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On muggy summer days, you want music to lift you up. Effervescent music that sparkles and shimmers in the haze, cutting right through the heat and energizing you with its ebullience.

“Super Panavision 70” is that cool breeze. With its wall-of-sound echoes of Broadcast, Beach House, and Tarnation’s lovelorn grit, this is music to get lost in. The crystalline production beautifully highlights the luminous, triple-tracked harmonies and round-robin vocals, underpinned and grounded by a slightly martial drumbeat. I can’t remember when a song grabbed me this immediately… It’s mesmerizing and delightful. Umpteen listens later, it still is.

Strange Holiday is the brainchild of singer Alison Ables. Formerly of Tristeza, she’d always loved to sing but never had time to develop her ideas, thanks to constant touring. A brief spell in an a capella group led by Dirty Projectors’ Amber Coffman inspired her to move to Portland, built herself a studio, and start a solo project called Soft Fruit.

While working on her debut EP, she met Ben Simpson (bass) and Andrew Grosse (moog), who became full time members. With the addition of Kevin Davis on guitar and Jesse Robert W on drums, Strange Holiday was officially born.

You can buy Strange Holiday’s debut EP, Archipelago, here. They are currently at work on their debut album.

Strange Holiday, “Super Panavision 70″

Less a band than an unstoppable force, What Cheer? Brigade make Gogol Bordello look like wallflowers. Formed in Providence in 2005, this insane party machine has brought its unique éclat and élan to art openings, libraries, school playgrounds, traffic islands, warehouses and music festivals — often accompanied by fellow freaksters, Big Nazo.

Lo and behold, band-that-couldn’t-be-tamed has finally unleashed its debut long-player upon the world, We Suck, You Blow [Anchor Brain].

You can order direct from both band and label, but that would be so …expected. If you act now, you can buy artist Will Schaff’s super-cool What Cheer? Screenprint. Published by Tiny Showcase in a limited edition of 100, each print comes with a download code for the record, thus ensuring that you, too, can turn your abode into a truly righteous soirée sauvage! (Gorilla masks not included.)

What Cheer Brigade, “Siayan Re Saiyan”

ARTWORK BY WILLIAM SCHAFF, “WHAT CHEER?”

Last week, producer Mark van Hoen broke the news that legendary band Seefeel would be reuniting after 15 years.

Seefeel was part of the flowering of avant-garde electronica in the early 90s. Experimental and deconstructed, the movement bubbled up in parallel —and in contrast— to the boisterous, self-congratulatory BritPop movement.

Here’s what vocalist and guitarist Sarah Peacock had to say about the reunion:

There’ll be an LP and an EP (no titles decided yet) — it’s not quite finished. We’re signing to Warp again and it should be coming out late summer.It’s just me and Mark from the originals; with Justin in Northampton and Darren in Kuala Lumpur rehearsals would be a problem. Filling in are Shige ishihara (DJ Scotch Egg) on bass and E-da Kasuhisa (Boredoms) on drums. I’d recommend checking the Seefeel Myspace page for news (they often get it before me!).

We’re hoping to get some festival dates between now and then (should be doing Primavera in Spain on May 27th), and certainly would like to tour but nothing’s arranged yet.

That’s about all there is at the moment, I’ll keep you posted!

I for one can’t wait.

Seefeel, “Time to Find Me”