Occasionally I find it difficult to introduce a band because I feel as though I’m not doing them justice. City Calm Down are one of those bands.
They are a four piece from Melbourne that play a mix of electronic / indie / pop with hints of new wave. They are a fairly young band that are gaining momentum with every show and we seriously can’t get enough of them!
We met Jeremy, their bass player, on our adventure to Splendour In The Grass and we realised we could do more than just promote their music but actually get you guys to mix it.
The track is called Lost.Trapped and is taken from their debut EP.
As added incentive, our friends at STEREOSONIC have been nice enough to give us some double passes to give away, which the winner will receive, valid for any state in Australia.
This week I heard this song premiered on local radio Triple J and straight away i was looking forward to writing my thoughts on it.
The Ting Tings and Crystal Castles appear to have fallen from the same tree, one female vocalist, one male drummer and a whole lot of unaccounted for everything else. Crystal Castles initially had a much more dance/electronica sound, which was cool and underground and was remixed by all the trendy djs. The Ting Tings on the other hand went for straight pop, and without the help of single maker Calvin Harris, I’m not sure the name Ting Tings would have reached beyond Manchester, England.
After both bands’ debut release were met with some acclaim, they both returned home to sunny England to work on album number two. Crystal Castles returned with a much ‘fuzzier’ album then their first, which i loved (but not quite as much as the doe doer single), and The Ting Tings returned with…. ‘Hands‘
Not that I was expecting much, but this didn’t meet an expectation (a singular expectation?). The lyrics, as you probably expect areextremely deep and meaningful with the line “so clap your hands if your working to hard; clap your hands if your working to hard” repeated about a million times. The song itself was mixed (not produced) by Calvin Harris, (why fix something that ain’t broke?) and, In my opinion just sounds like a dance track with TOO much annoying vocal work.
The one thing I’m most confused about is what will the drummer do now that they have moved completely to electronic drums? Also, why does he have to ALWAYS wear sunglasses? does he not realize he looks like a complete doosh bag.
I also found a remix of the new song by up and comers Retro/Grade. Its not a bad remix, but it’s a bit long for such a shit song. Plus what are Retro/Grade doing? I really like the Moda/Pulsar single, why fuck up your rep by trying to fix the new Ting Tings song.
Over the last couple of months we have spoken a lot of Housse De Racket and their most recent record Forty Love (which is out now – get it here). Edwin Van Cleef has taken ‘Champions’, from the release, and put his own down tempo, kind of disco twist on it. Nothing like the original at all, all that has really been taken from the original is the chorus. Edwin has replaced the distinctive keys and ‘choppiness’ of the original, with smooth steady synth lines and a funky bass line running throughout the track.
Remember Splendour is our bi-weekly reviews of the Festival that was Splendour In The Grass 2010. Each post will be reviews and memories of bands that played, things we did and the adventure we had.
This set was like a trip down memory lane. I remember listening to these guys all through school and they did not disappoint. Dedicating songs to the people living up their final wish in the ‘golden view’ box before the death penalty, and warning the crowd from falling down the hill and empaling themselves on the fence below the band really interacted with the crowd and surrounding environment. A lot different to the cliché ‘are you having a good fucking weekend’ – one most bands used.
Thanks to We Are Scientists for kicking off our Sunday.
I guess everything you needed to know is in the poster above. The line-up, the date tickets go on sale, where it’s at… what else do you need to know.. It’s true a picture really speaks 1000 words. Except for the price. Tickets are $142.00 for the standard, or $202.00 for the ‘more expensive’. There’s no better way to kick off your new year.
For the last couple of years you have been able to find us here (www.circlesquaretriangleblog.com)… Well the time has come to drop the blog.com and pick up circlesquaretriangle.tv. We are still exactly the same, just in a new place so add the new address to your bookmarks and keep checking back for more new music. This is just the beginning of the changes to come.
Remember Splendour is our bi-weekly reviews of the Festival that was Splendour In The Grass 2010. Each post will be reviews and memories of bands that played, things we did and the adventure we had.
It appears I’m showcasing each band in the order I saw them. The highlight going into the festival was seeing LCD Soundsystem and they did not fail to impress. They were the only act to begin their set early, and it appeared it was so they could fit more in.
I planned to arrive at 9.45 (set start time for LCD was 10), and as i waded through the festival gates i could already hear James Murphy chant ‘The time has come today’ and i knew i was missing Us Vs Them.
The set was a mix of new and old, which went down a treat as it was announced the LCD would be no more after this final tour (that being said, it is expected they will return at least once more before they call it a day). The set highlight was definitely ‘All My Friends‘.
I think this is Soulwax’s third attempt at remix LCD, and i honestly don’t think i holds a flame to the original. (It cut down the original by 2 mins!)
Dikso have just released their first vinyl release in the form of Super Sound Single Vol 1. This Side features Melbourne local The Francis Inferno Orchestra showing off a great 80′s feeling track ‘So Devine’ that we have been able to preview on his Soundcloud.
That Side is shard by Nicholas and NoRequests. Nicholas brings the deep house, and NoRequests brings the horns and funk.
It’s an extremely strong record, all three tracks are ripe and ready to be played out, Its top quality is the variety of sound from the producers.
Off the back of the 500th Essential Mix, and in preparation for the official release of their debut album ‘We Can’t Fly‘, Aeroplane have released another stellar dance floor filler. This time it is Chromeo‘s Don’t Turn The Lights On, from the forthcoming album ‘Business Casual‘.
It gives the original a little more spark, and little more jive, but keeps the vibe very much alive with a steady classic piano and octave bass work.
