Introducing: Alpines

October 31st, 2010 • News

South London based Alpines are the new-ish project of former solo artist Catherine Pockson, and Bob Matthews, previously of indie bands such as Right Turn Left and Blue Screen Life (RIP). As far as we can see, the duo started making dark and mysterious electro-pop some time earlier this year, and judging by the demos currently available online, the results are nothing less than impressive.

Intentional or not, their sound is remarkably ‘current’, and should have no problem sitting in the Hype Machine charts or being pigeon-holed alongside the likes of Mercury Prize victors The xx, Zola Jesus and La Roux. Musically, the tracks are spacious and are based around Pockson’s arresting vocals, which are as head turning as the first time we hear Florence The Machine’s ‘Kiss With A Fist’ or La Roux’s ‘Quicksand’. Most importantly, the songs have hooks sturdy enough to be timeless, and should keep punters interested after the spotlight moves elsewhere and it’s decided by the taste-makers that we should all be listening to something else completely.

It’s perhaps unsurprising then that Alpines have very recently signed a major deal with Polydor, which should mean we’ll be seeing plenty more of them in 2011. Indeed, we don’t imagine it’ll be long before they’re adorning billboards on your local A road, as well as life size posters at busy Tube stations. Before all that though, you can get ahead of the game and download ‘Survival’ for free from their Bandcamp page.

Tags: Alpines, Bob Matthews, Catherine Pockson, Electro pop, Polydor, Survival

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Article source: http://laissezfaireclub.com/2010/10/introducing-alpines/

The Chaotic Good Release Debut EP ‘Synesthetic’ on RethinkPopMusic

The Chaotic Good will be releasing their debut EP titled Synesthetic on RethinkPopMusic on 10/30/10.  The EP can be downloaded for free at www.thechaoticgood.com.

The Chaotic Good, formed by Jake Carpenter out of Lexington, KY in early 2010 is rapidly becoming a household name in the world of electronic music. TCG have produced over a dozen remixes and have consistently been at the top of the Hype Machine charts. TCG have won multiple remix competitions, including the Dim Mak/Heineken remix challenge and have spun with acts such as DJ Jazzy Jeff, The Cool Kids, Le Castle Vania, Twelves and D.I.M. TCG are currently playing shows across the country with monthly showcases in New York City, Chicago, Lexington, Louisville, and St. Louis. Touring with an 8 foot tall, 600 pound robotic statue, its obvious to the audience when TCG are in the building. The Chaotic Good was featured on Myspace music and Heineken’s websites in September and will be featured in Computer Music magazine in early 2011.

Sign up for their mailing list to receive up to the minute touring info and exclusive remixes.

The Synesthetic Tour

The Chaotic Good | Promote Your Page Too

LFC002: The Collectable Few – ‘Headstrong’

October 21st, 2010 • News

We are delighted to announce the signing of The Collectable Few to Laissez Faire Club Records. They’ll join Ice Black Birds on our roster, something we hope to expand considerably in the new year.

Their debut single, ‘Headstrong’, will be released through LFC on Monday 24 January. It’ll be available on limited edition 7″ vinyl (300 copies) from all the usual stockists, and you’ll also be able to download it from iTunes and other reputable digital outlets. Produced and recorded in London and mixed in NYC by Andrew Maury (Ra Ra Riot, Kisses, The Static Jacks), it’ll be backed by an RAC Maury remix of the same track.

We’ve worked with the band on several occasions in the past, and always felt their modern, catchy take on the best post punk / new wave bands of the 1980s deserved a much wider audience. We’re convinced this single, which is a follow up to their self-released debut EP Half The Night and contains quite possibly their biggest chorus to date, will open the door to much bigger things in 2011.

Whilst we’re busy getting everything in place for the release, have a listen to ‘Promises’ from the debut EP:

The Collectable Few – Promises by Laissez Faire Club

Tags: Andrew Maury, Half The Night, Headstrong, LAISSEZ FAIRE CLUB, LFC002, RAC, The Collectable Few

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Article source: http://laissezfaireclub.com/2010/10/lfc002-the-collectable-few-headstrong/

Brooklyn Based interviews Not Blood, Paint… kinda

Receiving Transmissions with Not Blood Paint

My evening with Not Blood Paint was honestly unlike any experience I’ve ever had before, or am likely to have in the future.

Not Blood Paint, called the band “most likely to start a cult” by FREE Williamsburg, is four adventurous men who are often found in skirts and glitter: George Frye, Mark Jaynes, Seth Miller, and Joe Stratton. Their music is a stunning combination of tight harmonies, complex rhythms, and a heavy dose of fun.

After a succession of emails, I made plans to meet the boys at Saint’s Alp Tearoom in Williamsburg, which fit their request for a place where they would be out of their comfort zone. Recalling their sweat-soaked extravaganza of a show at the Loom in June, I somehow couldn’t picture them sipping cups of bubble tea.

But at 10 PM, their desired witching hour, I was not greeted by the members of the band. I sat alone at a table for five and waited. At 10:07, a grimy gentleman came through the door, holding a manila envelope. A manila envelope with my name on it.

Inside was a letter, which began, “We apologize, but Not Blood Paint has left the space-time continuum and is unable to attend the interview as such.” It went on to inform me that due to an attempt at manipulating orgone energy, the members of Not Blood Paint had left the perceivable plane. In their stead, they would be sending representatives to meet with me.

Five minutes later, the representatives arrived: in white shirts, dark leggings, and dark overcoats, they were a solemn and impressive bunch. They sat down with me, we ordered five teas (three fruity black peach black teas, and two fruity passion fruit green tea), and the interview began. Naturally, they introduced themselves as George, Mark, Seth, and Joe, and assured me that they were equipped to answer my questions.

We had just completed a warm up lightning round (zebras or leopards? – they all chose leopards), when an alarm went off, and before I really realized what was going on, we were all running outside. I realized that I was no longer an interviewer, and but rather the audience for whatever scheme was about to unfold before my eyes.

On Bedford Avenue, in the rain, the representatives of Not Blood Paint took out a toolkit that included what looked like mini light sabers and a spray bottle, and attempted, somewhat successfully, to receive a message from the true members of Not Blood Paint. This mission was repeated several times throughout our conversation: the message took the form of a string of numbers that the representatives promised me was the return date of the band.

We discussed high school superlatives (the representative for Joe is most likely to be angry), their pending Halloween costumes (they’re planning to dress up as themselves), and the recipe for creating a Not Blood Paint show (any number of ingredients were offered as options, including baking soda, vinegar, glitter, and fire). We swapped bubble tea for beer when it became clear that the patrons of Saint’s Alp were less than thrilled with our entrances and exits. The grimy gentleman who had delivered the initial letter paid our bill.

Not Blood Paint defies lineage. They’ve had a MySpace music profile since June 2008 and a steady stream of shows since then. But they’re as much of a strategy as they are a band. The representative for Seth summed it up in a few words as “the New Suits” concept. The band members are constantly putting on new suits (literally and metaphorically) as an attempt to access different ways of looking at the world around them and interacting with their own music. To say that they never put on the same show twice is perhaps the understatement of the year. I’m not even sure I could recognize them out of makeup.

Our evening together resolved itself with an interpretation of the message: 10-21-10, N. 7 and Bedford, 00 o’clock – fear not, music lovers. The true members of Not Blood Paint are due to arrive just in time for their next show. I’ll certainly drink to that.

A few days later, I received an invitation to a hypnosis session at NBP headquarters. I wasn’t able to attend, but I look forward to seeing the results on Thursday night. With or without hypnosis, I’m mesmerized by this band.

Not Blood Paint @ CMJ
Spike Hill, 184 Bedford Avenue, Williamsburg
Thursday, October 21, 12 AM. Free!
Prepare for hypnosis, disguises, and sweat.

Chloë Bass is not a music journalist, but she loves adventures.

Unparalleled Lyricist Eyedea Found Dead

In the past 18 months it seems we have lost a abnormally large number of indie musicians across the genre board. Whether its the struggles of being on the cusp of stardom that leads to suicide or the pressures of being a struggling musician that leads to escape through narcotics and almost inevitable overdose, it’s all equally heartbreaking. While the investigation into Eyedea’s death is ongoing, the intention of this blog post is not to speculate, but rather feature the work of one of Rhymesayer’s best.