something special

the tough alliance

Since becoming obsessed with The Tough Alliance's remix of Taken By Trees' "Too Young" last week, I've been listening to an exorbitant amount of the Swedish baseball bat-wielding duo's New Chance LP, which was released in Europe on Sincerely Yours earlier this year. The record is an inimitable blend of '80s synth-pop, tropical island flavor, and children's jump-roping jams, and for me, it deftly walks the fine line between guilty pleasure and album of the summer (along with Kala). Here's the joyous album opener:

mp3:
The Tough Alliance Something Special

Not sure if a U.S. release for this one is planned, but you can get the import here, or get some of their older material on eMusic.

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elsewhere:

This post would feel naked without another Animal Collective video, so here's the latest from the guys at the MIDI Festival. Here, the band performs a new live favorite called "Brother Sport":