The Recommender

ZARRYLADE

We first came across these guys last Autumn.  Their sweet music charmed us enough to keep an eye on them, but sadly nothing has arrived since.  We share them with you mainly because they’re ace, but also because a little online chatter could perhaps spark a bit of interest and some possible development.  Very little is known about them, except they made the rather stunning track that we list below.  Lovers of Miike Snow, with his afro disco, or even The Police at their most enjoyable, will be moved by this.  It’s the kind of music that’s as equally for your feet as it is for your mind, with a slightly spiritualised, but irresistable, well crafted vocal that hovers over the tune, whilst the grooves run deep underneath.  The basslines are made out of disco flavoured marshmallow, kicking the tracks flavour into gear from the outset.  We’ve been reliably informed that this is a new project from Rupert Lydon from Grand National and the vocals are by Justin Taylor, who, allegedly, runs a Californian marijuana dispensary.  That figures.  It felt like several pieces of the puzzle slotted into place when we found that out.  However, there’s been very little output for nearly a year now, so it’s unknown whether this is only a tropical side project, or a fully functioning storm still on the way.  There’s apparently an album being carved out, but it’s said that on their Myspace for months now.  There’s a decent remix, by Leo Zero, which is also enjoyable, but rather than re-writing the track, prefers to twist it into a slightly louder, beach-ready jam.  Whether or not more appears from these guys is almost insignificant as this truly is one of those stuck-on-repeat tracks you will surely fall for.   (MB)

Find them here:         Myspace

Hear them here:        ZARRYLADE – EYES ABOVE YOUR HEAD

Hear them here:        ZARRYLADE – EYES ABOVE YOUR HEAD (LEO ZERO REMIX)

MY AWESOME MIXTAPE

You would be forgiven for thinking this five piece band are from America, so incongruous is their sound to their native Italy.  You get Yank accents, fluent english lyrics, as well as a wide range of styles, covering anything from hip hop, to pop, to rock.  In fact the biggest shame regarding all this is precisely the lack of anything Italian.  It’s perhaps understandable, so dominant is American music around Europe, but there is one redeeming consideration you discover inside My Awesome Mixtape, namely it’s quality.  The more you uncover, the slicker it becomes.  Sure there are some generic pieces, with obvious pop hooks, with sections of songs lacking charm altogether, plus the vocals can become a little grating, but rest assured that when it’s at its most inventive it packs a weighty punch.  This is perhaps best experienced in the song we list below, Hearts To Lend, with it’s many tempting tricks, from the opening fuzzy synths, to the clapped beat, to the vocals that climax in an irresistable running mantra.  They cleverly avoid a common trap that most American acts sadly get snared into with humour-packed, teenage songs such as these.  They do this by bringing in strings or brass, thus lifting the track to a more sophisticated, matured level.  The chops and the changes, the harmonies and the swaggering grooves, often remind us of the sugary pop of Naive New Beaters.  It’s all rather courageous and just as you think it’s going to lose you, it shifts gear and the curls at the edge of your mouth return.  They released their debut, My Lonely And Sad Waterloo, back in 2007, but the real polish was applied in the sophomore effort, released late in 2009, How Could A Village Turn Into A Town.  This is music delicately balanced on the edge between annoying and great, but we think it ends up falling the correct side.   (MB)

Find them here:        Myspace

Hear them here:        MY AWESOME MIXTAPE – HEARTS TO LEND

NOTTEE

Perhaps one of the most overlooked artists to appear on last November’s Kitsune 8, although she’d been around for a couple of years prior to hitting the Parisian tastemaker’s compilation album.  We know that this artist won’t be brand spanking new to a lot of you, but in all honesty, she’s never been listed on The Recommender either, so we can’t take the high ground on her lack of buzz, but having slipped on her music on a lazy Sunday last week we’ve subsequently reconsidered the omission.  It’s actually the gorgeous Nova Drougge, from Gothenburg in Sweden, who is the creative force in action here.  If ever there was a Scandinavian pop sound it would no doubt involve adjectives such as icy and glacial, which are both in evidence here, but there’s also a warmth in the simple piano chords and disco string samples.  The vocals are elusive and delicate, reminiscent of fellow Swedes Lykke Li or Rosanna.  Having started out playing bass guitar in her brother’s band, Lo-Fi FNK, she’s decided to step onto the stage front and centre, something she’s clearly made for.  Creating such enjoyable, sexy and attractive pop, with it’s swirling strings and harmonies, seems a world away from her brother’s harder electronic edge.  With impossibly cute looks, a hyped, trendy label showing some initial support and some genuine signs of life in the pop pipeline, it surely won’t be long before things start to really take shape.  You may have a chance to catch her live when she arrives in London through April for a few dates at the usual stops, Gold Dust and Pure Groove.  The question is, whether there’s enough life in this artist to be overlooked no longer?   (MB)

Find her here:         Myspace

Hear her here:        NOTTEE – CONTROL