Bitter:Sweet Review

By Jeremy Anderson

Even if you haven’t yet learned of the electronic-pop duo Bitter:Sweet, you’ve probably heard their music. The eclectic pairing of Shana Halligan’s sultry, teasing lyrics with Kiran Shanani’s groovy espionage-like instrumentals has been featured on countless ratings-grabbing television series. The group has contributed music to popular shows such as Sex in the City, Grey’s Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, and the theme to Lipstick Jungle, as well as to the hit film, The Devil Wears Prada.

Finding an audience in feature television and film is simply a byproduct of making unique and compelling songs. “I don’t know what makes it so adaptable,” said Halligan. “We just created it out of love. I think it’s just very relatable, very accessible.”

That accessibility has been instrumental to the duo finding a fanbase. Being featured on television shows “is like a new radio for us,” said Shanani. “People can come out and find us.”

With Halligan’s glamorous show dresses and jazz infused lyricism backed by Shanani’s swinging beats, Bitter:Sweet’s style harks back to various earlier eras of music. The pair is not merely a throwback, but rather, a fusion of past with present. Their sound, like their marketing, is a fresh take on the old standard.

Quango, the band’s independent record label, deserves recognition for marketing the group so inventively and effectively for the digital age. “We’re on a small indie label,” said Halligan. “There isn’t the financial ability to push [us] in commercial radio.” Despite not having a large promotional budget, the proceeds from being commercially featured allow the band to branch out and grow as performers. “It supports our tour,” Halligan and Shanani said in unison, speaking of their tour as part of six-piece band.

The mutual appreciation between Halligan and Shanani is apparent upon meeting them. But the process of finding one another was lengthy. Shanani conducted an extensive search for a vocalist until Halligan responded to a listing on craigslist.com. “I auditioned hundreds of singers… I knew she was the one.” Both musicians have excelled since finding each other. Shanani described their collaboration as “more free and natural” than on his previous projects.

For now, Bitter:Sweet seems on solid footing. Halligan and Shanani have a constructive musical partnership, an effective 21st century marketing scheme, an inventive indie label that believes in them, and a distinctive retro-modern sound. We’ll be eagerly waiting and watching to see if the duo continues to push their music forward.

The Ting Tings Review

By Jeremy Anderson

Purposely ignoring music industry convention, The Ting Tings set themselves apart with their uncompromising focus on infectious spontaneity and freshness. The British indie-pop duo isn’t preoccupied with creating works of long lasting artistic significance or perfecting market friendly music. The group’s allure comes from holding close to the immediacy of creative inspiration, crafting instantly pleasurable, funky, and danceable songs.

Nothing in Katie White’s brash vocals and poppy guitar licks merged with Jules De Martino’s up-tempo percussion sounds overly rehearsed or remotely pre-contrived. “We’re a couple pop heads at heart,” White said describing the duo’s musical connection.

True to form, the band and their style emerged haphazardly. “This [band] we didn’t mean,” said De Martino. “This one was writing to have parties and get rid of frustration… It was just me and Katie left over from the [previous] bands that didn’t work… She picked up a guitar for the first time and I was back on my drums for the first time in five years… We didn’t know what we were doing. We just had to get some rhythm going for our drunk friends to dance to.”

Quickly, a lot of buzz arose around the parties put on by the duo at their Manchester flat. “The first party, twenty-five people came and the second party a few more came,” said White. “By the fourth one we felt spoiled to be invaded by the music industry, so we stopped.”

By this point, White and De Martino knew they had stumbled upon something exciting for both themselves and their expanding audience. They went to lengths to keep the process intuitive. “We took everything straight to the studio and if it didn’t work within two hours we scrapped it,” said Martino, describing recording their debut album, We Started Nothing. “We’re very impatient. We’ve got to get that fix.”

Their process is not merely happenstance. White and Martino are two experienced performers who learned and developed much due to their hardships in previous groups. “Sometimes people take too long in music studios trying to make things perfect,” said Martino. “Sometimes you lose what you had in the demo. We weren’t about to do that because in our last band we did that quite a lot.”

The pair are taking their early success in stride and don’t feel pressured by high industry expectations. “We don’t really have goals,” said White. “When we set out with this band we didn’t really think we’d get anywhere with it… We didn’t plan it… We just went on our instincts and I think we’re just going to keep doing that.” The entire existence of their band has happened so quickly and intuitively that both members remain connected in the moment.

De Martino described The Ting Tings music as a “snapshot” of the time which it is invented, making their songs ripe for the here and now. “We want to do it again after touring this year… go back into the studio and relate how we feel,” he said. It is an ambitious uphill struggle to remain fresh and relevant when methods age with familiarity. Will these two Brits be able to continue surging with spontaneity in the future? Their sound is carefree, poppy, and accessible, but is unlikely to leave a lasting imprint. Appreciate The Ting Tings music today, as close to it’s creation as possible. Longevity is not their aim.

Exclusive Mudvayne Q & A

Q & A: Matt McDonough of Mudvayne
By Daniel Schmidt, Plugged In Reporter

The answer to making others happy is simple: give them want they want. Mudvayne's album, By the People, For the People, is a mix of live and demo versions of previously released tracks selected by fans. Rarities and two new recordings finish off the album leaving fans in a pleasant state of euphoria. At a exclusive interview, Drummer Matt McDonough revealed the band will be releasing fresh, new material as early as this summer.

Your latest album, By the People, For the People, features tracks and artwork selected by your fans. How did you come up with the idea and what did you think of the fan response?

We've always had an intense, personal connection with our fans. We pride ourselves on the intimacy between Mudvayne and our listeners. While approaching the concept of a b-sides/rarities or "best-of" album, it just made sense to take advantage of that relationship with our listeners. Tighten the circle even more.

Are you considering a similar approach for future albums?

Mudvayne is an open-ended artistic endeavor. We never place restrictions on our working process. The future is wide open.

What was it like digging through old demos and live recordings when putting together By the People, For the People? Are you pleased with how the music has evolved?

Yeah, it was surreal listening to old demos. A lot of this I hadn't heard since I prepared to record the albums. That's what those recordings were for right? So I guess I was a little apprehensive. I assumed the quality was going to be terrible. And the recordings are raw, but there's a lot of fun stuff in there. And the nostalgia makes up for anything lost in technicality.

You've played with music greats such as Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Disturbed, Metallica and Korn. Which bands do you have the most fun performing with? Are there any bands you look up to?

I try to avoid favoring anyone over anyone else. I can speak of my friends though. I've had a great time building friendships with the guys in Shadows Fall, Disturbed, Slip Knot and Mastodon. Obviously, a list like this could go on and on though. I think Mudvayne has been fortunate to never have a bad experience with any of the bands we've toured with. We don't have any horror stories of crazy competitive animosity with other bands.

What other bands you are really into right now?

I'm probably the wrong person to put that question to ;) My listening tastes are all over the map. I'm an obsessed "Swans" fanatic right now. Their early 80's recordings are probably the most brutal ever. I'm into early Genesis, Killing Joke and Joy Division. And as always, Autechre. Their new album comes out next week, and I was one of 1,000 lucky people to pre-order a special double disc version that sold out in 12 hours. How about that for some free, good press! On the other side of the coin, I've been really into NWA and Notorious B.I.G. or 1970's Judas Priest.

You recorded your second album, The End of All Things to Come, in Cannon Falls, MN. Do you have any favorite spots in the Twin Cities? Any good stories? When will you be stopping by again?

I'm a big fan of the Walker Art Center. While we worked on The End Of All Things To Come, I spent quite a bit of time visiting the outside sculpture garden. The Art Institute is great also. And one of our favorite restaurants in the country is there also: Ocean Aire! I'm sure we'll try to stop by for dinner when we come through on our next tour.

When can we expect you to record or release another album?

You can expect an already recorded new album to be released by the summer, and next month we're going back into the studio to work on another record that we'd like to release by the end of the year. Keep your fingers crossed, because it's going to be a hard one to pull off!

Have you been following the 2008 primaries? Do you support any candidate?

Out of respect to our listeners, I encourage them to think for themselves. Don't allow anyone to dictate to you what trends of thought you should subscribe to; whether they be religious, cultural or political. Trust your judgment and follow your heart. You'll have respect for yourself and other people will respect you also.