Bringers of joy: Baby Monster 'She Comes Alive'

We'll be honest - Pigeon is in an absolutely disgustingly bad mood today. Time of the month or something. BUT, the day has just been salvaged by Baby Monster and their new single 'She Comes Alive'.

When we first heard Baby Monster's debut 'Ultra Violence & Beethoven' we loved it, but in the absence of any other music there was always the danger of it being a complete fluke. Now those dirty synths and distinctive vocals are back and we can conclude that in no way, shape or form are we dealing with any form of flukiness (not a word).

With 'She Comes Alive' Baby Monster are paving the way to becoming a very exciting band indeed. We used some lazy comparisons last time round and we'll drag them out again here: MGMT, Empire Of The Sun, Sigur Ros, Depeche Mode. But those comparisons are rather unfair because Baby Monster sound more like an amalgamation of those bands, which essentially creates an entirely new audible experience. It's like comparing eggs, flour and sugar to a cake.

This single is out on Big Stereo. It's a limited 7" vinly, with download and zzzzz you know the drill. Order it here. We'll stick our necks out and suggest that this might even end up being something of an investment because Baby Monster are going to be BIG. We've bought ours (we haven't, we're hoping to be sent a free one, but when that doesn't turn up we will).

You can listen to the music on Baby Monster's Myspace which we have conveniently linked to here.

Finally! Priors get a release date

The Raw Man/Yann Destal project Priors is finally getting released! Hooray etc. We love pretty much everything they've done to date, although none of it has had a proper release until now, so this is a good excuse to bang on about them a bit more.

The fantastique 'What You Need' is coming out via Eye Industries around March sometime (specific). In preparation there are a million remixes floating about.

This is probably our favourite so far. It's by Grum, and it's all very 80s/Breakfast Club sounding (a good thing):



Whilst you're in Priors mode, you should check out the acoustic version of 'What You Need' on their myspace, which shows how accomplished Destal's vocals are. We saw them live last year, and the noises coming out of his mouth were so perfect that some moron assumed he was miming and jumped onstage to pull the mic away. Cue an 'unplugged' Destal. Trust us, this man can sing with some unquantifiable ethereal quality.

Priors are one of those exciting collaborations which only come along every once in a while so we just need to ensure that everyone starts buying the music. Hopefully we'll get a proper listen to the single edit soon and then we can go for the record number of posts about one song.

Cover Version: Two Door Cinema Club

Just a quick one.

Here is the cover (that little square picture on your ipod) for Two Door Cinema Club's 'Undercover Martyn':


Brilliant song. Brilliant video (see yesterday). Brilliant cover. Well done everyone. *round of applause*

Nothing to do with Courtney: 'Love Hits The Fan' by Phonat

DISCLAIMER: What you are about to experience is one of the most heart pounding, ear drum twisting, brain bashing pieces of electro pop we've ever heard. You should not listen to this in any environment where it would be embarrassing for you to start dancing.



You probably won't read any more of this post as you'll just keep listening to that track over and over. So let us just say Phonat = phenomenal.

There are so many ideas packed into less than three minutes that it's hard to know where to start heaping the praise. Any track that has the audacity to drop out half way through and then come back with a choppy, remixed version of itself makes Robot & Pigeon weep with joy.

The blurby bit: 'Love Hits The Fan' is going to be Phonat's next single, and will feature remixes from Bestrack (exciting) and Sharooz (also exciting), as well as 'Love Hits The Fan' Part 2 (*faints*).

We are not going to bother waiting for the weekend. We will have this on repeat in our kitchen with the volume up all night tonight. Or at least until ten o'clock when we get tired and go to bed.

Myspace type stuff here.

Warning: if you do not like brilliant free music then this free I Am Noxious track is not for you

It's a shocking business model but for fans of moody electronica, the rate at which I Am Noxious is spreading free music around the place is a complete success.

The latest to escape from his East London stable (Note: He is not a horse, that's just an expression) is 'This Is A Ballad' and indeed it is. Unlike the big, brooding electronic masterpieces such as 'Snow In The Summer' or 'Stranded On Love' this is smaller, slower and altogether more lovelorn. We hope he's not too sad because he seems a quiet young man (prefers staying in with his laptop making music to going out getting drunk) but he probably isn't, it is only a pop song after all.

I Am Noxious 'This Is A Ballad'

More I Am Noxious at MySpace.

Music news shock: band tipped for big things release new single and it is very good

Guitar bands have gotten quite good recently. We probably mean, more specifically, that all the crap ones have gone away. So it's too-de-loo The Kooks, The Pigeon Detective and The View and hello the likes of Two Door Cinema Club.

Proving that young men with guitars are not automatically boring bastards, Two Door Cinema Club are breathing life back into boyish guitar music with brilliant songs full of happy melodies and not dressing like miserable idiots. We attribute a lot of this to their involvement with Kitsune, who will have no doubt taken the boys to a few amazing nights out and also shown them around one of their amazing clothing stores.

The band have been tipped for generally quite large things in 2010 and quite rightly so. If their new single 'Undercover Martyn' is anything to go by, they should succeed with ease in today's pop obsessed charts, by proving conclusively that boys with guitars can make brilliant pop music. Not all boys with guitars mind you, mostly just those who bother to brush their hair and teeth and don't wear parka jackets and walk around like they've got a poo in their pants.

Anyway, on with the music - here is the inventive and engaging new Two Door Cinema Club video.

'New' Kylie Minogue tracks of the 7/10 and 8/10 variety

EDIT: Some people are saying these are NOT from the new album recordings and are from the 'X' album sessions. All we know is that A. Kylie Minogue is finishing off her new album and B. Some new songs have appeared online. We cannot give a more specific chronology of recording timeline regarding the following tracks - IS THAT OKAY WITH EVERYONE? Thanksandbye.

With a new Kylie Minogue album just around the corner ('TBC 2010', so it could be a mighty big corner this one) the internet is set to be flooded with the cast-off MP3s and other bits and pieces that have 'leaked' from the recording process. A couple have hit the web already, and while pretty decent does anyone really believe that such a high profile album will be allowed to dribble out onto the internet bit by bit? (Answer: probably not).

First up, there's 'Come Down'. Her little Bollywood stint has clearly rubbed off on Ms Minogue, and the sounds of 'Chiggy Wiggy' are very much present, if refined and a lot less nonsensical on this one. It's not a favourite genre of ours and it's one that we feel has kinda been done to death, but 'Come Down' has the sort of quality you expect from a Minogue of the K variety and is a thoroughly decent 7/10 sort of track.

Kylie Minogue 'Come Down'

Extraordinary day on the other hand is a far more 8/10-ish, and harks back to her Deconstruction days with an ethereal electronica sound, with spooky, ambient pop production that suits her voice perfectly. It's rather wonderful.

Kylie Minogue 'Extraordinary Day

And speaking of her voice, it's certainly one of the most distinctive on the 'Everybody Hurts' Haiti single, and it's brilliant to have it, and Kylie herself, back on the scene. Let's just hope all the singles from the new album aren't screwed up like they were on the 'X' album. The 'The One' debacle springs to mind...

Free stuff from someone very good indeed: Marcel Legane 'Battle' EP

When it comes to singer/songwriters, words like 'James Blunt' and 'Damien Rice' have done so much damage that the very mention of a new, young acoustic chap is enough to cause shudders. However, fortunately for the super-talented, super-amazing (can you tell where we're going with this one?) Marcel Legane, lumping him in with the likes of Blunt is doing him a great disservice.

For one thing - his music is not the dreary balladry that comes with the territory, it's upbeat and kinda fun, as is evident on his new EP 'Battle'. Three songs built around sky-bound harmonies, clever lyrics, brilliant vocals and lovely melodies and best of all released for free - so all in all it's not like you're going to lose out by downloading the following are you?

Marcel Legane - Battle EP by RobotPigeon

Now, what you will have already discovered there are the following tracks: 'Battle', 'Cutting Time' and our personal favourite 'First One To Fall', which is about God, blind faith and general religious oddness, and which is a thoroughly astounding piece of music. The other two are incredible too by the way, it's just that 'First One To Fall' has our favour.

Very good. Well done Mr Legane.

Listen to more Marcel Legane at MySpace.

Whats the difference between teenagers and grown-ups at gigs?

Teenagers bother to dance to the warm-up act, that's what. (Sorry that wasn't more of a punchline, it was a question and answer not a joke). Teenagers are also free from needing to spend any time at the bar, having gotten drunk on the train into town on whatever the hell they've put in a water bottle before leaving home.

But no matter what age you are, it's hard not to dance to the amazing Unicorn Kid - unless you're stood at the back making a video on your iPhone.



That was the amazing Unicorn Kid at The Scala earlier this evening. He is supporting Hadouken! on their UK tour, and as you can probably tell, shortly after filming this we went home to watch Embarrassing Illnesses on Channel 4 instead of staying around for Hadouken!. Apologies. Old. And we didn't want to be mistaken for anybody's dads :(

PS. The above video does Unicorn Kid no justice at all. Click here for a more 'justice-y' listening experience - his MySpace page.

Anoraak remixes Shy Child 'Disconnected'

We are feeling a little worse for wear today following some seeing-of-Shy Child-play-live related antics last night, but this has perked us up a bit. It's the Anoraak (hard to spell) remix of 'Disconnected'. Here it is on a snazzy new player (technology fingers crossed everyone):

SHY CHILD • Disconnected [Anoraak Remix] by anoraak

Anoraak has done some brilliant things:

His remix of Xinobi's 'Day Off' is superb, specifically from 3min36 onwards.

Jupiter's remix of Anoraak's 'Night Drive With You' was one of Pigeon's most played songs of 2009

He is part of the magnificent Valerie collective

He has also remixed Mika : (

But cleverly ditched most of the vocal.

Here is his myspace

This is funny: The Michael Jackson 3D Grammy tribute

Everything about this is mawkish and hilarious very moving indeed. From the whole shambling nature of the production amazing 3D backdrop to the painful awkwardness obvious chemistry between Celine Dion, Usher, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson and Smokey Robinson.



It's quite long, and obviously your time is very precious whilst we're happy to fritter ours away on deconstructing youtube videos, so here are the amusing high points:

01:00 - The monkey hits Celine on the head with a branch.

01:39 - First 'what shall we do now?' moment.

02:07 - Celine's 'who's that?' look.

02:25 - Even the little girl in the video is bored.

02:57 - Celine et al are trampled by a 3D stampede. No jokes about Celine Dion looking like a horse please.

03:04 - And then a whale jumps up her skirt.

03:11 - Second 'what the hell shall we do now?' moment.

03:45 - Rihanna has ABSOLUTELY NO CLUE what is going on in front of her is very moved by the whole affair.

03:49 - "What about elephants?" indeed Usher.

03:56 - And yes Carrie Underwood, "What about crying Whales?"

04:16 - Wyclef is bored out of his mind very moved by the whole affair.

05:04 - What is that HORRIBLE noise?

05:10 - Usher appears to have fallen over.

But obviously nothing beats this:


Thanks MJ. Sorry you are dead and stuff.

Here come the Scandinavians: first up, a brilliant free song from Lo Fi Fnk

It is going to be another good year for Scandinavian music. With albums due from Alphabeat, Sound of Arrows and Lo Fi Fnk, we're going to be literally swamped with amazing pop music over the next few months and personally, we can't wait. Bring on the swamping.

And as promised, Lo Fi Fnk have delivered their new track, 'Marching In' for free today. Our official verdict is this: 'Marching In' is the best start to a week we could think of. If only we could be greeted every Monday morning by five minutes of delicate, uplifting pop music - especially when it is both free and has a bongo beat.

'Marching In' is the best song we've heard so far all month (the sort of claim we are confident of making on the first of February) and is available for free right here. Please note: the downloading of this song is highly recommended and WILL make your day better.

Download: Lo Fi Fnk 'Marching In'

Alternatively, you can listen to it here while you look at some mackerel, whales and jellyfish doing what they do best (sploshing around in the sea).

So, should we call them Old Young Pony Club now?

New Young Pony Club aren't so much a band who we'd forgotten about, more one we assumed we'd seen the back of after the (undeserved) failure of their first album, and entire pop music presence, to catch the imagine of the British public had pretty much consigned them to the rubbish bin.

We were wrong. There is a new New Young Pony Club single in the offing and it is called 'Chaos'. Obvously the thinking behind this release is that the music scene has changed so the exact same sound they were churning out a couple of years ago will now resonate with music buyers rather than having a think about what people are listening to now and trying to copy that. It is basically business as usual for Tahita Bulmer and co on this new release.

So if 'Ice Cream' was your thing, you will enjoy the following three minutes very much.



Their debut album was really quite good actually - FYI. If we didn't like this song we would have made a reference to the knackers yard but we do so we won't.

Something amazing we saw last night: Bodebrixen in Camden

Things we forgot to do last night while out in Camden include taking any photos or videos of marvellous French electro-funk duo Jupiter and taking any photos or videos of super-amazing Danish duo Bodebrixen. (When we were drunk we forgot what they called and renamed them Binkybonky - which we think we prefer).

We have covered Jupiter before, but this was out first experience of Bodebrixen (Binkybonky) and we are completely smitten. They have basically stolen all of the joy Alphabeat lost after their first album and mixed it up with the abandoned harmonies I'm From Barcelona scattered when they realised their set-up was neither practical nor financially viable (for those unaware of I'm From Barcelona - there were about 42 members).

Bodebrixen (Binkybonky) sung songs, bounced balloons at the audience and hurled confetti over everyone. The core duo (Aske Bode and Andreas Bixen - Binky and bonky respectively) were joined by four brilliant musicians and everyone was dressed in stripes. They leapt around and sung all of their amazing songs before trying to flog said songs from a table by the door. They basically made us and everyone else at the Play It By Ear club night VERY HAPPY INDEED. All this could have been demonstrated with one simple photo but we were too busy dancing to get the camera out - that's how good they were.

The best song of the night was 'Suit Your Needs' which is full of trumpets and the sort of glee that is only afforded to people of a Danish heritage. In the UK we don't get more cheerful than Editors most of the time.

Bodebrixen 'Suit Your Needs'

We hope everyone will be hearing a lot more of Bodebrixen in 2009 because they sound amazing. And if we have been unable to convince you of this so far, perhaps you will be interested in the picture of Binky and Bonky with their tops off on their MySpace page - you dirty perverts.

Listen to Bodebrixen at MySpace.

I Am Noxious? 'I Am An Exhibitionist' more like (plus amazing free song to download - FYI)

I Am Noxious is a man who we have written about several times on RobotPigeon. We have done this because we like him. We think his songs are brilliant and if you haven't listened to him before then he sounds like a huge and brilliant combination of Erasure, Hot Chip and The Magnetic Fields.

His latest track is called 'Stranded In Love' and was inspired by Daft Punk's 'Digital Love', which is officially Robot's favourite song of all time. 'Stranded On Love' is a properly lovely song which is both humble and introspective and at the same time something you can definitely dance around to. It is all about being in love and shagging each other. Noisily - and possibly in public.

Download: I Am Noxious 'Stranded On Love'

But while we love I Am Noxious, we still know very little about the man. So we asked him to fill in the gaps. Here is what he told us:

1. 'I live in London. I'm from East...'
2. 'I record all my songs in my bedroom and all my vocals are recorded through the build in mic on my Mac.'
3. 'I don't eat breakfast. I drink black coffee!'
4. 'I'd rather stay in than go out and get pissed.'
5. 'I sometimes wish I had other interests but music... But I don't.'

And from that we can deduce the following:

1. That he probably dresses quite nicely and will wear a hat from time to time.
2. Spends a lot of time singing at his computer.
3. Has good energy levels but his metabolism must be screwed.
4. Probably has a nice flat.
5. Could definitely hold a conversation on the ins and outs of Girls Aloud but would struggle to discuss Tony Blair's role in the Iraq war.

Hurrah to all that we say.

Click here for even more I Am Noxious 'whatnot' at MySpace.