“The Phenomenal Handclap Band rises above the masses” – NPR
“Their collective instrumental prowess is dizzying – each instrument occupying its own sonic space, each drum fill, synth pad and bass run perfectly layered into a throbbing mass that reaches nearly symphonic levels” – Paste
New York’s cosmic-disco ensemble, Phenomenal Handclap Band propels usinto their retro-futuristic styled world with the release of video, “The Right One,” off their second album Form and Control due out on February 14th from Tummy Touch Records.
Director Moh Azima, who has previously worked on the band’s “15 to 20” video, explains that the song’s message was his inspiration behind this conceptional video. “I played around with lots of symbolism like triangles, monuments and the eclipse to create the narrative.” Also included in the concept was the use of multiples to represent the difficulty of choosing “The Right One” amidst other contenders. He goes on to further explain that “ultimately the message of the video, just like the song, is one of transcendence, about not getting too involved with making sure you’ve got the right one, about just believing in yourself and allowing that to lift you higher.”
“Proggy without being self-indulgent…folky without being boring. They’ve got enough pop chops to keep even the most casual music fan’s ears glued to the stereo.” – KUT Austin
“Punching into the Canadian band’s strolling folk rock are these warm, tall sips of guitar solos. They sound as if they’re conjured from the shag-carpet of an old 70′s studio — it’s palpable as shit.” – Consequence of Sound
“Clocking in at a lean three and a half minutes, ‘Lightshow’ is neither stripped-down or overblown — instead, it’s a perfect example of rock ‘n’ roll precision…that sort of big-time, anthemic rock song that says what it has to say in a half-dozen ways, and as hard as it may try, never goes out of style.” – MTV Hive
Plants and Animals are pleased to announce a North American tour this March and April in support of their new album, The End of That, out February 28 on Secret City. This is the band’s first tour as a four piece, having added a bassist to their live show.
The band will also release a 7” for ‘Lightshow’, the first single off of The End of That, which will be available in stores on the same day as the CD/LP. The 7” features a live cover of Wolf Parade’s “I’ll Believe in Anything” on the B-side. A digital version of the 7” is available now via iTunes and other online retailers.
The live cover comes from the band’s “Live at Breakglass” performance during the Pop Montreal Festival in September of last year. The renowned Montreal studio hosted a combined live recording / intimate concert event as part of the tenth anniversary of the festival. Plants and Animals celebrated the milestone by covering local Montreal acts in addition to performing their own material.
Producer virtuoso and tech-specialist Moguai is without question on the form of his career. Out now, on Mau5trap Records, comes the very first installment from his flawless forthcoming long player; the effortlessly stunning powerhouse single – Mpire!
Having teamed up with hip-hop superstar Snoop Dogg at the back end of 2011 for his latest hit single “Last Night”, multi-platinum selling artist and iconic house sensation Ian Carey is steamrollering into the New Year with yet another almighty collaboration!
Joining forces this time round with international hit maker and music legend Timbaland, Mr. Carey now prepares for the imminent release of his stunning new single “Amnesia”. When a union of this magnitude presents itself, you know there’ll be something special in store – but add to the mix a mammoth top line from sensational female vocalist Rosette, and you’ve got yourself a sure-fire crossover winner. Check out the sneak preview of the official video and stay tuned for the full version!
And if that wasn’t enough to wet your appetite here’s an exclusive Ian Carey bootleg of Alesso, Ingrosso and Rowetta’s “Be Calling” from the vaults –
This early taste from Poolside’s debut album (due in 2012) is this gorgeous, thumping slice of anthemic disco-pop. Poolside’s Filip and Jeff filmed this video during a wilderness excursion into the legendary Red Rock landscape of Sedona, Arizona. LOVE.
ATTENTION: All fans of The Cure (OMG – I’m so excited!!!)
Sunday Best Recordings is thrilled to announce the December 6th release of The Cure: Bestival Live 2011, a live recording of the iconic bands incredible, career-spanning two and a half hour set performed at this year’s Bestival.
The double album, which is split over two CDs and also available as a digital download is made up of thirty-two Cure classics, including “The Lovecats,” “The Caterpillar,” “Close To Me,” “Friday I’m In Love,” “Lullaby,” “The Hungry Ghost,” “The End Of The World,” “Just Like Heaven,” “Grinding Halt,” “Jumping Someone Else’s Train” and “Boys Don’t Cry.”
Of the live album, Robert Smith of The Cure says “We had such a great time in the Isle of Wight at Bestival that we wanted to release this show as a way of thanking fans and islanders alike. Bestival is the best!”
All profits from the sale of this album will go to the Isle of Wight Youth Trust (Reg Charity No: 1087163). The Isle of Wight Youth Trust is a charitable, independent and professional organization offering counseling, advice, information and support services to young people aged 25 and under on the Isle of Wight (the home of Bestival) and, in some cases, their parents or carers. The Youth Trust has been working on the Isle of Wight for 27 years and has made a positive input to the wellbeing of people locally. www.iowyouthtrust.co.uk
Eileen Monks, Director of The Isle of Wight Youth Trust, says; “What wonderful news that The Cure should choose us, an Island charity of 27 years, to benefit in this way. This came completely out of the blue and at a time when it is becoming extra hard to raise funds to support our work with children and young people on the Island, further cementing our association with young people in their many interests and aspects of their lives. We would like to thank Rob da Bank for his continuing support.”
Rob da Bank, founder of Bestival says “Since I was 15 and backcombing my hair, donning my sisters eyeliner and singing the lyrics to “A Forest” into my hairbrush I’ve had an unhealthy fascination with The Cure. To say it reached its peak at Bestival 2011 is an understatement, as after seven years of pestering I not only landed The Cure to headline Bestival, but now appear to be putting out one of their live records on my own record label. How strange! For any of the 50,000 who were at Bestival and saw all or some of the two and a half hour set, this live album will transport you back. For fans of The Cure who didn’t make it I know this will be a legendary addition to your Cure collection!”
On the heels of their US tour opening for the legendary Bryan Ferry, The Phenomenal Handclap Band have released “Following” – the first single off their forthcoming new album, Form & Control, out January 31st via Tummy Touch Records. The track finds the group taking the next step forward from the cosmic disco-funk and international, psychedelic soul of their critically acclaimed debut album.
The band will also be making their triumphant return to their hometown of New York on November 23rd to headline a show at Hiro Ballroom for Tummy Touch Records’ 15th year anniversary. They will perform along with Horse Meat Disco and Bing Ji Ling, and the night will include DJ sets by Tummy Touch founder Tim “Love” Lee and other special guests.
“Following” was written in NYC while dancing at David Mancuso‘s legendary Loft Party and inspired by the sounds of Human League, Chic and Fern Kinney. Sean Marquand, writer and co-producer of the song, recalls: “At a truly great dance party, there is a moment when you can feel a certain energy take off in the room. You can look around and see that everyone is in to the exact same thing at the exact same moment, it’s a unifying force. The song is directed toward all of those who might want to join that moment and experience the same spirit.”
Pajama Club, the new band from Crowded House and Split Enz frontman Neil Finn, are getting to release their self-titled debut album this Tuesday September 13th on Lester Records/Redeye. For a taste of what to expect check out the band’s eye-popping video for opening track “Tell Me What You Want.” The track is a tete-a-tete between singers Neil and his wife Sharon Finn, who coyly blend heaving breathing and falsetto vocals.
Like “Tell Me What You Want,” the rest of the album, the song is anchored by a massive rhythms and quirky electronics, topped off by Neil and Sharon’s back-and-forth vocals. The pair have an alluring natural chemistry that forms the core of the band. Pajama Club has a wonderfully spontaneous feel to it, which stems from the way in which it was recorded. The skeleton of the songs were formed when Neil and Sharon began jamming together just for fun at home, drinking wine, wearing pajamas and realizing they had something going on, bigger than just raw grooves.
Eventually Neil added additional layers of guitar, keys, and other melodic lines to the bare-bones songs while he toured with Crowded House in 2009. The final piece of the puzzle came when Sean Donnelly began rounding out the tracks with electronic loops and texture, in a similarly independent, creative, and organic fashion that Neil and Sharon had first begun.
Pajama Club’s debut bursts with a joyous, free spirited energy at every turn. However it is Neil and Sharon’s impeccable melodies that bring it all together – burrowing in the listener’s brain while giving each song an immediate likeability.
Mick Jagger has teamed up with Eurythmics founder Dave Stewart, soul singer Joss Stone, Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack composer A.R.Rahman and reggae star Damian Marley to form a band cooperative project called SuperHeavy. This diverse and eclectic line up who share eleven Grammy Awards between them, have been recording together in various studios around the world, with the majority of the tracks on the project laid down over three weeks in Los Angeles earlier this year.
It’s little wonder that Stewart refers to SuperHeavy as, “A mad alchemist type experiment”. Fusing the talents of one of the greatest front-men of all time, a two time Academy award winning Indian composer, a soul vocal prodigy, a three time Grammy winning reggae star, and one of the most sought after producers in the world, you would expect the explosive results to defy categorisation.
SuperHeavy came together after Jagger and Stewart considered what a band comprising of musicians from different genres would sound like. Jagger explains, “Dave really wanted to make a record with a different group of musicians, in other words, with different backgrounds of music. Instead of everyone being a rock musician, or a blues musician, or some other genre, he wanted to get as many genres together that would fit. I said it sounds like a good idea, I never thought it would actually happen.”
Despite their disparate backgrounds, they instantly connected and hit the ground running, writing twenty-two songs in the first six days. Stone was thrilled with the results, “That’s what you need, all these opinionated people who have been brilliant in their own field, shove them together and see what comes out. It’s really unexpected, it’s mind blowing,” she enthuses.
However, despite the free flow of creative juices and the easy rapport they established, getting the band together in one place became very difficult, as Stewart explains, “It’s the most complicated record ever made. Imagine, some of it’s recorded in LA, some of it’s recorded in the South of France, some of it’s recorded off the coast of Cyprus, some of it’s recorded in Turkey, some of it’s recorded in Miami, some of it’s recorded in the Caribbean, and some of it’s recorded in Chennai, in India.”
The project needed a name. Marley had been riffing the term “SuperHeavy”, inspired by Muhammad Ali being the super heavy weight champion of the world and the phrase became the band’s catchphrase, “It was Mick who said, ‘Why don’t we call it SuperHeavy?”, recalls Stewart, “We all thought about it for ages and then it sort of stuck.”
Back to that alchemical experiment, Jagger, Stewart, Marley, Rahman and Stone appear to have created a new genre. It’s a new kind of music, it’s a new genre, one that cannot be placed” says Stone. Yet, Jagger is keen to point out the music is accessible, “It’s very approachable. If you’re a Rolling Stones fan there’s definitely stuff you can relate to.”
As far as the future of SuperHeavy goes, “We haven’t planned to do a tour or anything, but if people really like it maybe we will. We’d love to get out and play some of it live,” says Jagger humbly. “As soon as we started playing together in the studio it gelled, and all these different styles didn’t seem to be a problem to make them fit together… I hope people will like it….”
I know I like what I’ve heard so far…and can’t wait to hear the rest! The band’s self-titled album will be in stores September 20, 2011.
Musically Amusing 