Sensual Harrasment

Today's new band are Sensual Harrasment.

Sounding like an East Coast !!!, Sensual Harrasment are more Daft Punk than Dance-Punk, but this Brooklyn "Reptilian Humanoid Alliance" have hit on something pretty darn good.

Touching points may also include the Presets and their Australian cousins Midnight Juggernaughts, in the way its all synth melodies and softly spoken vocals. There's a hint of Miami Vice nostalgia, but it doesn't quite overpower just yet, at least on the tracks availiable: "Soldier" and "Daddy Long Legs".

Enjoy the latter track below.

The Unpronounceables

As none of you may know, I co-host a two-hour long radio show on an Internet station that no one ever listens to, that also happens to be part of the university where I am "studying". Although most of the time we try and play fairly radio-friendly mainstream-ish stuff, it did make me wonder about the pronunciation of certain band names, who seem to have made a conscious decision to not be able to be said on the radio.

I mean, obviously you can't swear. At all. Not even after 9pm really. So SHITDISCO and HOLY FUCK are out. As is ANAL CUNT, but that does without saying. Which is lucky because we aren't allowed to.

But, !!!, at least, when I first heard about them, were completely unpronounceable. Although now I know them as CHKCHKCHK as opposed to "that band that is spelt with 3 exclamation marks", technically speaking that isn't really right either. According to their website "!!! is pronounced by repeating thrice any monosyllabic sound. Chk Chk Chk is the most common pronunciation, but they could just as easily be called Pow Pow Pow, Bam Bam Bam, Uh Uh Uh, etc". Riiiight.

In similar confusion, recent hype band MGMT, referred to most as their abbreviation suggests (i.e. emm gee emm tee), they used to be known as "The Management" and are still occasionally referred to as much by, well, me, in the same way that MSTRKRFT or that Primal Scream album XTRMNTR are spelt without vowels like a garbled text message from your 13 year old cousin.

Another petty annoyance is the pronunciation of toytronica duo PSAPP. Pronouncing it wrong makes it sound like the sound of a bottle of lemonade opening. Protip: drop the first and last letters.

But while these band's confusing names are somewhat self-inflicted, probably to confuse those "out of the loop", for some bands, their foreign names can be a problem. Case in point, absolutely awesome "slow-motion rock band" SIGUR ROS is more than often pronounced in the very English corruption "Sigger Ross", whereas in reality the pronunciation is closer to "See your rose". Their compatriots MUM are also pronounced differently . (actually "moom")

But I haven't got a clue how on earth to pronounce LES SAVY FAV.

COMING SOON: something more interesting.

This year's "......." pt.2

Does It Offend You, Yeah? bridge the gap that you never knew existed between the dance-punk of !!! and Death From Above 1979 and straight dance and electro house of Daft Punk and Digitalism. Think Holy Fuck, but slightly more rehearsed. Although I have to admit, what first attracted me is their sampling of Japanese cult classic film Battle Royale on their song of the same name.

They make this section due to the apparent comparison of them being "this year's Klaxons", or somewhat unfairly, "the Hadouken of 2008". Nevertheless, this Reading four-piece boast both the tunes and the remix talent and should release their debut album on Virgin before the year is finished.

Get a free mp3 of "Let's Make Out" by signing up to their mailing list here.

UPDATE: 15/01/08 - Their debut album You Have No Idea What You Are Getting Yourself Into is set to be released on March 17th. Details here

Favourite 10 Albums of 2007 (5-1)

5:

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
For any band, the second album is always going to be difficult. For the Arcade Fire, following the amazing Funeral would seem to be an impossible task. However, they did what they do best; converting an abandoned church into rehearsal space and recording studio, experimenting with new techniques and new instruments and slightly refining their sound into something much more mystical and ethereal.
From storming opener "Black Mirror" its clear to see this will never be the "difficult second album" that their British indie contemporaries almost always fall victim to.
Release Date: 05/03/2007
Favourite Track: "My Body Is A Cage"

4:


!!! - Myth Takes
Fresh from supporting Red Hot Chili Peppers on their UK Tour, this almost unpronouncable dance-punk collective released arguably their best album to date. More complete than both their eponymous debut and their sophomore effort, Louden Up Now, the band, despite the tragic death of original drummer Mikel Gius, and the subsequent line-up changes, have matured and perfected their cacophony of sound. Unlike many of their peers, they are also able to back up great recordings with a great live show.
Release Date: 05/03/2007
Favourite Track: Bend Over Beethoven

3:


LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
LCD Soundsystem, the group revolving around DFA Records boss and producer, James Murphy, released something quite special with their dance-punk self-titled debut, and manage what few others do in creating a follow-up: making it even better. Where the debut had gratuitiously overlong tracks, and therefore an album that was difficult to listen to in one sitting, Sound Of Silver has relative nuggets of crossover genius. Lead single "North American Scum", their self-effacing anthem on their home country is easily as good, if not better than the best parts of LCD Soundsystem. And its all better from there on in.
Release Date: 12/03/2007
Favourite Track: All My Friends

2:


Damon Albarn, Paul Simonon, Tony Allen & Simon Tong - The Good, The Bad & The Queen
Had it not been the inclusion of a certain Radiohead album (see below), then I could not have justified not having this as my number one. The supergroup's album, touted as "the natural successor to Parklife", is much easier to compare with the darker moments of Gorillaz' Demon Days rather than heyday of Britpop. However, the common themes that are apparent do, of course, share Albarn's intelligent and witty observations, and run through the album like a stick of rock. This, and more such projects planned would seem to sadly, reduce any chance of a Blur reunion, but if Damon Albarn can keep making music as good as this, I don't think many would mind.
Release Date: 22/01/2007
Favourite Track: Three Changes

1:


Radiohead - In Rainbows
Although rumours of Radiohead's ungracious departure from former label EMI (it has been recently claimed that they simply wouldn't meet their pay demands) have recently shed some more light on the motives of this album's unique pay-what-you-like release, when it comes down to whats important, Thom Yorke haven't quite shot up their own collective arse just yet. Being Radiohead, of course, it is not instantly comparable to any of their other albums, but instead achieves the great feat of being an almost retrospective appraisal of their previous work, as well as being something brand new and still relevant today. While "Nude" is an older song dating back from the days of OK Computer, and "Jigsaw Falling into Place" is a song newer than my last haircut, they both fit well in an album almost as complete as my personal favourite, Kid A. While I am still not sure where exactly I'd place this amongst the discography, it is nevertheless, regardless of the massive hype surrounding its release, an extraordinary album.
Release Date: 10/10/2007 (Download) 31/12/2007 (CD)
Favourite Track: 15 Step