Mikrofisch

Many of us -- I know -- have asked the following question: what would a lo-fi bedroom recording of Joy Division doing space rock sound like?

Well, I've your answer: Mikrofisch (MySpace).

The Hamburg/London duo sound like a sublime merging of Echo & the Bunnymen (when Echo, the band's "drummer," was just a drum machine) and the Hacienda-cum-basement-dance-party. Every track on the group's second album, Masters of the Universe, out now -- for free! -- on Komakino, sounds like Beat Happening but with proto-electronica roots. It's all awkward lyrics, goofy -- but sincere -- vocals, sharp, eding on abrasive beats, concise, clear bass lines, and surprisingly catchy hooks.

So get the album! You will not be sorry, Metric/Joy Division/New Order/Calvin Johnson fans!

Mikrofisch - Let's Kiss and Listen to Bis

Mikrofisch - Alien Monsters