Found - Founds

Do not adjust your peepers compadres, you saw it right the first time, for I do proclaim foundees that the final Found Of Confusion founders are called FOUNDS!* After Polarsets kicked us off in January, fifty two further bands have passed before your ears and now, one axed radio show; many crumpled A4 sheets; a sprinkling of insults; and a worn out thesaurus later, we gather together on one last Thursday to share in some music and round off the show. Here, take a handkerchief to wipe away those inevitable tears from your misty eyes, and now if you please, kindly transfer your gaze to the paragraph below where your final act is ready to perform.

Deep in the sun kissed soul of the southern hemisphere, amongst the bountiful beaches of Australia's eastern coast where surf and weekends singeing 'snags' rule the roost, it's hard to imagine that the snow capped extremities of Northern Europe would garner even a seconds thought. Yet listen closely, and you might just be surprised by what you hear, because hand in hand with cross city neighbours Little Scout, Brisbane based Founds are bringing a snapshot of Scandinavia to the sandy seafronts. In the eighteen months since their inception, the four parts male, two parts female, sextet, have previewed a smattering of tracks that are atmospheric without being aimless; fey but not flimsy. Shared half way through the year, 'Holograms' is a prime example of their art; a mellow Beach House aping intro, with all the right twinkles and sense of yearning, lays the groundwork for the drums and violins to swoop in and lift the melody up on their shoulders for a sprint to the finish. 'Caves' begins in equally restrained fashion, with only a light dusting of piano notes and a lonely vocal to it's name, but as the noise level ramps up and it threatens to build to something hugely climactic, there comes an unexpected and brilliant side step, with a cannibalistic drum beat leading the band into a chanted chorus, before the song then returns to the intended path for a soaring middle eight and a teasingly premature departure. With an album 'Hadean' nearing completion (thanks to the assistance of The Middle East producer Mark Myers), it could be that these Aussies are sat on one of the first great records of 2012; like all the best discoveries, these finders should definitely be keepers.

* I'm far more pleased with that sentence than I really should be!

Caves by Founds

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Found - Ninja Turtle Ninja Tiger

*Pad, Pad, Pad*, that's the sound of my latest pair of novelty slippers crossing the living room to the table, where I'll be faced with the tough choice of tasty turkey or a Curly Wurly from my selection box - IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY! Now I know you think that you've opened all your presents, but if you kick that crumpled pile of wrapping paper out of the way and peer round the side of the tree, you'll see one more box hiding...yep there, with the blue and white paper...pick it up and read the tag: 'To reader, with love from The Found Of Confusion xxx'. Go on, don't be shy you can open it.....SURPRISE...I got you another band to listen too, how brilliant is that!!

Of all the newborn musical messiahs to emerge blinking into the light this year, they'll be few better suited to this day of cracker bangs, party popper streamers and wonky primary colour hats, than Portland, Oregon's electropop wizards NINJA TURTLE NINJA TIGER. The trio, centred around hardcore habanero chomping* frontman Dustin Brown, have just completed work on their debut studio album, a record that, if it pursues the blueprint set out by it's quartet of lead up demos, will be a feast of fluorescent frivolity and pack as much kick as even the most piquant pepper. Amassed around firecracker drum patterns and crunching synths, came two examples of the sonic repercussions should anyone ever let Mario Balotelli play with his rockets in a paint pot factory. '..This City's Fallin' served up exactly the sort of exuberant, iridescent pop that saw MGMT and The Naked And Famous prosper; it's momentum building refrain crying out to be adopted by an elated crowd for a communal chanting session. 'Spinning On Fire' meanwhile is a track raised to know it's Manners - of the Passion Pit variety, and if 'The Reeling' ever wants a twin brother to step into its shoes then it need look no further. Not content to accept a supporting role the guitar grabs the spotlight on a third demo 'Vines, Baby'; picture the All Around The World In A Day Prince locked in a room with Empire Of The Sun and you'll end up in the right ball (paisley) park. Bringing up the rear in order rather than content came 'The Climb', a song set apart from it's predecessors by the presence of afrobeat percussion rolls and a softer chorus that slips through in the fashion of Phoenix; it's a more sedate affair but no worse for it. Visual and vibrant, Ninja Turtle Ninja Tiger are the bright lights heading for the top of the tree.

*Look them up on YouTube, all will become clear.

Ninja Turtle Ninja Tiger - Spinning On Fire by ninjaturtleninjatiger

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If you want to get in touch all the usual means apply: comment below, come over to google+ or e-mail foundofconfusion@hotmail.co.uk .... but more importantly than any of that:

HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL X

Found - Good Dangers

('Tis the days before Christmas and all is quiet)

................ Oh no!!......*scampering footsteps*...sorry readers! I was so caught up in rooting around under the bottom of the tree and prodding the presents that I completely forgot I had a blog to do! I am good at guessing what's beneath the wrapping paper though. This year there's a parcel that's long and thin and goes: triangle..dip..triangle..dip..triangle..dip - you know exactly like those huge Toblerone they sell - well I just know it's going to be a hand made sculpture of the Alps, hope I'm not disappointed!! Anyway, before the festivities get into full swing, and your mother commandeers the stereo for her sing along to 'Cliffs Chronic Christmas Covers Volume 278', lets take a moment to sit back and appreciate some shiny tinsel topped creations from the house of GOOD DANGERS.

In this instance 'house' is as much a nod to bricks and mortar as it is to the parlance of haute couture, because for this London based five piece it's the humble home that fulfils the role of makeshift studio; and whilst laying down licks in the living room normally screams, 'lo-fi looming', you'd be hard pushed to spot the simplicity of the surroundings that have spawned Good Dangers music in any of their output to date. Admittedly that back catalogue is not yet extensive; the band only have one official release to their name, 'So Unkind', which debuted in June as one half of a split single shared with equally promising Australian newbies Peppercorn. Though on the surface that track would pass as one of the clan in the Two Door Cinema Club family songbook, deep down it has indie disco deities in it's DNA; the lead guitar line walks the same Smiths hewn trail followed by The Incredible Flight Of Birdman, and the 'ah come on' in the chorus would surely raise a knowing smile from Jarvis Cocker, it's him all over. If you need more to go on than one tune then worry not, because there are a clutch of demos out there to also be enjoyed. 'Beat Of Your Heart' bounds with the infectious enthusiasm we loved in Big Wave Riders, and 'Brasilia' pushes keyboards front and centre to its great benefit, but it's 'Abigail' that really sits at the top of the pile; sounding like it could have danced straight off the recent albums from Cut Off Your Hands or TPOBPAH, it's a gladdeningly innocent and hopeful helping of chiming guitar pop that will have you smiling from now until...well at least Christmas! Remember that message drummed in to you as a kid about never ignoring the danger signs? Heed it now, you wouldn't want to miss something important.

Good Dangers 'Abigail' by friendsoffrenetics

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Too scared to comment? Why not fly in the face of danger and leave some wise words below, or if you prefer e-mail foundofconfusion@hotmail.co.uk ..or of course come to the grotto that is the google+ page.

Found - Leopard Of Honour

I've not put this LEOPARD OF HONOUR disc in my Sega Dreamcast yet, but I can just tell it's going to be a game and a half! It's probably not one of those where you speed about on a toadstool or curl up in a ball and pocket gold rings, but it's bound to be a damn sight better than dressing up as a leprechaun and spending four years walking through a forest looking for a fictional orb! No, I'm picturing a kung-fu cat on the African savanna, who - in order to avenge his fathers death, obviously - earns his spots and then gets all Shaolin on the naughty springboks and wildebeest; Wooooo, bring it on!!......I'll just put the disc in like so......... ahem, It would seem that I didn't read the box, this is an audio CD ......*twiddles thumbs*

Alright, Leopard Of Honour may not have you frantically mashing X and Y or wobbling on a Wii board, but the technophiles amongst us need not despair as the syntax of sound shaping software runs right through the core of the Mancunian producers writing process; and if there's a rockstar lifestyle lying in wait then he plans to reach it by playing games within the electronic arts. The man behind the jungle cat name is David Roocroft, who after becoming tired of doing online reviews for sub par experimental records, decided to take to his laptop and show the rest how it really should be done. The outcome of his sequencing and sampling are a handful of tracks that owe a debt to New York's discotheques; the vision of Arthur Baker; the British artists who observed and then interpreted the scene; and the little lady that led them all out from the clubs and into the worlds living rooms. What this isn't however, is a bland retro reenactment. The influence of Depeche Mode and New Order may be apparent on 'Palais Royal-Blue' but the tracks vocodered vocals are straight from the modern handbook of hip-hop. Similarly while 'Good Wives' might model itself on Madonna's 'Into The Groove' the overall look is embellished by the type of production quirks Kanye West flirted with on '808's & Heartbreak'. Even 'House Of Palms' with it's Funkadelic forms doesn't feel dated, thanks to a beefy beat and a harmonic melody that looks on in dazed wonder as the lights of the glitter ball strut through the dry ice. You know on reflection I don't think we need that console after all; drop the controllers readers, turn up the Leopard and 'Just Dance'.

Leopard Of Honour - House of Palms by JonAlt-Stoked

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