Last summer we put on one of Clock Opera‘s first-ever live shows opening for Marina & The Diamonds at a birthday party we threw at Notting Hill Arts Club. They killed it, and though we’d only heard bits and pieces from them to that point, you could tell there was something really special in Clock mastermind Guy Connelly’s one-of-a-kind approach to pop songwriting. We’d just released Marina’s Crown Jewels EP at that point and had the remix parts for “I Am Not A Robot” chilling on our hard drive and figured he could do something magical with them, so we broached the idea to him, he seemed up for it, and we passed them his way. Four months passed and we pretty much forgot about it, and then one day in late November he got in touch to say he’d finished the remix and sent it over to us. It was worth the wait.
Simply put, this is our favorite remix of all time. It’s no secret we’ve got a penchant for hyperbole in these here pages, but after nearly six months of living with this remix we can honestly say that this is a once in a lifetime kind of track, a veritable holy grail of emotional pop perfection. “I Am Not A Robot” was already a masterful pop song in it’s own right, but the Clock Opera remix takes it above and beyond, to soaring new heights of heartwrenching brilliance. Keeping the blueprint of the original verses more or less intact, Clock draws you in with all manner of pulsing strings samples and dramatic piano stabs until that chorus hits, in which Connelly masterfully splices together Marina’s vocals to invent a new vocal melody and an altogether new refrain of “our. love’s. fading. our. love’s. fading.”. Forget tugging, this’ll rip your heartstrings straight out of your chest and then some. Trust us, it really doesn’t get any better than this.
“Proverbs often contradict one another, as any reader soon discovers. The sagacity that advises us to look before we leap promptly warns us that if we hesitate we are lost; that absence makes the heart grow fonder, but out of sight, out of mind.” – Leo Rosten
Beach House released an EP for their hit single “Zebra” off their acclaimed 2010 album Teen Dream. The Baltimore duo has gained widespread attention for their addictive dreamy indie pop sound and this undeniably catchy single. The single features 4 tracks in all and was a limited Record Store Day-exclusive from Sub Pop so you’ll have to search the interwebs for it now. Check out a remix:
Speaking of dark bands doing light mixes, on Wednesday this mix from San Fran’s oOoOO started making the rounds. Actual Pain is a clothing label from Seattle. I don’t know what connection the two have but Actual Pain does have a pretty interesting site. Check the mixtapes section.
Accompanying an excellent cover this mix is heavy on disco-y 80s rnb, the type of music that Nite Jewel has been putting out. Though oOoOO original “Hearts” has been around for a while it makes an official debut on this mix and really makes sense within the context of this mix. You can make distinct connections between the newer oOoOO sound and the sounds showcased here.
Fresh off the decks is a new mix from night crawler trio Salem. Perhaps the first chopped and screwed mix featuring rave hits?? I found this over at Dis Magazine. There is no tracklist, drop the names of the tracks you recognize in the comments… The second track is “Better Off Alone” by Alice DJ. The last track is “Forever Young” and is definitely the highlight. A classic brought to a syrupy speed…
One of my favorite songs from last year finally gets a video. I saw Best Coast at SXSW, it was less than exciting but I’m hoping the full length builds on the better parts of their small but great catalog.
I wrote about one of the tracks on the upcoming Ariel Pink album a few weeks back. The album is still growing, it’s an odd one, but it is also very intriguing because there are parts that are so straight forward that they grab you then dissipate and sink back into washes of 70’s am radio fuzz.
Last summer we put on one of Clock Opera‘s first-ever live shows opening for Marina & The Diamonds at a birthday party we threw at Notting Hill Arts Club. They killed it, and though we’d only heard bits and pieces from them to that point, you could tell there was something really special in Clock mastermind Guy Connelly’s one-of-a-kind approach to pop songwriting. We’d just released Marina’s Crown Jewels EP at that point and had the remix parts for “I Am Not A Robot” chilling on our hard drive and figured he could do something magical with them, so we broached the idea to him, he seemed up for it, and we passed them his way. Four months passed and we pretty much forgot about it, and then one day in late November he got in touch to say he’d finished the remix and sent it over to us. It was worth the wait.
