If you've been enjoying the feel-good, lo-fi sounds of Neon Indian or Memory Tapes or even The Avalanches (any sign of a comeback, lads?) then you'll surely dig this. Javelin tick all the right boxes for success in 2010. Obsessive record diggers? Tick. Signed to a cool label? Tick. Collage-style artwork? Tick. From Brooklyn? Tick. They're currently supporting Yeasayer on their UK tour and finally get round to dropping their debut album No Mas on the 20th of April. Opening track 'Vibrationz' is 2 minutes of wobbly electro-funk that gives a small hint of Javelin's eclectic sound.
It's hard to believe that it's now nearly 6 years since Mylo released one of the albums of the decade. Last January, he sent the following track into Radio 1 as a taster of what was to come. Over a year has drifted by and it still sounds amazing but no sign of any official releases.
After popping up for a few DJ dates here and there over the last while and compiling the cover CD for this month’s edition of Mixmag, maybe this year will mark the return of Myles MacInnes.
Check out this tumble dryer of chopped pianos, hi-hats and gulping bassline which irons out into an absolute stomper. Unfortunately Annie Macs voiceover slightly ruins the ending so hopefully it will feature in its entirety on the album, whenever, if ever, it gets released.
I went to see the awesome Miike Snow last Friday night in Newcastle. If you are a fan of their album in any shape or form, definitely try catch them while they are on tour at the moment. Below is a short video from Fridays show (apologies for the poor sound quality)...
Supporting Miike Snow was Ali Love. This is another act who had fallen off the radar since his first release back in 2006. I checked out some of his new material before hitting the concert, but there was a lot to be desired. It's mediocre, whiney electro-pop that really only has something to offer when played live. So if I were you, don't bother checking out his new stuff unless you are planning on catching him live.
So why mention him? Well, before being dropped by Columbia Records and resorting to these self-pity ditties, Ali produced some very slick pop tunes that would have given Calvin Harris a run for his money. Unfortunately they didn't perform too well on the charts, which resulted in him losing his record deal and subsequently, his way.
However don't let the bland aftertaste of his latter work stop you from appreciating some his more sumptuous produce from two years back.
Every now and again, an Irish act emerges outside of the boring and generic singer/songwriter scene that Irish music has been synonymous with over the past decade. Unfortunately, a lot of them fail to live up to the hype and fade into oblivion (Humanzi, Director and Star Little Thing to name a few).
Two Door Cinema Club are a bunch of Bangor boys hoping to break the mould in 2010. From what I’ve heard, their sound is a cross between Foals and early Bloc Party, combined with the amicable and candid nature of Vampire Weekend.
The French have certainly taken a shine to them; they are currently signed to Kitsune, Philippe Zdar of Cassius is part of their album's production team and they have already remixed Phoenix’s ‘Lasoo’ and are due to support them on some of their European dates.
If you've been enjoying the feel-good, lo-fi sounds of Neon Indian or Memory Tapes or even The Avalanches (any sign of a comeback, lads?) then you'll surely dig this. Javelin tick all the right boxes for success in 2010. Obsessive record diggers? Tick. Signed to a cool label? Tick. Collage-style artwork? Tick. From Brooklyn? Tick. They're currently supporting Yeasayer on their UK tour and finally get round to dropping their debut album No Mas on the 20th of April.
