Hype Monitor: Passion Pit, FM Belfast and the High Wire

Photograph by Arion Doerr for RollingStone.Com

Every week, Hype Monitor wades through the most buzzed-about bands all across the Internet.

The Band: Passion Pit
The Buzz: Squirrely electropop where speedy beats carry high, girlish vocals across bands of synthesizer.
Listen If: You wonder what Built to Spill might sound like if someone stole all of Doug Martsch’s guitars.
Key Track: “Cuddle Fuddle,” which uses a plinking piano loop to singlehandedly invent 25th century ragtime.

The Band: FM Belfast
The Buzz: It’s electric! Stern, keyboard-driven robopop — the sound of a zillion traffic lights blinking above empty streets.
Listen If: You find the Knife a bit too cheerful, or think big beats are better for brooding than grooving.
Key Track: “Lotus,” which flash-freezes Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name” in shivery synths.

The Band: The High Wire
The Buzz: Spacious, somber indie rock that shrouds broad guitar strumming and long, languid keyboard lines in warm, gentle mist.
Listen If: [...]

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This entry was posted on Thursday, October 30th, 2008 at 12:10 pm and is filed under Drips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.