Song of the Day - Simian Mobile Disco: "Hustler"

In the interest of full disclosure, I know this song has been floating around for several months and that Simian Mobile Disco have generated a tidal wave of buzz over the last year due to their exceptional DJ skills and remix work for artists like Bjork and Klaxons, but since their debut album Attack Decay Sustain Release was officially released yesterday I have a sufficient enough reason to post it as the Song of the Day. Also, the song just kicks ass.

The duo behind Simian Mobile Disco, James Shaw and James Ford, do an excellent job of capturing the best parts of the dance club scene (mainly, the galvanizing effect a catchy hook and an infectious beat can have on making you move your feet until your tired and sweaty) without allowing their music to sound overwrought with production bells and whistles. Credit most of this to Shaw and Ford's insistence on only using analog recording equipment (sorry, no Pro Tools magic here) and their ability to keep their songs direct and to the point (and therefore under five minutes). On "Hustler", perhaps my favorite track on the album, you get everything that is great about Simian Mobile Disco in one small 3:42 package. There's the sampled chorus that hooks you in, a driving techno beat and synthesizers that borrow a page from the Detroit and Chicago House heydays; basically the perfect recipe for some ass shaking.

Another thing that I love about this song is how the vocalist sings about being too poor to afford records, so she steals them. While I would never do this in real life (and I'm sure Simian Mobile Disco isn't condoning theft), it does speak to the dilemma many music-starved people have when going to the record store. With so many good records out there and a limited bank account, how do you narrow down your choices? Wouldn't it be easier if you could just take whatever you wanted?