Even better, Cocker’s offhand brilliance—really, at his best he’s up there with vintage Elvis Costello—is underpinned by a great track from Pilooski and Pentile: with its tingling synths and tasteful disco rhythms, it has enough forward motion to get you grooving, but there’s a subtle melancholy to the melodies to give it added emotional heft where its least expected. Pilooski in particular is better known for his amazing re-edits and remixes as opposed to original tracks, but “Synchronize” points the way to a whole new dimension to his career. Along with Pentile, he’s created a late-entry candidate for song of the year.“It’s only a matter of time,” Cocker sings later in the chorus, serving as a foreshadowing for Discodeine’s ascdendancy and the downfall of the underhanded yet slick fool elegantly eviscerated in the lyric. Amen to the latter – comeuppance never sounded so funky and effortless; if it was only that easy…

Lynch has had his hand in musical projects before, with his Twin Peaks collaborator Angelo Badalamenti to DangerMouse (on their Dark Night of the Soul project), and the soundtrack music he uses in his films is fantastic. “Good Day Today,” Lynch’s debut single as an artist for the Sunday Best label (which is run by the amazing DJ/tastemaker Rob Da Bank), is still an eyebrow raiser. For one, instead of moody atmosphere, there’s a definite dance beat, and a poppy chorus; for another, the uplifting vibe of the song and synthetically processed vocals recall rave gods Underworld above all else. Who knew? Then again, leave it to Lynch to catch us all off guard yet again, even from our speakers…

Good Day Today by threeminutesthirtyseconds

The references don’t stop there: CC vocalist Dan Whitford’s croon lands somewhere between ABC’s Martin Fry and Depeche Mode’s Dave Gahan, which is perfect. While Cut Copy aren’t exactly breaking new ground here, that’s not exactly the point: when the old ground is perfect, why bother? This is music made to have fun to—angst is not part of the program. “Give me something to dream about,” Whitford sings, when in fact he’s the one doing the providing in that area. Dreamy, indeed—Cut Copy’s effortless hooks are just what the doctor ordered, a soothing antidote to the world’s dreary problems. “Take Me Over” is pure pop for now people—sophisticated enough that you feel cool having it on your iPod, gleeful and light enough to provide the soundtrack for so many good times.

Cut Copy – “Take Me Over” (Radio Edit) Premiere by modularpeople

Adele called her breakthrough 2008 debut album “19,” and her upcoming sophomore effort is called “21”: from the evidence of “Rolling in the Deep,” the first single from the new album, she’s both the same old soul, but with newfound maturity. Produced by the great, diverse studio guru Paul Epworth (Bloc Party, Florence and the Machine, Cee-Lo), “Rolling in the Deep” comes off like a long lost Dusty Springfield deep album track, yet strangely imbued with the intensity of contemporary sonics. “Rolling in the Deep” succeeds because it’s not so much a grab at a hit single as it is an attempt at a moving, authentic song, its retro flavors left in the dust by true feeling: “Think of me in the depths of your despair,” Adele intones evocatively as Supremes-style backup vocals trill behind her. It’s a funny song, indeed—extremely catchy, but you can’t quite figure out why. The chorus certainly doesn’t bludgeon you over the head with Auto-Tuned hooks; instead, the song has the wide-open spaces of, say, a great Phil Spector production like “River Deep, Mountain High.” It’s big, but doesn’t sacrifice intimacy: you get the sense that Adele here is singing to someone—if not the listener, then herself or her lover. There’s a sense of inner life at its core, a melancholy that you want to keep investigating, however, that gives it life. Yes, once back in the pool, Adele seems to be swimming in the deep end, and pop is all the better for it.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Listen first then get a free download of the track from the Kspace.tv Jukebox on the right side of your screen or on Marina’s Bandcamp page.

If in London, you can catch Marina Gasolina upcoming live shows
10 November – Lock Tavern
17 November – Rest is Noise
26 November – Macbeth

“Since We Last Met” has undergone a couple incarnations since its release. For one, infamous techno iconoclast Villalobos has done an epic fifteen-minute remix, which is one of the tracks of the year (see video below)—a clicking, clacking, squirming, squelching masterpiece of sounds building on top of each other, with NDF’s vocals poking in and out of the groove like a hesitant ghost.

Click here to view the embedded video.

And just recently, DFA commissioned a cover of “Since We Last Met” by Alessio Natalizia—an Italian-by-way-of England one-man band better known by his stage moniker, Banjo or Freakout. It’s an inspired choice: Banjo or Freakout has released some compelling original material, but Natalizia is best known as an interpreter, really, due to his unlikely transformations of songs by Radiohead, Burial, and High Places. On these revisions, Banjo or Freakout layers the songs in shoegazey gauze; at the core of each performance is a haunting bedroom intimacy, however, giving the songs a personal vibe usual not present in the original. Two Eno-esque piano notes bathed in a warm bath of lo-fi hiss opens the track, giving way to shifting tones of undulating feedback chime. However, pretty soon drums kick in: indeed, Banjo or Freakout’s cover of “Since We Last Met” proves more more beat-driven than his usual fare, giving it an accessibility unique in his catalog, and his vocal is more emotionally direct than NDF’s version as well. This move gives the song an upbeat tristesse that recalls, perhaps, the infectious confessionals of Passion Pit or New Order, yet deconstructed by a kaleidoscopic impulse all Natalizia’s own. It’s a sonic signature you’ll want to meet again and again…

Craig’s version, of course, was created on drum machines and sequencers; LCD’s, however, appears to have been hand-played by live human beings, imbuing “Throw” with the vibe of an old-time extended disco edit. It’s like a classic Giorgio Moroder/Donna Summer track like “I Feel Love,” but without the orgasmic release, just building and building deliciously. Indeed, this new take feels like something between a cover and a remix—and LCD’s version may actually hit harder (you can compare LCD’s “Throw” with Craig’s in the streams below). LCD’s cover versions often allow the band to really stretch out and get their freak on, emphasizing their most pleasurable aspects—the extended percussive jams, for example, that make their concerts such a sweaty ritual; as well, while the original features synthetic voices as a kind of atmospheric element, here James Murphy does the vocal honors. The result suggests perhaps his drag impersonation of a wailing disco diva; of course, he sounds nothing like that, which is what makes it freakin’ awesome.  “Throw” via LCD evokes the nothing as much as, say, the “Pretentious Mix” of “Yeah,” a drawn-out, drum-driven slice of non-stop ecstatic dancing that was one of their most innovative early smashes. Ultimately, this new take on “Throw” both serves as a reverent nod to Craig—one of the great club geniuses of our time and a clear influence on Murphy—and reinforces what a magnificently fun concern LCD Soundsystem can be. Most of all, it’s just great to hear LCD pushed into full-on dancefloor mode—nothing pretentious about it.

Today’s track, “Marshmallow Bazooka,” comes from Fuzz’s debut album Sparkle Vision, due out October 26, and it’s a typical killer from the lad. Fuzz’s pops may have invented the soft-rock radio format (“more rock, less talk”), but “Marshmallow Bazooka” shows his progeny is more interested in heavier, mind-expanding sounds. On the one hand, “Marshmallow Bazooka” revels in the kind of heavy dubstep-influenced bass that goes down well at the infamous L.A. club night Low End Theory (where Fuzz got his start as a videographer); at the same time, it has dynamic, jazzy, ‘70s cop show atmospherics that evoke Bob James’ much-sampled rare groove classic “Nautilus” and the oddball, synth-happy ‘80s vibe of French banger-meister Kavinsky. In other words, it is… Perfect? Indeed, when you sink your teeth into Fuzz’s sonic confection, you won’t be disappointed.

I’ve been saying for some time now that the next generation of African musicians will soon reign over mainstream pop.  Today’s track of the day is case in point. Tinashe,  a young chap raised in Zimbabwe but carefully transplanted to South London,  comes to release his debut  single ” Saved”  next week off of Island Records. The wonderful thing about Tinashe is how he naturally connects traditional roots from back home with his influence of modern guitar music and catchy melodies. This video showcases him in a vintage jook joint performance, that could be set anywhere really – Harare, Johannesburg or Atlanta. It’s such an impressive stylish video.  What a winner!

Here’s another gorgeous clip of him playing a mbira version to Zambezi.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The most played track this summer has got to be James Blake’s “CMYK.”  Having been released only a few months back,  it seems the blogosphere world can’t get  it out of their system and neither can we. Like most post -dubstep producers, James love for American R&B is apparent as he samples beats and adds his own morphing bass techniques to make Aailyah and Kelis’s vocals only recognizable by hook – not pitch. The track is masterstroke and described as this year’s Hyph Mngo.

We’ve heard that James is now working on a vocal/piano ep. Have a a listen below to his soul-wrenching cover of Fiest’s “Limit to Your Love.” The kid’s got talent.

Atwood-Ferguson may have topped himself with his latest, however, a cover of Donny Hathaway’s stirring R&B classic “Someday We’ll All Be Free.” “Someday…” is also representative of the resurgence of O.G. soul singer Bilal, who is on a serious roll, bringing new passion to Hathaway’s socially conscious lyrics, making them more relevant than ever. Together with Atwood-Ferguson’s airily symphonic sweep, they make a swirling, organic and joyful noise—classic to death, yet fresh in its rawness and embrace of urgent emotion.

That “Cryptic Motion” appears on Ed Banger, and not Squarepusher’s usual label, the electronica holy grail Warp, has got the Internet in a tizzy, but listening to the song, it’s clearly a perfect marriage. “Cryptic Motion” sounds like Gary Numan attempting a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition,” with someone from France wearing a robot suit sitting in on vocals; in other words, it’s “FREAKING GREAT AND ALL MUSIC SHOULD SOUND LIKE THIS!!!!!!”

Squarepusher – Cryptic Motion Edits by Hypetrak

The equally awesome Mr. Oizo remix also does the business: it’s more 4/4 disco-housey-ravey, sure, but just as weird and fractured: in a typically genius move, Oizo pushes Jenkinson’s famously excellent bass playing way up in the mix, making it sound like Chic on drugs. So is this the final collaboration between the idiosyncratic Brit and the idiosyncratic Frogs? Hmmmm… Very superstitious.

Squarepusher – Cryptic Motion (MR OIZO Remix) by Hypetrak

Om Unit is an underground London dubstep prodigy, but in Freeland’s hands “Searching” becomes a hypnotic anthem that sidesteps all the fromage one associates with “anthems.” Mesmerizing synths squelch in and out of focus, in and out of tune, neither soaring nor dipping, but moving forward on cruise; it’s a subtle trick—the result is the track has the same Euro pulse as, say, classic Kraftwerk; its dynamism creeps up on you—at first you’re nodding your head to the electro thump, and before you know it, it’s dawn and you’ve got your hands in the air. Under a vocal that evokes Kele from Bloc Party belting out a classic UK garage vocal, Freeland places driving drums and a simple but perfect progression that recalls the best of Brazilian techno humanist Gui Boratto. Everything about this track surprises, but none of it startles. It just may be the dance music sound we’ve been searching for all…

Om Unit Searching-Adam Freeland remix by AdamFreeland