Hyped on: Brooklyn Vegan; Danger! Danger!; MFR
Official site
MySpace
Who: Andrew Hung and Benjamin John Power started doing shows together under the deliberately R-rated name F--- Buttons in late 2004 in Bristol, England. Originally focused solely on generating as much noise as humanly (or electronically) possible, the duo gradually began incorporating elements of melody and rhythm into their otherwise abstract compositions. They eventually signed to ATP Recordings, a label affiliated with the very successful All Tomorrow’s Parties festivals, and released this debut album in early ’08.
What: Hung and Power (how’s that for a pair of names?) use a mix of distorted analog synths, laptop loops, primitive percussion and eerie, processed vocals to create the sorts of sounds you might get if you stranded Trent Reznor, Boards of Canada and some random screamo band on a desert island with a generator, some thrift-store keyboards and a hefty supply of ‘shrooms. Most of FB’s tracks sprawl well past the seven-minute mark, exploring the harmonics of layered drones in ways that are alternately gorgeous and creepy—until the distortion kicks in, lifting tracks like “Okay, Let’s Talk About Magic” to cathedral-like heights of soaring, ornate noise.
Made for: Pitchfork readers and post-modernists. Shoegazers and feedback lovers. Anyone who thought the breakdown in “Kittens” was the best thing Underworld ever did.
X-Factor: Fellow Bristolians Portishead hand-picked F--- Buttons to perform with them at last year’s ATP Nightmare Before Christmas Festival, alongside such legendary maestros of noise, distortion and drone as Aphex Twin and Sunn O))). – AH
Cut Copy, "In Ghost Colours" (Modular)
Hyped on: Butter Team; Fried My Little Brain; Fantastic Weapon
Official site
MySpace
Who: A Melbourne trio very much obsessed with blog-hyped electro acts Daft Punk, LCD Soundsystem and established ‘80s cheese puffs Erasure. But the root here is house: the sunny, mid-afternoon, making-waffles house that can play for hours and hours on repeat.
What: “Hearts on Fire” and “Far Away” follow each other in the middle of the album, but play like singles—“Hearts” takes a more classic house approach (pulsing synth lines, vocal loops), finishing with some ice cold sax cuts. In a possible nod to Cyndi Lauper and Toni Basil, “Far Away” encapsulates the best of ‘80s electro-pop, Brit-kissed accents and Ms. Pac-Man shimmies included. (There is a reason Butter Team mashed the track up with another ‘80s relic, “Rad.”) “So Haunted” strikes the perfect balance between soaring Brit pop and electro sequencing—the formula that Grandaddy became so big with.
Made for: Fans of neon—the band has been known to dress up in multi-hued glowing gowns for their live shows—and music that was popular when neon was first popular.
X-Factor: The album’s producer, Tim Goldsworthy (DFA Records), followed My Bloody Valentine around England in the ‘80s and claims that he can pinpoint every pedal that was used for every sound on the band’s magnum opus, “Loveless.” – MR
Syme, "Modern Love" (Karisma)
Hyped on: Undress Me Robot; Bradley's Almanac; Brooklyn Vegan
Official site
MySpace
Who: A Norwegian quintet currently working on its second full-length, following a critically-acclaimed debut “Swing Swing” (2005) and their recent stop-gap EP “Modern Love.” The band has made limited forays into the U.S., but did play a trippy and well-received set at South by Southwest.
What: Usually, a band’s “something for everyone” approach leaves an end result that’s watered down and actually palatable to no one. Fortunately, Syme’s moody headphone rock is more than the sum of its disparate influences—the group’s mix of gentle psychedelica, occasional heavy riffs, Postal Service-style keyboards and prog (think pre-“Dark Side” Pink Floyd) demands repeated listens…and the aid of assorted substances (cough, cough). Live, the band’s occasionally heavier vibe shines through, suggesting a kinship with fellow Scandinavians Opeth.
Made for: Metal dudes who like to mellow out. Postal Service geeks who need a little rock. Anybody who owns a lava lamp.
X-Factor: Although ironic covers can be irritating, the group’s relaxed, Casio-beat take on David Bowie’s ‘80s pop nugget “Modern Love” is one of those rare moments when a band makes someone else’s song their own. – KM
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