Top Tunes To Blog About 8

MADEON - "SHURIKEN"

First up is this cracker of a DJ. While most 16 year olds are loitering around street corners, abusing some sort of substance, or revelling in 'innocent youth', French DJ and producer Madeon, is busy making quirky, characterful funky house music that airs maturity and sophistication for someone of such a young age. Madeon is almost a myth on the Internet, with few websites or blogs managing to get past the basic facts surrounding this French music wizard.

Forgiving this genius and his ghost-like presence, the track worth mentioning in question is "Shuriken". Although the tune itself has been around for a while now, it would be an injustice not to mention this fine piece of Franco-electro-funktastic music. Madeon manages to thread together several musical elements into this thumping track of mastery. "Shuriken" starts off as rather whimsical and floats from synth to synth in a heavenly manner before unleashing a vibrant and delightfully sugary bass and a plethora of electro treats, underlying the typical enjoyable nature of Madeon himself. A colourful bass, adolescent keying and charming electro whompings gel together rather nicely it would seem for the French maestro. What this tune perhaps lacks is some equally feverish and unique lyrics of a female vocalist; a woman such as Julie Budet from Yelle would compliment this slice of French excellence perfectly, but that is just a side thought. Aside from this, Madeon produces a beautifully skittish rollercoaster ride of youthful exuberance and eclecticism in the form of glittery, sparkling electro with a flare of French "C'est La Vie" just to add to this already scrumptious mix. Daft Punk and the ever commercial David Guetta should be afraid, very afraid.

Check out the Youtube video below for "Shuriken" and visit Madeon's Facebook/Myspace and show this young extraordinaire some online lovin'.

ALEX WINSTON - "LOCOMOTIVE"

American female solo starlet Alex Winston hails from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan; hiding in the background, working diligently and honing her skills, she has been busy producing some very noteworthy tunes in the last year or so and despite this track being a good six months old, nye on prehistoric in blog terms, it is still worth mentioning this young Yank who has an undeniable talent for producing superb music with absolute ease and supreme knowledge.

"Locomotive" is founded on sheer music producing pedigree from the offset; crafted in part by none other than The Knocks and mixed by the genius that is Charlie Hugall (Florence And The Machine), this slither of darker, melodic pop can literally do no wrong. Starting off as a rather gentle track with polite and mellowed drumming and twinkly guitaring, the tune builds up progressively with a full head of steam; rich in weight with sublime instrumentation that compliment that fairytale voice. The vocals of Winston are brilliant, both eerie, gothic, aged, dusty and emotive; a divine concoction of audio prowess, coupled with nonchalant, throwback lyrics that acknowledge the experimental days of vintage pop from the late seventies.

There is no denying the obvious reminiscence to Kate Bush, but for a modern comparison, there is definitely an air of soothed out La Roux crosses a floaty Diana Vickers meets a toned down Passion Pit. Casting aside the almost unfair label of Kate Bush similarities, Alex Winston holds her own. "Locomotive" trundles along neatly; being both slightly alternative for some, yet overflowing with radio friendly genes for others. NME and The Guardian have already heralded this young lady with her dulcet tones and bohemian musical fairground flare, so watch this space for bigger things to come from this fine American export.

Check out the rather retro video below and as is the norm, show this girl some love on Facebook/Myspace/Youtube.

CUT COPY - "BLINK AND YOU'LL MISS A REVOLUTION"

Cut Copy have been around in some guise or another for a decade now and this Melbourne four-piece just keep on going from strength to strength. Zonoscope is the latest album this electro-pop group of experts have churned out, with every track holding it's own; being a piece of crafted listening pleasure dripping with eighties inspired wafting synths and delicate wavey vocals. Despite being released some time ago, there is one track that catches the audio receptors and caresses the senses.

"Blink And You'll Miss A Revolution" is the rather random and oddly titled track in question. Kicking off with chirping drones, tinkling percussions and a whirling mish-mash of bleeps, static confusion and a precise back beat that jabs accurately at the ears; it provides a delightfully eclectic and rather patchwork start to the song, which works surprisingly well and with keen enthusiasm. Laced over this is the stereotypically recognisable spectral-esque Cut Copy vocals of Dan Whitford; retro, smooth, polished and tinged with an icy sense of mystery. The vocals and airy lyrics flow elegantly along with the backing music, gaining gradual momentum to bring forth a cascade of futuristic electro-pop that is rammed full of wallowing keys, soaring synths and swooping vocal chords. The effect culminates into a strong and euphoric chorus; full of energy and dazzling audio cool.

Bass, keyboard, sampler, guitar, drums and vocals have never worked so seamlessly to generate such a smooth and enchanting landscape, and from there on in, the song flutters past with supreme elegance and hypnotic charisma. Such a song shares notable traits with works by The Sound Of Arrows, The Presets and The Avalanches; each carving out their own niche of electro-alternative-pop. These Australians label their sound as "Californian, psychedelic and Italo", and a tune such as "Blink And You'll Miss A Revolution" epitomises their precise and correct description suitably. These four lads possess unique and raw music-making talent, a quality very much appreciated when tunes like this are dropped like an atom bomb, catching people unawares and taking them by storm.

Check out this fan video below (the sound doesn't do the song justice so listen to it via their Facebook as well) and show these Aussies some love and loyalty by liking the Facebook, following the Myspace etc.