WISH YOU WELL.

Just as you were starting to really miss The Chain Gang of 1974, he's back with "Miko", the barnstorming first taste of his next record. It opens innocently enough, like a waxing moonbeam of meditative pop, unfolding with the relaxed candor of early Bloc Party or Lightspeed Champion. But then things go haywire as it slides into hyperdrive, taking off on the pestilent wings of Isom Innis' studio magic as the Foster The People jack-of-all-tradesman turns in one of his finest production efforts yet. Buckle up and take flight below.

STREAM: "Miko" - The Chain Gang of 1974 [exclusive]

MAYBE I'LL FIND SOMETHING REAL.

There's no denying that MS MR has been smashing it as of late on a very global scale (see: festival audiences in the thousands Down Under, a sold out run through the UK and Europe, and a massive sync on the latest Game of Thrones trailer). And with their newest single "Fantasy" quickly amassing an impressive remix package featuring the likes of Kele Okereke and Xaphoon Jones, MS MR's human drum machine himself, Zach Nicita, throws his hat in the ring with a thunderstealing mix of his own on a fantastic remix debut. Over a sidewinding bass line that just doesn't quit and a flickering percussive rhythm, it replaces the glittery innocence of the original with a shadowy ominousness that reimagines "Fantasy" in an entirely new light.

MP3: "Fantasy" (NICITA Remix) - MS MR [exclusive]

YOU CAN MAKE IT BETTER.

It's a rainy day on the coast, so what better time to cast a spotlight on the dark, ominous tones of London's own Stylus Dust. Working under his previous moniker Lull, the remix maestro was responsible for some truly amazing reworks of everyone from Bloc Party to I Was A Cub Scout, including a truly masterful take on the Gotye anthem "Heart's A Mess" that remains one of our all time most cherished remixes to this day. Suffice it to say we were thrilled when he agreed to have a go at The Knocks' "Make It Better", and the result is one of his best efforts yet. Completely subverting the carefree ebullience of the original, Stylus Dust takes us from the sun-drenched beaches of Cancun to the dreary solitude of the London nightbus circuit with athletic ease. It's all haunting echoes and plunging basslines for the song's majority, until the heavens suddenly open up and a resplendent keys progression twinkles across the mix at 3:17 in one of the most uplifting moments you'll hear in music this year. Seriously though, it's kind of emotional.

MP3: "Make It Better" (Stylus Dust Remix) - The Knocks

THIS MODERN LOVE.

See, this is intimacy. Chills.

// La Blogotheque //