Just the tonic

Every Song made it into @mixmagmagazine Big Tunes for the April edition. And it’s gonna be huge feel good hit of the summer! Dance pop at it’s best, with a hint of Chic disco in there it can’t miss.

Du Tonc are Matt Van Schie and Mighty Mouse from East London.

Hypnotizing

More tropical sun-beaten pop, a nice track from Florida-based duo SALES self-titled EP that was released last September, Getting It On, a slow burner that has worked it’s way into many playlists in the last few months could be the best song they’ve put out yet.

A beautiful song.

Get the EP on iTunes here

For 7 Nights This Island Is Ours

Blissed-out electro-pop from Ana Caprix - AKA London producer Tom Ensom, :)) or Smile? is a transportive song that layers up cascading synths all melting into one another. Taken from EP For Seven Nights This Island Is Ours, that he put out in February last year.

The whole 7-track EP sounds very other-worldly, a SciFi soundtrack of a journey into unknown territory. 

For Seven Nights This Island Is Ours EP is still available to download for free on Ana Caprix’ Sound Clound page here. soundcloud.com/caprix

Yummy!

Yumi Zouma, a dream pop trio coming together from France (Charlie Ryder), America (Josh Burgess) and New Zealand (Kim Pflaum), The Brae is the name of the street where they used to live in Christchurch, until it was destroyed in the city's 2011 earthquake.

The four-track self-titled EP, released at the beginning of last year is a short, but perfect polished pop. Repeated listens just melts your heart.

Oficial site  Facebook

Breakup anthem

One of 2015's promising new electropop artists, Young Ejecta an American synthpop duo consisting of Neon Indian's Leanne Macomber and producer Joel Ford release a mini LP The Planet later this month. Welcome to Love is the first tune to materialise late last year, Macomber's heavenly vocals orchestrate the pulsating beat and synth-laden melodies with heartbreaking loss.

Jump to the beat

In advance of their ninth studio album album Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance—out January 2015. Scottish indie-popsters Belle and Sebastian have exploded back with the new single The Party Line.

An 80s dance-pop infused number with a funky disco groove that sure to keep you toeing the Party Line into the new year.

Daydream Pop

Montreal's Mac Demarco’s sun-soaked tropical guitar flourishes create short ditties that burst with colour and a lazy hazy feeling. My mate Jack raves about Mac’s music and I’ve been listening to Salad Days, Demarco’s sophomore LP, on and off since April. The perfect soundtrack to hot and sunny, chilled-out days laying in a hammock with a cold drink of choice. I’ve succumbed to it’s jangle-pop charm, with an illustrious psychedelic edge that comprises perfect easy listening.

Building-up a big following this year, Mac DeMarco isn’t even his real name he was born Vernor Winfield McBriare Smith IV. He started out with fuzz-pop band Makeout Videotape before releasing debut EP Rock and Roll Night Club back in 2012. The LP 2 then followed the same year. DeMarco recorded Salad Days in his apartment, in the Bedford–Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn, New York, following an extensive tour in support of his debut releases.

This tune, Let Her Go, was apparently label Captured Tracks’ demands for an upbeat single that DeMarco was quite upset about. But it’s proved to be worthy inclusion however it came about and it's a definite highlight on the accomplished album. Salad days is an enjoyable record that’s well worth investigating and one we’ll come back to when the sun comes out.

HIGHLY RECOMMED

Like this try: Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Real Estate, Alex Calder

Retro Voyage

This tune sounds like David Byrne fronting a Soft Cell record in 1985. But it’s 2014 and this is LA duo Sean Guerin and Isaac Franco know as De Lux. I first heard this band when they covered fellow label mates Classixx around the start of this year.

kinda like what Hot Chip would sound like if they came out in 1985, but with a polished production this sounds fresh! New LP Voyage out now.

Why you wanna go and do that?

Love this electronic pop song from Les Sins aka Chaz Bundick aka Toro y Moi.

Very easy on the ear and is undoubtably one of the stand out tunes on the debut Les Sins LP Michael.

Why, featuring vocalist Nate Salman singing over a pop beats and cascading piano flourishes.

Perfect pop, Magnifique!

Nu-Disco Anthem

Big tune from nu-disco maverick Lindstrøm teaming up with fellow Scandinavian pop duo Say Lou Lou. Sounds a bit like the classic Norwegian singer Annie and her 2004 Anniemal LP, Games for Girls is currently ripping up discotheques everywhere.

Little girls with fancy toys, Say Lou Lou are ones to watch!

Singles

Future Islands, a synthpop band based in Baltimore, Maryland, signed to 4AD and causing a bit of stir over here with the release of their 4th LP Singles. I have to confess not hearing them till now and was introduced to them by my mate Dave after watching the band on YouTube, a live show which showcases lead singer Samuel T. Herring’s unique performance and singing style.

The whole LP has many 80s synth-pop references combined with Samuel T. Herring’s soulful croon and freestyle vocal. Each tune is as good as the last proving that by calling your LP Singles states all these tracks are worthy of single status. I have to say I agree with the band and this is a sure fire shot for Album of the Year. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

But it here on iTunes

Official website

Gargoyles gargling on

The first single from SBTRKTs Wonder Where We Land LP is still hanging around on my current playlist, a few month after release. A stand-out track with Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig gargling nonsense.

Still a massive tune.

Cause I'm drowning for ya

Today is pouring with rain non-stop, it’s days like today you can successfully listen to miserable music and feel all reflective about life. Banks has been generally setting the world alight with her particular brand of bewitching beats and siren-like voice since last years Fall Over and London EPs. Drowning from her debut LP Goddess (September 2014) sees her in a reflective mood after a breakup, her man claimed that he loved her but it was all lies and now he’s going to get some bad karma.

Like this? Try: The XX, Lana Del Rey, Poliça, Lykke Li, London Grammar

Beach Diggin' again

Guts and Mambo are back with the second insulation of Beach Diggin’ - Vol.2 carries on where Vol.1 left off with an eclectic array of hard-to-find rarities and guilty pleasures. This track kicks off the proceedings with a funky pop loop and Mavis John’s sultry voice. Try stopping your foot tapping to this one!

Dancehall vibes on Hey Mister by Althea Forrest & Togetherness, Folky bossa soul on Amor a Tres by Celeste, funk and disco continues from Lee Alfred and the Hamilton Brothers respectively. Soulful jazz in the shape of Fou De Toi by Bajy & Electrical Haitian Orchestra. Sonya Spence brings it back to a laid back disco vibe before we go off in a reggae tangent with East of Handsworth by Linton Haugton. Moody Leftfield-pop from Letta Mbulu then slides into tropical percussionists The Lain Langley Group on Amazon Trail, this flows nicely into Osmar Milito’s organ led calypso sound, we then mellow right out with Kalalou, a jazz instrumental by Mushi & Lakansyel. Finishing off with Marsha Wilson’s Love Is Gonna Get You.

I’ve not heard any of these tracks before, so it’s a credit to Guts for digging’ deep and unearthing this great collections of gems. See you at the beach.

Buy it on iTunes now, you need it.

Tropicallia

L’Adulte was the first single from Sébastien Tellier’s L'Aventura, his sixth LP, and stands out as a the lead track, I love the way Tellier mixes the playful chorus with the straight from heart seriousness of the verses.

A gentle bossa beat underpins Telliers signature melodies and Gainsbourg-esque croon. Tellier goes bossa nova, what more could you wish for?

The man himself says: "Brazilian music is perfect as it’s full of mysterious chords and strange melodies, but also light & sunny. I feel my previous albums were just tests to reach this point."

L'Aventura

Ma Calypso is taken from Sébastien Tellier’s new LP L'Aventura. It’s always good to get a new Tellier LP before the summers out. Tellier is a seasonal performer in his own unique genre of French kitsch pop, a Eurovision candidate in 2008 with the Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo produced Divine - he has gone on to create  4 albums of consistently high quality music. Sexuality, My God is Blue, Confection and L'Aventura are all albums worth investing in.

The new album, L'Aventura, release on 14 July 2014. Tellier has said that the album is inspired by Brazil, Ma Calypso certainly sets the tone for the LP.

La la la Roux!

Good to hear La Roux back better than ever, I never took to La Roux straight away and it was the brilliant Skream remix of In For The Kill that swayed my ears to take notice. Then there was the Major Lazor reimagining of her debut Lazerproof which was a genius move that gave La Roux a dancehall make-over. I have no doubt that we’ll see plenty of remixes to come, giving a different take on her sophomore LP Trouble in Paradise.

Let Me Down Gently already possess the killer synth hooks and perfect pop delivery from La Roux. Bring it on.

Blanc et noir

Some nostalgic balearic-ness from French Philanthropist, singer, actor and intrapreneur Alain Fabien Maurice Marcel Delon. Original release of Comme au cinéma (Like at the Movies) hit the French charts in 1987, a piano led lounge-groover with Delon’s spoken word delivery and typical 80s saxophones swooning over balearic beats. Certainly adding a touch of Serge Gainsbourg to the mix.

Célibatorium

J'ai peur des filles is a funny little song that reminds of Bertrand Burgalat's early pop records, taken from Benoit Carre's 2013 LP Célibatorium. The LP also has a nice duet with Isabelle Carré on En commun.

Maybe I'm just listening to to much French radio!

You got me writing...

Metronomy's big slab of indulgent pop Love Letters gets an extensive make-over from dance-floor connoisseur's Soulwax. Adding a typewriter beat the Soulwax brothers pump-up the disco vibe keeping in the mad meandering trumpets and infectious looping chorus. All sounds very DFA and is an epic take on a short sharp piece of pop brilliance.

Are we gonna get a remixed version of the Love Letters album like they did with The English Riviera? lets hope so!

Weirdo-pop!

This track has been getting a lot of airing lately, Connan Mockasin's Caramel LP was a sleeper hit from last year, released in November. I'm the Man, That Will Find You seems to be popping up more and more on various compilation albums. Mockasin's trembling pitch-shifting voice is one of those vocal performances that you either get or you don't. But he's completely unique and the musical structure behind the wobbly weirdo is nothing short of genius. The sophomore LP Caramel, recorded in a Tokyo hotel room is hit and miss but worth checking out for the moments of magic from the New Zealander. 

The Doll That Says No

I picked up this French compilation LP recently called La Musique du Faubourg and there are some superb old french pop numbers on it, compiled by Malik Aiary it concludes with this 1980 version of La Poupée qui fait non by Cristina.

La Poupée qui fait non (English: "The Doll That Says No") is a 1966 song written by Franck Gérald (lyrics) and French singer/songwriter Michel Polnareff the music. It was recorded by Polnareff, becoming an immediate success in France and one of Polnareff most definitive songs. Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin/Yardbirds) played guitar on the recording. Later, the english version was a hit for the Byrds and Saint Etienne covered it on the 1999 album A Tribute to Polnareff.

I've since discovered there are loads of cover versions of this song, many in french but also loads in English, German, Italian and Spanish. Cristina Monet-Palaci's 1980 version here adds a funky baseline and cowbells to disco up the track, which is also sampled by Dimitri From Paris' La Rythme Et Le Cadence track from his Sacrebleu LP.

Magnifique!

Every trick in the book is guaranteed to get you hooked

A nice bit of balearic pop to warm you up on winters evening. New York DJ and Producer Chris Malinchak follows-up last years big hit So Good to Me with If U Got It. A well sourced sample from the Diana Ross & the Supremes and The Temptations' 1969 hit version of I'm gonna make you Love Me.

The melodic groove is pure sunshine pop, Malinchak uses every trick in the book to get you hooked!

Kaleidoscopic-pop

The Shins' James Mercer formed Broken Bells four years ago with producer Brian Burton, aka maverick producer Danger Mouse and following their relatively successful eponymous debut they have ignited the project with a new LP After the Disco. It's a little mixed bag much like the first LP, having produced landmark albums for Gorillaz, Beck and The Black Keys, collaborations with Cee-Lo Green on Gnarls Barkley project and DangerDoom with MF Doom, not to mention his reinvention of Jay Z's Black Album, Danger Mouse's CV is undoubtedly extremely impressive so you expect a high level of quality across all 11 tracks. James Mercer too has been very successful with his day job with the release of The Shins' 2012 LP Port of Morrow.

The sophomore album all kicks off brightly enough opening with the mellow pop of Perfect World. This is followed by the LP's title track After The Disco which is probably the best piece of pop your likely to hear this side of Empire of the Sun and with it's catchy chorus you can see why the track takes the name of the LP.

First single Holding on For Life quickly follows, another great song with Bee Gees style falsettos. Leave me alone and Control sound like the Black Keys mellower moments in a good way. Medicine has a great melody and No Matter What You're Told is another nice psych-pop tune, the record then tails off a bit after that. 7/10 Recommended.

Like this? Try: The Black Keys, The Shins, Band of Horses, Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi

Buy on iTunes click here

The Age of Fracture

A concept LP from London four-piece Cymbals, kicking of with the dark dreamy synths of Winter '98 featuring lead singer Jack Cleverly delivering his vocals in French, the dark synths are over taken with some wah wah sounds and twinkley smatterings of light and airy synths. The Natural World is a very mid-Eighties alternative sound, this is followed throughout with shades of New Order, Depeche mode, XTC, OMD or Tears for Fears. This track You Are is quite the epic electro-pop song, all multi-layered synthetic strings sounding very much like a lost circa. English Riviera tune by Metronomy.

The title track is merely an intro to the illustrious 9 minute anthem Like An Animal, a slow building song that quietly plucks away for the first couple of minutes before a burst of euphoria - coming on all Friendly Fires-esque, before dipping back down for the verses then dubbing out in the middle for some progressive bubbling synths and a driving-disco-fused-groove, shards of light cut through with guitar twangs of delirium. The End is another epic length song focusing on a house groove, more ramblings in French and hands in the air joyousness. It's a kaleidoscopic collection of fine pop tunes, most enjoyable and recommended.

Like this: Try: Metronomy, Foals, Friendly Fires, The Teenagers, New Order

Buy it on iTunes click here

Time for some je ne sais quoi

French folk-pop duo Charlotte Savary & Philippe Chevallier better known as Felipecha released De fil en aiguille, their debut album back in 2008 and it stills sounds as fresh as une guirlande. The classic chanteuses á la française puts you in a warm and summery mood.

Charlotte Savary is better known to be one of the main vocals for the french DJ Wax Tailor, also worth checking out.

Dance Dance Dance

Listening to Danton Eeprom has put me in the mood for some classic Bertrand Burgalat. Bardot's Dance is originally from his 2012 LP Toutes directions, this remix was an EP from the same year featuring the song Double Peine and 3 edits of Bardot's Dance. Michael Garçon's Studio 54 Club Remix is a supercool re-edit that speeds up the original and adds a disco groove, Burgalat does disco, what's not to like?

Double peine - EP 2012

If Looks Could Kill

Marseilles born producer Danton Eeprom pressents us with a new long-player at the beginning of Feb. Currently based in London, Eeprom follows up 2009's Yes Is More with If Looks Could Kill.

Biscotto & Chimpanzee (feat. Birkii) fires off the Gallic sleaze in style with magnificent electro-dance-pop at it best. If Bertrand Burgalat made a dance record it could sound like this. A distinct french polish to this album insures Danton a place the table of Air, Daft Punk and Etienne de Crécy as well as the french-pop elite such as Bertrand Burgalat, Sebastian Tellier, Jacques Dutronc and Serge Gainsbourg. Parisian vocalist Birkii adds a dash of yé-yé pop to this, the launch single - Biscotto & Chimpanzee.

Like this? try: Matthew Dear, Bertrand Burgalat, Sebastian Tellier

Pre-order If Looks Could Kill here on iTunes

These are the top 30 LPs that rock our world last year. 

1. Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
2. The Limiñanas - Costa Blanca
3. Kanye West - Yeezus
4. Footprintz - Escape Yourself
5. Matthew E. White - Big Inner
6. Empire Of The Sun - Ice On The Dune
7. Saâda Bonaire - Saâda Bonaire
8. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - II
9. Arcade Fire - Reflektor
10. Bonobo - The North Borders
11. Devendra Banhart - Mala
12. Forest Swords - Engravings
13. Daniel Avery - Drone Logic
14. John Grant - Pale Green Ghosts
15. Bill Callahan - Dream River
16. Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City
17. Washed Out - Paracosm
18. DJ Koze - Amygdala
19. Blood Orange - Cupid Deluxe
20. Boards of Canada - Tomorrow's Harvest
21. Foxygen - We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors Of Peace & Magic
22. My Bloody Valentine - mbv
23. Taragana Pyjarama - Nothing Hype
24. Jon Hopkins - Immunity
25. Earl Sweatshirt - Doris
26. Darkside - Psychic
27. Deafheaven - Sunbather
28. M.I.A - Matangi
29. Proviant Audio - Drift Days & Disco Nights
30. Classixx - Hanging Garden

I never was in love /
You know that you were never good enough

You're Not Good Enough is my choice track from Devonté Hynes' Blood Orange LP Cupid Deluxe. Although Dev is very much in demand as a producer nowadays it's good to hear he still has time to write his own stuff.

Shades of 80's Prince and Madonna and even a tad Fleetwood Mac, on this track he channels the best of all those influences, it could even be a lost track from Solange Knowles True EP, Samantha Urbani does a stellar job on the vocals dueting with Dev. Great LP.

Sun-bleached pop

Sky Ferreira's Everything Is Embarrassing, co-produced by Dev Hynes and Ariel Rechtshaid. It certainly has Dev Hynes pop signature running through it following the splendid Solange collaboration. Her new album Night Time, My Time has been a long time coming and has yet to get a UK release, it came out in America back in October. This tune precedes the LP, originally put out state side back in 2012, the UK release has a couple of remixes the MK remix adds a house beat, but the original retains a bit more soul for me.

Look out for her debut LP in 2014, it's a belter!

Sugar Crush

The Limiñanas, back on Trouble In Mind with their stunning third album, Costa Blanca.

The band consisting of Lio and Marie Limiñana began life in 2009 as a home studio project, inspired by John Barry and Ennio Morricone LPs, books on Victorian era architecture, Film Noir and basking in the sunshine of southern France.

The LP kicks off with the coloeur café cool of Gainsbourg's narrative style, a short track that could've been a lost song from Melody Nelson, followed by this tune My Black Sabbath - a gentle strum of guitars supports the soft Franc-o-phonic sound and lush pop vocals. Alicante - an instrumental that sets the album off into a faster pace, all jangly Morricone guitars spooky organs. 

Votre Coté Yéyé M'emmerde (featuring Francesca Cusimano) was released as a single in France back in May this year, an intriguing role call - The band say - We recorded this song with a very beautiful Italian friend and actress Francesca Cusimano. We hate the boring French yéyé songs, so the song is a list of stuff we love. We took the opportunity to appoint many of the artists we love — actors, friends, filmmakers, singers, songs, Louie Louie.

I Miei Occhi Sono I Tuoi Occhi sounds very similar to the Avenues and Alleyways riff with deadpan vocal arrangements. La Mercedes De Couleur Gris Métallisé is one of the many major highlights on this marvellous fuzzed-out psychedelic LP, at 1.39 it's short and sweet, the Morricone avant-classical and experimental sonic sound is stunning. Rosas brings the funk with a swagger and style a plenty.

Bb goes totally pop 60s garage with a StereoLab wig-out, The Morricone twang is back on the mellow La Mélancolie and along with the intro La Mediterranée Serge Gainsboug's soundtrack to La Horse is an undoubtedly a major influence for the parting track Liverpool, rounding off a perfect album - superb and highly recommended.

Like this? Try: Sérge Gainsbourg, Velvet Underground, Kim Fowley, Ennio Morricone, Stereolab, Stereo Total

Jive Talking

Danger Mouse and James Mercer of the Shins have returned as Broken Bells, and their sophomore LP After the Disco is out January 14 via Columbia. A great little tune in a similar style to their debut, but this track has added Bee Gees style vocals in the chorus soaring over the verses of strumming easy going beats. Looking forward to the LP next month. 

Tookah

Icelandic songstress Emilíana Torrini's new album Tookah is out this week, she's had a varied career so far topping the charts with the 2009 song Jungle Drum from Me and Armini LP, she co-wrote Kylie's Slow, sung on Paul Oakenfold's Hold Your Hand, lent her vocals to the Thievery Corporation and performed on Gollum's Song for Peter Jackson's film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

For Tookah Emilíana goes back to her native Iceland to record an electronica, bossa nova pop record. For her seventh LP Torrini produces the kind of easy going pop that Kylie used to put out in her hey day. Speed of Dark is a punchy blast of pure pop brilliance, Torrini's voice sounds better than ever, pure pop of the highest calibre. Recommended.

Buy it on iTunes here

Like this? Try: Lykke Li, Robyn, Coco Rosie, Beach House

A kiss of sunshine on my face

London-based duo Basement Jaxx are storming back with new single What a difference your love makes at the end of this September. The EP features remixes of the title track by Miguel Campbell and Huxley as well as another jaxx original, Mermaid of Salinas.

Doing what Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe do best, happy-go-lucky big party tunes that put a massive smile on your face, what a difference the Jaxx make.

Hotter than the Sun

Empire of the Sun have the perfect name, they always manage to release music in time for the summer and following the magnificent award-winning pop-opus, 2008 debut album Walking on a Dream this years album is no different - Ice on the Dune throws up hit after hit and has more catchy hooks than a mile of velcro. It's certainly soundtracked my summer, long drives to the beach and chilled out BBQ's on hot blistering weekends. It's hard to choose one track that would standout as the LP bursts with so many brilliant tracks.

It's a kind of guilty pleasure, it's commercial but don't let that put you off, you'll be playing this long after the last days of summer. So, I'm well late posting this one up on neoloop, but hey I've been busy enjoying the summer and listening to great music. Highly Recommended.

Top Tracks: DNA, Concert Pitch, Ice On The Dune, I'll be Around, Old Flavours, Surround Sound

chanson d'amour

Cracking new tune from Vanessa Paradis' new LP Love Songs, this, the title track, half sung in English and half in French and written with the French pop star Benjamin Biolay. Vanessa's last LP was some 6 years ago, the absolutely brilliant Divinidylle, which is one of my favourite albums ever. So I couldn't believe my luck when I spotted this in a gas station while driving through France last month. This quickly became the soundtrack to my journey.

The title Love Songs indicates it could be full of ballads, but while there are a few I happy to say there are upbeat numbers too. Vanessa's ear for a infectious pop hook is in tact and songs like the title track, Les Espaces et les Sentiments, Mi Amor and Tu vois c'que j'vois are confirmation of that. A duet with Carl Barât on The Dark, It Comes is funny little tune about betrayal. Sombreros is a slow sumptuous summertime jam with a ska beat, skanking horns and soaring organs that Serge Gainsbourg would be proud of. The stripped back La Crème is enchanting as is most of this LP. Highly Recommened. Officially released in the UK this week, quick get it now before the sun packs up for winter.

iTunes link here, Official site here vanessaparadis.fr

Put it on Bring it on!

Great melodically-charged pop tune from the Generationals, taken from their latest long player Heza.

Official site: generationals.com

Future-retro soundtrack

Following the divine Queen of Denmark, topping best album lists back in 2010 John Grant has unleashed his latest offering PALE GREEN GHOSTS, produced Icelandic producer Biggi Veira. Wow, straight up this is a totally different record to the last one (still one of my all time favourites I have to say). With the absence of Midlake's 70's folk-pop behind Grant he has taken on an 80's electro-pop deviation, but it's all Grant and his unique lyrical wit is defiant and well and truly in tact.

Opening with the title track it sounds like he's got the Chromatics on backing duties, the hypnotic synth reminiscent of their Tick of the Clock track which featured on the Drive soundtrack and Night Drive LP. Black Belt bounces along to an early 80's synth hook being played in a dirty disco, GMF (feat. Sinéad O'Connor) sees the first of 4 tracks that feature Sinéad O'Connor, it's at this point where Grant comes back to his old self and could easily have been from the last LP. It Doesn’t Matter To Him (feat. Sinéad O'Connor) is Sinéad and John's most effective duet set to strumming acoustic guitars soaring synths. Sensitive New Age Guy is vintage Grant using a synth hook that Yazoo should have written. This is followed by the sublime Ernest Borgnine, that has everything and the kitchen sink thrown in with total precision. I Hate this Town is another Grant happy-sing-a-long with sinister undertones. The Album finishes with the ethereal ballad Glacier, the last to feature Sinéad together with beautiful violins and cascading pianos. Highly Recommended.

Oh! Melody

One of my favourite albums from last year is the debut from Melody's Echo Chamber. Melody Prochet meets Tame Impala's Kevin Parker to make sweet music together. Parker brings the psychedelia and Prochet swoons with a delicate soulful voice. Melody is a classically trained musician from the French countryside who moved to Paris and fell in love with rock. Enter Kevin Parker and the resulting LP is a rock-pop masterpiece. The influences are bold and executed with authenticity, psychedelic Beatles, Tame Impala (naturally), Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin, Charlotte Gainsbourg, The Cocteau Twins, Sterolab, the list goes on but this is a great record that conjures it all together to make an enthralling sound. Melody has taken to covering the odd Serge Gainsbourg tune in her live sets too. A perfect pop album, truly Magnifique! Highly Recommended.

Best Tracks: Endless Shore, I follow You, Crystallized, Some Time Alone, Alone

Buy it on iTunes

My first post of 2013 and I'm playing catch-up after a busy December. So there's lots of posts to get up, including my albums of 2012. Watch this space...

Electro-Soul Kicks off the New Year

Toro Y Moi (AKA Chaz Bundick) releases his new album this month called Anything In Return.

First single So Many Details takes Bundick into a mature direction without losing any of the quirky electro-pop hooks and delivers a lot more soul in the process. The rest of the album follows suit and should keep us going till summer. Good work Chaz!

Pre-order on iTunes here

Italo Disco pop

The amazingly beautiful debut song Sea has already introduced Roosevelt as one of the great new hopes of the Cologne music scene. Colourful sun-soaked guitars with an uplifting, feel-good euphoria just makes me wanna run into to sea from a white sandy beach. Roosevelt is definitely one to watch and I'll be saving this one for next summer too.

From the single Sea - buy it on iTunes click here.

Sun-drenched Bliss

Brooklyn band Woods latest album Bend Beyond (Their seventh) is an easy folk-pop jam which I've been enjoying lately. Released last month it's a much more polished sound than previous efforts, it's all Beach Boys harmonies, Simon & Garfunkel melodies and psychedelic wig-outs with sun-dappled guitars.

This LP sounds like it could have been released by a band from California in the seventies, that's definitely not a bad thing. Singer and band leader Jeremy Earl conjures up melting pot influences from that era. Fleeting from the Beach Boys to The Doors via The Byrds with shades of Neil Young it's a pastoral delight.

Like this? Try: Teenage Fanclub, The Doors, The Byrds

Buy it on iTunes

I love the sound of broken glass

WhoMadeWho drummer and producer Tomas Barfod conjures up a big slab of glitch-pop on this track Broken Glass taken from his recent new solo album Salton Sea. WhoMadeWho guitarist Jeppe Kjellberg also features in this broken-vocal-synth-pop weirdness. Salton Sea is an  eclectic array of genres singing in harmony on this quite exceptional LP from the Danish countryman. Brooding house (Till We Die featuring Nina Kinert) sits happily along side indie-dance-pop and pumping electro (Python). November Skies featuring Swedish singer Nina Kinert is ethereal grand pop. Very much in the mould of Röyksopp this album maintains a seal of quality throughout. Recommended.

Nice cover too...

Electro-pop masters return

Don't Deny Your Heart is my current choice cut from Hot Chip's latest LP In Our Heads. Surely a future single, its got chart success written all over it. A quick little groover with a merry-go-round of key changes, lifting you up higher with every turn. Bouncing bongos and funky guitars add to feel good summer vibe.

Don't deny your heart, get the album now.

But it on iTunes now - click here

Hello darkness my old friend!

French electro-popper Monsieur Lobster's Simon & Garfunkel cover, broadcasted in french TV show Paris dernière and released on Beatrice Ardisson compilation La musique de Paris Dernière (2009).

Wrong, but strangely charming.

Buy on iTunes NOW

The parents do not understand us

Les parents ne nous comprennent pas! Picked up this soundtrack while on my travels around France, in a quirky little music shop in Bordeaux. I haven't seen the film that it soundtracks, it's called Le bal des actrices [2009] (The Ball of the Actresses) a French film directed by Maïwenn. A film about a director that, while shooting a documentary about all kinds of actresses, falls for one of them. Linh-Dan Pham plays herself, born in 1974 she is a French actress of Vietnamese descent. As it turns out she's not a bad singer either with her cute Vietnamese ascent singing in French. The rest of the soundtrack is pretty good too!

Buy it on iTunes

Avant-pop 

Great new tune and lead single from Matthew Dear's forthcoming LP Beams, the followup to 2010's Black City.

Her Fantasy is classic Dear and an outstanding single to preview the new LP with. Bring it on!

Impressions de voyage

Avec son nouvel album Les passagers, Berry nous donne rendez-vous pour un voyage en première classe.

Elise Pottier AKA Berry's second album is all about traveling with the one you love. I spent last week driving around France with this on repeat (together with Sebastian Tellier's excellent new album - My God is Blue) and it's a beautify crafted album of folky songs and french pop with a Gainsbourg-esque arrangements holding it all together. This, the title track is my current favourite. Following her excellent debut Mademoiselle this is the perfect follow-up, recommended.

Like this? Try: Francoise Hardy, Jane Burkin, Olivia Ruiz

Glittering Synths

Starfucker's Jackalope (Julius) gets the remix treatment from Vans. Original recording of Julius is on Heaven's Youth - Reptilians Demos. This song has a happy heart, the subdued singing is used as an instrument that snakes through the music with effortless charm. A psychedelic synth-pop tune to help you through a long hot summers night.

Starfucker, also known as STRFKR, is an electronica band from Portland, Oregon formed in 2007, initially started as a solo project for Joshua Hodges.

Synth-pop magic

R.I.P Whitney

LOS ANGELES - Whitney Houston, who ruled as pop music's queen until her majestic voice and regal image were ravaged by drug use, erratic behaviour and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown, died on Saturday 11 February 2012. She was 48. She leaves an outstanding contribution to music spread over many years, she recorded seven studio albums, four compilations, and three soundtrack albums, as well as fifty-three singles.

Million Dollar Bill is the last song performed by Whitney, from her 2009, seventh and last studio album - I Look to You which samples R&B singer Loleatta Holloway's We're Getting Stronger from Holloway's 1976 debut LP. It was written by Grammy-award winning singer-songwriter Alicia Keys. A great song to end on. R.I.P Whitney.

Euphoric delight

Another tune from New York’s SVIIB - First single Lafaye the central track from four coming LP Ghostory. The tale of a young girl named Lafaye and the ghosts that surround her life. Glacial and uplifting melodic progressions support Alejandra Deheza's gorgeous vocals that melt away your troubles with a euphoric delight. "Everyone has ghosts", says Alejandra; "They're every love you've ever had, every hurt, every betrayal, every heartbreak. They follow you, stay with you." The familiar ethereal and enigmatic tones are omnipresent, surrounded by layers of influences from '80s pop, shoegaze and ambient electronic sounds.

Official Site

Everyone has ghosts

Been giving School of Seven Bells a listen in anticipation of their third LP Ghostory due at the end of the month. Big fans of this Brooklyn band at neoloop, Loved the debut Alpinisms in 2008 and the follow-up Disconnect from Desire was a classic in 2010. School Of Seven Bells formed in 2006 as a trio and have slowly earned a selective following. Now a duo: guitarist/producer Benjamin Curtis and vocalist Alejandra Deheza, they have grown in style and sophistication with every album. The Night surfaced at the end of last year as taste of what we could expect from Ghostory.

Bands place in MySpace Official Site

Norwegian Good

Bergen-based synth-pop outfit Casiokids release new album Aabenbaringen over Aaskammen this month in the UK. Olympiske Leker's Afrobeat percussion, electro-pop synths and quirky glockenspiels make-up a brilliantly colourful sound. Aabenbaringen over Aaskammen is the perfect sunshine-dappled easy going soundtrack to the summer with sprinklings of Balearic flavourings and breezy pop melodies. Golden years is another stand-out tune that will undoubtably be a future single.

They are bringing their quirky-funk tunes to the UK, a nationwide tour to mark the UK/European release of Aabenbaringen over aaskammen on Moshi Moshi Records!

Like this? try: Metronomy, The Whitest Boy Alive, Röyksopp, Kings of Convenience

Happy To You

Another track from Swedish electo-pop trio Miike Snow from their forthcoming second album Happy To You, due in March, following Devil’s Work track which came out in December. Continuing the established sound of Miike Snow, this is another synth chopping glitchy piano chords pop tune. Expect more tour date this year in support of the album.

The bands official site here miikesnow.com, follow on twitter @MiikeSnow

The new tune from Miike Snow is the Devil's work.

The Electro-pop pioneers storm back from the massive success of their self-titled 2009 debut LP. The Devil's work is the first piece of new material in what seems like ages, good to have them back and sounding well on form. Looking forward to a new LP next year.

Toronto project The Weeknd are back with the third mix tape of the year following the boundary-shattering debut House Of Balloons and the follow-up Thursday, and now they’ve released the much-awaited third to complete the trilogy, Echoes Of Silence is now ready to download from the bands website.

It kicks off with this tune D.D. a freaky dark version of Michael Jackson’s Dirty Diana.

Download all 3 mix tapes on the official site the-weeknd.com

It's been a long time, I didn't think I was ever going to see you again, I see you haven't changed, it's good to see you anyway...

I've not played this for a while, as Cherelle says at the beginning, it's good to see you anyway. I was prompted to check this out again due to Toro Y Moi covering this tune on the forthcoming Freaking Out EP (Hear above). 

Saturday Love, written by the prolific writing and producing partnership of Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis was a top ten UK hit duetted by American R&B singers Cherrelle and Alexander O'Neal and released as a single back in 1985. The song appeared on Cherrelle's 1985 gold album High Priority on Tabu Records and included an extended spoken dialogue introduction skit set in a bar.

Balearic beauty

Love the cool breezy vibe of this new tune from Swedish Balearic pop outfit Air France, subtle steel drums weave in and out the sunshine beats. Almost sounds like a Jamie xx remix with the steal pans thrown in there, starts with a bit of Kool and the Gang in the background and ramps up to a the perfect Balearic pop. Mixed by Star Slinger.

Pascal superbe!

Another French pop tune from Pascal Parisot, I'm listening to a lot of French radio of late. Pascal (born 1963) has a definite Serge Gainsbourg sound to his voice and here it's ever apparent as he duets with his partner Fredda. Taken from the 2000 album Rumba. Love the bossa nova beats and sunshine melody.

Magnifique Monsieur

Just heard this great pop tune on French radio, not one that I've heard before but at first I thought it was Neoloop favourite Bertrand Burgalat as Chanson singer-songwriter Albin De La Simone has a very similar voice and sound. Recorded and released back in 2003 from his self-titled LP, which also turns old to be very good and has matured very well. Albin, born 1970 in Picardie, France has also worked with Vanessa Paradis, Arthur H, Pascal Parisot and Alain Souchon to name a few.

The Summer has found it's soundtrack

Memory Tapes new LP - Player Piano is gonna cause a bit of a stir I think, it's a cracking follow-up from debut album, the brilliant Seeking Magic. Dayve Hawke, who is Memory Tapes finds his mojo right where he left off and creates an uplifting and beautifully constructed sound. Single, Today is Our Life is a wonderful mellow tune that springs into a bouncy upbeat sing-a-long number. The whole record has a perfect summer vibe and will soundtrack long hot sunny days effortlessly. The toe-tapping Wait in the Dark, the whirling Yes I Know, the tambourine-shaking of Sun Hits and the tabla beats of Offers all contribute to the happy feel-good soundtrack. Highly Recommended.

Buy it on iTunes now

Retro-futurist electro-pop!

John Maus new album We Must Become The Pitiless Censors Of Ourselves is an interesting record. Heavy synth-led songs of retro-futurist electro-pop intwine a wealth of influences from The Doors, Kratfwerk and  Joy Division to Daft Punk, Jan Hammer and Giorgio Moroder. Over these freak-beat workouts and soaring synth's is Maus deep and brooding voice telling strange stories. Head For The Country is a great track, also Hey Moon and Matter of Fact are highlights. Recommened.

Buy it now on iTunes

OK Pop music let's go!

Enjoying the new LP from Little Dragon, Shuffle A Dream is a big fat slice of electro-pop. It cuts and chops, blips and pops. Yukimi Nagano voice sounds as sweet as it ever did. After a few guest slots with Gorillaz and SBTRKT she has broadened her appeal. The album is an eclectic affair that sometimes goes beyond experimental but you can't knock them for trying out different sounds. Well worth checking out it's called Ritual Union and it out now!

Buy it on iTunes here

Lion In Cages is one of the great stand-out tracks from Wolf Gang's new album - Suego Faults, Memory Tapes Remix give the track laid-back spaced out feel and sounds like it came straight from their own LP Player Piano. Bringing the backing vocals to the front and sounds exactly what you want from a remix, a new track. Is it better than the original?, no probably not but it's completely different. It's Cool!

Orchestral Pop!

Wolf Gang's debut album is out tomorrow, this tune is all over the radio waves, The King and All of his Men is a great indie-pop summer sing-a-long full of sunny tunefulness. Wolf Gang is the singer, songwriter one-man band of 24-year-old Max McElligott, produced by Dave Fridmann who also produced MGMT of which similarities can be heard all over Wolf Gang. McElligott is an accomplished writer of orchestral pop and sounds way to mature for a debut. Expect big things for this band I've a feeling they will go far.

Check out the official site of Wolf Gang

Such a hurricane trapped in my soul and I can't explain!

London's SBTRKT album drops this week. Full of solid tunes, SBTRKT (real name Aaron Jerome) tries out lots of different styles and succeeds most of the time on his eponymous debut. Your probably already familiar with hit tune Wildfire, a collaboration with Little Dragon. But that's not the strongest song on here, Pharaohs is outstanding featuring the blindingly impermeable vocals of Roses Gabor. There will be the inevitable James Blake comparisons with guest vocalist Sampha almost identical soulful croon on the haunting Trial of the Past and Hold On. And sounding more up beat on Something Goes Right. But overall this is much more of an up-beat record than the somber minimalism of Blake. It's full of energy mixing up dubstep, drum & bass, garage, funk and soul, R'n'B and nuances of Chicago House with a killer pop sensibility. Instrumental Ready Set Loop is fully charged with intricate skipping rhythms, as is the uplifting Never Never and features another highlight vocal performance from Sampha. Right Thing To Do feat. Jessie Ware is another outstanding tune. Do not let this one pass you by, go get it! Highly Recommended.

Buy it on iTunes, sbtrkt.com

Magnifique Electropop!

Couldn't resist posting this track up - Bye Bye mon ami - Plaisir Solitaire (Burgalat Remix). Bertrand adds his trademark kitsch cool to this electropop hit from french starlet Showgirls. From the album Mini.

Bands place in MySpace

I love it when summer pop sounds this good!

Bibio is really hitting form of late with his last album Mind Bokeh, and now this - Stand-out album track K Is For Kelson is now available as a new EP featuring 3 extra tracks, and K Is For Kelson is an alternative version to the album. All Their Sisters is the pick of the bunch from the new EP sounding like the older brother of K Is For Kelson with a more mature and very catchy melody and choppy beats. You can't help tapping your foot to this one!

Brazilian party-starters return!

Ah! It's good to hear Cansei de Ser Sexy (CSS) are back with more quirky pop Hit's Me Like A Rock is the bands first single from their third album La Liberación. Lovefoxxx is sounding in good voice dueting with Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie, who is returning the favour after Lovefoxxx appeared on Primal Scream’s last album, 2008′s Beautiful Future. Just in time for the summer then, it's like Tom Tom Club jamming with Primal Scream. Lush synths and obscure lyrics, business as usual for the Brazilian band.

60's Pop for 2011

Hey, nice baseline from the San Diego duo - Cults AKA Brian Oblivion and Madeline Follin (both now studying film in New York).

I love the way this sounds like it could've been recorded by Phil Spector in 60's. It has a real girl-pop-band-from-the-60's vibe that connects seamlessly with the polished 2011 production and synths. Singer Madeline Follin's babydoll voice coming on like the Shangri-Las and harmonises perfectly with Brian Oblivion's guitars basking in surf pop sunshine. Cool!

Buy it on iTunes

Wonderful!

I've been listening to a lot of old french pop lately, this little ditti is the title track from Pascal Parisot's 2003 album Wonderful. Reminds me of early Manu Chao tunes. Pascal sings like a young Serge Gainsbourg with the accompaniment of a light reggae beat and a catchy chorus sung in English. The perfect complement to a sunny afternoon.

Find more of his tunes on MySpace3

Perfect French Pop!

Following a bit travelling around Europe, I heard this track in a shop in Switzerland and discovered it was none other than Charlotte Gainsbourg dueting on a Étienne Daho track from his eighth studio album Growth resumed from 2003. It's a great song and reminds me of the tunes Charlotte done with her father the great Serge Gainsbourg.

I got one desire and that’s to dance until you drop!

What a tune this is, an old favourite and a bona fide classic Boops! A great tune from the legendary Sly and Robbie one of reggae's most prolific and long lasting production teams. The rhythm section of drummer Lowell Dunbar and bass guitarist Robert Shakespeare started working together in the mid 1970s. This was a number 12 hit on the UK Singles Chart in 1987. Boops (Here to Go) features Bootsy Collins and vocals from Shinehead, it still sounds fresh today and appears on Sly and Robbie's 1987 album Rhythum Killers, which also includes a great version of the Ohio Players hit Fire. Love it!

Heard this brand new track from French duo Amélie & Quarles aka Jupiter on the latest André & Gildas Présentent Kitsuné Parisien compilation, which is all good and all banging. This tune reminds me of CSS (Where have they gone?!) a full on electropop retro jam. Shake shake baby!

Just discovered La Femme and their excellent EP Le Podium #1

The Paris-based lo-fi surf rockers realised their debut EP at the end of last year, La Femme Ressort (The She Spring) is an eerie tune, reminds me of the Twin Peaks soundtrack. French new wave pop with a sassy edge, the lo-fi production adds to the dark and mysterious sound.

Listen to the rest on their MySpace page., Buy it on iTunes

Really enjoying the new album of singles and b-sides from The Radio Dept. – Passive Aggressive: Singles 2002-2010.

Not a band that I have really researched into but always enjoyed the odd single. This compilation really showcases what a great pop band they are and gives you the opportunity to dig deeper into the Swedish bands catalogue of great songs. The best tracks I think come from last year’s dreamy Clinging To A Scheme album. Including this track, Heaven's on Fire, which I never get bored of.

Buy it on iTunes

Nice little summery tune, Malerina comes from Shugo Tokumaru's album - Port Entropy released last year. Shugo Tokumaru (ãÆ'ˆã‚¯ãÆ'žãÆ'«ã‚·ãÆ'¥ãÆ'¼ã‚´ Tokumaru ShÅ«go) is a Japanese singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Playing all the music himself, he mixes up a variety of old traditional and new Japanese instruments.

Check-out more on his MySpace, Buy it on iTunes

Following my recent visit to France I came back with some cool new tunes. Village-Joie by Thomas Dutronic comes from Dr. Tom Ou La Liberté En Cavale, an album of various artists tribute to French composer Franck Langolff. Langolf wrote most of Vannessa Paradis early albums including breakthrough debut Joe Le Taxi. The LP gathers renound artists such as Vanessa Paradis, Alain Souchon, Natalie Dessay, Ours, Arthur H, Thomas Dutronc, Claire Denamur, Liza Manili, Renaud, Yannick Noah, Cécile Cassel and Raphaël. There is also an animated film of the music too!

Check it out here

Fast propelling itself to the top of many 'end of year' album charts, Deerhunter's Halcyon Digest album has been on heavy rotation since it's release back in September. I can't praise this LP enough, it's a magnificent record, see my earlier review below at the beginning of this month. Here's is another superb track that didn't make onto Halcyon Digest and appeared on the B-side of single Revival. First half is all frantic riffs and pulsating pop before the calm and tranquility of the faded piano and tweaking owls finishing with a toy music box. Wicked!

Bands place in MySpace

Spaced-out psychedelics now from Helsinki's Le Corps Mice de Françoise Courtesy of an Andy Weatherall remix. Weatherall's mix totally strips out the pop vocal and loops the guitar riff with a psychedelic sound reminiscent of Beyond the Wizards Sleeve reworkings.

Le Corps Mince de Françoise (known as LCMDF for short) consists of sisters Emma Kemppainen and Mia Kemppainen and Malin Nyqvist.

Buy it on iTunes, Bands place in MySpace

This odd little ditty reminds me a lot of the Stereolab sound but with a chinese vocal and groovy pop kitsch. Love to know what she is singing about. This features on a compilation album called Expo (A compilation of independent Chinese electronic artists) presented by The Shanghai Restoration Project, a US based group renowned for its fusion of Chinese instrumentation with hip-hop and electronica and Neocha (leading online community of independent Chinese musicians and artists)

Buy it on iTunes

Good to hear new sounds from the superb Stereolab, and this doesn't disappoint with their familiar quirky sound. This tune is unmistakably Stereolab taking in all the usual influences 1970s krautrock, lounge, 1960s pop, and experimental pop music. Lætitia Sadier vocals sounds as good as ever. The band will release Not Music, a collection of unreleased material recorded at the same time as their last album Chemical Chords back in 2007. Released scheduled in for November 15, 2010. the album features two remixes by atlas sound and emperor machine. Any new material is good, and if it's all this good then we are in for a treat!

Like this? Try: Stereo Total, Pizzicato 5, Ladytron

Pre-order at Rough trade, Pre-order on iTunes, Official site

Nanna Øland Fabricius is the daughter of a mother opera singer and a father theatre organist, born in Denmark now mixing it with the Brooklyn music scene. Recording under the moniker Oh Land, this track is taken from her forthcoming EP on Epic Records in the US. French producer Yuksek transforms the europop original into a much heavier dance-floor stomper, keeping Nanna's delightful vocals and mashing-up the 80's synths. 

Like this? Try: Fever Ray, Vanessa Paradis, Emiliana Torrini, Olivia Ruiz

Official site, Oh Land on iTunes

This tune is like an old Beck song in term of production and the Eric Enger remix transforms the track into a quirky pop sound. Elsinore is an indie band from Champaign, Illinois currently signed to Parasol Records. They have released one studio album, one live album, and three EPs. Their second album, Yes Yes Yes will be released on August 10th, 2010. This remix is from the Chemicals EP.

Bands place in MySpace, Check out all Elsinore's tunes on iTunes

Uber cool Swedish band, Miike Snow have made a cool video for this new track The Rabbit from a special deluxe edition of the band’s debut album which will also feature remixes of their previous singles Silvia and Black & Blue plus a Mark Ronson remix of Animal which is on neoloop here. Watch the video it's quite funny, directed by Andreas Nilsson, it looks more like a Major Lazor video. Cracking track too!

Official Miike snow site

Stereo Total have been turning out kitsch retro-chic pop for some 15 years now, and they never go out of style - here they are again with a new LP Baby Ouh! their 10th album and it's full of the usual retro computer game sound effects and the quirky Franco-German lo-fi kitsch pop we've come to expect. Françoise Von Hove and Friedrich Ziegler sound particularly Dadaist and crazy on this track with added Stephen Hawking vocals. Mad as you like robo-pop!

Like this? Try: Killer Cobra, Pizzicato Five, Stereolab

But it on iTunes, Official Site

Some excellent electronic-pop from Steve Mason, stripping it back to basics to great effect. This is the opening track to his new record. Since the breakup of Brit indie favourites the Beta Band, frontman Steve Mason has been producing some exceptional music under his King Biscuit Time and Black Affair aliases. But with his latest offering, the quite brilliant Boys Outside, he's unmasked himself and this is his first album to be released under his own name. Produced by Richard X and Mason himself, Mason wrote the album entirely on acoustic guitar. More often than not all Mason's new music is measured against the first Beta Band LP The Three EPs, this latest offering is the closest yet to brilliance of that sound. Hot Chip have since stormed in and joined the party, but here Mason again takes up the challenge to drive electronic-pop forward with his distinctive vocals, lyrical whit and glacial synths. RECOMMENDED.

Like this? Try: Beta Band, King Biscuit Time, Black Affair, Hot Chip

Buy it on iTunes, Official Site

Part.3 of Neoloop's Contact triplicate: 

One of my favourite songs of all time here's Brigitte Bardot's original Contact, it remains an intriguing tune and stands the test of time, incredibly it was recorded in the late sixties. Brigitte never really had a great voice but her charm and beauty shines through and Serge Gainsbourg's production brings out her unique personality. A simple short piece of pop it shows the prolific Gainsbourg in his peak of pop brilliance that's well copied and influenced today. Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot a French actress and singer born in 1934. She recorded Contact with Serge Gainsbourg in 1967. Brigitte also sang on the original recording of Serge's Je t'aime... moi non plus, but Bardot pleaded with Gainsbourg not to release this duet and he complied with her wishes; the following year he re-recorded a version with British-born model and actress Jane Birkin which became a massive hit all over Europe.

Like This? Try: Jane Birkin, Serge Gainsbourg, Francoise Hardy

Bardot on iTunes

Part.2 of Neoloop's Contact triplicate: 

Godfathers of the Shibuya-kei scene, Tokyo kitsch-pop deconstructionists Pizzicato Five's version of Serge Gainsbourg's Contact stays faithful to Brigitte Bardot's original. Adding some modern blips and bleeps with a drum-machine beat, it samples the original riff and Maki Nomiya's vocal style bares similarities to Bardot. This version appears on their 1995 album Romantique 96 which also includes their brilliant hit Tokyo, Mon Amour. Well worth checking out their back catalogue, although this ones quite hard to find.

Like This ? Try: Stereo Total, Ladytron, Of Montreal

A selection of albums on iTunes, Matador records

Back in January I posted up The High Road by Danger Mouse and James Mercer's Broken Bells, I've been playing the album for the last couple of months now, it's now been released last week and I think it's a great album thats sure to feature in the albums of the year lists come the end of the year. The Ghost Inside is my new favourite tune on this LP. It has all the qualities of The High Road, a real sing-a-long tune. Enjoy!

Buy the album on iTunes, Official Site

The wonderful Miike Snow are really killing it live on tour at the moment. Their debut album was one of neoloops top picks of 2009. This track is a bit of a hidden gem, first available as an extra track on the Japanese release of the album and the b-side to Animal. I think it sits comfortably with the rest of the album and is a welcome extension, another great song.

Miike Snow is a Swedish band, who formed in 2007. The band consists of Andrew Wyatt, and the producing team of Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg, also known as Bloodshy & Avant.

Buy Miike Snow's Album on iTunes, Miike Snow UK Website

You fucked with the sunshine, left it in the water… Where is the sunshine then, fed up with all this rain. Brighten up your rainy days until the sunshine comes with this bright and breezy snippet of dreamy-pop. Chicago's Skybox rattle through this little feel-good tune with wonky synths and jangle guitars, a right catchy number that will have you humming it well into summer. They have a new album out, released last month Morning After Cuts. The video for this is well nuts, love it.

Like This? Try: MGMT, Animal Collective, Real Estate

Buy it on iTunes, Official Site

I posted up a track from Sun Airway's Oh Naoko EP last December to much appreciation. Although just a 4 track EP it's one that I keep coming back to as all four tracks are superb blissed out dream-pop loveliness. Swallowed By The Night is another song of beautifully layered lush melodies and dreamy harmonies. Philadelphia's Sun Airway have an album on the way soon, hopefully just in time to soundtrack the summer, like the Beach Boy's Pet Sounds for 2010!

Download the complete EP here, become a fan on Facebook

I'm loving Spirit Spine's new release Jungle Bridges, This track Flashes is another dreamy pop Animal Collective pastiche and a very good it is too. Mashed up loud synth's bash around in an echo chamber of booming beats and muted vocals peppered with chop stick tinkering, a uplifting feel good delight.

Spirit Spine is 19 year old Joseph Denney from Bloomington, Indiana. Apparently Spirit Spine's name comes from a 70s documentary about people who had their spinal cords severed in various ways, but they still thought they could feel their legs.

Like This Try: Neon Aztec, Starfucker, Of Montreal, Animal Collective

Bands place in MySpace, Buy it on iTunes

Leftfield sunshine-pop with slice of cheese, sprinkle in Hawaiian coconut and stir in sugar-sweet harmonies and a soaring orchestra and add a hint of psychedelic-era Beatles to make Auckland CBD.

Chant Darling is the 2nd album from Lawrence Arabia, the alter-ego of New Zealand's James Milne, but his first released in the UK. He's currently touring the UK with Beach House, see his MySpace page for details.

Bands place in MySpace, Buy it on iTunes

Like This Try: Beck, Bertrand Bergalat, Don Air, Divine Comedy

To follow the last post below of Millionyoung's dreamy remix of Memoryhouse's To The Light House here is a track from Florida's Millionyoung's own E.P. called Sunndreamm. Cascading guitars pouring out psychedelic pop from the heart of the sun, a warming delight in the cold hard winter we are currently experiencing. Made to soundtrack your next trip to the beach, sit back relax in your hammock while sipping on a Pina Colada as you peer over your shades at a cloudless sky. Hammock is a happy mesmerising feel-good tune to get you in the mood for the sunshine. 

You can download the whole EP here. Millionyoung's brand New EP is on iTunes now

Like This Try: Air France, Memoryhouse, Neon Indian

It's been a busy week! This week I went to the Miike Snow gig at London Scala, great venue - the perfect place for an intimate gig. I was pleasantly surprised how good they can cut it live. Every track was an extended version of the record, teasing in the intros before exploding into the full track and whipping up the crowd to proper rave up. Black and Blue rocked the house and Silva sparked the nights first hands-in-the-air united sing-a-long. Finishing their set with the ever popular and biggest hit Animal, Miike Snow put on a cracking gig. One track that stood out was this - Burial with it's cheeky little piano riff, marching beat and soaring chorus! I hope they came back soon.

Buy Miike Snow on iTunes, Bands place in MySpace

Clanging drums and wonky tonk piano... A grand masterpiece of crazy pop... Heaven Can Wait.

Following on from her excellent album 5:55 from 2006, Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin's daughter has collaborated with Beck to make IRM, her best album to date. Full of Beck's distinctive style and lyrical nonchalance, who himself is massively influenced by Serge Gainsbourg. And it's all in there, it's an eclectic mix of tunes that hang together well, Charlotte is sounding more and more like her mother, although Charlotte does has a better voice, not to say I don't enjoy Jane Birkin's songs as she has made some quality pop with Monsieur Serge.

It's sounds practically like a new Beck album but with Charlotte doing all the singing, Beck does chip in with background vocals here and there, apart from this track which is a full on duet. So Beck plays Serge to Charlotte's Jane, and in true style of the legend they have also managed to maintain Serge's forward thinking pop while plundering from his past. It's very early indeed to think about albums of the year, I just hope come the end of the year it won't be forgotten about as it really is a magnificent album. With such talented parents the expectation bench mark is set very high, Charlotte has a lot to live up to, with IRM I think she has achieved it… The old man would have been proud. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Like This Try: Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin, Beck, Jean-Claude Vannier, Bertrand Burgalat

Charlotte's Official Site, Beck's Official Site, Buy it on iTunes

The longer U wait the more you cry… bouncin' synths and jangley guitars dominated by Simone White's folky vocal swoon. Fol Chen are a group from Los Angeles signed to Asthmatic Kitty records, this is the title track from their second album The Longer U Wait. The original version appears on their debut album Part I: John Shade, Your Fortune's Made.

Like this try: Hot Chip, The XX, Yacht, Simone White

Bands place in MySpace, Simone White's place in MySpace, Buy Fol Chen on iTunes

This is a real nice lush lazy track, as I watch the snow falling outside turning everything brilliant white this is a fitting soundtrack. Freelance Whales formed in 2008, in Queens NYC. Harmonium, banjo, glockenspiel, synthesizers, guitars, bass, drums and waterphone all feature in the mix of their captivating sound. Freelance Whales can be spotted in the streets and humble venues of New York City, their first full-length record, Weathervanes is due for release March next year, but you can get it on download now.

Like this, try: Fleet Foxes, Noah and the Whale, Arcade Fire

Official site, Buy it on iTunes Now

On first listen this sounds all over the place, moving from Prog-rock to ballad to electro pop, picking 80's ups synths and Gary Numan on the way, ending up in a cascading electric guitar crash. Produced by Erol Alkan this hyperballad sounds slightly different from anything on their previous record, while still retaining their LOTP unique sound they have moved on in a higher direction to a fresh and interesting place for 2010. A storming return from Late of the Pier, following on from their brilliant debut album Fantasy Black Channel in 2008. This new tune, which is actually quite and old tune. Released this month as a pre-album single, new album due next year. Late of the Pier are a four-piece band from Castle Donington, England.

Bands place in MySpace, Official Site, Buy LOTP on iTunes

Ok it's getting near to Christmas and you can't avoid the usual Christmas compilation crap that gets blasted from every shop on the high street. Here's a tune you don't hear that often at Christmas, Augie Rios recorded this latin pop holiday single back in the late 50's. "Donde Esta Santa Claus" is Spanish for "Where Is Santa Claus?" 

Available on the Christmas Compilation Mambo Santa Mambo

The perfect companion to Sun Airway's track below, A stunning tune from Scandinavian popsters Choir Of Young Believers. Uplifting harmonies soar over bongo rhythms and dramatic soundscapes, absolutely captivating. Released back in February this year and re-released again in September, taken from their album This is for the white in your eyes.

But it iTunes, Bands place in MySpace, Ghostly record label

Sun Airway's Oh, Naoko is blissfully uplifting tune full of texture and layers of lush sounds supporting more soaring harmonies. Philadelphia's Sun Airway's should go far if they make more tunes like this.

Bands place in MySpace, More tunes on their official site here

listening to some old old tunes tonight, this just sounds so good, a classic bit of cheesy french sixties pop.

iTunes have got two of her old albums up there, worth investigating! She also does this in English 7AM.

Buy Jacqueline on iTunes

I'm currently considering my albums of the year and revisiting lots of great stuff. Passion Pits album Manners is a cracking loud pop mash up. I also enjoyed Miike Snow's debut effort of quirky pop gems. Both these band have been remixed to oblivion this year. But this combination of Miike Snow remix of The Passion Pit's The reeling is one of the years great pairings. Whose albums of the year will up here soon, watch this space.

Passion Pits place in MySpace, Miike Snow's place in MySpace, Buy Passion Pit on iTunes

"you're so loco, baby take me down before I go go!" Catchy pop, let's go!

Annie's debut album Anniemal was one of my albums of the year in 2004. She returns with the much delayed follow up album called Don't Stop. It was finished over a year before it's release then delayed due to problems with her record label. Well worth waiting for, it's the perfect pop record. Maybe she'll break into the mainstream with one. Anne Lilia Berge Strand (born 1977), better known by her stage name Annie, is a pop artist and DJ from Bergen, Norway.

Annie's place in MySpace, Buy it on iTunes

A happy little indie pop tune from New Orleans band Generationals. This has a nice retro vibe, with sixties production sound and Beach boys harmonies. This single is their new album Con Law. Out Now.

Bands place in MySpace, Buy it on iTunes

From the new Richard X remix of 1991's Foxbase Alpha album, the Neil Young cover "Only Love Can Break Your Heart", an epic Balearo-disco banger. Always loved the original Neil Young version and the original Saint Etienne version (amazing to think that it's nearly 20 years old, Saint Etienne were one of the bands that helped define the indie dance genre in the early 1990s), this new remix gives it a nice polish for another few years to come.

Official site, Saint Etienne greatest hits on iTunes

Cute little folky pop tune from British born singer-songwriter Lisa Mitchell, who grew up in Albury, New South Wales. This track is from her debut album Wonder that she recorded in England, interestingly she finished sixth in the 2006 season of Australian Idol. Still relatively unknown in the UK, hopefully this will get snapped up in a Vodaphone advert or something and she'll get some airplay.

Buy it on iTunes, Official site

Like this, try: Sara Schiralli, Nouvelle Vague, Vanessa Paradis

Quirky pop, up beat tune from the summer of love, a right little catchy number!

Famed for their tune Around The Bend that featured in an ipod advert, now on the scene with a full album 'Fruit' which is full of up-beat pop tunes. The Asteroids Galaxy Tour are a Danish pop band, vocalist Mette Lindberg and producer Lars Iversen. Formed in 2008, the band are now based in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Bands place in MySpace

I'm going down like a villain in this place.

A great little tune with a ska beat and the beautiful voice of Londoner Sara Schiralli. Has a little french pop flavour I feel. Cracking tune!

Sara describes her sound as tropical surf alternative folk. No album yet but a good few single. Check out her MySpace page.

Sara place in MySpace

A delightful little tune from Zero 7's new album Yeah Ghost. Sounding like a quirky french pop tune with a folkie vibe, halfway through the steel drums kick in at takes the song off to the Caribbean. 

La Musique Magnifique!

Just got back from France, got loads of new tunes for you. Quite a few to get through, but this little pop ditty brings a smile to your face. It's got that kitsch french pop vibe going on even though they sing in English. The Sophia Lorenians are from Paris/NewYork, so far they have only released this on 7" Single.

Bands place in MySpace

DISKO, DISKO PARTIZANI!

Balkan brass, accordions and a ska skanking beat. Keeping on the balkan tip, this one gets your toes tapping. The rest of Shantels latest album is all quality balkan brass band music. I have a few versions of this old tune, Shantel brings it back up to date without losing the energy of the original standard.

Skank on…!

He's a German DJ who brought the rousing brassy gypsy music of eastern Europe to a new audience by mixing it with electronic beats. New album is out now - Planet Paprika.

His place in MySpace

Buy it on iTunes

Some more Scandinavian pop, this time with a jazz flavour, featuring Little Dragon's Yukumi Nagano on vocals, a now classic album from the Swedish jazz poppers, Koop Island is an easy listening open-top car journey through the mountains. Cool stuff.

Bands place in MySpace

Official Site

But it from iTunes

Phantom legs and Blinking Pigs, Haunting me, My long lost love and the memories of You.

Bizarre kooky lyrics for a bright and breezy electropop song. Taken from the Swedish band's charming 2nd album Machine Dreams. RECOMMENED!

Little Dragon is a band, based in Gothenburg, Sweden. Consisting of Swedish-Japanese singer Yukimi Nagano (vocals, percussion) and her close high-school friends Erik Bodin (drums), Fredrik Källgren Wallin (bass), and Håkan Wirenstrand (keyboards).

Swedish electronic jazz duo Koop's albums Waltz for Koop and Koop Islands feature Yukimi Nagano's vocals on several tracks.

Yukimi Nagano place in MySpace

Bands Place in MySpace

Official Site

Buy it on iTunes

A burst indie pop to keep the sun shining

Nice summery vibe, twanging little riff that loops around your head and doesn't let go. Two Door Cinema Club are 3 people from Northern Ireland with the help of technology and a thirst for anything quirky.

Band place in MySpace

Beautiful chilled out atmospheric grooves

This tune has been all over the radio lately, a beautiful slice of atmospheric indie pop slowly builds in to a crescendo of colourful and grand guitars. Perfect for a Sunday afternoon chillaxing. Taken from their album - Conditions, out now.

The Temper Trap are a band from Melbourne, Australia.The Temper Trap took their name from the combination of their favourite song 'The Lady is a Tramp' and their favourite movie 'The Parent Trap'.

Official Site

Bands Place in MySpace

Like the beta band with the Bee Gees on vocal duties

A slow groover with a melody that pulls you in slowly but surely, hook line and sinker.

Wave Machines, from Liverpool currently enjoying success with the single I Go I Go I Go. Their debut album is a eclectic array pop. New single Punk Spirt is another standout track.

Official Site

Bands Place in MySpace

Buy it from 7digital

Hang on to the summer, i've got some sunshine tunes left!

Have a listen to this version of Claudine Longet's Ain't no mountain high enough, it's a typical kitch arrangement made in 1971 of the Motown standard. An uplifting summer sizzler with added Français beat.

This is a song for no one, but all of you!

I hadn't really listened to this band much, until Mr. A Black @ablackcanvas told me it was a killa album. I fell in love with tune straight away, perfect pop with a funky drummer beat. Hey the sun is shining again.

Miike Snow are a Swedish band, who formed in 2007. The band consists of singer/songwriter Andrew Wyatt, and the producing team of Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg, also known as Bloodshy & Avant.

Bands place in MySpace - myspace.com/miikesnow

Buy it from iTunes

Your in my mind your in my heart.

MSTRKRFT mix up their own brand of electro stomp with Grammy winning silky soul from John Legend. An infectious piano loop and hands in the air buzz-saw riffs together with Mr Legend's soft velvet vocals, immerse yourself in this late night summer rave.

Official site - mstrkrft.com

Official site - johnlegend.com

She's Strange and I like it!

A classic bit of funk, still sounds fresh today as it did in 1984. Drum machine beats, wonky synths, strange sirens and Larry Blackman's 'Owww!!'  Unmistakably Cameo. Pure classic!

Buy it - iTunes

"We're gonna party and have a good time" The chorus smokes through the spooky hum of a gospel choir singing outside the gates to the end of the world. Sci-fi landscapes and funky house collide resulting in a strangely soulful cocktail of dancefloor lunacy!

Released as single from the album Organism in 1999

Jimi Tenor (born Lassi Lehto, 1965, Lahti, Finland)

Official site - jimitenor.com

Buy it - iTunes

Bring on the drums!

Friendly Fires pound in with a samba carnival of a summer tune, already a live favorite, this tune is released as a single at the end of this month. The video is pretty cool too.

Looking forward to their next album.

Official Site - wearefriendlyfires.com

I don't know much about this tune other than I like it!

It's quite the infectious little ditty, I just keep playing it... Hey!

Benjamin E. Morsberger is from Brooklyn NYC

His place in Myspace - myspace.com/benjaminemorsberger

Channson simple et magnifique!

Great voice for such a young woman, the arrangements remind me of Yann Tierson's work for Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain Soundtrack.

Béatrice Martin (19) is a Canadian pop singer-songwriter from Quebec, who performs under the stage name Cœur de pirate.

Her place in myspace - myspace.com/coeurdepirate

Lose yourself in the beauty of it all, another little tune I picked up a while ago that I added to a compilation for traveling to/and around France this week. listen to the way it builds up in the first 30 seconds to a cacophony of beauty, a gentle guitar, Françoiz vocals, a shaker and a full blown string quartet. If only it was longer.

Si Tu Disais (if you said) is taken from Vingt à Trente Mille Jours (French for "Twenty to Thirty Thousand Days") the second album by singer Françoiz Breut, released in 2000 (in France).

Francoiz Breut place in Myspace

Just got back from France and discovered this band called Java, this is from the album Safari Croisière released in 2003. It's got accordéon's, what more do you want! It's all going on.

I'm in love with you, Sweet Sweet Sweet.

Let me see you sweet!

Disco pop for dirty dancefloors, 80's synths and hand claps take you on a ride in open top Honda with a dent in the side and a broken tail light.

STEVE MASON brought us Beta band and King Biscuit Time, now he's having a BLACK AFFAIR. Sweet!

Band place in my space

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009)

Just heard the news of MJ's death, love him or hate him, he was a global icon. I've always loved Off the Wall and Thriller albums.

I thought I'd post up one of his lesser know tracks from the Jackson 5 days. A great little tune!

"Dancing Machine", originally recorded for the group's 1973 album G.I.T.: Get It Together, was also the title track of their 1974 album Dancing Machine released in 1974 as a remix for a response to the success of the single. This song was sampled recently in 2008 by Q-tip for the fantastic album The Renaissance ("Move")

R.I.P  Jacko.

Erotico!

I'm off to France this week so I'l compiling a few playlists to accompany my road trip, hence the last few blog entries have a very French influence. If you like Serge Gainsbourg and want hear more, try this excessively kitsch concept album about, well, sex! Orchestral funk, moody whispering over breezy bossa, smokey organ porn. Furiously pop and totally cult for perverse record collectors everywhere. This is a cracking track from a classic album.

The incredible Philippe Nicaud. A rising young talent of 50s French cinema, filming with Jeanne Moreau (Dos au mur), Dalida (L’Inconnue de Hong Kong) and Brigitte Bardot (Voulez-vous danser avec moi). With Erotico… Nicaud he plunges hungrily into the era’s melting pot of pop with the help of Gérard Gustin and his pulsingly crafted orchestrations. Great album cover too!

Philippe Nicaud left us April 18th of this year in the age of 82 years... R.I.P

Buy it from Vadim Music

Psychedelic French Pop from the Master

Serge Gainsbourg's varied musical style and individuality made him difficult to categorize. His legacy has been firmly established, and he is often regarded as one of the world's most influential musicians. I've admired much of his music over the years, just when you think you've heard it all I can't help re-discovering another track everytime I trawl through his extensive back catalogue. Pure class!

Histoire de Melody Nelson (from which this track was taken from) is a 1971 concept album. The Lolita-esque pseudo-autobiographical plot involves the middle-aged Gainsbourg unintentionally colliding his Rolls Royce Silver Ghost into teenage nymphet Melody Nelson's bicycle (Jane Birkin), and the subsequent seduction and romance that ensues. Histoire de Melody Nelson is considered by many critics and fans to be Gainsbourg's most influential and accomplished album.

At just under twenty-eight minutes, the short running time and the stylistic consistency and similarity throughout the album gives it qualities more in line with an EP or an extended musical piece with a number of movements. Histoire de Melody Nelsons is a mix of freewheeling guitar, funk style bass guitar, near spoken word vocal delivery, and lush, deep orchestrated string and choral arrangements by Jean-Claude Vannier who composed almost the entire music for the album.

Buy it on iTunes

The sun is shining in little old London town, everybody's got a bit of the feel good factor! Now all you need is a soundtrack to document the summer of 2009.

I've been filling my head with this lush soundscape from Kleerup for some time now. Pure beauty on a summers day, lying under a clear blue sky with the warmth of the sun caressing your face.

The rest of the album, out this week... is an eclectic array of polished grooves, from club to beach and back again via lip smacking Scandinavian disco pop!

Kleerup is Swedish producer Andreas Kleerup. He went to number one in the UK co-writing and producing Robyn’s 'With Every Heartbeat'.

Fellow Swede Lykke Li lends her babydoll vocal to 'Until we bleed' with dreamy results, spellbinding!

More info on kleerup.net

More Lykke Li - lykkeli.com

Who's that knocking at the door! This is such an addictive track, I only discovered it by chance while I was checking out some of Flash and the Pan's more well known tracks. I've always loved 'Waiting for a Train' their sublime pop classic from 1983. Midnight Man was originally released as a single in 1985, it sounds as fresh today as it did back then with it's monotonous hammering beat that runs through the entire track, it could have come off the last Hot Chip album. In fact Hot Chip should do a cover of this!

Flash and the Pan was an Australian New Wave group formed in the late 1970s by Harry Vanda and George Young, both former members of the Easybeats. George Young is also an older brother to Angus Young and Malcolm Young of AC/DC. Both Vanda and Young produced several AC/DC albums.

Until the release of "Waiting for a Train" in 1983 they had been a one-hit wonder in the UK,'a flash in the pan'. The duo gained further exposure through the track from their debut album, "Walking in the Rain", which was later covered by the amazing Grace Jones. If you like this track it's well worth checking out the greatest hits album.

Buy it: Greatest Hits - iTunes