I am going to spend more time focusing on trying to figure out what the next song to have a massive impact on alternative society will be. Justice’s “D.A.N.C.E.” was like a small scale version of that time Daft Punk’s “One More Time” became the song that every body loved or hated.
In theory, was Justice’s “D.A.N.C.E.” the next “Young Folks” after whistle-mania swept the nation?
I think the main thing that intrigues me about songs like this is that they really dominate your playlists for like 1.5 years, then they have a lasting impact on your recollection of that era. The type of Transcendant hits that I am talking about are typically contained within alternative markets, with more-notable-than-usual crossover into mainstream markets. Basically, the alternative Macarenas and LivingLaVidaLocas.
I’m wondering if Holy Ghost! has a chance to officially have “the next D.A.N.C.E.” once they release a full-length album. I feel like they have the preceding reputation, bubbling cauldron of hype, and the skills and resources necessary to write a transcendant electro-hit.
Qualities that I see in transcendant alternative electro-ish hits
1. Consistent inclusion in most dj sets, whether it is the a-hole who only plays bangers, or the DJ with the excessive italo/disco collection of vinyls.
2. Inclusion on mix CDs of mainstream alts. It’s a pretty default ‘put this on a mix CD’ type of song that people who don’t listen to new music will probably like, and people who listen to too much music won’t call you out about.
3. You can’t really tell how old it is/how long it has been out. It was produced to be a pretty ‘timeless’ song that is seeking to transcend and conform with what’s popular at the moment.
4. Themes in vague lyrical content that may or may not be identifiable to the common man and/or common partier and/or MiddleAmerican alts who think the songs brings them closer to the blossoming scene of a flourishing alternative mecca.
5. Undeniable production value that separates it from bedroom producers.
6. The band isn’t ‘too electro’, so it can be written and blogged about by various media outlets
7. Chorus that people can put in their profiles/create inside jokes with their friends.
Can HOLY GHOST!’s “Holy On” meet these requirements? Or are there more likely candidates?
Other possible transcendant electro-ish hits of recent memory (in no particular order)
1. Ladytron – Seventeen
2. Ghostland Observatory – “Sad Sad City”
3. Cut Copy – “Saturdays”
4. Chromeo – “Needy Girl” (Bloc Party Remix)
5. The Postal Service – “Clark Gable”/”Such Great Heights”/basically any of their other songs
6. Hot Chip – “Over and OVer”
7. Annie – “Heartbeat”/”Chewing Gum”/”Greatest Hit”
[Note: Most of these songs pre-dated modern DJ culture, so evaluate them within different contexts. The term "electro-ish" is a genre that is meant to encapsulate 'music that sound pretty electronic that a relatively wide audience listens to.' ]
It’s taken a while for me to publically jump on board the spirit of DFA/James Murphy productions. Of course they are really good, but maybe I’m just afraid of commitment (It’s great to have a music blog where you can talk about choosing not to like something that is undeniably good). Maybe the story of the DFA brand is that their pretentious ‘we are authentic and honor the past in our sound and in our production techniques’ is probably a better long term move than the over-designed & over-dbagginess of the Ed Banger Crew. So while DFA teammembers get bonuses based on implementing innovative percussion, Ed Banger crew teammember get bonuses based on party-pic appearances. I guess in the long run, DFA crew probably has the competitive advantage.
I think sorting out your relationship with DFA comes down to whether or not you want to appreciate LCD Soundsystem’s song “Losing My Edge.” It’s a pretty epic self-aware manifesto.
I would just be worried about Holy Ghost! being under-branded. If there’s one thing that HIPSTER RUNOFF has proven, it’s that it’s usually 300% easier and entertaining to write about talentless a-holes who are actively seeking your attention, as opposed to people who make a good product while doing their job. While a lot of DFA songs just let the quality of the product be the ultimate representation, I’d say it’s okay to have a few gimmicks, even if you are a high-end product.
Did DFA invent the electro-lightning bolt? Were they pioneers in the under-designed, hand-doodled logo in the music industry?
But yeah. ANYWAYS… I read on a blog that ______________ is the next “D.A.N.C.E.”!!!!!
[MP3]
Holy Ghost! Hold On
Holy Ghost! on myspace
http://www.myspace.com/holyghostnyc
MORE RESEARCH
Pretty serious interview with Holy Ghost!
http://anthemmagazine.com/story/459?id=story_pager&page=0%2C4
LCD’s Soundsystem’s James Murphy producing “Hold On” clip
XX BONUS LIST XX
Just because my mind is on this type of crap, enjoy this list
Transcendant Mainstream Indie hits (not in any particular order)
1. Deathcab for Cutie – “A Movie Script Ending”
2. Sufjan Stevens – “Chicago”
3. Broken Social Scene – “Cause=Time”
4. The Shins – “New Slang”/”Kissing the Lipless”
5. Interpol – “NYC”/”PDA”/etc…
6. The Strokes – “Last Nite”
7. Animal Collective – “For Reverend Green”/”Fireworks”
8. Panda Bear – “Bros”/”Comfy in Nautica”
9. Peter Bjorn and John – “Young Folks”
10. MIA – “Paper Planes”
(Probably about 100 more)
Please comment with your theories, additions or subtractions to these lists, or refinements to any ideas presented.
<3 <3 unfair labels, trends, and oversimplification of products and ideas<3 <3
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IAmCarles.com
55 Comments
wtf?
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we are ur friends!
there will never be a d.a.n.c.e. again…
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that song sucks pretty bad.
im also really glad i dont know what 50% of those songs you listed are because i wasnt so gay that i was listening to retarded indie crap in 2001-2007.
I really can’t wait till americans that aren’t as cool as me stop liking/making electronic music.
dfa sucks cuz theyre north american.
also making your own clap noise a la mstkrft or those dudes means you are a giant d-bag with too much time/money. Someone already recorded that sound once, just fucking download it and use it in ableton.
also who cares about production?
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no song can be d.a.n.c.e. without little girls singing. it’s the pedophilia that sells records in this day and age.
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crabdick
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@ anon 9:03
USA HAS TAKEN OVER THE MUSIC OF YOUR PEOPLE. WE WILL CHARGE MONEY FOR THINGS THAT WERE FREE AND WE WILL TAKE THE DBAG SCALE TO 11/10. OUR HANDS CLAPPING SOUND IS SUPERIOR TO YOUR HAND CLAPPING SOUND.
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hello, 2007 carles. old news.
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james murphy = the lovechild of deth kab + justice?
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m0re bl0gging ab0ut clapping
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m0re bl0gging ab0ut the clap
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haha, i listened or still listen to most of the music on this entry. so like, where’s Daft Punk? One more Time maybe?
Or The Rapture? Even some of Beck’s songs. 2006-07 wuz sooo kool yo.
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there’s a sped up version of this on some mix i can’t remember right now that is absolutely amazing
unfortunately i heard that first, and now everytime i hear this i just wanna hear that one
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but i would add “daft punk is playing at my house” to the electro transcendent list instead of “losing my edge”. “DPIPAMH” is just “genre-referential” enough.
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d.a.n.c.e. SUCKS in the worst possible way. I hate hate hate that song. in fact, I hate almost everything justice has ever done, except perhaps that rejected fabric mix. they are living proof that the kids today are about empty style over substance & talent.
for that reason I can’t even answer your question. it would be unfair to Holy Ghost*.
* What’s up with the religious references these days? Abdication of reason and sanity = big in 2k10?
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how about you stop posting shit and go to college, get a journalism degree, get a job at a mag/newspaper/whatevz and write, at most, mediocre shit there
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highly bngbl, i dont know if you got this from your cmmnt, but he was using “losing my edge” as an example to show how DFA honors musical roots more than ed bngr.
who the hell comes to HRO and doesn’t like justice?
and that HOLY GHOST! logo looks a lot like the New York Knicks logo. hey at least it’s not chanel or whatever.
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It’s usually pretty easy to pick out the “transcendent indie hits” as you call them by keeping an eye and ear tuned to movie trailers and TV commercials. MIA, Spoon, DCFC, et. al – they’ve all broken through to mainstream markets in this way.
But it’s sort of like the chicken and the egg question. Does the song make it it into commercials because it’s mainstream, or is it mainstream because it’s in a commercial? Or does it just open up an even larger mainstream market by being presented to people who don’t have to actively seek it out?
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MSTRKRFT SHOULD FIX THIS SONG.
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Apparat – Hold On is cooler/More Alt
Justice sux the D.I.C.K.
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Fuck Holy Ghost – Post some Steve Aoki look alikes
ps i only comment so i can be included in your ghey comment posts
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RELEVANT QUESTION:
AMERICAN EAGLE => AMERICAN APPAREL => AMERICAN ______?
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ALSO
isn’t M83 already the new Justice? Lame, over-rated and ALT-cache?
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i disagree, this song isn’t upbeat enough, and the chorus isn’t nearly as AWESOMERETRONOSTALGICCUTEHIPSTER.
Transcendant Mainstream Indie hits is a good list, though i don’t know about panda bear. also, deffz need to add feist, for obvious reason.
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Finally some deep analysis. Carles is on his A game right now…..keep it up. This is the interesting shit I come here for, some alt-culture perspective. However, “hold on” is not good enough to become the next D.A.N.C.E., not poppy enough for mainstreamers, along with the fact that its not that god of a song anyways.
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p0stM0reLiFeLiKeremixzzandlessUffie
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why hate on Justice?!?!?!?!?
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seriously guys its too slow
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THIS SONG IS A PIECE OF SHIT THAT SOMEONE ATE AND SHIT OUT AGAIN! YOUR TASTE IN MUSIC IS JUST AS SHITTY!!! THANK GOD MY BRAIN HAS EVOLVED BEYOND YOUR PATHETIC SIMIAN INTELLECT BECAUSE MY TASTE, UNLIKE YOURS, IS IMPECCABLE AND UNDENIABLY PERFECT IN ANY WAY. IN FACT, IT HAS BEEN SINCE THE DAY OF MY BIRTH. I HAVE HAD INFINITELY BETTER TASTE THAN YOU SINCE I WAS A SPERM SWIMMING IN MY FATHER’S BALLSACK. FUCK YOU LOSERS AND YOUR GAY ASS “INDIE” MUSIC. NOBODY CARES. EAT SHIT. JUSTICE? WHAT A LOAD OF SHIT. TERRIBLE MUSIC FOR WORTHLESS MORONS. ANYONE WHO MAKES MUSIC IS A FAGGOT, WITH NO EXCEPTIONS. ALL MUSIC SHOULD USE THE SAME PLUG-IN IN FRUITY LOOPS AND SOUND EXACTLY THE SAME, ANYTHING ELSE IS A WASTE OF TIME AND MAKES YOU A GAY FAG. I READ MP3 BLOGS ABOUT INDIE MUSIC ON THE INTERNET EVEN THOUGH I CLAIM TO DESPISE IT IN ITS ENTIRETY. ALTHOUGH I ABSOLUTELY HATE EVERY SINGLE GENRE OF ELECTRONIC MUSIC THAT THIS BLOG IS CONCERNED WITH, I WILL CONTINUE TO READ IT IN HOPES THAT SOMEDAY I WILL POST SUCH A DEVASTATING BURN IN THE COMMENTS THAT THE AUTHOR OF THE BLOG WILL KILL HIMSELF AND EVERY SINGLE MP3 BLOG IN EXISTENCE WILL BE DESTROYED. YOU ARE ALL FAGGOTS AND I AM YOUR GOD. SUCK MY TWELVE INCH PERFECTLY FORMED COCK YOU GAYLORDS. PEACE.
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0=
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Carles, I am pregnant.
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first of all, too drunk to comment on this properly.
second of all:
aaOther possible transcendant electro-ish hits of recent memory (in no particular order)
1. Ladytron – Seventeen
2. Ghostland Observatory – “Sad Sad City”
3. Cut Copy – “Saturdays”
4. Chromeo – “Needy Girl” (Bloc Party Remix)
5. The Postal Service – “Clark Gable”/”Such Great Heights”/basically any of their other songs
6. Hot Chip – “Over and OVer”
7. Annie – “Heartbeat”/”Chewing Gum”/”Greatest Hit”
is very true, thank you for pointing this out, chuck klosterman, no way is this an insult? i laughed, kind of really funny.
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im really conflicted as to whether or not, on such volatile posts as these, you should disable comments so i dont hate the world, or keep em so i feel better about myself. just thought i’d let you consider.
nowheretobe.wordpress.com
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moloko aka roisin murphy plzkaythnxbye
sing it back/overpowered/etc..
why isnt she big in the states yet?
she’s such a fierce bitch!!!
her songs are totally undeniably good
feircetrannyhotmess
holy ghost is okay but it doesnt have the cute abc 123 lyrics!
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STFU FAGS
UR MISSING THE POINT
AND OMG THE GIRL ABOVE ME WHO POSTED THAT IS JUST FCK OUTRIGHT GAY. STFU AND TAKE A SEAT. NO ONE CALLED ON YOU.
IS HOLD ON THE NEXT D.A.N.C.GAY?
NO.
KEEP DIGGING.
XOXOX FUQ U HIPSTERS
RAWYN
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“D.A.N.C.E” was a one time thing.
“Hold On” Doesn’t cut it for me. I’m not even half way and I sick of it.
too typical.
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this blog is just ridiculous and a joke
all of the songs given are pathetic
Justice is way above all of that and has done a lot for electro dance music especially in the states
its really not even a question
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i concur, d.a.n.c.e. is a one-time thing. Or wait, no, it isn’t. Its like when Oasis released “Whats the story morning glory”. That was like an album of d.a.n.c.e. Or…. “come on eilene” by the clash. Or boys dont cry by the cure. you know what i mean? All songs by indie-venerated bands, that mainstreamers thought are unlistenable/boring. Exccept this song. they usually dont know who actually made it. Everybody has one hit. Every group.
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come on eileen is actually by dexys midnight runners and they were indeed unlistenable
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“also who cares about production?”
DBBBBBBBBBBBB
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should i stay or should i go, for that matter. + everything by fatboy slim. + everything by jamiroquai + love will tear us apart by joy division.
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“hold on” has been my number one song for about 4 months now, so yes, it is standing the test of time. also, i think i mentioned that DFA started the lightning bolt the other day.
ed banger is tired. what has fucking uffie done lately? yeah.
dfa is always putting out fresh jams.
hercules and love affair?
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HRO, leave everyone alone. Your hype is a plague.
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YESTERDAY I SAID: “LESS ST00PID Alt-br0 PICz FR0M BR0KE-AZZ “PARTAY PICZ” WEBSITEZ. more naieve relevant culture criticism!!!”
TODAY MY FAITH IS RENEWED
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i love reading carles, and i love reading his commentorz
“how about you stop posting shit and go to college, get a journalism degree, get a job at a mag/newspaper/whatevz and write, at most, mediocre shit there”
dont listen to him carles, that’s what a weak alt bro would do
“this blog is just ridiculous and a joke
all of the songs given are pathetic
Justice is way above all of that and has done a lot for electro dance music especially in the states
its really not even a question”
obviously carles, you have misinterpreted joosteece’s cultural relevance to the modern consumer
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Yeah this song sucks as far as shit that’s out right now though…
Crystal Castles- Courtship Dating
Santogold- Creator
Ashlee Simpson- Outta My Head
Grind Mode- I’m So High
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HRO you have good taste. make a mixcd for me to play at a party. something where I can dance to, and slowjamz for later so I can give tugjobs to boys.
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the knife big in 2k9
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I absolutely hate hate hate this fucking blog…”predated modern dj culture”? You fucking twit. The indie dance scene is like the kids table of dance culture and it barely even scratches the surface of modern djing…and one more mention of “alt” whatever or your “personal brand” (complete with text message abbreviations and “kute” spelling) and I swear to God I’m going to hunt you like the faggy neon alt-animal you are. Sound kewl?
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Oh and Justice are the new Chemical Brothers…or the Crystal Method…just wait. If they move away from the chopped electro mindfuck that was their bread and butter before D.A.N.C.E. they’ll end up with some MSTRKRFT/Nore collab that sounds like a Scion commercial waiting to happen. This indie shit is played the fuck out. Jump ship, get MNML, get blunted and go dubstep if you have to…just bring your over-privileged ass to the party and for God’s sake stop dressing yourselves like an 80s babysitter. If you missed out on Berliniamsburg back in the day, sorry – but please don’t go headlong into a trend (the assymetrical 80s style) that was played out 4 years ago.
Everyone is getting on the Paris Terror Club, Starter jackets and dunks shit…Chi is starting to see black folk dress like a mix between the Fresh Prince and Big Daddy Kane…find something in the middle and get off the 80s dick. You look like you’re playing dress up with your older sibs clothes (not to mention their trends) and it has to stop.
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hipster runoff is a pretty epic self-aware manifesto. maybe that’s the reason you can ‘choose to appreciate’ “losing my edge.” are you trying to say people who appreciate dfa are self-aware? its cool that you appreciate dfa, and i like your blog’s brand, but this is the first time i feel like you’re using another brand to define yours, like your applauding their ‘authentic sound’ and pointing out the your writing’s authenticity at the same time. and by the way, your writing is pretty authentic. i guess i just feel that you’re inadvertently pushing a brand other than your own. i don’t know whether it’s cool or not and how it adds to what HRO is, but i still think your blog is good and cool, and worth checking out on a regular basis.
Also, i saw SMD at coachella, and their set was a bland mash of the boring bits of their songs. between fiddling dials and sliding faders they couldn’t get any momentum, and i was disappointed. i think SMD don’t have much to offer in terms of ‘live’ performances, because they are so geeky and lack charisma, and in this instance the technology seriously hinders the music. i also think they should either polish their live act and add a better stage set up like justice, or they should stop following the trend of electronic acts formulating a ‘live’ rendition of their cd, and just play a kick ass dj set. speaking of branding, if there is an indie-electronic act that is seriously under-branded it is SMD.
anyway sorry for the wack ass post, but you ask so many questions so i thought i’d reply.
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actually i don’t care if my comment is shitty.
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Can’t believe i have been looping this track from the MOMA part 4 mix tape all weekend drving to and from london… and then you post …
DFA rocks and his alongside “Still Going – the theme” are anthems of our time.
http://www.partycmyk.co.uk y’all
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we called it hipster anthem of the year on 11.08.2007!!!
Nice to know Holy Ghosts are catching on.
http://manifestdestitute.blogspot.com/2007/11/holy-ghosts-batman.html
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Way to go mentioning a good artist on your stupid blog , fuk U …
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the people who hated on this post are fucking pretentious n00bz that never got into good music early enough to see it progress to what it is now… you can't just wikipedia that shit and then expect yourself to become totally in the know overnight…
Anyways.. I would personally take out youngfolks and replace it with objects of my affection, losing my edge is a good song, the quality reflects the time period of when it was made.. when you didn't need much talent.. just good ideas to make it big.. since surprisingly.. good ideas were few and far between in the US in the 2000-2006 era. That song is also the same drum and bass line basically to The Rapture's Echoes (except thier's is faster)
Anyways.. fuck the stupid people who use this blog lingo (alts, carlez, highly rec'd, etc.) seriously.. I think it's funny to use it as a reference to this blog sarcastically (but srsly) but people who actually dedicate thier life to this blog are way to caught up in this hipster bs.
surprisingly.. (actually not at all) PIL has influenced all the dance pioneers just as much as daft punk.
>.<
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