The Indie Electro Breakdown

Right click and “save link as” to download the mp3 file here: The Breakdown with Ben Episode 54

Hello friends, cheers to another cracker of a Breakdown. This episode finds me still taking in the albums recently released by a swathe of accomplished indie artists. I have a few newbies for you also and as always a handful of standout blogged singles.

I may as well start with one of those, and funnily enough, the one I chose to open this episode. BESTiE are a super new, tiny little band from beautiful Vancouver, BC. I had the fantastic fortune to see them live before I’d even heard of them, when they opened for Gold & Youth (whose fantastic debut album, Beyond Wilderness, also features prominently on this episode). They are a fun little post-punk indie pop band that would probably sound a lot more at home in the UK, indeed I find the vocalist sounds a lot like Kele Okareke of Bloc Party fame.

Onto the albums… There are quite a number of fantastic albums I am very happily rocking at the moment. I am particularly enjoying a great release by a group known as Divine Fits. Their album A Thing Called Divine Fits is so supremely confident and oozes awesomeness in the form of punchy guitar riffs, catchy melodies and angsty vocals in a way that I find quite unique. Get around it.

Canadian genre-creator Austra is back again following her stunning 2010 release Feel It Break, with her second album, Olympia. Not a lot makes me happier than when an artist I love follows up a fantastic album with another that keeps the elements that made you love them in the first place. I waxed lyrical in the last episode about The National’s ability to keep on doing this, and Austra has not disappointed as well. Her soaring, bone-chilling vocals ride over fat, all consuming, cutting edge electro synth melodies in a way that only she knows how to do. Olympia picks up where Feel It Break left off, introducing a freshness to an already-winning formula. Well done Austra and thank you.

Another little gem I have stumbled upon is Florida, USA based Surfer Blood. As the name suggests, their music is predominantly surf-rock… ish. It is very simple, traditional rock’n’roll band format, but they have a very unique sound and have a very talented songwriter behind their ditties. I can imagine that their live shows would be a lot of fun too. Check out their album Astrocoast I highly recommend it.

Nick Littlemore, the musical genius behind Aussie acts Pnau, Teenager and Empire Of The Sun, has been at it again with the latter of his groups dropping their second album, Ice On The Dune. While personally my favourite of his groups is Teenager (anyone that personally knows me would have seen me getting around in the “Mr Booze” T-shirt that I picked up at a Teenager gig 7 years ago), I also very much appreciate his collaboration with Luke Steele of The Sleepy Jackson fame, that is Empire Of The Sun. I haven’t listened to Ice On The Dune too closely yet, however it sounds very broadly appealing and I am tipping it to do big things.

Included also are tunes from a couple of perennial Breakdown performers that just keep coming back with more fantastic songs. Trails and Ways and CHVRCHES both appear with their third Breakdown entries in this episode and I am beginning to get very excited about an upcoming album from CHVRCHES and hopefully the announcement of one from Trails and Ways.

Other albums that appear heavily here and in previous Breakdown’s are by Gold & Youth, The National, Phoenix, Wild Cub and Atlas Genius. There is a reason for that folks, the albums by these groups are sensational!

Happy listening, friends.

Tracklist

1. BESTiE – Asleep On The Bus (00:00)

2. Divine Fits – Flaggin a Ride (04:18)

3. Max Frost – Nice And Slow (08:04)

4. Trails and Ways – Nunca (12:38)

5. Surfer Blood – Swim (16:50)

6. Austra – Hurt Me Now (20:09)

7. Gold & Youth – Tan Lines (24:05)

8. The National – I Should Live in Salt (27:01)

9. Long Walks On The Beach –  1st Times (You and I) (31:08)

10. CHVRCHES – Gun (35:00)

11. Saskatchewan – Spellbound (38:52)

12. Poupee F – Oxanas Sledges (42:33)

13. FMLYBND – Electricity (47:30)

14. NONONO – Down Under (51:35)

15. Empire Of The Sun – Concert Pitch (55:03)

16. Phoenix – Entertainment (58:44)

17. Weekend – Mirror (BWB Edit) (1:02:23)

18. Wild Cub – Jonti (1:07:31)

19. Gold& Youth – Palm Villas (1:11:16)

20. Caveman – Shut You Down (1:14:30)

21. The National – This Is The Last Time (1:18:30)

22. Austra – Painful Like (1:23:23)

23. Divine Fits – For Your Heart (1:27:23)

24. Prince Innocence – Golden Hour (1:33:00)

25. Still Corners – Midnight Drive (1:38:09)

26. Atlas Genius – If So (Electric Lady Acoustic) (1:42:35)