Sound

Wrapped Ears #1

John Rogers | Thursday 11 October, 2012 22:11

Here’s a brief roundup of MP3s that I’ve enjoyed this week, to be done weekly from now on.

No Ceremony/// (starting off a punctuation theme with band names this week) make moody dancefloor anthems that weave in elements of piano-house, post-dubstep pop a la Poliça, and Fischerspooner-ish pulsing electroclash. Their latest single FEELSOLOW is available as a free download, ahead of an “official” November release.

Finnish sisters LCMDF are back with a bang, following up their debut album Love & Nature with a trickle of knowingly 90s-influenced pop tracks from a forthcoming EP, Mental Health. Expect to hear references to everything from Utah Saints to Suzanne Vega to Dee-Lite to Cypress Hill in their effervescent live set.

WHY? are one of the finest bands currently operating. The brainchild of Oakland-born singer, rapper and multi-instrumentalist Yoni Wolf, they mix his wonky flow of introspective autobiographical hip-hop with intricate Phillip Glass style micro-melodies and anthemic choruses. New album Mumps Etc is out now.

Blacks& are a sunny LA alt-pop four-piece recalling everything from Vampire Weekend to Future Islands to The Beach Boys to… Hanson. Their debut single is out October 22nd on the new Hey Moon label.

MPfree editor Tom Jenkins has featured this one before, but it bears repeating as it’s out this week. Dad Rocks!, aka Snævar Albertsson, was so impressed with a mashup of several of his tracks posted on Soundcloud by unknown producer 6001 Hulls that he commissioned an entire EP. The results are euphoric glitch-pop versions of Dad Rocks!’ beautiful modern folk melodies, entitled AC!D DORKS.

Finally, check out the new video from Manchester all-grrrrl lo-fi band PINS (pictured), recently signed to Bella Union.

PINS – SAY TO ME from PINS on Vimeo.

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