The Rapture

I have recently been feeling a DFA resurgence. It took me a while to get into the new LCD Soundsystem, but I finally got the new Rapture and am once again hooked. Not that I ever really doubted them, I just wasn't in the DFA mood. But the new Rapture is totally bringing me back into the fold.

What makes The Rapture is so good (same for LCD really) is that they are great at taking influences and channeling them thru their own style and bring us something at once familiar and yet totally fresh. But that's just critic talk, what makes these songs really tasty is that they are sooo damn catchy. It's roller rink, punk funk, 100% pre-party/party/post party approved. A guaranteed good time. In fact, even though their debut had a few modern classics (House of Jealous Lovers, Olio) their new record is a more solid affair from beginning to end. Grab a copy of the record, you'll like it. These two tracks... both get 8.5s.

The Rapture- Get Myself Into It

The Rapture- Pieces of People We Love

Justice

A thousand apologies for my prolonged absence. I'm going to write a few posts now and will post them throughout the week, just to get back on a good schedule. Promise.

OK we'll start with Justice. A French electronic music duo with a penchant for anthemic eruo-disco bangers, they seem to be intent on becoming the next Daft Punk. I think they actually may be more Cassius than Daft Punk. But then again I actually like Cassius more. Lots of folks have trying to claim them and the whole Ed banger crew as the return of the French house scene of the late 90s. I think it's missing the hooks that those original acts had and they are also missing the disco basics or the infectious hip swivel beats. It's a bit sexless for my taste, more of a pastiche of the ideas than the true "tre sexi" French house scene.

But it's not bad. I give this track a 6. Worth a download at least.

Justice- B.E.A.T. (Extended)

Sunshine Underground

So The Sunshine Underground has been heralded (with the Klaxons) as the standard bearers of the new rave movement. Similarly to the Klaxons, though, this seems to have just been a nice moniker rather than a worthwhile description. While they dabble in the dance sounds (for much of the album they do the Rapture/DFA/LCD dance rock thing, often ad nauseum), their debut, Raise the Alarm, tends to impress more when they set out past that comfort zone.

I like posting the tracks from new records that have forced me to stop and look at my ipod to check the title, and that's what this one did. It's not like the rest of the record at all, but it's definitely worth a listen. I give it a 7.

Sunshine Underground- Commercial Breakdown

Arctic Monkeys

Funny how it seems I am circling around to the same artists... but in this case it's again totally worth it.

The new Arctic Monkeys will be out soon. I have only listened to the full record once, so again no scoring yet. But I will say it's different from the first record in that it grooves more and is less jarring than the first. I don't know if that's a good thing yet or not.

But I can say that the first single, "Brianstorm," is a banger. It's definitely the album's immediate standout, so they chose wisely. Hard, fast and surprisingly "large" sounding for the indie darlings. We're talking arena rocker. And I give it a 9.

Arctic Monkeys- Brianstorm