HEALTH - Die Slow 9.0/10

HEALTH is an electro noise rock band based in Los Angeles, USA. This track is taken from their album Get Color which was released by Lovepump United Records in 2009. This is almost-danceable pop music put through a shredder, with hard industrial riffs and beats arranged in a tight song structure. The whispery vocals of singer Jake Duzsik sound almost feminine and stand in sharp contrast to the maelstrom of noise flying around him. The track was the album's lead single and an appropriate choice, though unfortunately this remains the high water mark for the whole album. This is something to put on to get psyched up and excited before going to a goth club, though on a normal day it's also a great track to play in the car.

Neon Indian - Local Joke 9.3/10

Neon Indian is an indie electronic project by Alan Palomo from Denton, Texas. This track is taken from his album Psychic Chasms which was released by Lefse Records in 2009. This was the track which hooked me on the chillwave genre and made me realise that it could be much more than just lightweight nostalgia. The pummeling synth beats sound straight from a 1985 time warp, but the crisp production and layers of complex sampling make sure the mood is thoroughly grounded in the present. Palomo sings of a girl who doesn't care for him anymore and the inevitability of a looming breakup, intoning in the last line that 'she needs an excuse to end things and become the things you hate'. This is certainly one of my favourite songs of all time, a track that I can put on no matter what the occasion and immediately feel rejuvenated.

Alvin Band - Temple Pressure 8.9/10

Alvin Band is an experimental indie pop project by Rick Schaier who is originally from California, USA. He is also the drummer for the band Miniature Tigers. This track is taken from his album Mantis Preying which was released by Intelligent Noise Records in 2009. You've never heard anything quite like Alvin Band, take my word for it. The entire album Mantis Preying is constructed out of samples of Rick Schaier's voice and hand claps, and half the fun is trying to figure out how he made all these astonishingly diverse sounds using just his vocal cords. Temple Pressure is a good introduction to his style since it throws in a little bit of everything, but the most memorable feature is the 60's harmony style of the 'chorus' (if such a song can be said to have a chorus). Schaier sings of parental pressure pushing him to take more of an interest in his family's Jewish faith (this is what the lyrics and the title suggest at least, but knowing Schaier it could be an off-beat metaphor for anything up to and including the meaning of life). He's 'trying to read Hebrew' but he's 'too confused' and this song seems to be his way of cheekily poking fun at his own inability to take an interest in the faith. In the end though, the lyrics on the album Mantis Preying aren't what really matters, it's the amazingly creative rhythms, harmonies and percussion that he's managed to create without a single musical instrument. I'm a huge fan of the album Mantis Preying (though less fond of the follow-up album Rainbow Road), this is an album that I can play from start to finish and relish every minute of it. It's probably a little too 'weird' for the average listener (it reminds me a little of the Beta Band's self-titled album), but the sunny, upbeat atmosphere of Temple Pressure and the album are sure to put a smile on anyone's face if they're willing to give it a chance.