Blog: This Town is Folly

Yet another faceless artist has emerged with a rather brilliant electronic-pop track.  We might  not yet know much about Fyfe, but what we do know is that debut release 'Solace' is a stripped-back, mournful sounding track littered with somber lyrics about rejection and loss.  Cheery stuff.  Nevertheless, its simplicity and clean tones are a winner and the story gets a bit perkier towards the end when it's revealed that 'love has overcome things I didn't know it could'. Ahhh. Words by: Claire Holly Davies @ClaireHolly_

The band behind much lauded single 'Ghost' have unveiled themselves as LA trio Sir Sly ahead of the release of a second track.  The follow-up is titled 'Gold' and much like their debut single, features a concoction of artful electronic textures but with a darker, harder edge.  Recorded, mixed and mastered at home by the band themselves and released in the UK by National Anthem (Haim, Chvrches...you get the picture) their trademark style of rhythmic vocals, drawn-out bass lines and of-the-moment synths is set to be adored by hipsters and hip-hoppers alike. Have a look at the video for [...]

We love a great Dane and this Copenhagen native is really rather brilliant. Karen 'MØ' Ørsted makes music with a distinctive mix of influences from electro, hip hop, indie and soul.  Latest single 'Glass' is a sauntering display of candied pop, lacerated with MØ's acerbic views on growing up and moving on.  Synths shatter around lithe vocal melodies, set against the swaggering bass-driven back beat that gives MØ's music a bite of her trademark gutsy attitude. View the video for 'Glass' below: Words by: Claire [...]

As a long term fan and possessor of a borderline-obsessive girl crush on Natasha Khan, aka Bat For Lashes, the announcement of their video release for single 'A Wall' sent me into an internet stalking frenzy.  The single is taken from latest album 'The Haunted Man', released in October is a typically enigmatic, synth-pop affair.  The video features Ms Khan in a natty blonde wig, cavorting round a house party with some bloke off the telly, who bizarrely appears to be dressed as a yeti.  They won't get invited back in a hurry. Bat For Lashes co-headlines Field Day 2013 (I'll be at [...]

Skulking around the alley ways of SE8 London, is a 28 year old producer known as the Deptford Goth.  A melancholy figure, whose music contains fragments of macabre undertones against vast graceful beats.  Describing his work as “sitting somewhere between real and synthetic” it's easy to imagine the Deptford Goth himself treading a fine line between the absolute and the illusory, traipsing between the lulls of real life and the escapism of his allegorical productions.  Latest track 'Union' follows this pattern of opposing sensibilities combined with an impressive composition.  The video features a rather forlorn looking Mr Goth wandering around some [...]

Sometimes you just really, really want to listen to a bit of French synth-pop, non?  Comin' straight outta Rennes, O Safari deliver a blend of 802s camp with a bit of that good old French charm.  You may not be able to understand a word of what they're saying, but it won't stop you shimmying around to what is an undeniably catchy piece of pop. Words by: Claire Holly Davies @ClaireHolly_

Young Russian Enei (aka Alexey Egorchenkov) has, since he emerged on the scene in 2008, become one of the most respected producers in electronic bass.   His debut album 'Machines', released today, is a mix of gut wrenching bass and rolling, delicately ethereal tracks such as 'Runnin', featuring the transcendent vocals of Georgia Yates and possibly his best offering. Words by Claire Holly Davies

Brooklyn's Lorely Rodriguez introduces herself as a 'project of sight and sound' and intrigue in Rodriguez's work is growing, following the release of anonymously uploaded 'Colorminutes' - a series of minute-long snippets of her songs, matched with a corresponding colour.  The 'Colourminutes' project proved to be a teasing precursor of what was to come, with Rodriguez now releasing her first single as Empress Of, titled 'Don't Tell Me', an intricate electronic pop offering.  A lulling offering of celestial vocals and tangled melodies, submerged in a murky mixture of reverberated strings and synths, it gets better with every listen - try it out [...]

• Empress Of - Don't Tell Me

Glasgow trio Chvrches are back with follow-up single 'The Mother We Share', lead by the sweet-natured vocals of singer Lauren Mayberry this lyrical-electro power pop single soars through the air on a bed of dizzy keyboards and percussion claps.  The single follows equally resplendent debut offering 'Lies' and is out on 5 November via National Anthem. Words by: Claire Davies

Still buzzing from their fervent set at this weekend's 1-2-3-4 Shoreditch festival, it's only fair to give praise to what became one of the pivotal performances of the day.  Savages, an all-girl post-punk four piece, tore through their set with ferocious energy and skill.  On the face of it Savages appear to be incredibly in-tune with the sensibilities of the original punk movement, yet they manage to retain an innovative edge that combines agression with forboding vocals and a dash of neurosis. Savages removed themselves from the stage to raptuous applause from an open-mouthed audience, having ripped them open and exposed them [...]

The official video for Joey Bada$$ track 'Waves' was dropped today.  The single, a forerunner from his mixtape '19992, is trademark Badas$$.  A nostalgic vein runs through the album, with classic hip hop sentiment woven around each track and 'Waves' is a prominent example of the stripped down beats that characterise the Joey Bada$$ sound.  The video, Directed by Vashtie, is an unpretentious affair, a look into a typical day in the life of him and his crew, meandering indifferently round Brooklyn parks and streets.  Joey Bada$$ flings one finger to the mainstream, breathing new life into the genre whilst [...]

Mississippi duo ILLLS create a specific blend of progressive, swampy anglo-american rock, complete with scuzzy overlay and post-punk references.  Ok look, they're just really, really good! The highly anticipated ILLLS EP is due for release in June, but if you're itching for a bit of action while you wait, here's 'Teeth' fresh off the forthcoming EP. Prepare to feel a little nauseous at the (literally) vomit-inducing video accompanying the track, but then what's a little puke between friends? [...]

East London songwriter/producer The Adamski Kid (formerly of now defunct synth-pop outfit Dirty Disco) has recently released 'Mowgli' from his own label B!tch! Cassettes, following support from radio heavyweights Tom Robinson and Larry Flick. 'Mowgli' is is an expedition in eccentricity, without veering too far into the abyss of overt craziness.  Offbeat and incredibly listenable, with a dangerous ability to get stuck on repeat on the inbuilt ipod located between my ears,  'Mowgli' is, simply put, a wicked track.  The Adamski Kid pulls you into his world and covers you in layers of distorted [...]

The first track from the anticipated Purity Ring debut album 'Shrines' (due out on 24th July from 4AD) is the dreamy 'Obedear'.  There's something in this song that reminds me of Grimes (another increasingly visible 4AD contender), perhaps it's the ethereal little-girl vocals, but whatever it is, I'm seriously liking the current wave of future pop sounds infiltrating the music scene. You can download 'Obedear' for free from the Purity Ring website: http://purityringsongs.com/ [...]

Hailing from the depths of East London, unsigned sextet Molly’s Lipps conjure up a mix of grunge guitar sounds, synths and shady vocals.  Molly's Lipps do trippy, anthemic songs brilliantly, with more than a hint of retro 802s rock.  London hipsters these guys may be (all clashing prints and ironic grandad shirts) but they have a substance in their music that pulls them apart from other acts emerging from trendy East London. Find out more here: http://mollyslipps.com By Claire Davies. [...]

This sunny side-up electro pop track from Seye (that's pronounced 'Cher' according to his twitter) is all clattering drums and honeyed vocals. As the brother of, the bassist from Mercury-nominated band Metronomy, perhaps great music is in Seye 's blood. 'White Noise' is a pleasant side-step from the current plethora of predictably formulaic music and one that will get inevitably stuck in the heads of all that listen to it. Check out his Tumblr: http://eyesbackwards.tumblr.co m/ [...]

When I stumbled across this a pearl of tune, it pretty much turned my day upside down.  Rolling drum beats collide with a thumping piano riff, whilst an overlay of slide guitar and softer melodies and harmonies evoke the feeling of warm sunshine beating down on pale skin.  If your desk job's got you pining for a release, crank this up on your ipod and bask in the pure brightness of Hallways. "Hallways" by Islands from the upcoming album 'A Sleep & A Forgetting,' available February 14th! Pre-order at http://www.anti.com/store [...]

• Islands - Hallways

Diagrams "Tall Buildings" had my ears prickling.  The driving pop beat lays the perfect foundation for a funky bass lick hook, which alone got my feet tapping and shoulders swaying.  On top of this solid underlay, we find the electronic, buzzing centre of the track that ignites the whole groove of the song. The vocal melodies shared between lead singer Sam Genders, Laura Hocking and Hannah Peel, lends the track its euphoric blend, placing it between indie-pop and 802s electro. If you download one track this year, make it this feel good floor filler... [...]

This track, recorded in 2009, has just been uploaded to SoundCloud by the almightly SBTRKT, and it's definitely a bit tasty...

• sbtrkt - atomic peace (2009)

LA based, hot-to-trot producer David Dann has reworked Aussie brother and sister pairing Angus & Julia Stone's 'Big Jet Plane', turning the track into an ethereal, electro track.  The indie guitars and melody lines of the original work have been mixed with house inspired nuances and synths, creating a hedonistic dance track that would sit happy in a Balearic rave.