The fine folks over at the remix artist collective, who've previously given artists such as Bloc Party and Justice stellar dancefloor-ready remix treatments, have turned their analog synthesizers on to remixing classic video game themes. You can get a hold of the results online now; prepare to be swept up in a wave of nostalgia.
MP3: RAC - Nintendo VS Sega EP
The fine cover art of this EP was designed by French Akutou - check him out here.
Coldplay have announced via their sparkling new website that the first taste of their new album, Viva La Vida (or Death And All His Friends), will be available free for a whole week starting tomorrow (April 29th).
In a move that smacks more than a little of Radiohead, the new single Violet Hill will be available download for an entire week before it's paying version comes along.
Not only that, but the website details a free 7'' vinyl single that will be made exclusive to the weekly music rag, NME. The single will contain Violet Hill on the A side, and the B side will be A Spell A Rebel Yell
The single: Violet Hill
& more details here: www.coldplay.com
You can keep your Glastonbury, your Carling, your O2 festival - I still maintain that Benicàssim is the best festival in Europe, and the lineup just gets better and better every year.
With her self-titled debut out very soon, Santogold (aka Santi White) is set to become the female Gnarls Barkley. Mixing a hundred different genres, Santogold sometimes channels Karen O, and at other times, M.I.A. - sure those references give you indie cred, but when you give the album some great pop production, then you're talking a huge crossover hit. And to get you hyped up, we've got the track "Say Aha" for you to download.
MP3: Santogold - Say Aha
Yes, this is a visual pun. Enjoy!
Hailing from the Utrecht in the Netherlands, C-Mon & Kypski were originally a hip-hop turntablist duo, but have now expanded into a four piece with live instruments. Hailing from the Netherlands, they've described their sound as a mix of 'DJ Shadow, Beck, Gogol Bordello, Fela Kuti, Super Furry Animals and Justice'. To be honest, listening to their single 'Bumpy Road', I can't spot any of those bands, which makes these guys more original than they give themselves credit for. Of course, it doesn't hurt to have an insanely catchy hook, either.
MP3: C-Mon & Kypski - Bumpy Road
Bill Halliday and Gareth Jones, otherwise known as The Cansecos, remind me of two bands who were around briefly in the late 90s - Chakradiva and Arkarna. While that probably isn't the most helpful comparison, if you've heard of either of those groups, you'll know the sort of thing to expect - synth bass, beats and vocals, arranged in such a way that doesn't sound as sparse as you would expect. Smooth stuff.
MP3: The Cansecos - Raised By Wolves
Colour Revolt were one of my favourites from SXSW last year, so I'm glad they're back. This year, they've got their debut album entitled "Plunder, Beg, and Curse". I can't decide if I like their music more than the fact that they've spelt 'colour' correctly, even though they're from Mississippi, or vice-versa. In any case, they're music's fantastic - think of a slightly less bombastic ...Trail of Dead.
MP3: Colour Revolt - Naked And Red
Honourable Mentions:
Clare & The Reasons - Pluto - the harmonies and instrumentation make these guys from Brooklyn sound stereotypically New York-art. Lovely!
Collections Of Colonies Of Bees - Flocks III - possibly the longest track at SXSW, at 11 minutes.
No doubt you've already seen this clip on Youtube, but that grainy picture quality simply doesn't do it justice. If you want to truly see what a great job Encyclopedia Pictura did with this clip, download the hi-res Quicktime right now. Keep your red & green glasses at the ready for the 3D version of the clip soon.
Björk - Wanderlust
And while you wait for the 145MB download, here's a little making-of doco:
As if the album art for Sebastien Tellier's new release wasn't odd enough, the bearded, sunglass-clad man turns the weirdness up a notch on his latest clip for "Divine".
