From Off To On: Musical Endeavors, VII - Death, Sex & General Brooding

Ok, so I am using a new format for the "Musical Endeavors" series... Instead of discussing the artists as a whole, I will now be looking at specific albums and rating them using my harsh scale. Ok, it's not really that harsh because we all know that I'd probably not take the time to write about something I heavily disliked unless it really irritated me for some reason. Also, I will put a link to a video for each band to hear samples without having to go out and search. Alright, here we go:

(Click the band names to be directed to their respected myspace pages for a quick listen.)

Sébastien Tellier - Sexuality - Wow, where to start? Sébastien (not to be confused with fellow French musician, SebastiAn from Ed Banger records) is a genius. He is musically gifted in all the necessary areas to create one of the oddest records we've heard in awhile. Sexuality was produced by none other than Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo from Daft Punk so there is a strong taste of French-electronica across most of the album. Imagine crossing Daft Punk with Prince and you'll get a good general idea of what the album sounds like. But that's just the beginning - trust me. Quite possibly my favorite album of 2008.

Tracks to hear - Roche, Kilometer, L'Amour Et La Violence

Sébastien Tellier - Kilometer (Official Video)

M83 - Saturdays=Youth - Damn, way too many good albums came out in 2008. This is another frontrunner for Best of 2008 and it really comes as no surprise. Anthony Gonzalez has consistently grown with each new album and with "Saturdays=Youth" he may have reached perfection. Every song on this record is noteworthy and is best listened to with a good set of headphones. The shoegaze sound appears more than ever and it manages to really bind things together nicely. This one's for everyone... I couldn't recommend it more.

Tracks to hear - Skin Of the Night, We Own the Sky, You Appearing

M83 - Skin Of the Night (Live)

Telefon Tel Aviv - Immolate Yourself - Despite the sad and unfortunate passing of Charlie Cooper two days after this album was released, we can all celebrate in more of his brilliance for years to come. This album takes almost an entirely new direction from their past two records by finding its way into a brooding new wave/shoegaze sound, away from the original IDM sound we've all grown to love. This may bother some long time fans, but not me. I've been borderline obsessed with them for nearly a decade and I think this may be their best yet. Take that for what it's worth.

Tracks to hear - Your Mouth, Mostly Translucent, M

Telefon Tel Aviv - Your Mouth (Slideshow of the band - In remembrance of Charlie Cooper)

Fever Ray - Fever Ray - Any fans of The Knife out there? If so, you're in for a treat - Fever Ray is the solo project from Karin Dreijer Andersson of The Knife. The sound is very similar to her previous work and is just as majestic and powerful. The overall feel of the album is brooding and dark, just like Silent Shout, but it feels new and refreshing. I believe this album will officially be released in February, so I strongly encourage you to purchase it then. It's worth it, I promise.

Tracks to hear - Concrete Walls, If I Had a Heart, When I Grow Up

Fever Ray - If I Had a Heart (Official Video Directed by Andreas Nilsson)

The Presets - Apocalypso - Australia has really propelled two of my favorite acts into stardom over the last few years and The Presets is one of them (the other being Midnight Juggernauts). Last year I had the luxury of seeing them live while they were touring with Heartbreak and I must admit that they put on a very strong show. These guys are energetic and obvioulsy talented at composing and performing. Their sound could be classified as electro, but they have enough of the avant-garde to be considered Indie, I guess. I don't even know how to term music anymore. You listen and call it whatever you like.

Tracks to hear- A New Sky, This Boy's In Love, If I Know Yo

The Presets - Talk Like That (Live Television Appearance)