Ace is the “wild guy in the group” who likes doing mad trickz on his bike, while “AZN Thunda” AKA Brett has a “hard exterior but a soft inside, just like mochi (being from Asia of course)”. This is the bio provided of Teengirl Fantasy – actually consisting of Oberlin College students Nick Weiss and Logan Takahashi – on their web site, which is a knock on old Angelfire designs from the ‘90s, complete with hundreds of simultaneous GIF images and custom backgrounds. It seems ironic in two ways: that its fictitious 13-year-old webmaster shares her teengirl fantasies (that is, meeting Teengirl Fantasy), and that the duo’s sound is incredibly polished, quite the opposite of a ‘90s web page. Polished enough to showcase the duo’s excellent production, which has recently increased their level of recognition among other musicians looking for some quality production.

Teengirl Fantasy’s appearance on Das Racist’s new and heralded mix tape, Sit Down, Man, will probably grab a few more fans for both duos. It is one of many standouts on an album that I imagine will grow in popularity over the next few months. The popularity is because of their polarizing effect, since some hip-hop fans view their music as a parody of the genre. I don’t know about that, but parodies do not sound this good. I, for one, disliked their previous material but love Sit Down, Man. Teengirl Fantasy’s production in “Commercial”, the sixth track on the release, combines an ingeniously commercial-like hook (surprise) with their form of chillwave/electronica, which variates from blissed-out serenity to high-throttle dance depending on the effort. It never quite is restrained entirely to one of those though. This one is more in the laid-back vein, with the topic actually poking fun at those who prematurely criticize anything “commercial”. The choice of production fits this emphasis with perfection, especially with Das Racist employing their vocals with smoothness and precision associated with songs of the mainstream stereotype. Well, except this is actually good. This collaboration is just a peek into Teengirl Fantasy’s unique world though, which seems strange enough that an enthusiastic 13-year-old could describe the sensation their music provides better than an esteemed music critic.

Teengirl Fantasy’s new album, 7AM, was released earlier this month. While it is certainly a worthwhile release, my interest in the duo still peaks when I put on CD-R, their aptly titled release from 2009. With favorites like “Azz Klapz”, “Hoop Dreams”, and “Now That’s What I Call vol. 2”, it is arguably the best entry point to Teengirl Fantasy’s material, even with 7AM already out. Their expertise, which they describe well as a love for 4/4 time, warm-sounding synths, and concisely infectious soul/R&B loops, is performed at its optimum on CD-R. “Hoop Dreams” is one of the examples of what Teengirl Fantasy does best, which is either slowing or speeding up the tempo of pre-existing tracks, adding their own accompaniments, and going crazy from there. Weiss first brought attention to the group nearly two years ago with a slowed-down version of Mariah Carey’s “Touch My Body”, and since then the group has showed incredible chops in regard to the manipulation of sound and time. Well, by ‘time’ I mean tempo, but the original phrase sounds cooler.

“Hoop Dreams” is essentially a modified version of “Egyptian Shumba” by The Tammys, an underground favorite from the early ‘60s. That song failed to receive much airplay because it was ahead of its time, which you can hear in the original. Teengirl Fantasy show off their production chops by turning it into an all-out dance fest. They make the vocals sound like a possessed version of Deerhoof’s Satomi Matsuzaki or Love Is All’s Josephine Olausson, and turn the lead organ line into a steady melodic leader over bubbly synths and distorted percussion. I imagine anyone who is old enough to have heard the original when it came out would detest this, calling it too loud and disorganized for their tastes. Teengirl Fantasy are latching onto a recent movement though, and their creativity within it is nothing to be ashamed of. Sure, they may not have created the backbone of this particular track and others executed in a similar vein, but their specific talents are more evident than ever here. It is also an excellent inclusion on a running mix. Mostly all of their music is.

RIYL: Kraftwerk, Malajube, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, Hangedup, HRSTA, Esmerine, Polmo Polpo, Mogwai, Black Ox Orkestar, Set Fire to Flames, A Silver Mt. Zion, Valley of the Giants, The Dead Science, Do Make Say Think, Carla Bozulich, Labradford, Tarentel, The For Carnation, Vic Chesnutt, Pan•American

Teengirl Fantasy – Azz Klapz

Teengirl Fanasy-Hoop Dreams by Check Yo Ponytail

Teengirl Fantasy – Cheaters (from their new album, 7AM)

Das Racist – Commercial (produced by Teengirl Fantasy)

Das Racist – Amazing (featuring Lakutis) (produced by Keepaway)

Official Site

MySpace

BUY

The post Teengirl Fantasy & Das Racist appeared first on Obscure Sound: Indie Music Blog.

Some things bear worth repeating. Feu Thérèse is one of them, as I feel exposing their music right now would be dramatically more effective than it was in 2007, when I found myself gushing over their debut, Ça Va Cogner. They had apparently split that same year, but their permanent elusiveness had prevented anyone from truly knowing. A quick blog post was the only mention online of their last show in June, lamenting their fate after one final remarkable performance. Perhaps some ignited new interest will bring them back?

The reason I feel Feu Thérèse would be given more attention in 2010 is their stylistic preference, which is very much in the vein of the “chillwave” and “dream-pop” movement that record labels like Mexican Summer, Carpark, and Paw Tracks have embraced for years. Even majors like EMI are jumping into the chillwave spectrum with artists like Miami Horror, whose recently leaked “Holidays” (feat. Neon Indian’s Alan Palomo) should be making huge waves of its own soon. That track specifically, with its feel-good guitar/key combo recalling Jamie Lidell’s soul-pop hybrid, is one example of how the utilization of ’60s/’70s soul samples is a trademark of the genre. From Washed Out to Neon Indian, their reliance on such samples is attributed to the soul genre’s seamless incorporation into elements of electronica. Even before the lush, vibrating soundscapes of chillwave, dance and R&B artists were accustomed to soul’s post-peak resourcefulness.

Feu Thérèse are the farthest thing from sample-heavy. Their veneration for the past is shown through more organic methods of post-punk and dubstep, which consequently sound darker and somber than the recent infusion of funk, soul, and doo-wop hybrids. Their music is more appropriate for dark and dusty basements, as opposed to the club-ready feel of today’s latest successes. So, if you wonder why I think they would find more success now, then simply listen to a track like “Nada”. It could easily be considered minimalism, with a repeating synth that does little more than languidly sway with the listener and a single snare. But when the structure packs more variation than one would expect and the chorus’ scat-like vocals extend from interwoven duality to a beautiful mix of screeching guitars and translucent key tremolos, it becomes heavily apparent that it aligns with and exceeds what today’s listeners are expecting from a post-punk/electronic hybrid.

Ça Va Cogner has grown remarkably well throughout the years, which makes it a shame that Feu Thérèse is no more. Frontman Jonathan Parant’s past work in Fly Pan Am is notable, but quite different in terms of scope. Their songs resemble a vein more akin to Mogwai or EITS; experimental 9-minute post-rock is what you would find, with their third studio album N’écoutez pas being the best. Fly Pan Am remain excellent, but it was never as uniquely infectious as Feu Thérèse. The sheer build-up in “Le bruit du pollen la nuit” definitely takes some of that developmental post-rock feel, but the ideas here flow so freely in a more concise vein than Fly Pan Am. Especially the way they implement vocalist Stephen de Oliveira’s variation between deep-tone spoken-word and intensified falsetto… it is melodically remarkable. Just do me a favor and check out Ça Va Cogner. These underrated talents deserve any attention possible.

RIYL: Fly Pan Am, Kraftwerk, Malajube, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, Hangedup, HRSTA, Esmerine, Polmo Polpo, Mogwai, Black Ox Orkestar, Set Fire to Flames, A Silver Mt. Zion, Valley of the Giants, The Dead Science, Do Make Say Think, Carla Bozulich, Labradford, Tarentel, The For Carnation, Vic Chesnutt, Pan•American

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Feu Thérèse – Nada

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Feu Thérèse – Le bruit du pollen la nuit

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Feu Thérèse – La nuit est une femme

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Miami Horror – Holidays

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Fly Pan Am – Pas à Pas Step Until

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Southern Records

BUY

The post Feu Thérèse appeared first on Obscure Sound: Indie Music Blog.