TRACK OF THE NIGHT: Dancing In The Dark

FrankMusik / Dancing In The Dark

1. This is not a Bruce Springsteen cover. 2. This is officially FrankMusik's second time on TRACK OF THE NIGHT 3. This is incredibly good. Less full-on compared to the previously featured When You're Around, Dancing In The Dark is an intriguing proposition complete with jungle-style melodies, a clattering industrial drumbeat, a tasty bit of synths and one humongous chorus. The lyrics in particular are fantastically executed with such lines as "When I kiss you in the dark our shadows don't know where to start" and the almighty chorus line, "Can we dance in the dark and I can see your heart." Despite it's epic qualities Dancing In The Dark ends up sounding surprisingly understated and clocks in at a neat 3:35, proving it to be a perfectly formed gem of a track. Yet again FrankMusik has a created a sublime piece of pop which most definitely deserves your attention.

FrankMusik / Dancing In The Dark by ShornStarMan

TRACK OF THE NIGHT: Starry Eyed

Ellie Goulding / Starry Eyed

I present to you Ellie Goulding with possibly the most perfect pop moment of the year so far. Starry Eyed is a delicate depiction of falling in love and to be honest it's truly magical. Ellie's enchantingly childlike vocals pierce through the magical electroacoustic soundscape (courtesy of upcoming producer Starsmith) as she sings of lightning, colours and carousels. This really is a dream of a track and by the time you reach the pinnacle moment in which Ellie chants "next thing, we're touching..." you literally feel like you've gone to heaven. The beauty of Starry Eyed is the way in which it doesn't strive to be too in your face or over the top, instead it ends up sounding unassumingly wonderful and essentially effortless. With all this in mind, it looks like Ellie has a very bright future ahead of her...she could well be pop's best kept secret.

Ellie Goulding / Starry Eyed by ShornStarMan

A big mention should also go the Jakwob remix of Starry Eyed which you can hear right here (it's pretty AMAZING - definitely takes the track to another level!):

TRACK OF THE NIGHT: Rebel Rebel (Soulwax Re Edit)

David Bowie / Rebel Rebel (Soulwax Re Edit)

Rebel Rebel is already such a classic but in the hands of Soulwax it becomes an all out high octane club thriller. I first heard this version at a friend's (URSA//MINOR's) DJ set and it pretty much blew my mind. The re edit starts with the sounds of Soulwax totally fucking about with the track while they throw in some nice little samples of Bowie's other great track DJ. Then, in comes the classic guitar riff and the nostalgia begins until...what's this!? Some fantastic new beats arrive as the classic guitar riff is suddenly thrown through a filter, basically turning the EPIC level up to a 1000. Amazingly, Soulwax make Rebel Rebel sound even more life-affirming than before and equal to that it now sounds officially danceable. This is the sound of Rebel Rebel flying through space at a million miles per hour...WOW.

David Bowie / Rebel Rebel (Soulwax Re Edit) by ShornStarMan

TRACK OF THE NIGHT: Do You Mind?

The xx / Do You Mind?

It's really refreshing to hear a pretty alternative band cover a piece of smooth funky house, in the form of Kyla's Do You Mind?, without making it sound like some desperate Live Lounge cover. World's apart from the original's deluxe beats and breaks The xx turn Do You Mind? into a potent love song filled with soft guitars and urging drums. However, the song's crowning glory has to be the awe-inspiring vocals of Romy and Oliver which literally soar above the song's romantic backdrop as the couple exchange suggestions of intimate encounters without sounding overly provocative or forced. This really is a sublime effort from The xx and once again reaffirms their status as the year's finest alternative group.

The xx / Do You Mind? by ShornStarMan

TRACK OF THE NIGHT: Fade Into You

Mazzy Star / Fade Into You

Bit of a quiet one for a Saturday night but this song really is a revelation. Fade Into You is the kind of track that you've been hearing for most of your life, from when you're really young, but it's only until you're older that you finally discover it properly and think wow...this really is a masterpiece. The whole atmosphere that comes from Fade Into You is really magical and dark, with Hope Sandoval's vocals soaring across the track in a sultry yet vulnerable tone while hypnotic guitar riffs come and go, taking the song into a place where other artists could only dream of being in. In short, this is the gentle anthem of the 90's which has stood the test of time. Wondrously beautiful.

Mazzy Star / Fade Into You by ShornStarMan

TRACK OF THE NIGHT: Drumming Song (Jack Beats Remix)

Florence + The Machine / Drumming Song (Jack Beats Remix)

I think i might actually be in love with Florence...but that aside we all know Drumming Song is pretty thunderously epic, so its nice to hear Jack Beats take it to the club. The Jack Beats remix of Drumming Song is as formidable as remixes come. Florence's vocals are tampered with but thankfully not so she sounds like a completely donked chavvy chipmunk, instead Jack Beats creates brand new (yes brand new!) vocal hooks and melodies and layers them across a thrilling mix of club beats and synths, with a nice touch of strings which stay true to the roots of Drumming Song. To be honest the Jack Beats remix has it all: addictive hooks, a tempo moderately above the original yet not quite at a completely donked level, a big fat bassline, squelchy synths, the Drumming Song chorus (which always helps) and a freaking piano breakdown! There's even a tiny hint of dubstep which creeps in at one point. All in all, this a remix with substance, style and DRUMS.

Florence + The Machine / Drumming Song (Jack Beats Remix) by ShornStarTRACKOFTHENIGHT

TRACK OF THE NIGHT: Ultraviolence

Heartsrevolution / Ultraviolence (Feat. Spank Rock)

In case you didn't know Heartsrevolution are on a mission to change the way music is commercially distributed and promoted one ice cream van at a time...no REALLY! This boy/girl combo are changing the way we conceptually regard music and its distribution and literally plan to take over the world. Whilst masterminding their plan Heartsrevolution spend their time making absolutely stonking electronic music which happens to sound like Crystal Castles on E lost in a field of killer bunnies. Ultraviolence is just one of the many deadly songs in Heartsrevolution's shining armoury. With the help of the super cool Spank Rock Ultraviolence grinds along at the speed of a bullet train with mind-blowing synths, explosive beats and the screaming war crys of singer Lo, this is one serious headrush of a track...a literal BEAST.

Heartsrevolution / Ultraviolence (Feat. Spank Rock) by ShornStarTRACKOFTHENIGHT

TRACK OF THE NIGHT: Dirtee Cash

Gave up. Gave in. BACK

Dizzee Rascal / Dirtee Cash

Dizzee really has come into his own this year and this is a pretty good representation of how incredible he has become. Dirtee Cash is a bit of a banger, sampling heavily from Stevie V's Dirty Cash (Money Talks), we find Dizzee in fine form referencing the credit crunch, celebrity culture and general money related stuff to great effect. The track itself is a nice throwback to the early 90's, mainly thanks to the Stevie V sample which features tasty retro staccato synths and the occasional sampled whoop. However, it's not just retro playtime for Dizzee as the track is nicely evened up with a pounding beat and occasional sprinkles of electro which drag Dirtee Cash straight into the 21st century. It obviously pays to be a Rascal.

Dizzee Rascal / Dirtee Cash by ShornStarTRACKOFTHENIGHT

TRACK OF THE NIGHT: Sex & Violence

Boy Crisis / Sex & Violence

Boy Crisis really do like their sex. These dirty fellows can't seem to make a song without fitting in some fantastically suggestive lyrics which involve everything from panthers to peaches. Sex & Violence is no exception. With its slick as fuck bassy melody, arse-whipping beat and some perfectly placed sprinkles of electro magic Sex & Violence really does tempt you on to the dance floor and doesn't let you go. If that wasn't enough there's even a phenomenal breakdown where singer Victor chants "Peach peach nectarine nectarine take in the scene like it's all a dream...oh yeah." SEXUAL.

Boy Crisis / Sex & Violence by ShornStarTRACKOFTHENIGHT

TRACK OF THE NIGHT: Pursuit Of Happiness

Kid Cudi / Pursuit Of Happiness (Feat. MGMT & Ratatat)

First of all, let's get one thing straight - Kid Cudi's debut album Man On The Moon: The End Of The Day is pretty much a MASTERPIECE. From the incredible cover art to the epic space vibe that runs throughout the record...the whole thing really is just perfect. Because of all this it was actually quite difficult to pick a TRACK OF THE NIGHT from this mighty selection but in the end it had to be Pursuit Of Happiness. Before you even listen to it you know its going to be amazing mainly down to the fact that Kid Cudi, MGMT AND Ratatat all feature on the same track. Ironically, compared to the rest of the album Pursuit Of Happiness is a pretty chilled out affair which floats along in its own masterfully formed bubble of psychedelic hip hop loveliness. With MGMT providing dreamy vocals on the shining chorus and some beautifully tripped out production from Ratatat, Kid Cudi is proving to be much much more than your average rap artist. Pursuit Of Happiness successfully blurs the rules of hip hop and in the process reaches the happiest of mediums.

Kid Cudi / Pursuit Of Happiness (Feat. MGMT & Ratatat) by ShornStarTRACKOFTHENIGHT

TRACK OF THE NIGHT: Everything In Its Right Place

TRACK OF THE NIGHT is officially BACK. After the deletion of my YouTube account (bastards!) i lost a bit of faith and was finding it hard to discover a way that i could let people have a listen to my TRACK OF THE NIGHTs but thanks to SoundCloud you can now listen to them with ease. So, first up after my lengthy break is...Radiohead.

Radiohead / Everything In Its Right Place

Right, so i was lucky enough to see Radiohead play their set at Reading on Sunday and they were literally AMAZING - literally the best band ive ever seen live. Their epic set was closed with this, the opener to their highly experimental but highly wonderful album Kid A. Everything In Its Right Place is as widescreen as songs come. Wondrously beautiful sonic landscapes are gradually built up as Thom Yorke croons across an array of electronic textures as his vocals are mixed up into a magical wave of musical incredibleness. Okay, so that description doesn't make much sense to the casual reader but honestly this track is out of this world. From the woozy vocal effects to the bizarre line describing how Mr. Yorke "woke up sucking a lemon" Everything In Its Right Place is a complete and utter revelation. This is definitely Radiohead's experimental calling card...a thrillingly odd yet epicly obvious anthem of our times.

Radiohead / Everything In Its Right Place by ShornStarBlog