Welcome to Make-Out Music, a music blog written by Ryan Sheridan, for those in search of the perfect pop song. Forget you actually gave freak-folk a chance and take comfort in discovering pop music that can still be sophisticated. Find the perfect remix, forgotten guilty pleasure, original sample or secluded Scandinavian sound with MP3s, interviews, features and original video mash-ups. Befitting a spot on your next mixtape, it's Make-Out Music: because getting to second base needs a soundtrack.
If you have comments, questions or music of your own you'd like me to hear, please e-mail ryan [dot] makeoutmusic [at] gmail.com. New music is always welcome. MP3s taken down upon request.
nbeknownst to me until a couple minutes ago, this blog’s been a straight-up sausage party. So, in the name of Equal Opportunity, today the ladies get their due with a trio from Brighton known as Chungking.
Chungking came onto my radar in 2005 when their second LP, The Hungry Years, was released. At the time I was still flirting with Feist’s Let It Die and I viewed The Hungry Years as its unofficial sequel. Both LPs bore smokey white girls who knew their Jazz. As it turned out, The Hungry Years was better than Feist’s official follow-up, The Reminder, which was a boring, predictable romp through Apple-friendly monotony.
“Making Music,” Hungry Years’ first single, is a classy ode to a dreaming debutante’s favorite comfort zone. The piano-clad song creeps along with a frightful violin and sparse horns until it dips into a huge soulful chorus, following singer Jessie Banks’ blissful exclamation: “I just want to cry / so help me along to where I belong / here I’m safe and sound…making music.”
t’s got to be a challenge for a three-piece band. As a small troupe, they’re always overcompensating for a shortage of sounds. I suppose it’s like when small-dicked dudes buy Hummers. Well, one band who shant worry (about a shortage of sounds, not sure about the dick thing) is Virginia’s True Love Always.
The trio, signed to iconic D.C. indie pop label Teenbeat, is like Belle & Sebastian only with better hooks. On “The Losing Part” vocalist John Lindaman’s shiny bossa nova guitar licks recall “This Charming Man” and, though it’s just Lindaman alone on the vocals, a popping bass line and subtle disco shuffle ensure there’s hardly a ‘losing part’ here. Like The Smiths, True Love Always is a classic, bare bones indie pop outfit. With just one singer/guitarist, a bassist and drummer, each instrument pulls its own weight — and they all do so in simple synchronicity to produce a bright, vivid and clean sound. Found on all of their records, this sound can be chalked up to Teenbeat/Unrest founder Mark Robinson, who helmed this album’s production.
The lack of any vocal effect, distorted guitar or auto-tuned verse (Come on, Discovery. Really?) is refreshing and thank fuck for that. Though I fear exposing my age here, this song and its album, Torch, leaves me feeling nostalgic for the more innocent, less gimicky brand of indie rock we knew at the turn of the century. Released in 2000, Torch was just the band’s third LP, but its bossa-nova inflected sophistication has only to be rivaled today by The Changes, a like-minded band from Chicago who put out an album in 2006 (and will also be interviewed here in this space very soon). It’s a shame, too, since True Love Always went on an indefinite hiatus after its last LP in 2002. Apparently moving to New York, completing a Master’s degree and…coaching kids’ soccer was more important.
would be a fool not to credit the Cure as the model for what I call make-out music — or at least its torch holders for the 80s. Pestered by romance and a tingling sensation in their pants, goth kids, as legend has it, meticulously crafted at least one mixtape with Robert Smith & Co. on Side 1 — and maybe something upbeat off Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me for good measure on Side 2 — keeping just the right amount of hissing silence at the end to make sure the listener “got it.”
Decades later modern U.K. and U.S. bands obviously still “get it.” In February the NME, Britain’s premier Morrissey hate-mongorers, released a compilation of Cure covers after awarding the band with the title of “Godlike Geniuses” at the Shockwaves NME Awards. One of my favorite Cure songs, 1989’s “Lullaby,” also happened to be covered by Editors, one of my favorite bands to listen to when Interpol’sbusy. I loved the original’s spider-like strings, rolling bass line and hovering synth and, though this cover has none of those things, Editors make it their own by speeding it up and drenching it in their signature guitar reverb. I’m still wondering, though: Which version will get that girl to fall in love with me?
f for some reason you failed to hear 2006’s ubiquitious go-to electronic LP, So This Is Goodbye, now is your chance to catch up on one of the freshest, most detailed and romantic acts of the decade. Resembling the best parts of 80s R&B, New Order, Timbaland’s beats, glitchy techno, and, finally, Wham!, Junior Boys craft both dancefloor-ready and headphones-required indie electronic. They also happened to soundtrack my isolated yet adventurous freshman year of college.
This 13-song guide (.zip file available for download above) comes on the nearing release date of the Canadian duo’s third album, Begone Dull Care, and an accompanying world tour. Like most electronic acts, Junior Boys didn’t automatically adapt to the live setting. In fact, they were cold and awkward when I first saw them in 2005. They’ve since magically 2-stepped their way out of their shell. As evidenced by a gig I attended in Cleveland last night, the JBs have evolved into a crowd-pleasing, club-packing trio (includes extra live drummer) that I’d pit against any Girl Talk show (though they lack the latter’s horny, drunk female tween demographic).
Rather than simply highlight the accessible singles, our guide includes some of the newly-leaked tracks, remixes (including one by dance God Morgan Geist and one done for Sarah McLachlan…yeah, I know, but don’t knock it ‘til you’ve heard it), a live Frank Sinatra cover and even a rarity from departed member Johnny Dark, the mad genius who concocted Last Exit’s stuttering beats.
Enjoy this new feature, which will probably become monthly unless I get arrested for posting so much of one’s catalog. As always, follow the links above to purchase the LP. And if you n00bs have any requests for bands you’ve heard of and/or seen name-dropped but never actually bothered to check out, leave some requests in the comments section below and Make-Out Music will personally deliver your very own Best of collection. Fuck you, Time-Life.
Tracklisting:
1.) Bellona 2.) Hazel 3.) In the Morning (Hot Chip Remix) 4.) Like a Child 5.) Last Exit 6.) Bits and Pieces 7.) Birthday (Manitoba Mix) 8.) Sarah McLachlan - Fumbling Towards Ecstasy (Junior Boys Remix) 9.) The Equalizer (Morgan Geist Remix) 10.) Johnny Dark - HCD2 11.) The Animator 12.) Teach Me How to Fight 13.) When No One Cares (Frank Sinatra Cover Live iTunes Session)
hile it may have been my New Year’s Resolution to swear off guitar-based music, New Zealand’s Cut Off Your Hands are just going to be a little too hard to ignore this year. For a band that’s been together only three years, COYH have already played SXSW, been heralded by John Peel’s protégé at the BBC, and, if those weren’t enough acronyms for you, are now touring the U.S. for its first time. Last night I got to experience their live show at a stop in Ohio where they honored a request for Make-Out Music’s personal favorite, “Still Fond” (download link below).
COYH’s sound follows that of post-post punk British bands like Bloc Party, the Futureheads, and past tour mates Foals with an energy all its own and a pop forwardness that’s admittedly influenced by Phil Spector (though I’d argue more Brian Wilson). In an interview conducted earlier this month I asked lead singer Nick Johnston about the 30-date North American tour, the new debut album produced by Suede’sBernard Butler, and, perhaps most importantly, why their fellow brethren, the Flight of the Conchords, keep snubbing Australians on their HBO show.
Make-Out Music: You spent last month touring Australia in packed clubs to enthusiastic crowds. So, is there any truth to the hostility the Flight of the Conchords hold against the Aussies?
NJ: Only if you’re involved in sports or whatever. We don’t really care about this old thing. In fact, we seem to be more successful in Australia than New Zealand.
Make-Out Music: You’re now about to embark on your first U.S. tour. With cross-country dates and a few nights returning to South by Southwest, how do you think you’ll be perceived? And how different really are audiences in the U.S. vs. Europe vs. Down Under?
NJ: I’m coming into this tour with absolutely no expectations. It takes a long time and a shitload of tours in any country before people take notice. There’s not a lot of difference really concerning audiences in different countries. Obviously, the kids who know our music will get in to the show a lot more. So, in that regard, playing in Australia, New Zealand or London is fun for us.
Make-Out Music: This tour also includes shows with Frenchkiss label mates Passion Pit. Clearly a label with a penchant for diverse bands, what was it that drew you to Frenchkiss?
NJ: Well, we’ve always been fans of Les Savy Fav, but I first heard of French Kiss when I got Zoo Psychology by Ex Models. In fact, I remember making a list of labels to contact about sending demos to and that was one [of them] — not sure if I ever sent them a letter…
Make-Out Music: Not only do your vocal harmonies invoke the Beach Boys, but your lyrics also seem to recall Brian Wilson’s insecurities. When writing a song, how conscious are you of your influences? Do you ever sit back and think, “OK, what would Pet Sounds sound like if it was recorded at the start of New Wave?”
NJ: Sure. I mean, for example, I have written fast-paced punk songs in the past and thought, “How would someone like Phil Spector produce this?” The song “Oh, Girl” was so tongue-in-cheek up until that point. I hadn’t written anything so poppy that I thought it would be interesting to write a pop song in the mold of a Beach Boys track.
Make-Out Music: What makes Cut Off Your Hand’s sound distinctly Kiwi? Or, having toured most of the globe, do you feel your music knows no borders?
NJ: The album, You & I, probably reflects more British influences, i.e., the Buzzcocks, the Beatles, the Smiths, than New Zealand bands. The newer stuff we are doing is a little more Kiwi-sounding perhaps.
Make-Out Music: In past interviews you said you intended the album to be more than just a collection of songs like those found on your EPs. So, using a first-person narrative, what was the underlying theme or mood you wanted to create on You & I?
NJ: I’ve never thought this band should be concerned with reinventing the wheel, so to speak. For me, this band has always been more about the exhilaration from being in a sweaty club — with everyone in the audience involved and crammed against each other — all up on stage and having a good time. So, the focus for the debut LP was reflecting that raw, live energy married with the pop sensibilities we’ve gained in our obsession with groups such as the Beatles, the Beach Boys and with production of guys like Phil Spector.
Make-Out Music: Our blog will highlight the single, “Still Fond,” as it’s one of our favorites from the album. Can you talk a little about its origins, evolution and maybe the girl who’s the object of your fondness?
NJ: This song has been recorded so many times it’s hard to remember what I was thinking. It was on an earlier EP called Blue on Blue, which was the first time we worked with Bernard Butler [of Suede]. It’s pretty obvious subject matter: I had broken up with my girlfriend, who I’m still with, and wanted her back. Really, it’s a realization that I still depend on her regardless that our relationship is pretty fucked.
Make-Out Music: You have had a whopping six music videos made for the album. A good lot of them, directed by Joel Kefali, feature stylish live performances. Can you talk a little bit about Kefali’s vision and how it goes along with or against the band’s original ideas?
NJ: We have never worked with anyone other than Joel in the three years we’ve been a band so he’s basically a fifth member. All our artwork is done by him — cover art, posters, merch — so we just leave it up to him and he always comes up with the goods. The only reason there are so many videos is that we made a lot for the EPs. The only clip we’ve made post-album [that’s] being released is “Turn Cold,” which is my favorite.
Make-Out Music: This tour will end in April and then what’s next for the band? New single or EP perhaps?
NJ: More touring [and] recording. We have a whole bunch of new songs ready to record as well so perhaps an EP or start a new record. Who knows…break-up?
Make-Out Music: Lastly, in keeping with the spirit of our blog, which Cut Off Your Hands song is best suited for a sloppy make-out session?
NJ: Perhaps “It Doesn’t Matter” — I think that would suit a sloppy, hungover, but still-drunk, smelly make-out session.
Download “Still Fond” by Cut Off Your Hands (from You & I, 2008)
t’s been a few weeks since Röyksopp’s third LP, Junior, leaked and despite its strong line-up of guest vocalists, I’ve concluded it’s a snore. So, let’s take today to harken back to a time when the Norwegian duo released not only interesting downtempo music but also interesting music videos that coincided with 2001’s Melody A.M. While that debut spawned four wonderful singles, only the third one, “Remind Me,” was animated by Tomas Nilsson. Nilsson, a design student at Sweden’s Linköping University, took us on a fascinating, day-long British commute using infographics to illustrate in fine detail how our daily objects (alarm clock, toilet, cereal, train, escalator) and environment (weather patterns) all function.
Nilsson is finally back. Earlier this month the animator returned with a new class project that took on the story of Little Red Riding Hood. Again, breaking things down to even the cost of Red’s bottle of wine, we see Nilsson’s engrossing use of infographics. Who knew Grandma was so high in fiber?
oday’s Friday, the official start of the weekend and if you’re looking for party music, cue Pony Pony Run Run. PPRR is a four-piece, falseto-loving band who calls France home. “Hey You,” the second track posted to its MySpace from the upcoming June-released LP, bounces along with the delivery of the Virgins. But where they fall short on genuine lyrical sentiment, PPRR indulges its sensitive side with lyrics like “Wish I was young enough / wish you were made just for me.” Questionable pedophilia aside, they’re sung by the band’s vocalist, known simply as G, with the breathy, precise and intimate vocals of Junior Boys’ mouthpiece, Jeremy Greenspan, and funk of Hail Social. If “Hey You” doesn’t fit your party’s playlist, then, well, that’s one party I wouldn’t R.S.V.P.
ecord labels are the ones to cull a writer’s words in sticker form and slap it on a sulafane-wrapped CD. But, if I may, cherry-pick allmusic’s Tim Sendra describing Pacific’s musical aesthetic and slap it in this paragraph: “There are a few other bands working this angle of ’70s craft meets ’80s bubble with a 2000s sheen (Phoenix and Tough Alliance come to mind), but Pacific! might just be the ones who perfected the formula.”
Indeed, it’s “Runway to Elsewhere,” the instrumental opener from Pacific’s debut LP, Reveries, that has stuck and glued itself into my auditory cortex. Starting off with a spacey synth hook we haven’t heard since Air took us on a Moon Safari, this track melds into a cowbell-tinged disco revival at the drop of a handclap. Without letting you get too comfortable, Pacific punts the beat and crawls into a 70s prog-rock guitar solo that builds into the outro. Many bands have tried, come up short and flat out sounded cheap attempting the sound of this Swedish duo, who has magically found the party-worthy medium between three decades of rock (ELO), pop (Beach Boys) and dance (Daft Punk). Simply stated, “We make straight pop with a twist of club in it,” as explained by Pacific! themselves in an interview with Anthem last year.
And yes, I know I’m over a year late to this. I have Pacific’s Moshi Moshi labelmate, Breakbot, to thank for introducing me after hearing his remix of “Runway to Elsewhere,” which follows the aforementioned handclaps with a slinky synth bass line straight to the club.
ho would have ever guessed that Grammy-winning, Classics IV-ripping offJohn Legend would have been featured on a MSTRKRFT track? Well, I suppose remixes make strange bedfellows. “Heartbreaker” is the culmination of one extraordinary symbiotic relationship that began with the Toronto duo’s 2008 remix of “Green Light,” which brought Legend to the dance floor and the embracing arms of the blogosphere. In turn, it only made sense that Legend made time to guest on this standout track for MSTRKRFT’s second LP Fist of God being released tomorrow.
Most tracks of this nature are comfortable enough to just let the guest vocalist coast on a repetitious lyric, but “Heartbreaker” allows Legend to do his thing — espousing a couple verses and a cathy-as-all-hell chorus over a punchy piano rhythm and thumping beat. This speaks volumes of MSTRKRFT’s discipline to sit back and let Legend turn “Heartbreaker” into a delicious electro-R&B jam. Now, if only they could have gotten “Green Light“‘s featured guest, André 3000, on this…
onsistency is usually good when it comes to things like an income, sex and a season of “Lost.” But with music, staying consistent is almost always boring. For its last two albums French band/pre-Daft Punk collaborators Phoenix have done just that: slowly changing gears from the funky AM Pop of its debut to a consistently rockier, Strokes-esque sound. And it’s not that it’s bad, it’s just boring when compared to 2001’s grooving “If I Ever Feel Better” introduced to me by Erlend Øye in one of my favorite DJ-Kicks compilations. Not to mention the bittersweet joy another early Phoenix single brought to a karaoke-ing Bill Murray in Lost in Translation (watch at :45 seconds).
So before listening to a brand new song from the forthcoming Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix posted to their site today, I thought “1901” might pick up from when we last heard Phoenix. “Twenty-One One Zero,” recorded exclusively for Cartier’s charity campaign last spring, wasn’t exactly fit for a Coppola soundtrack, but at least it was an interesting departure. Unfortunately, the only commonality these songs share are numbers in their titles. “1901” treads It’s Never Been Like That territory, beginning with an energetic synth and singer Thomas Mars’ always-affectionate lyrics, but the chorus takes one too many cues from, ugh, Vampire Weekend. Co-production by Cassius’ Philippe Zdar, however, keeps me optimistic for a record I expect will continue to grow Phoenix’s newfound audience.
Download “Twenty-One One Zero” also by Phoenix (from the Cartier LOVE campaign, 2008)
Monday, November 22, 2010 
nbeknownst to me until a couple minutes ago, this blog’s been a straight-up sausage party. So, in the name of Equal Opportunity, today the ladies get their due with a trio from Brighton known as Chungking.
t’s got to be a challenge for a three-piece band. As a small troupe, they’re always overcompensating for a shortage of sounds. I suppose it’s like when small-dicked dudes buy Hummers. Well, one band who shant worry (about a shortage of sounds, not sure about the dick thing) is Virginia’s True Love Always.
hile it may have been my New Year’s Resolution to swear off guitar-based music, New Zealand’s Cut Off Your Hands are just going to be a little too hard to ignore this year. For a band that’s been together only three years, COYH have already played SXSW, been heralded by John Peel’s 
oday’s Friday, the official start of the weekend and if you’re looking for party music, cue 
ecord labels are the ones to cull a writer’s words in sticker form and slap it on a sulafane-wrapped CD. But, if I may, cherry-pick 
onsistency is usually good when it comes to things like an income, sex and a season of “Lost.” But with music, staying consistent is almost always boring. For its last two albums French band/pre-
