New Lindstrøm

nickname: el girafa

See how long that fool's neck is? I saw Lindstrøm (love those funky Norweigan characters) a year ago and the whole time he was bent over his synth-pad, moving his head/neck in time with the music. It was pretty hypnotic actually, it seemed like his head was entirely detached from his body or something. As a side note, Lindstrøm sounds great live, don't miss him if you get the chance.

Anyway, Lindstrøm has a new record out, and it's great. There are only three tracks, and here's the first one which clocks in just under 30 (!) minutes. There's a lot of styles in the mix here, and it comes out sounding fantastic.

Lindstrøm - Where I Go You Go Too [Where I Go You Go Too, 2008]

New Black Devil Disco Club

Black Devil Disco Club, and all of Lo Recordings actually, has been one of my favorite discoveries of the past year. With all the talk of "Space Disco" it's good to see someone step up and put out releases that I think will have some staying power.

The cover of this Black Devil Disco Club (who I think is no longer pretending to be a long-lost disco producer from the 1970s and instead content to be a French person making electronic music) release proclaims that it is "the holy grail of space disco." Okay. I feel like if something is going to be the "holy grail" of anything, I shouldn't be able to pick it up at my local CD store, but maybe that's an issue I should take up with the marketing department of Lo Recordings.

These tracks are all really good! New Black Devil!!

Black Devil Disco Club - With Honey Cream [Eight Oh Eight EP, 2008]

Black Devil Disco Club - Never No Dollars [Eight Oh Eight EP, 2008]

Balearic bounce [Studio]

"Life's a beach"

Summer grooves continue here at Hey! Student with the positively fluid sounds of Studio. Based in Gothenburg, Sweden, Studio churn out intricately composed space disco grooves with percolated guitar work, a variety of airy synthesizers, big piano sounds, and [gasp!] steel drums, all of which perfectly accompany a summer sundown or ride home from a raging party at 5 AM.

West Coast, the group's proper full-length, is well-paced with only six tracks, though each one is epic in sound and production, ebbing and flowing so beautifully that you feel as though you're living in slo-motion. In particular, the album's first track, "Out There", is a 16-minute magnum opus that twists and turns and is filled with so many differing musical themes that keep you guessing all along the way.

In many ways, West Coast is very similar to a Hey! Student stalwart, Out Hud, and there debut album, S.T.R.E.E.T. D.A.D., which also has few tracks, but each one is an elaborately composed instrumental work with unique musical story arches. However, while Out Hud recall the No Wave movement of the late 1970s/early 1980s, Studio is steeped in Italo-Disco sounds and the Balearic dance movement of the 1980s. Either way, both are engaging listens, and for your listening pleasure (and next summer freakout), check out "Out There", posted below and sure to get you all in a twist.

Studio - Out There [West Coast LP, 2007]