Brain Drain #3 - Photos

Brain Drain #3 - Thursday 4 February 2010

We've made it a FREE entrance night!

New club night soon to be announced + Free MP3 from Sunderbans

Hello!

Happy New Year! We're currently finalising the bill for our next night which will happen in February, but until the final bill is revealed (ie 100% booked), here's a new video and free MP3 from BD favourites Sunderbans.


The band played our first night on 1 September 2009 and due to it being both our virgin journey and a superb gig, Sunderbans hold a special place in Brain Drain's hearts. "Road Kill" is, unsurprisingly, ace and it looks like 2010 will be a massive year for the band. All the best to them! Maybe we'll get to have them play our night some day in the future (here's hoping!).

Download the song here, and watch the video below:

Brain Drain #2 - Photos

Next Brain Drain club night = Thursday 12 November

I am not a computer nerd. I prefer to be called a hacker!

I guess there's a lot of contradiction in this blog. On the one hand I criticise bands for looking to 'scene' and on the other hand I look at the above photo of ridiculously named band Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs and I want to know more... if nothing else than to know what it going on in that shiny box!

What is going on is like Germlin from Gay Against You being sick in Hot Chip's dressing room. No really. The Hot Chip connection doesn't just end there as TEED have just released their debut EP "All In One Sixty Dancehalls" on the wonderful label Greco-Roman which of course Joe Goddard from Hot Chip is heavily involved with.

First the goodness:

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - Moon Hits The Mirrorball (YSI) (ZShare)

and then the madness:

Ronald Reagan? The actor?

Surely there must be a finite amount of band names. Well, I guess in reality you could form a band and call it "The Household Tiger Believers" (courtesy of this) and pretty much guarantee that no-one else has already bagsy'd that name (I just google'd it to make sure!).

Call yourself Delorean on the other hand and I'm guessing quite a few people will have seen Back To The Future a few too many times and also chosen that name. A search on MySpace shows there's another 279 bands called Delorean. Frustrating.

I've blogged about band names before and how strange it is that it bothers me when I could just let the music do the talking (or singing in this case). So ignore me and listen to the real Delorean...

They kind of remind me a bit of a Swedish (even though they're Spanish) Phoenix produced by Cornelius... maybe. Plus they're turning the tide against the now-cliché cowbell in favour of what appears to be the Amen break... nice!

Delorean - "Deli" (YSI) (ZShare)

Genoa what I mean?

I love it when you listen to a song and have no idea what you're about to hear.

I'd heard the name Teengirl Fantasy around the internet, mainly in the form of remixes he/she/they had done, although I knew nothing about their own stuff... even to the point that I had no idea what genre it might even fit into. Of course I knew they weren't a Norwegian Black Metal band but still...

So I listened to TF's track “Portofino” (the pick from their EP "T G I F") with interest...

0:01 - Okay so this is like a glitchy, Jackson & His Computer Band kind of thing. Do I buy a BMW now?
0:12 - No wait, I see... It's like a Four Tet/Presfuse 73 track. Any minute now Slug from Atmosphere will start rapping about Lucy.
0.34 - Huh? Where's the MC? I'm confused now...
0:58 - Ahh, it's gonna be a Drum & Bass track. Kinda of weird start to the song but I've got my gun fingers/rave horn ready for the drop... it's gonna be a stinker!
01:15 - Wah??? How did this become a Wavves song being covered by Neon Indian without me even noticing?

etc.

Teengirl Fantasy - "Portofino" (YSI) (ZShare)

Download the whole EP here... for free!!!

Why does the floor move?

Damnit!! There's nothing worse (for a music blogger) than a band that really reminds you of someone but you just can't put your finger on it. It's been a long week...

Anyway along with Finland's other recent and great export, Le Corps Mince de Françoise, Zebra & Snake have really caught my eye. Excluding the above nameless band they remind me of bits of The Tough Alliance, Low-era Bowie mixed with a whole heap of late 70's/early80's glam-art-rock.

Here's the entrancing track "Colours":

Zebra and Snake – "Colours" (YSI) (ZShare)

...and the equally mesmeric video:



Kippis!

Ultra-magnetic!

Are you the sort of person who needs to read the information next to paintings in art galleries? I guess it's a bit of an aesthetic dilemma; does knowing who the artist is enhance your appreciation of the artwork or does it prevent you from experiencing it on the most immediate and fundamental level? What does that have to do with Memory Tapes? I dunno...

If you don't want to be bogged down with information then go ahead and marvel at the psycho-Rapture/DIY:MGMT love-in that is "Bicycle":

Memory Tapes - "Bicycle" (YSI) (ZShare)

However if you're interested in where and from whom this track came you'll have to do a little digging (as I'm not even sure I've got it down correctly). Deep breath... it seems as if Weird Tapes, who is one of the people from Hail Social, has collaborated with Memory Cassette (who's EP "Rewind While Sleeping" was one of my favourite releases of 2008) to form Memory Tapes.

As a bonus here's a video that's amazing but is it amazing because I know it's directed by David Lynch? Go figure:

He shot Cyrus!

It's kind of hard to blog about a band who's entire press shots involve them wearing Wayfarers... The problem is that you end up looking so myspace that people ignore the fact that you are a great little band.

Take Magic Wands as a case in point. They might even be wearing them in the above shot, who knows! Anyway the way they market themselves could be a real turn-off which is a damn shame as their music, while not breaking any huge conventions, is very good... kind of like a 90's pop-style Blondie/Cocteau Twins/Felt Mountain-era Goldfrapp.

Here's the official video to "Warrior", my favourite track from their "Magic, Love and Dreams" EP (buy here):



and as a bonus here's some great remixes by Defend Moscow and The Xx:

Magic Wands - "Warrior (Defend Moscow via Lenny Picko mix)" (YSI) (ZShare)
Magic Wands - "Warrior (The Xx remix)" (YSI) (ZShare)

White Noise Minority

Just when you thought Brooklyn had surpassed Montreal as the scene du jour those pesky Canadians come back with another band to break your heart.

Sure Duchess Says have been around as long as fellow Québécois art-noisers AIDS Wolf, who DS have certainly sounded a lot like in earlier material, but there new stuff seems a little more accessible... and that's no bad thing at all.

Stand-out track from their new EP "Begging The 3 T’s" has to be "Black Flag" and it's frickin' awesome! Here's the original plus a remix by DFA records' The Juan Maclean:

Duchess Says- "Black Flag" (YSI) (ZShare)
Duchess Says- "Black Flag (The Juan Maclean Remix)" (YSI) (ZShare)

And as a bonus here's the equally fantastic music video which appears to feature footage from some sort of brainwashing cult's promo film!

Round 1... FIGHT!

Comparing musicians for the sake of illustration never sits easy. Do you make the obvious connections and turn off potential listeners who might not like the act your comparing a band to or do you let the listener decide for themselves but risk the track being overlooked?

In 12 months time, when Neon Indian might well be over over your radio & TV, doing a Google search for "Neon Indian" -MGMT might well bring up zero links as it's such an obvious comparison for people to make.

It would be wrong however, for people to think that NI are some major label's attempt to jump on anyone's bandwagon. They've gone down the mystery route and kept their names a secret however the press release says that they are a duo, one from Brooklyn (linking them even more to MGMT) and one from Austin, Texas.

There's been some discussion about their identity and the consensus seems to be that it points to one of them is none-other than Alan Palomo aka VEGA aka one half of Ghosthustler. If that's true it's a weird coincidence as we only wrote about Ghosthustler last month!

Anyway, here is their track "Deadbeat Summer" which is awesome

Neon Indian - "Deadbeat Summer" (YSI) (ZShare)

and as a bonus here's a fan-made music video to one of Vegas' tracks "All Too Vivid" which features the brain-crushingly cheesy BMX prom dance from the film "Rad" (I'm sure I thought it was cool in 1986!):

Cage The Smelly-Fans

Okay, so there's been quite a few rock/dance crossovers... but have there actually been any good ones?

I guess the likes of The Prodigy, Apollo 440 and even Pendulum have embraced rock into their music and have all been successful, but have they actually been any good?

Thankfully Mixhell have avoided going down the fusion route despite having arguably the best rock pedigree ever seen in a dance act. One half of Mixhell just happens to be Sepultura founding-member Iggor Cavalera!!

Their latest single "Boom Da" was released a few weeks ago by Helsinki-based label New Judas and features Oh Snap! and Jen Lasher. The result however, couldn't be further from the icy tundra of Finland but is a luscious slab of baile funk/Baltimore sleaze-rap. The single also features remixes from Les Petits Pilous, Edu K and, as posted below, remixers du jour Crookers:

Mixhell - "Boom Da" (Crookers remix) (YSI) (ZShare)

... and as a bonus here's Sepultura (and their insane fans) playing "Refuse Resist" on infamous 'yoof' TV show The Word:

Totally SXSW!

BD were of course at South By Southwest this year, drinking Lone Star beers, eating burgers, and checking out lots and lots of bands.

The fun part of SXSW is to check out new and upcoming artists (ie not Metallica, although we did see El Mariachi Bronx), and when you venture out with that mindset you get a healthy mix of crap band torture and random greatness . We saw some truly dreadful bands (Mantonix might be the worst band we've ever seen, despite putting on a GG Allin-like show), but also enough great new bands to keep us going. Some bands like Local Natives and Lissy Trullie (the former were ace, the latter a bit grumpy) have already started to get some attention in the UK.

The best gig we witnessed were not by any of the hotly tipped acts though, but by the IHEARTCOMIX one man band Totally Michael who pretty much sound like an updated Atom & His Package (remember him?), ie crazy melodic punky songs on a bed of very simple electronic beats. Sadly, commercial success eluded Atom, possibly (and even sadder!) because he's a short chubby nerdy guy. TM is a good looking, thin tattooed dude, so perhaps he'll become a superstar.

We saw him tearing the roof of a small local bar with no stage to speak of, where he spent most of the gig out in the small but very passionate audience. We were totally blown away and surprised since we didn't except it to be THAT good.

Listen to "Death Hilll (over and over)" (zshare) and you might be able to guess how ace this gig was. Someone need to bring this guy over to the UK for some summer shows.

Liquorice whip!

Two wrongs don't make a right (insert joke about three lefts) but surely two rights make, well... a SUPER-right, right?

If you take the electronically classical hypno-pop of Glass Candy and add it to über-talented Sally Shapiro producer Johan Agebjörn you get nothing but good music.

While Johan may not have tried to reinvent the wheel on this one he's certainly but his own cool hallmark on the track. Have fun:

Glass Candy - The Chameleon (Johan Agebjörn Remix) (YSI) (ZShare)

... and here's a neat little video where someone has set Megaman II to an orginal piece by Johan:

You won't like me when I'm angry

The remix is dead, long live the remake! Don't get me wrong I love it when someone remixes a track and produces something that really makes you think about the song and gives you a new perspective on the original. But for too long the remix has been seen as a way for lazy producers to get stuff out into the virtual world and cynical label staff to promote sales of the original.

And so the remake was born. While in days of yore this would have simply been termed a cover version in the instant realm of the internet the two versions can come out almost at the same time (in the case of Aeroplane's original-eclipsing remake of "Paris" at exactly the same times!).

Anyway... less preaching, more teaching!

Here's a version of The Presets' epic "If I Know You" which moulds the original into a hauntingly melancholy sorrow-fest. It's by a partnership between DJ and F-Communication artist Jori Hulkkonen and Chicago-based antipodean Via Tania and it is stunning.

The Presets - If I Know You (Tania & Jori remake) (YSI) (ZShare)

And if that wasn't enough "If I Know You" was also the subject of a beautifully uplifting video by the massively talented Eva Husson. Check it:

Brains!!!

It's strange to think that a band that has been actively hyped for the last 5 years can still be producing tracks that sound fresh and get people excited. The Tough Alliance have been doing exactly this and while they haven't broken any sales records you kind of get the impression that's the opposite of what they're about.

Since they emerged in 2004 (when BD also saw them produce an urgent and defiant performance at London's Notting Hill Arts Club) they have always been happy to go their own way. Since their acrimonious split from original lable Service they've spent a few years releasing stuff through their own lable Sincerely Yours and are now forging strong links (and getting more hype and fans) with Modular.

And it's through Modular we get a little treat in the form a cover of "Hung Up On A Dream" by 60's UK pop group The Zombies. Lovely!

The Tough Alliance - Hung Up On a Dream (YSI) (ZShare)

The Zombies - Hung Up On a Dream (YSI) (ZShare)

and as a bonus here is "Silly Crimes", my favourite of the many, many beautiful TTA videos:


(link due to YouTube's stupid removal of HQ embedding)

Sometimes I don't thrill you

Fucked Up's second album "The Chemistry of Common Life" was in the top 5 of most people's albums of 2008 as it showed the band were more than an fat-guy fronted punk band... more than a Vice Magazine-sponsored 'remember how cool hardcore was' flash-in-the-pan.

"The Chemistry of Common Life" was epic and that's not a phrase to throw around lightly. It gave fans a real glimpse into a band that was evolving and pushing really hard to not be held back by genre.

There was no better example of this than the track "No Epiphany". The use of layered tape-loops and psychedelic influences was different to the punk standard yet it felt just as cathartic and visceral.

To celebrate the 7" release of "No Epiphany" the song has been remixed by Sup Pop's equally experimental No Age who have turned it into a full blown freak out. Epic indeed.

Fucked Up - "No Epiphany"
Fucked Up - "No Epiphany (No Age remix)" (YSI) (ZShare)

I must break you

It seems like there's a romantic mystery about music that comes from Russia. Sure there's been PPK, (the brilliant) t.A.T.u and that Timbaland-produced Ken doll that won Eurovision a few years ago but other than that we don't get to hear a lot from the other side of the curtain.

Reaching out across the planet is the stunning Tesla Boy showing that France and Australia aren't the only countries that can produce 80's inspired synth-pop. It's just a shame that it's unlikely that we'll get to see them over in the UK anytime soon...

Anyway, their brand of driving, aerobic-pop music is reminiscent of Anoraak and Miami Horror with vocals from Nik Kershaw. Enjoy:

Tesla Boy - Spirit of the Night (YSI) (ZShare)
Tesla Boy - Electric Lady (YSI) (ZShare)