Jagwar Ma - Slipping

Waste, oh oh
Waste, oh oh
Cause time is slipping away
Someone wait, oh oh
Save your soul
Cause time is slipping away so fast
Time is slipping aways so fast
So paint your pictures in your mind
In your mind
It's alright
We dance in circles 'til we're tired
Then we'll rise
Forever

There is something sort of "Manchester Scene-esque" about Australian duo Jagwar Ma. More refined, and with a polished, 2010's spin, but I can't help but think Stone Roses, or Inspiral Carpets when I listen to them. And I loved those bands, so you might imagine I'm really enjoying their new (sophomore) album Every Now & Then.

They've been floating around my rotation for a few months now, ever since the funky "O B 1" hit a few months ago. I was immediately recalled to the early 1990's when mixing strong dance grooves with indie rock was a new thing. Sure, you hear a lot of that now, but Jagwar Ma hits a bit closer to what I consider that original Manchester sound. You'll find more of that on Every Now & Then, but there's also great diversity there and the makings of a heavy rotated long player. 

Upcoming Shows

The Faint - Young & Realistic

Your lows were low, I was familiar
Bulgarian choirs in your head
The clouds were black but not forever
You'll wake up better like I said
Remember how it was when we first met
It was impossible to know what you were thinking
Every other girl, afraid of the world
Second-guessing every movement that they're making

You're not the type to go looking for flaws
You don't have to skewer somebody's passion
Competitive cats can fight cats
While you're in a deep conversation

I'm a big fan of The Faint's work, but, sadly I guess, they've been mostly slipping past my radar for years. I've given their last few albums a cursory listen, and I've seen them a couple times. Which is always a blast. But I felt they've never been able to capture the fun, late 80's awesomeness they had with Blank Wave Arcade, Danse Macabre and, maybe a bit less so, Wet From Birth.

Still, feeling nostalgic, I checked out their retrospective album Capsule:1999-2016 for fun. And look what I found! I a couple new songs that DO, very much so, capture that sound. First up, our Most Important today. "Young & Realistic" is Danse Macabre The Faint, striking a great balance between song and dance. It's got all the bells and whistles; a lilting bassline, pew-pew synths, robo vocals, dark wave breakdowns, etc. Red Flag would be proud to have released this one. 

BONUS TRACK

Then there is "Skylab1979" that hits on a more straightforward industrial sound, that might not quite ring as true as "Young & Realistic" but makes for a fun throwback, for sure.

Upcoming Shows

Islands - The Joke

This isn't a dream, don't know why you don't care
You see your face in a photograph, you say you weren't there
You say, "I wasn't there, you see, I wasn't there!"
This is the storm and this is the warning
And this is the war and this is it forming
Still feels like no one cares, still feels like no one cares

Ok, it's Monday, but that doesn't mean we need to stop dancing. Check out this fun track off  one (of two) crowdfunded albums Montreal-born and LA-based Islands put out in 2016.

"The Joke" is off Taste, the more electronic and danceable of the two. Should I Remain Here At Sea is more along the lines of their previous work, which I'd describe as a quirky, very Canadian take on indie rock. They're both very good, very different and very worth checking out.

Upcoming Shows