Bankok Hilton

"All this and more."

So, I screwed up. A week ago, I travelled from Paris to London in the middle of my exams week to see one of my all-time favorite bands, Death From Above 1979, after having waited 6 years for the opportunity. It was kind of a precarious situation time-wise: I had to get to London and back in 16 hours, just before my next exam was supposed to start. I knew I was cutting it close, but it was going to be worth it. So worth it. DFA1979 were the band, after all, who's ferocious and sexually aggressive anthems soundtracked my 'fuck the world' teenage years. (I was only 15 and hating everyone when You're A Woman, I'm A Machine was released.) The good news is, I made all of my trains and aced my tests. The bad news is: even though I had made it across the channel, and had been in London for a good 3 hours prior…I still somehow managed to miss the show.

Bankok Hilton (Feat. Sebastien Grainger) - Knight Stalker


And now? Now I can't even listen to DFA1979. What started as a simple miscalculation of to-the-gig-travel-time has become the ultimate 'you idiot' moment of recent memory, and I'm so miffed by the whole situation (SIX YEARS) that I find myself as-of-yet unable to play DFA1979, my ultimate beat-things-up music, for fear of becoming even more frustrated. But, there's hope. This hope comes in the form of a band called Knight Stalker, a trio based out of Los Angeles. They've been mailing me songs for months and I've rudely been ignoring them, until the other day I noticed a song in my library of theirs which claimed to feature vocals by Sebastien Grainger, the legend. Unable to listen to DFA, but still craving that croon, I swallowed my pride and put it on. Good choice. Bankok Hilton [sic] is a fuzzy piece of dark disco; sleazy yet dangerously sexy, indeed much akin to Thai hookers. This isn't music for beating things up, but damn is it good. I still haven't tried listening to DFA yet, but with this I'm totally ok for the time being.

In addition to collaborations, Knight Stalker also have a slew of impressive original work, encompassing a wide range of styles from lo-fi rock to house-influenced electro. Be sure to check out their funky, filtered piece of dancefloor heaven, We Don't Care.

We Don't Care - Knight Stalker

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Cold War

"This is a cold war, do you know what you're fighting for?"

Photo Credit Nick Waplington

I only found out about Janelle Monáe a few weeks ago, but already I want to shout from the rooftops:
"THIS IS THE FUTURE OF POP MUSIC!"

Janelle sounds like the lovechild of Andre 3000 and Dionne Warwick, with style that rivals Kanye. Her music is fresh, innovative, and insanely catchy. She seamlessly blends influences ranging from funk to R&B to classic rock to electronica, never settling on a specific style, but rather creating a sound all her own. Oh, and did I mention she's on Diddy's label?

Two weeks ago she released a new concept album, ArchAndroid. It's fantastic.
Here's my favorite song from the album thus far:

Click to Download: Cold War-Janelle Monae


Bonus:
And now for something completely different, here's the first song entitled "Cold War" that I ever loved. This gritty lament on a failing relationship perfectly embodies Death From Above 1979's unique sound, which combines the best elements of punk, dance, hardcore, and beating the shit out of a drumset.

Click to Download: Cold War-Death From Above 1979

If you've ever heard DFA1979, you already know that they are one of the greatest post-punk bands of our generation (perhaps of all time). If you haven't heard them, well, shame on you. Unfortunately, they broke up years ago after their first LP, but are survived by member Jesse F. Keeler's little side project, MSTRKRFT.