Send "Maximum Balloon " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Pitchfork |
 Maximum Balloon is TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek but, strictly speaking, it is not a Dave Sitek solo project. Sure, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs/Scarlett Johansson producer is pulling all the strings (as he seems to do on many albums he produces), but the debut from this project is less a chance for him to take centerstage as it is an opportunity to color outside the lines required by his day jobs. So, despite Sitek showing off his pipes on a cover of the Troggs' "With a Girl Like You" on last year's Dark Was the Night compilation, his own deep, dusky vocals are largely absent from these Maximum Balloon songs. Instead, he has called up old friends (like his TVOTR bandmates Kyp Malone and Tunde Adebimpe) and new (singer Holly Miranda) to jam on tracks that are meant for the dancefloor, but will, most likely, never have to be played live. The songs are, therefore, liberated from the shackles of needing to be recreated in real time, so Sitek can spackle on as many layers of noisy synthesizers as he likes, and he can gather an enviable group of singers to act as his mouthpiece, regardless of the fact that, logistically, they could never all be corralled for one big tour. The result is a dense, sultry collection that revels in the dissonance between its thick, synthesized arrangements and its emotive, earthy vocal performances.Despite being the work of a star producer, the rotating vocalists make the album feel relaxed and loose, with each guest shading the record in subtle new ways. Soulful Brooklyn rapper Theophilus London brings sex appeal to his neon-disco opener. Swedish synth-poppers Little Dragon bring flirty fun, as Yukimi Nagano's coquettish coos and her bandmates' effervescent videogame synth figures sand over the hard edges of "If You Return". And Kyp Malone brings the serious, arty ambition; his "Shakedown" is a welcome weirdo slow jam, replete with falsetto howls....full text |
| Drownedinsound |
| The news and rumours surrounding TV On The Radio man Dave Sitek's - or David Andrew Sitek, as the press release states - eagerly anticipated side project have been abounding in the past few weeks. It's no great surprise when you look at his CV. Recently the group he's formed confirmed their name, and now a few other details have emerged, all of which certifiably Good News. The name they'll be operating under is Maximum Balloon which, if not exactly catchy, is memorable. Their debut album will be released on August 24 through DGC/Interscope. On said album will be appearances from Sitek's TVOTR bandmates Tunde Adebimpe and Kip Malone, Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Yukimi Nagano from Little Dragons as well as Holly Miranda, Theopilus London and a few more. There's also a track you can hear from it NOW, available to download for free. It's called 'Tiger' and can either be streamed on the band's MySpace or downloaded to your hard drive by clicking here, on the official webspace. It came along with this lovely message: "We offer this song to you for your treasure garden. At your service.” As well as 'Tiger', MB will release a series of digital singles in the coming weeks. For information on all of that you should sign up to the band's (and it is a band...) mailing list on their website. Also watch the teaser clip below in the time being. ...full text |
| Onethirtybpm |
| Whilst TV On The Radio are on planned hiatus some of the members have decided to venture out on their own. Co-vocalist Kyp Malone’s project was Rain Machine and now guitarist and producer Dave Sitek has his own project under the moniker Maximum Balloon. “Tiger” [feat. Aku] from his upcoming self-titled album has already been unleashed on his official site and we now also have a new track “If You Return.” The song features Little Dragon’s vocalist Yukimi Nagano who came into the spotlight when she featured on two tracks on Gorillaz’ album Plastic Beach earlier this year....full text |
Maximum Balloon lyrics
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