"Sometimes In The Fall" by Phoenix

Prior to 2009’s fantastic Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, the French pop foursome Phoenix lacked a certain je ne sais quoi. To their credit, each album was increasingly better, but overall the catalog was not too exciting and had just a handful of high points.  Among those worth mentioning is “Sometimes In The Fall” off their 2006 release It's Never Been Like That.

Similar in style to many of the pop punk tunes we’ve grown accustomed to over the last couple of decades, “The Fall” has a hard driving beat and continuous bang of a power cord, giving it an energy like you are running in a heated race. That heartbeat-like thump of the bass drum combined with a sharp downbeat snare smack immediately invites a little head bob. And once you’re committed to the bob, you are sucked in for at least a minute or so; plenty of time to make it to the song’s hook – the chorus.  The high pitch guitar flutter and front man Thomas Mars’ vocals full of his signature lyrical repetition (he repeats words and phrases…a lot!) provide a nice pop counterbalance to the driving punk vibe in the underlined rhythm.

P.S. If you are familiar with "Fences" from Wolfgang, check out this super cool remix.

"Guilty Cocker Spaniels" by Modest Mouse

I don’t want to go as far to say that Modest Mouse’s We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank (their last LP) sucks, but I will, it kinda sucks. Maybe I didn’t give the album enough listens, but it just didn’t wet my whistle. I miss the good ole’ days of The Moon & Antarctica, The Lonesome Crowded West, and of course Good News For People Who Love Bad News.  Well guess what?  I think even they know they fell off after Good News, and so last year they released an EP called No One’s First, And You’re Next, a compilation of rarities and b-sides recorded during the Good News and We Were Dead years.  Overall the EP is OK with one kick ass track - “Guilty Cocker Spaniels.” This song could have easily made the ridiculously long track list from Good News, but fortunately for us living in the future, it didn’t.

The song essentially consists of two parts – “easy going” Modest Mouse and rockin’ Modest Mouse.  It starts off with that classic Modest Mouse sound of frontman Issac Brock rambling  on about God knows what (but we love his rambling!) over high pitched guitar strumming and stuttered snare and high hat.  You go along for the ride for about 2 minutes before you hit pay dirt when exploding guitar distortion and crashing cymbals signal the entrance of the second half of “Guilty.”  You really can’t help but bust out a little head banging and some air guitar – it’s ok, no one can see you, let loose. 

"Black Light" by Groove Armada

A couple of months ago I was looking for some new electronic tunes and ran across a great dub track (perfect for a house party) called “Superstylin’” by Groove Armada - a duo of Brits who specialize in catchy hooks.  Earlier this month they released a dance pop album called Black Light, their 6^th full length.  In general, Black Light’s lyrical content deals with relationships gone bad – it’s a feel good album!  Even with its dark tone - which I tend to gravitate toward – the great mix of vocals and music make it an enjoyable listen, even after 25+ trips around my virtual turntable.

At times Black Light reminds the listener - um, me - of Basement Jaxx, Justice, M83, early Depeche Mode (or any other early 80’s synth pop group for that matter), DFA, and even ABBA! Fortunately, the ABBA piece is isolated to the chorus of one track, which happens to be the first single from the album, “I Won’t Kneel.”  My guess is that they are pandering to the cheesy Euro club scene.

Constant throughout the album is a buzzing electro bass (think industrial) - apparently a common thread across GA's most recent work. It's a cool thread, so I hope they keep it up.  GA also tend to use synth in a multitude of ways, my favorite of which is their M83-like style, which, if an amateur such as me were to recreate it, I’d set my Casio to “80’s” and mash down on all the keys.  Also present throughout Black Light are drums, and not just a drum machine, actual drums and guitars - always a cool touch for electronic albums.  Not sure how it translates to a live set, but it’s a nice to recognize that these guys can play instruments beyond a keyboard.

Sitting on top of GA's instrumentals are several guest vocalists, the best of which is Nick Littlemore of the Aussie group Empire of the Sun (yeah I’ve never heard of ‘em either).  During Littlemore’s four appearances on the album, his intense, shout out loud vocals made me swear he was Praga Khan from The Lords of Acid. It seems like yesterday I was watching those fetish freaks twirl a blow up doll across the stage of the Masquerade.  Ah, nostalgia!  But I digress.

My current favorite of Littlemore's four tracks is "Cards to Your Heart," an anthemic track detailing the emotional struggles of coping with a distrustful relationship.  The song’s driving forces are GA’s signature buzzy bass pushing and Littlemore’s declarative spoken word juxtaposed with his singing of heartfelt pleas.  What caught my attention most during “Cards,” was the catchy chorus, which features classic 80’s synth and a minimal piano line reminiscent of a New Order track.

Some of my o­ther picks for Black Light include:

“Paper Romance” – another single released from the album (video) that really catches your attention with its tense, hard driving beat, signature electro bass, and a powerful chorus that features a male and female duet that really belt it out that’ll have you singing alongside.

“History” – driven by a cool 80’s synth pop sound, it’s one of the more “dance clubby” tracks on the album, which, admittedly had me dancing the other night with visions of turning my toddler’s basement playroom into a disco.  Hey!  A boy can dream!

“Look Me in the Eye Sister” – sung by an artist named Jess Larrabbee, whose voice is so similar to the lead vocalist from Heartless Bastards it’s uncanny. This is basically the album’s only “rock” song.

“Not Forgotten” – another Nick Littlemore track.  Think M83 on steroids, and if you’re like me, you just can’t stay off the ‘roids!

P.S. As I was reading up on this album I saw someone comment that it is delicious…delicious! Really?  Hey, I didn't get extra sauce with my Black Light, WTF!

P.P.S. The order of tracks for the U.S. release is different from the Euro release.  What’s up with that?  Is there some geo-music psychologist out there who decides how to order these things?