Blog: Muzak For Cybernetics

I'm not sure if they're fans of the BBC series or the NBC series, but Chicago's Office have certainly chosen a clever band name that may or may not have been inspired by the popular TV show. Contrary to what you might think, however, their songs have little to do with selling paper products or workplace politics. Instead they deliver catchy pop songs that simultaneously remind me of Spoon, Belle & Sebastian and Koufax (although "The Big Bang Jump!" has a chorus that sounds like it was lifted from a New Pornographers album). Their debut album A Night at [...]

I know a lot of people have trouble getting into music that is primarily instrumental, but when you've got as many interesting textures and melodies in your songs as The Octopus Project, it's almost a shame to draw attention away from the music by throwing vocals in there too. Then again, on "Queen", the final track of their new album Hello, Avalanche , they punt that theory completely out the window by introducing some gentle singing to bring the album to a satisfying (and somewhat unexpected) conclusion. For me this band falls somewhere between Caribou and Trans Am, fusing [...]

• The Octopus Project - Bees Bein' Strugglin'

Every year, a new album threatens to destroy my hearing with its raw, heavy rock riffs. This year, that album is by none other than Dethklok - the stars of the [adult swim] cartoon Metalocalypse . They're a metal band so famous they're the world's twelfth largest economy. The two-disc edition of The Dethalbum features over an hour of the most brutal selections from Dethklok's library. Tracks that originally appeared on Metalocalypse have been re-written as full-length metal anthems and re-recorded with legendary metal drummer Gene Hoglan replacing the original programmed drum beats. Series creator [...]

Enon's High Society has a place somewhere amongst my favourite albums of all time, and their first album Believo! is a criminally underappreciated gem. However, they've been sort of levelling ever since, and in my opinion none of their recent creative output has surpassed those first two records. Grass Geysers... Carbon Clouds is another decent offering from the band (and their 4th official LP, considering 2005's Lost Marbles and Exploded Evidence was merely a compilation) featuring their unpredictable pop melodies and a mixture of fuzzed out guitars and noise. There aren't many [...]

The nebulous genre of "math rock" can be interpreted in a lot of ways; by my reckoning it lies somewhere within the realm of punk, tech metal, experimental and progressive rock (a broad spectrum indeed). But the strange thing is, whenever you stumble across a band that falls into this category, there is absolutely no mistaking it. The intricate guitar riffs, complex percussion and awesome synchronized cacophony of rock power just knocks you on your ass, and that's how you know. This is precisely what happened the first time I heard Cinemechanica. I found out about this band because they [...]

Can you believe it's been 6 whole years since Les Savy Fav's last album proper? The good news is that listening to their new album Let's Stay Friends it's as if they never really went on that so-called "hiatus" after all. It seems like with each successive LSF release I find myself saying it's their best one yet, and this one is no different. There's still that sense of urgency, those cryptic lyrics, and the suspicion that the band is teetering on the edge of insanity (proven true upon witnessing frontman Tim Harrington's live antics), but mostly it's [...]

I have to admit, when The Weakerthans released their first album back in 1997, I didn't quite understand the appeal. All I knew is that frontman John K. Samson used to be one of the guys in the politically-charged punk band Propagandhi, and this sounded nothing like Propagandhi. It was all slow and like... emotional or something. Now some 10 years later, I'm a bit older and grown out of the punk rock thing, and I hear The Weakerthans with new ears. I've really warmed up to them over the past decade, and I find it funny how this new [...]

If you ask me, Supersystem's Always Never Again is one of the best albums from the past few years that no one heard. Take the sweaty rhythms of !!!, and add in some manic synths and a hint of D.C. post-punk and you might have a close approximation of Supersystem (formerly known as El Guapo), but for some reason they never quite managed to attract as much attention as they deserved. After releasing their second full-length album under the name Supersystem, A Million Microphones , the 4-piece quietly disbanded and went their separate ways. But wait -- [...]

Things have been a bit slow around here lately, but I'm glad to say that we've finally got another Muzak For Cybernetixxx Mixxxtape in the can and ready for download! It's been tough finding time to post regularly, and we've been thinking about abandoning the MP3 blog altogether to concentrate strictly on the Mixtape podcasts from here on in. For those who actually keep up with the blog, let us know if you'd object to such a thing. And now, sit back and enjoy your last mixtape of the summer! [...]

• IndieRockBlog.com - Muzak For Cybernetics Mixtape #12

I first heard Belaire's catchy self-titled EP a couple of years ago now, and at the time I fully expected to see this band get picked up by a reputable indie label and turned into superstars. Unfortunately, things haven't quite panned out like that for these 4 Texans... at least not yet. One thing that may be holding them back is the obligations of Matt Simon and Jason Chronis to their other band, Voxtrot . Then again, with the growing popularity of Voxtrot, you'd think more people would have heard of Belaire by now too. Either way, Belaire's first [...]

So you've heard and enjoyed the first two albums from Hamilton's Junior Boys -- perhaps you've even collected their EPs and early singles -- and now you're wondering what else you can get your grubby little hands on. Well, aside from a new Junior Boys album, this could perhaps be the next best thing. As I understand it, former Junior Boy Johnny Dark left the band before the release of their first album Last Exit , but he did not do so with any intentions of straying from the realm of electronic music. Instead he went on to release [...]

What the-- more Bloc Party b-sides?! How is such a thing possible? Considering that many of the A Weekend In The City b-sides released thus far have been superior to the actual a-sides on the album itself, you know I'm thirsty for more. Bloc Party recently issued their third single, this time for the song "Hunting For Witches", and in addition to a new song called "Cavaliers and Roundheads", they've included this great Witches remix by Toronto's own Crystal Castles. CC have been putting all kinds of bands through their noisy 8-bit retro filter, and this is another [...]

By my reckoning, Hot Hot Heat have been in danger of fading into obscurity after the release of their last album Elevator , which was not commercially successful enough to turn them into The Killers, but at the same time alienated a lot of fans since it dropped most of the wicked synthesizer and addictive rhythms. It just seemed a little too premeditated and overproduced, and the majority of the songs were far too straightforward to bear many repeat listens. It's a shame, considering the accolades that Make Up The Breakdown received from a lot of people, [...]

When Matt Sharp first struck out on his own from Weezer in 1995 and formed The Rentals, their debut album was ironically titled The Return of The Rentals. It is only now, some 12 years later, that the true return of The Rentals is almost upon us. They first announced their reunion in October of 2005, and launched a short North American tour with Ozma in 2006. Now they are about to release their first new material since the album Seven More Minutes . The Last Little Life EP will be released on August 14th, [...]

It's been a while since we've heard something truly fun from the Super Furry Animals. Their last few albums have been mostly drab and dare I say stuffy affairs, sorely lacking in the melodies and adventurous atmosphere that we last heard on Rings Around The World . With their latest album Hey Venus! , they may not have made a complete turnaround, but there are at least traces of the Super Furries we once knew. The Beach Boys harmonies, fuzzed out guitars and eclectic synthesizers are at their most potent towards the middle of the album, where we [...]

Although The Go! Team probably reached the current height of their popularity sometime last year, most of the buzz was based on the strength of their debut album Thunder, Lightning, Strike , which had actually been released way back in 2004 (and re-released in the U.S. in 2005). A new album has been long overdue, and I have been dying to hear what the next mutation of their style would be like now that the band has grown beyond frontman Ian Parton and his four-track recorder. The new album Proof of Youth hits stores in September, and [...]

Well, maybe they aren't too good at choosing album covers, but at least they seem to be trying to make changes in that department. If only their sound changed as drastically as their album covers, perhaps this new album would surprise me a bit more. Musically-speaking, the band hasn't changed their sound much, but they seem to have done a better job of perfecting their sound. I can't completely write them off because, while sounding similar to their earlier work, it sounds much much better, both in terms of production and songwriting skills. "Rest My Chemistry", [...]

Yeah Yeah Yeahs' new EP Is Is is(?) a collection of five songs that have become regulars in the band's live performances, but have yet to find a home on one of the band's proper full-length albums. Although, it is a bit unclear exactly when these songs were recorded, these five songs sound completely out of sync with their last album Show Your Bones . These songs have a much harder edge, and much rawer vocals, guitars and production, reminiscent of their earlier EPs. Though I liked Show Your Bones , like all [...]

Last summer I was fortunate enough to see Bonde Do Role in concert opening for CSS and Diplo. While, I think they put on an amazing performance and would have stole the show if it weren't for some other amazing performances, I don't think the band's energy has ever really translated to album. The band's recent album With Lasers is definitely fun but is fairly one-dimensional. But ever since the band put out their first 12", the real hits of Bonde Do Role have been the remixes. Though having a very limited selection of [...]

Just when you were starting to forget about CSS, they come back and slap you in the face with some wikkedly hot remixes by some of the world's hottest remixers. And for what? some old singles? Actually, I think these remixes were released with the songs' singles some time ago, but somehow they all seemed to pass right by me, and I haven't seen them on any other blogs (take my advice, only come to this site for music!) Or perhaps I'm just getting old and can't keep up with the times. Either way, these [...]