A Reminder’s top 28 of 2008 list.

A long time ago, A Reminder was the first blog, certainly the first music blog, I ever read.

A stalwart feature of the blog has to be the annual tabulation of Australian (and NZ) bands, great and small. This is a list worth paying attention to, least of all because I have similar music tastes to Sean and the group of bloggers who contribute, but mainly because the list seems to appreciate the underlying value of a band beyond its most recent release or ‘hype value’.

I’m not even sure what the criteria are — but it’s a good list.

This year’s top spot went to The Drones who, sadly, I’ve seen only once. A pleasant surprise was the inclusion of You Am I. Cut Copy placed well above The Presets, perhaps controversial, but I’d have to agree.

Cut Copy – Hearts on Fire // KIM – Party Machini.

Modular has been very, very busy of late. Chiefly with hot exports Cut Copy and The Presets’ new records and maaassive tours, but also pressing old KIM and Cut Copy singles onto new wax.

First up, you might remember Cut Copy’s ‘Hearts on Fire’ from about 12 months ago – yeah, it was the lead-in single for In Ghost Colours. It had a full 12″ release and everything, even a banging remix from Joakim, which found its way onto the Bang Gang DJs’ Light Sound Dance compilation from around that time. Well, as if a new album and single since then wasn’t enough, Modular saw fit bestow a new Midnight Juggernauts remix upon us and another 12″ release, with Calvin Harris remix apparently in tow and a new video:

Don’t get me wrong, both these remixes are damn fine and breath new life into a track which, frankly, was awesome on its own. But with all the great material on In Ghost Colours just dying to be remixed and released… why?

‘Hearts on Fire’ is due out June 5.

Track: Cut Copy – Hearts On Fire (Midnight Juggernauts Remix) (listen).

Second, and similar to the above, even with The Presets machine in full swing, Modular seem to be not so quietly re-releasing KIM’s entire back-catalogue. This I can at least half understand. Some of these tracks have only seen limited Japanese release, or were released when KIM was on Cutters/Bang Gang 12s aaagees ago. So we can now enjoy ‘Party Machini’, a track which was also on the seminal LSD compilation, again. There’s even a new remix or two thrown in for good measure.

Presets + BMW.

Saw the new BMW ad on TV last night and was blown away. Not only a Presets song in a commercial, but it’s a remix no less! Here’s what Modular had to say:

A technicoloured trip through crystal cities and swirling universes, this new video for The Presets is a snapshot straight from the mind’s eye of some of Australia’s premiere creative gurus.

On the hunt for some music to blast out of their German car stereos, BMW heard the 2005 stormer Are You The One? and flipped.

However we wanted to revitalise the engine room of the song and commissioned a remix by French whiz-kid (and all around nice guy), Lifelike.

The result was an post-electro love child, that bridged the gap between Beams and The Presets sophomore album, Apocalypso.

To celebrate BMW and Modular approached Jonathan Zawada and Shane Sakkeus (alongside the production brainiacs at Collider) to create a new video algorithm to solve the age old problem “what do youget when you cross The Presets + BMW + LifeLike + Zawada + Sakkeus + Collider?” The answer; a joy ride of the imagination that results in pure optical bliss.

Traversing through parallel worlds of rainbow moon rocks, pyramids, and cosmic clouds, THE ONE(s) navigates the heavens and the earths alike. Ecstasy to the eye. Drink it in people.

Read: Story in The Australian.

Apocalypso.

Rather than post ridiculously soon after this bohemoth of a record came out I thought I’d give it a proper listen before allowing my rampant opinions to burst out. So I did. I listened to it driving, walking, tramming, cleaning the bathroom, studying, boozing and while sleeping. It doesn’t matter — I won’t get sick of this feakin’ LP.

Seriously, I was very concerned that capturing the highs and lows of Beams would be almost impossible. I’m a massive fan of both The Presets live show, which captures all the massive, booming highs of that record, and listening to the record in solitude, and enjoying the instrumentals. Without a doubt, Apocalypso delivers all these joys.

From every bone-shattering kick and high-hat to every deep moog-inspired synth line, this record gets me psyched about The Presets all over again. Despite the fact that they didn’t change their live show in nearly two years, didn’t release any new material and toured almost entirely on hype and remixes — they deserve every bit of cred they’ve got. The lyrics, the production, the sound; all huge.

Of course, people will point out, there’s a few tracks on there which are a bit predictable. But I look at it another way — The Presets have a sound. Don’t let the fact that it’s now well-known detract from how good it is, it’s nobody else’s and they do it so well.

So, if you were expecting hating, you’re not going to get it.

Buy it.

The Presets + Lifelike = This Boy’s In Love

When The Presets (myspace) dropped the first single off their forthcoming LP Apocalypso, I wasn’t as hyped as others. I just found ‘My People’ to be a bit much, it had all the intensity of a smashing Presets track but it perhaps wasn’t what I was expecting – ‘Girl and the Sea’ anybody?

In any event, after seeing it thrown down at Nevereverland I was sold.

To cut to the chase, their second single, ‘This Boy’s in Love’, has got me psyched in a whole different way. The first I heard of it was on Lifelike’s myspace, where I noticed the French DJ/Producer was doing a remix of it. Then lo-and-behold Waves At Night came through with the original, and now the remix!

Track: The Presets – This Boy’s In Love (Lifelike Remix) (over at Waves At Night)

Is it just me or can you totally hear the KIM influence in the building synth melodies a la ‘Fistogram’? Well of course Kim has a bit to do with how it sounds, but I’m really digging where both outfits are going with it.

Presets: old news, new wax.

The Presets (myspace) have finally committed ‘My People’ (itunes) to wax, and it comes not a moment too soon as remixes are flooding the internets, making us vinyl-spinners anxious before we miss the boat.

First, there’s the DIM remix which is a more electro/less banger affair, yet somehow equally climactic and likely to fit very smoothly into any set. Then there’s the Kris Menace oh-so-squeaky-clean-house remix, which retains the thumping bass-line but works over the melody somewhat. Finally, a ‘Damage Edit’ has turned up (don’t look for it on the 12″) which chops up the track a little and gives it ‘that sound’ which the kids seem to love these days.

Track: The Presets – My People (DIM Remix) (listen).

Track: The Presets – My People (Damage Edit) (listen).

The Presets – My People.

At the risk of completely duplicating my last post (except with different bandnames), The Presets (myspace) are back in a big way this summer and Modular reports a new tune: ‘My People’ is in the works. There’s not much whch can be said now — it’s not out, it’s not leaked and it’s not even on their myspace (edit, now on their myspace, thanks anonymous). Kris Menace (myspace) does have a remix apparently, but that can’t be found either. Modular reckon

[i]t is a snarling gargantuan beast of a record, a downright wet fish to the face of everything else on the radio. With an irrepressible call and response hook and h e a v y production

ie. it’s huge Presets stuff. Nice.