This is sweet, carefree balearic pop from an enigmatic duo known as jj. Released on the lovely Sincerely Yours label (leading some to incorrectly assume it was a side project for members of The Tough Alliance), it turns out jj is Joakim Benon and Elin Kastlander of Sweden (big surprise). I was excited for jj since I first heard of them, mostly because I like beachy things and all their promo art had blood spattered on it. Much to my surprise their debut full length was quietly released and then quickly leaked in July; plus, with a blood spattered pot leaf as the design, it was hard to pass up.

This is a pleasant album, perfect for summer days and lazing around doing nothing for hours. However, once Pitchfork hopped on the jj train they blew it out of the water and made me not want to post this album. Although I thoroughly enjoyed this, I stand by my contention that this album is pleasant, no more no less. There is nothing wrong with pleasant, but it’s not life-changing. It’s just two artists with a quaint, deliberate vision, and that I think explains the surge in positive reception. It’s a work of unassuming beauty which caught the music world off guard with an understated sound that communicates so much with so little. Perhaps the recent popularity of bands such as jj and Honey Power faves the xx suggests an appreciation for a new aesthetic tendency in indie music, one that strips down sound for the sake of concept, content with the simple mantra, “less is more.” Fittingly, they are set to tour the US this spring with said artistic doppelgangers the xx. Be sure to grab their next LP, n° 3, out March 9th on Secretly Canadian (yes, jj are moving up in the world).

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Meanderthals are, according to Urban Dictionary, “People who wander around aimlessly and always seem to get in your way in stores and supermarkets, chatting on their cell phones and paying no attention to their surroundings.” So starts the last.fm description of this new dj/production outfit’s debut, though I myself prefer the second definition, “Conversationalist that wanders from one subject to another with no apparent point, never reaching the end of the story.” This album is a combination between Norwegian producer Rune Lindbæk and London disco sensations the Idjut Boys and was recorded live between Oslo and London. The end result? A slow, meandering mixture of folky acoustic atmospherics with a balearic sheen. It’s disco on its day off, taking a vacation from the dancefloors of the shores to summer in the fields with a midday picnic. It’s lazy, wandering electronic music that is as sunny//trippy as it is slow\\groovy, with influences ranging from psychedelia and krautrock to dub and lounge. Highly recommended.

For fans of: Studio, Quiet Village, D. Lissvik, Hatchback, Air France

Best tracks: Andromeda (Prelude to the Future), Desire Lines, Collective Fetish

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Just when I think I’ve gotten all the balearic nu disco there is to be had, I come across another essential. Blue River is that essential: a perfectly simple album of balearic instrumentation with a lush electronic sheen. It almost reminds me of dream pop in some parts, like an acoustic Joy Zipper guitar with the chuggier funky parts of cosmic disco interwoven between the strings. The music is relaxing, sure, but not beach-bliss, more secret-garden-wonder. Where so much cosmic balearic disco is like an…ecstatic experience, this album is like the hazy gaze filter (soft focus lens?) through which you see the world after your elated state. The world is full of joyous potential and mystique, but not going anywhere anytime soon, so you can relax and just feel your way around its crisp, curved edges. You’ll dance in parts and just chill in others, but this is an all-around good time for a smooth comedown.

PS: it’s one of those albums that gets better song by song, listen by listen.

Favorite Tracks: Shulme (one of the best songs in my life so far), The Start, 24 7, Vegetable Square (yessss)

last.fm

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prds is supposedly the pseudonym of “16 year old Swedish boy named Adam making music in Fruity Loops,” the popular music software platform. As per my stylistic proclivities over the last few months, he too is a electronic balearic synth pop musician. What is distinct about his work, however, is the vagueness and ambiguity which pervades each track. Listening to each mini-album is like listening to the skeleton of an oeuvre - the synths are gestational and the beats are ephemeral, yet they leave a lasting impression in the mind, if not on the ears. He clearly takes much inspiration from the work of similar Swedish balearic electronic masters Air France, but his aesthetic is much more understated, almost hollow in a way which allows the listener to fill in the blanks with whatever ze chooses - I choose my heart. Let the albums fade into your life like a shimmering summer sunset.

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This is a really INCREDIBLE album from Dan Lissvik, one half of equally awesome Balearic krautrocky guitar disco revivalists Studio. All the tracks are untitled, so I had it titled as they would be on the record itself (A1, A2, B1, B2, etc…). Correspondingly, it’s hard to tell you which songs are truly badass, but that’s because ALL of the songs are. No, seriously. This is a dance party like you’ve never heard it. It’s almost hard to describe…it’s otherworldly music, but not in a tacky “making fun of otherworldly music” way, but genuinely new and wow. I can’t describe this very well. If you like Studio, Can or Neu!, get it.

The album’s at 320 kbps, so you have NO excuse to not get it (unless you have a small hard drive). I think the intermission track is A4.

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This has got to be one of the top releases of the last decade, and I believe it is one of the best releases of the millennium thus far. It’s slow, funky and crazy original “meta-disco” (my new favorite last.fm tag). This is how I previously described it: “The best genre I could classify this as would be ’stoner disco.’

Seriously.

Like some teenage Balearic surrealist warrior said “fuck society i’m gonna disco” but caught too caught up with all the sour diesel coming in from up north and wound up feebly but brilliantly smoking hir way out of the middle of the dance floor. Excellent song “Free Rider” clocks in at 4.20 minutes, “Too High To Move” adds a touch of humor and class, while the closer “Keep On Rolling” is the perfect plush melody for any comedown. I strongly recommend this album for the most frivolous of Fridays.”

Enough said.

The album’s at 320 kbps, perfect for playing super soft or ultra loud!

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The Embassy - Tacking

Same story as The Tough Alliance. The Embassy is a balearic synthpop duo that has released albums on record label Service (same as TTA until they got too cool for school). There is almost no way to not like this band if you like any of the previous posts. It’s really perfect synthpop oh my god I’m just now realizing how perfect. Yeah, it’s awesome. Below are links to their most recent albums, Tacking and A Compact Disc Including The Embassy. Their debut, Futile Crimes, is excellent as well and if there is interest expressed I’ll post it too. Enjoy! You now don’t need any music for quite a while, this is obsession-prone material, trust me.

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What can I say about The Tough Alliance that hasn’t already been said? They are essentially the masters of balearic synth pop with disco krautrock feelings, and have been so for quite some time. They are from Gothenburg, Sweden, along with every other cool artist in the world, it seems. From Gburg as home base they run a label called Sincerely, Yours, which has acts such as Studio and Air France signed, two equally kick-ass bands in their own right.

To celebrate their balearic synthpop genius, I’ve decided to post their discography. It has every full length (Escaping Your Ambition, A New Chance, The New School) and several EPs (Make It Happen, New Waves, Holiday), all of which will make you wonder what took you so long to find out about this band and what pop could possibly improve upon this.

It’s a big file (250 mb), but well worth it.

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Before my balearic pop megaposts from its mega-artists The Tough Alliance and The Embassy, I’m going to whet your appetite with two offerings from some balearic synthpoppers on the Hybris label. This one is from Kalle J, a kid who is astonishingly young for such talent. I will re-post what I had previously written of this album: This is brilliant balearic synthpop. fake steel drums and bongos in some songs, pulsing synth lines in others. it’s a good old swedish synthpop, and by that it is sort of the pinnacle of pop. good for fans of (as i am): the tough alliance, the embassy, gentle touch, le sport, juvelen, familjen, and others (i will post some of those later). seriously, if you only listen to a handful of pop albums this year, this one should be it. it’s weird how some albums open with the best song (which i think is a totally understandable practice; why open with a crappy song and then wait for a while till it gets good) and then there are some like this, which opens with an ok few songs, but these are quickly blown out of the water by the incredible set of songs from Din Egen Delivery Service through Burt Ward, and with a wonderful closer in Aldrig Fel. Also, I have no idea what he’s saying or what any of the song titles are (Swedish people help me in the comments!). On second thought, maybe the first two songs are just a little less good than the rest of the whole album. Whatever, just get it.

Word. I still agree. Juvelen’s up next, and then I’ll post everything else I wrote up there.

last.fm

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This is a blissful balearic pop album from a band out of Sweden called Boat Club. The band name and album title are perfectly descriptive, there’s almost nothing more you need to know - the album makes you feel like the title. There’s no excuse not to have it when spring is just coming about. For fans of: The Tough Alliance, The Embassy, Air France, etc…

Every track is incredible, as it sadly clocks in at only 30 minutes long (6 tracks). But no need to wait for a full-length - bliss is at your fingertips!

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Air France is essential balearic electronic with ambient pop leanings. Also, these guys are apparently anarchists too! and pretty hot, for swedes. They released this album on Sincerely, Yours, which is The Tough Alliance’s label - a great compendium of all the beautiful balearic synthpop that’s been bubbling in that neck of the woods. I’ve put both No Way Down and On Trade Winds in this so you can have both of their EPs in lieu of a proper release, which we should see soon enough.

FYI: this is really good ecstasy music, like, really. wait till it gets warmer outside (depending where you are), but rolling with air france is like summer in a pill.

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What can I say about Studio that hasn’t already been said? They are the masters of balearic wandering krautrock compositions, and there is no way you won’t like them. I am pretty sure this album is essentially their first release, West Coast, just sequenced differently, and with maybe one new track, but let me know if they are different and you would like the first album, which is (equally) superior (obviously). If I had to describe the album, I would borrow from last.fm and say “afrobeat-dub-disco-indie-krautrock adventure” (I substituted krautrock for pop.) Every track on here is a winner, let them creep up on you and they will live in you forever. These guys are big news, and they’re from Gothenburg, Sweden, which will bring me to Air France and other balearic synthpoppers soon, stay posted!

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This is everything I have from Tanlines, including You Tube rips and remixes they have done. Re-post from old blog:

OK, so I don’t know the slightest thing about this band except that a) FACT magazine likes them (and I now like FACT magazine because they brought me this gem), b) they’re from Brooklyn (but that’s almost obligatory nowadays, it seems), and c) they have two members, one each from Professor Murder and Brothers/Storm & Stress. Other than that, this is infectiously dangerously kick-assly balearic calypso dance disco shit, like Hercules and Love Affair went south for the winter and came back perpetually rolling on pure MDMA. The lead single New Flowers (video below) was composed as a response to poet Marisa Olson’s “Flowers for the People,” and Marisa herself directed the video. I’ve included their first EP in the comments, but this will take you to their blog of sorts where you can (and must) download a bunch of other Tanlines remixes. On Young Turks label, which reminds me of Tirk Records, another great label (home to Sorcerer and co.) They say that YouTube is a much better record label than Myspace can ever be, so I implore you to head on over to their channel by clicking on the video for single below.

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It took me so long to realize what the cover said, or that it was saying anything at all. This is the oft-mentioned Hatchback, one half of Windsurf and balearic nu disco prodigy from LA. Another album whose title really communicates its sentiment. Like a sunkissed Studio. Shimmers like the waves rolling back into the tide on a warm summer shore. I think it’s appropriate, almost, that all these artists I’ve been posting only have one full length out, cuz when they do, it’s like the only full length you’ll ever need. He knows how to make a record, that’s for sure. Definitely worth several listens, the songs are long and developed, but elegantly mature balearic disco.

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As I said somewhere previously, this is the LP from duo Sorcerer and Hatchback, both incredible sparkly balearic cosmic disco masters from LA. That + the cover art is about all that needs to be said - the fact that these two came together at all is enough, the album itself is all I could have asked for. so chillllll….like disco melting on a stick in the summer sun.

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OK, now I know I have said that every compilation I just posted is essential and all you need, but to be honest, THIS is the best out of all of them because it isn’t solely dance, but balearic cosmic disco, and it was also the first compilation in this style that I listened to, and it is from Eskimo Recordings, home of Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas, Daniele Baldelli, Low Motion Disco, Aeroplane, etc…, and it is seamless. Seriously, you can listen to the first track thru the last and just lose yourself in the transitions, that’s how good it is. The best part is from the second track, 80’s Boy, thru the fifth track, The Killer Storm, where there is NO FAULT in the music or in the world. But the rest are flawless compositions…I wish I could find more albums by the artists featured here, but many don’t have full lengths or even EPs out yet. Rumor has it that Eskimo has/will release a Cosmic Balearic Beats Vol. 2 and 3; if you have/know of where to acquire either, please EMAIL ME or drop it in the comments, i NEED to know (I secretly really want to work for Eskimo, Belgium sounds like a cool place). The whole compilation is mixed, obviously, but in a really simple and dissolvey way where each track really shines.

Enjoy, there’s no way you won’t. Get ready to dance in the stardust dreams of a cosmic glitter alien as ze relaxes on the beach sipping coconut milk.

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Essential compilation of balearic disco from Fred Deakin, a dj house master. This is a massive two disc collection with tracks from pretty much every up and comer on the scene, so there’s no reason to not have it. The one thing I like about this balearic/cosmic disco scene is that all the compilations are awesome - you can listen to each song again and again and still think it’s fresh.

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Perhaps the only cosmic balearic creamy disco compilation, no, just the only compilation you will ever need. Right here. It’s full of hits by Studio, Quiet Village, Daniel Wang, The Emperor Machine, Lindstrøm (under a pseudonym), and more. This is ecstasy on the dancefloor. There’s a second volume on the way (but I have it already, and will post it soon), but this one stays much more focused on the style/culture of this type of disco whereas the new one expands a bit beyond into Valerie territory. Also, doesn’t the cover look so fucking cool? I want that shit plastered all over my room.

I should get some sleep - I think this might do the trick. Sweet, creamy dreams. Honeymilk wonders.

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Glorious. Absolutely glorious. This is incredibly perfect balearic italo slo disco from one half of the equally exquisite Windsurf (whose other partner in crime is genius Hatchback). You wouldn’t think that something this discotacular could come from LA but it in fact does. First three songs will make you feel just like the titles, and you won’t even have to leave your chair (though you’ll want to fly).

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oh you are going to dance tonight. this is the masterpiece album from norwegian (nu) disco upstarts Lindstrøm and Prins Thomas, an album which has put the colder, nether northern regions of this world on the map for housey space disco with beachy kitsch beats thrown in. it’s pretty much essential. so essential that they released a remix of it two years ago, called Reinterpretations (which I’ve included for your aural delight). The record was released by the brilliant Eskimo Recordings, a label now at the forefront of this cosmic balearic disco renaissance that ensued after the release of this album. You can sit down and dance or stand up and swish, but no matter what you’ll be high as honeyglazed powdered snow with this trickling in your ears.

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