A revolving cast of contributors showcase some of the best new music releases from the past week.
Madeira. Photo: Facebook
Madeira – ‘Let Me Down’
Former Yumi Zouma frontwoman Kim Pflaum has released her first solo single and it’s a bit of lush, fluttering pop that will go down well with the negronis this summer.
Released under the name Madeira, ‘Let Me Down’ is light on vibe and reminiscent of ‘80s pop, with a bit of Toro y Moi in the mix. While the lyrics (“Whenever you’re with me, you let me down, down”) are melancholic, the grooving bass line keeps the song (and Madeira) moving forward.
‘Let Me Down’ has been released on Ryan Hemsworth’s Secret Sounds label and had its debut on influential music blog Gorilla vs. Bear. After the success of her former band and collaborations this year with Cyril Hahn and Boycrush, Madeira already has a fan base hanging out for the next release.
If you want to see her before she inevitably heads off on an international tour, Madeira will be making her live debut at Boycrush’s EP release show at Golden Dawn on Thursday October 15. In the meantime, ‘Let Me Down’ is available to download for free from Soundcloud now. – Ellen Falconer
Music Sucks – ‘One Of My Dreams’
There’s hints of Anita Lane, probably the greatest Australian exponent of sleaze, on ‘One Of My Dreams’, the latest from Christchurch outfit Music Sucks. It also makes you think of Leonard Cohen’s teenybopper Phil Spector spectacular, Death of A Ladies Man. It’s not as over the top, yet the Kenny G/Wrecking Crew horns punctuate the vocals like the in-between sequences on a VHS tape from the 90s.
And let’s talk about the vocals. They’re tossed off so easily that the lyrics, which could’ve gotten wordy and dense instead feel light and considered. It feels like Sam Wilkinson isn’t quite singing them – it’s more than that – like in last night’s Doctor Who episode where the words were engraved in the spaceship. His cadence is ever-changing, as if posing a challenge to the dogmatic drums and guitar, which chug along with metronomic precision.
‘One Of My Dreams’ is sleaze, but it’s deeply unsexy sleaze. It doesn’t take itself too seriously but also doesn’t try and sound all “bedroom pop” (wtf does that phrase even mean??). It sounds good, like how you feel when you wear your most expensive blazer and you’re having a good hair day. It’s nice and short. I hate long songs. My attention span doesn’t cater to them. It bewitches and amuses and does a whole lot more, all within a scant two minutes something. – Eden Bradfield
Felix – ‘Blow Up Mattress’
'Blow Up Mattress' is the kinda thing you want to play out at the house party, when all the earlybirds have gone home and the late-nighters are starting to freak together.
Felix’s work is very-modern funk, but dutifully retains its heredity and comes through like a bent, naive p-funk. And naivety mustn’t be noted as being negative. The restless tugging between the loamy instruments, and the restrained curfew of lyrics, seem to be totally considered. It’s a self-aware jejunity that carries across all the tracks on the album. Almost like it’s primordial, and enjoying it.
This can even be found in the openly discernible fade of tape, which hangs like a waft of peach fuzz throughout the whole release, keeping things on the perfect down-low mix of heady sweetness. One of the best moments comes at the very end, as the track finishes the album out by convivially shaking itself loose of its slumbering, plastic funk.
Not to mention, Felix does all this himself - drums, bass, guitar, keyboard/synth and the whole vocal section of Contralto, Tenor I, Tenor II, Baritone and Bass. Damn, my dude.
Come through to a barbecue at mine this summer and this is what you'll hear, beneath the trees. – Thomas Shoebridge
Christine and the Queens feat. Perfume Genius – ‘Jonathan’
Christine and the Queens is the performance moniker of Héloïse Letissier, a French artist with a backstory to rival Lady Gaga’s. Letissier is an interdisciplinary pop artist of the highest order - after studying theatre and dance in Lyon, she moved to Paris where she discovered drag culture and began experimenting with music (“and the Queens” comes from the Parisian drag queens who were her original backing band).
On her self-titled debut, Letissier sings in both English and French - the album includes an 80% English version of her seminal ‘Christine’, translated as ‘Tilted’ (she identifies as pansexual, take from that what you will). Buried in the 12 tracks are guest spots from Tunji Ige and, on ‘Jonathan’, the one and only Perfume Genius. ‘Jonathan’ is notably less dance-driven than most of the album, and a rare moment of sombreness. It’s heavily textured by a multiplicity of weird percussive notes that break up the otherwise heavy organ chords. The two singers’ voices overlap and trade verses, androgynously blending into each other’s range - swirled in French and English courtesy of Letissier’s bilingual tongue.
You’ll be forgiven if you’ve never heard of her. After all, there’s a whole universe of non-English-speaking artists out there that find it extremely hard - no matter how much success they find in Europe, Latin America, or Asia - to be heard by the anglophone world. (Just ask Stromae.) Unless you’re lucky enough to live in close proximity to a non-anglo cultural conduit (thank you, my relentlessly cool Montreal friends), it usually takes singing in English and the push of an American release to penetrate those walls. In addition to shout-outs from Lorde and Mark Ronson, Christine and the Queens is getting just that on October 15. – Sarin Moddle
Swim Season – ‘Soldiers’
Poppy and anthemic, ‘Soldiers’ makes for an excellent introduction to Melbourne-based five-piece Swim Season. Tightly produced and upbeat, the energetic track rests on a great chorus. Lead vocalist and guitarist James Seymour gives an excellent vocal performance reminiscent of Matthieu Chedid, if not slightly less operatic.
There’s good cohesion of musical talents here working in sync, with each musician adding little personality-filled contributions. Drummer Jonathan Ferraro keeps a solid beat working alongside bassist Nelson Yeung, while Danielle Smarrelli and Matthew Jennings add harmonious keyboard and guitar respectively.
The overall effect is a lively, youthful and relentlessly catchy musical offering filled with personality. ‘Soldiers’ is one of those tracks which sticks in your mind and stays with you, and makes you eager to either dance or go pick up your abandoned guitar and have a jam. - Elizabeth Beattie
Pity Sex – ‘What Might Soothe You’
Ann Arbor shoegaze outfit Pity Sex have just released their latest single ‘What Might Soothe You?’ ahead of their sophomore album White Hot Moon, which is due out early next year.
The first noticeable change is the production value, which has increased considerably. Whether this is a stylistic choice or not is uncertain with only this song to sample, but the lo-fi tendencies from their debut album Feast of Love seemed to have been reigned-in in favour of a more cohesive and definitive sound.
The delicious omnipresent waves of fuzz have been tamed to an almost soothing, ubiquitous buzzing and weathered riffing. Clinching siren-like vocal melodies charm their way into the chorus and leave a lasting impression of anguish-come-redemption. Opposing vocals through the song from the male/female vocalist dynamic present a muddy love story. It’s definitely a sound that you will be familiar with (and like) if you've heard the likes of Yuck, Cloud Nothings or anyone from the Run For Cover roster. – Joshua Thomas
What's your song of the week? Tell us about it in the comments section.
