Most electropop lovers know Timo Kaukolampi from his work with Annie. He collaborated on her debut and toured with her as well. Now, the Finish DJ/musician/producer is synth-deep in K-X-P, a “drum, bass, and synth trio” that makes the kind of noisey experimental music Scandinavians should make more often. This project has actually been in the works since 2006, they even had a deal with Smalltown Supersound in place (in fact, Timo brought Annie to STSS for her recent Don’t Stop). There’s something Bauhaus-y about this Scanda noise rock, including on the lead single “18 Hours (Of Love).” The album drops this July.
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It has been a full three years since Chromeo unleashed their debut and the flurry of vocoder/keytar sing-a-longs that followed. Though, it’s not like we haven’t heard from them since. They’ve toured relentlessly, and within the last six months, released a DJ Kicks compilation as well as the single “Night by Night.” This summer, Fancy Footwork’s proper successor, Business Casual, drops on Atlantic (yes, a major), amid a season of touring for the Canadian duo. Fans of their first album and its remix companion will be pleased to know Casual doesn’t alter the formula. Chromeo are here to party. “Night by Night” appears, as well as our favorite indie-loving pop star, Solange, who guests on one track (“When The Night Falls”), and it wouldn’t be surprising to find a Hall and/or Oates collabo up in their either. Chromeo joins Hall at Bonnaroo in June for a joint performance. The subject-to-change tracklist for the album is below. Also below, a little video from The Fader of the band in the studio. 
One of my favorite mixes from last year was Trentemøller‘s Harbour Boat Trips 01: Copenhagen. It threw down chill wave, downtempo electro, and of course some techno. The collection not only showed the musician’s taste, but the evolution of his sound. That evolution is coming to fruition on the second Trentemøller artist album, Into The Great Wide Yonder, due this June on his own In My Room label. Video artist and fellow Dane, Jesper Just directed the video for Yonder’s debut single, “Sycamore Feeling.” As you can imagine, there are some trees. But there’s also a woman in a fur coat, played both by an actress (Diana Wagner) and a drag queen (Princess Diandra). Shot entirely in rural Pennsylvania (we’re talking small town coal country here), the clip has a dramatic and dark palette, matching the lush vibrations of the tune itself. It’s pretty captivating. Aside from two dates in Copenhagen this fall, Trente has no booked live shows at this point. Video below. 
By the time OMNI, the fourth album from Minus the Bear, is released on May 4, you will have been able to hear it all. “Into the Mirror” was the album’s first single, now followed by “My Time,” both available on iTunes, etc. But the album will stream in its entirety starting Monday as part of KCRW’s album preview feature. The band kicks off a continental tour on Monday, leading them to their kindred festival, Sasquatch, at the end of May. (Wait, are bears and sasquatchs friends? They def should be). If you haven’t been won over before, this album is so full of melodic hooks and original arrangements and instrumentation, if you don’t love it, that’s probably because you don’t actually like rock music at all. “My Time” can be copped 
This has been a long wait, hasn’t it? Midnight Juggernauts released the 
Scissor Sisters frontman Jake Shears has been busy! From working with Kylie in the studio to hanging with Annie Mac in Miami… he’s a man about the disco for sure. So it’s no surprise that his band’s new album sounds like a return to the scene of the dance floor crime. The lead single, “Invisible Light,” is streaming today only on