YACHT - Where Does This Disco?

Dontcha wanna make me move
When the needle's locked in the grove, yeah
I made myself a copy of you
When you told me that my dreams would come true
I'm spinning round and round for you
A lonely one
Check check
Checking on two
I'm sitting in an empty room
Pixels acting with pictures of you, you, you

I remember when "Psychic City" came out. I listened to that song over and over and over. I still get a nice little thrill when I hear it. "Aye ya ya ya!" Anyway, it's Friday night, and that means it's time to dance, and I can't think of a better cut to kick off a dance party.

BONUS! (Yep, it's "Psychic City")

RIYL: The Faint, Cut Copy, Neon Indian, Hot Chip

Upcoming Shows

Tove Lo - Cool Girl

You can run free, I won't hold it against ya
You do your thing, never wanted a future
Fuck if I knew how to put it romantic
Speaking my truth, there's no need to panic

No, let's not put a label on it
Let's keep it fun
We don't put a label on it
So we can run free, yeah
I wanna be free like you

I'm a, I'm a, I'm a cool girl, I'm a, I'm a cool girl
Ice cold, I roll my eyes at you, boy
I'm a cool girl, I'm a, I'm a cool girl
Ice cold, I roll my eyes at you, boy

Rules you don't like, but you still wanna keep 'em
Said you were fine so, for whatever reason,
Show we can chill, try and keep it platonic
Now you can't tell if I'm really ironic

For NYE, I picked a track that 1) might be played on the dance floor if you're out partying tonight and 2) is possibly an anthem for the single ladies prepping to go out there. Keith probably thinks this song belongs more in our (guilty) Pleasures section, but 1) I love the bassline way too much and 2) I have trouble differentiating in the first place! Swedish sweetheart Tove Lo hits that spot I didn't know I was missing in danceable music.

Upcoming Shows

Future Islands - Balance

And the sun will leave a wound
And leave you to the night
And that's alright
Because before the moonbeam comes
There's a certain calm
And then there's light

I woke up this morning with "Back in The Tall Grass" by Future Islands stuck in my head. This is a fairly common occurrence. In talking with Kerri about it (ok, singing it to her) I learned that she wasn't familiar with it, or Future Islands. Which, when I think about it, is fairly unacceptable. So, here we go with today's Most Important, going back all the way to 2011 and "Balance" a bright and groovy example of what makes Future Islands great. I'm not sure where they're at, but hoping for some new music from them soon.

BONUS! Here is a great KEXP live rendition of "Back in The Tall Grass", good luck keeping it out of your head. :)

RYIL: Twin Shadow, The War on Drugs, Passion Pit, Neon Indian, Tame Impala, Warpaint

Upcoming Shows

Jagwar Ma - Slipping

Waste, oh oh
Waste, oh oh
Cause time is slipping away
Someone wait, oh oh
Save your soul
Cause time is slipping away so fast
Time is slipping aways so fast
So paint your pictures in your mind
In your mind
It's alright
We dance in circles 'til we're tired
Then we'll rise
Forever

There is something sort of "Manchester Scene-esque" about Australian duo Jagwar Ma. More refined, and with a polished, 2010's spin, but I can't help but think Stone Roses, or Inspiral Carpets when I listen to them. And I loved those bands, so you might imagine I'm really enjoying their new (sophomore) album Every Now & Then.

They've been floating around my rotation for a few months now, ever since the funky "O B 1" hit a few months ago. I was immediately recalled to the early 1990's when mixing strong dance grooves with indie rock was a new thing. Sure, you hear a lot of that now, but Jagwar Ma hits a bit closer to what I consider that original Manchester sound. You'll find more of that on Every Now & Then, but there's also great diversity there and the makings of a heavy rotated long player. 

Upcoming Shows

The Faint - Young & Realistic

Your lows were low, I was familiar
Bulgarian choirs in your head
The clouds were black but not forever
You'll wake up better like I said
Remember how it was when we first met
It was impossible to know what you were thinking
Every other girl, afraid of the world
Second-guessing every movement that they're making

You're not the type to go looking for flaws
You don't have to skewer somebody's passion
Competitive cats can fight cats
While you're in a deep conversation

I'm a big fan of The Faint's work, but, sadly I guess, they've been mostly slipping past my radar for years. I've given their last few albums a cursory listen, and I've seen them a couple times. Which is always a blast. But I felt they've never been able to capture the fun, late 80's awesomeness they had with Blank Wave Arcade, Danse Macabre and, maybe a bit less so, Wet From Birth.

Still, feeling nostalgic, I checked out their retrospective album Capsule:1999-2016 for fun. And look what I found! I a couple new songs that DO, very much so, capture that sound. First up, our Most Important today. "Young & Realistic" is Danse Macabre The Faint, striking a great balance between song and dance. It's got all the bells and whistles; a lilting bassline, pew-pew synths, robo vocals, dark wave breakdowns, etc. Red Flag would be proud to have released this one. 

BONUS TRACK

Then there is "Skylab1979" that hits on a more straightforward industrial sound, that might not quite ring as true as "Young & Realistic" but makes for a fun throwback, for sure.

Upcoming Shows