This weeks selection is from the highly anticipated Gossip album which according to some in the office is as you would expect... not as good as the first. Seriously though, how can you follow up 'Standing in the way of control'? Well this is a start.
We love bowties in Thinkhouse, in fact we love anything with a bow. This week’s tune of the week comes from Janelle Monae a fellow bow enthusiast, we have in fact yet to find a snap of her without one. Janelle was a musical theatre song bird before she fell under the wing of a certain PDiddy and has been flying high ever since. This video for Sincerely Jane is a bit shoddy quality but you get the point. To hear the track sans background noise check out the track on Nialler9 he gave us the tip.
Such was the drama in choosing our latest 'Tune of the week' that we are only getting round to posting it now. We had 3 big players in the running, two of which have been relegated to that 'another week' pile, no doubt to be forgotten about forever more.
On to the winner though, it's Passion Pit's Sleepy Head. Passion Pit released their first EP last year but are certainly seeing a little more action thanks to the current trend of cosmic sounding, trippy, dance floor friendly electronica (see also MGMT and Empire of the Sun)so currently in vogue. Interestingly enough this track contains a sample of an old traditional Irish song called 'Oro Mo Bhaidin', this version by Mary O'Hara.
Check out the interview with lead man Michael Angelakos over on state.iehere. Passion Pit play Oxegen on the 10th July.
We couldn't decide on which 90s nostalgia tune to go with for this weeks Tune of the Week, so we have gone for for a marathon of classics from fashion's next big decade. Perfect Friday afternoon fodder.
Feeding all of our ears in thinkhouse this week has been the lead single from Danish duo Fagget Fairys.
The pair launched their love affair a few years back when vocalist Ena stage dived from a DJ booth attempting (and obviously succeeding) to impress her now girly love and musical cohort Camilla.
Since then they’ve launched their debut EP, Samo Ti, in 2008 and seen remixes of their work by several other artists and hip kids. They continued to mix up love amongst those in the know including much blog fondness from the likes of discodust and palmsout. The latter even went on to release a limited edition 12" which sold out pretty snappy.
Their full length album and similarly named single were released earlier this month. Give it a listen here first - straight from the horse’s mouth.
Claiming this week’s top spot for audio pleasure in Thinkhouse HQ is the amazing Marina and the Diamonds with her track ‘I am not a Robot’. A native of Wales, Marina fuses Kate Bush | Tori Amos | Feist quirk to create a sound that’s altogether unique and aurally compelling. ‘I am not a Robot’ is both gloriously uplifting and defiant. Already causing a huge stir amongst music aficionados and bloggers alike, Marina and the Diamonds has just released her debut single Obsessions, another winning example of her off kilter pop credentials and her debut EP , the Crown Jewels arrives in June.
Enjoy
Marina and the Diamonds is lined up to play the Electric Picnic this September.
This week’s choice is from one of France's finest, Sebastien Tellier. Monsieur Tellier is a man of many sounds, you've probably heard "La Ritournelle" somewhere along the way, it pretty lounge-tastic while his track "Fantino" was used for the soundtrack to 'Lost in Translation' in 2003. He also rubs shoulders with the finest of French dance producers too, having worked with Mr Oizo (he of 'that' ad fame) and his latest album Sexuality was produced by none other than Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo of Daft Punk. The new school of French electro/house producers love him too, look out for remixes of his work by Kavinsky, Sebastian and Breakbot - all worth a punt. It's the version by 're-mixers of the moment' Aeroplane we are into though. The Belgian duo's 'Italo 84' take on track Kilometer goes to show why they are worthy of the hype.
While this song is by no means new, the video takes it to a whole new level. We dug it up after a heated discussion on mash-ups in general. (for those unaware, a mash-up or bootleg is where the vocals of one song are placed over the music of another, a video mash-up adds footage to the mix) The DFA remix of Le Tigre's 'Deceptacon' was a big club tune a few years ago, appearing on iconic electro clash comilations like Tiga's 'DJ Kicks' and City Rockers 'Futurism 2'. This video mash-up is the original though and is spliced with footage of 80s classic cartoon Jem.
This week's TOTW was a unanimous vote amongst the Thinkers. Tipped as 2009's 'Next Big Thing' this London based electro-pop duo have just been confirmed for Oxegen (along with Frankmusik, a previous TOTW winner). It's the nineties vocals from La Roux's 'In for the Kill' that won us over and the brooding dubstep remix from Croyden producer Skream that sealed the deal.
The office was a 50-50 split this week, we have decided to roll out Bell X1 live this week and the other option has been shelved till next. So here you have it, Bell X1 live in Dublin (we think it might be Vicar St but if you have any better suggestions please leave them.) Enjoy!
It's Friday and we are all pumped for the weekend. There are heaps of great things to look forward too, WAR in Spy tonight, climaXXX in the Sth William tomorrow, local dance heroes Dancepig and Mano are in Andrews Lane tomorrow too and then on Sunday you can unwind at the Flea Market.
Here is a nice tune to get you in the mood. It's from Frankmusik and is called 3 Little Words. Frankmusik has been knocking round the London scene for a while now but recently hooked up with Stuart Price to record his new album. If Stuart Price sounds familiar that's because he is the, let's face it, genius behind 3 of Madonna’s tours, one of her albums and his own work under the monikers Les Rhythmes Digitales, Thin White Duke and Jacques lu Cont. With Stuart on the case, we have no doubt Frank is set for big things.
Friday's joyful tune of the week comes courtesy of a renewed interest from the office in 'Summer Heights High'.
Based on the lives of three very different characters in a public school in Oz, no one could ever imagine how amazing the musical in the last episode could have been.
This track, 'Naughty Girl' is by Mr G, the teacher and has recently been released on iTunes. Brilliant.
This weeks choice was pretty much unanimous, an absolute classic from the amazing Talking Heads. Released in 1983 (what a great year for music) by David Byrne & Co. on the Speaking in Tongues album, this track also weirdly enough featured on the Wallstreet soundtrack - which also included two other Byrne & Eno tracks. You can also find it on the excellent The Best Of collection available from towerrecords.ie for just €9.99.
Talking Heads - This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)
It's that special day of the week again and we are packed full of that Friday feeling. This may come across in our choice for this weeks TOTW. It comes from Lonely Island (the same peeps behind Dick In A Box which also had help from JT) and is called Jizz In My Pants. 'Nuff Said.
This track was first recorded in 1982 by the Joubert Singers, a choral group from the First Baptist Church in Crown Heights, NYC. It was produced by Phyliss Joubert & George Rodriguez Jr and became a hit on the local scene, eventually being heard in places like the Loft and Paradise Garage. It was here where DJ legends Tony Humphries and Larry Levan picked it up and remixed it for a 12" release in 1985. The Levan rework appeared on a couple of compilations last year, including the Unabombers Electric Chair and has seen a nice resurgence in popularity since the Disco revival of late - a timeless classic.
The Joubert Singers - Stand On The World (Larry Levan Mix)
This week’s musical treat comes from down under and The Presets with Steamworks. Its driving bass line has a sort of retro feel, like the sleazy mid eighties funk classics of yore.
(Or THPRTOTW for short) We listen to a lot of music here in THHQ, our influences are pretty wide ranging, everything from disco/italio sleeze to the electro pop madness of Ga Ga and Co gets its go. We thought it might be nice to share some of these moments with you too so from now on we will pick one favourite song we have all been digging and post up the video here. The first track on our list comes from Empire of The Sun, and their debut single 'Walking On a Dream'. It's been on heavy rotation round here for the last couple of months and is getting a bit of radio play now too, expect to see them at a festival near you this Summer. The track is somewhat reminiscent of MGMT with its swirly chords and slightly camp feel, nothing wrong with that though, it's top class pop.
Thinkhouse is a Dublin based PR company specialising in youth communications. Keep up to date with all of our latest news and see what's currently floating our collective boat on the World Wide Web.
