The Chef’s Choice: Julian Casablanca, Thom Yorke, Girls, Fever Ray, Dappled Cities

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The MadChef tackles this week’s hyperbole: (rght click + save as = download)

Mp3: Julian Casablanca – 11th Dimension | buy
Julian Casablanca knows how cool he is, and that’s a problem.  Beautiful and talented people who know that they are beautiful and talented usually don’t edit their work.  “11th Dimension”, the premier track off of Casablanca’s upcoming solo album Phrazes for the Young, could stand some editing.
There are needless layers upon layers of noises and drum beats.  Sure the track sounds like a mega man dance tune, and that is pretty great, but it also sounds cluttered and obvious.  There’s nothing new here, but if this were 1979 Julian Casablanca would be a genius.

Mp3: Thom Yorke – Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses | buy
Yeah, that intro beat is great; it’s like a rave in a haunted house.  As the track progresses your ear starts to want something different, but it just won’t happen.  There’s a lot of repetition, and as an instrumental this song would be better, the eerie synth lines already carry the song.  The worst part about this track is Thom Yorke’s voice.  No one wants to hear a man moan to himself.

Mp3: Girls – Lust for Life | buy
Anyone who’s familiar with Girl’s background will understand why Lust for Life is so weird.  Girls’ lead singer, Christopher Owens is a former member of the Children of God cult, but after seeing his brother die (the cult does not believe in seeking medical attention) and watching his mother occasionally whore herself, Owens fled to San Francisco and was mentored by a millionaire.   You know, just like in “Annie”.
Anyways, this song is awesome.  It has everything you could want in a pop song.  When the song breaks it only becomes stranger, the vocals are snotty, the lyrics are easily understood, and the instrumentation is sparse and gritty.
Oh yeah and it’s only two minutes long.

Mp3: Fuck Buttons – Surf Solar | buy
A band with an awesome name like “Fuck Buttons” shouldn’t be allowed to make music as shitty as this.  Who listens to this crap?

Mp3:  Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson – The Sound | buy
Apart from having three first names MBAR, there’s nothing really that interesting about him or his music.  MBAR’s vocals are histrionic and the music is just stale.

Mp3: Florence and the Machine – You Got the Love  (The XX Remix) | buy
No one can hear an epic harp and not think of knights and fairies, but imagining The XX in Middle Earth is great, so this remix works.  The marimba and vocal trickery choruses are slick, and unlike most remixes, this one actually works within the original song, rather than smother it with fills and clicks.

Mp3:  Chris Brown -  I Can Transform Ya (Feat. Lil Wayne & Swizz Beatz) | | buy
Finally someone put Optimus Prime and referee whistles on the same track, but apart from the beat this song is awful.  This is what happens when you don’t put woman-beaters in jail.

Mp3:  Tiesto ft. Tegan and Sara – Feel It in My Bones | buy
This is just another club song for people who own Civics; it doesn’t matter if it’s done by indie artists.

Mp3: Dappled Cities – My Girls (Animal Collective Cover) | buy
The Aussie boys of Dappled Cities have nicknames like “Nordic Axe,” “Kitchen Knife,” and “Machete Man,” but their music is deceptively effeminate.  “Dappled Cities” sounds like an all man’s choir reciting a Dear John letter.
The rhythm is a steady and overall the track picks up a couple minutes into it, too bad it’s only three minutes long.
This is an exercise in subtlety, both musical and lyrical, and even though it’s as sissified as can be, it’s actually pretty damn good after the third or fourth time.

Mp3:  Fever Ray – When I Grow Up  (Bassnectar Remix) | buy
Ambient shit with a bad beat.

>> download the whole mix in a zip here.