Canadian synth-poppers Dragonotte are fronted by the foxy vixen of a singer songwriter Martina Sorbara and backed on bass, guitar, and drums by her male bandmates: Dan Kurtz, Chris Hugget, and Joel Stouffer respectively. Dragonnet combine remarkably versatile and complex synth layers with loud fuzzy guitar, all driven by unrelenting, bouncing dance beats, to create catchy dance-rock that is smeared with bright red lipstick and dripping with sex appeal. Their sophomore release Fixin’ To Thrill and their subsequent world tour has won them a giant wave of new fans, don’t get left behind, catch a ride and take a listen. Dragonotte will be at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hotel on August 15th.
The indie buzz surrounding Brahms is slowly filtering out of the New York City bubble, garnering more and more attention and attracting new fans across the blogosphere. Headed by indie music vet Cale Parks (Joan of Arc, White Williams, Aloha), this trio produce a complex cacophony of percussion, synths, and guitar. Their dynamic electro-pop/rock seems in the vein of Animal Collective but less experimental. Other times it strikes a more complex and uptempo Chill-wave vibe. And sometimes it’s dark, brooding, pulsing synths recall Depeche Mode. Throughout, their energetic vocals can be likened to the rhythm and structure of MGMT’s musical magic. Brahms‘ forte has to be their percussion, as Cale’s precise overlay of different beats, drums, and various tempo transitions helps lay the driving backdrop for some quality electronic music. Big things are ahead for these guys, and I’m hoping they get to DC soon. Don’t take my word for it though, have yourself a listen below.
The Radio Dept. are back! I’ve been a fan of these guys since their 2002 Labrador records ep Where Damage Isn’t Already Done and was pleased when they subsequently released records with label-of-many-many-fantastic-and-big-artists, XL. They kinda went radio silent after that, at least for me, but it’s a treat to have them back and this song is a perfect soundtrack to a roof top party or night cap, just in time for summer.
New York sensation Penguin Prison has busted through the iron bars of music industry mundanity to deliver some fresh dance pop hits. Unabashed in his sugary and juicy attempt at Prince-like pop stardom, Penguin Prison is sparkling and delicious. I’m a sucker for pseudo-sad-love songs about cars, and Penguin Prison doesn’t disappoint with his new single “The Worse It Gets,” chalk-full of buoyant piano riffs, chiming synths, funk-guitar lines, groove-able rhythm, and soulful crooning. If we all had a song like this and a car named Jenny for when times get tough, there’d be a lot more dancing and a lot less crying in the world.
Though a hit late last year, it’s never wrong to turn back the clock a bit. La Roux’s ”Bulletproof” gets the remix treatment from Minneapolis-based dj, FAMUEL, who turns the 80’s-inspired hit into a disco-fied jam.
Dear friends, my remix for the fantastic UK group The Pipettes is out now. The song has been available for two weeks as an iTunes exclusive and we’re please to now make it available on Blisspop. Cop the remix below and be sure to nab the entire single featuring the original song and a remix from Kompakt Records’ Justus Kohncke HERE.
Hope y’all enjoy the track and holler with ur thoughts!
Follow