Looking back over recent posts, we realised that we’ve been so stuck into our ‘How Good Is This‘ and ‘Gig List‘ sections, as well as that enjoyable Q&A with Marina & The Diamonds, that we haven’t managed a true Recommender post for some time. So it’s away with the distractions and back to the biggie now with three newbies that we’ve recently fallen in love with. In ten minutes time, once you’ve checked them for yourselves, you will too…
TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB
Never before has a record label signature been so inevitable as it does with this shockingly unsigned band. They are about as ‘on the ticket’ as a new Indie band could be right now, with their sound slotting comfortably neatly inbetween Vampire Weekend, Death Cab For Cutie, Modest Mouse and Broken Social Scene. You will find this Northern Irish three-piece playing the quirky, high-noted guitar often found at a Foals show. It’s upbeat, delicate and irresistibly pretty Indie Pop. The one thing they are missing is a drummer, finding their beats through a machine, which gives them an electronic edge that ticks yet another contemporary quality. Expect a near future to include many festival outings and that afore mentioned signature. Were they already signed, a performance at Austin’s SXSW Festival would have been a sure fire thing, but alas a UK tour through March will hopefully bring them satisfyingly in front of your attention. Take note.
Find them here: Myspace
Hear them here: TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB – SOMETHING GOOD CAN WORK (ysi)
ELLIE GOULDING
It took an hour of our lives, but now we’ve finally given up. We’ve spent this entirely wasted time trying to think of any artist with a voice more fragile and tender than Ellie’s and it simply doesn’t exist. Not Dolores O’Riordan, circa Linger, not Sinead O’Connor, circa Nothing Compares To You, not Regina Spektor circa, well, anything .Simultaneously cute and brittle, like a china doll, this Welsh-based solo artist has a wonderful, enchanting sound to her excellent vocals. It’s a taut, higher pitch, like a tiny pixie sitting on your shoulder singing into your ear. That isn’t to say that her songs are of that horrible, twee, frankly rather boring acoustic and self-indulgent Folk pulp. She’s out of that New York Anti-Folk mould. Almost more of a sweeping, pulsating Power-Folk! You will find electronic beats that build slowly, adding in the keys, the chopped up sampling of her voice and a likeable melody. It’s taking lessons from the Imogen Heap class, but without the annoying, commercial, Dawsons-Creek-love-scene-suitability. It is very early days, as she’s still in the production process, yet she’s already had the magic touch of a Frankmusik remix (listed below). Keep one eye out for the finished work, as both of your ears will certainly be clambering for it…
Find her here: Myspace
Hear her here: ELLIE GOULDING – WISH I STAYED (Frankmusik Remix) (ysi)
MILKE
Occasionally we find that sizeable talents, from differing areas of music, can come together in a beautiful collision. This 2-piece is one of those fantastic entanglements. Andrew ‘Friendly’ Kornweibel, recently known to us for his decent remix of ‘Oh!‘ by the excellent We Have Band, has teamed up with singer/songwriter Ra and produced a selection of Electro Pop tunes that have enough instant appeal to make Radio One and enough cool-factor to be a Hypemachine chart topper. Already having had their tunes remixed by the likes of Joe & Will Ask, as well as The Designer Drugs, this super-duo bring us their single, listed below, on March 6th. Perhaps this will be a case of a production pairing that’s more successful together than they ever acquired previously as indivduals. They’ve already created a sublime and bright collection of songs that clearly make this team greater than the sum of it’s parts.
Find them here: Myspace
Hear them here: MILKE – LOVE GET OUT OF MY WAY (ysi)
The inevitable bottle neck of artists has gathered at our email’s door once again, so we’re now off to sift through the dirge some more. Return to us soon to check out what polished pleasers we are subsequently pointing in your direction in the next edition of The Recommender…
Mike