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Although I’m not an iPod owner (personally, I’m a Sansa girl), I am a music lover—so I just can’t help but stop what I’m doing and pay attention when a new iPod commercial hits the air. After all, just as the iPod people tend to be music player trendsetters, their advertising people seem to be music trendsetters. The music masters at Apple seem to have a gift for finding the catchiest of songs for their iPod commercials—and those songs have a way of working their way into my brain and refusing to let go.
Recently, in the new iPod Touch ads, that song was “Around the Bend” by the new Danish band, The Asteroids Galaxy Tour. And after hearing the commercial a few times (and getting the song forever stuck in my head), I just couldn’t help myself; I needed to hear more.
Formed less than a year ago by composer and bass player Lars Iversen and singer Mette Lindberg, TAGT produces funky, poppy, soul-filled music that’s guaranteed to fill you with an inescapable urge to get up and move. (Seriously…it’s a good thing that none of you can see me busting a move at my desk.) Floating above the infectious dance beats and bright kaleidoscopic sounds are Lindberg’s babydoll vocals—sometimes sweet and airy, sometimes sexy and cool, sometimes shrill and bright, but always enticing.
The band’s four-track debut EP, Around the Bend, is the perfect introduction to their fun, funky style. It opens with the now-familiar title track, with its carefree horns and harmonies.
But the fun doesn’t stop there. In fact, it only gets better. The second track, “The Sun Ain’t Shining No More,” sounds like the hip theme song for a classic Bond movie. The funky clavinet sounds seem to hint at Smash Mouth’s “Walking on the Sun”—but it’s more psychedelic. And although the lyrics are far from cheery, the song’s brisk, sunshiny sound more than makes up for it.
The third track, “Push the Envelope,” has a bigger, cooler sound that, in comparison, is much more subdued—but it’s still every bit as hip and catchy.
But then, after that brief but relaxing musical break, the EP closes with its grand finale: the frantic and over-the-top Bruce Aisher remix of “The Sun Ain’t Shining No More.” Even if you manage to make it through the disc’s first three tracks without getting up and shaking your booty, the final track’s disco beats make it impossible to sit still through all seven minutes.
So whether you caught The Asteroids Galaxy Tour on their iPod commercial debut or you’re just looking for something fun and funky to help you dance your way through those chilly fall days, don’t miss the band’s debut EP. And be sure to keep an eye out for their first full-length release, coming early in 2009.
Ed. Note: To download your very own digital copy of Around the Bend, visit Apple iTunes. Or, for more information about TAGT, visit TheAsteroidsGalaxyTour.com.
