New Jamz: Sugamotor Is Sweet!

If Anthony Gonzalez and Nicolas Fromageau ever reunited to cover Flight of the Conchords' "Bowie's In Space", I suspect it would sound a hell of a lot like Midnight Juggernauts. The Melbourne trio- whose '07 tour support for Justice and widely lauded CMJ set earlier this year cemented their cool kid cred- hem close to the cuff of countrymen Cut Copy, to be sure. (They even share a music video collective, Krozm.) But where Cut Copy skews stiff and angular, Midnight Juggernauts seem more than happy to boast a galactic wanderlust that make me wanna kick invisible cans in frustration that their latest LP, Dystopia, has yet to receive a proper release in the states.

Juggernauts' vocals are extraordinarily earnest for club music, following in that super-Australian Tears For Fears mold, and love them though I do, I've got to give props to (French?) bootlegger Sugamotor this week for pitting their lush instrumentals against such intriguingly delicate acapellas. Dystopia's "Nine Lives" wears the delusion of The Beach Boys' "Wouldn't It Be Nice" quite well, while "45 and Rising" off the group's Secrets of the Universe EP meets it's "AWWWWYEAH!" equal in a six year old Justin Timberlake track.

Who'd have thought we'd have such reason to get psyched about Australia before the new Avalanches album drops?

Sugamotor "Wouldn't Nine Lives Be Nice?" (Midnight Juggernauts vs. The Beach Boys)

Sugamotor "Rising Like I Love You" (Midnight Juggernaut vs. Justin Timberlake)