CALVIN HARRIS - Ready For The Weekend

Ready For The Weekend is Calvin Harris' second album. It came out in August of 2009. He continues to make music of the same style as his debut album, I Created Disco: electro pop/dance/rock. While I like songs like "The Rain" and "Flashback" quite a bit, there are a lot of other ones that I'm just not feeling. I find the album to be rather inconsistent as a whole product. I also found the rapping on the album to be out of place. I definitely like his debut album better. Sorry, Calvin.

www.myspace.com/calvinharristv
www.calvinharris.co.uk

DVAS - Society

I think their logo is really cool. They are a Canadian electro group. They're playing upbeat, danceable electro pop. Some tracks have vocals, others are entirely instrumental. It's not going to be the first thing I recommend to others, but it's okay. It's not the most memorable stuff. I imagine it sounds better live and better when played loud. "Questions" is a really cool jam. "Giving It All Away" inexplicably reminds me of Genesis' "Invisible Touch". Actually, the whole record has a definite 80s influence to it. I think I'd play this record at a party where people were encouraged to dance but dancing wasn't the focus of the evening's activities, if that makes any sense at all to people that are not me.

www.myspace.com/dvasmusique
dvasmusique.com

GHOSTLAND OBSERVATORY - Codename: Rondo

The duo from Austin, Texas returns with their fourth studio album. These two dudes, Aaron Behrens and Thomas Turner, have got to be some of the most likable weirdos in the musical world right now. Their weirdness continues on this album. The title track involves the narrator instructing someone who has the codename of "Rondo" to purchase him a Slurpee, amongst other tasks. This whole idea would seem preposterous for most bands, but Ghostland pulls it off without a hitch. "Kick Clap Speaker" features a computer voice that sounds eerily similar to the one in Radiohead's "Fitter Happier". There's not really a lot of Behrens' natural high-pitched vocals on this album, which I am a bit disappointed by. Other than that, though, the songs all have a good beat and I'm sure people at parties would love to dance to this while swirling their glow sticks in the air. Yet another inherently odd album from these guys, but it's still interesting stuff. Dirty electro/rock/dance/wtf from these dudes. This album officially comes out on October 26th, on the duo's own Trashy Moped Recordings. Dig it.

SEE THE SNEAK PEEK FOR THE NEW ALBUM HERE: http://www.youtube.com/trashymoped

www.myspace.com/ghostlandobservatory
www.ghostlandobservatory.net
www.trashymoped.com

JUNIOR BOYS - Begone Dull Care

Third full-length for the Canadian duo of Jeremy Greenspan and Matthew Didemus. It's really laid-back electropop with lots of blips, bleeps, and bloops. The vocals are sung/whispered in a manner so that they sound very intimate. Recommended if you like Hot Chip's slower tracks. The album title references the abstract animated film of Norman McLaren, a pioneering animator and also an electronic composer.

www.myspace.com/juniorboys
www.juniorboys.net

BLACK GOLD - Rush

The duo releases their full-length debut. The two members are Eric Ronick (Panic at the Disco, Ambulance Ltd.) and Than Luu (Rachel Yamagata, shushshush, M. Ward). They play electropop/rock/dance with male vocals. At times, they do sound like a 2009 version of the Bee Gees, which is a huge compliment coming from someone who grew up in a household that had several Bee Gees records that were no strangers to the living room stereo. The catchy songs are really good; there are a few filler songs, but overall, good stuff.

www.myspace.com/blackgoldrush
www.blackgoldmusic.com

Faunts - Feel.Love.Thinking.Of.

They are from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and this is their second studio full-length album. They play excellent pop/indie rock with a heavy electronic influence to make music that feels like you could float away on the sound waves. Perfect for late nights, early mornings, or any time in between. Very pleasant on the ears, nothing abrasive at all. Worth checking out, for sure.

http://www.myspace.com/faunts
www.faunts.com/

Thing One - You'll Be Fine

Hailing from New Jersey, they started out playing hip-hop but they have since evolved into an electropop/dance/rock band. There are still some hip-hop influences as well as some soul and funk influences, but their main objective now is to get you dancing, and they do a damn good job. I saw them live and their set was excellent; they combine computer generated sounds with live instrumentation to result in a truly danceable sound that filled up the room. Check them out. (Interesting side facts: Bassist Spencer Miles is the brother of Ra Ra Riot's lead singer, Wesley Miles; Miles and singer Joey Palestina went to high school with Vampire Weekend guitarist Ezra Koenig - maybe there's something in the water back home?)

www.myspace.com/thingone
www.thing-one.com

Passion Pit - Chunk Of Change

Electropop from Boston. Rather busy sounding. Heavy on the synths. Apparently the guy behind this wrote these songs as a Valentine's Day present for his girlfriend, which explains titles like "Smile Upon Me" and "Cuddle Fuddle." Originally recorded solo, gigs now feature a full five-piece band. At times, I ask myself if this is a more intense, dancier version of LCD Soundsystem with higher pitched male vocals. At other times, I ask myself how the hell something like this ended up on FrenchKiss records.

www.myspace.com/passionpitjams

Black Ghosts - Black Ghosts

Debut album for the duo of Simon Lord (former member of Simian) and Theo Keating (The Wiseguys). They are based out of London. Marketed as a dancey electrorock group, several of the songs on here are slow and boring and highlight the fact that their singer isn't that good. However, the faster songs live up to the hype and should be suitable to fans of Klaxons, New Young Pony Club, and the like.

www.myspace.com/blackghosts
www.theblackghosts.co.uk

The Specimen - Do U Damage EP

Led by Matt Gorny, born in Poland; New York City dweller since he was eleven. Apparently he won the John Lennon Songwriting Competition in 2007. He makes upbeat electro-infused rock that has a high level of danceability. Some of the songs are decent and could probably get played in a club somewhere. A few bored me. Recommended if you like electro-indie rock that feels kinda dirty and trashy.

www.myspace.com/thespecimen
www.thespecimen.org
(His official band site may not currently be functional.)

Ghostland Observatory - Robotique Majestique

Everyone's favorite electro/dance/funk/rock duo from Austin returns with their third full-length album! High pitched male vocals. If you like The Rapture, Hot Chip, or even Daft Punk, but wish that they sounded trashier, this just might be the trick. Kind of a weird sound from two guys who appear to be inherently strange, but I quite like them. For the adventurous types.

www.myspace.com/ghostlandobservatory
www.ghostlandobservatory.net