Martin Solveig and Dragonette just want to say Hello

Martin Solveig has struck gold with Hello. This track went viral on YouTube with what is certainly one of the best music videos of the year. Solveig and Bob Sinclar playing a tennis match at Roland Garros featuring the likes of Novak Djokovic and Gael Monflis.

This track is summer-happy with Canadian synth singer Dragonette's lyrics sticking in your head like gum on a shoe. You'll be looping it through your nearest speakers at excessive volumes. I also love the actual lyrics and their don't-flatter-yourself-i'm-not-here-for-you feel. Download it here. Watch the short version here...



"I could stick around and get along with you
Hello
It doesn’t really mean that I'm into you
Hello

You’re alright but I'm here darling to enjoy the party
Don’t get too excited ‘cause thats all you get from me
Hey

Yeah I think you're cute but really you should know
I just came to say hello
Hello"

Wolf Gang - Lions in Cages EP

I've been listening to the new EP Wolf Gang has to offer and loving Lions in Cages. Wolf Gang is a multi-instrumentalist pumping the indie out of London. With a voice which sounds a bit like MGMT at times and a really full sounding sneaky bass line it is a track worth noting. He is someone to keep and eye on in the future and there's an LP forecast for 2011. Get your face to his MySpace.

Macklemore X Ryan Lewis ---- The Vs. EP ---- Reviving Rap

Macklemore has made me realise why people listen to rap. Period. Generally I don't listen to much rap, so granted, this isn't my speciality but when I hear a good piece of music I know it. This goes for all genres and there is some amazing rap and hip-hop to be had, but I think that as genres, they have unfortunately picked up a stigma, as commercialised, formulaic and often hollow of "real" musical talent. If anyone tries to tell you that Macklemore and Ryan Lewis can't make music worthy of your cochlea's attention, then you should tell them to go and stand in a bus lane. The Vs Ep is available for free download online and through Ryan Lewis' production skills, some of the best sampling is backdropping Seattle-hailing Macklemore as he lays down some of the greatest rhymes of the year. You can hear Macklemore's passion and the lived experience in his lyrical content which invigorates the music. Click here to download the EP

Tokyo Police Club - Champ

 

Tokyo Police Club came to my attention this year with the release of their LP Champ. I started with the single Breakneck Speed which was enough for me to go and buy the whole album thinking that there would be a few more tracks which took my fancy, and that there were...

The album has a bit of a Bowling For Soup take-me-back-to-my-small-hometown vibe to it, based on a bunch of 20-somethings reminiscing on high-school with lyrics that aren't meant to be life-changing. That said, the sound is catchy and David Monk lends his scratchy voice to long notes of lament about what was and what isn't. I couldn't name a favourite track and I'm struggling to point out a particular part of their sound which makes them so catchy, but it all ties together to make something which is original (not considering their previous releases), and really worth lending your ears to for an hour.

This isn't going to rock your world, but it could give you plenty plays and a growing appreciation. While it might have received average reviews, these were based on the bands progression and not so much the actual content of the album. So yes, the above said about lyrical content, etc. is true but it hasn't stopped me from getting into this album in a big way. I say GET IT.

Trophy Wife: Microlite EP

Just listened to the new EP from Oxford hailing Trophy Wife, a group I don't have a listening history with despite their two LP releases this year. Really enjoying the acoustic version of Microlite with great guitar and vocal work being put out. The vocals are similar to Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie and Yannis Philippakis of Foals. Give it a listen over at their MySpace page linked above.

Smart Turnout Military Watches

Check out these watches from Smart Turnout but take more note of the huge range of 18mm straps available for £16.99 each. They're perfect to summer-up a current timepiece and brighten your outfit. Head over to their website to see the extensive range.

Watch £112

Strap £16.99

Mid Top Desert Boots

Mid-Tops and Hi-Tops are catching on in a big way and have been over the last year. The increase in popularity has seen a much wider range available. Originally limited to the street-hip Converse AllStar Hi-Tops, much classier and differing styles are now available and the design has been blended with the desert boot winter trend to make some really neat kicks. The desert boot which in South Africa was all too familiar with a "veldskoen", the typical Afrikaner farmer shoe, didn't take off too much amongst the youth, compared to the UK. The creation of sneaker-type desert boots is much more casual looking. Get yourself a pair.

Kenton Desert Boot Mid Top

R599

Available from Trenery

Lacoste Mid Tops after the jump...

Want more Bon Iver? Bring on S. Carey

S. Carey is the drummer for Bon Iver. Yes, Bon Iver is a band, not just the name of someone with a voice who could make trees cry. That is Justin Vernon, the singer for the group who has been off collaborating with Kanye West and experimenting with sounds groups such as the Volcano Choir.

Sean Carey, the groups percussionist and drummer has released a full length solo album "All We Grow", and for those of you who were expecting a percussion heavy sound, you are rather incorrect. Sean goes outside of percussion and opens up his amazing set of vocal chords which have only remained a mystery thanks to Vernon.

Sean's solo efforts are beautifully harrowing with amazing lyrics. He could be accused of trying to copy Bon Iver's sound but he pulls it off and holds his own. Go and get your hands on this, the musical beauty of it is well worth any emo aftermath you might experience.

Glenmorangie Signet

The FNB Whisky Live Festival 2010 held little that was new and interesting in the way of untried whiskies, with the exception of a few malts. The ludicrously bling bottle and casing of Glenmorangie's Signet stood out, but what was inside was even better.

This whisky, which is a culmination of over 20 years worth of ideas and 10 years of actual vision is priced at R1899 a bottle: a hefty price for an un-aged whisky in a market which has had increasing onus placed on the age of a malt (single or blended). However, the quality is evident from the nose to the finish and the fact that it tastes so amazing should over-rule any skepticism you have about it. For those who still want an age, the minimum is a 10 year-old (stored in designer casks of American oak made specifically for Glenmorangie), along with a variety of different sherry and oak casks, storing some single malts for up to 35 years.

What makes this whisky unique is its 15-20% composition of a chocolate malted barley. This barley is not of a different variety, but it is dried or roasted for longer, similar to ales, which is why it has the darker amber colour. A usual barley tastes sweet and almost like a cereal, whereas the chocolate malt is hard, charred and caramelized. This is also why such a coffee taste comes through in the whisky. The chocolate malt has been described as the espresso of malts compared to a regular cappuccino. It has resulted in a very untraditional bottling from this well reputed distillery.

Starting from swirling the liquid in a glass you can see it's extraordinary viscosity as the vapour trails stick to the sides. The nose is full of coffee notes, apricot, citrus and hints of chocolate with an anticipation of sweetness, which follows through into a sweet tasting, spice filled, flavour explosion with a long dry finish.

If you can afford this bottle, it won't disappoint. Get me some more is all I can say...

The Return of the Denim Jacket

Not that it was ever really gone, but there seems to be an imminent revival of this classic wardrobe item. A denim jacket is easy to wear, and it is something that is also easy to look stylish in. The denim jacket is quick to throw on, looks good with most outfits and is super versatile. You can dress it up or down to suit the occasion. It is also a statement piece, part of what made James Dean and Marlon Brando such bad-asses.

Quick tip, you can wear a denim jacket with almost anything, except and this is a big NO... you cannot wear a denim jacket with the same colour or wash jeans. It doesn't work, and it never will.

But if you pull it off, while you might not look like John Lennon or Brandon Flowers, the respective frontmen for The Beatles (did I really need to tell you) and The Killers, you will certainly feel like a rock-star. While it doesn't come on the guarantee, it is woven into the garment.

The other great thing about a denim jacket is how it really becomes a personal piece as it moulds to your body and goes through wear and tear over time, with the fade and scratches it will pick up only adding to it.

Generationals - Summer happiness you can Trust.

The Generationals are one crazy piece of hot from New Orleans. They have just released their second EP, Trust. Trust me, it's good. When you get cravings for more, satisfy them with their LP, Con Law from last year. Originally made up of Ted Joyner and Grant Widmer the band has just picked up Tess Brunet as their drummer and the Trust EP shows all the bass thumping, 60's-proof action that she puts forward, with enough tambourine to keep you going while the summer slides by. Their music is watermelon sliced, bleached blonde hair, sand in-between your toes, poolside summer sun in a tune.


Stop by their site for 5 FREE downloads or check out their MySpace here. If neither of those quite do it for you, listen to snippets of Con Law on their website media player right this way... And lastly on the free tracks parade, there are two downloads over at last.fm. Enjoy