BLUE BLOOD

The Icypoles - Tararara

Love this totally sweet microjam from Melbournians The Icypoles. The band features former Architecture In Helsinki member Isobel Knowles, and it sounds like she's capitalising on some of her old band's strengths: this is endearingly twee, but it's never amateur or hesitant. It manages to sound perfectly poised but still playful, which is a big deal, and it's also so brilliantly produced (and fascinating at all times) it gets in the region of sound art. The Icypoles have been playing together since 2004 without any easily available releases - maybe 2010 will be the year it happens??

[The Icypoles MySpace / website]

CAN I GET A LITTLE FADIN' ON

Architecture In Helsinki – That Beep

You know what? I never liked Fingers Crossed. Actually, I found ‘The Owls Go’ pretty massively annoying, and I generally like all that kind of cutesy shit, especially if it’s got a trombone in it. Apparently that album is meant to be the pinnacle of Architecture In Helsinki’s achievements with the whole lo-fi sound plus wacky instrumentation thang but if we can just pretend Places Like This never happened, I’ve liked AiH more as they’ve got slicker. They’re very good at being a pop band. And That Beep, well, it’s fucking amazing. Apparently it was one of the most added songs on Australian radio last week – and we’re talking commercial networks here – which is brilliant, because this is the kind of pop banger we all deserve. YES WE CAN. It’s like early Madonna, but witty as well as righteously funky (it’s bubblegum pop! And it references bubblegum! How meta!), and it’s fun like all the best pop tunes. How good is the bit where Kellie goes “Can I get a little fadin’ on?” and the guy with the comically deep voice goes “Fade it fade it” and then it slows down and then she’s like “Don’t be long”? I FUCKING LOVE THAT BIT. If today’s pre-teens and soccer mums are bopping along in the car to Architecture in Helsinki it’s basically going to be a socio-musical revolution of Obama proportions, all hope and social redemption and shit and there won’t be such a thing as bad music anymore.

In related news, I just popped two more cold and flu tablets and I’m riding the codeine wave

[Architecture In Helsinki MySpace]

[Buy That Beep from iTunes]