If you haven’t listened to Dominant Legs yet, close your eyes and open your mind to the salty sweet (if this band were a food) duo: Ryan Lynch’s voice (of Girls) is deep and dark  mixed with Hannah Hunt’s, which is dreamy and distant, making for an unusual combination that just so happens to work.

One of their latest tracks, About My Girls, makes me think of what a high school dance in the 1950’s felt like. It seems like a perfect soundtrack to the divided boy-girl parties where polka dot dresses and cat eye glasses were dominant, yea dominant legs. Then there’s Clawing Out At the Walls which I think is the stand-out track among the 4 on the EP, Young at Love and Life (released on Lefse August 17th). With a lighter feel, the track has the same dreamy nostalgic sound, but with a bit more pep. Specifically, island pep, that is or was appropriate to someone, at some point in time, I just have no idea how or more appropriately, when- Lynch almost brings an other-worldly quality that extends throughout the whole EP.

While my favorite track is Clawing Out At the Walls, here’s the track that hooked me:

Dominant Legs – About My Girls

And, yes, this has got to be included as well:

Dominant Legs – Clawing Out at the Walls

Dominant Legs are about to tour with UK based Mystery Jets, and will be supporting them both nights at Mercury Lounge on September 14th and 15th and at the Troubadour in LA on the 17th.

*Mystery Jets’ latest album, Serotonin, is out now. Support Dominant Legs and purchase their EP here.

Phil Speiser is 19. He is from Hamburg/Vienna. He is an electro producer and DJ and one of Hamburg’s biggest electro acts right now.   And I bet, that wherever he is at this very moment, he is most likely tired. I don’t know why but I envision him staying up all night, every night, playing and dancing on a giant glitter dance floor, playing to the world. He is Dirty Disco Youth.

Dirty Disco Youth is maybe one of the greatest DJ/Producer names I have heard – it’s just a sweet a** name. And to top off the sweetness, his upcoming album is coming out on Steve Aoki’s Dim Mak Records.

The greatest and latest to come out of Dirty Disco Youth is his “Holiday Mixtape.” I discovered it on NYC blog NYCElectro, which is definitely worth a daily look, if you don’t already…the holiday mixtape opens with Black Box “Ride of Time” –> Friendly Fires “Paris” (Aeroplane Remix) –> Fatboy Slim “Fatboy Slim is F***ing in Heaven” …and later into one of my favorites: Classixxx “I’ll Get You.”

It’s also free to download on his website:  here. So go get that, but for now, a teen treat:

Dirty Disco Youth – Minds Off (Teen Symmetry remis)

Why haven’t you written about High Places yet? The answer is: I don’t know!!!!!!

I have been meaning to, ever since I saw them at the Guggenheim with Toro Y Moi last month, at their sound check, and one of the samples they had repeating (from On Giving Up) was amazing. And that was just sound check, kids.

Fast forward to August, they’re featured in a rather large two page spread in SPIN this month. So what makes this experimental electro-pop duo stand out? Give their second album, High Places vs. Mankind a listen, and its pretty evident how talented they are.

Check out their Head Spinz (Hawnay Troof Remix) and On Giving Up below, which is prime for a good remix…

High Places – On Giving Up

Purchase songs on eMusic here.

London-based duo Summer Camp were all over the blogs a few weeks back with their video for the song “Round The Moon,” to tease the upcoming, limited-edition 7” and digital release of the single on September 13^th.  Just prior to that, they’ll be releasing a six track EP – the Young EP – on September 6^th.  You can purchase everything from Moshi Moshi Records HERE.

Comprised of members Elizabeth Sankey and Jeremy Warmlsey (sometimes Fanfarlo member), Summer Camp takes a look back at your favorite films – or films you should know – from the 80s and before, to sample music and create songs like “Jake Ryan.”  SWOON.  For the “Round the Moon” video, they continue to get nostalgic, pulling clips from the 1970 Swedish film En kärlekshistoria.  Check it out below, along with their track “Ghost Train.”

Summer Camp – Ghost Train

SUMMER CAMP – Round the Moon from Paddy Power on Vimeo.

um, way to take a hiatus forthebeat writer, C.Love ….well, he is back ladies and gentlemen, reviewing Active Child:

All summer long, I’ve been trying to decide what new music to listen to on my way to work, while working out, kicking it out in the summer sun, etc. I’ve said it before, but 2010 has been a great year for music. It could end right now and it would still be one of the better years for music in recent memory.

One of my favorite standout acts this year is Active Child, who released the Curtis Lane EP last month. Pat Grossi, a former choir boy, occasionally strums a harp over various synth accompanied with his Bon Iver-like falsetto to create the band’s unique sound.

Check out Weight of the World below and also  Classixxx’s remix of When Your Love Is Safe.

Lo-fi and an overall jangly-feel complete with catchy hooks, whistling and a lot of ooohs and ahhhs, Oberhofer is Brad Oberhofer — only 19 years old  (although he looks even younger).  This year he will be a “breakout” act at CMJ.

Starting out in a basement on the West Coast, Oberhofer is now a Brooklyn-based band complete with Matt, Mike and Peter.  And I love the story from that bedroom through today (from his bio):

When your songs are too big to be contained: form a band. Maybe call it after your family name because you like the way it sounds (shit, if it worked for Bon Jovi then who’s to argue). Record those songs in the basement of your parents house in Tacoma. When that burns down, shake it off and move to New York. Find a new band to play with, start working on a symphony (no really, do it), mix your newfound formal training with the noisy exuberance of youth. Get raucous.

His debut 7″ oOOOoOOOo is available at Insound HERE and you can catch him live before CMJ on August 26th at Bowery Ballroom or September 17th at Monster Island.

Oberhofer – I Could Go

Introducing…. Delcroy: a brand spankin new act out of Long Beach, California. And I mean BRAND new. They have one song. One music video. And 4 friends on MySpace. I like it.

The duo Lauren Hillman + Tom Bailey have released their first song, Fresh, in anticipation for their first album to come later this fall, which will have over 12 tracks…  The music video to Fresh pretty much sums up all of my music video fantasies: breaking into a kick ass song and dance routine along with 5 shiny silver spandex clad computers.

Fresh is a fun electro, synth-heavy dance song with a catchy beat and even catchier lyrics “maybe its the sound of your voice” that stay in your head long after the track ends…Overall, the video, created by Nick Wenger, is pretty entertaining but at 2:30, watch out, because it blasts into absolute awesomeness with the dance montage mentioned above: computers with sweet dance moves, professing their love (to Lauren).

I can only hope Delcroy compliments each track with equally entertaining videos like this one and furthermore, their album release party better include some of these dancemazing computers on stage…

Download the song here: www.delcroynow.com

Delcroy- Fresh

Teeth

Reminiscent of Crystal Castles, we can already hear a bunch of angry teenagers scream-singing-spinning out of control on the dancefloor.  Veronica So’s voice is much more clear though, but at times it sounds like she’s meant to back-up the intense synths and beats breaking out and overpowering her detached voice.

So is accompanied by Ximon Tayki (Electronics) and Simon Whybray (Drums).  The trio hail from London and don’t have any U.S. dates on the books quite yet – perhaps they’ll make an appearance at CMJ.

Teeth – See Spaces

SIGGHH.  I love this band…For their first full length album, Blackbird Blackbird jump in with a BANG, then cartwheel, do some jumping jacks and float on up to the sky (yea, just like the photo). Their beats remind me of MillionYoung /dreamy synth Beach House-like vocals/Air France beach goodness.

It all started with the Happy High EP released this past April, followed closely by Let’s Move Together EP in May and Summer Heart in June, available for digital download currently on their bandcamp site. AND, just announced today– the Summer Heart 12″ vinyl is coming out on Arcade Sound Ltd on September 28- so look out for that.

Blackbird Blackbird is also playing a show tonight in LA with fellow Arcade Sound artists Teen Daze and Gobble Gobble and some other fun sounding bands.

Check out an original and a cover below…just when I thought I didn’t need to hear Modest Mouse’s most acclaimed track Float On again, (since it has been repeated countless times because it does kick some major ass), Blackbird Blackbird recreates the song into a synth dance blast that maintains its initial appeal but extends it to further awesomeness.

Check it out:

Blackbird Blackbird Cover — Modest Mouse Float On

Blackbird Blackbird — Letting Go

Buy the album or individual tracks here

Dance duo, Teen Daze from Vancouver are about to break-the-f-out, while they’ve gotten some solid attention it’s only a matter of time before that accelerates as they gear up for their new EP release “Four More Years.” The EP will be released on Arcade Sound, the label/management company, based out of Knoxville, TN, known to specialize in digital/limited edition vinyl and cassette releases (awesome). Some of Arcade Sound’s artists are forthebeat favorites including Boston based Magic Man and South Carolina’s Coma Cinema, who both played our summer and spring show, respectively.

Arcade Sound is a true pioneer in the chillwave force, and Teen Daze is no exception to their exemplary roster, however not as chillwave as fellow AS artist MillionYoung, but definitely on the same track, with an underlying dance tone. While there are some solid originals from the duo, the clear standout for me are their remixes. They’ve remixed a ton of tracks to near dance perfection including Local Natives, Japandroids, Yeasayer, and one of the latest ftb discoveries: Gobble Gobble and their standout single “Lawn Knives.” Some CA performances coming up, lucky west coasters.

PB&J remixes for lunch? yes please:

Local Natives – Wide Eyes (Teen Daze Remix)

Japandroids – Wet Hair (Teen Daze Remix)

You can now buy the album: support the artist and buy Four More Years.