Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Swedish Band Alert: The Amplifetes


The band, The Amplifetes, think of themselves as a dream team collaboration of their influences - listing 60s Psychedelia, The Electric Light Orchestra, The Ramones, Elvis Costello, David Bowie and Chicago Trax Records house music releases.

The highly crazy, nonsensical but addictive sound that results when you combine all those influences into songs can be heard in The Amplifetes debut single It's My Life. The single, a spitting image of urban life and a happy three-part marriage between garage pop, electro and punk has already made a few waves. It was featured recently in a promo campaign for Italian fashion house Roberto Cavalli, starring Milla Jovovich (Zombies, short skirts, 6" heels, Bentleys...just another day at the office), creating quite a stir over europe.

While Europe was going under a financial wave of destruction and Milla was toting her uber-pricey Mastercard, the framework for the production of The Amplifetes debut album was being put together. Dictated by geography and time, the band members never actually met until the album was being mixed. With members in different cities, and writing and recording taking place over the Internet, it made for some interesting times. As bizarre as a situation as this might sound, the parameters created a very special atmosphere for the creative process, or as The Amplifetes singer Peter described it, "a feeling of weightlessness, like being trapped inside a bubble of soft stone."

Eventually, escaping the bubble, The Amplifetes managed to get everything and have recently released their debut album. It might have taken a T1 line and a lot of faceless communication, but they managed to get it done and judging by the single and the tracks below, they may be on to something...

Download: It's My Life
Download: Whizz Kid
Download: Whizz Kid (Blende Remix)
Download: Whizz Kid (Big Beat Remix)
Watch: That Commercial....

No comments: