Lykke Li + Bon Iver | “Dance Dance Dance”

What I would’ve given to come across this impromptu jam session in L.A.

Lykke Li – Official Site | MySpace | Wikipedia | Last.fm | Amazon

Bon Iver – Official Site | MySpace | Wikipedia | Last.fm | Amazon

Matt and Kim | “Daylight”

I’m seeking a new replacement hobby for my leisure time (putting photography on the back burner); so far, the most thrilling idea is returning to my first love… video. (GASP.)

I just saw the effervescent Matt and Kim at the Whippersnapper last night. Their new clip here bleeds the juice I want to shoot down my gullet and spew back out at the world. The best execution comes around the 2:10 mark.

Matt and Kim – Official Site | MySpace | Wikipedia | Last.fm | Amazon

The Mae Shi | “Run to Your Grave”

I have this weird rule about not seeing bands more than once, unless they put on a fantastic show. Not only did I break that rule, but I saw these kids from LA THREE times in a span of THREE days.

Needless to say, these guys were, by far, the most engaging performers I saw at SXSW 2008. This video kind of says it all.

The Mae Shi – Official Site | MySpace | Wikipedia | Last.fm | Amazon

Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain | “Smells Like Teen Spirit”

“Smells Like Teen Spirit” – Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain

All props to Nirvana and Kurt Cobain, but this uke version is way more punk than those Seattle-ites could ever deliver.

UOoGB – Official site | MySpace | Last.fm | Wikipedia | Amazon

Similar artists: The Gothic Archies, The Magnetic Fields, They Might Be Giants

The Pipettes | “Your Kisses are Wasted on Me”

(Deep inhale) Okay, seriously. Could we can all this “Yay! Go team!” media hype surrounding The Pipettes? Sure, I get weak in the knees when I see a band outfitted in their Sunday’s best, but this group, fronted by three lasses from Brighton, England, just tries way too hard.

I like cute. I like quirky. And manufactured bands are okay. To a great extent, most bands and artists are manufactured, really, so any argument based on that doesn’t hold. The Pipettes’ songs are cute, saccharine, and explosively poppy, and they make an absolute perfect accoutrement on a sunny day, but their live show, as photographed above earlier this year in Austin’s Flamingo Cantina, pumps out nothing more than kitsch without sincere passion. If dance moves are your thing, then forget this and get yourself a ticket to see Britney Spears.

Anyway. (Exhale)

The Pipettes play Vancouver tonight at the Plaza Club. Despite my own bitter misgivings, I think most people will dig this sort of stuff. At least they have stage presence, and it got me riled up enough to write a post about it. That certainly says something.

The Pipettes – Official site | MySpace | Last.fm | Amazon

Similar artists: The Shangri-Las, The Ronettes, Architecture in Helsinki, The Concretes

Datarock | “Computer Camp”

“She’s not that kind of a girl, Booger!”

It would take more than hand cuffs and a head-dunk into a toilet to stop me from playing “Computer Camp Love” over and over again. The song’s a perfect mix of quirk, retro flair, and Scandinavian novelty, and I pity the fool who tries to stop me from belting out the lyrics and playing it on loop over and over… and over again.

Press play. Rinse. Repeat. Play. Rinse. Repeat. That’s right. You’ve been Datarock-ified.

Datarock – Official site | MySpace | Last.fm | eMusic

Similar artists: Hot Chip, The Rapture, The Presets

Plastic Operator | “Folder”

Wow. The sun’s shining, butterflies spring from my footsteps, and the skies above drip sweet cola into my gaping maw. Indeed, the world is an open park involving non-stop napping in grassy meadows.

When I discover an album that makes me feel so content and summery, even when it’s not — as is often the case here in the Pacific Northwest — I grab it by the balls and stake my claim. And now, as we edge into spring, Canadian/Belgian duo Plastic Operator is my new victim of choice. Bwa ha ha ha! These boys won’t know what hit ‘em!

The group came to being when two international audio production students at London’s Westminster University (Montreal’s Mathieu Gendreau and Antwerp’s Pieter Van Dessel) joined nerdly forces to create a three-track release in 2004. Since then, they’ve been working on their debut LP Different Places, released internationally on May 14, 2007. It’s a tasty serving of electronic pop; in fact, I equate listening to the album to getting my paws on the first foot-long Mr. Freeze of the summer: it’s incredibly sweet, refreshing, and does a fantastic job at kicking me out of my extended winter slump.

My heart is a-fluttering. It’s time to pack away the winter clothes. After all, I’ve found one of my early summer 2007 soundtracks, and I’m ready to get things going. [insert pumping fist here]

Official site: www.plasticoperator.com
MySpace: www.myspace.com/plasticoperator
Last.fm: www.last.fm/music/Plastic%20Operator
eMusic: www.emusic.com/artist/11626/11626803.html