WIDESCREEN POP ? The Sound of Arrows

By Neale Lytollis

The rise of ?real?, some-might-say-intellectual electronic music in recent years (see Justice, Hot Chip and Digitalism) and bands moving away from traditional indie rock and venturing into more experimental territory (Telepathe, Crystal Stilts, Health being perhaps three of the main contendors), has all contributed to the word ?pop? being more or less on par with ?cunt? or ?fuck? in terms its offensiveness. Pop is shallow and disposable; pop doesn?t topple empires or cause revolutions; it?s cheap and irrelevant and only for dumb kids. This viewpoint is frankly bollocks. Pop as we know it as more than outlasted the latest New Genre of the Season and has been around since the year dot. Not bad for a genre which is allegedly about as useful as a hat made out of custard. Sweden has something of a rep for producing brilliant pop music (I wanted to avoid mentioning ABBA but find that I simply cannot overlook their massive achievements in this field and fuck you if you think I?m square for admitting it) and they?re pretty much done it again. This time in the form of Bright Young Things, Sound of Arrows. The band is currently made up of Stefan Storm and Oskar Gullstrand, two chums from Stockholm who beef up the line-up with an assortment of flashy technology. The band recently de-camped to London to schmooze with the business suits there (they?re doing very well at it) and work on their debut LP, hopefully soon to be released on as-yet-unknown label. Eat Your Heart Out recently caught up with Stefan Storm in a chilly, autumnal Regent?s Park in London.

So, Stefan, how are you doing these days? Busy?

Yes, I would say that I am. But it’s all just because of myself. I’m in the process of finishing our debut album and one could say that I’ve gone slightly mental in the process. I’m spending all of my waking hours working or thinking about the album. I’d hate for me to think back on this period one year from now wishing I’d put in more of an effort.

And how?s life in London? It must be a bit different to Stockholm?

It sure is. London is scary, filthy, messy, confusing and wonderful. Stockholm is small, pretty, clean, orderly and boring. 50/50 would be the ideal.

Why did you choose to work in London? Do you find it more inspirational than Stockholm or were there other more practical reasons to re-locate there?

Out of two reasons. One being that I was excited to see whom we could collaborate with here in London. We’ve met a lot of wonderfully talanted musicians and producers. The second being that I felt I needed to get away from home to be able to fully focus on the creation of this album. It’s much easier keeping professionally busy in a town where you don’t have as many friends.

So apart from going slowly insane and having no friends, how is the work going on the LP?

It’s going quite well. But like every creative process, there are ups and downs. I want for it to be PERFECT, something I’m starting to realize will never happen. Not because the album isn’t turning out good, more because I’ll never be 110% happy. Yesterday I finished what is to become the end credits-like end to the album. It’s very Vangelis / Moroder / Enya.

That?s quite a mix! Magic and Into the Clouds have given us a taster about what Sound of Arrows is all about. Is the album going to include any surprises that we don?t expect?

I guess it’ll be a suprise to some that parts of it will be pretty dark. Or darker at least. But that’s how all good albums are. A journey. Also, I guess to some it’ll come as a suprise just how much we do love our synthscapes. Be prepared for at least three instrumentals.

Sound of Arrows is very striking visually and the video for Into the Clouds has a very specific style. It reminds me of Neverending Story although I guess I am not the first person to think that! Do you think it?s important to bring a fantasy element back to pop music?

I don’t think it’s necessarily important to bring a fantasy element to music. But I do think that the music I like the best inhabits some kind of universe. Some elements that are larger than life. Since neither of us has a larger than life personality, we have to get some help from the visual department.

The video looks like it was made for $1 million dollars. Did you really splash out that much money on it or do you have a very clever graphics guy who made all the fantasy backdrops?

Business secrets.

Is this mystical, other world we see in your videos something you try to transfer to your live shows too?

Definitely, that is mainly why we are looking to sign with a major label. To be able to get some help with realizing our BIG vision for the upcoming live shows. It’ll be an audio-visual experience.

Speaking of which, we don?t see you out and about live so much? Are you guys more of a studio band or are there plans to tour?

Originally, I’m happiest sitting in a studio tweaking a new synth. But we do love a bit of performing now and again. Also, I think we are pretty good at it.

It seems that ?pop? has become a bit of a dirty word recently although I think it?s great and a necessary part of music. Do you dislike the pop tag? Would you describe yourselves differently?

I’ve always loved pop music, so to me that word doesn’t have a negative ring. Some people associate pop with soulless music. Not me, I think the best music is achieved when accesability and creativity meet.

Pop or not, NME and Dazed seem to like what you do and you seem to have generated a buzz in London in a short space of time. Are you signed with anyone at the moment? Are you going with an indie label or a major? Do you subscribe to this rather silly theory that all indies are great and all majors are evil?

Nope, not at all. We all understand when there is big money involved, there will need to be some sort of compromise. But we’d never let anyone tell us not to use certain songs we love. Then I’d rather release it myself.

So tell me, what DO arrows sound like?

Widescreen pop.

Do you both tuck into a big, greasy English breakfast every day before you go into the studio?

Hahaha. Absolutely not. I’ve been a vegetarian for ten years and just recently tried going further and becoming a vegan. What is then left in the english breakfast? Baked beans?! I don’t eat canned food.

And finally, do you like it when journalists flirt with you during interviews?

Hahaha. It’s always nice to be flirted with. Journalist or not.

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GODLY GROOVES

by NEALE LYTOLLIS

Sunday; the Sabbath, the day of rest, the Lord’s day.

Whatever you want to call it, it was on the first Sunday ever that God finally kicked back, brewed up an Ovaltine and took a break from six entire days of slaving away laying the groundwork for the unadulterated shit storm the world would soon turn into. It could be argued that given the way things have turned out, God did a bit of a cack-handed job with the whole creation of the world thing.

For a start, Adam would surely just have spent his days fishing and masturbating in the Garden of Eden if God hadn’t created Eve. And surely the snake was a mistake.

Just my opinion of course; my experiences of world planning are limited to say the least and given that I only have one planet to compare notes against I can hardly lay claim to being an expert. Basically, if we want to lay the blame for the world’s problems at anyone’s door it should be at God’s since he (allegedly!) started the whole show and things seemed to go pear-shaped the minute Eve showed her face. So God and his planet building; nice ideas exectuted in record time but fatally flawed nonetheless.

Anyway, back to Sundays. That grating, dull thud at the back of your head on a Sunday morning is not the effects of too much soda water down the disco or a teenage guilt-niggle forcing your brain out of your nose because you slowdanced with someone else’s girlfriend. That itchy, nauseous, white-noise-in-your-head feeling you’re experiencing is actually your conscience telling you you’ve been much, much worse.

You see, in much the same way the Eve was way back when, you’ve perhaps unwittingly also been seduced by the snake. In a figurative sense of course. That slithering, hypnotic, fork-tongued little cretin has managed to insinuate itself way into your heart, curl up there and is slowly squeezing out any sense of right or wrong when it comes to matters of the dancefloor. It’s made you lazy and convinced you that every time you swill up on cheap beer and hit the club to freak to the latest plastic happiness remix from Kitsune or some other godawful bleepy, scratchy drivel from Ed Banger that you’re having the absolute time of your life. And you fall for it every time Goddamn it! So much so that musicians are even taking the piss out of you. MSTRKRFT dropped one of the least inspiring records ever produced recently; dropped being appropriate because I can’t believe that even they like it. Just open iElectroMusicStar, click in some beats and add Clich?-Glitch-Filter and hey presto; instant second LP.

Simian Mobile Disco did more or less the same. The breathless enthusiasm of their debut album, so fresh and immediate that we all wet ourselves when we heard it, has been replaced this time around by a bunch of fat, flabby, custardy tracks which even the way too obvious celebrity mates shopping list can’t lift out of the ditch it landed in. And by Jove, if I hear one more person giggling and turning to jelly at the thought of an imminent new Klaxons LP, I might just have to start my own religious cult which encourages their ritual slaughter. With spoons. Even Digitalism don’t bother anymore. If I was the promoter of the last gig they DJd at and they turned up in crumpled white t-shirts on my shift, I’d have pulled the plug and horsewhipped them on stage until they went home and got fucking dressed properly.

So we’re in an ever decreasing circle. It’s like an yawning great black hole pulling us ? lazy musicians and undiscerning record buyers alike ? into a seething, inescapable cesspool where all we can do (apart from burn) is pull robotic moves to Pop the Glock and bore each other to death about which Maison compilation was really the best. For ever. It’s not even that we’ve been sold a lie because it was true once; it’s just no one can be bothered to admit it. It takes a bit of time and bravery to confess that the current batch of electronic music is really rather shit. You can be dancing in some club, convulsing like a spastic sat on a pylon and twenty minutes in; epiphany. It’s like the Burning Bush or the parting of the Red Sea when slowly you realise: Hey, I’ve been programmed to like this. It doesn’t speak to me. It doesn’t make me feel anything.

I’m on auto pilot here. I just don’t like this. So what do you do? Go back to Nu Rave? Indie rock? Chiptune? If those were the only choices I’d start hiding pills in my socks and start going to Donk parties.

But there is a light; a distant golden glimmer at the end of this fat, flatulent tunnel of muck. And it’s name, rather appropriately, is Godly Grooves. And my God, if this record had floated down into my room on a cloud followed by all the angels and cherubs of the heavens, I couldn’t like it more. Arok and Scientist are German DJs and have clearly been snorting inspiration because they’ve just released the strongest contender yet for Best Record of 2009. A unique and ultimately screwy mixtape of rare 60s and 70s Christian grooves, originally released on obscure, religious labels and selected, dusted down, scrubbed up and remixed into an hour long compilation. Blessed be, they’ve even put it out on a brand new imprint and limited the run of units to a mere 100. So heavenly, so unusual, you virtually lose your powers of description and can just goggle open-mouthed in wonder at how someone could have come up with a record which on the surface of it sounds monstrous but which in reality is the nearest thing we’ve heard this year to perfection. Religious music is usually whack and about as much fun as a day doing door-to-door with the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

This is different; bizarre, crackly Christian tracks sung in German over lo-fi beat samples, fat basslines and off-kilter registers. It has to be heard to be believed. And believe it you should brother. Refreshing proof that there are musicians work out there who can move the boundaries of what electronic music is all about, incorporate hitherto untouched genres and spark off something new.

So will we all be dancing to obscure Christian grooves in the near future? Unlikely. And admittedly taking it in context it probably isn’t the greatest album ever, but the fact that it’s just about the only original thing I’ve heard this year (barring Health and Robot Koch’s LP) makes it worthy of a special mention. Plus the fact that no one will like it makes it all the more attractive. click here to watch

God speed at the disco my children. Amen.

NEALE LYTOLLIS

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Hi,

autoKratz announce the release of debut album ‘Animal’ for 22nd June 2009.?There are more details on the album announcement in the press release below.

Here is a link to the brand new autokratz cover version of Swastika Eyes, an exclusive?leak which is to signal start the album campaign.

http://www.zshare.net/audio/5925236935a65b80/

Mani and Bobby Gillespie are both big supporters of the cover describing it as “brilliant. proper rocking”

Cheers
Russell

“Fuzzy dancefloor joy that will nudge them into the big league”
NME

“Dance anthems of the Summer”
THE SUNDAY TIMES

?Sure to set any dancefloor on fire?
****5/5 DJ MAG

?Brilliant? LOVE the Swastika Eyes cover?
Mani & Bobby Gillespie – Primal Scream

AUTOKRATZ ANNOUNCE THE RELEASE OF DEBUT ALBUM ?ANIMAL?

June 22nd 2009 will see autoKratz release their highly anticipated debut album ‘ANIMAL’, a record which will see them state their undeniable claim to joining the royalty of electronic music. This extremely significant LP follows the success of autumn 2008?s acclaimed mini album ?Down & Out In Paris & London? and looks set to solidify the bands position as one of Europe’s most exciting new prospects.

autoKratz begin the campaign by unleashing a razor sharp cover of Primal Scream?s Swastika Eyes, a live favourite and a version that both Mani & Bobby Gillespie have got extremely excited about, and given their full support to.

This 11 track album will be released on pioneering Parisian label Kitsune (Digitalism, Klaxons & Simian Mobile Disco), a stable in which David and Russell autoKratz have found themselves very much at home. ?Animal? will be supported by a single release – that of the massive ?Always More? (with dancefloor smashing remixes coming from Yuksek & Shadow Dancer).

The album includes the infectious summer anthem ?Stay The Same?, the driving and relentless ?Can?t Get Enough? and the epic ?Speak In Silence?, all combining to create a remarkable collection of tracks with variety and depth, justifying the bands standing as the flag bearers of the new wave of British electronic music.

Since first storming onto the scene last year, autoKratz have swiftly established a reputation for their distinctly different releases which harbour infectious bass hooks, addictive vocals and compulsive beats & bleeps. ?Animal? however does much more, as the duo explore their songwriting craft further to create an extremely innovative record.

The band have so far received immense support from across the board, finding spots on the playlists of Pete Tong, Annie Mac and Steve Lamacq, whilst receiving club support from the likes of Tiga, Erol Alkan and Brodinski.

Their formidable live shows across the globe have seen them become one of the most sought after breakthrough prospects in electronic music, with the band enjoying ecstatic responses at festivals across Europe including Glastonbury, Lowlands & Pukkelpop. The album is to be released as the band embarks on a hectic touring schedule with a brand new live show. The autoKratz set combines their trademark rock and roll energy with their remarkably distinctive electro sound; a recipe which has seen them touted as the most significant live electronic act to have emerged in recent years.

Of the album, David says ?As a record, Its unique and its personal. Its captured an energy which I think is genuinely exciting and reflective of who we are as people.? Russell has a similar sense of accomplishment, ?We were so keen to create something out of the ordinary; something people might not expect. The result is songs about us that we hope to have a real impact on people?.

The London based duo, inspired by Daft Punk, Kraftwerk and Underworld, have enjoyed success through remixes for Underworld, Fischerspooner and La Roux and live tours alongside the likes of Digitalism and Underworld. With ?Animal?, autoKratz have undoubtedly embarked on an ascension to prominence that ?will nudge them into the big league? NME.

Animal Track-listing:

1. Always More
2. Stay the Same
3. The Idiots Are Winning
4. Speak In Silence
5. Can’t Stand Without
6. What You Want, What You Got?
7. Can’t Get enough
8. Gone Gone Gone
9. Past Your Heart
10. Human Highway
11. Last Show

here is the original of the song (in case you missed it, we remember there was some controversy in Germany about the song)
click here to watch

www.eyho-blog.com

click here to watch

These days if you say anything bad about those Canadians you have a fundamentalist group of cynics, who still cry over the end of the Bush era, attack you in Berlin. Not worth it.

So instead of being negative, let’s worship the kid in the video above. For us he represents dedication mixed with passion. The two things which are missing in that Peaches album.

Almost at the same time someone in marketing contacted us if we run ads on our blog. Please keep your money, we still print the ad….in a Pirate Bay manner (is this copyright violation then? good question).

We make money from selling records and partying….should it stay like this? well, yes, we think so…

by RZ22

The Obama Deception is creating heated debates right now, even in Berlin. Mike passed it on to Alec, Alec passed it on to me.

What do YOU think?

It’s Mid March and it looks as the euphoria of the Obama win has disappeared. Most people have turned away from politics (or should we call it mass media election entertainment?), thinking that it’s all safe and taken care of.

Every time Alex Jones appears (and he is a Foo Fighters fan, which makes us question his true intentions – yes, when you are a mid 30ties woman who thinks the drummer is “cute”, you are maybe forgiven…But Alex Jones and Foo Fighters? get outta here) it is time to look at ourselves…do we get all emotional when this guy screaming at us? Is he right?

Is this a conspiracy theory? What do you think?

Has our generation fallen for a president because our “taste” has been exploited?….our taste for hip hop culture and US MTV? Jay Z? If a “black” president is elected, can you criticize him in the same way as all the others? Fact is it is hard to raise awareness in times when people are scared to lose their jobs and love the charisma of a leader.

It almost feels a bit like right after 911, but in a positive way. Every time when one can’t say something, then it’s time to be on high alert!

Another sign is when the music scene is dead quiet. This should be more exciting than 1977’s punk movement in the UK! Wait, Peaches is releasing a new record…we are already asleep. Digitalism sucking corporate cock working for Nokia.

Did you see the news about the German industry writing to the government that students coming out of university are now too “aligned”, too “adapted”, too “conform” for the challenges that the industry faces right now. Well, you bred those consumers carefully, and now it doesn’t make sense anymore?…haha

Watch KRS-1 answer some questions in here. This is always worth it! (What happened to Hip Hop by the way? How did we let this slip? f$$$$ing hell…)

THINK! And let us know what you think!

There is nothing to discuss about music anymore as it is a dead horse. What a shit time for music journalists right now. All the free flights, all the little steps towards corruption, faking opinions, ads, well…music in 2009…this is what you created Mr Music Journalist. You gave away your only weapon, your voice …for a little bit of cocaine and CDs that you sold on ebay.

If we agree or not, The Obama Deception is everything a modern pop song should be:

mind challenging, emotional and passionate plus a good rap of KRS! Well, Beyonce …you got to train your mind instead of your legs to compete with that!

The Obama Deception Pt.1

Pt.2

Pt.3

Pt.4

Pt.5

Pt.6

Pt.7

Pt.8

Pt.9

Pt.10

Pt.11

Pt.12

www.eyho-blog.com

in Berlin – run up to Christmas – start the week with Diana’s radio show !!!

(we are already lazy – the year is over – a decade is over – wow – living in the fast lane)

click here

Titel Interpret Album
No sex for Ben The Rapture
Too fake Hockey Mind chaos
Buttons (CSS Remix) SIA Buttons – The Remixes
Akin to dancing Heartbreak Lies
We’re back Heartbreak Lies
Never miss a beat (Cut Copy Remix) Kaiser Chiefs Never miss a beat
Meddle (Treasure Fingers Remix) Little Boots
Fan death Veronica’s Veil
Taken away (Bufi Remix) Digitalism
I’m in love with a German film star (Reeders RIAS Remix) Sam Taylor-Wood & Pet Shop Boys
Crying blood (Hannah Holland Remix) V V Brown
Harder better faster stronger (Diplo Work Is Never Over Remix) Daft Punk Decent Wokr For Decent Pay: Collected Works Vol.1
Fool in love The Count & Sinden Hardcore Girls EP
Yah! (The Count & Sinden Remix) Buraka Som Sistema feat. Petty Rough Diamond
The worm ZZT
Get this massacre started Smith & Smart Disco Massaker
Move Q-Tip The Renaissance
RoboCop Kanye West 808s & Heartbreak
Golden skans (Sebastian Remixes) Klaxons Sebastian – A Fine Selection of Remixes
No pins allowed James Yuill Turning Down Water For Air
This sweet love James Yuill Turning Down Water For Air
Better things Passion Pit Sleepy Head/Better Things 7″
Around the bend The Asteroids Galaxy Tour Around the bend
Crushed by a crowd Tiger Lou A partial print
Der letzte Tanz Juli Holz What we do & what we did
Dearheart Dear Reader Dearheart
Last chance Moke Shorland
Bobby Johnossi All they ever wanted
Magic tricks Blackmarket Magic Tricks
Battleships Baddies Battleships
Never wanted to dance Mindless Self Indulgence If
Sturzflug Spillsbury Sturzflug
3 Millionen Bosse 3 Millionen
Love me already Black Kids Partie traumatic
Strawberries Boy Crisis
Make a tiger Manana Interruptions
You, me and the Bourgeoisie The Submarines You, me and the Bourgeoisie

when you watch German TV, it’s like seeing grass grow…so uninspiring, so bad….

DJ Diana Frankovic keeps banging out one great program after the other!

while too many radio DJs think too local in this city and hardly use their imagination, she puts together a great selection of tracks.

Our opinion is: forget about the computer generated playlists – anyone can load up a bunch of mp3s, call it internet radio station…..important is the personality which drives a good radio show.

why still have radio, when every track you want to listen to is just a mouse click away?

so the DJ/DJane is what matters at the end!

listen to her latest show!

mms link

radio station link is: click here

She should so get Paul Van Dyke’s Saturday slot (which is a complete joke by the way- that guy takes the same CD mix he uses for his DJ gigs and streams it….this is exactly the kind of thing which is so boring….but time is our side! we know…dinosaurs) !!!!!

Her show runs night from Sunday to Monday 0:00-3:00

check out her playlist:

Womanizer (The Teenagers Remix) / Britney Spears
Kolany / Jaques Palminger
Naturra / Bj?rk feat. Thom Yorke
Allein alene /Polarkreis 18 vs. Nephew
Tourist / Polarkreis 18
Listen! Those lost at sea sing a song on Christmas Day / Get Well Soon
Cut out / Ray /Death in fiction
Ich und mein Computer / Deichkind / Arbeit nervt (ltd.deluxe edt./ m boy)
Kids (Soulwax Remix) MGMT
New York storm / Tomcraft feat. Tommy Sunshine
3 little words / Frankmusik
When you’re around (Boys Noise Remix) / Frankmusik
Mindestens in 1000 Jahren / Frittenbude
Taken away Digitalism
Detroit / Morgan Geist / Double Night Time
Sky and sand Paul Kalkbrenner / Berlin Calling Soundtrack
Changes of perception / Monika Kruse
Super black / Northern Lite
Erdbeben (1000 Robota Remix) / Fettes Brot
Bullenpolizei / Onkel Berni
My love sees you/ Beni / Kitsun? Maison Compilation 6
Herzensbrecher / Caracho
Was ist Musik / Justus K?hncke / Pop Portrait Tocotronic
Washington DC / The Magnetic Fields / Pop Portrait Tocotronic
Beat control / Tilly And The Wall O
1000 eyes / Alec Empire / The Golden Foretaste Of Heaven
Who took the pill? / Bonaparte
Heureka / Tomte
Tango / Super 700
To cut a long story short / Cazals
Who / Five O’Clock Heroes feat. Agyness Deyn
Your english is good / Tokyo Police Club
Kill me at the ponyranch / Miyagi
Wir ziehen die Zeit / Klez.e
Stilberatung (Restsexualit?t) / PeterLicht / Melancholie & Gesellschaft
No sunlight / Death Cab For Cutie
Bruises / Chairlift
The music makes me sick / It’s A Musical
Waste / The Amber Light / Play
Ion square / Bloc Party / Intimacy
Problems / Alter Me / The Fall
Moscow state circus / Eugene McGuinness