Yukari Fresh Releases New Album

Love me for this, okay?

Escalator Records' final release will be Yukari Fresh's forthcoming LP, GRRRL SUMMER CAPE KID. The seminal Tokyo-based label has been churning out Shibuya-kei, electro-pop, experimental, and dancey tunes since the early 1990s, and it's with a deep sorrow that we say goodbye to them.

One of Escalator's first signings was Yukari Fresh -- albeit not by that name -- so it seems fitting that the long-standing roster member's new full-length will be released on her first (and only) label. After amicably folding, the ex-Escalator staff will dedicate its time to its Shibuya record store, Every Coversation and Crazy to Live record labels, and its Tokyo dance parties. May the Escalator legend live on.

GRRRL SUMMER CAPE KID is a refreshing return to Fresh's roots. It's spunky and concentrated, hooky and quick, jumpy and energetic. Fresh never fails to cut to the chase with her recordings, and often times, that's a good thing. She's a thirty-something (maybe forty-something?) mother now, though, making the sheer energy and sometimes bombastic forcefulness all the more inspiring. This statement rings very true with the new LP and is certainly not to be missed.

Ah, and if you missed it the first time around, check out the lengthy (definitive English language?) interview I did with Naka, Escalator Records et al's president, for Anthem right here. It looks as though I caught them on the brink of their dissolve!

GRRRL ... is out on August 27; below you'll find one song from that and two extra old tracks to tide you over until the record hits stores.

Yukari Fresh - GRRRL (A FACTOR OF REVOLUTION)

Yukari Fresh - Fat

Yukari Fresh - Lost and Found (Hideki Kaji Remix)

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Pacific!'s "Sunset Boulevard" Gets Remixed by Lord Skywave

We were sold by the first second of Pacific!'s debut single, "Hot Lips," a year or two ago. The Swedish duo has since gone on to push its surfer-meets-electro-pop LP all across the globe, from the U.K. to the U.S., and even to India where they're now enjoying the number one slot on the nation's MTV and VH1 music rotations. Not too shabby!

There've been many remixes of Pacific!'s work, but this new one by half of Black Ghosts, Simon Lord, a.k.a. Lord Skywave, is one of the most stunning we've been graced with since Breakbot's stellar effort. As Daniel -- half of Pacific! -- aptly puts it, the edit is reminiscent of "an old Bollywood soundtrack somehow." How perfect, then, that they're a Hindu hit!

Check out the remix of "Sunset Boulevard" below and be sure to pick up the debut, Reveries, when it hits the States on July 22!


Pacific! - Sunset Boulevard (Lord Skywave Mix)

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New Liars, "Disgusting"

Liars Interview from Anthem Magazine on Vimeo.
Oh, how I love Liars. The trio is one of those bands that we all know is going to be pumping out albums for years and years to come; one of those bands that will inspire generations of future musicians; one of those bands that will always seem utterly accessible and completely alien (have you ever seen Angus and company live!?)

Four albums and a handful of EP's in, countless recording locations later, and uncanny genre hopping, Liars comes out with a curt single that has no affiliation to anything as far as we know, "Disgusting." Unlike the bulk of their last LP's work, "Disgusting" is more reminiscent of early punk cuts by, say, the Slits during their collaboration with Half Japanese that never happened. The throbbing beat and helter-skelter hook makes the tune messy; the slightly off drumming only further convolutes the thing; the piece is genius.

Now that the band is officially holed up in L.A., I'm hoping to see more of them ... don't tell me this isn't a Los Angelino tune.

"Why can't they turn on the lights? You are a man and I am a drug. It's so disgusting."

It's so disgusting!


Liars - Disgusting

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No Age/Mika Miko/Abe Vigoda @ the Smell

Early last month, Los Angeles exports No Age, Mika Miko, and Abe Vigoda performed at the Smell's second annual matinee performance. I'm still a little in the dark as to why they decided to hold such a stellar show during some of the hottest hours during the day and how they managed wrangle up every hipster in the great L.A. region, but -- needless to say -- the mini-festival (or whatever you want to call it) was fun.

I did this film for Anthem Online. Check out the original article and small clip here. We got footage of all three bands' sets (amazing), a solid Q&A with No Age, and a fun chat with some of the Mika Miko girls and a couple of the Abe Vigoda guys.

I recommend viewing the high-def version of the video on Vimeo. We didn't shoot in HD for nothing!

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John & Jehn

John & Jehn is London's latest über-hip duo that pulls simultaneously from old psychedelic acts of the 1960s, garage innovators, and the loungier efforts of outfits like Stereolab. Imagine a pared down reincarnation of the Velvet Underground with a more minimal sound and twist of Jesus & Mary Chain shoegaze grit.

At times, they nearly sound like Serge Gainsbourg trying to ape Nico, but at no point do they come off as purely derivative and they remain oddly sweet throughout every song. John & Jehn are endlessly arty -- imagine them playing with Lissy Trullie and Marnie Stern -- but they never get too heady or dense so as to make them un-enjoyable. They're loads of fun, and even if they're brooding over Voltaire's Candide and studying Charles Mingus at present, we can't help but love them to death.

Pick up the eponymous debut full-length right here.

John & Jehn - 20 L 07

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Music Related's digital imprint, Creation Centre has a new, fabulous release by the soft-spoken Daisuke Miyatani (MySpace).

The Awaji Island native is an incredibly mellow electronic composer who merges the peaceful calm of the Lost In Translation sound Westerners have come to associate with Japan and the curious energy of fellow folk musicians like Shugo Tokumaru, for example. There's an ethereal quality to the songs that makes them seem other-worldly, but the deeply personal qualities of the syrupy slow arrangements brings them back to real life.

Check out one MP3 below and download the entire three-track EP, Fragments, right here.

Daisuke Miyatani - Genkide-ne

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Jaguar Farm

It being the Fourth of July in Los Angeles, it seems only fitting to celebrate another Los Angelino's music. Jaguar Farm is the solo project of Alex Ladarola, a budding songwriter who claims Liars, Animal Collective, Philip Glass, Neu!, Franz Schubert, Steve Reich, Stereolab, Frédéric Chopin, and Kraftwerk as influences. While he doesn't muster up to the more classical on that list and isn't quite as intense as the more modern acts, there's something utterly smart about his wacky pop sensibilities. "Baby's On Fire" -- a Brian Eno cover -- is reminiscent of an Ariel Pink rambling with some delicate and thoughtful orchestral undertones ... almost as though he worked with Owen Palette on it. "Blizzard" sounds like a lo-fi Zappa covering the Unicorns; "Land of 1000 Lakes" dabbles with jazzier arrangements and sparser production. While all the songs are especially sketchy -- they are demos! -- they're all boldly self-aware and ambitious. Hook this guy up with a fancy studio and he'll do some wild stuff with his endearing tunes. Jaguar Farm - Baby's On Fire (Brian Eno Cover) Jaguar Farm - Blizzard Jaguar Farm - Land of 1000 Lakes

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New Animals Talking

Great Britain's most promising youths, Animals Talking, just finished up in the studio and sent BBBD a couple new tunes that are purely irresistible. "Colours" and "New Dawn" are more contemplative and dark than the gem that is "It Was," but they're certainly no less vibrant or energetic.

Animals Talkings' tunes are a whirlwind of spastic punk riffs, time changes, and sugary lyrics that culminate into something more mature than their collective years. While the cuts are still rather raw and in need of a finishing, their freeness and down-to-earth sincerity is still front-and-center.

Put these songs on your iPod, hop on a bus or a train or just play them for your significant other and be swept away into a world of heart-on-sleeve Brit-pop sonic creations. For all their in-your-face energy, these guys are utterly emotional, and BBBD just can't get enough. Keep keepin' an eye on them. They'll go places.

Animals Talking - Colours

Animals Talking - New Dawn

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Jens Lekman Remixed by Bogdan Irkük

Who would've thought that Swedish darling of lo-fi pop ballads Jens Lekman (MySpace) would sound so good to disco instrumentals?

Rollerboys Recordings' Bogdan Irkük had the bright idea of setting Lekman's sweet vocals to spacey disco beats, with the resultant 12" being pretty awesome. Each edit is a heavy Balearic-infused slow jam that could easily fit in a Studio set or Prins Thomas Italo-disco mix. Check out the Love Nectar mix of "Sipping On the Sweet Nectar" below and buy the whole release on iTunes or at Service Records' online MP3 shop!

Jens Lekman - Sipping On the Sweet Nectar (Bogdan Irkük Love Nectar Mix)

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Roses, Kings, Castles

It seems a little early to be celebrating the style (or memory?) of Pete Doherty, but that's what Roses, Kings, Castles is attempting ... and they're doing so with success, in flying colors. The Alphaville Records (MySpace), London-based band isn't purely derivative, though -- while their lo-fi recordings, charming and earnest arrangements, and cutely strummed guitar melodies do immediately remind one of some calmer Babyshambles works, the Littl'ans, or heartfelt Doherty demos, there's an ingenuity and uniqueness that makes them stick out.

Interestingly, Alphaville Records is based in Japan ... and the "Sparkling Bootz" single features a Kaji Hideki track on the flip side! Seems unusual for a U.K. indie outfit, but hey, they lads are anything but normal. Check out the killer single below -- it'll be a hit -- and be sure to tickle your eardrums with their other cuts on their MySpace page.

Roses, Kings, Castles - Sparkling Bootz

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Studio, "Yearbook 2"

Studio - Yearbook 2 from Information on Vimeo.
Sweden's Studio (MySpace) enraptured us with Yearbook 1 last year (released on the guys' own record label, Information), and for good reason. Their post-punk-done-electronic-dub style is all at once captivatingly melodious/poppy and experimentally alluring. While most of the songs hoovered near the ten-minute mark, none felt too long and not accessible or radio-friendly. A work of genius, to say the least.

While Studio's yet to release new original material, they did a handful of remixes since they found fame, and chose to release the seven edits as Yearbook 2. The LP flows like an original work ... Studio applies such a unique sound and aesthetic to all music they touch -- whether it's their own or someone else's -- and that's what holds this full-length together. Working with mega pop-stars like Kylie Minogue is no more difficult than sprucing up a folky single by California's Rubies or trancey cut by fellow Swedes, A Mountain of One.

Keep an eye out for more Studio news on BBBD. We've more to bring to you all ... for now, though, just get pumped for the release of Yearbook 2 on June 23, check out this preview video, and download or stream one of the remixes that appears on the release below!

A Mountain of One - Brown Piano (Remake by Studio)

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The Lord Dog Bird

In the earlier part of this millennium's teen years, Baltimore's Wilderness became one of the most important post-punk revival groups, seamlessly melding the old aesthetics of the 1980s angular rockers and the more experimentally-driven and rockier sound of modern times. Wilderness' stuff was, granted, artier than typical post-punk bands (the Cure, Joy Division, Echo & the Bunnymen), and a little more melodious, edging dangerously close to the "rock" genre. That aside, though, Wilderness was one of the first Baltimore bands to gain national attention, and certainly one of the more oblique quartets out there. Still, they're shrouded in mystery and darkness ...

Colin McCann, Wildnerness' guitarist, has obviously been a little bored since Vessel States, an oddly emo-twinged work ... so bored that he went off an made his own solo album under the moniker, the Lord Dog Bird. Whereas Wilderness' output is hyper-complex and obviously the work of an especially able bodied studio ensemble, the Lord Dog Bird is a bedroom recording of an unusual variety. The nine tunes were recording primarily with a four-track, and definitely sound it. There's a simplicity and delicateness to the tracks that is topped off by distortion and atmospheric echoes, ghost sounds, creakings ...

Listen to a couple songs below and see for yourself. This is magical stuff -- and really emotionally accessible -- that represents a slight departure from Wilderness' usual ambiance and a definite switching up of the usual formula solo lo-fi artists incorporate into their pieces.

the Lord Dog Bird - No Security

the Lord Dog Bird - Walking (With You)

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Dirty Pretty Things Return

Talk about uninspired returns ... Dirty Pretty Things (MySpace) -- long known as the other band to splinter from the Libertines -- is back, but this time they've completely lost their bite. The appeal of Carl Barât & co. was that they represented the clean, the stoic, the knowing that the Libertines and Pete Doherty lacked. Dirty Pretty Things, with their delicate arrangements, intricate guitar melodies, consciously distorted rhythm guitar lines, occasional horn and string arrangements, and sweet, sweet hooks positioned themselves as the band to succeed and be in it for the long haul.

Now, not so much. The London quartet's returned with one heck of a pub-rocking single, "Tired of England." Equal parts psych-rock haze and deliberate, extra-straight bar band rock. There's an iota of a hook and a lovely little bridge in the middle of the track, but aside from that, the song is a half-baked thought about British nationalism (that's an oversimplification, but you'll get it once you hear it).

"How can they be tired of England?" How can we be tired of you, Barât?

Dirty Pretty Things - Tired of England (Album Version)

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Ladyhawke Says "Paris Is Burning"!

What BBBD believes to be a "summer jam" is oftentimes quite different from others' conceptions of the surefire pool party hit. That Julian Casablancas, Santogold, and Pharrell tune, "My Drive Thru," for example, was hailed by Stereogum, but is, in actuality, a steaming pile of crap.

There're plenty of instances, when BBBD's preferences overlap with other bloggers', critics', and general music listeners', though, and New Zealand's Ladyhawke is (fingers crossed) just one such case. She's got an album coming out on Modular Records, and while the two singles so far ("Back of the Van" and "Paris Is Burning") have been spectacular odes to ramshackle funk cuts and Abba-infused post-punk dance tracks, the LP as a whole might not hold muster, unfortunately. But that is the reality of the one-hit-wonder, so deal with it!

For those of you who've not heard the original "Paris Is Burning," download or stream it below and get your feet tapping on this sweltering hot day. It'll only get hotter, sweatier, and brighter, though, and when that times arrives, crank up the Cut Copy remix of the original -- it'll get you fist pumping to the stars and showing off a few more moves than the minimal head bob. As usual, the Australian trio has dolled out catchy space-disco beats and synth ditties for this edit, conforming the song to their futuristic aesthetic while reverently maintaining and hailing the strength of the remixed artist's work. Ladyhawke ought to sing on one of their compositions.

Ladyhawke - Paris Is Burning

Ladyhawke - Paris Is Burning (Cut Copy Remix)

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The Kid

Sweden's Hybris just can't stop releasing awesome stuff! Sayonara, Labrador Records -- Hybris is the new stronghold of Swedish tunes. From the quirky and lo-fi melodies of Elias & the Wizzkids to the Michael Jackson-esque ballads of Juvelen to the bizarre a capella of the Sweptaways to the sweet pop music of Kalle J, the smallish label simply can't turn out an unwanted single, EP, or LP.

Now they're proudly releasing the Kid's sophomore album, Transient Blood. This is BBBD's first time listening to the Gothenburg quartet, but boy are they good. Imagine Sambassadeur merged with New Order circa 1987. The Swedes have a penchant for churning out tracks with heavy, super-catchy bass lines, playful synth riffs, and rhythm guitar parts that sound so in motion, so fresh and not boring like rhythm guitar tends to be. And the Kid does it best. The first single off the record, "Transient Dance," is a stunning jam that's reminiscent of cutesy European exports like Bonnie & Clyde and more recent New Order cuts like "Krafty." It's charming beyond belief, and the rest of the release holds muster well.

Transient Blood is out on June 18, and you must purchase it if you hope to have an enjoyable summer ... or if you're looking for that perfect soundtrack for a house party, BBQ, whatever. It'll work. Listen.

the Kid - Transient Dance

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Atlas Sound Remixes the Chap

America's strangest musical entity, Bradford Cox, AKA Atlas Sound/frontman of Deerhunter, has worked his remix magic on the Chap (MySpace), London's closet thing to the Sparks, 2008. Atlas Sound, known for its bizarre breed of flowing, atmospheric shoegaze, constructed in a soft-spoken and shy lo-fi/bedroom recording sort of way may not be the most likely remixer for the Chap's "They Have A Name," but the result is more compelling than one would originally thing.

Whereas Mega Breakfast's opening track is a gooft kraut-rock-inspired sing-along sort of ditty, the Atlas Sound interpretation is a glitchy, laptop-pop, "folktronic" sort of mix that's a bit more soothing and melodious. It's completely different (there are no vocals on the Atlas Sound remix, for example), but well worth a listen.

Grab both the Chap's original tune and Cox's altered one below.

the Chap - They Have A Name (Atlas Sound Remix)

the Chap - They Have A Name

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Windmill

What Friendly Fire Recordings lacks in size, it duly makes up for through the awesomeness of its roster. From Asobi Seksu (which actually recently left the label) to the Faunts to the Whitsundays, Friendly Fire has never hit a sour note, and continually releases strong albums and EPs from no genre or style in particular.

London's Windmill (MySpace) is the latest addition to the ever-growing family, and, as to be expected, it was a good idea, bringing this one-band-band on board.

Thomas Dillon -- the man behind Windmill -- writes and records these really emotive, ballad-y pop tunes that are all at once haunting (that high voice!) and mesmerizing in their depth, complexity, and wonderful lyricism. Imagine Isaac Brock going solo and writing sad songs on an old piano while pulling some help from Iceland's Seabear or something. These songs are delicate, fragile ... but somehow they're all held together by Dillon's skeletal, piercing vocals. Hmm ... a little difficult to describe! How about you listen to the below cut and buy the new Puddle City Racing Lights LP, too.

Windmill - Tokyo Moon

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Ross Blake

Those of you who have been reading BBBD for longer than just the past few weeks (whoops, I wrote some left-field stuff!) may remember Buttonhead, the London, U.K. experimental and spastic rock band we loved to death and accidentally omitted from one of our many year-end best artists lists.

Anyway. This post is not about Buttonhead, but rather Ross Blake, one of the members of the above mentioned quintet. While Blake is still an active and integral part of Buttonhead, he's gone off to pursue more fine art endeavors, namely composing the soundtrack to a new play entitled The Dybbuk. Judging by the glowing reviews and enchanting musical work, it's both very good and quite haunting as well.

We don't mean to draw too many comparisons, but would like to note here that when we first wrote about Buttonhead, we mentioned the group's likeness to Deerhoof in some regards. Isn't it quite the coincidence, then, that both bands have interacted with theatrical productions at some point? Hmmm ... we're feeling a transatlantic collaboration coming on ...

Back to the soundtrack. The Dybbuk O.S.T. is reminiscent of a Danny Elfman score with the quirkiness and off-kilter penchant for spasm and wall-of-sound noise barrages that only a modern London pop musician could churn out. The technical abilities of Blake must be pretty stellar, anyway, considering the complexity, depth, and dense construction of the fifteen-song score. It's incredibly expressive and enigmatic, which is all at once alluring personally -- this is some great standalone music! -- and a concrete reason to check out the actual production. But alas, BBBD resides in L.A. and can only hope to catch this on tour (not going to happen). For now, we'll just anticipate an Owen Palette/Deerhoof/Ross Blake supergroup.

Check out a few MP3s below or just download the entire album!

Ross Blake - Batey

Ross Blake - Dybbuk Finale

Ross Blake - Mountain Escape

Ross Blake - Night Song

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Lykke Li/El Perro del Mar/Anna Ternheim Film

Lykke Li/El Perro del Mar/Anna Ternheim from Anthem Magazine on Vimeo.
Some of you may have already seen the Lykke Li/El Perro del Mar/Anna Ternheim video I assisted in making for Anthem Magazine, but if you've yet to check it out, then click here and be amazed.

As expected, the three were a pleasure to meet and work with, although Lykke Li was a little tougher to deal with. Their respective performances were jaw-droppingly stellar, too ... Lykke Li is the energetic, overtly expressive "child" whereas El Perro del Mar and Anna T. are more mature, subtle. All three performances offered phenomenal insights into their characters and songwriting talents, aptly complimenting the interviews.

Anyway ... enough yappin', just check the film out!