What are we listening to?

Music to our ears this weekend.

Panic At The Disco - Nine In The Afternoon
One of the first things we learnt upon becoming prestigious watchmakers is that nine in the afternoon does not exist. Nor does, by the sound of it, a rubbish PATD track. Stuff like this euphoric ELO-tinged stomper entirely negates the need for 90% of all ’breezy guitar pop’.

Eels - Meet The Eels (LP)
If we met the Eels, we’d say, “Hey Eels, you’re really good”, or words to that effect.

Kitsuné Maison - Compilation 5 (LP)
Steadfastedly refusing to disappoint comes the latest in the fashionable French label’s (hopefully) long line of mixes. Highlights include Late Of The Pier, Alan Braxe, plus more remixes than you can shake a broken cross fader at.

Darren Hayes - Pop!ular
Why wasn’t Darren Hayes more popular? Well, stopping buses just to tell everyone who you are has never gone down too well so perhaps that has got something to do with it. It is a shame really, because this track is amazing. Highlights include the first chorus (00.31), that Miss Kittin-style business about all his friends being in limousines (02.05) and when The Dumper speculatively reverses into the studio during the intro (00:16).

Jordan Knight - Give It To You
This superslick dancepop number, despite its accordion ’n’ mandolin sections, sounds spiky and fresh to this day (it was released nine years ago), with a production job that will have you weeping for the late nineties. This is what a lot of R&B sounded like before bloody trumpets got in on the act.

Black Kids - Hurricane Jane (Beige Remix)
This remix of the hotly-tipped youngsters gives things a desolate, downbeat feel before a 1000ft skyscraper of a Daggers-style chorus come along to crank up the euphoria. It’s an empty kind of euphoria though, like that felt when it’s Friday night and you haven’t got any money.

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