We Are Standard have actually been around since 2006, when they released their debut album, “3000 V 40000 W” to great success in Spain and Europe. I will admit to not having heard that record (it’s not on Spotify) but I can vouch for the band’s work from then on.

For their next album, self-titled and released in 2008, the five-piece from Vizcaya (Basque Country, Spain) sought out Gang of Four guitarist Andy Gill for production. Gill’s production work was evident in the sound, and the band presented a style that mixed dance-punk and electronic music, similar to The Rapture’s earlier work or LCD Soundsystem’s first album.

After “The Golden State”, a remix album put out in 2010, the band returned in November of 2011 with the “Great State” EP, where they’ve undergone a complete transformation of sound. Personally, I’ve got to say that the radical change in sound does wonders for them.

Gone are the fuzzy bass-lines and sparse guitars. Instead, we’ve got a high energy EP filled with synths, keys and bright guitars that adds layers of shine to an already formed project. The band has opted for a more pop than eccentric route, but they carry their momentum gathered from the larger-than-life choruses incredibly well.

In fact, the opener, “07.45 (Bring Me Back Home)”, may just be the band’s best song to date. There’s swelling string-like synths backed by a good beat and some spot-on vocals that not only fit perfectly with the mood of the song, but also are perfectly placed in the mix. The song isn’t catchy per-se (although the synth riffs are pure ear-candy), but I’ll be damned if it doesn’t put you in a better mood and make you want to get out of your seat. The last minute and half is pure bliss, with a stellar build up to some chorus-like backup vocals and a one-line chant (“bring me back home”) that will have the listener singing along by the end.

Like I said, the opener isn’t necessarily catchy, but it doesn’t need to be to accomplish its mission. This task is left for “Good Ones”, another highlight. The song doesn’t sound as fluid as its predecessor, in slight homage to the band’s previous work, perhaps, but the piano riffs on the chorus are more than easy to get stuck in your head. And, again, the band pulls its best punch at the end of the track, with another buildup featuring horns, a gradual drumbeat and another sing-along chant.

We Are Standard really aren’t that revolutionary as far as their style or sound, but they don’t need to be. Instead, they’re content with making perfect summer tunes for the dreary winter months, which is perfectly fine with me.

Be sure to listen to the two tracks mentioned here below, and head over to Spotify to check out the rest of the band’s work.

Connect with We Are Standard - Facebook | Website | MySpace

So far it seems like the first few months of 2011 have been dominated either by atrociously hilarious pop (you know who I’m talking about), unbelievably awesome comebacks (Beastie Boys), or soul-crushing mixtapes.

A recurring theme on the those mixtapes is the mixtaper’s ability to make trite and once-enjoyable-but-now-just-a-parody-of-themselves music, listenable again.  OFWGKTA‘s Frank Ocean released his mixtape and did this with Coldplay and their song “Strawberry Swing”, The Weeknd‘s “House Of Balloons” mixtape was fan-fucking-tastic and did an amazing job at sampling good music, and now Joywave have done it in their mixtape with Limp motherfuckin’ Bizkit!

I remember back in the late 90′s when I used to love the music they were making.  I was a wee young and impressionable kid, slightly angry that I’d never be as cool as Fred Durst, and reeling from the direction Oasis were taking, so their yell-induced music made me work out my frustration.  I mention that because Joywave have completely stripped their cover of “Re-Arranged” to it’s bare minimum, removed the unnecessary scratching and Nu-Rap-Metal basslines and instead given a kind of Imogen Heap-like vibe with triple-layered vocals and smooth synths.

These kinds of reworking are littered throughout the mixtape as they do straight up covers of artists like Robyn and Limp, reworkings of artists where they mashup a couple and change the lyrics, such as Drake and Foals on opener “Winnipeg”, Flaming Lips and MGMT on “The Launch”, and LCD  Soundsystem and Miike Snow on “Betelgeuse”, as well as a couple of original tracks in “PM” and “Traveling At The Speed Of Light”.

It’s a really great listen and you can tell they put a lot of time and effort into it, so check it out below and then download it yourself from their site in a ZIP file and grab a couple below.

Connect with  JOYWAVE- Website | Myspace | Facebook | Twitter

Joywave – “Rearranged” (Limp Bizkit Cover)
Joywave – “Space Walk” (Beach House Vs. One Republic)

The quality of the rip is a little on the poor side, but the quality of the music is not.  Ripped from NME Radio and sent to WeAllWantSomeone, it’s a brand new song that features on the upcoming movie “Greenberg” starring Ben Stiller.  The soundtrack features more music by LCD frontman James Murphy, so hopefully it won’t be too much longer until we get our grubby little hands on more.

Check it.