Post Post Modern Music: The Kills

This is a group I found on a hip blog last week. The song's called U R A Fever.

In an interview, the rock duo's Alison Mosshart said something interesting about the power of the internet that piqued my interest. It seems that blogs have developed a real power in spreading the word about good music and that is changing how the industry works:

This is a real moment of honesty and truth here because there was a moment in time, very recently, when big companies could market something--it could market the hell out of something--and then that would be huge. It would be famous because it was forced on you all the time.

I think now that music is typically free kids can make their own decisions. Everyone's calling it a crisis, but I don't.

Spoken like a true rocker. Anway, one comment on YouTube said, "This song is so sexy." Couldn't agree more...

U R A Fever - The Kills

Post Post Modern Music: Basement Jaxx

Basement Jaxx have always rocked out the beat of their own drum, but the video for Take Me Back to Your House is truly unique--equal parts silliness and grand spectacle. It's a tongue-in-cheek celebration of Communist Russia, complete with folk costumes, dancing bears and a Stalin look-alike.

But why do I waste words, when the video can speak for itself?



Koodos to everyone involved in making this glorious pageant, fit for a ki-- I mean... fearless revolutionary leader.

Post-Post-Modern Music: Justice

One of my favourite albums is Daft Punk's Discovery. Even more than Homework (which includes the masterpieces "Around the World" and "Da Funk") it encapsulates the band's unmistakable soul-pounding dynamism. From start to finish, this epic--yes, epic!--album evokes futuristic soundscapes, carries hints of 80's rock nostalgia and maintains always an undercurrent of a distinctly French creativity.

Since Discovery though, their music just hasn't hit the same notes for me. The subsequent album, Human After All was, in my opinion, a dud. But another group, called Justice--also from France--has burst onto the scene and grabbed the torch from Daft Punk's failing hands. Many people's first introduction to Justice was "We Are Your Friends." I first heard it in a Virgin Mobile commercial last year. Another excellent tune is "D.A.N.C.E."

On a side note, "We Are Your Friends" won 'Best Video' at the Europe Music Awards. As a representative of the band went to pick up the trophy an irate Kanye West crashed the stage and verbally assaulted everyone in sight because his own video, "Touch the Sky" didn't win. Some of his colourful rantings included:

Fuck dis! [My video] cost a million dollars, Pamela Anderson was in it; I was jumping across canyons and shit! ...If I don't win, the awards show loses credibility... Nothing against you, but hell man!

Anyway, Justice has come out with a new single "DVNO", coupled with an dazzling video that pays tribute to the art of logos and graphic design.

Check it out...

Post-Post-Modern Music: MGMT

MGMT is a group out of Brooklyn that's started to make waves with their album "Oracular Spectacular" (great title, that.)

Rolling Stone named them an 'artist to watch' in 2008 and the album has debuted at no. 12 on the UK album chart.

But who cares how popular they are. The music just sounds cool! And in light of the oppressive monotony (and mediocrity) of modern pop music it's like a revitalizing tonic for the ears.



Incidentally, for those who have never tried acid, this video for "Electric Feel" gives a surprisingly accurate demonstration.