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It’s been a long time coming but New York disco duo Holy Ghost! will finally release their debut album through DFA at the start of April.
A couple of months back LCD Soundsystem released the Spike Jonze-directed film clip to “Drunk Girls”, one of the more flippant yet undeniably catchy offerings from their lauded This Is Happening LP.
The new teaser video for French imprint Kitsuné’s upcoming compilation features scantily clad models bouncing around to a soundtrack of Holy Ghost, Crookers and Yuksek. What’s not to like?
Goldfrapp, Martyn, Kode9, Holy Ghost! and Kele Okereke are among the latest acts announced for this year’s Melt festival.
Artist: Holy Ghost & Friendly Fires
Title: On Board/Hold On
Label: XL
Genre: Rock/Indie
Format: 12″, Digital
Buy From: Juno Records, Juno Download
Two bands with a similar cross over between indie and dance fans, the plan to release a joint covers love-in apparently came from a casual meeting between the bands last July. Finally it drops this week, St Albans boys Friendly Fires going first up with their version of Holy Ghost’s Hold On. A DFA classic, this put Holy Ghost on the map (courtesy of some slyly sampled drums from Livin’ It Up by Bell and James). Friendly Fires however give it a totally different feel, with a stuttering beat and stabbing bass taking centre stage along with the Fires’ trademark penchant for layer upon layer of percussion. With the vocal delivered in an off-kilter manner, it’s only the tremeloed synth line that survives from the original, making it a pretty radical cover, but one that works at the same time.
Holy Ghost slow down the tempo on Friendly Fires’ debut single On Board and give it some serious disco action – adding arpeggiated keyboards and a deep bassline as well as some fierce snares. The mantra-like vocals of the original are perfect for a more dance-orientated tune, and Holy Ghost stay faithful to them, making good use of the catchy “don’t stop” chorus. An excellent idea all round, and two great covers to enjoy.
Review: Oliver Keens
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Artist: Datarock
Title: The Pretender
Label: Nettwerk
Genre: Disco/Nu-Disco
Format: Digital
Buy From: Juno Download
An anthemic discofied romp is the latest offering from Datarock’s sophomore album, Red, and it’s coming to bore a hole in your head to settle in for days.
That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, though, considering how fluent these permanently tracksuited Norwegians are in the language of hooky melodies and unforgettable lyrics (a night flight to Uranus anyone? No?).
While their vocals tend to have a novelty feel about them, the pair’s impeccable production work always carries them across the line, making The Pretender a catchy little single.
But the remixes are where things really get interesting. DFA’s Holy Ghost! of course turns the handclap funk-disco aesthetic way up, while airy Brooklyn trio, Chairlift, opt for a more synth-heavy feel, serving up an unpredictable, momentarily jazzercised rendition.
And finally, some moody vocals, cosmic loops, and house piano stabs see CFCF bring some subtle drama to this surprisingly versatile single.
Review: Bec Crew
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Interview: Holy Ghost!
DFA duo Holy Ghost! first came onto the disco radar with the superb “Hold On” single in 2007, which was quickly followed by a slew of remixes for the likes of Panthers, Cut Copy and In Flagranti. With a debut album due out in 2010, Juno Plus caught up with Nick and Alex to talk about vintage production techniques, James Murphy’s coffee making skills and the New York Knicks…
