Heart Mechanical
The new EP featuring "We're Here to Recruit Your Kids"
Available now at iTunes, Amazon, CDBaby, and more. See lyrics and details
For every EP sold, I'm personally donating $1 to the Trevor Project, which provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ youth. Learn more about the Trevor Project
Photos from my Middle East Cambridge Show
I had an amazing time at the Middle East Upstairs in Cambridge, MA, last night! It was so great to get back on stage and the audience reaction was amazing, I felt so positive about it all and can’t wait to get more shows lined up. I’ve received a few pics from the show I thought I’d share from a few different sources (let me know if you have any as well!):
Also kinda cool — I’m now a legitimate tag on the Weekly Dig Boston website. They don’t review my performance in particular but they do feature one of my songs!
Life is a Disco (studio version)
I’ve been working with my mix engineer behind the scenes to polish up my songs for my “Heart Mechanical” EP (out March 26) and I’m ready to start sharing the results! The first song on the album is “Life is a Disco” — you may have heard the demo version before but I hope you’ll agree it sounds even better as the full studio version. There are still a few more weeks before my EP is available, but in the meantime I’m offering this song to stream online in full:
What do you think? Tell me your thoughts! And please share on Twitter, Facebook, etc. if you like!
LYRICS:
“Heart Mechanical” Album Cover and Track List
I am extremely excited to announce the details of my forthcoming EP, “Heart Mechanical,” featuring 7 songs (some of which I have shared in demo form). They have all been given a professional production & mixing job by my collaborator Yasuhiko Fukuoka and I can’t wait to share them! Album artwork and track list below:
1. Life is a Disco
2. We’re Here to Recruit Your Kids
3. You Don’t Own Me
4. Heart Mechanical
5. Inside
6. This Love is Not Enough
7. Dreams
The (tentative) release date is March 26, 2012. Look out for more information, including song previews and more photos, coming soon!
Tickets available for Middle East Upstairs (Cambridge, MA) – Jan 17
If you’ve been following me on Twitter or Facebook you’ve already heard my announcement that I’ll be performing my first live show since 2008 at the Middle East Upstairs in Cambridge, MA on Tuesday, January 17, 2012! I’m very excited about the show, where I’ll be sharing the bill with Mic Raygun, Glowkids & Fuse, and Young London. I hope to see you there! The details in easy-to-read form:
Michael Hensley with Young London, Glowkids & Fuse, and Mic Raygun
Middle East Upstairs
472 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
8PM 18+ $9
Buy Tickets
I will also be announcing details about my new EP, including album cover and track list, within the next couple weeks, so stay tuned!
Voyaging with the Sound of Arrows
I’ve been enjoying The Sound of Arrows since I first heard their remix of Lady Gaga’s “Alejandro” close to 2 years ago. I fell in love with their song “Nova” earlier this year and am now riding the dreamy waves of their first full-length album, “Voyage” (including the single “Wonders,” linked in the video above). Lush vocals and even lusher synth-pad soundscapes create airy expanses, while catchy melodies and beats keep the music grounded in the realm of electro pop. I know many of you have been familiar with the Sound of Arrows for awhile now, but a few more kudos for them couldn’t hurt, right?
Updates on the music front
Things have gotten a little quiet around here lately — but not behind the scenes! I just got back from a trip to New York City to work with my producer/engineer virtuoso, Yasuhiko Fukuoka, to turn my songs from demos into finished pieces. The five songs I’ve shared so far, plus one new one called “This Love Is Not Enough,” will be packaged together into an EP, which I will release probably in January. Mixing is still underway but so far things sound GREAT and I am very excited! Some of the songs may sound pretty similar to what you’ve already heard, but others will be getting more significant re-workings, and all of them will sound much crisper, with better vocals, bigger beats, and clearer sound overall.
My hope is to follow the Robyn plan and release one or two more EPs in 2012 to follow up what I’ve done so far. I’m also working on amping up my promotion efforts and starting to perform live again. Things. Are. Happening!
Dreaming with M83
A lot of “dreamy” electro music ends up sounding wispy and fragile. M83 somehow keeps that light, effortless sound alive while still grounding it in strong beats and vocals that make their lush songs sound really substantial. I’m thoroughly loving the new album “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming,” particularly the single “Midnight City.” Check it out and enjoy!
More Time with The Young Professionals
I featured The Young Professionals in a quick post about music videos a couple months ago, but in the wake of the release of their album “9:00 to 17:00, 17:00 to Whenever,” I’ve realized they deserve a proper post of their own. (This also makes them the first artist to get mentioned twice in my “faves” list!)
Led by singer Ivri Lider, who is a successful solo artist in his own right in Israel, and Yonathan Goldshtein, the duo has released a debut album that is, in a word, fantastic. It’s a thrilling mix of electro, pop, and acoustic elements that is frequently flavored by subtle references to world music styles (such as the Indian samples in the video verison “20 Seconds”). The overall effect reminds me strongly of Mirwais, particularly his work on the Y.A.S. “Arabology” album. The Young Professionals also explore sexual, humorous, and even political themes (sometimes all at once, as on “Family Value”) in a way that is often so unexpected you’ll find yourself rewinding to make sure you heard that right.
My favorites so far include “Blood Makes Noise,” the previously featured “D.I.S.C.O,” “With Me,” and “Fuck Off Berlin.” And, just as with “D.I.S.C.O,” the duo delivers another mesmerizing video for second single “20 Seconds,” which you can watch below:
Find The Young Professionals on iTunes or visit their website
Friendly Fires’ Refreshing Dance-Rock
Today’s fave: English alternative dance/rock band Friendly Fires
Friendly Fires – Live Those Days Tonight
While many of the artists I feature on my site add some acoustic elements to a mostly electronic sound, Friendly Fires flips that formula. Their sound is rooted in alternative rock but is refreshingly optimistic and energetic with elements of dance and electronica drifting into their soundscapes. They took me totally by surprise when I first heard “Live Those Days Tonight” earlier this year — this not a style I’m usually drawn to, but somehow that song absolutely infected my brain in the best possible way, and has some of the most brilliant lyrics and melodies I’ve heard in awhile. Their entire “Pala” album is fantastic (“Blue Cassette” is my second favorite track) and serves as a great way for any electro-pop lover to expand their collection to include more organic/acoustic instrumentation among the beats and synths.
Visit the Friendly Fires website
Bright Light Bright Light’s Disco Moment
Today’s fave: Welsh electro-pop singer Bright Light Bright Light
Bright Light Bright Light’s biography highlights that NME once called the Welsh singer, whose real name is Rod Thomas, “the boy Robyn in all but name,” and it’s certainly fitting. His utterly addictive “Disco Moment” has shades of Robyn’s “Dancing On My Own” percolating throughout its softly pulsing synths, while the lyrics mix melancholy with a love for the dancefloor. (Can we all just agree that “Dancing On My Own” is pretty much a modern classic?) After digging through his Soundcloud page, I must say he seems like the full package — great voice, looks, and tremendous songwriting talent. I also particularly enjoyed “A New Word to Say.” Here’s hoping for a full album of material very soon!
Visit the Bright Light Bright Light website
