From Over The Fence

Muscles “Lauren From Glebe” – One of the things that I like about Muscles, aside from obvious things like his hooks and beats and knack for layering his own voice into dense harmonies, is how his lyrics are peppered with incredibly specific details that neatly complement his broader sentiments. His music always has this wonderful sweet and sour quality, as though he’s doing his best to include hints of the sadness, loneliness, and frustration that compel us to seek out moments of pure pleasure. His synths often sound like the work of a guy who has several pages worth of Happy Hardcore compilations in a big cd binder with each album cover tucked neatly behind the disc, but he can’t help but include a melancholy melodic undertow in all of his tracks, or sing without sounding as though he’s pleading or forcing a grin. (Click here to pre-order it from Amazon.)

Elsewhere: My new Hit Refresh column is up on the ASAP site with mp3s from Electric Six, Coin-Op, and Linfinity.

Also: I will be filling in for Dan Kois on New York Magazine’s Vulture blog today.