You know what sucks? Being underwear-bound at your laptop because your face-hair trimmer lost charge midway through it’s duty so you cant shower or go out. You know what is great? Remixes and beer! What happens when you put them all together?
you’re still very young and we only just started having fun♫ Dragonette – Pick Up The Phone
Dragonette’s 2007 debut, Galore, was one of those albums that I was fully ready to like but just never hooked me. It felt like they were trying to hard at the electro-pop game but were missing something. Whatever was missing, we had a taste of back in May when their “comeback single” Fixin To Thrill” dropped. Had little Dragonette finally grown up? The song was a huge, hook-laden rock-fest with big claims, but was it all bombast? Would the other tracks match up? 2nd single, “Pick Up The Phone,” (video here) kicks some big cracks in that worry, even topping “Fixin” in my book, getting stuck in my head in a great way. Yesterday Australia and Canada got the full Fixin To Thrill LP and it’s high time to take a look at the goods. I just finished my second spin through it and this stuff is no joke. It’s that mix of bounce, synth, big riffs, and perfect vocals that just get my goose. If the first 2 singles haven’t got you hyped then peep this late-album favorite of mine.
“Okay Delore” is like “Hey Mickey” only without the overplayed baggage and Wayne’s World connotations. Dragonette has truly outdone themselves with Fixin To Thrill. This is looking to be a favorite album of the year. Or at least October.
Less talk, more rock. You know what to do.
Oh boy, it’s straight raining magic over at TBE headquarters. I’ve thrown in a couple sweet covers to balance out the remix madness. Good luck…
While I never fell in love with Dragonette’s debut LP Galore, I always appreciated their vibe and did get hooked on a few tracks. I guess I always felt they had huge potential that they weren’t fully realizing. Judging by their new single’s energy and title, it seems they have stepped up their game and I could be in for a pleasant surprise. And by I, I mean WE. “Marvellous” (below) is my favorite track from their debut so get on that. And don’t forget their response to Calvin Harris.
Bury your face in MySpace
Calvin Harris – I’m Not Alone (Radio Edit)
So Calvin Harris has dropped his new single and it has him taking a huge departure from the throwback dance pop of I Created Disco. I was taken aback at first but this song has really grown on me. I will definitely be dancing my ass off to this in the club but I don’t know if it will get the same at-home/in-car play that his debut got. “I’m Not Alone” is a great track but this dance-floor stuff is well-worn territory. I look forward to seeing where else Calvin takes us on his sophomore effort (due later this year) but I hope the rest of the album shakes things up a bit.
In honor of big Calvy-Calv we have a few different takes on his dude-anthem “The Girls.” First off Dragonette serves up a cover that does a little gender bending and even throws in a shout out to The Calvinator himself. Besides female vocals the cover is pretty straightforward save for a few new lyrics and a weirdly “Where’s Your Head At?“-esque chant at the end. (Anyone else but me hear that?)
You might rmember Mick Boogie from his Adele 1988 project I featured a few weeks ago. Well he recently teamed up with Terry Urban for 2009: The Grammy Remix Project. They explain it best:
Ever wonder how Kanye would sound rapping on Kenna’s song? Â What if The Jonas Brothers sang over some hiphop breakbeats? Â What if Thom Yorke sang on Lupe’s “Superstar?” Â What if Sara Bareilles bought a sampler and not a piano? Â The list goes on… but the answers can be found here.
Read more on the project and get the full tracklist here. I reccomend downloading the full mixtape (torrent). While not a remix-revelation it’s a fun experiment for any kind of music fan.
Katy Perry: I Kissed A Girl (Excel Remix)
So if you didn’t already think you were sick of “The Girls” or “I Kissed I Girl” then I bet you are now, huh? The real question is which one gets old faster?
UPDATE: apparently the zshare link expired and I could find no alternate so I replaced it with a torrent link. If you don’t use torrents this is a good time to start :) I recommend Transmission.
Calvin Haris on MySpace