First coming to wider attention earlier this year with the indie disco-friendly throb of breakout single ‘Global Concepts‘, it’s been intriguing to watch the rise of Seattle’s Robert DeLong in 2013. Toeing a fine line between mid-noughties indietronica and more club-ready sounds, DeLong’s had a whirlwind year with his debut album, Just Movement, seeing release in July and promptly racing up charts on both sides of the Atlantic, and going platinum in Australia.
Ahead of the latest single to be taken from the record ‘Happy‘ – which you can watch the video for, below – dropping on October 7 through Glassnote/Island Records, and a show this Monday at Islington’s Electrowerkz (tickets available here), we asked Robert to walk us through a lucky 7 of tracks that have shaped the musician he is today:
1. Lucy – ‘Bein’
“Somewhere in the world of German techno hides Lucy, an artist who creates dark, intelligent, brooding techno soundscapes. This track is perhaps one of his more accessible: ready for the dance-floor, but infused with ambient sounds that could be out of a David Lynch urban nightmare.”
2. Boards of Canada – ‘Pete Stands Alone’
“Boards of Canada is like an attic relic of the 70s given life through electronic music; melancholy synth nostalgia with dishwasher beats underneath. Their 1998 record, Music Has the Right to Children, changed what I listen for in music forever.”
3. Talking Heads – ‘Born Under Punches’
“There is no other band like the Talking Heads, and one of their odd-flavoured groove-based punk-reminiscent jams make it onto every playlist of mine. This particular song is so dancey, yet so obtuse lyrically and sonically, that it struck me from the first time I heard it.”
4. The Chemical Brothers – ‘Another World’
“The Chemical Brothers need no introduction, and I have been a fan of their otherworldly and sometimes harsh take on electronic music for some time, but one of my favourite tracks comes from their most recent effort, Further, and does some pretty cool things.
5. David Bazan – ‘Fewer Broken Pieces’
“David Bazan was the frontman for the lo-fi Seattle indie band, Pedro the Lion, which was an important early influence on my songwriting. This song is him doing what he does best – wordplay, melancholy, introspection, religious questioning, and self-loathing, all chugging along at a nice indie rock pace.”
6. Flume – ‘Stay Close’
“Flume came out of Australia, berating us with some sort of awesome hip-hop beat-maker dance music with heavy synths and awkward drum fills – some of the coolest jams this year. There is something almost ‘All I Need‘ about this track, and I love it.”
7. The Beatles – ‘Day in the Life’
“I will end the playlist with the obvious – but who doesn’t like the Beatles? This tune is amazing – a trippy collage of English folk-pop meets orchestral dissonance effects, with a fitting end to any playlist.”
- Alex Cull
‘Happy’ is released as a single on October 7 through Glassnote/Island Records.
Robert DeLong plays Electrowerkz in Islington this Monday, September 30. You can buy tickets here.
