I’ve managed to wade through the allergenic haze that generally envelops me around this time of year to hopefully make a cogent post. If it turns out that I’m writing nonsense I blame the histamines.

One of the things that lulled me out of my fog was the strikingly hard driving rhythms of Surface2Air. You might have caught one of their remixes in a previous post covering the SXSW hijinks of the brilliant Le Castle Vania. I’d love to tell you more about them but little can be divulged about this LA duo without severe retaliation. I know they are closely associated to the infamous Le Disko in LA. I know that they have junglistic roots which are clearly apparent in their drum programming skills. If I say any more I risk a strategic missile strike on my apt here in Chicago. You’ll just have to wait til the next time they bestow some gold on the ménage, to learn more. The fine gentlemen were kind enough to spare me so that they could send us not one but two excellent and exclusive sources of massive distortion. Let me warn you that these aren’t doodley disco wanks; they’re 10 megatons of immense stomping beats that should only be used while wearing proper safety gear.

This first track is so new and exclusive that didn’t even have a name when it was sent it to me. And much to my surprise, they put me in charge of naming it!! So I’ve now listened to it all the way through roughly 40 times to try and gather what the tune is all about. As I listen, I imagine myself in a party wit huge anti-aircraft guns perched atop 30 ft. tall stacks of speakers surrounding the DJ booth and mortar shells are exploding all around me every time that kick drum hits. People are dropping left and right and the earth is vibrating to the point where I can barely hold my footing. Suddenly, a chunk of smoldering flak catches me right in the chest (right around the 3 minute mark) and knocks the wind out of me. Thankfully I’m wearing my FLAK JACKET. So, yeah, that’s what the tune is about.

Surface2Air - Flak Jacket

The second track, “Bully”, is a driving yet melancholy electro stormer that resolves with a nice little chopped up string quartet breakdown. I’m not sure where this one will fall in my set yet and that’s the reason I really enjoy these guys. Their tunes aren’t just formulaic, peak time pop anthems. They really make an effort to combine elements to create unusual melodic interplay but manage to avoid making the tunes too complex for the floor.

Surface2Air - Bully [mp3][track] *sorry guys, no more download. The tune is gunna be signed.

PS I’m well aware that Flak generally explodes in the air and that Flak Jackets are generally worn by pilots but historical accuracy is not a necessity on a fucking music BLOG.