Miike Snow – Animal

You may be asking yourself ‘What kind of animal is that?’ and you also may be asking yourself ‘Who is Miike Snow?’

I’ll answer each question in turn. That animal is a Jackalope – the official ‘visual representative’ of the band and also a mythical animal said to be part pygmy-deer and part killer rabbit… but I digress. Miike Snow is a band comprised of Swedish producers Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg, and American musician/producer Andrew Wyatt.  While they are not exactly household names, I can guarantee that you’ve already heard at least some of their music before. Karlsson and Winnberg were better known as Grammy winning super-producer team, Bloodshy and Avant. They have worked with many high-profile artists including Madonna, J-Lo, Kylie Minogue and yes, even Britney Spears (who they co-wrote and produced ‘Toxic’ for. You didn’t actually think she wrote all those hits herself, did you?).

Officially a band since 2007, they have released various remixes, including a great rendition of ‘It Don’t Move Me’ by Peter Bjorn & John.  Most recently, Miike Snow released their self-titled debut album, currently available on iTunes, but officially dropping on June 9th in stores, if you fancy a hard copy. I’m not often wowed by debut albums, but I can honestly say that I was impressed by every track on this album. The clever electro-pop melody combined with enjoyable vocals are a perfect match. They do a beautiful job of blending piano keys, guitar riffs and crunchy dance beats, displaying an acute attention to detail in every song.

Their sound is just as hard to define as their anonymous persona. It may seem silly, but after listening to their music, I realized that it’s almost too appropriate that the Jackalope dons the cover of their album.  Their single ‘Animal’ has caught fire on the internet circuit, but one listen-through of the full disc and you’ll see they have much more to offer. ‘Black & Blue’ does the best job of showcasing their range and musical diversity, using layer-upon-layer of different sounds to create perfect harmony.

Do yourself a big favor and pick this album up now. Your ears deserve it.

Right away, Make Light helps set the tone for the rest of the album – just a cleaner (not tamer) composition in general, but with the same high energy pop-synth that their fans grew to love them for.  The rest of the album follows suit, illustrating a true evolution from ‘Chunk of Change’ into a fully developed sound.  The first single off the new album called The Reeling is a perfect example, showcasing their talent and pulling out all the stops.  Even going so far as to include a children’s choir to help sing the hook (a la Justice – D.A.N.C.E., anyone?). The only areas in which they falter are some of their softer songs. Albeit, I am a bit biased, as I’ve seen them perform live and find their biggest asset to be their liveliness, especially during the more dance-able songs.

‘Manners’ has already made a splash in the online community.  Even before their anticipated May 19^th release, multiple Passion Pit songs have been taking over Hype Machine’s Popular list and also featured on the We Are Hunted Emerging Artist list.  Really looking forward to seeing and hearing more from this band, and also curious to see where they go next.  Also, the guys at stereotype.fm are super-stoked to see them perform at their record release party aboard The Temptress Yacht on the Hudson River. More on that later…

The full album is streaming on Myspace