_Friendly Fires Remix “Fences” by Phoenix

The art of remixing is a bit like that of a tightrope walker.  It’s not easy to balance new creative integrity with the integrity of what makes a great song so wonderful.  And with any remix, there are bound to be opinions that fall on either side of the line, leaving little to the middle or indifference.

In listening to the Friendly Fires remixed of “Fences” by 2009’s ‘it’ French pop band Phoenix, those opinions can literally fall anywhere. The original version is a tight, lounged out tune with very distinct guitar and keyboard.  The Friendly Fires remix emphasizes keyboards and adds several loops that appear and disappear throughout the song.  There is much more chaos in the remix in comparison to the smoothed out original.

I’ll leave the opinion up to you on which way this song falls.

Phoenix – “Fences” (Friendly Fires Remix)Stream

_Madonna – Revolver (feat. Lil Wayne)

Madonna’s “Revolver” has been playing on my iTunes for the past couple of days, and I was surprised to find I actually like it. I haven’t really been all that into Madonna’s recent work, it just isn’t that great. “Revolver” comes off her two disc Greatest Hits Cd “Celebration,” and it is a modern club song that will be easily played often on Top 40 stations. It has a synthesized beat that is more like a mix between Britney Spears’ “Radar,” and the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s latest disc ‘It’s Blitz!’

This song should suit Madonna well, now in her fifties, it puts her right back in the mix of what is coming out of much younger pop artists today.

Since it is so similiar to Spears’ “Radar,” the thought that keeps running through my mind is that would Britney have sounded better on this? It’s hard to tell, since the highlight of this song really isn’t the voice of the artist, but more on the beat and hook . (Madonna just adds the hype) Lil’ Wayne adds a hip “radio necessity” interlude too which plays right along with the theme of the track.

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_Dappled Cities – My Girls (Animal Collective cover)

Dappled Cities are a five-piece band from Sydney, Australia. Originally called Periwinkle (which is an awesome name btw), they have toured Aus and New Zealand extensively while also having traveled to the UK and the US, even performing at the SXSW festivals. They’ve even received good album reviews from places like Pitchfork. All of this makes it even more surprising that I’ve never heard of them.

About a month ago, they popped into the Triple J studio (radio station) to do a cover for the segment aptly named ‘Like A Version’. They chose to perform Animal Collective‘s song “My Girls” which just so happens to be one of my favourite tracks of ’09.  They had a lot to live up to, and they atually did a pretty top-notch job. They did get one line repeatedly wrong though but it still worked. Using a keyboard, acoustic guitar, what looks like a drum synth and the combination of their voices, Dappled Cities have produced one killer cover.

You can listen to the cover below or even check out  the video here.

Dappled Cities – “My Girls” (Animal Collective cover)Stream

_St. Vincent – Marrow (Music Video)

St. Vincent released the music video to “Marrow”, my favorite track off of her sophomore album ‘Actor’ released back in May. She adds that bit of oddness that I love. When she spells out Marrow during the chorus while she is walking down a narrow highway, she seems to capture the attention of a family, road workers, thugs, and cops as they seem to be magnetized by her gazing eyes.

_Rag & Bone Spring 2010

New York – Rag & Bone seemed to be talk of the town—and talk of the blogsphere—this past Fashion Week. A design duo best known for their military influenced, simplistic approach to men’s fashion, Rag & Bone did anything but step out of their element this season.

Models were sent down the runway looking somewhat tussled and unkempt, clothes were loose and somewhat flowy for a men’s collection. The palette this season was soft, faded military greens, pale blues and varying shades of gray with weak blacks for pop. The simplicity of the colors made it easy to imagine the pieces interchangeably, perhaps a pleasant and novel quality of the show. The bottoms were kept fairly bare, stripped down to the essentials, while tops were either shabbily layered or featured Rag & Bone’s signature army-inspired coats. The real showpieces seemed to be the boots, however, which received the short end of the stick in terms of attention. They were masterfully distressed, not enough so that the boots looked flimsy, but to the point that they appeared to have paid their dues to a loving, and work worn owner.

Looks that stood out in particular were a technical khaki green coat with soft grey trackies, a highly detailed denim coat—clipped at the neck and left open otherwise, and a graphite, mid-length coat with sporty pants featuring a white stripe. My favorite of all, however, was another slim, track-pant look, paired with a sheer gray scoop neck worn over a lazily unbuttoned polo with a soft gray frock coat overtop. The lining and finish on the coat were stunning, perhaps one of the best pieces of the whole season. However, a few good looks could only help the duller ones along so far, and Rag & Bone in general, fell somewhat short.

Perhaps, at times, playing too safely into your own aesthetic can be the downfall. Military inspired work needs to reach a certain level, and Rag & Bone’s Spring/Summer 2010 show seemed to miss the mark.

Images via MEN.STYLE
By Maja

_Miike Snow – Black and Blue (Music Video)

Miike Snow debuts their new music video for “Black and Blue” which is off of their self titled album released back in May this year. The video’s concept was pretty unexpecting and direct.

_Thom Yorke – The Hollow Earth

I always love some new Thom Yorke, and with Radiohead supposedly  not releasing anything for a while, this is a nice distraction from the long wait.

“The Hollow Earth” is released today on vinyl as the b-side to “Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses” and the record is available through Radiohead’s W.A.S.T.E. store and in “good record stores”.

“The Hollow Earth” also features fellow Radiohead member Jonny Greenwood.

Thom Yorke – “The Hollow Earth”Stream

The video is pretty weird. :p It’s directed by Raymond Salvatore Harmon and features “subliminal imagery’ running across the screen courtesy of Bank$y.

_Dragonette – Pick Up The Phone (Richard X Remix)

The Canadian electropop group, Dragonette, is back with their second album, Fixin to Thrill.

The latest song off their new album, “Pick Up the Phone,” already gets a little remix treatment. The Richard X version gives the great original a luring dance beat. I’m a fan of both the original and this remix. By adding some steller syths and keeping Sorbara’s original vocals, the song accomplishes a great 80s feel that makes you believe like you are under the disco ball.

I’d say definitely download! It’s a jam that will leave you feeling happy and carefree! The album will release in the US digitally on October 6th, physically October 20th, and in Canada on September 29th (which means the album should leak in the next couple days!)

Dragonette – “Pick Up The Phone” (Richard X Remix)Stream