The Weekly Froth! A weekly take on six tracks, most of which have recently popped up somewhere in the blogosphere. Bit of a mixed bag with a slight leaning towards house, disco, and remixes, but generally just anything that for some reason tickled the writer’s fancy.

Track of the Week: ‘Casualty’ by Pional

First we hear sirens, the sounds of the urban city, and then a drum to dictate the pace. And, almost church like singing, but not necessarily the angelic kind. We get more percussion sounds, going slightly tribal even, to intersperse that with both the vocals and some synth play. Then, in the background, more piano and synth sounds, though the rhythm is all percussion based. The vocals are singing Welcome to the paradise, before Pional again finds that balance between the darker rhythm sounds and the more heavenly atmospherics. I love the layering of the vocals, that definitely adds something to the proceedings here. Near the end the main rhythm is still there, but the synths have slowly taken over to draw this one to a close. Apparently a cut from an upcoming album, to be released near the end of this month, and if this is anything to go by then that’s going to be one well worth checking out.

‘Sfire3’ by Sfire (John Talabot’s Tribalist rework)

That tribal vibe is what you get from the get go, with that typical percussion rhythm that marks it like that. In the background you hear this real atmospheric, a bit ominous, a bit melancholic sound just floating on through, giving this track a certain load that sets it apart from your every day fare. Then, the police sirens as well, in keeping with the mood created as those synths get more and more up front. Around the two minute mark Talabot dials the beat down a bit, adding the vocals, sliding the beat underneath them a few seconds later. The vocals are ghostly, definitely in keeping with the vibe of the instruments playing. At 3:40, the synth is moved away for a minute, putting more emphasis on the sirens wailing and the rhythm synth that has joined the percussion in the mean time. The structure for this track is lovely, and the way they create the mood but all the while keep the momentum for the dancefloor going as well is just ace. Yet more evidence Talabot is just one of the better players out there for my money’s worth.

‘Shine (This is It)’ by Soul Clap feat. Nona Hendryx (Dimitri From Paris & DJ Rocca Erodiscomix)

Dimitri from Paris & DJ Rocca know how to get that discotheque a rockin’, taking on new Soul Clap release with the piano, the bird sounds (…), but most of all that disco bass and beat to shake them hips to.  The piano gets a bit of solo time after the minute mark, soon helped out by a bass sound before the percussion comes in to provide some extra rhythm before the drum beat gets back. I don’t know how they always do it, but it just sound so festive and joyous, giving you that entire party mood with all those sounds that make it feel just fun. Plus they know how to keep it going, for instance with the second break with mainly the piano, this time there is a secondary sound that wasn’t there the first time. Just changing it up a little, you know? Then there is a period with primarily bass, but soon the piano rhythm is back for that lighter party touch. And, just a moment later, everything is thrown back in there, for that full discotheque delight. If you want to get that party vibe going, this is one of those Erodisco things that you can’t go wrong with for fun times to be had by all. And especially when nearing that end, when the horns come in, as who can resist, really?

‘You’ve Got A Hard Head’ by Johnny Guitar Watson (Ronny Hammond Break-A-Leg Edit)

I love the funky way this one starts, immediately getting that little riff going before we get a male voice saying Wait a minute, wait a minute, but of course we will not as the boogie is already well on its way with the guitar riffing it up. The male voice then starts to talk about the origins of the track, the species, and everything, though it’s that electric gui-tar that does most of the talking with, underneath, the rhythm pushing this one forward with exactly the right amount of pace. At 1:40, that pace gets a slight bump, and at 2:14 the horns came in to add some more funk flavourings in there. At 3:20 they’re called in for a minute, the track going back to its starting roots with a minimal beat and the guitar riff looped on top of it, though that guitar is let loose a little while later, bringing us that blues solo stuff right there. Ronny Hammond has delivered a fab track build around that guitar, but giving it slightly different slants with, for instance, the horns coming in, or the occasional vocals. 7 1/2 minute to love that guitar baby.

‘Oh What A Night’ by Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons (Alkalino rework)

Alkalino brings in some insistent drums to help out this classic cut from the years of yore. That instantly recognisably piano (slightly sped up I reckon) soon comes in, so you know what you’re in for. First though, we get some wobbly instruments taking a stab at the main riff of the track, but quickly Frankie Valli comes in with the piano backing him up. The next time through the guitar rears his head as well, as Frankie Valli sings Oh what a lady, what a night. Sometimes the boys in the back come in to repeat the title track as well, as in the mean time the main instruments get looped until about 2:30, where we get the horns interlude. Alkalino brings what you want here, with all the goodness of the original, and plenty of it, but in the mean time also suited to get some dancing done in the modern times. Just lovely fun, this edit of one of those tracks.

‘Dear Tommy’ by The Chromatics

This one starts with some sad piano stabs and a pretty deep drum sound, over which the autotune vocals come in, saying Dear Tommy, if I could hold you in my arms, an expression of longing for something that has, ostensibly, sailed by. Then the synths and bass sound come in, picking up the pace, though the slow, deep drum still is the one that anchors the defense here. It is, by all accounts, more menacing than dreamy, more anger hiding in sadness than the dreams that can come out the longing. And, as always, perfectly soundtracked by the instrumentals that the band comes up with. I was binge watching Twin Peaks the other night, and had to think of The Chromatics and their sound while watching. Nothing in this track has done anything to untie that connection in my mind. Can’t wait for a new album from their hand, though going off this track we might be talking to the ghosts that haunt instead of those showing a future that might be.

The Weekly Froth! A weekly take on six tracks, most of which have recently popped up somewhere in the blogosphere. Bit of a mixed bag with a slight leaning towards house, disco, and remixes, but generally just anything that for some reason tickled the writer’s fancy.

Track of the week: ‘We Know How To Work It’ by Ron Basejam feat. Danielle Moore

Ron Basejam gets the rhythm working from the get go with the percussion, and a bit later you get a nice rhythm synth in there to complete this dancefloor feel. Shortly after the male vocals come in, telling us that they know How to work it. And a bit of bass, like that one that comes in a bit later, sure helps with working it on the dancefloor. At about 1:40 we hear Danielle Moore for the first time, a singer that Basejam has worked with before and who kind of fits the R&B kind of style this slow burning house tune has. There’s a nice little change of pace at about 2:30, seeing a nice little beat come in along with Moore actually doing some singing this time around. She gets some help from the male backing vocals, still telling us that they know how to work it, and I’m sure people on the dancefloor will eagerly follow their lead. Especially when, as a finishing touch, there’s also a little bit of guitar thrown in there as well. It’s easy on the ear, catchy, and just the right pace to get the dancefloor shaking their hips to with this R&B flavoured house track.

‘White Light’ by Shura

This one starts real urban cold like, with what I gather to be some city street noises (or perhaps it is just noise, but that is the connotation I get from it) accompanying a lonely piano. Don’t be fooled though, about a minute in the track shows its true colours (they come shining through), with a disco-lite R&B rhythm keeping this one danceable and rhythmic, as Shura does her thing on top of it. The chorus is pretty big, with Shura’s dreamy vocals being juxtaposed by the almost pop brashness of it. At about 3:20 the track slides from the chorus into a percussion heavy kind of bridge that eventually leads up to another chorus. The track lets us get our breath back a bit around the five minute mark, where it dials it all down to let some of the instruments create some atmosphere before it goes back to the catchy, dancey popness of before, this time in the shape of a proper jam out with guitars, drums, and all that jazz. A lovely, seven minute behemoth that combines quite silent moments with those that make you want to dance in the sunlight.

‘Reach’ by Jasper Street Company (Kenny Carpenter & Dimitri From Paris remix)

Dimitri From Paris takes us to church, starting with some organ and major gospel singing as he takes an older Kenny Carpenter edit of this tune and makes it this slice of Dimitri disco that I, for one, love. The first minute introduces us to the gospel, and after that the piano and horns come in first, and then the aforementioned piano gets its little moment after the break to slide this one into a verse, with the female vocals singing that you have to Use what you’ve got, to get what you want. Though, admittedly, the line after (that His light is shining through) makes that way less sexual than any disco connotation I usually can come up with for a line like that. No denying the major vocal work that this company/choir is laying out there though, with some nifty piano playing and handclap sounds to keep this one flowing (and the organ to keep this one in the church). Just before the five minute mark the spirit enters the building, with Dimitri upping the pace with a drumkick and handclaps to keep up with the male vocals doing the works. After that he eases it back down a bit again with the piano. If you like yourself a bit of gospel house, this is an all-out, no bars hold example of that.

‘I Can’t Dance’ by Wayward

The image accompanying this track on soundcloud shows some serious diva vogueness, so that sure heightens the expectations here. And, with some piano and deep vocals, it delivers a short, fast-paced burst of it. The male vocals say that You broke my heart, because I couldn’t dance, and you didn’t even want me around. But the man apparently took some classes, practiced some in front of the mirror, and now is back to proof them all wrong. The drum certainly makes this an easy track to show them how wrong they were, having this house vibe going on. The piano certainly helps to create the right mood as well, and some of the auxiliary sounds round it all out. Near the end the bass comes in too for that extra bit of oomph just before closing time. The track is taken from the lads second EP called Embroider, which will be released in not too long.

‘The Ruined Map’ by CFCF

If you like yourself a bit of atmospherical music that is expertly crafted, than young fella CFCF and his next album is the place to be. He’s got a real good ear for tone, and in this little, very minimal track he once again manages to display this quality. It has perhaps a singer-songwriter feel to it, moreso than his previous output I find. It leans heavily on the dreamy vocals and the acoustic guitar, but the way it distances itself from the crowd is the piano and other assorted sounds that lie beneath that surface. That is what really creates this sense of mood (just listen to how the song subtly shifts between 2:10 and 2:30), and what makes it such a joy to listen to. Again, it’s a short one this, but despite its short lifespan certainly manages to get me excited for that summer album that’s coming up.

‘Backchat’ by The Revenge

The Revenge makes sure this one hits home from the start, coming up with this hard beat to make himself perfectly clear. It takes a while, about up to the minute mark, for the song to break lose from the iron grip of the beat, and it does so with a bit of bass action. The way he slides this track into what it eventually becomes is pretty stellar, it is so natural how this one progresses, and not with the “here’s another instrument half a minute later” that is so often used (or maybe he uses it here as well, but then he hides it better). He makes good use of volume to build momentum, and there are some moments that he uses to add a bit of oomph. Repetition and the way he slowly adds a low volume new sound to the main element he is repeating, that’s one of the keys here. Plus how he glides some disco/jazzy sounds in there after the three minute mark, turning this one from a deep-ish house track with primarily dance sounds to something that exhumes a bit more fun. Which is epitomized by the sudden vocal outburst around 4:15, which makes the transformation complete. And just before the five minute mark we even get some strings to juxtapose the more loop-like structure of the dance elements of this track. The first and last minutes of this one belie what it actually becomes and was, and the middle part is quite the thing to listen to.