Pilooski – Why can’t there be love

Cedric Marszewski the French producer better known as Pilooski is no stranger to the art of modification having skilfully ‘re-touched’ classics by the likes of Elvis, Prince and the Pointer Sisters, he seems to have an ear for finding vinyl rarities and breathing new life into them.

Why can’t there be love is one such soul sapphire. Pilooski takes the 60’s crooning, full of heart ache and unrequited love found in Dee Edwards’ original and gives it the Pilooski special glitch treatment. He effectively splices the smooth sophisticated vocal of Edwards with a deep looping drum pattern. Edwards’ soulful pleas fight their way through the stuttering glitch, creating emotive strobe like glimpses of her voice. The original bass line escapes the Pilooski guillotine of glitch serving to glue the whole track together like some kind of sexy chocolate soul fudge.

Janelle Monáe – Sir Greendown

Janelle Monáe’s most recent album entitled The ArchAndroid proves just how versatile she is, her last.fm page sees her music tagged as anything from ‘afro-punk’ to ‘cyber-soul’ and everything in-between.

Sir Greendown is yet another string to her bow, a song of great beauty, beauty in its melody, beauty in the emotions it evokes and beauty in its narrative. As the song begins it’s almost as if you are turning the worn pages of a traditional fairytale, Monaes voice drifts through the air as though it has made the journey from another time. “Come wake me in the night, the dragon wants a bite of our love” sings Monae “Let’s leave in an hour, meet me at the tower” she continues. Various instruments flow delightfully in and out of the mix, a distant sounding slightly detuned synth line sits comfortably amongst the more traditional orchestral sounds within the arrangement, hinting that this story of love and longing could just aswell be set in a distant corner of the universe as it could in the European countryside.

Note: Janelle Monae claims that Salvador Dali’s Walt Disney creation ‘Destino’ inspired this track:

Trailer Trash Tracys – Candy Girl

The Trailer Trash Tracys are a London based shoegaze four-piece who have released a precious few songs ove the last couple of years. I almost didn’t include their track Candy Girl as I thought it may be a bit too doom and gloom, yet it is such a powerful song it couldn’t be suppressed.

From the very outset Candy Girl fires a searing arrow of dirty distortion and reverb-laden twang at your heart. You can almost hear guitarist Jimmy-Lee sigh as tears fall onto his guitar.

Lead singer Susanne Aztoria delivers her vocals with a slow inevitability, a feeling of hopelessness is overpowering, and even the drums seem to be dragging their beat along begrudgingly as the songs’ involuntary heartbeat.

While Candy Girl may not put a smile on your dial, you’ll be hard pressed to find another song that so accurately expresses the feelings of sadness and pain in such a moving way.