Norwegian trio A-ha has released the title track of their comeback album Analogue in Europe last week. Filmed among giant oil storage tanks, the grim, black and white video features glimmers of light and hope (just as the song) with its introverted lyrics, uplifting chorus and Morten Harket's angelic vocals. The contemporary sound of Analogue shows that the Norwegians have managed to stay relevant after making music for over two decades.
In related news, the band's previous single "Celice" will be featured on the soundtrack of the much-anticipated Da Vinci Code movie that will surely throw the group back in the global music spotlight. (Click here to download "Analogue" from 7Digital.)
Las Vegas pop-rock group Panic! At The Disco are getting bigger and bigger in Europe. While zigzagging the continent this week, I've been watching MTV and these guys are getting loads of airplay for their new single "I Write Sins Not Tragedies." The carnival-esque theme of the video for the song combines the gothy wedding tragedy of My Chemical Romance's "Helena" with The Killers' eyeliner-styled campiness in their fabulous Mr. Brightside video. Very appropriate since Panic! holds a nice middle between these two bands with their infectious power pop. I really like the energy of this band ever since I heard "Time To Dance" that I chose as one of my fave singles for 2005. European fame is just a matter of time and America will be next. The group's website features a movie about the making of the video. (Click here to download Panic! At The Disco from 7Digital.)
Watch P!ATD "I Write Sins Not Tragedy" [YouTube] 
Download Tom Neville's Clean Edit mix of Mylo's "Destroy Rock & Roll" that was especially created for the U.S. market. The song is the title track from Mylo's debut album that will finally hit stores stateside on February 7. Neville has included some extra beats and a high-pitched string section to add some dancefloor drama.
The track samples a preacher's moral rant against a list of '80s pop stars. Mylo told that he was not sure if Americans would get the humor of this. He added that many of the artists that the evangelists mentions have been an inspiration to him. "When I did my PhD [in Philosophy] at UCLA I really got into the classic rock stuff from the '80s. Some of those tracks I sampled for the album," he tells Arjan. "I didn't have much work to do at UCLA, but there was a great radio station in LA County. I used to drive around just listening to the radio." Pick up a copy of the January/February issue of GENRE to read my entire interview with Mylo.
On a related note, Mylo is very thankful for the best wishes he has received via Arjan Writes after I published the news about his hearing loss. His business associate wrote me that Mylo is currently well and taking some time off to get better. Please sign my online Get Well card for Mylo.
Download Mylo "Destroy Rock & Roll" (Tom Neville Mix) [mp3] 
After tuning their sound in the backroom of Ibiza's dance mecca Manumission for two years, British synth-rock outfit The Infadels finally release their debut "We Are Not The Infadels" in the U.K. today. The Infadels are the latest band to combine '80s punk-pop elements with today's electronic production stylings. But the group presents a distinctively different sound compared to many other punktronica bands that are flooding the music scene. Instead of relying on slick pop choruses, model girlfriends or thick eyeliner, these East Londonders present an authentic underground sound that is confident, raw and truly invigorating.
The album kicks off with a rush of energy on "Love Like Semtex" that flows into the bouncy lead single "Can't Get Enough." "Girl That Speaks No Word" should be chart contender as well with its straight up lyrics and downbeat production. The poignant "Reality TV" is one of my favorite tracks on the record. "Wanna see people hugging and kissing. That's because it's what you're missing. The people on the screen are your best friends now," sings Bnann about people's obsession with reality television.
The group turns down the volume on "Murder That Sound" that has a nice cosmopolitan feel with lyrics like "Some people say they're free in the city with their liberty. But I don't go for that." The distorted electro-clash on "Give Yourself To Me" turns into a ska-like beat that exhibits the group's ability to experiment with different genres and make them their own. I also highly recommend the catchy disco-rock stompers "Jagger '67" and especially "Sunday" with its infectious synth loop.
Not included on the record is the song "Brandon Vegas" that will mostly like be a B-side tune. As you might initially expect, the title is not a nod to Las Vegas-based Brandon Flowers of The Killers. The song takes its inspiration from a news story about Brandon Vedas, who, persuaded by friends in an Internet chatroom, died of a drug overdose.
If there ever was a wall between dance and rock, The Infadels tear down a big piece of it on this debut. "We Are Not The Infadels" is a sublime album brimming with attitude and refreshing, retro-fitted dancefloor rock that deserves to strike it big on 06.
(Click here to download the entire album in mp3 format at 7Digital.)
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