[aka ‘the ireallylovemusic meets moshi moshi pt47’ post]
many years ago before the blog was the primary focus i set up the ireallylovemusic website just to see if i could.
the site was never intended to reach a mass market, nor get any real attention from anyone, as it was just a little time waster for yours truly.
then out of the blue, the site got a little write up in freebie indie bible, the fly (mike skinner from the streets was on the cover looking fed up and moody for a change). to say i was somewhat taken aback would be an understatement.
this little exposure brought about a change in my world as various industry types started to contact me. one such soul was stephen bass, who via a simple 3 line email asked if i would be interested in hearing some of his labels music. now, given that this was before myspace/yousendit/soundcloud etc, this resulted in a box arriving @ ireallylovemusic hq with several cds that the label, moshi moshi, happened to have released.
this was a proper buzz pop thrill of the highest order. all the more so given that albums by ingo star cruiser, matt harding, and junkboy were all rather good. lo-fi beauty, twisted pop songs, and just a general open honesty meant i fell hard for the albums.
subsequently i hung out on the website message board, interacted with a few of the music makers directly, and generally had a blast.
an album launch party here (king of woolworths due to connection with ingo star cruiser), a small gathering there, meant that for a golden period ireallylovemusic was a moshi moshi fanboy, even setting up a special dedicated page on the site (here).
then as is the way, my ears demanded more machine based noises, and so things began to drift apart. i didn’t feel too connected to the labels love for hot chip (more fool me .. ), and i couldn’t keep up with the singles club releases, and nor was i overly enamoured with some of the bands, truth be told.
however, when my teen kid brought home the album by florence and the machine, i could not help but smile inwardly when i spotted the now famous ‘el el’ logo. clearly the lads have worked their magic to the max, as in recent times, the label has gone from strength to strength with high profile love for the drums, the very best, and other such leftfield pop acts.
so, what has all this to do with beat connection ?
well, having no idea as to the recent moshi moshi adventures, when a promo cd-r dropped on the matt (itself being an event in 2011) with a ‘tender age’ logo, it meant nothing to me. it was only when i read the pr gumph that i learnt ‘tender age’ is a new moshi moshi imprint.
huzzah. what goes around …
(or is that ireallylovemusic has been online for too long and needs to call it a day, you decide)
and so to beat connection, there has been a buzz about them for a while, and having lived with this debut ep/mini-lp from the seattle gang of four, i would like to suggest that the buzz will be taken to a new level.
having been spin masters at various parties, the lads have a love for acid house styled euphoric mood swings, twanged up guitars, and a big open production style that makes the whole ep a delight to listen to.
atmospheric samples are peppered throughout the melody rich teasers, (seagulls and waves, disconnected vocals etc), while clean guitar lines are at the forefront of most of the songs.
highlights include the cut copy styled synth pop of in the water, the electric piano plus synths happy house grooves of theme from yours truly, (which does actually wanders into hot chip territory), and the comedown splendour of same damn time.
of the 8 tracks on offer, several are effectively instrumental interludes, as opposed to fully developed songs, but by incorporating subtle baggy styled bass lines into the mix, the listener is never too far from an attention grabbing surprise.
if you are wanting some feel good dance pop music with a smile inducing vibe, that doesn’t care about short lived blog rattling micro-genres, then this debut release is highly recommended.
more detail : here – – tender age – – moshi moshi