Just in...Justice: Audio, Video, Disco

    Two styles I have had a growing interest in since I started this blog are French house (a la Daft Punk or Justice) and what seems to also be a French style, nu-disco (a la Two Door Cinema Club, Housse de Racket or Justice). Consequently, the electronic duo of Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay that is Justice, fits the bill perfectly, with their face melting almost 70s electric guitar and disco tendencies. Their debut album † (Cross, stylized, which had a cross on its cover also; plus the group always seems to perform with a giant cross on stage too) met with huge success in 2007 and particularly I loved the song, "One Minute to Midnight" as it was always in my head. † introduced a new sound to me that other electronic duos are not close to replicating. There is so much tension in their choice of sound (take the song "Stress" for example!) which makes listening through a full album more challenging in a good way. I definitely like electro house more than trance. Justice is on produced by Ed Banger Records.
    Though not as funky and memorable as †, with songs like "D.A.N.C.E." and "Tthhee Ppaarrttyy", I think Audio, Video, Disco succeeds in some very important ways. First off, just putting out a new record after loyal fans have waited four years for more music is a victory; second, there is still an electricity to this album that is just different than what † offered, and that is alright; third, there is more vocals in Audio, Video, Disco, or at least it seems like it, which I think will help the record's popularity; and fourth, some of the songs have elements of Daft Punk that will attract listeners. Going through some of the songs I liked or specific moments that shined, we start off the album with "Horsepower", which brings killer metal rock sounding guitars, and is followed by the radio single, "Civilization",  I think a decent song and more memorable than maybe others on the album, but not the best. Track three, "Ohio", has nicely harmonized vocals and almost harpsichord sounding broken chords underneath, with in your face synths popping up half way through that transition the song nicely. The instrumental tracks four and five, "Canon (Primo)" and "Canon" are really nicely done, with the primo leading right into the "Canon"; both are full of almost baroque electro house, with arpeggiated elements and duo synths. Next, "On'n'On" is maybe my favorite song, with a slower mood, but an intensity that is hard to beat on the album, great vocals and melody. I wish the seventh track "Brianvision" was longer, it is an instrumental number as well with duo "guitars"; totally psychedelic. Love the start to "Parade" and "Newlands", tracks eight and nine, the latter feeling like a classic rock hit, which picks up midway through. Ten, "Helix" reminds me of a Daft Punk song the most, with its repetitive breaks and funky rhythms. The intro to the other single, and [final] title track, "Audio, Video, Disco" is also sweet, but it is weird how the album fades off almost into the mist with the track whose title would suggest something more grand.
    I hope that we do not have to wait another four years for Justice to write their junior album! That being said, if you do not know them, check out † and Audio, Video, Disco, because they are unique and fantastic blends of electro house rock electronica (that may be redundant...). Hear the song "On'n'On" under 'Monthly Sample Tracks' and listen to more or watch music videos from this release here on their MySpace. Enjoy!

Upcoming...Coldplay: Mylo Xyloto

    Though a little more mainstream than most of the bands I listen to on a regular basis, Coldplay consistently surprises me with their original sound and composition. Clear props go to Chris Martin, whose voice unmistakably represents Coldplay, as iconic as Thom Yorke is to Radiohead. Released on Parlophone Records, Mylo Xyloto will be Coldplay's fifth studio effort and is set to hit the shelves October 24th. Their previous work includes: Parachutes (2000), A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002), X&Y (2005) and Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008). Some of my favorite songs go all the way back to their earliest work, with "Spies" from Parachutes; "Politik", "Clocks", "Daylight", "A Whisper" and the title track from A Rush of Blood to the Head; and of course from Vida la Vida or Death and All His Friends, "Cemeteries of London", "42", and "Yes". Obviously, I felt like X&Y was their weakest effort.
    Mylo Xyloto is claimed to be a concept album, following a "love story with a happy ending" about Mylo and Xyloto, two characters that according to Coldplay's Wikipedia: "Mylo and Xyloto, who are living in an oppressive, dystopian urban environment, meet one another through a gang called 'The Lost Boys', and fall in love." As I'm not typically one who pays a lot of attention to lyrics, I cannot say how well they achieve this end, but it does seem like there is a smart progression to the songs. I do, however, dislike how there are these 30-40 second tracks labeled as individual tracks, "Mylo Xyloto", "M.M.I.X." and "A Hopeful Transmission". They give the appearance that there is more music than there actually is, and they should have just been included as part of the next song they lead into. Although, from a stories perspective, perhaps they are warranted.
    Apparently, Coldplay intended to make this release more intimate and acoustic than Viva la Vida, but I do not think what they ended up with after numerous trips to the recording studio actually reflects this goal. Instead, there are a lot of songs that are grandiose in scale, with dance house leanings and full string sections sweeping overtop a throbbing pulse and intense vocals. There is acoustic guitar and piano throughout, but it seems like the band just kept adding layers in the studio until there is a little too much wash sometimes, in my opinion (as if they got caught up in the dream pop that hit so suddenly last year and has come and gone quickly, thankfully). Probably they could have accomplished their original plan very well if they were still in the Parachutes era. Overall, the album is really a splash, much like the cover depicts, which I love along with the graffiti inspired music videos, such as "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall", which you can watch here (I love the guitar riff, one of their best!). And, most if not all of these songs will make for excellent remix material. I expect to hear some remixes that may even be better than the original. The R&B artist Rihanna makes an appearance on "Princess of China", which doesn't really make sense to have a hip hop infused track merged with what should be more oriental in nature by definition. Also, in "Charlie Brown" there is a singer right at the start of the song that sounds like the vocalist from the song "Baptism" by Crystal Castles, but I doubt there is any real connection, just interesting.
    You can see more of their videos on their website here, just click the links and they will take you to YouTube videos. Also check one of the more unknown best songs, "Hurts Like Heaven" with its slight punk influence (there are really no hidden gems as the hits "Paradise", "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall" and "Major Minus", from the Every Teardrop is a Waterfall EP that released June 3, 2011, are going to be well known to everyone in due time if not already), over under the 'Monthly Sample Tracks'. Enjoy!

Just in...MUTEMATH: Odd Soul

    The day has finally arrived! One of my favorite bands ever since I first heard their Reset (EP) back in 2004, yet in fact even before it was released they had tracks streaming online as a preview, MUTEMATH releases this their third full album, Odd Soul. Formed partly from the ashes of a Christian reggae progressive experimental rock band, Earthsuit (which is how I first came to hear about Mutemath), with Paul Meany (lead vocals, keyboards and extraneous instruments), Roy Mitchell-Cárdenas (bass) and Darren King (drums) coming from Earthsuit and  former guitarist Greg Hill coming from the New Orleans area where Mutemath is based. Their current guitarist as of 2010 is Todd Gummerman. Their previous work also includes, Mutemath (Self-titled, 2006), Spotlight (EP, 2009) Armistice (2009), and three live albums.
    Energetic just doesn't describe Mutemath, doesn't do them justice. They are beyond energetic. Every song has electricity, tension and fantastic harmonic and melodic structure. Plus, they experiment with control devices, electronic sounds and real percussion instruments, not something most bands have the expertise for. The distinct voice of Paul Meany, which I recognized well from Earthsuit, is perfect for the style and fresh expression the band exudes in their music, album and promotional art, music videos and for life in New Orleans. Known for being a city of dixieland and jazz, Mutemath fits in well, implementing invigorating sensibilities in comparison to almost any other alternative rock band out there. Their bass player, Roy, for one contributes a lot of his jazz and funk know-how (he went to school for English and played music along the way) and Darren King is a beast on drums, while Paul Meany seems to be the driving force behind most of the creative use of instruments and attention to detail. Not to belittle the other members though; when Armistice was written, it was a complete collaboration in the song making process and developed quite organically after the band hit a dead end while trying to put together a number of songs they had already prepared to record. Instead of almost breaking up, after meeting with a producer, they scrapped everything and started fresh and called the resulting experience (to paraphrase) the quickest and easiest/best writing they had ever done, where everyone had a contributing role.
    Their latest effort, Odd Soul, is definitely a new direction from Armistice, but I don't think that different entirely. It is so Mutemath in its rhythms and colors and melodies, while perhaps the real difference is in a more lo-fi psychedelic guitar funk style. It is almost like New Orleans blues/jazz rock, if that could be a sufficient genre description. The first song, and single, "Odd Soul", definitely starts off this progression throughout the album, with the most blues/funk tune. Video here. Each successive song I'll say a little about:
(2) "Prytania" has a more happy-go-lucky upbeat tambourine/shaker feel, with great fills.
(3) "Blood Pressure" is the other single, and a worthy track, definitely bluesy, but the choruses and bridge are killer, and the video, which you can see here is stellar! It just rocks out and may be my favorite track.
(4) "Tell Your Heart Heads Up" has a nice bass line, kudos to Roy, with lo-fi spoken/sung vocals.
(5) "All or Nothing" is kind of an interlude of sorts to the intense energy filled songs, a steady beat remains, but less cymbals and heavy hitting, with a more melodic reflective tone, and sections that might evoke Radiohead's more electronic days.
(6) "Sun Ray" is a truly down tempo work, almost trip hop-ish, with vibes to perfection providing the chords to start; this is a completely instrumental work, which I'm not sure they have done since "Reset" from their Reset (EP), though much shorter.
(7) "Allies", another killer bass line, doubled, with short tonal modulations that add a lot, funk to the max here.
(8) "Cavalries" is groovy and funky, with chorus vocals, and latin percussion instruments brought into the mix half way in, before returning to the original style.
(9) "Walking Paranoia" starts exactly like a math rock band, and continues similarly, but not so repetitive I guess. There are a lot of hits back and forth and harmonized vocals.
(10) "One More" starts almost like a Radiohead song, and then hits this sweet groove and just hovers for a while before exploding into a punk drumming blues tune.
(11) "Equals" is the most like their original work from Reset (EP) that I have heard in a while, at least the opening. The bass dives and vibes are a nice touch, and claps are back in style from Armistice, though here and there not 8 measures long. Great song.
(12) "Quarantine" is a little less tamed than the rest of the album, per say, with electronic noises you might not expect to hear from Mutemath, almost like a mix of The Flaming Lips or something at times. Indeed, this whole album dips into the psychedelic a lot I think. The song is the longest on the album, has a significantly different middle section and ends with "alarms", I guess to forewarn that the epidemic is here?
(13) "In No Time" is what makes this another great Mutemath release, the expected ballade that soothes and just provides a bit of beauty amidst the riotous but fun energy. The song builds to a finish.
    There are three bonus tracks, "Amendment", "Cold Sparks" and "Sun Ray, Pt. 2" if you pre-ordered. I don't know what that means for us unfortunate souls (pun intended), but I'm sure we'll hear them eventually. I'm going to direct you to their website, here, where you can purchase the album, and watch the videos of their singles, it released on Warner Bros. Records. Also, if you don't want to leave, check out "Blood Pressure" under 'Monthly Sample Tracks' on the right (the MySpace music player will open). Enjoy!