Solar Bears // “Cosmic Runner”
There is always music to look forward to, but seldom are the times when I find myself so eagerly anticipating an album that I can barely stand the wait. Solar Bears’ forthcoming Supermigration is one of those times.
One of the things that I love most about the Irish duo’s music is that it is a perfect companion piece to my love for genre films. They create this perfect hybrid of different styles that at times reminds me of horror film scores of the late 1970’s or early 1980’s (John Carpenter, Ennio Morricone, Goblin) while other times their sound is more reminiscent of sci-fi. But wherever the band is pulling influence from, you can always guarantee that the result will be dense and atmospheric arrangements.
Take a listen to this cut from Supermigration that John sent me called “Cosmic Runner.” It’s about as deep space as the title would suggest and it shows that the band is back and in top form as well.
Side note: Did you guys see the trailer for Beyond the Black Rainbow yet? The aesthetic that Solar Bears have honed over the last few years (and of which “Cosmic Runner” is a perfect example) is almost a perfect match to the vibe and the look of the trailer. It’s almost eerie! Check it out!
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Solar Bears // “Cub (Keep Shelly In Athens Remix)”
(I know you have probably already listened to this. But I didn’t want to take the chance that maybe you hadn’t heard it.)
It was almost exactly one month ago that I posted Solar Bears’ remix of Keep Shelly In Athens’ haunting “Running Out of You.” Well it seems that our favorite Grecians wanted to even the score by remixing one of Solar Bears’ tracks. Their choice? The lonely, wandering “Cub.” One of my favorite things about Solar Bears is their ability to create entire worlds within the time frame of a few minutes. So I was excited to hear how KSIA would translate “Cub” into their own Balearic language. To say the least, the result is stunning.
Stripping it down to its melody line, KSIA retain very little of the original track. They erect towering structures of sound around it. A head-bobbing beat, explorative synths, a pulsing bass line, and a vocal sample to round things out. If these two decided to keep this relationship going I would not mind at all. This is the stuff of greatness.
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hear it: “Cub (Keep Shelly In Athens Remix)”
Catscars // “B-Song”
I was turned onto this track by a rad dude (John from Solar Bears). In the past his meddlings led me to 17-year-old wunderkind MOTHS, and we all know how that turned out (great). So going on the word of his good advice I gave a listen to Catscars’ “B-Song”.
Hailing from (you guessed it) Ireland, Catscars’ sounds like she was lifted straight out the new wave boom of the 1980’s. Recalling the punk rock sheik of acts like Blondie and The Waitresses, the song simultaneously evokes both the glamorous and the sinister side of the music business. Repeating the line, “You’re never gonna do it” she is just daring you to take a chance, but be careful, big hair isn’t the only thing being teased here.
Catscars’ debut album Construction is set to drop March 4th on White Plague Records, but if you want to hear more before then you can stream the album on SoundCloud.
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right here: “B-Song”
Keep Shelly In Athens // “Running Out of You (Solar Bears Remix)”
I’m very picky with remixes. It seems like there is an almost constant flood of them all over every blog and it gets a little tiresome (shoot me if you want). With that said, one thing that will get me to listen to a remix right off the bat is the remixer (liking the original artist doesn’t hurt either). When Solar Bears sent me their recent remix of Keep Shelly In Athens’ “Running Out of You”, I was more than eager to listen to it. Keep Shelly In Athens’ Balearic jams always have me love-drunk, and Solar Bears retro sci-fi tones are pure audio gold. So the thought of mixing the two is enough to make me salivate all over the place.
The end result is even more wonderful than I could have imagined. Stripping everything but the vocals, Solar Bears clothe the dreamy vocals in lonely, spacious synth lines; all while retaining the songs longing nature. If they keep pumping out remixes as beautiful as this one, I’ll be a happy camper.
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Keep Shelly In Athens // “Running Out of You (Solar Bears Remix)”
