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cut copy - in ghost colours 

get in, we're doing 2008. when this record came out it was one of many good to great explorations of dance pop with the stylings of indie rock. i threw hearts on fire and lights and music on my ipod alongside a bunch of remixes from hypem, remarked on how sick the album art was (i now see it was one of my earlier exposures to my greatest love, video feedback), and filed cut copy away, checking in for new album releases to nod along and go 'this is pretty sweet', adding a few tracks to summer and bbq playlists with each release (great discog, can't go wrong). 

i've been revisting this album frequently this last year, and increasingly think it may be the best of its era. it not only functions as a generous 15 track 51 minute album of steady dance tracks, though it does that reliably with neither a misstep nor a languid demonstration of their versatility, but also as a deeply stirring collection of songs as warm and touching as the most reserved indie of its time. with hindsight, i can see that its more new order than their contemporaries in, say, hot chip, bloc party, friendly fires. very new order in fact, and i might argue better than any full new order LP (though new order has higher highs). the real triumph though is that it manages all of this while maintaining a sunny uplifting life affirming tone, often laced with melancholy but not leaning on a sense of unease to communicate depth. i think it is that confidence of expression that shines through the most. none of the neurotic hand wringing of lcd soundsystem, nor the ironic sad boy-isms of hot chip (who i love), no need to point out and laugh at the fact they are making dance music.  just straightfoward, joyful celebration of dance music in whatever form it takes. 

it also sounds excellent, the fundamentals of dance music hitting hard enough for the dance floor while still pulsing with that energy only found in live performance of people in a room together. i have heard they are excellent live, by the way, but have not seen them. it's a great summer album, throw it on and enjoy. 

charli xcx - music fashion film

i'm not going to go long here, because it's kind of a one paragraph or 20 page situation. i like the album. the highs are very high and the lows are also pretty good. i think the best track is playboy bunny, b side to ss26 not on the album itself, followed by yeah, wink wink. i love the way a g and finn approach guitar production, and the tracks are bursting with the joy of experimentation. yeah in particular is thrilling, and feels like the kind of track that would be the impossible to find highlight of an erol alkan set in 2009. ultimately i'm glad we got this album, though i have to say i wish the lyrics weren't so aggressively stupid and obvious. i guess that's the thing she's doing, the statement she is making, but i find it hard to tolerate especially on repeat listens when the novelty has worn off. it honestly feels somewhat disrespectful to the songs themselves. it's in an uncanny valley of stupid, not enough that it crosses over into brilliant (see gfoty 'if i never met you would you still exist', hannah diamond 'staying alive til i die' etc.), but enough to feel stupid listening to it. from a quick scan of her lolla set, it translates well live, and i could see some of the deep cuts growing on me. all in all an effective swerve from brat, and a great way to dodge the post-hit slump. magic metal montana did get me choked up, so sweet. listen go a g cook's - britpop (at least discs 2 and 3), apple, 7g, and the thy slaughter record. maybe finn's electric/acoustic too.

mikkel rev - journey beyond

Mikkel RevJourney Beyond

what to say about mikkel rev. this is his second LP for a strangely isolated place, seemingly his home away from home (ute.rec is his own label, with most of his other releases), and he seems to treat his LPs for them differently than the releases on his own label. this is his second, and like the first it is a refined presentation of his sensibility. sprawling, simmering psychedelic chill with a sharpness i associate with idm and psy. if you know FAX +49-69/450464 records, or pete namlook, it has something in common with that sensibility, if less obtuse. it has an unearthly quality, and is not content to sit in the background, rather pulling you into its psychic space. it's as pleasant as it is insistent gradually acclimating you to its palette, revealing the contours of its sonic terrain. i think mikkel is one of the best electronic musicians working today,  and he is doing his most digestible work for ASIP. this record shares the shape of his last, with an album of chill out building to an epic trance track at the end. it's a great template, and i hope he continues with it on the forthcoming record, evocation due at the end of this month. if you like this record at all, check out his series of releases on transillusion, and really everything else. such a unique talent. 

that's what i've got! much love to the community <3