Dang, even her b-sides are fantastic!

Anyways, I know a lot of people are clamoring for this one, so here it is in all it's glory.

Ladyhawke - Danny & Jenny

Oh, and this one's sounding pretty good too!

Ladyhawke - Oh My (Sample)

Flashback Friday: Kim Wilde - Chequered Love



"Touch me, do what you want to"

Given that Ladyhawke's flawless debut has all but taken over blogland this week, I thought it would be fun to post something from one of her precursors. Kim Wilde's Kids Of America has seemed to become the reference point for about a million different songs in recent years. It is, of course, her signature song, but I'm posting the second single (a hit in Europe) from her first album today. Chequered Love is a fantastically catchy new wave track with an uber-eighties video. I love the verses especially, as well as the general perkiness of the production.

Kim Wilde - Chequered Love (zshare)

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

Carpark North - Bring The Lights

"If you take my hand then I know you'll understand"

Earlier this month Danish band Carpark North quietly released their third album of electro-flavored rock, called Grateful. As with their previous releases, I love some of the tracks and don't like others. I could easily pick songs from each of their albums and create one stunning piece of work, but for some reason the individual releases never quite hold together for me. They'll probably never make a song quite as good as Human again (also one of my absolute favorite videos of the modern era, hands down), but a few tracks on Grateful come close. Lead single Shall We Be Grateful is a nice piece of radio pop, but it's tracks like the nearly rock-operatic Bring The Lights that really highlight this band's potential. If you're unsure after the verses, wait for the ginormous chorus. It's worth it.

Carpark North - Bring The Lights (zshare)

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

Ladyhawke - Another Runaway

"It's too late, I'm just another runaway"

I was going to post something else today, but late last night Ladyhawke's album finally sputtered onto the internet and, like everyone else, I've gotta give her some love today. I've only had the chance to listen to the album once all the way through, but I'm already infatuated. Every single song is perfection, and that doesn't come along often. For the track today, I'm posting Another Runaway, which is my immediate favorite among the songs I hadn't heard before. It's just got that soaring melody (especially in the verses) that I love. Perfection. It's like Back Of The Van (still my fav) sped up. If you haven't had a chance to listen to the album yet, and you're a fan of the 80's, you must. It's a complete home run.

Ladyhawke - Another Runaway (zshare)

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

Apes & Androids - Nights Of The Week

"These are the nights of the week when you push yourself out of bed"

Back to the States, since I've been focusing on Australia for what seems like forever. Apes & Androids are a Brooklyn band with a very unique, strange sound. Their album, Blood Moon, is a schizo-blender-medley of styles and sounds. It may not be the most approachable record at first, but it's a pretty interesting listen. It reminds me, in structure, of something that Outkast would put out, but in style it's more like David Bowie mixed with Scissor Sisters and a new wave aesthetic. Nights Of The Week is one of the more straightforward tracks (with over-the-top guitar solo!), and it's my immediate favorite, but I haven't had time to listen to the whole album very much so that might change. It's great to hear this kind of band come out of the States, though, and I can see this album becoming a real underground success.

Apes & Androids - Nights Of The Week (zshare)

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

Is this the most frustrating thing ever?

Daggers have just posted another brilliant (brilliantbrilliantbrilliant) new demo on their myspace. Since I first discovered them eight months ago they've put up at least seven of the best tracks I've ever heard and I am getting very impatient because I want them so bad! They need to set up a download shop or something because all they've made available so far are Money and Magazine, and wow I need an album like nobody's business!
Anyways, go over and listen to the new track, because it's fantastic (of course it is), and who knows when it will actually be available to buy! Jeez... somebody sign them already. I wish I could.

Grafton Primary - S.O.S. Hello

"No one's gonna save you sos hello"

Yeah, I know that I just posted a track from these guys a week ago, but now I've heard the whole album and I can't help but write about this song as well. With the Killers just releasing information and a release date for their upcoming album, Grafton Primary's Eon is the perfect record to tide you over. They are more dancey, but the songs still sound like they're coming from a rock band. The production on this album is just amazing. I have to give it a few more listens to see how I'd rate it overall, but S.O.S. Hello has become an instant favorite. It starts and ends--like most of their songs--with unremarkable gurgling synths, but quickly launches into some really aggressive verses and a super catchy, anthematic chorus. It's definitely a hard-edged track with a hard-edged beat. I kept being reminded of the nineties band Orgy when I listened to it, although this is a gazillion times better.

Grafton Primary - S.O.S. Hello (zshare)

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