Having toured with Robyn after his 2010 debut dropped, Toronto’s Diamond Rings (né John O’Regan) is fired up and ready to shine even brighter on his sophomore disc.

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If the French had their own version of the Now That’s What I Call Music series, this would be it. And this one is extra special, as it marks the 10th anniversary of these diverse and forward-thinking collections.

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For many in the dance community, our clubs are our churches (and our singers are our preachers), where we get to forget our woes and celebrate life in the communal grooves. Unfortunately, much of what rules dance music lately features computer-enhanced vocalists on tracks created with laser precision – and very little soul – by overpaid producers. Whatever happened to the days of Paradise Garage?

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Let’s all give props to Casablanca Records. The once shuttered, classic 70’s record label is back, determined to bring the best beats to the masses again. Next in line is Tel Aviv’s The Young Professionals. Read the rest of this entry →

The critically acclaimed, indie rock quartet Bloc Party returned with an unexpected new sound on their first album in nearly seven years. Check out our take on it.

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This new album is the acclaimed singer-songwriter and Sugar/Hüsker Dü founder’s first album of all-new studio material since 2009’s Life and Times. Inspired and informed by his recent shows opening for Foo Fighters, (as well as his shows commemorating the 20th anniversary of Sugar’s 1992 debut), Silver Age presents 10 new compositions in the punishingly loud yet melodically sparkling vein of his Sugar output. Read the rest of this entry →

Van She are yet another stellar outfit in a long line of Australians who have the magic touch when it comes to producing and creating feel-good synthpop. Under the moniker Van She Technologic, they’ve also crafted must-have remixes of everyone from Dragonette to The Presets to Daft Punk. But they’ve really outdone themselves with this, their 2nd proper album. If there ever were a collection of songs to take to the beach and sip piña coladas to, this would be it. Read the rest of this entry →

It’s been 17 years since Toadies caught any buzz, but it sure was huge. Their “Possum Kingdom” single remains a road-tested, alt-grunge anthem. But what does the 2012 edition of the band offer up? One hell of a vibrant and cohesive rock ‘n roll record, that’s what.

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Listening to this fantastic new Hot Chip disc, I can’t help but think that they truly are the valedictorians of intelligent dance music, and a hard-working outfit that helps restore some faith in the possibilities of what eclectic pop music can sound like. The beloved London outfit also showcases how much more expressive and organic club music can sound, when it’s played and sung by real live humans. However, this is not to say they don’t deliver when it comes to dancefloor beats. Read the rest of this entry →

A spot on description of this disc is in its title alone. It’s been 5 years since these party-rocking Portuguese pistols dropped their loopy debut, and they’ve fine-tuned their hyper-kinetic beats to perfection. On paper, their language barrier might seem like a deterrent, but in these actual jams it only serves to enliven the atmosphere. Just one listen to “Dança Especial” (featuring Rizzle Kicks on vocals) and “Pucko” instantly transports you to a barefoot limbo dance contest on a Hawaiian island. Opener “Arrastao” offers a gold medal in cheerleading, replete with frog moans, cat purrs, and elephant wails. And both “Bang” (featuring Das Racist’s Kool A.D.) and “Brazilian Boys” (featuring Ce’Cile) will remind you of M.I.A. (at least, when she still knew how to match her beats and rhymes with massive hooks). Read the rest of this entry →