Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Music The Week in Fresh Tracks [Mikky Ekko, Useless Eaters, Wild Cub, What Up English, Birdcloud, Bad Cop]
Posted by D. Patrick Rodgers on Wed, Jul 18, 2012 at 5:25 PM
Mikky Ekko, "We Must Be Killers"
You might say that local singer-songwriter Mikky Ekko lands somewhere between Jeff Buckley and, let's say, Gotye on the heartfelt-ballad-with-electro-flourishes scale. Ekko has called himself "post-pop" in the past, and his brand-new tune, "We Must Be Killers," displays the sort of electro and post-rocky influence (Radiohead, Bjork, Sigur Ros, et al.) that you could probably, if you wanted to, call "post-pop." Dramatic vocals, grandiose and expansive arrangements. Stream it above or via Mikky Ekko's Soundcloud page.
Useless Eaters, Black Night Ultraviolet EP
In a recent WIFT, we shared with you "Malfunction" from Useless Eaters' forthcoming EP, Black Night Ultraviolet. Even though the EP won't be out until July 31, the Eaters — fronted by Seth Sutton — are now streaming all four tracks. As I recently noted, Sutton & Co. make nervy, Britpunk-inspired, attitude-drenched rock 'n' roll, but the title track (my favorite of the four) is a little more laid-back and post-punky than a lot of UE's material. Stream Black Night Ultraviolet above or via Useless Eaters' Bandcamp page.
Wild Cub, Summer Sampler
When I first heard the tune "Thunder Clatter," it was as a Keegan DeWitt tune. Well, DeWitt fronts local dancey electro-pop outfit Wild Cub, and "Clatter" is included on the Cub's summer sampler. It's a good tune, and like the other four tracks shared on WC's sampler, it's bright, upbeat pop with strong melodies and smart instrumentation. It's like if grimy, electro-leaning rock outfits like Pnau, Empire of the Sun and Cherub were nice and clean — you know, if they showered regularly and had haircuts that wouldn't weird your mom out. Their full record will be out Aug. 14, but you can stream the sampler above or at Wild Cub's Soundcloud page.
What Up English, "Toes"
If you saw Intern Wrenne's post about Sunday School at Exit/In, then you know about local dance-popsters What Up English's video for "Toes." I have to say, for a crew of dudes who are all 18 (or thereabouts, anyway), it's an impressively sophisticated little pop number. Anyway, you can now stream "Toes" above, or buy it for a price of your choosing over at What Up English's Bandcamp page.
Birdcloud, "Silent Night"
So joke-along lady-folk duo Birdcloud covered "Silent Night." Yes, that "Silent Night." Sigh. "Seep in hebbenly pee," et cetera. Hear it above or at Birdcloud's Soundcloud page.
Bad Cop, "Wet Lips"
And you've already seen Bad Cop's video for "Wet Lips," but you can now get it in MP3 form, thanks to Spinner being psyched on the Cop. It's wild, sloppy, lascivious ("Right between the thighs," et cetera), garage-bred rock 'n' roll, and you can download it above.
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