This is the second article where we can show some love for Atlas Genius, the threesome from Australia. A group you can always count on to create and deliver songs with lyrics you can sink in to and dance around to. I realized I had noted the original song multiple times, then began hunting for the remix. Most good songs have a remix.
This particular remix came fromLenno. He is 18 and clearly knows his way around a good revamp. I always think of what I was like at 18 when I read about these young guns. They’re producing, touring the world, having an understanding and ability in music which leaves onlookers aghast. They are the doers and believers. It was not until my 25 year, I really felt I had the confidence of these guys where you look at something you are interested in or good at and say “I am going to do that. I can do that.”
I was feeling more like the lyrics to this song. Soaking in my first heartbreak and living on some pipe dreams. Take it in.
“Take it off Take it in Take off all the thoughts of what we’ve been Take a look Hesitate Take a picture you could never recreate Write a song make a note for the lump that sits inside your throat Change the locks, change the scene Change it all but can’t change what we’ve been.”
One of the most uncomfortable things about a breakup is the lingering thought. Like a splinter in the back of your head deep-rooted in your conscious –wishing it’d be in the subconscious– it’s a constant reminder of what happened. That said, one of the most gratifying things about a breakup is being able to say with certainty that that which you had, the other person will never emulate or find the same with someone else; like a picture no one can ever recreate. And it is the story of that Trojan stuck in our heads that Atlas Genius uses as it’s catchy tool to leave us humming the chorus over and over after the first listen.
“It’s ok if it’s gone The thoughts that you had that it was the one And oh what is left? For all those times is that what you get? Oh regardless The walls get painted anyway Oh you’re guarding The gates, but it all got away
Your trojan’s in my head”
Atlas Genius struck gold with this debut single. The South Australian indie rock outfit released this one in May 2011 but it wasn’t until the group signed with Warner Bros. and released as a debut EP Through The Glass a year later that the song really became a hit. And with remixes by Lenno (not typical Lenno remix but still dance-y), Xaphoon Jones (the most unique of the remix package and very rich musically) and this one by Monsieur Fred Falke is that Atlas Genius puts a bit in that EP for just about every taste. Make no mistake, this is a bonafide pop song infused with indie rock elements and remixed masterfully by very talented individuals.
Of course, in true Fred Falke signature it is the bassline that paired with the rock drums and all that sets this remix apart from the rest — and in my humble opinion the best of the pack. I know that once you listen to the bonus track I’ve included you’ll think it deserves its own writeup –and you’re right on this one– but I don’t want to miss this opportunity of sharing with you the unique and wonderful remix by one-half of Chiddie Bang Mr. Xaphoon Jones.
If you haven’t noticed by now EMPT is in a new era. Some have noticed the new direction and expressed concern but in my mind if you’re not getting better you’re getting worse. Sometimes you have to be a little disruptive to move forward and break your comfort zone which may be keeping you stuck in a certain place or patten. Think of a company like RIM, what they were doing in their glory days was awesome, they innovated the smartphone yet they rested on their laurels and never disrupted their own patterns. Instead they let another company come along and do it for them. Steve Jobs always said it’s better to cannibalise your own products with something newer and better than let your competition do it for you, I couldn’t agree more.
That said, we’ve destroyed our old ways to rebuild something brand new and now we’re giving you more music than ever, more variety and more perspective yet it’s all still within the taste and style of the EMPT you know and love. We’ve got an all-star team of writers, Ryan Radler bringing nothing but mixtape greatness, Mollie keeping things going and oh did I forget to mention we still have Steph Lund’s beloved Le Miel du Mois on our roster…
Let’s take it to the basics, you in the midst of greatness,
My Martin was a Maison rock Margielas with no laces…” – VSVP Rocky
So here we are another Monday, another installment of LMDM and it’s fantastic – tell me something new. As usual Steph covers the full spectrum constantly taking us to and fro bittersweet love, desperation, lust, hope, dance, chill out, summer times, good times, you name it. I can’t stress this enough, do not let your microwave listening habits interfere with experiencing this tape. Every single song was selected and sequenced a certain way for your listening pleasure so do yourself a favor, press play and let take on the LMDM experience, you won’t regret it. Enjoy.
Diamonds, pearls, they feel alright. when i see you standing there, the evening sun upon your hair. covered up with garden dirt. with just one glance you tear my skirt.”
In my book there’s nothing better for a persons development then having to perform under pressure. The bigger the audience, the higher the stakes, the more to lose, the better. There’s something about those situations that requires you to simply man up and perform. It begs you to destroy your comfort zone, fail and constantly push yourself to get better at whatever it is you do. It also requires you to be out there all the time, in the mix, on hypothetical stage performing, trying new things and pushing it.
It doesn’t matter if your giving a power point presentation or at a bar making a move on a girl that caught your eye, it’s all the same. My friend D put me on to a Eleanor Roosevelt quote that has had a major impact on me lately – “Do one thing every day that scares you.” I love that and in my journey toward complete fearlessness I couldn’t agree more. Go out there, if it makes you uncomfortable do it just to feel that and conquer it, that exercise alone is worth gold. On the same token, there are many of us who want to be out there so much that we neglect the equally important self reflection aspect of things…
Do you need sometime on your own?
Do you need sometime all alone?
Everybody needs sometime on their own,
Don’t you know you need sometime all alone…? – Guns & Roses (November Rain)
Coming from an 80’s Rock star, the epitome of being in the mix 24/7 and meeting expectations, I’d say Axell was in the zone when he wrote that. Absence makes the heart grow fond of anything but it also gives you time to reflect and understand things on your own, without influence and that’s where the true answers lie. So you might be asking what does all of this have to do with LMDM? Well, one of the few times I get to fall back on my own are when I make these tapes and Stephs musical selections always have a way of getting these thoughts going. I’ve got another 3 or 4 hours before I’m in another wonderfully uncomfortable situation but right now I’m just going to kick it with LMDM and indulge in the ease of temporary solitude, enjoy.
