As followers of this blog may know, Owl By Night has a strong affinity for new music from Sweden, the country never ceases in delivering a unique brand of infectious electro-pop. With all that in mind, it can be easy to forget the sheer diversity and quality of music nearby: Iceland's Sykur, Denmark's Alphabeat and The Netherlands' Anouk. Snuggling up to the Swedish border is Norway, a country not exactly renowned for assorted electro-house excellence but that perception has been gradually changing over the last two years thanks to the duo of Lemaitre. Ulrik and Ketil have carved a reputable fanbase since they first emerged on the scene with over 22,000 followers on Facebook already, three successful EP's and significant support from online blogs, the Norwegians are making all the right moves. Lemaitre are currently acting like a catalyst, stimulating a new renaissance of vivacious, funky electro-house and filling dance floors with throngs of party-goers. The formula works and it only seems to progressively get better.
We at Owl By Night will admit we have been slow to jump on the Lemaitre bandwagon; their third EP "Relativity 2" was released back in May. Either way the track "Keep Close" has been on repeat over the last two months with good reason. The opening quarter paints a rather serene picture where oceanic synth echoes drift hazily between an accomplished beat. Crackles of electronic bleeps weld the naturalistic waves of chill-out noise against the more frenetic digital inputs and this intricate start throws up comparisons to Keep Shelly In Athens, Sigur Rós, Mmoths and DIANA. Rejuvenating electro that laps at the senses with a degree of calm. From the fifty-forth second that gentle image is overwhelmed by futuristic electro-funk schizophrenia. There is no doubting the Daft Punk similarities, in fact, Lemaitre must be sick of them by now but that is not such a bad thing. Daft Punk are the masters of contemporary electro-funk-pop, catapulting the hybrid genre into the commercial arena. Aside from the French duo there are hints of MGMT, Röyksopp, Pony Pony Run Run and Grum. The rambunctious onslaught ignites explosive synth barrages whilst gleaming keys grind over wrought-iron crunches of scatter-gun noise. This gives the chorus a powerful punch, flooding eardrums with maniacal whomps, bleats, twinkles and every sound imaginable. Adding Hot Chip style vocals ruffles the musical background and torpedoes forth segmented bouts of electro synaesthesia: ears, limbs and emotions erupt with fervent glee making "Keep Close" an energetic track. Lemaitre smoulder their electro landscapes with neon strobes, boring into the musical soul almost psychedelically delivering a plethora of intoxicating sound. Ulrik and Ketil manage to execute their niche sound with absolute ease and each track encourages the listener to get up and dance like there is no tomorrow.
Check out the video below, follow the links, buy the album via the iTunes, you know the score by now.
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