Daggers - Magazine

"She lives her life through the pages of a magazine"

Every once and awhile, I'll run across a band and think to myself, how in the hell did I not hear about these guys before? And, why aren't they being covered in any of the blogs? Last time it happened that band was the brilliant Superfamily. This time, it's Daggers. Formally known as Bureau (right choice in changing the name, btw), they have a song out called Money that is absolutely freaking perfect. It's just one of those songs that captured me from beginning to end on the very first listen. Perfect sound, perfect chorus, just perfect. I really can't oversell this thing, you're just going to have to listen to it. I'm not going to post that track here today because you can buy it (and listen to it on their myspace), but I will post the b-side, which is fantastic in its own right. These guys sound like Duran Duran or Human League, but I actually think they could be better than both, depending on how things go. Just listen to Money and tell me I'm wrong.

Daggers - Magazine (zshare)

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy Money -and you gotta- here or on emusic/itunes)

Kaka - The Hotspurs

"The less we know the faster we are gonna go"

While I wait (increasingly impatiently) for Nicko Stenemo's debut release, I've got that other guy from the Mo (keyboardist Richard Karlsson, now going under the somewhat dubious name of Kaka) readying his debut. Luckily, from what I've heard so far, it sounds like it's going to be quite good. He just released his second single from the project, the brilliant Hotspurs, for free download on myspace, and I'm glad to finally be able to offer it on here (I've been in love with it since the end of last summer). It's a fast, inventive pop song that is insanely catchy, as I've come to expect from the Mo guys. This guy's got a real interesting sound, for sure. The album is out on January 30th but they'll be a full album listening party on myspace starting the 23rd.

Kaka - The Hotspurs (zshare)

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the first single here)

Now Here This - I Don't Know

"I don't know how far this love will go"

I know so little about this band, yet I'm really enjoying the four track EP that they've released. I think (from what I can tell at least) that they're from Germany, but their exact location isn't particularly important. Their music is a complete throwback to the 80's when bands like Toto and Genesis ruled the airwaves. It's definitely that cheesy soft rock sound, complete with ubiquitous string sections and faux dance pop beats. The whole EP is fantastic, but I Don't Know is probably the standout (though gorgeous ballad This Storm comes close). I just can't believe people are still making this kind of music!

Now Here This - I Don't Know (zshare)

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the EP here or on emusic!)

Speaker Bite Me - Teach Me Tiger

"Hold me, tiger"

Staying in Denmark today, I've got an "experimental pop" band. Experimental, in the case of this song at least, does not mean inaccesible. Teach Me Tiger is completely catchy from the first vocals, and gets even better after it explodes at around the 1:20 mark. The band are signed to Morningside Records, home of Oh No Ono, one of my favorite "experimental pop" bands of the region, which bodes well for these guys. They offer two other songs and a remix for free download on myspace so make sure to check it out. They're a band worth watching, for sure.

Speaker Bite Me - Teach Me Tiger (zshare)

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Download more here!)

Turboweekend - Multiple Voices

"Look out, look in... do you see what I see?"

Denmark seems to be getting an early start as the country to beat this year when it comes to music. Turboweekend are yet another fantastic dance rock group from the area. More importantly, they are majorly funky, at least on this track from their debut album. It's not one of the singles, but I bet it will be soon. It's the best track I've heard and extremely catchy from the very first listen. If you like this I'd also recommend checking out their singles Into You and Wash Out, which have a bit of a different (more subdued) sound, but are just as funky and fantastic.

Turboweekend - Multiple Voices (zshare)

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album here or on itunes!)

Yeah, I am still listening to that Data album...



I am indeed stricken with Data fever as I've completely fallen under the spell of Opera Electronica. For those that may have yet to be converted by Friday's post, I now offer the album's title track, a gorgeous classical/electronic hybrid that sounds more than a bit like Abba at their most experimental. For those who like Bohemian Rhapsody (okay, all of us, then), you'll love this track!

Data - Opera Electronica