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After letting the cat out of the bag just 3 days ago. Everyone’s favorite Post-punk revivalists, have released their 3rd album, titled Intimacy. Produced by Silent Alarm’s Paul Epworth, and A Weekend In the City’s Jacknife Lee, the album plays out much like you would expect it to, taking the band’s signature riffing from Silent Alarm mixing it up with A.W.I.T.C’s more dramatic, and atmospheric tone. Going into this album, having only heard their new single, Mercury, (Yes, that is the same voice modifier that Young Buck used), I had low expectations but it ends up being a minor stain on the album as a whole. The band has said that Intimacy is their most experimental effort while still giving the fans the Classic Bloc that they have come to know and love. Although the album doesn’t take any huge steps with their newest effort, it will definitely leave you satisfied. You can download or order the album Here. Enjoy.

I’m usually not one to just post a video and say watch it, but this is an exception. The above is the music video for City Lights by Sleeping Beauty, a Swedish indie band. The conceptual creativity of City Lights is just staggering. And it has great production values to boot. Please enjoy this as much as I did.

I’ll be back later on this week with a more formal article.

I recently came across a band called The Happy Dog that I’ve come to like a lot. They’re currently unsigned and they just released their first album online. According to the band, “it was recorded in a barn, a living room, a garage, and a bar.” The music itself is pretty varied: there’s a mix electric blues, pop, even funk and reggae. The songs have very catchy melodies and great harmonies. They remind me of The Beatles. Check them out on their MySpace.

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.

2007 has been defined by much-hyped bands making the leap over to major labels, with varying degrees of success. The Shins managed to turn their lo-fi pop into radio-ready songs with a few knob twists and added faders, all the while keeping their brand of Morrissey-esque pop and hooks intact. Interpol’s Our Love to Admire flopped for the same reason; cleaner songs couldn’t make up for the copy-paste song writing. Now indie sweethearts Rilo Kiley are making the big plunge, releasing their homage to sex and the Studio 54 era, Under the Blacklight.