations. In a return to rap, Wiz Khalifa followed A$ap with a mix of energetic and slower R&B tracks. He performed a few of his collaborations solo, including "Remember You" (ft. The Weeknd) and "23" (ft. Miley Cyrus.) Then his youth anthem "Young, Wild & Free" exploded into a mass sing-a-long (“So what we get drunk…we don’t care who sees”) and Wiz even took it upon himself to preach the value of “God-created” weed in spoken word mid-song.

For those who preferred a smaller, more intimate dance floor, the Red Bull stage held continuous DJ sets. The 80s themed set onto another 90s theme showed that punters were there to celebrate both past and future.

A much-anticipated set was Solange Knowles. Despite constant comparisons to sister Beyoncé, she has gained an indie following all in her own. From the first track, Solange gave a passionate performance – speaking gently to the audience, swaying freely and covering a lot of stage space. With an almost floor-length weave replaced her signature Afro and decked in a long blue dress there was almost a holy feel to her performance. "Lovers in the Parking Lot" was very passionate and showcased her as a proper vocalist.

As a general rule, the artists slowed down tracks or focused on vocals rather than raving, except for Flux Pavilion. The English producer spoke fiercely to an ever-growing crowd (come on Sydney!) and despite a short technical issue interrupting his set, the crazy visuals and constantly changing dynamics of his set kept the energy high. Among original tracks, he played his remixes of Major Lazer’s "Jah No Partial" and T.E.E.D. "Without You."

Closing the night, Flume played a slightly tuned version of his Infinity Prism set. His quick rise to fame only highlighted by the fact that he opened the smallest stage at Field Day 2011. He played familiar songs off his debut album "Insane", "Sintra" and "Holdin’ On", at a slower pace and meshed with added rap verses (which worked, especially as most were familiar with his work.) He also played new collaborations "Touched" (a What So Not production) and "The Greatest View". He was energetic, dancing along to tracks and calling up applause.

As a secret encore, Flume called Chet Faker back on stage to play "Drop The Game" and further hadSkrillex (in Sydney for NYE festival Shore Thing) and Chris Emerson (of What So Not) on stage for an impromptu DJ set to finish off the night.

Published on theAUreview.

Disclosure 'Latch' (DJ Premier remix)

‘Latch’ is just one of those songs which seemed to follow me out every time I left the house this year– in the car, at the shops, in the club – and now it’s just one of those tracks that I will forever associate with 2013.

Lucky for us, producers from all around the world have put their own take on the track and we can now hear it in all sorts of non-dance floor situations. Dj Premier– aka producer extraordinaire, also known as Primo / Premo / Preemo is the latest to rework Disclosure.

He has worked with all the big guys in hip-hop – Kanye, Snoop Dogg and Biggie Smalls just to name a few and so it’s no surprise that he’s added the R&B touch to this track. But he keeps it relatively minimalistic and the song begins to sound more like a serenade than a crowd dance hit.

All of which means that it does not completely overwhelm the senses. The one-handed piano melody keeps it sweet (until those rhythmic breaths come in, haven’t heard those in a while) and for those of us familiar with the original, it actually does justice to the vocals from Sam Smith. The mood sits somewhere in between the original and the acoustic version which the singer put out earlier this year.

DJ Premier’s remix joins the work of Kaytranada and others on the official album Settle: The Remixes. For a different take, check out the Frenched-up edition from Stwo & Phazz. The two said that they worked on it over Skype, and while there are different feels between verse and chorus, it works well. It’s also up for free download.

Published on PurpleSneakers.