Soup of the Day # 9: The Uniques- Mud & Grit

In an attempt to look cool in front of any looming hipsters and people under the Pitchfork umbrella, I have decided to toss up a synthpop/electroclash record from a Slovakia trio for our 9th Soup of the Day. How's that for obscure?

Click Here to Listen to The Uniques- Mud & Grit on BandSoup!

From the "fall of the Iron Curtain" generation comes a electrifying trio equipped with upbeat clashes of sounds from the 60s, 70s, 80s and today that are mashed together amongst layers of synthetic waves, spastic drums, and danceable retro arrangements. This is 1980s dance club meets The Faint meets the new era of electronic rock, and these boys from Bratislava know how to bring the noise.

"Mud & Grit" is one of the catchier tunes from their 2010 unveiling, From the Dust, which was awarded by critics as the top Slovakian album of that year. The flailing beat in the background controls the motion of the track as lead singer Pista Kralovic rides it with ease. The danceable tune is also highlighted by various sprinkles of electronic noise, chimes, and background vocals that add body to an already infectious skeleton that will have you moving your body to dust.

Soup of the Day #6: The Crystal Method- Come Back Clean (Muscle Hawk Remix)

Muscle Hawk is a dirty and delightful Salt Lake City based mind fuck full of hyper active electronic riffs, flogging funk elements, and aggressive synth-pop grit. Their critically acclaimed EPs, The Speed of Dark (2009) and Superfuture (2010), have solidified the duo as one of the best emerging groups in Utah and in the United States, making Greg Bower and Josh Holyoak some of the most highly sought after producers in their genre.

Listen to the Come Back Clean (Muscle Hawk Remix)

This above statement is immediately justified in our latest Soup of the Day selection, Come Back Clean (Muscle Hawk Remix), as Muscle Hawk rips their talons into The Crystal Method's 2009 single and delivers an audacious re-make of an otherwise light and feminine original. The grinding stabs blanket the hard hitting drums perfectly as Emily Haines' alluring vocals send the track soaring. Over four minutes, Muscle Hawk keeps it gritty, danceable, and impulsive, giving the record a tremendous amount of replay value, while keeping the dance floor on their toes and wanting more. A Muscle Hawk signature flight.

Musclehawk's latest EP, Superfuture, is available to purchase on iTunes and features another MH classic, Set Yourself on Fire. 

Listen & Stream More Muscle Hawk Music Here!

Laserfang

It's kind of odd how a wooly mammoth drenched in melting pastels is the first visual impression a band wants to make, but Laserfang, a Salt Lake City based band known for their energetic and unforgettable live performances, sport this prehistoric psychedelic beast on the cover of their debut album with pride,  and its gaudy design (courtesy of artist Sri Whipple) ends up being a perfect accessory to the band's abrasively colorful sound and spirit.

Mammoth, a 9-track trip through a kaleidoscope of funky rhythms, buzzy guitars, stabbing brass, and blotches of electronic noise, is the most interesting album I've heard in over a decade. Devoid of obvious influences and genre, Laserfang should be filed under 'Mindfuck', 'WTF', or have a genre named after them. Each track on the record is named after a famous TV or movie villain and the accompanying music matches each characters menacing facade. "Master Control Program" is the perfect introduction track. It is an 8-minute roller coaster through Laserfang's psyche-- danceable rhythms, trippy transitions, buzzing bass lines, infectious guitar riffs, crisp drums, and oddly hypnotizing vocals-- a true crayola box of noise. "Priss & Roy" enters the vortex like it was part of the intro track and continues to peacock and strut along with Shane Asbridge's retro cries, cradling them in streaks of whirs and computerized keys. "Alan Stanwyck", the bands stand out track, is entrancing. A voodoo cobra like composition that's ready to be lauded by blogs, the giants of indie rock press, and every American Apparel wearing hipster apathetically flicking clove ash into a PBR, which instantly makes me wonder-- why haven't these guys been dubbed 'the next big thing' yet?

The caboose of the record begins to show off a cool and calm side of Laserfang. "Sardo Numpsa" is a slithering jazz smoked cut with latin undertones and "Aunty Entity" a slight nod to the 70's; however, the pace picks right back up with the spastic, robotic vocalized "Baron Vladimir Harkonnen" and "Hans Gruber", the album's closer that gives a smooth landing to one turbulent voyage through the mind of Laserfang.

Despite their cult following in Utah, it took Laserfang five years to put their brains on wax, but the wait was well worth it. Mammoth is a word that not only explains their sound and their shows, but their balls and their future.

Click Here to Listen to Laserfang on BandSoup

(click the artist link to purchase)