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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PRDS

Yesterday, I received an especially brief message from a certain 16-year-old kid named Adam, who makes music under the moniker prds. With a copy of Fruity Loops as his instrument, the Swede pumps out sublime, melancholic instrumental pop gems that shimmer like the setting sun reflecting off a placid ocean. "Lionfish" is a tad repetitive and flat; "Bahamas" is a bit choppy and doesn't spotlight the throbbing bass line that drives the tune quite enough; prds is a work in progress, but with some assuring signs of a positive and creatively fruitful future.

Check out two MP3s below and grab another pair at the guy's Last.fm page.

prds - Lionfish

prds - Bahamas

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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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Service Records Roundup

I put together a rather lengthy post on Service Records on the Anthem Online site, and since I know not all of you read that Web publication, I'm excerpting some of it here and offering the same MP3s. Read the full article here.

First and foremost, the Swedes' control of the English language is subversively contrary to ours. When Lykki Li or Jens Lekman sing of love, they express different experiences, conveniently constructed in a pop manner than alludes to unilateral and exact understanding; when Shout Out Louds or Peter Bjorn & John write of relationships and breakups, they transmit entirely different meanings conveyed through the mechanisms of mainstream indie-rock that imply only one meaning.

If only it were that simple! The Swedish experience is vastly different from the American experience, and any word a Swede pens intrinsically contrasts any word an American does.

So don't think of Service Records as another New Order-loving, post-punk-adoring collective that's prepared to pump out electronic pop ballads and guitar-driven rock songs in order to quench our undying need to always have music blasting.

Where in the U.S. will you find a manifesto like Service's, centered around the following slogan?:

Service is a permanent vacation, catalog its only luggage.

Nowhere. These Stockholm natives are in an orbit of their own, and we ought not attempt to bring them under our fold and stick them in our system.

Service brought us Studio, The Embassy, Jens Lekman, The Tough Alliance, and many more creatives, and for that alone, we must be thankful.

Now, the independent label's got a chain of new releases to doll out to listeners or all varieties, and Anthem wants to make sure you all know that and buy in to the utterly from-the-heart company.

First, there's a Jens Lekman remix release, Sipping On the Sweet Nectar, the Epic Remixes. The three-track digital download is a disco reinterpretation of our favorite European crooner. Stream one of the Bogdan Irkük edits [below] and buy the thing already!

Second, there's Jackpot's debut Service single for "Uno Dos Tres." We highly recommend that you give these neo-Kraut-rockers a listen as they're something extraterrestrial and dark, yet bizarrely comforting and familiar.

Third, there's The Embassy's newest single, "State '08," an electronic-infused jam that's reminiscent of New Order cuts of old paired with the beachy vibe of TTA. If you're looking for a sweet and melancholic gem for those Summer days at the beach or road trips down the 1, you've found it with "State '08." Stream the song [below as well].

Fourth, Kool DJ Dust has made a killer joint, "The Quest" that has us finally convinced: the Swedes ain't all that bad on the dance floor. You can download [and stream the single below], but why not head over to the Service page and grab if from them?

Finally, Anthem would like to request that all its readers join Service. For the low price of €21 you'll be granted access to all of Service's digital offerings and opted into a music community that is truly rewarding. Plus, you'll sleep easy knowing you've helped them perpetuate. Sign up!


The Embassy - State '08

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

Kool DJ Dust - The Quest

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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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Little Boots, "Meddle"

To be brutally honest, BBBD wasn't into London's Little Boots when the singer hit several months ago. Our outlook has morphed, though: this chick is pretty friggin' great, and the new single, "Meddle," is proof of her fresh talent.

Little Boots is the culmination of our current fascination with Italo-disco, 1980s girly pop, and grimy, dark, atmospheric electronic grit. "Meddle" is a stark and magical pop gem that stands out not only for the downright sexy vocals, but also for the snake-charming jazz melodies, techy yet mystically organic beats, and nontraditional arrangements. Catchy and alluring through creepiness and spacey uniqueness. Ach, it's killer. With breath baited, we wait for more, more, more!

Little Boots - Meddle

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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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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!

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