JIM CARROLL's future sounds
The Phenomenal Handclap Band: phenomenal
Here comes the soundtrack for the summer. They’re The Phenomenal Handclap Band and they’ve got soul, funk, disco and grooves under the bonnet.
The story of these nu-disco dancefloor dons begins with Daniel Collás and Sean Marquand, two of New York’s premier soul and funk DJs who have also produced comeback albums by such legends as Joe Bataan and União Black.
The pair weren’t content with rejigging careers and decided the time was right to rip things up with a brand new band. Plenty of their friends were earning their corn in other bands, so why not tap into that talent pool and, as Collás put it, get their feet wet again?
Of course, it turns out that those friends aren’t from just any old set of “other bands”. You’ve players here who have worked with TV On The Radio, Jon Spencer, Mark Ronson, Any Winehouse, Antibalas, Mary J Blige, Mooney Suziki and many, many more. The Phenomenal Handclap Band really do have musical chops.
What this outfit produce when they come together is block-rocking music that takes in old-school funk romps, go-go hollering, space-age synths, soulful chanting, sassy rhyming, cosmic disco trimmings and even some prog-rock fixings.
The killer tunes are all here, including 15 to 20 (one listen to it and the hook will be reverberating around your head for the rest of the day) and You'll Disappear, a thrilling, smoking groove that could only have come from the Big Apple. Their live following is growing as well, as people begin to get onboard and feel the love.
Collás is mighty pleased with their run so far. “We’d like to make it as big and epic as possible, and definitely want the show to be more of a spectacle.” He’s on the right track.
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www.myspace.com/ embassyproductions
Valerie Francis: pulling no punches
It's not every day that Kanye West and the Irish new music community make contact. But then, it's not every day that you come across a beautiful slice of eye-candy like Eoghan Kidney's video for Valerie Francis's Punches.
The video caught the rapper’s attention, he blogged about it and set off a burst of online excitement.
The story shouldn't end there, as West's endorsement comes just in time to plug Francis's debut album, Slow Dynamo. If you liked Punches, you'll be in a right tizzy when you dip your toes into this quiet riot of hypnotic, serene and blissed-out pop. The sounds and songs on this Jimmy Eadie-produced album will soothe any amount of recession-related stresses.
Francis has been a fixture on the Dublin singer- songwriter scene for a few years, and a debut album is probably overdue. But the slow-burning, widescreen, chilled hum of Slow Dynamoshows that sometimes, it pays to take your time.
- Slow Dynamois released on May 22nd. www.myspace.com/valeriefrancis
FOUR MORE
The XX
Alluring, menacing, hazy slo-mo rock from a London four-piece. Their Crystalisedsingle for Young Turks is a real wow. www.myspace.com/thexx
Miike Snow
Swedish/US trio who have ditched production duties with Madonna and Britney, to make pulsating pop grooves of their own. www.myspace.com/miikes
The Jealous Girlfriends
Holly Miranda and friends introduce shoegazing to the blues. www.myspace.com/thejealousgirlfriends
Crocodiles
Fuzzy, slurpy punk-rock from a pair of bored San Diego slackers. www.myspace.com/crocodiles crocodilescrocodiles
