Tag Archives: Synthpop

Empire of the Sun – “Alive” + Official Music Video & New Album Announcement!! [Indie//Synthpop]

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Empire of the Sun

This is a name I have actually been seeing on a surprisingly good amount of festival lineups this Summer: Empire of the Sun. I guess it makes good sense though considering they have officially announced the release of their full-length new album, Ice on the Dune, for June 18th this Summer. If you aren’t too familiar with the Australian electronic rock act, they got some talk going with their debut album Walking on a Dream in 2008, most notably their songs “Walking on a Dream” - which many of you would probably recognize as the sample from Wiz Khalifa‘s “The Thrill” – and “We Are the People”. I will have to also personally recommend “Half Mast”, my personal favorite from the first album. Empire of the Sun is also known for their great outfits, which they can be seen wearing in almost all their music videos as well as at each performance. As I said, this Summer they will be taking the stage alongside Passion Pit quite a few times, which I think is appropriate, giving I have always sort of seen Empire of the Sun as a Passion Pit and MGMT fusion. Check it out for yourself though.

Empire of the Sun - Website // Facebook // Twitter

Empire of the Sun - “Alive” [Official Music Video] — Buy “Alive”/Pre-Order Ice on the Dune

 

Tapes – Infinity EP (FREE DL!!) [Trillwave//Hip-Hop]

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Tapes - Infinity EP

A lot of people have been blowing up the trap game lately; some doing it more effectively than others. One artist that’s taken a really interesting approach is Knoxville, Tennessee based producer Tapes. He calls his music trillwave, and the title seems appropriate, blending the snare trill element of trap beats with a lot of more upbeat new wave, dark wave, and general synth-based instrumentation. His style is somewhat comparable to that of Canadian duo Purity Ring, who also rely heavily on the wobble synth reverb common in dubstep as well the rattling trill snares of trap; yet, Tapes sound remains a bit more upbeat- maybe even “optimistic”- in sound, lighter in tone, and also maintains a much more dreamy overall effect on his listeners. Here’s to getting lost in the wonderful dreamscapes of the Infinity EP by Tapes!

Tapes - Soundcloud // Bandcamp // Facebook // Twitter

Tapes - Infinity EP – FREE Download!!

Funkadelphia Picks; “The Blue Room” and “Fr U”

Metaform – The Electric Mist [Synthpop//Hip-Hop]

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Metaform - The Electric Mist

This is by no means new music, but it’s still awesome music, and less known than it should be. I myself just discovered Metaform, a California producer and musician who creates his own beats and lays his own vocals on top. His most recent album was called Electric Mist, and it moves away from more traditional hip-hop beats into some other more experimental sounds within the electronic music world. It results in some seriously knocking tunes, some of which have been repeating on my computer for a straight day now. The most mesmerizing thing about this album is its span across the plane of electronic music, covering glitch-hop, dub, drum & bass, even some trap, and also still taking it down to groovy synthpop tunes that resonate an essence of such acts as Cherub. If you enjoy chilled out rhythms, then don’t let this one slip through your fingers!

Metaform - Website // Soundcloud // Facebook // Twitter

Metaform - Electric Mist – Buy Album

Funkadelphia Picks: “Revenge of a Nerd”, “Electric Eyes”, “Pop the Trunk” and “Door Number One”

Phoenix – “Entertainment” [Indie//Rock]

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Phoenix - Entertainment

Whoop, change of pace. I’m here today to talk about a band that has been making a lot of noise in the indie world the passed few years. I was lucky enough to catch them at Bonnaroo a few years ago, and this year they will be headlining Coachella. I am, of course, talking about French pop/rock band, Phoenix. These guys have been climbing the charts one album at a time, and with their newest one slated for an April 22nd release, the band has just released the first track from Bankrupt! At first listen, it sounds, well, like Phoenix. The band has definitely kept true to themselves, and while I hope the album brings a bit more variety to light, this new track is definitely a nice sneak peek of what’s to come.

Phoenix - Website // Facebook // Twitter

Phoenix - “Entertainment”

Still Corners – “Fireflies” (FREE DL!!) [Indie//Electropop]

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Definitely a change of pace, but definitely for a good reason. This new single, “Fireflies”, from the London duo known as Still Corners is absolutely awesome. It’s just layers on layers on synths, creating an incredible soundscape that gets far too deep to even decipher at parts during the songs. The vocals on the track seem to fade in and out almost unnoticeably. There’s clear influences from a lot of bands here, but nothing so glaring that could argue against the originality of this work. Apparently this is to be the first single off a new album from the band, expected to be released sometime in 2013. I don’t want to say the best part is this beautiful track is free, because I really don’t think that’s the best part; nonetheless, it’s all yours right below. Enjoy!

Still Corners - Website // Soundcloud // Bandcamp // Facebook // Twitter

Still Corners - “Fireflies” — Direct Download [FREE]

Passion Pit – Gossamer

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I don’t think I need to preach Passion Pit‘s name to anyone here. It seems to me, you’re absolutely crazy about these guys or you just think they’re kinda “eh”. I know, personally, I was crazy about their first album, Manners, and it was a huge success. Now we look upon the Massachusetts synthpop band to deliver their second LP, titled Gossamer. When a band’s debut release explodes, it seems they often struggle with the second album; there’s consistently a struggle of whether the sound that caused that success should be maintained or changed, and either way, to what extent that maintenance or change needs to occur. This new album from Passion Pit definitely has a reliance on the same poppy, electronic driven rhythms that we saw in the first album. But there certainly is a big, glaring difference with this album: lyrical content. While the band’s debut LP release relied heavily on the themes of youth and love, the new album covers a much more diverse span of subjects, and where the content has matured, so has Michael Angelakos’ ability to deliver it. Definitely an awesome new album, keep it up Passion Pit; there’s a good future ahead for these guys!

Our favorite song is “It’s Not My Fault, I’m Happy”! We can’t share the entire album, but we’re going to post some of our favorites below! Go and BUY the album though!!

Passion Pit - Website // Soundcloud // Facebook // Twitter

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Passion Pit - Gossamer – Purchase on: Official Website // iTunes // Amazon

“It’s Not My Fault, I’m Happy”

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“Love Is Greed”

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“Cry Like a Ghost”

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“I’ll Be Alright”

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“Take a Walk”

Passion Pit – “I’ll Be Alright”

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Man, I am really getting excited for this album Gossamer; the sophomore album from New England synthpop act Passion Pit. The new album’s been in talks for probably almost a year now, and the band’s going on tour (including a beautiful stop here in Philadelphia) was my first indication that it was getting close to time (heck, maybe we’ll be lucky and they’ll go back out on a more extended tour after the album is released). Anyway, they then released the first single “Take a Walk”, which was just lovely. Next thing I know, I’m unpacking from Bonnaroo and getting word that the band has just released yet another teaser for us, this time the second single, titled “I’ll Be Alright”. This one definitely has a more glitchy, synth feel, but what I loved about “Take a Walk” is also true about “I’ll Be Alright”: it’s definitely PASSION PIT!!! You don’t have to worry about the band going in some odd new direction, because these two first singles are indication enough that they are sticking to what they know and do best! I’m lovin’ it and so should you!

Passion Pit - Website    Soundcloud    Facebook    Twitter

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Passion Pit - “I’ll Be Alright”

*If you pre-order the full album HERE you will get “Take a Walk” & “I’ll Be Alright” as DIRECT FREE DOWNLOADS!!!

Passion Pit – “Take a Walk” + New Album Announcement

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Passion Pit is absolutely one of my favorite bands. If you’re not into the whole synthpop thing, you can feel free to disregard this post, but I’m sure there are quite a few fans of Passion Pit’s dancey rhythms and beautiful singing. The Massachusetts band have been in the talks of a second album for quite some time now. Well, to our great joy, they released the first single from that album, “Take a Walk” yesterday. If you were worried Passion Pit was going to attempt some radical re-shaping of their sound, fret no longer. This new song is a good indicator that the new album will be a fantastic follow-up and will remain the Passion Pit we’ve come to love. But more good news! Along with the new single, the band also announced the name of the new album, Gossamer, and a release date: July 24th. Lastly, they gave us a handful of names for other tracks (although there is no audio of these yet):  ”American Blood”, “Constant Conversation”, “Carried Away” and “Mirrored Sea”. This single new track and all of Manners is just going to have to keep my Passion Pit thirst quenched ’til then. Enjoy!

Passion Pit - Website    Soundcloud    Facebook    Twitter

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Passion Pit - “Take a Walk”