Chromeo - Fancy Footwork

Oh how I love thee Chromeo. I vividly recall stumbling across Chromeo during my final exams in 2005... I was sitting studying away, rocking out to DFA1979 and figured I would check out their label-mates on Vice Records. Lo and behold Chromeo's entire album was streaming on the Vice site. I was immediately hooked (yes, even though it was a low-quality flash-based stream), I let that album play straight for 3-4 hours I am sure. There insanely retro and hilarious beats were so retro and cool it was refreshing. I've always had a love for that 80s analogue sound, and Chromeo delivered directly to my aural pleasure. These Montreal boys, nicked Dave One and Pee Thug, create hilariously catchy tracks which will keep any party bumping. This, their latest album (Fancy Footwork) has seen mainstream success -- but definitely do not overlook 2005's "She's in Control", perhaps an even better album. Here's the main mantra of Chromeo: "From the beginning, Chromeo made it clear that artful detachment, cheesy electro-funk breakdowns, and gleaming plastic beats -- not serious intent or aggressive musical regime change -- were the name of their well-dressed game." So do yourself a favor and download BOTH of these albums now, and you'll be guaranteed to have a fun weekend soundtrack.

Download 2007's "Fancy Footwork" here and 2005's "She's in Control" here.

Here's the review for "She's in Control" on MetaCritic.
And here's there bio on AMG.

Check out the awesome track "Bonafide Lovin'" from "Fancy Footwork" here:

LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver

Three of the best reviewed albums in the past 2 years have been from James Murphy, the DFA label owner's project "LCD Soundsystem". The first self-titled debut album dropped in 2005 with amazing reviews. Murhpy's infectious, catchy beats are smooth and mature, I would say eletronica for sophisticated, hipsters who enjoy indie rock. Now, for me 2007's "Sound of Silver" is the better album (although MetaCritic has them both clocking with an astounding score of 86). Sound of Silver has shown a little more maturity and growth from the debut album... the whole thing melds together so well and is an ideal album to toss on while trying to get some office/desk work done. Now, in addition to this LCD also dropped an album this fall called 45:33. Commissioned by Nike (sell-out? Meh, the debate goes on.... if bands still have street cred after Apple uses their tunes, then why not other companies?). The idea of this album (which a seamless mix of LCD's tracks) is to serve as the perfect soundtrack to your workout - building up, plateauing and then coming down. A clever idea, which, surprisingly, seems to work. The reviews for this album were even better!

Download Sound of Silver, here! Read the MetaCritic reviews here.
Download LCD's self-titled 2005 debut here. And the very cool 45:33 mix here.
Check out their biography here at AMG.

Check out the "All of my Friends" video here:

The Blakes - The Blakes

Today I bring you Seattle's, "The Blakes". I had not come across these fellas at all on my musical journy until I happened to download a random "Indie Playlist torrent" which one of their tracks was featured on it. Well let me tell you, that song "Pistol Grip" definitely gripped me and I was thirsty for more. All I can say is check out the track on the video below! Completely rocking and fun, this album will most definitely make it into your high rotation in no time. On the track "Commit", The Blakes sound a whole lot like Sam Roberts, see if you feel the same.

Here's a good little abstract about the band: "The Blakes recall the stinging catchiness of the early Who, Kinks, and other 60s spitfire rock bands. Brothers Garnet and Snow Keim (both on vocals) busked around the country, writing songs, 'till they ended up settling in Seattle. There they met drummer Bob Husak and have been playing clubs and festivals (from Sasquatch to SXSW) ever since. The Blakes have received critical adoration and massive airplay for their bone-rattling anthems "Don't Bother Me," "Two Times" and "Streets."

Download their Self-Title debut album here!

Check out a live video of "Pistol Grip" here:

Calvin Harris - I Created Disco

Well I am not too sure how I missed this release, but I am sure glad I stumbled on to it this weekend. 22 year old Calvin Harris hails from Scotland and unleashed on the scene in a very modern, web-sort of way. Utilizing MySpace and other online tools Harris and his DIY method landed him a major record deal with EMI and he even ended up helping Kylie Minogue produce her last album. The disco/house/electronica beats on this album are fantastic and will keep you grooving. The sound is retro but modern at the same time. Lovers of Mylo and LCD Soundsystem will totally dig this album. I reckon anyone who gave this album a spin would like it to some degree -- if anything it's a great disc to toss on before going out!

Oh and here's a little tidbit for us Canadians who may be scared about downloading copyrighted content on the internet: "The Canadian police announced that it will stop targeting people who download copyrighted material for personal use. Their priority will be to focus on organized crime and copyright theft that affects the health and safety of consumers instead of the cash flow of large corporations." Read the rest of the article at TorrentFreak.

Download "I Created Disco" here!!!
Here are the Metacritic reviews of "I Created Disco"
Check out Mr. Harris' bio at AMG here.

Here's the video for "The Girls" from "I Created Disco":

The Cribs - The New Fellas

Well, well, well... Another indie rock band from the UK, and hmmm 3 brothers too! The Cribs have been a bit longer than The Fratellis and have just released their third album (their first major label debut which has garnered some attention in North America). These guys actually toured with The Strokes, opening for them on their last North American tour. Now, out of the three albums I would say the sophmore one, "The New Fellas" is the best, but do yourself a favor and nab both. Trust me, you will be singing along with these guys during your first listen, so darn catchy and fun... So go ahead, give their video a whirl and then you'll want to download these albums!

• Download "The New Fellas (2005)" here.
• Download "Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever (2007)" here.
• Read reviews for "Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever" here.
  
• And of course check out their AMG biography here.

Here's the video for "Mirror Kissers" off of 2005's "The New Fellas":

The Fratellis - Costello Music

The brothers Fratellis', hailing from Glasgow, Scotland dropped one of 2006's catchiest albums, "Costello Music". Their major break came when their single, "Flathead" was featured in an iPod commercial. These fella's in-your-face, head bobbing catchy indie pop/rock will be sure to please almost every listener, extremely accessible and fun music, it's a must-have in your musical collection! This will be the start of a little focus on British music, there are a slew of bands which are in the same vein as the Fratellis and if you like these guys (which I am 99% sure you will), well then I've got lots more in store for you!

• Download "Costello Music" right hurr!
• You can read their AMG biography here.
• And check out their album reviews at MetaCritic here.

Here is their video for their single "Flathead":