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There are a few really cool new albums I’ve been listening to lately that I want to share with you. They’re all kind of in the “electronic” genre but it’s hard to place. The first is the debut album by French house duo Justice, called “†”. The sound is probably closest to Daft Punk, but it’s more down and dirty. But what I especially like is the variations. Let There Be Light has a really cool chord progression, hard and loud like the first song. About two thirds of the way through the song, however, it the instrumentation changes direction and it becomes hopeful, like the sun coming out from behind the clouds. All the tracks are just so catchy and unexpected, and all the tracks are connected to each other, like Dark Side of the Moon. I love that in an album. Another stand out track is The Party. It has a wonderful chord progression, slowly adding layers and variations, and the whole time has the sing-song voice of guest star Uffie rapping, just floating over the music. It’s so unbelievably catchy, especially the refrain. Listen to “The Party”

If there are two things in this life of mine that I love, its free stuff, and music. When you put the two together they just seem to complement eachother so well. Stereogum currently has a cover album of Björk’s “Post” on their website which can be downloaded in its entirety for free. You can find that here.

The album contains every track off the original album, redone by an All-Star lineup including Liars, Dirty Projectors, High Places, No Age, and many more (8 more to be exact). As is the case with any of Stereogum’s cover albums, it shares very little with the original work besides lyrics, and the most elemental characteristics.

So go give it a listen while it’s hot.

Little Boots is from Blackpool, England.
Little Boots is a female.
Little Boots has only released a single.
Little Boots is named after the Roman emperor, Caligula (which, roughly translated, means…)
Little Boots keeps a YouTube diary, where she does covers every few Mondays and some piano-noodling.

Finally, Little Boots one official song, “Stuck on Repeat”, is awesome. The song’s beginning recalls Vitalic rough Moog synthesizers, threatening mind-numbing repetition for the songs 6 minutes, but then her voice breaks through the fuzz. When I first heard the song, I was convinced that this was a remix of some Madonna or Kylie Minogue song, and I mean that in a flattering way.  ”Stuck on Repeat” sounds like a dirty Madonna dance song, with an emphasis on the dirty. This is too hard for Madonna to touch, even if Ali-G was in her music video.

So, in mathematical form: Vitalic + Madonna - overproduction =  Little Boots. Little Boots full album drops later this year with production help from members of indie rockers’ The Birds and the Bees as well as Hot Chip. If this is any indication, it should be something special.

Bob Dylan recently said, “I don’t know anybody who’s made a record that sounds decent in the past 20 years, really.” I’m actually inclined to agree with him to a large extent. With artists known as “Flo Rida” and “Soulja Boy Tell’em” topping the charts, it really does seem like music is in a period of decline. Last century we had Elvis, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and countless others who pushed the boundaries of music. But is there anything as special today as Beethoven’s music was 200 years ago? Will any music from today have that kind of lasting appeal?

Only if the music does something new, if it sounds like nothing before it. First came classical, then jazz, then rock and roll, progressing into rock. Today it seems there are a million genres and bands playing, but what is truly revolutionary? What’s the next step?

I believe the next step is toward electronic music. Some of the best music coming out today is electronic. And just like music turned primarily toward electric guitars and basses last century, it will become increasingly electronic influenced in this new century. It has diversity of sound and complexity that most bands aren’t even coming near. I will now list a few artists and songs that I think are pushing the boundaries of music.

10. Menomena – Friend and Foe

If album art was the deciding factor of AoTY, then Friend and Foe would be the cream of the crop. This album from the Portland outfit, Friend and Foe feels infinitely more sincere than their debut, I AM the FUN BLAME MONSTER! (an anagram for “The First Menomena Album”) They’ve accomplished a unique form of indie rock that glazes the requisite bass, drums and guitar in piano and tenor saxophone. All of the cuts from the album are guaranteed to get your pleasure center moving, so please, dig in.

Seriously, it has been a while, so I’m trying something new: a weekly focused on exploring the ins and outs of any genre I’m stuck on at the time. Questions? Comments? C’mon, throw me a bone.

I’m currently in the “f*ck me” stage of senior year, stuck between SATs, midterms, and applications, with a lot of dilly-dallying in between. Stress is high, palms sweaty and a guy needs to calm the hell down. Caffeine has only adverse effects on me, turning my stomach into a leaf-blower in no time. Booze and bud are a no-go’s (silly rabbit), so where the hell is a person supposed to turn in his time of need?