Last year I encouraged you to check out Glasnost. They did a remix of La Roux‘s “Bulletproof” that was pretty sick. Seemingly, most people have gotten to know the group for their recently released remixes. Yet, aside from producing killer dance floor remixes, Glasnost is also a live, four piece, electro pop band and DJ crew. Now they’ve released their newest original track, “Corridor.”

Their influences include Cut Copy, New Order, MSTRKRFT and Midnight Juggernauts. Glasnost remixes have been exciting blogs and dance floors worldwide. While releasing other “Glastnostized” renditions of tracks like Tiga’s “What you Need” and most recently Metric’s “Hands,” the band’s been busy producing their next collection of original tracks for their forthcoming album, Decade, due to release in late April. (AND right now they are at SXSW!)

Click here to check out Glasnost’s “Corridor” (AND remixes from Kids at the Bar, Midnight Conspiracy and NightWaves!)

Download: The Dope March Mix

1 >> Life on Earth >> After A Few Years We Settled Down

2 >> Mp3: Sic Alps >> Cement Surfboard

3 >> Devin Therriault >> In My Solitude (demo)

4 >> Pop Levi >> Semi-Babe

5 >> Patrick Watson >> Wooden Arms

6 >> Mp3: Apples in Stereo >> Joanie Don’t U Worry

7 >> Mp3: Chad VanGaalen >> TMNT Mask

8 >> Mazarin >> Another One Goes By

9 >> Mp3: Tulsa >> St. Paul

10 >> Paul Cary >> Yes Machine

11 >> Turner Cody >> Corner Of My Room

12 >> Jason Collett >> Brownie Hawkeye

13 >> Sonny & The Sandwitches >> Through The Fog & The Haze

14 >> Mp3: Mercury Rev >> Streets Of Laredo (Johnny Cash Cover)

15 >> Pacific! >> Break Your Social System

16 >> Nancy Sinatra >> Tonight You Belong To Me

17 >> Mp3: Dirty Beaches >> True Blue

18 >> French Kicks >> Abandon

19 >> Atlas Sound >> Comet 8

20 >> Midnight Juggernauts >> Lara vs The Savage Pack

21 >> Mean Wind >> Kingdom Come

22 >> Mp3: Destroyer >> Goddess Of Drought

23 >> The Soft Pack >> Mexico

Warpaint – Undertow [Buy]

PVT – Church With No Magic (Midnight Juggernauts Remix) [Buy]

The next Festival that has gone and caught my eye is Field Day on the 6th of August. It’s going to be over in Victoria Park and they’ve got a good set of names to play too. Gruff Rhys, The Coral, Willy Mason, Jamie Woon, Matthew Dear and Mount Kimbie are all on the poster, so it promises to be typically eclectic and good value for money, as the early tickets are going for £35. This is definitely one I’ll be doing my all to make it to as I’ve been meaning to the last couple of years and according to the stories, I’ve missed a couple of good ‘uns.

The Coral – Spanish Main [Buy]

Willy Mason – Oxygen [Buy]

Third up is a new one that I found out about from the same email as Field Day. It’s a new festival called Greetings From Beacons and it’s going to be held from the 12th-14th August near Skipton. Which is near enough to Leeds, for you Southerners out there. It’ll set you back at least 50 quid but for that you can see Ramandanman, Fantastic Mr Fox, That Fucking Tank, The Apples and a bunch of arty stuff. They also claim to have some headliners lined up to announce too. More on that when I find out about it.

That Fucking Tank – Keanu Reef [Buy]

The Apples – Killing [Buy]

Be sure to click on the hyperlinks for interesting tidbits about the artists or whatever. And clicking on the pics will take you to the festival websites. It’s on a plate for you guys. Let us know if you’ll be going to any of the above or if you’ve got some other festivals in the pipeline. And have a lovely day!

Yes, I know. This blog is supposed to focus on specific practical uses for music. However, this year was, in my opinion, one of the better years for music in quite a while. That moment when you get a new record and it’s so good you can only to feel happy to be alive. I had that feeling a lot this year. I felt that a look back at some of my favorite tracks would be a solid enough use to warrant a post. Keep in mind this is not a music review. I’m not try to say: “given the state of music today I feel that these tracks are the most relev-”. No. No, I am not. Honestly, I kind of hate that sort of thing. These are just some of the songs that made me happy, in a year when new music made me happier than most year in recent memory.  We are all at strange whims to music, and when people go against those natural urges to be “thorough” or “hip”,  it’s just silly. I know I probably missed several great releases and they will be conspicuously absent to some, but…I don’t get paid to do that. Feel free to alert me of some great tracks on your own list. I hope you enjoy the great songs I was lucky enough to catch this year. There are way too many, and they are in no particular ranking. I’ve left the album info on the files so you can find the albums easier in case there is something unknown that you really like. Go and buy it.

PFU #014: The Best of 2010 [Pt. 1]

USE: Reflecting on a great year of music.

1. Anti-Pop Consortium – Volcano [Four Tet Remix]
2. Boyz IV Men – Garbaggio
3. The Drums – Let’s Go Surfing
4. Sunol – Save Me A Place [Fleetwood Mac Cover]
5. Freddie Gibbs – National Anthem (Fuck The World)
6. Sleigh Bells – Rill Rill
7. The Strange Boys – Be Brave
8. Angelina Lucero  – I’m On Fire [Springsteen Cover]
9. Glass Candy – Feeling Without Touching
10. Deerhunter – Desire Lines
11. David Cross – I Can’t Get Beer In Me
12. Tobacco – Fresh Hex [ft. Beck]
13. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Revolution’s A Lie
14. Daft Punk – End of Line
15. Tame Impala – I Don’t Really Mind
16. Class Actress – Terminally Chill [Neon Indian Cover]
17. Sonny & the Sunsets – Too Young to Burn
18. The Roots – How I Got Over [ft. Dice Raw]
19. Cults – Go Outside
20. Caribou – Sun
21. Thee Oh Sees – I Was Denied
22. Yeasayer – O.N.E. [Glasnost Remix]
23. She & Him – Gonna Get Along Without You Now [Skeeter Davis Cover]
24. The Magnetic Fields – You Must Be Out of Your Mind
25. New Young Pony Club – The Optimist
26. Arcade Fire – Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
27. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – River Styx
28. Röyksopp – Forsaken Cowboy
29. Antoine Dodson & The Gregory Brothers – Bed Intruder Song

DOWNLOAD

PFU #015: The Best of 2010 [Pt. 2]

1. Arcade Fire – Ready To Start
2. Kid CuDi [ft. LCD Soundsystem, Chip Tha Ripper, & Christian Bale] – All Talk
3. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Round and Round
4. Proxy [Todd Buker] – In Just [Demo] [ft. Jason Williamson]
5. Kanye West – Power [ft. Dwele]
6. Thee Oh Sees – Mega-Feast
7. Vandertramp - Step Into My Arms [Demo Mixdown #1]
8. Wild Nothing – Gemini
9. Of Montreal – Famine Affair
10. White Fence – The Love Between
11. Girl Talk – Let It Out
12. Destroyer – Chinatown
13. Amon Tobin – Hey Mr. Tree
14. Bonobo – Kong
15. Boyz IV Men – Trance Armstrong
16. Das Racist – Rapping 2 U [ft. Lakutis]
17. The Hood Internet – Nuthin’ But A Journal Thang [Dr. Dre vs Class Actress]
18. Lykke Li – Get Some
19. LCD Soundsystem - You Wanted A Hit [Soulwax Remix]
20. PJ Harvey – Written On The Forehead
21. The Drums – The Future
22. Dan Auerbach – The Prowl
23. El Guincho – Bombay
24. Chromeo – Hot Mess
25. Midnight Juggernauts – Lara Versus The Savage Pack
26. Miike Snow – Animal [Mark Ronson Extended Dub Remix]
27. Twista - The Heat [ft. Raekwon]
28. Louis C.K. – Cell Phones and Flying

DOWNLOAD

PFU #016 – The Best of 2010 [Pt. 3]

1. Jose Gonzales [Junip] – Rope and Summit
2. The Chemical Brothers – K+D+B
3. Hot Chip – Hand Me Down Your Love
4. Girl Talk – Jump on Stage
5. Daft Punk – Derezzed
6. Cut Copy – Where I’m Going
7. Janelle Monбe – 57821 [ft. Deep Cotton]
8. Caribou – Odessa
9. LCD Soundsystem – I Can Change
10. MGMT – Congratulations
11. New Young Pony Club – Lost A Girl
12. Crystal Castles – Not In Love [ft. Robert Smith]
13. Ratatat - Neckbrace
14. Vampire Weekend – Taxi Cab
15. DJ Cuba Gooding Jr. – Romerex [Dance Theme]
16. The Black Keys – Sinister Kid
17. Best Coast – Crazy For You
18. Baths – Aminals
19. New Pornographers – Your Hands (Together)
20. Ty Segall – Girlfriend
21. Surfer Blood – Harmonix
22. The Fresh and Onlys – Waterfall
23. Deerhunter – Helicopter
24. Flying Lotus – Do The Astral Plane
25. The Gaslamp Killer – Monsterfromtheunderground
26. DJ Shadow – Def Surrounds Us

DOWNLOAD

PFU #017 – The Best of 2010 [Pt. 4]

1. Brian Eno – 2 Forms of Anger
2. Beck’s Record Club – Devil Inside
3. Gonja Sufi – DedNd
4. Gil Scott-Heron – Me And The Devil
5. Girls – Thee Oh So Protective One
6. Scissor Sisters – Running Out
7. Twin Sister – Lady Daydream
8. Sunol – Headlands
9. The Walkmen – While I Shovel The Snow
10. Band of Horses – Factory
11. Uffie – Sex Dreams And Denim Jeans
12. The Art Museums – Oh Modern Girls
13. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Beverly Kills
14. Crocodiles – Flash Of Light
15. Nice Face – Nobody’s Dead Here
16. Japanther - Surfin’ Coffin
17. La Roux – Bulletproof [Glasnost Remix]
18. Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
19. The Strange Boys – Night Might
20. David Cross – The One Show About Drugs and Stuff
21. Lemonade – Lifted
22. The Clientele – As The World Rises And Falls
23. Marnie Stern – Nothing Left
24. Javelin – Vibrationz [Album Version]
25. Ceo – Come With Me
26. Toro Y Moi – Blessa
27. Jacuzzi Boys – Bricks or Coconuts
28. Beach House – Silver Soul

DOWNLOAD

PFU #018 – Best of 2010 [Pt. 5]

1. Lindstrøm & Christabelle – Lovesick
2. Spoon – Got Nuffin’
3. Miike Snow – Billie Holiday
4. Das Racist – You Outta Know
5. M.I.A. – Born Free
6. The Vaselines – Sex With An X
7. Ducktails – Don’t Make Plans
8. Deerhunter – Revival
9. Wolf Parade – Little Golden Age
10. The Morning Benders – Promises
11. Dr. Dre – Forgot About Dre [ft. Eminem] [Tape Bros. Remix]
12. PS I Love You – Facelove
13. Wavves – Idiot
14. Crooked Fingers – Black Rose
15. Atlas Sound – Mona Lisa
16. Foals – Total Life Forever
17. Charlotte Gainsbourg – Trick Pony
18. Villagers – Becoming A Jackal
19. Arcade Fire – Month of May
20. Holy Fuck – SHT MTN
21. Smith Westerns – Weekend
22. DOM – Jesus
23. Kanye West – Good Friday [ft. Common, Pusha T, & KiD CuDi]
24. Caribou – Bowls
25. Daft Punk – Fragile
26. Abe Vigoda – Beverly Slope
27. Curren$y – Breakfast
28. Forest Swords – Rattling Cage
29. Gayngs – The Gaudy Side of Town
30. Blackbird Blackbird – Heartbeat
31. Lætitia Sadier – Summertime
32. LCD Soundsystem – Home

DOWNLOAD

So after doing this regularly, I have had a bit of a falling out, and I would like to apologize for that. Now that that’s out of the way, here’s the new format. I don’t have as much free time as I used to (working now), so I am just going to throw up some mp3′s and if you like the band/song – send me a Tweet or leave a comment if you want more from them, or just some info. Here we go…whattayagot?!

Badly Drawn Boy – Too Many Miracles

Joey Ryan and the Inks – Shame on Me Once (Shame on You Twice)

John Grant – Marz

Numerous more mp3′s after the jump!

Pomegranates – 50′s

Y La Bamba – Juniper

Midnight Juggernauts – Lara vs the Savage Pack (E6 Remix)

Small Sins – Why Don’t You Believe Me

British Sea Power – Zeus

I get to see you kids tomorrow. I’m a little excited. Well, a lot of excited.
But i’ll miss Mass Effect.

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･’(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)’･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*
ｃｂｅａｒ

In alphabetical order, here are my 20 favorite albums of 2010, including my overall favorite album of the year, Gorilla Manor by Local Natives. This was an EXCELLENT year for new music! I can’t wait for 2011.

Aqualung – Magnetic North
Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
Badly Drawn Boy – What I’m Thinking
Brandon Flowers – Flamingo
Broken Bells – Broken Bells
Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse – Dark Night Of The Soul
Duffy – Endlessly
Eclipse: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Hot Chip – One Life Stand
Local Natives – Gorilla Manor
The Magnetic Fields – Realism
Midnight Juggernauts – The Crystal Axis
The National – High Violet
The New Pornographers – Together
Ra Ra Riot – The Orchard
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings – I Learned The Hard Way
Stars – The Five Ghosts
Vampire Weekend – Contra
The Watson Twins – Talking To You, Talking To Me
We Are Scientists – Barbara

Honorable mention: The Hot Rats – Turn Ons, Steve Mason – Boys Outside, Ok Go – Of the Blue Colour of the Sky, Röyksopp – Senior, Spoon – Transference

Biggest disappointment: Hot Hot Heat – Future Breeds

100 Delorean – Grow

99 Cassian -Friday Night

98 Black Van – The Calling

97 LCD Soundsystem – All I Want

96 The Ting Tings – Hands

95 Bot’Ox – Bearded Lady Motorcycle Show

94 Foals – This Orient

93 autoKratz – Kick

92 Turzi feat. Bobby Gillepsie – Baltimore

91 Tapes ‘n Tapes – Freak Out

90 Cut Copy – Where I’m Going

89 Ou Est Le Swimming Pool – Dance The Way I Feel

88 MNDR – I Go Away

87 Bosco Delrey – My My Racecar

86 M.I.A. – Born Free

85 Gorillaz feat. Mark E. Smith – Glitter Freeze

84 AM/FM – !!!

83 DOM – Living In America

82 Midnight Juggernauts – Vital Signs

81 Thieves Like Us – Shyness

View Full List

Finally, i went for my first ever, virgin Zoukout last weekend. I mean, how not too. The line-up was super great. How not too?!!! Guetta!!!!!

So, i was there early from 8pm to 8am!  And the party started then already. And guess who did i bumped into? Who else then the regular bloggers :  Jayden, Fabian,  Claudia, Feliza and Sara !

I went in early and managed to get into the Citibank VIP Marquee because my dear dear lovely handsome friend, Giolinni had the Citi Clear Platinum Card. Wooots!! VIP treatment ya’ll! And because we are the first 150 people to arrive there, we were entitled to free flow till 11pm!!! Uber-cooolness! Everyone should get the Citi Clear Platinum Card!

So, we were all very happy Zoukout-ers with the VIP treatment and of course, the free flow. Luckily, no one passed out early!

And then, there were lots of photos!

Gio, Haz and me

With the sexy couple, Feliza and Anthony

Free Flow Ya’ll!!! RedBull FTW!!!!

Happy Family, i wish.

Me and Sharz

So watching David Guetta, a multi-platinum selling artiste with 3 chart-topping albums and a most sought after producer with heavyweight collaborations that blaze through the global airways leaving no survivors in the trail!! Woots His energetic sets with Electro, House and dirty Pop is the set to catch in Zoukout!

Just look at the crowd!! CRAZIEE!!!!

So, didnt you wish had the Citi Clear Platinum card? Then you can also enjoy the night of fun and laughter with me. With 5X Rewards at my usual favourite hangout like Zouk, Butter Factory, Wala Wala Café Bar, Helipad, Timbre, Brewerkz, St James Power Station and more. And you can get invites to Clear Platinum events, parties, sale previews and more. Hurry apply for one already!!! I know i am!!

For more information about the Citi Clear Platinum Card http://pea.to/CCP

And just for you, enjoy the fireworks, cause i wanna make you Oh! Oh! Oh!

xoxo

In the meantime, here are some summer tunes you should hunt down to brighten up those nights of parties spent by the pool. In no particular order…

Delorean – “Real Love” [listen + free download]

“Real Love” radiates sunny, pulsing, light-hearted electronic progressions with poppy synths and a brilliant pounding beat. As far as laid-back, catchy pop goes, this is pretty epic. The cheery vibe and atmosphere is easy to tap along to. It’s one of those songs you’d hum, if only you knew how.

Midnight Juggernauts – “Lara Versus The Savage Pack” [listen]

How can anyone go past this amazing single from Aussie electro-rockers Midnight Juggernauts this summer? As infectious as swine flu, but less likely to alienate you from your friends, this will have you jumping around and launching off sofa’s and anything else 3 feet off the ground into a party-mood-induced frenzy of coolness. In case you didn’t gather, this is a pretty good song.

Johnny Foreigner – “Feels Like Summer” [listen]

This mildly abrasive, punky track from energetic legends JoFo is not only a racing expulsion of emotions and fun rock, but encapsulates something very special (I feel it’s special anyway) in some of the recurring lines:

Heartstrings will pull nostalgia, but honestly it feels like summer…

The Radio Dept. – “Heaven’s On Fire” [listen + free download]

Blissed-out sample electronic rock with amazing hooks and brilliant variations in tone throughout. The keyboard sections almost sound sorrowful, but contrasting against the bursts of brass and the colour throughout the song, this is a surefire winner that feels too bright to not be a summer song.

Josh Pyke – “The Summer” [listen]

Appropriately titled, this is a slower track about the a time gone by, and the juxtaposition of that with the present. Wishing you could live life like you did before. Pyke’s acoustic guitar and his voice join together largely on their own, and as has been shown before, quite effectively as well. This is one for comtemplation.

Alex Walker – “Gotta Lose (Feat. Len Xiang and Kobie Powell)” [listen + free download]

Merging soulful rap and bluesy guitar, this is a one of those groovy songs that just sound, well… groovy. Play whilst strutting up the main street holding a massive beat-box for maximum coolness.

El Guincho – “Bombay” [listen + free download]

I’ve saved one of the best for last. El Guincho has a way with tropical pop samples. It’s that simple. You know when you daydream, and just imagine you’re lying on a beach in the Caribbean sipping piña coladas? Nah, me either. But it happens in movies, and this would be the perfect soundtrack for such a moment on the big screen. Check it out.

Albums:

1. Chimes & Bells – Chimes & Bells

Easily some of the best music I have ever seen; Cæcilie Trier utterly blew me away with her performance. A real band with a real saxophone; sexy, dark and on occasions, beyond itself in quality.

2. Go – Jonsi

I’m not usually partial to side-projects, but Go delivers. Jón Thor Birgisson’s main affiliate band, Sigur Ros, can do no wrong. Go is but a fledgling in comparison. But for upbeat, English-ised lyrics and hauntingly beautiful vocals, go to Go.

3. Young Persons Guide To – Kyle Bobby Dunn

The first real review-request where I fell in love almost instantaneously; writing it wasn’t like pulling teeth. Ambient excellence on-par with The American Dollar. Long, outdrawn soundscapes full of soul, exquisitely portrayed across two-hours and captivating to the last second.

4. Innerspeaker – Tame Impala

We waited and waited and waited and for what? Absolute brilliance, that’s what. Instant classic: Innerspeaker reignites my faith in Australian bands. What more is there to say?

5. 229 – The Bavarian Druglords

We wanted it so bad, we had to ask for it. 229 goes through the looking-glass, people, into a realm previously explored by 205. TBD have this uncanny style not polluted by the elements of mainstream. An album to come back to, a band to watch out for.

Tracks:

1. Shadows – The Fool – Warpaint

Particularly resonating lyrics with myself, this basically sums-up life in four-minutes. Off-key riffs and ethereal vocalisations, floating piano and dominating percussion all make for a ghostly apparition of a track. Unfortunately overlooked; but then, I found it.

2. Pray For Rain – Heligoland – Massive Attack

Heligoland’s opening track, Pray For Rain, featuring Tunde Adebimpe from TV On The Radio. The rolling drum partnered with low-key piano riffs are only supplementary. The real effort is Adebimpe, who’s voice never ceases to amaze me. Massive Attack should have just had him singing, really…

3. Do The Right – Chimes & Bells – Chimes & Bells

The aforementioned saxophone is at its highlight here; at 5:05, sit back and enjoy the ride…

4. St. Jude – We Became Your Family When You Died – Bullets In Madison

The soft, delicate introduction of violin slowly builds – from cello, to piano, and finally synth – to deliver a seven-minute serenade that is utterly sublime. Whether it is this or the repetition of the phrase: “The ground will break your fall…” I cannot fully articulate.

5. Odessa – Swim – Caribou

Heard it in a vinyl store, fell in love with it immediately. Followed by a review and weeks of Odessa playing on my phones. Hour after hour, day after day…

Lyrics:

1.  Lights – Interpol – Interpol

Lyrical masters in their own right – but this fourth studio-album has seen some fickle reviews. More Lights were needed, obviously.

2. Joel Found His Angel Shivering In The Garden – We Became Your Family When You Died – Bullets In Madison

More like a sinister storybook than a song, Joel’s Angel is strikingly reminiscent of a Velvet Underground track. Different context, same style.

3. Pray For Rain – Heligoland – Massive Attack

I remember reading someone searching for a meaning to Pray For Rain. I’m not sure, exactly, what it’s supposed to mean. But it literally inspired me to do a .3X1.3m painting to represent what I thought was going on.

4. Leaf – 229 – The Bavarian Druglords

Only for the phrase: “You’re a leaf off a tree no-one can find.”

5. Afraid Of Everyone – High Violet – The National

High Violet basically encapsulates an agoraphobic, misanthrope – in some respects negatively, in another light heroically. At times I was unsure of what to make of it. My advice: go with the flow. I also had the fortune to misinterpret the phrase: “Yellow voices swallowing my soul, soul, soul…” as “You’re oysters are in my soy-soy-sauce…”

Honourable Mentions:

1. Interpol – Interpol

Interpol has everything going for it. Just, nothing was going right for Interpol this time. Some good stuff happening, but the sparks surrounding Stella as she dove, just weren’t around.

2.High Violet – The National

My first introduction to The National. Impressive – but from what I read, this wasn’t up to scratch for loyal fans who were sourly disappointed…

Dishonourable Mentions:

1. The Suburbs – Arcade Fire

In retrospect, a really disappointing album not worth purchasing; lyrically, apparently a masterpiece. But I just couldn’t see it.

2. The Crystal Axis – Midnight Juggernauts

…

A final note: these awards are entirely personal, based on my own tastes (synonymous or contrary to your own) and reflect considerable afterthought and thorough, dutiful listening. It’s a take it or leave it situation, so feel free to disagree!

As we transition back in to New Music Mondays, I have another not so new song for you guys, but at least it came out in the last 6 months so throw me a bone here. The song is “Fade to Red” and the band is Midnight Juggernauts. This song is off of their latest album The Crystal Axis, which some critics have hailed as Midnight Juggernauts’ attempt at Dark Side of the Moon. Although this album is no where near the same level as Dark Side, it is still pretty good in its own right and brings together some dark and mesmerizing sounds that are actually quite reminiscent of the classic Pink Floyd disc.

Where did The Crystal Axis come from?

The Crystal Axis was an abstract idea in our head, but eventually came out sonically as our second album. Then physically as the contraption we built on the album cover.

With so many instruments, pedals, and sounds going on in each song, how do you start the process of writing a new song?

Well we write constantly, even when we’re on the road. So when we travel we’ll eventually collect all these sketches from our heads and bring them with us in the studio to jam them out. We’ll just play around until we hear those songs come to life. They often start out in guitar and often move into stranger instrumental territory, until by the end we’re jamming on songs, hitting fruit against large hollow containers.

The video for “Laura Vs The Savage Pack” was shot frame by frame, in very intricate detail. Was this your idea for the video?

We wanted a video based on paper animation, but all the concept and hard work was created by two animator friends of ours, Lucinda Schreiber and Beatrice Pegard. They shot us in these paper realted scenarios, frame by frame. Then they reshot that footage back onto paper and further created more extensive paper animated scenarios. It was complex and hard work, I don’t think I’d have the patience to create it ourselves.

How does writing songs while traveling impact the direction of the album?

We suddenly have a lot of songs about waiting for delayed flights. Well, not really, but maybe there is some subliminal idea of constantly being in motion.

We know that Wayne Cohen is a big fan of yours. Are there any artists who you’ve been surprised or been fans of yourselves that have approached you, and told you they love your music?

We played this festival this year in London called Lovebox and this gentleman came up to us backstage and said he was a fan of our music. We started talking about out album with him. We kind of recognized him, but it was only afterwards that we realized it was Andy Taylor from Duran Duran, when Mark Ronson introduced them on stage to do a song with him. We looked at his blog and he called one of our albums one of his top 3 releases of the year. What a guy! Plus Powerstation are also quite awesome.

What are your guilty tour pleasures?

In every country we go to we like to try the local alcoholic specialties. We just came from Mexico, so we’re quite sure we had way too much tequila.

What are some of your must have items to bring on tour?

Apart from our laptops, it’s always good to have a nice stash of chocolate to keep you warm on cold, lonely nights. And maybe a good Sandra Bullock video.

What are some of your favorite ways to kill time while on the road?

We basically live off our laptops, so we’re always working on things, which can be worked on from a computer. Usually putting down sketches on abletron, or otherwise watching cat videos on youtube. We spend lots of time on youtube, particularly now that lots of vehicles and airplanes have wifi.

You’ve played a multitude of music festivals from Lovebox to CMJ. Is there a favorite of yours, that the experience you had really makes you want to play a particular festival again?

We had a great time playing Calvi on the Rocks in Corsica. It’s basically a week on people dancing on beaches in the sun. Quite surreal. And of course Fujirock is amazing. We’d love to play there again and spend more time getting lost in the forrest.

How do your fans differ from North America, Australia and Europe?

I think they all have their own quirks. In general all of them are good looking, smell good and are generally quite talented in their respected fields.

Because you do play so many different festivals, clubs and music venues, do you approach a show/set list differently based on the venue?

Yeah. We can go in lots of different directions and can make our sets more dancey, more rocky, or more laid back depending on the mood of the place.

A Fire breaks out on stage and you are only able to save one instrument. What do you save?

Maybe our cheap, old micokorg for sentimental reasons. It’s the only piece of equipment from our first show that we still use. I’m surprised  it still works.

From the time you started out as a band and now with the debut of your second album, social networking has made a huge imprint on society.  Are you fans of Twitter and Facebook? Or do you use them more as a tool to get music out there?

I definitely think they are great tools to get music out there and I enjoy using them to connect to our fans and the like. I personally think you need to be able to keep it under control and not take over your life. I definitely know lots of people who spend way too much time on social media, and then lose productivity in the real world. Just as long as people know how to keep in all in balance.

Who would you like to tour and collaborate with?

I think it would be fun to tour with Beck or Roger Walters. Plus, it would be fun to collaborate with Kate Bush or Steve Martin.

What is next for Midnight Juggernatuts?

When we finally finish this tour we’ll return back to Australia and start recording our next album. I want to keep the momentum while we have these creative forces brewing.

Holler or tweet your congrachoolations to Tame Impala for taking out Album of The Year for their debut Innerspeaker.

The band beat a generous short list of LPs from the likes of Sia, Birds of Tokyo, Bliss N Eso, Cloud Control, Washington, Angus & Julia Stone, Bag Raiders, M-Phazes and Parkway Drive.

Yes, you won’t say no names but some of the above were almost guaranteed to not bag the award after a rather decorated year at the ARIAs.

The new Unearthed Artist of The Year gong went to Boy & Bear, who triumphed over fellow nominees: The Jezabels, Big Scary, Gypsy & The Cat and Stonefield.

Another new accolade - Best Music Video - was awarded to Washington for her 60s chic ‘Sunday Best’ promo. Others on the shortlist were Midnight Juggernauts‘ ‘Lara vs The Savage Pack’, Richard In Your Mind‘s ‘Candelabra’, Grinderman‘s ‘Heathen Child’ and Parades‘ ‘Loserspeak In A New Tongue’.

Footnote:

Check out the J Awards snaps at Melbourne’s Ding Dong Lounge.

Check out the second instalment of the 2011 line up:

Lamb  / Tricky / The Beautiful Girls / Architecture in Helsinki / You Am I / Midnight Juggernauts / Mayer Hawthorne & County / Derrick Carter / Black Mountain / The Like / I Am Kloot / Dixon / Ame  / Ewan Pearson / Mad Professor / Mock & Toof (DFA) / Fort Knox Five / Trus’me / Mark De Clive Lowe / Lorn / Parades / Black Angus & Dangerous Dan (You Only Live Once) / Grace Woodroofe / Rat Vs Possum / King Cannons / Giselle / Electric Empire / Rephrase / Fait Accompli / Andy Bull / Slow Down Honey + more to be announced

Playground Weekender is Thursday 17 – Sunday 20 February at Del Rio Riverside Resort, Wisemans Ferry, NSW, Australia.

So here is the full line up to date:

Doves
Lamb
Tricky
Kool & the Gang
De La Soul
Kate Nash
The Beautiful Girls
Caribou
Architecture in Helsinki
You Am I
Roy Ayers
Midnight Juggernauts
Mayer Hawthorne & County
Derrick Carter
Four Tet
Black Mountain
The Like
I Am Kloot
Tunng
Hungry Kids of Hungary
Norman Jay MBE
Toro Y Moi
Damian Lazarus
Dixon
Belleruche
Tom Middleton
Ame
LTJ Bukem
Ewan Pearson
Mad Professor
Mock & Toof (DFA)
Fort Knox Five
Heidi
Trus’me
Canyons
Djanimals
Mark De Clive Lowe
Lorn
King Tide
Roska
Clive Henry
Parades
Black Angus & Dangerous Dan (You Only Live Once)
Grace Woodroofe
Strange Talk
Rat Vs Possum
King Cannons
James Curd (Greenskeepers)
Giselle
Electric Empire
Rephrase
Meem
Fait Accompli
Andy Bull
Slow Down Honey
+More to be announced.

TICKETS / on sale now

First release 3 day tickets – $199 + b fee
First release 4 day tickets – $219 + b fee
Final release 3 day tickets – $229 + b fee
Final release 4 day tickets – $249 + b fee

Available HERE

ENJOY!!

The Jezabels  ”Hurt Me”

Awesome band I highly recommend any of their EP’S!!!

Midnight Juggernauts “Into the Galaxy”

These guys to me have the perfect 80′s contemporary sound to their music and I love me some 80′s :)

We Are The Scientists “Rules Don’t Stop Me”

This video makes me smile and thats why I like this band, they make me happy :)

The Sleeping “Young Vibes, Don’t Run Away From Me”

In the world of Alternative Rock there is not to much I haven’t heard, but as for the Sleeping it sounds refreshing to me, a good sound.

I Am Alpha And Omega “The War I Wage”

I had to get some metal in this list, these guys are just good as far as metal is concerned.

Callers, Janka Nabay, Buke and Gass, People Get Ready @ (le) poisson rouge

Idlewild, Happy Hollows @ Bowery Ballroom CANCELED

Hank & Cupcakes, Kenan Bell, Biker Daughter @ Brooklyn Bowl

Joanna Newsom @ Carnegie Hall

Diamond Doves, Vandaveer, The Nico Blues, Open Road Love Affair @ The Glasslands

Matthew Dear, Games, Noveller @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

Robbers on High Street, My Cousin, The Emperor, Only Living Boy, Hey Battlefield @ The Bowery Electric

Delta Spirit, Darker My Love, The Fling @ Webster Hall

Idlewild, Happy Hollows @ Bowery Ballroom CANCELED

Free Energy, Foxy Shazam, Hollerado @ Bowery Ballroom

Junip, Lost in the Trees @ Irving Plaza

Delorean, Lemonade, Light Pollution @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

Computer Magic, Hooray For Earth, The Vandelles, Paul and the Patients, Twin Shadow (DJ Set) @ Pianos

Midnight Juggernauts, Bikini, Chappo  @ Bowery Ballroom

Free Energy, Foxy Shazam, Hollerado @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

The So So Glos, The Rassle, Devin Therriault @ Studio at Webster Hall