I'm constantly looking, searching, listening for new music and occasionally I stumble across something that stands out. A month ago I noticed a video posted up on a design forum I visit. It was for a track called "Divebomb" from a band called "The Whip"
I've had the album for a few weeks now and I must say it's pretty good.
It's a mixture of LCD Soundsystem, New Order, Gus Gus, Ladytron, Chemical Brothers. Perhaps on the outer edges of electro but still a great album.
Standout tracks - "Trash", "Frustration", "Fire", "Divebomb" & "Sister Siam" These were all previewed on iTunes before making the purchase. Five tracks out of ten made buying the full album a better choice.
I started thinking about how I use to discover music back in the days before the internet, I guess it was reading NME, Melody Maker & Smash Hits. Obviously you couldn't really hear any tracks before buying something so more often than not I would end up buying something that I hated. However because I had spent hard earned cash from paper rounds or glass collecting at the local working mens club I would end up playing the music to death in any sort of attempt to make myself like it. I think this broadened my horizons somewhat and I'm glad of it.
The only downside of discovering music via the internet now is that you get to hear the music before making a purchase. I know this sounds completely mad but there was something nice about buying a whole album before hearing it and then discovering something wonderful.
Take for example the new Ladytron album, Rob from EY has been telling me it's great and he can't stop listening to it. I want it now, I don't want to hear poor quality versions on Myspace, if I listen to them too much I might not buy the album when it comes out in June.
I'm not sure what to do about letting people hear our new stuff, In a way I want people to buy the album and listen to it from start to finish. Mmmmm what to do?
Matt
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4 comments:
YES YES Loving a bit of the ol' Whip action. This is one of my must-buy albums of the moment. Really edgy, catchy, intelligent tunes. I urge you to check them out, if you haven't already.
Sarah x
Just listened to The Whip, "Fire" is good, it's being used on an advert for some US TV drama starring Monica from Friends.
You might like "Shiny Toy Guns" - "We Are Pilots" album (missed them off my live list too). A mix of nu-new wave rock and synth pop ("Starts With One" slightly Question of Time like) and octave bass line synth pop ("Don't Cry Out") and "Le Disko" punky-synth disco but with a dreamy Dollar type middle section.
Ends with a tear jerking Steps- with-a brain synth ballad "We Are Pilots."
See this review -
http://www.popjustice.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1001&Itemid=284
As for the internet, I wouldn't have discovered Shiny Toy Guns, The Birthday Massacre, Covenant or yourselves without it.
Then again my rate of making tracks wouldn't have fallen from 12 a year to 3 a year either!!
As for putting entire albums on My Space, I think leaving a few off does make it a more exciting so there are still some suprises waiting for you when the whole album is released.
I listened to the Ladytron album on My Space today, but by putting the whole thing up made me skip through it at top speed as I had other things to do, so I only really picked up on a few stand out tracks. I'm not sure if this good way of evaluating an entire non pop album.
hi Matt & Sarah,
i discovered a group yesterday called 'M83'. their song 'graveyard girl' sounds like it belongs on just about any John Hughes film soundtrack from the '80s - check it out, you might like it. the music sounds a bit more simple minds/psychedelic firs than pure electro, but it certainly has enough electro elements to give it that '80s flavor.
cheers,
Tad
Kelley Polar's new album "I Need You to Hold on While the Sky Is Falling" is brilliant, the highlight of the year so far for me, it has everything I could want of an album.
I've not heard The Whip but will check 'em out asap!
I know what you mean about the "surprise factor" of hearing a new album for the first time and hitting a WOW! track... things are different now though, it seems to me much more difficult for a new band to turn a profit on an album alone. I don't think you have the luxury of posting the entire album up and asking for contributions (cf. NIN, Radiohead etc.) and note most listeners think MySpace bitrates are fine. How about a megamix? ;)
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