The Indie Electro Breakdown

Featuring tracks from Bonobo, Jagwar Ma, Tycho, July Talk, Flight Facilities, Jai Paul, Rufus, The Occupants, Kaleida and Lemaitre.

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To download the mp3 file, right click and “save link as” here: The Breakdown with Ben Episode 65

Greetings and thanks for joining me in the latest musical adventure. This episode is packed full of brilliant tunes to accompany you on whatever adventures you are currently enjoying, be it enjoying the long hot summer days or holing up in the depths of winter.

There are quite a few great albums floating about that I have been enjoying of late, and that are very well worth having a look at. Aussie Psychedelic dance trippers Jagwar Ma released in 2013 an album called Howlin that is awash with drug induced dance infused genius. The album, and indeed the band, have a personality that is utterly original, undeniable and addictive.

July Talk are a band out of Toronto, Canada, that have a very original angle. A husky, growly, deep, bluesy front man; in perfect tandem with a sweet, soft and delicate front woman, over catchy, bluesy and technically brilliant indie rock. Their self titled debut album was released a little while ago now, but is well worth a listen.

UK producer Bonobo has a new record, entitled The North Borders. This is his follow up effort to 2010’s stunning Black Sands. While The North Borders is not quite up there with Black Sands in my humble opinion, it is still solid and worth checking out. Fans of Four Tet will notice a similarity and most likely get much out of this album. I’ve now had the privilege of seeing Bonobo play live on two occasions, always an enjoyable experience.

I’ve recently been enjoying a bunch of really cool ambient, down-tempo, lo-fi, shoegaze, or whatever it is you like to call it, releases. Among these are Tycho, an American producer, with his album Dive; Darkside’s deep, intense and somewhat scary album Psychic; Melbourne, Australia’s Yeo; UK solo producer Jai Paul; and Rufus’s brilliant album Atlas. Rufus are quite new and hail from Sydney, Australia, but could be from the depths of the European club scene with their synth driven, bass laden electro sound. I recently saw them play live at The Falls Music and Arts Festival in Tasmania. It was New Years Eve as the sun was setting on a beautiful day in a beautiful place; the band was stoked; the punters were stoked and it was all round just a great experience.

Former members of seminal Australian prog rock band COG, brothers Flynn and Luke Gower, have formed a new band entitled The Occupants. COG were incredibly respected and influential in the Australian music scene over the course of the 10 or so years they were in operation, and were hands down my favourite band for four or so years through the 2000’s. To see the boys back in action, bringing their powerhouse songwriting, Flynn’s soaring vocals, hard rocking guitar riffs and deep, meaningful purpose behind the music, has brought a very large smile to my face. I am now eagerly awaiting an album from The Occupants, and The Breakdown is the place to stay in touch with any new releases they may drop.

Highlights in the form of single blogged tracks recently discovered include The Suits, Streets of Laredo, Kaleida, Bretonlabs, Willow Beats and Lemaitre. All fantastic new songs.

Enjoy the podcast, friends, there is lots to enjoy in this one!

Tracklist

Artist – Title (Start Time)

1. The Suits – Stars (00:00)

2. Bretonlabs – Envy (04:20)

3. Jagwar Ma – Man I Need (07:57)

4. July Talk – Let Her Know (11:35)

5. The 1975 – Heart Out (15:00)

6. Streets Of Laredo – Hey Rose (18:23)

7. Kaleida – Think (22:20)

8. Willow Beats – Alchemy (26:19)

9. Flight Facilities – Stand Still (Ft. Micky Green) (29:56)

10. The Occupants – Wonderland (34:15)

11. Lemaitre – Continuum (42:33)

12. Saint Motel – Ace In The Hole (47:47)

13. Roo Panes – Land Of The Living (51:28)

14. Jai Paul – BTSTU (55:55)

15. Thief – Broken Boy (59:21)

16. Yeo – Girl, (1:03:43)

17. Jagwar Ma – Exercise (1:07:00)

18. Polica – Spilling Lines (1:11:09)

19. July Talk – Guns + Ammunition (1:14:11)

20. Bear Hands – Giants (1:17:14)

21. On An On – Ghosts (1:20:25)

22. Bonobo – First Fires (Ft. Grey Reverend) (1:25:33)

23. Tycho – Coastal Brake (1:30:13)

24. Rufus – Imaginary Air (1:35:45)

25. Darkside – Golden Arrow (1:42:48)