You Again: M83 returns to Can You Hear This

We’ve been fairly M83 heavy here recently, for which I make no apologies. Yesterday we took you for a spin to the eery Midnight City and well, things are about to get even eerier. Ranconte-Moi Une Histoire, like most of M83′s work, takes you on a journey from beginning to end. In French. It walks on a thin line between delicate and creepy, and ends up pretty transcendental. It’s beautiful, and a nice way to ease you into Friday. Just one more day, you guys!

More M83 magic after the technological jump:

There’s a new big-hitter on my list, and he goes by the name of Clams Casino. The New Jersey bedroom producer has stormed onto the scene, producing tracks for emerging acts like ASAP Rocky and Lil B. The man has put together an album full of the instrumentals that he has produced, and in a lot of ways I think they’re better than the actual songs. My favourite (and the one that has been plaguing my mind over the last week) is called Realist Alive. Take a listen. No wonder clams are supposed to be aphrodisiacs…

M83: All kinds of awesome.

M83′s HurryUp,We’reDreaming was one of the my favourite albums of the last year and Midnight City was its stand-out track. I’ve been fairly reliably informed that it’s been featured a few times on Made In Chelsea, which, you know, fine. Here’s a neat The White Panda remix with Kanye West. It’s a pretty perfect tune for kicking back after a day of school/work/being awesome:

Official video for Midnight City after the jump (it’s worth it):

Wanna Start Gleecappin': I miss those kooky kids

Yo, yo, yo. If any of you were wondering what’s happened to our Weekly Gleecap, let me recap you. Glee’s off-air right now in Britain but back in the U.S of A. As we’re U.K based (and internet streaming is illegal, you guys), we’re going to follow the U.K timetable. The good news is that Sky tells me it will be back early 2012 (which I’m taking to mean late Jan/early Feb.) Better news: America has only aired one episode and are taking a break this week in anticipation for next week’s MJ episode. SO WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN, HENRY. Just relax, we’ll be back blogging it soon and hopefully we won’t be too far behind America. Gleecapping and world politics, not as different as it first seems. Anyway, to fill you in, here’s a Guetta/Usher cover by Lea Michele. It’s quite breathtaking (Darren Criss covers MJ after the jump):

Listen up, I seem to remember Ryan Murphy saying something about doing fewer themed episodes. Maybe that news event just took place somewhere in my head but I don’t hugely mind if we’re going by this cover. DC covered Wanna Be Startin’ Something and it’s fun. Take a quickedly quick listen and get excited for Glee’s return:

So, a deviation from my usual postings into something, well, obscurer. Like the introvert who gently acclimatises to a new social situation, on first hearing the lyrics to Pleased To Meet You seemed awkward in their 90s wacky throwback:

And then, as the introvert with alcohol blossoms, so did this song on the second and third listening: the lyrics fit into place, the beat seems lightly perfected and all of a sudden I’m vibing on this ‘crazy cat charisma’. It’s nice to be able to discover music that doesn’t fit into place with my regular assortment of bands, and indeed provides a refreshing break from automatic electro.

After quelling the tempting desire to break out into some sort of kooky-dance, I realised that these guys are….incredibly fun to listen to. Having said that, this track comes from their just-released album WATCHOUT! which you can listen to and buy here.

This is my third and final treat for you this week and to be perfectly honest I think that I’ve saved the best for last. Be optimistic about 2012 after the jump!

As this classic journey of new music comes to a dramatic conclusion today, I’m sure that many of you are wondering why? Why now Michael would you choose to treat us so. Well the answer is that I ran out of music. I had literally over-hear every song on my iPod so I needed more quick sticks! So I got some more.

Research (going on NME – I’m a sellout, move on) was long but rewarding. And when I finally finished with Zulu Winter I knew that my work was done. Once you get past the deeply irritating (yet somewhat paradoxical) name and Zulu Winter are essentially everything that I want from indietronica. Think Friendly Fires but more radio-friendly. Never Leave is a genuinely awesome song to get you through your midweek low.

It’s the time for my second treat for you this week and the second band who have a mighty good shout at doing something magical this year.

This post changed just a few hours before I published it. I was going to write about Lux Lisbon, regardless. But I was actually going to write about my favourite song off their album, Animals. That’s changed now.

I’m often hailed as the extreme left one amongst my friends when we get into politics. I call it just caring about people enough to think that they all warrant a chance to succeed. Today it’s a song in keeping with my social persuasion. Written within days of the London riots, it’s a good hearty criticism (you would not believe how careful I am being with the words I employ here…) of our ‘highly privileged’ current leaders.

I reckon that you will find it fairly easy to pick up on the message though, even if it is hidden by a cracking pop/rock song with Brandon Flowers-esque vocals. The video should help those of you who don’t to hammer home the message. I am going to force my friends to watch this – hopefully the awesome sound can get subliminal messages through to them. You’re also a silly sausage if you don’t grab the free downlaod below

P.S. Love the small TV screen and the projections and you can’t not enjoy watching David and Boris rock out. Fuck the Bullingdon Club!

Let’s kick off your week how you want it to continue. I’m going to post three bands for the first three days of this week, all of which I think are going to blow your socks off this year.

To kick off this totally random and largely inconsequential treat, Nottingham give us a fine offering in the form of Dog is Dead. Here’s a helpful questionaire to know whether you’re going to like them before you’ve even heard a drop of their music.

Do you like?

1. Mumford & Sons

2. Fleet Foxes

3. Any other British folk

4. No

If you answered anything about option 4, you’re going to be a fan. Lovely vocals, strong melodies and radio-friendly hooks, Dog is Dead are sure to be on most radio stations come summer time. Be ahead of everyone else and give Hands Down a listen so that you can tell your friends that you had them way before they did.

Etta James: One of our greatest female musicians.

This is a rather sad column today. Firstly, I have flu so looking at this laptop screen is about the 177th I would like to be doing right now. Secondly, the great blues singer Etta James passed away yesterday. She died from complications from leukemia at the age of 73. There aren’t many ways to say ‘I’m really upset about this,’ and sometimes simplicity is key. Thus: I’m really upset about this. James was a singer whose voice was at once instantly recognisable and identifiable as well as completely unique. It’s funny (if I can use that word) that two major pop songs right now (Avicii’s Levels and Flo Rida’s Good Feeling) both sample James’s ‘Something’s Got a Hold on Me’. If that introduces a whole new generation to James’ magic, then the world’s all the best for it. More gushing after the jump:

1)  I’d Rather Go Blind – Etta James

This is one of James’s best known songs and rightfully so. It allows her voice to reach its expressive best, evoking heartbreak and longing in equal measure. It would be pointless for me to write about James’s whole history. Partly because people all over the internet are already doing so far more eloquently, and partly because it’s a fairly well told story. What I will say is that you can hear James’s influence throughout modern popular music. From Winehouse’s bluesy soulfulness to Adele’s bare-all heartbreak (see below), James’s music will still be felt. May she rest in peace.

Where has What We’re Listening to been? I bet that’s what you’re thinking as you catch up with us this Friday. In short, blame everyone but me. For now I’ll make up with it after the jump.

Spector are awesome. Florence and the Machine, to be honest, less awesome in my eyes. She has a beautiful voice and I like most of her music. It just doesn’t grab me. Matter of taste though and when these two come together today, it just sounds lovely.

No Light No Light (Spector Ryan Gosling Remix) is really very good. Do I understand remix names? No, not for a second. But I really like Ryan Gosling so I guess that’s a plus. Florence’s booming voice and the Spector influence are good enough though to make this the next song on your top played. It’s also perfect and free until the download limit is hit so go go go!