Album recommendation:
The Soft Pack “The Muslims”
Because some people actually still listen to rock, I present to you, The Soft Pack. The Soft Pack’s straight and simple garage rock is a breath of fresh air in our age of heavy-handed art rock and too-clever-for-its-own good synth pop. Is it possible that the classic formula of guys plus guitars still works? Can I really enjoy music that doesn’t involve impenetrable layers of unidentifiable found sounds (Was that a sousaphone or a squeaky door?), a synth line that sounds plucked from a vintage NES video game, or a clever mash-up of three or more music blog darlings? Channeling Velvet Underground, The Kinks and The Strokes, The Soft Pack proves that simple is good.
http://www.myspace.com/thesoftpack
Songs:
1) Kid Cudi ft. Ratatat and MGMT “Pursuit of Happiness”
Collaborating with Ratatat and MGMT is not only a surefire way to create a sick dance track, it’s also the quickest way to build buzz in the blogosphere for your sophomore album. As of September 15, you can buy “Man on the Moon: the End of Day” for $3.99 on Kid Cudi’s MySpace.
http://www.myspace.com/kidcudi
2) Crystal Castles “Vanished”
It’s only fitting that my new favorite frontwoman Alice Glass (sorry Karen O, there’s a new Crazy in town) record my new favorite dance song.
http://www.imeem.com/people/fI4xv3z/music/GMiIHTfm/crystal-castles-vanished/
3) The XX “Basic Space”
If you like your music brimming with more ennui than a Calvin Klein perfume ad, then you may want to build a time machine and go back to the heyday of The Smiths. Or you can just start to listening to The XX. Either way…