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albums, songs, eps / new music

Mausi transform Kanye’s Bound 2

MAUSI

Kanye’s Bound 2 turned into a crystalline slice of pop-heaven is probably the most unexpected discovery of the day. Mausi, who we featured a few weeks back, have taken the hook of West’s closing number from Yeezus and added fluid synths and delicate vocals atop a pulsating dance beat. Unfortunately that don’t take on the rap, nor the Kim-featuring video, but they score points for complete originality. If the Kanye original was too aggressive and egotistical for you, then you’ll fall in love with this version.

[soundcloud] https://soundcloud.com/wearemausi/mausi-bound-2-v-3[/soundcloud]

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new music

5 artists you need to hear right now Vol.3

5ARTISTS_4June

Welcome to the third instalment of our new artists feature. This week we're dishing up an eclectic bunch that range from industrial hip-hop, to pop perfection, to a youngster tipped to take on Lorde. 

LANY

There’s no easier thing in the world to sink your teeth into than a perfect pop song. Hot Lights by Nashville group LANY is that. It would be my pleasure to tell you more about LANY but at this stage there is very little to tell. They have two songs to their name (Hot Lights and Walk Away) which are both a month old and built upon a base of simmering beats with an occasional burst of brass. They are expected to release an EP in June and it will probably be delicious like their previous electro-tinged gems. That is all.

[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/thisislany[/soundcloud]

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Childhood

British-duo Childhood have been around the traps for a while now, but they’re too good to let slip by if you haven’t heard of them already. Childhood is Leo Dobson and Ben Romans-Hopcraft and together they will release their debut album Lacuna in August. There’s a healthy buzz surrounding them due to their effortlessly washed-out yet melodic sound. This sound so often has the ability to sound tiresome but Childhood induce plenty of fun. NME recently caught up with them in the studio where at 10am they had the room filled with smoke and lasers to make it seem like they were “playing a gig”. The album has been produced by Dan Carey who’s worked with Hot Chip and Bat for Lashes and will feature the tracks Solemn Skies and Falls Away.

[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/childhoodmusic/falls-away[/soundcloud]

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GEoRGiA

It’s a less travelled trajectory the road from drummer to lead-singer but it’s worked for Dave Grohl and now London-based percussionist Georgia Barnes is trying her luck. She’s drummed for artists like Kwes, Juce and Kate Tempest, however, on her own she’s unleashed a totally different sound. Her debut track, Be Ache, is forwardly-driven by artillery-like percussion. It’s aggressive, bold and highly-unlikely to send you to sleep. Be Ache is taking off her forthcoming EP Come In which will be released by label Kaya Kaya (co-founded by Cherish of Juce).

[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/georgia_hb/be-ache[/soundcloud]

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Thomston

18 year-old Thomas Stoneman is about to put New Zealand on the map once more. The young singer is garnering some serious attention with his dark, minimalist pop tunes. He’s drawing some comparisons to Lorde, however, he’s not too happy about that. He told Daily Discovery “I haven’t got Grammys so I’m like the lame, non-famous, less cool, and not critically acclaimed version of her.” His latest track, Anaesthetic, will no doubt prove his worth away from Lorde comparisons. It’s a sparse track with deep, haunting undertones that proves he is far beyond his years. It follows his School Night EP and already you can tell he’s grown a lot.

[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/thomston/anaesthetic[/soundcloud]

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clipping.

clipping. is a Los Angeles rap-trio making fierce, industrial hip-hop music. Their debut album, CLPPNG, is currently streaming on NPR and it’s part Yeezus, part early-Outkast and a whole lot of clipping. experimentalism. MC Daveed Diggs handles the raps while the soundscapes are laid down by Jonathan Snipes and William Hutson. Beginning with an acapella rap intro, the album continues with sporadic and minimalist beats leaving it up to Diggs to bring a spitting ferocity to the music. It’s certainly not an easy listen, but it’s most definitely a rewarding one.

[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/subpop/clipping-body-and-blood[/soundcloud]

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features

the interns joins the VICE Blogging Network

VICExINTERNS copy

the interns are thrilled to announce that we are now officially part of the VICE Blogging Network.

It's a collection of independent Australasian websites which are, in VICE's opinion, 'the most interesting, relevant and popular ones going' and we're so excited to be included in such a well-respected realm of music, art and culture. 

 

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albums, songs, eps / new music

Montaigne drops new single I Am Not An End

MONTAIGNE

Montaigne (aka. Jessica Cerro) was a Triple J Unearthed High finalist in 2012. She didn't win, but since then she's been turning out some pretty stunning music. I Am Not An End is the second single off her forthcoming EP, Life of Montaigne. It follows I'm A Fantastic Wreck which pricked up ears last month. It's a stings-driven number that revolves around Cerro's sunshine-induced voice. She's got the quick-wit of Lily Allen with the pop quirks of somebody like Regina Spektor. Australia is desperately in need of a new left-of-centre pop queen and Montaigne could be it. This is a very strong debut.

[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/montaigne-music/i-am-not-an-end[/soundcloud]

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features

The Killers' Hot Fuss: A Decade On

THEKILLERS

On this month, ten years ago, it’s likely that you were anticipating Las-Vegas band The Killers’ debut record, Hot Fuss. With four albums to their name now and a greatest hits, The Killers have engrained themselves as a band that never quite made it as big as Coldplay or The Strokes but have happily plodded along as a sometimes-headliner.

On 7 June 2004, when Hot Fuss was released it was looking like The Killers were destined for giddy heights. The album went number one in Australia (such trendsetters), Ireland and the UK while it also reached the top ten in the US. At the end of the decade, the LP was the 27th and 97th highest selling album in the UK and Australia respectively.

The Singles also performed well. Mr. Brightside reached the top ten in the US and the UK while Somebody Told Me mustered a peak of number three in the UK.

Few new bands that were born around the time The Killers surfaced managed that feat with their debut. Indie-rockers turned stadium-fillers, Kings of Leon and the Black Keys, started with critically acclaimed albums but ultimately it took them the better part of a decade to turn that into commercial success. Even if it was at the cost of critical adoration.

The perfect combination of alt.rock and stadium-ready tunes

At the time of Hot Fuss’ release there was no other band, apart from perhaps Coldplay and an ageing U2, that presented alternative rock in such a straight-forward, digestible manner. Lead singer Brandon Flowers marks it best in Glamorous Indie Rock N Roll, when he preaches “It’s indie rock n roll for me/It’s all I need”. Hot Fuss was certainly not the most indie record of the time. Far from it. But it exposed ‘the rebel’ inside all of those who didn’t want to delve into garage-rock to reveal it.

Lamenting on Glamorous Indie Rock N Roll, NME wrote “The Killers’ charm is to be both clever and clueless at once”. And to this day, that is still true of Hot Fuss. They probably knew that proclaiming they love indie rock was somewhat cringeworthy but it works because Flowers’ delivery is so self-assured. Personally, as a twelve year-old kid there was a certain feeling about holding The Killers’ record and believing I’d uncovered a band that was just a tad alternative.

On paper, The Killers sounded ridiculous. They were a band from Las Vegas who sung a lyric like “somebody told me that you had a boyfriend who looked like a girlfriend”, and delivered decadent, Moulin-Rouge style videos. There was nothing gritty to this indie rock n’ roll. It was clean; formulaic even. But it was also perfectly delivered and believable because Flowers and co were so convincing in their delivery of such grandiosity.

In labelling Mr. Brightside the 72nd best song of the ‘00s, Pitchfork wrote “Merging Duran Duran makeup, New Order hi-hats, and Bruce Springsteen-ian grandiosity, they gave rock fans a non-geriatric arena-ready alternative to the world's Nickelbacks”. A year later, PANIC! At The Disco would release their first album, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, borrowing a similar, if not more emo-enhanced formula. Even now, bands are still using that well-balanced combination of alternative rock and stadium-ready flashiness. Has anyone seen Kings of Leon, Arctic Monkeys or Muse live recently?

The British influence

In 2009, Brandon Flowers told Spin that “Hot Fuss was all based on fantasy. The English influences, the makeup — they were what I imagined rock was. I'm a dreamer, you know? So I dug into that dream and made Hot Fuss.” It comes as a defence to critics saying the album held no sense of identity. Pitchfork wrote in their 5.2 review of the album, “The Killers are just the latest band to be born too quick inside the popular music vacuum, where expectations for broad accessibility kill dudes' potential for deeper creativity quite fabulously dead.”

In 2004, the Brits dictated alternative rock, so it made sense that the Killers would follow this formula. However, it left little room for them to inject their hometown and own influences into it. Listening back to Hot Fuss, it’s hard to say that it sounds specifically British. So many bands from around the world have adopted the Brits’ alternative style of rock that it sounds universal now more than anything.

In an interview with The Quietus, after the release of their third album Day & Night, Flowers admitted the rock n roll fantasy had become “unhealthy”. He said, “I think we still can be the biggest band in the world. But maybe we were falling into traps - getting the producers and photographers U2 had. That’s unhealthy.”

Hot Fuss, iconic?

In the interview with Spin, Flowers also notes that Hot Fuss was “a very special part of this generation.” And it’s true. It would be hard for anyone to deny hearing All These Things That I’ve Done and not singing along. As Vice writer, Clive Martin puts it "I've got soul but I'm not a soldier" was the "I guess that cunt gettin' eaten" chorus for the cool clubs.”

As I listen back to the album many of the lyrics sound iconic if not slightly over-heard. Lines like “Coming out of my cage and I’ve been doing just fine” or “It’s not confidential, I’ve got potential” are instantly nostalgic. They’re aggressive and well-timed, perfect for both the clubs and stadiums. They also induce some serious nostalgia which is a good tell-tale that the album was a signpost of the time.

When Mr. Brightside was voted in as the fifth best song of NME’s lifetime, drummer Ronnie Vanucci said “The song is basically about one being totally content and fearless and happy, and then having it totally be the antithesis in a blink of an eye - all of the sudden being the opposite of that because of someone”. Basically, it’s the topic of just about every pop song but delivered differently. Instead of a Scott Storch, Max Martin or Timbaland production it was partly-distorted and centred around a delicious guitar lick. The drum-beat is rollicking and Flowers vocals are commanding in a conversation, train-of-thought way.

It’s withstood any song from Hot Fuss and has become The Killers’ signature track. Ten years later, it sounds unaged. Radio still plays it, clubs still play it and every man and his dog knows it started out with a kiss.

Even Smile Like You Mean It sounds instantly comforting when hearing it ten years later. As does the theatrical, desperation of Believe Me Natalie.

The Strokes achieved a similar feat with Is This It?, particularly in regards to Last Night. They disguised a beautifully simple, pop melody under waves of distortion and noisy guitars. Yes, the Strokes record was more successful but it’s easy to see how and why the Killers were inspired by this. Flowers even told NME, “Is This It...just sounded so perfect. I got so depressed after that, we threw away everything and the only song that made the cut and remained was 'Mr. Brightside’.”

The Verdict ten years on

Rolling Stones put it best when they wrote, “So what if they were from Vegas, not the U.K., and the year was 2004, not 1983?” Hot Fuss is a guilty pleasure record in every sense. It’s a big, boastful record that touches on matters of relationships, sex, bitterness and falsity. Or as Vice puts it: a record about a murderous homosexual relationship.

Hot Fuss didn’t have the gritty, indie aura that the first records by Kings Of Leon or The Black Keys did. The Killers were introduced with a flurry of glitz and glamour that lends itself more to Duran Duran than it did the bands of their own era. As such, they were able to permeate a pop/rock landscape that was dominated by the likes of Maroon 5, Nickelback and Jet.

When hearing those three bands it’s hard to argue that The Killers are not the more likeable alternative. Even their harshest critics would surely have to agree.

It’s difficult to call Hot Fuss a classic in the way that The Strokes Is This It? or Oasis’ Definitely, Maybe are regarded but it’s a key post-it note in the musical timeline of the ‘00s. It was a time when alternative rock became glamorous and digestible once again; made for huge audiences. It’s worth noting that the year after Hot Fuss, Coldplay became a fully-fledged arena-rock band with their synth-heavy X&Y. A sound not dissimilar to the foundations of Hot Fuss.

Hot Fuss was an integral part of the transition period that got us to the point where Arcade Fire and The Black Keys could headline festivals.

The positive of Hot Fuss not being Is This It? is that The Killers have not been burdened in the way The Strokes have. In different ways, Sam’s Town and Day & Age have matched Hot Fuss whereas The Strokes other albums have paled in comparison. They are not as instantly recognisable, but each of them have tracks that make worthy additions to their ‘Greatest Hits’. It’s helped their career track-along in a straight line rather than plummet like The Strokes.

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albums, songs, eps / new music

Collarbones release free EP 'Atlantis 2014'

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Sydney/Adelaide duo, Collarbones are probably making the most innovative RnB music in Australia at the moment. Following 2012's fantastic Die Young LP, the pair have released the free, Atlantis 2014 EP. Like most of their work, it's a layered and introverted soundscape that borrows from contemporary RnB and electronica. As the title suggests, Atlantis 2014 is a world of its own built on lush synths, pulsating beats and sparse melodies. Lead-vocalist Marcus Whale leads the way with his dulcet tones and runs while his partner in crime , Travis Cook, engulfs it in a hazy atmosphere. It's pretty startling stuff.

[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/collarbones/sets/atlantis-2014[/soundcloud]

Collarbones will take to Sydney's Seymour centre as part of Vivid Festival on 6 June with Synergy Percussion. You can grab your tickets here. 

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