Freaky Friday Freeview: Tanlines + SIIVB

No FFF update last week due to SXSW, but now comes the much anticipated Tanlines record + School Of Seven Bells (Katy Perry is a fan, just so you know).

TANLINES
Mixed Emotions 
[True Panther]

Tanlines had already teased us with "Real Life," a track that made the rounds across the web a while ago, not only building up the hype but also providing a great sneak peek into Jesse Cohen and Eric Emm's fusion of '80s synth-pop and African-style drumming. With remixes of the Tough Alliance, Memory Tapes and Au Revoir Simone (to name a few) under their collective belt, the Brooklyn duo turned their creative energy into making their own music and spent the past few years brewing Mixed Emotions in various recording studios across New York; as we had hoped, the resulting album is full of sunlight-drenched dance floor-fillers. Emm's vocals are vivid and melancholy, yet never stray from the summery don't-worry-be-happy vibe of the music, which comes across as a pop mash-up of El Guincho and the Drums, while also hinting at the duo's love for house music. And the record couldn't "sound" any better either, mixed by the legendary Jimmy Douglas who's turned the knobs for hitmakers like Timbaland, Aaliyah and Justin Timberlake, and back in the day for Television, Roxy Music and Gang of Four too. I can't think of a better album to kick off the official start of spring and I expect to be playing Mixed Emotions well into the summer and beyond.

Have a listen to Brothers and Yes Way

SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS
Ghostory
[Vagrant]

When School of Seven Bells announced the departure of Claudia Deheza in late 2010, their future seemed rather hazy, what with her being one-third of the band as well as identical twin to vocalist Alejandra Deheza. Fortunately, this loss does not seem to have put a dent into SVIIB's sound, and as a duo they have carried on to create what their best work yet. A conceptual record of sorts, Ghostory tells the haunting tale of Lafaye, a young girl who struggles with love and loss throughout her life. For Benjamin Curtis and Deheza it is a story of their personal experiences, a meditative journey that they wanted to share through music. Deheza's shadowy vocals pull together an emotional narrative, in a way persuading listeners to sing along with her and connecting with the mythical fables told in each song. The ambient guitar and synths stray further away from shoegaze and deeper into chimerical electronic pop that's visceral yet perfect for a smoke-filled dancefloor. It certainly seems that Curtis and Deheza have finally found a perfect balance -- perhaps working as a duo, School of Seven Bells acquired more solidity than ever before.

Have a listen to The Night and White Wind

For more of this week's new releases check out Other Music update.