Music: Electric President

Hello everyone. It's soooooo (as my brother would say 'FREAKIN') hot today. I feel like a Hershey's bar that God just stuffed in His jeans pocket before going mountain climbing. Or something like that. And our pool is still this nasty oozing-green color because we haven't hooked up the pump or filter yet. So I'm planning on finishing this post but if the words just randomly stop in the middle of a sentence somewhere you can probably assume that I died of heat stroke and you can go back to doing whatever you want.

Now, what I really wanted to tell you about is my latest discovery while surfing the remote corners of the iTunes universe. The band is called Electric President. It's a little unclear if the name of the album is actually "S/+" or if it's just part of the cover. Now I'll consent that not everyone is likely to enjoy these guys as much as I do. The lead vocals toe the line between effective, laid-back emo and the infamous wimpy white guy with a sore throat effect. But there's a lot to be said about musicality of this group. Ben Cooper and Alex Kane wrote, played and recorded the entire album themselves in a tool shed and a bedroom but the end result is very professional. Their sound is a lot like a cross between Death Cab for Cutie and The Flaming Lips. Imagine Ben Gibbard and Wayne Coyne having a baby together. Or maybe not. But the analogy still stands! They make ample use of guitars and various guitar effects which is a nice change from the keyboards that often dominate this niche. What I think I like most about this recording is it's unique approach to every track. It's not your typical pre-packaged electro-pop: verse, chorus, verse, chorus, chorus, bridge, chorus, chorus, chorus, etc. Cooper's songs seamlessly morph from one theme to another in a pristine (albeit hazy) atmosphere of melancholy, smartly avoiding the usual relentlessly repetitive lines. Some simple programming, a thouroughly unpredictable drum set, or subtle acoustic guitars played in reverse; these are the kind of things Electric President uses for a beautiful and unique take on an over-recorded genre. So, there's my review. If you guys know of any music, songs, bands, etc, that I should check out just...... (heat stroke)