a thread for Italians Do It Better

aka

swedish band in balearic masterpiece shocker

actually the rubies rmx might be better

I was thrilled to find both "Nothing Else Matters" and the Rubies remix on iTunes. I think there's been a ton of talk of the label on the Chromatics I Love You thread, but they definitely deserve their own thread.
I eagerly anticipate new music from Farah.

http://www.cosmicdisco.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/rsz_1madonna_italians_do_it_beter.jpg

This is basically a great label, marred only by the presence of Glass Candy...

?

??

glass candy are so bad, so lifeless and inert. walked out of their show at cargo a few months ago, it was so boring. plus the annoying lead singer was wearing a ~terrible~ sweater-dress.

don't think they're that much worse than anything else on the label though, was really underwhelmed by the much-hyped comp last year. the cover of 'last night a dj saved my life' is one of the worst things i've ever heard. like, what could this joyous disco classic possibly be missing? that's right, a heavy dose of tedium

(a sigh so deep it burns in the chest hole)

(also = that sweater dress was hot and the show was great)

I love the remix of "Last Night A DJ Saved My Life". It's like the DJ saved her life by turning her into a vampire - "I used to be heartbroken but now I just dance all night and drain the blood from my victims."

Yeah! Amazing label. But the IDIB acts many not appeal to many pop fans. It's too dark a sound and an aesthetic.

simonetti is djing at love tonight in nyc

Yeah! Amazing label. But the IDIB acts many not appeal to many pop fans. It's too dark a sound and an aesthetic.

i don't dislike it cuz it's too dark, i dislike it because it's too dull

i don't dislike it cuz it's too dark, i dislike it because it's too dull

i picked up the glass candy/chromatics albums following the ilm love.

so far i'm struggling to get it, both albums have therefore been left unloved on the shelf.

if anything, its not dark enough for me ..

You know what's really awesome? There's this bootleg (I think) release of Last Night a DJ Saved My Life with a Shep Pettibone mix that's just the vocals over a drum machine. I have to dig that one out, I remember it being pretty awesome.

One person's dull is another person's exciting and vital. De gustibus non est disputandum.

Daniel, that's outrageous. Lex is citing a fact. You're only contributing to the indie chancers' conspiracy of tedium and inertia. CAN'T YOU HAVE ANY FUCKING FUN?!

Savannah Smiles, you've just become an agenda item at the next Indie Chancers' Conspiracy Meeting.

i think the chromatics are a snooze, but i love most of the glass candy ive heard (holding my complete support at bay until i decided on this sweater-dress issue) and the two tiedye songs are fucking jams

When is Farah's full-length debut being released?

I love that Law Of Life song. And, for Lex's benefit, I'll mention that my wife thinks that song is tedious and boring.

at once i am relieved and disappointed that someone already posted the madonna pic. i mean i guess it's too obvious. but she looks so damn good!

Previous discussion:

I LOVE YOU "THE CHROMATICS"
Glass Candy - "Iko Iko"

i still think mirage has most potential out of all the idib acts, especially if he has more songs like "loving you" from his myspace page (which even in demo form is sublime, a slo-mo, hyper dramatic, diva led piano jam with those synthetic string sounds that were all over the menace ii society soundtrack or from a bone thugs track or something and crystalline tear-drop arpeggios - also maybe the funkiest thing johnny jewel has done yet). i didn't buy the tiedye 12" because it seemed like a complete rip off and i was broke, though it sounded aight in the shop

while it's been out a while, I still love Law Of Life and the midnite remix from the 12" is reminiscent of a sally shapiro reinterpretation with the electric piano lines. i dunno chromatics and glass candy aside i dig about 3/4 of the After Dark LP.

It's weird I picked this up like a day ago, I'd had it on my mp3 player for ages but it's one of those records that needs to be a record y'know?

Also glass candy are great, and their dead aesthetic is one of the reasons the whole italians thing is so intriguing. Ice blonde and everything.

So go suck a fuck or whatever

Previous discussion:

I LOVE YOU "THE CHROMATICS"
Glass Candy - "Iko Iko"

-- caek, Thursday, July 10, 2008 9:19 AM (3 hours ago)

much better threads TBH.

kinda intended for this thread to start off talking about how great Tiedye are

i don't really understand what baeleric music is.

but this one song sounds kinda nice.

i guess balaeric music is like if The Edge played in a disco band?

wait now it sounds kinda miami vice

like dire straits brothers in arms guitars

is axel f balaeric?

i like this song.

Whoa that is some hammy guitar on "Nothing Else Matters".

yeah the guitar is total schlock but that's what's so great obv

i don't really understand what baeleric music is

judging by your next few posts .... yes you do

I don't think I can stomach it.

xpost

this stuff is kinda cool.

like half of me thinks i should be dancing.

half of me thinks i should be watching martin riggs from lethal weapon have a dark night of the soul.

i guess balaeric music is like if The Edge played in a disco band?

he did once, kinda
http://www.discogs.com/release/31585

Is that record any good because the line-up makes it sound awesome?

I bought that a couple decades ago just because of The Edge (I had no idea who the other people were at the time). Wish I still had it.

yeah no doubt i'd never heard of that?

I used to hate that record (cause it doesn't sound like Can, lol) but now that my taste is all balearic beardoed out I think it's awesome

me too, but i sold it a while back :(

even has lyrics by arthur russell.

label is fucking good

just heard that edit tiedye did of tom petty. love it.

its still mad how this label still sells the digital editions of their releases for $1 no matter what.
ep, single, expanded album etc.
all $1 each.
guess they know their market is all about the vinyl editions.
(very similar business model to the synthwave, blood music, crew i guess.)

New Causeway single 'Hide and Seek' is pretty good. Wonder if they'll release an album. Two very catchy singles so far.

why are you mad about that?

this is still one of the better run labels that I ever engage with. Love ordering from them, love their packaging, they are super responsive and all their shit looks great.

cos its insanely brilliant how they have priced their digitals for those of us who purchase etc.

(and yeah, even when i have ordered cds etc, they have always added extras into the package .. )

FTR he said “it’s” not “I’m”

ahh.
cheers evan.
the penny drops as to that response.
i was wondering etc.

Johnny Jewel’s love life always seemed a bit sketchy to me - he has pretty much had a romantic relationship with every one of his collaborators/signed artists: Ruth Radelet, Ida No, Megan Louise - to name the most important ones. It almost seems to be a requisite to date him if you want to be in his label/band/production credits. And he bounced between these projects involving his set of ex-wives/ex-lovers as if it’s business as usual. It’s too much of a red flag.

That said, I really hope there’s no weird abusive powerplays for anyone involved because I really love the musical / aesthetical aspect going on in every one of the projects in this label.

l didn’t have to date him to be on the label at one point! :D

Come on - he’s truly one of the sweetest, most genuine dudes running a label. Has always been nothing but nice when we communicate. Why do some folks always look for the worst?

I’m honestly very relieved to read that coming from a direct source. It’d be painful to hear otherwise. I think he’s lowkey a musical genius and it’s easily one of my favorite labels of the past 20 years.

What’s your band/project name?

He's honestly a very nice guy from my dealings with him.

I had a few things on the label as Professor Genius - one of their first 12"s and After Dark Vol.1 - and have released a bunch of stuff on other labels under that name since.

Had no idea! I like your tracks on After Dark 1, especially the closer.

Thanks, tipsy! Yeah that closer track - “Pegaso” - is actually a short edit of the full track found here: templo.bandcamp.com/album/professor-genius

Oh love your songs on that comp! I think they really sold the concept at that point and somewhat rare for the label in that they’re synthwave. Discovered the silver & kane remix of Pegaso a couple of months ago via some spotify playlist and that one is great too.

Thank you! To be honest at the time they were made I was swimming in Italo and Cosmic sounds as influences. Synthwave is a term I’ve only come across in the last couple of years reading stuff online but I’d be hard pressed to tell you what it sounds like. It’s just electronic music to me.
“Nu Disco” was the term used in press and some shops for this stuff then (‘07, ‘08).

But Mike S and Johnny championed my stuff from the beginning and were excited about putting it out there. I think it was a case of the right place, right time :)

Yeah I love “pegaso”!! That one squiggly italo synth lead part makes my heart sing

thread delivers.
had no idea re the ILM vs IDIB connections.
to have a couple of tracks on such a seminal compilation like AD vol 1 is quite a thing.
and yeah, as others have said, they are cracking tracks CJV.
been loving AD vol 3 today.

There’s other connections. Mike might deny it but I’d say I contributed a great deal to mike and by extension probably Jonny’s interest in italo. I mean they both like to deny the influence of Italo on Italians do it better but that’s just silly anyway.

xpost Thanks fellow ILMers. Making hearts sing is what it’s all about ! Very happy to know the music means something to you!

late to the convo, but after dark vol 1 is connected to a lovely time in my life and "pegaso" in particular is connected with a special memory of playing it at one of the first big parties i ever DJ'd, i have incredible images in my mind of my friends dancing to that song as fog and light spill out of the back of a moving truck in the woods :)

RIP Chromatics 🙁

1. After a long period of reflection, the three of us have made the difficult decision to end Chromatics.
We would like to thank all of our fans and the friends we have made along the way – we are eternally grateful for your love and support. #Chromatics #ThanksForTheMemories pic.twitter.com/y7nkKUmUTe

— Adam Charles Miller (@MrAdamMiller) August 10, 2021

I have been receiving emails all morning from media people asking for a statement about Chromatics breaking up. All I have to say is, I’ve known about this for months, and im genuinely happy that they are out of there. @chromatics

— Mike (@MikeSimonetti) August 10, 2021

Johnny Jewel’s love life always seemed a bit sketchy to me - he has pretty much had a romantic relationship with every one of his collaborators/signed artists: Ruth Radelet, Ida No, Megan Louise - to name the most important ones. It almost seems to be a requisite to date him if you want to be in his label/band/production credits

tbf, couldn't it just be the other way around? As in, he likes to involve the people he's romantically or socially involved with in his music? Which, if true, is pretty cool

As much as I would like to spill the tea, It is not my place. If Ruth, Adam, and Nattie want to tell their story, that is up to them.

— Mike (@MikeSimonetti) August 10, 2021

the statement very much gives the impression that the others didn't want to deal with jewel anymore. he's never given the impression of being the easiest to work with

so i guess Dear Tommy is never coming out

I mean Mike Simonetti has had a beef with Johnny Jewel for years now:

https://www.factmag.com/2016/11/02/mike-simonetti-says-johnny-jewel-owes-money/

I wouldn’t really trust what he has to say on the breakup. He has also thrown snide remarks at Adam and Ruth as well so I doubt they talked often if at all.

Not taking Johnny’s side as we don’t really know what happened there, but honestly those series of tweets don’t really make me root for his side of the story.

The most telling thing is Jewel's own statement, which says he's proud of his work with "the project" — not even "the band," just another Johnny Jewel project. That kind of thing could grate on anyone. (Especially since it wasn't his band to start with.)

(Not blaming Jewel for that, tbh I think of Chromatics primarily as a Johnny Jewel project too. But that plus dicking around forever with releasing/not releasing an album, it's not hard to imagine frustrations)

i have no idea about the other albums but the rest of the band all have writing credits on various kill for love tracks, so i'd guess the creative process was probably somewhat more collaborative than jewel has often implied

JJ definitely took over once he and Adam hooked up. Those first two Chromatics albums are DRASTICALLY different.

Dear Tommy is now Chinese Democracy 2.0

Glass Candy's Body Work has been teased for more than 10 years now but I don't think Johnny Jewel has said anything about it since like 2013. Would be much more excited to hear that than Dear Tommy at this point

glass candy is next

— Mike (@MikeSimonetti) August 13, 2021

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

This Madonna covers compilation is both unnecessary and mostly enjoyable.

It's not on IDIB, but since she doesn't have her own thread, the new Tess Roby is out today and just as good as the first one.

Yes absolutely, loving it!

Cool, I need to check that out. There is (allegedly) also a new Desire album coming out in early May. The singles I've heard so far are alright--competent renditions of the IDIB aesthetic but not too exciting. That's pretty much how I've felt about most of the JJ-produced material after After Dark 2 (though I love Chromatics' "Just Like You").

Since I've given up hope on ever hearing Glass Candy's Body Work the one IDIB thing I'm (tentatively) excited about is a Farah full-length, which seems like it might actually happen in the near future, but who knows. I love everything she's ever put out.

quite liked telling me lies

It is with immense pleasure & excitement that we share After Dark 4 with you this Friday.

30 artists from 11 countries deliver 27 tracks for the endless summer of your dreams.https://t.co/f14NDpv9u4 pic.twitter.com/f5JFvEr78I

— Italians Do It Better (@IDIB) August 9, 2022

Is anyone going to the IDIB showcase in Oakland on Thursday?

The Club Intl song is my favorite thing in here.

Good comp

the website really does not make it easy to find new albums !
the causeway album sounds totally my thing.
only heard about it via a dig around on discogs.
no mention of it via the 'mp3' page.
same re several other new album digital releases.
that said, i shouldn't complain given how much a digital album costs.

Adam Miller from the Chromatics put out a nice album of dreamy slow guitar stuff:

https://mradammiller.bandcamp.com/album/gateway

The Causeway album is really good. I think there will be a vinyl release next Spring. Think a few IDIB vinyl releases have been caught up with pressing delays.