Quick Mix: Bombay Bicycle Club, Peter, Bjorn, and John, Pnau, Ratatat, and Miike Snow

Musically it’s hard to point to a consistent sound from this batch of five tracks, so we’ll dismiss any claims of themes for this segment. Bouncing from Indie Rock, to Electro Pop, to Rap and back again, this collection is random, but designed to serve as a great starting point for all of you music diggers in search of new threads to mine. Please leave your thoughts and comments below on what you think. Hate it or love it, opinions always help us improve on everything we do. Listen up after the jump.

“Always Like This” by Bombay Bicycle Club

Though in some ways the group may be the epitome of hipster indie rock, that doesn’t mean their sound isn’t universally appealing. This album which was released mid-summer on July 6th, 2009 is excellent as a whole, but “Always Like This” personally stands out as one of the best. Hailing for Crouch End, London, lead singer Jack Steadman’s throaty chant-like vocals surprisingly layer quite nicely over the track’s upbeat guitar and shifty bass line. They also somehow manage to walk a razor thin line between polar opposite sentiments of yearning and frustration. Of course some of you might knock the song for lack of lyrical diversification towards the end, but frankly it’s that kind of difference that makes Bombay Bicycle Club stand apart from other indie groups vying for scenester attention.

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“It Don’t Move Me” by Peter Bjorn and John

Most with little familiarity of this group may think the happy go lucky whistling tune of “Young Folks” is a classic representation of their sound overall. In reality PBJ’s sound is much harder to pin down to just one form or sentiment, but the group’s equally catchy if not more dance infused song “It Don’t Move Me” is much closer to previous works while still being a hit. Punchy and angst ridden, slipping this beat on during your next shindig is sure to illicit subtle crowd reactions in the form of hip shakes and head nods. Those in search of comfort from acoustic harmonies doused in Simon & Garfunkel love however should search elsewhere in the group’s discography.

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“With You Forever” by Pnau

Much further on the electronic spectrum than the previous two tracks, this song from Pnau which is an Australian dance music duo from Sydney, may have a familiar sound to anyone who has heard songs by Empire of the Sun. That’s because member Nick Littlemore happens to be in both groups, and is the source behind each group’s strange aching vocals. Sounding like one of the latter group’s major hits currently making the rounds on trendy T.V. shows known for their soundtracks, “With You Forever” stands alone in sound and quality on this self titled album. While those with an ear for the experimental may trash this loner as an effort to obtain pop appeal, there’s a reason why Nick’s new project is obtaining far more notice than its original inspiration, and you won’t catch us complaining about it.

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“Diamonds from Sierra Leone (Ratatat Remix)” – Kayne West

While I’m certainly not a fan of Kayne’s recent public d-baggery, that doesn’t mean I can refuse his talent as an excellent lyricist despite his egomania. However this song would not be worth mentioning, if not for the added value brought to the beat from Ratatat. Known as excellent instrumentalists and hip hop remixing phenoms, this New York City based duo’s take on Kayne’s track is better than the original which rips it’s hook from the James Bond title theme “Diamonds Are Forever”. Transformed from a mellow muddled song confused over it’s purpose into a true club rocker, strangely the remix seems far closer to Kayne’s apparent day to day mindset than the original. If you like poppy hip hop from time to time, and are in need of cocky gangster infused energy, put this track on repeat.

“Cult Logic” – Miike Snow

Miike Snow is gaining momentum hand over fist, which is not surprising considering you’d have to have stone ears not to like at least one of their tracks. I say their tracks because despite what many people think, this is not a one man show. Instead Miike Snow is a Swedish group composed of three members..none of whom are named Miike Snow. Confusing I know, but at least you’re now informed and won’t make the mistake. Yet to gain the radio play of other songs on the album, “Cult Logic” is driven mainly by its addictive chorus. Hidden behind a slow start and sharp falsetto, the ramp up changes the nature of the track into something far more appealing than first impressions might convey. Though the lulls aren’t necessarily terrible, their purpose really revolves around building anticipation for the hook, similar to catchy hip hop tune with weaker vocals. Different in a good way, I highly recommend checking out everything this band has to offer.

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