Tokyo Police Club- 10 Days/10 Covers/10 Years

I can't not talk about Tokyo Police Club's incredibly fun 10 Days/10 Covers/10 Years project, in which they- you guessed it- cover one song a day from each of the last 10 years (2001-2010). It's being sponsored by Polaroid, so you can check it out here. There's some unlikely song choices making for a really interesting bunch of tracks. They've just passed the halfway mark, but I thought I would post what I think are the standouts:

Jimmy Eat World's Sweetness (Featuring Michael Angelakos of Passion Pit) by TokyoPoliceClub
The Strokes' Under Control by TokyoPoliceClub
Phoenix's Long Distance Call (Featuring Ray Suen of Mariachi El Bronx) by TokyoPoliceClub

Caitlin Park- Warriors With Wild Hearts

Up-and-coming indie folk artist Caitlin Park has been getting a lot of attention in recent months, with her well-received debut EP Warriors With Wild Hearts garnering her plenty of positive reviews and rotation on Triple J. The title track is a chilled out number that effortlessly blends elements of folk and electronica. She has also just dropped the first single Baby Teeth, from her upcoming debut album Milk Annual, out next month. If you want to hear it you can head over to her Triple J Unearthed page here.

Warriors With Wild Hearts by Caitlin Park

Shontay Snow - Debut EP launch

Perth songstress Shontay Snow is about to release her debut EP after making music and playing it live since 2008. She has a truly amazing voice, comparable to the likes of other beautiful Aussie girls Julia Stone and Lisa Mitchell. It goes without saying, if you like those two artists, you’re definitely going to fall for Shontay’s beautiful lyrics. There are only two songs available to listen to on the web at the moment, and they are Fizz and Small Trees, and that’s fine because they’re absolutely amazing. Fizz is going to sound killer in summer, perfect for kicking back and relaxing. I can definitely see this girl going far, and I look forward to hearing some new stuff. Take a listen below

Fizz by Shontay Snow

Big Scary - Gladiator

One of the most diverse and talented bands I know, Big Scary, have released another single from their upcoming debut album. This is the second single, after their first wonderful song Mix Tape. The song is a rocking tune, that showcases both Tom and Jo's amazing vocals. I'm pretty excited for this album, because their seasons collection idea and their delivery blew me away. Vacation if the name of their debut album, and they still haven't released information of their Australia tour, but I'll keep you posted. I've also included the film clip to their first single below so be sure to check that out too.

Big Scary by bigscary

TV On The Radio - Video Clip for Second Song

TV On The Radio have already released one of the best albums of the year in my opinion, with many stand out songs off their album. They have just released the video for the wonderful song Second Song, have a look and be blown away.

M83 - Intro (feat Zola Jesus)

M83's new album Hurry Up, We're Dreaming is already high on my to get list, largely due to the stunning first single Midnight City. The song was absolutely amazing! Now the opening song for the album has been released online, and it features the lovely vocals of Zola Jesus. The song Intro is a very impressive introduction song to what sounds like its going to be a killer album. You can have a listen to the new song over here if you need more reason to grab this album when it comes out October 17th.

Damon Albarn New Side Project

Fans of Gorillaz and Blur alike will be excited by news of Damon Albarn's new side project DRC Music. The new album was produced in 7 days with a large number of producers on board. Everything Damon Albarn does is pure gold, so I'm really excited for this album. A few songs are available for streaming over at this soundcloud page so be sure to check it out. The album is for oxfam, so if you buy it, you would be helping out people that need a helping hand. Enjoy the tunes.

Hallo (featuring Tout Puissant Mukalo and Nelly Liyemge) by DRC Music

Geoff O'Connor's Vanity Affair

Front man of Aussie pop group The Crayon Fields, Geoff O'Connor is set to unleash his debut solo record upon Australia next month. You can definitely hear Geoff’s attention to detail in the two songs that have been released from the upcoming album Vanity is Forever. The two songs are delightful pop-filled gems, which you can download for free from Geoff’s bandcamp page. Whatever Leads Me To You and Now and Then. Im really enjoying the slow rhythm from both of these songs, make sure you take a listen below, and if you like what you hear grab the songs from the above links.

Kimbra - Good Intent Video

The ever-so delightful Kimbra has wowed me time and time again this year, with her first two singles Settle Down and Cameo Lover encouraging me to pre-order her debut album Vows, and her impressive duet with Gotye skyrocketing the two of them to fame. Her album is finally about to be released next week, and is the feature album all week on Triple J. I am loving some of the songs I have been hearing, and after praising her video clip for her second single here and getting excited about the announcement that she will be at Southbound, the film clip for the third single Good Intent is out. You can watch it exclusively over at Triple J’s Home & Hosed, this clip should help you get in the groove for her new album. Enjoy! You can also see Kimbra performing this song live below.

Scribble Sound - Mad Hatter

Lets run through the elements of this new song from Scribble Sound, Mad Hatter. Bass? Check. Flutes? Check. Solid beat? Check. Whacky intro? Check. This song ticks most of the boxes for me that makes a really really good song. It's a very decent first effort. The song flows effortlessly from organic sounding flutes to very heavy electronic sounds, and will definitely have you hitting the repeat button. Take a listen and see for yourself, just make sure you're in a place where you can turn the volume up.
Maddhatter (demo) by Scribblesound

Lee'Mon - One Man In The Woods

I absolutely love electro-pop music, and for some reason I really love songs that sample speeches. Follow by Error Operator being one of my favorites. I guess there's just something majestic about those diplomatic speeches that make them the coolest intro to songs. Lee'mon, the rather obscure NSW artist that has risen on popularity on the Triple J Unearthed page similarly combines old speech samples with new electro sounds. The song that has garnered them some media attention is One Man In The Woods. The song is very easy to listen to, and I recomend taking a listen here.

Buckley Ward - So Pretend

Indie pop band Buckley Ward are an unsigned band, that can be found through the Triple J Unearthed. They have one song on their Unearthed page at the moment, an absolute gem called So Pretend. I find this track really easy to listen to, with clever use of guitars, drums and synths, this is the perfect song to sit back and relax to. You will definitely not be disappointed with this song if you love indie pop, so take a listen. If you like it, you can grab it at the following places; Unearthed page or website.

So Pretend by Buckley Ward

Festival news for Soundwave and Big Day Out

Here's some juicy festival news to kick start your weekend. Soundwave 2012, after recently cancelling the massive Soundwave Revolution show earlier this month, have given some indication that some of these bands will be playing the festival next year. The bands are Trivium, CYK, The Smoking Hearts, Forever The Sickest Kids, Shadows Fall, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Hole, Sisters of Mercy, Framing Hanley, The Used, Hellyeah, Black Veil Brides, Devin Townsend, Madina Lake and Gojira. Also likely to be added according to Faster Louder are Hatebreed and Machine Head. The festival will be here in Perth on the 5th of March, click here for the other dates around Australia.

If that doesn't put you in a good mood for your weekend, UK rockers Kasabian have apparently been confirmed for Big Day Out next year, so looks like we may get to hear their new album live soon. Take a listen to two of their singles here in a previous post.

Bon Iver - Holocene music video

Justin Vernon, AKA Bon Iver released an amazing second album this year, rising above expectations he put on himself from his amazing debut album. If you haven't heard the album yet, here is the music video for what was one of the best songs off of the album, Holocene. This was released today, just after James Blake excited fans with news of a collaboration between the two, check that out here. Take a listen, and if you haven't already got the album, go out and buy it!

Miami Horror cover Under The Milky Way

Under The Milky Way is probably my favorite Australian song ever, done by the legendary band The Church. The song has been covered numerous times by Australian artists. Recently, Snickers held a promotion, where two Australian artists, Miami Horror and Phrase would cover another Australian song as voted in by viewers. Miami Horror encouraged fans to vote for The Church- Under The Milky Way, and they got exactly what they and I wanted. The cover was released today, and you can go to the snickers website to grab yourself a free version of both songs if you are one of the first 500 people.

Personally, I think Miami Horror have released a pretty ordinary cover of this song. This may largely be due to my high expectations of them, and I thought that they would add a great electro element to the song, which they quite frankly didn't do. The band still did an amazing job, pulling off a great cover, but I was expecting a little more. You can stream the song below, and if you like it go grab it from the Snickers website.

Canyons - Circadia and Under A Blue Sky

Aussie electro duo Canyons have announced that their new album Keep Your Dreams will be released November this year. If you haven't already heard these guys, you have to check them out, right now! The songs they have released with this announcement are Circadia and Under A Blue Sky which you can take a listen to below through YouTube in one video. These tracks are absolutely amazing, they combine so many organic and synthetic sounds superbly, I love the tribal feel, it's quite an experience. Also, previously relesed from their upcoming album is the lead single My Rescue which you can stream through their myspace page.

Sneaky Sound System - Big

Sneaky Sound System have released another single from their upcoming album From Here To Anywhere. The song is pretty dancy, with loads of synths, and some great vocals from Connie Mitchell. This is the second single from their new album, the first being We Love. Take a listen through Modular and see if you like the new sounds on Big. The album is out in october, so grab yourself a copy if you are liking the music.

Remixes including Foster the People, Grouplove, Ra Ra Riot and many more!

A mate made me aware of two great remixes from Foster the People, remixing Grouplove, and vice versa and I thought I'd take the opportunity to post some more remixes you may not have heard. Grouplove are a band that I have previously talked about with some pretty amazing music, you can check out that post here. Foster the People are possibly one of the most popular indie pop bands at the moment, they have taken the world by storm, and I was lucky enough to see them at On the Brightside a couple months ago and they were great! These two original songs are great, and I don't think that these remixes are any better, its just nice to hear another bands take on the song. So take a listen to these:





Sarah Blasko - Hold On My Heart {Presets Remix} by automaticdruggie

In my previous post on Doctor Rosen Rosen, I said he was probably mostly known for his remixes, and this is one of my personal favorites of his.

Yeasayer - Madder Red (DOCTOR ROSEN ROSEN Rx) by dap0509

RAC are another group that are very well known for their great remixes, and here is my favorite, probably because I absolutely love Ra Ra Riot.



Last, and definitely not least, one of my favorite remixes, and although its pretty old, it is still absolutely killer! Tegan & Sara are amazing singers, and I like what Tiesto did to this song, so take a listen.

Tegan & Sara Back In Your Head (Tiesto Remix) by Jose

If you liked these remixes, and want more, leave a comment in the side bar to let me know and I'll put up some more in another post soon! Enjoy!

Boy & Bear - Moonfire track by track review

Although I had a full listen to Boy & Bear's debut album Moonfire a couple weeks ago when it was featured on Triple J, I thought I would wait until I could get my hands on a copy to review it. Finally my copy has arrived - late orders are one of the joys of internet shopping sometimes - and I'm going to review the album as I listen to it track by track and then give it an overall rating, so lets begin!

1. Lordy May: I just love the introduction to this song, it is the perfect introduction to any record, particularly a Boy & bear record. As you first hear Dave Hosking's perfect voice, you know that this is going to be a great album. The delicate finger picking and the drums all throughout the song are superb, with a nice little piano piece to finish this opening track off.

2. Feeding Line: Now we come to the first single off of Boy & Bear's debut and its an absolutely amazing song. I love the high notes played on the guitar throughout, especially when all the other music stops, if you've heard this song then you know exactly what i mean! The chorus is superb in this song, super catchy and quite perfect really, with a whistling 'solo' that just adds an extra something. I have a feeling this song will be in many top 10s when it comes to the end of the year.

3. Milk & Sticks: Here is the second single from this record, that is easily just as good as the first one, if not better. I love the introduction, how it slows down completely and then bam! Dave Hosking's voice with some sweet guitar work. I love this song so much, it is the perfect indie folk jam and I have a feeling I'll be playing it a lot over the next few weeks. The song changes a fair bit towards the end, which was quite interesting, adding to the complexity of the song.

4. Part Time Believer: The album slows down a little here, which is probably smart, following two hit songs. With more great whistling, and great harmonies, Boy & Bear's slow stuff is definitely just as good as their faster more catchy songs. I particularly like the guitar that comes in towards the end, just before a final whistling end to the song. *After listening to the album a few times, this song has really grown on me, the singing really flows and I am enjoying it a lot.

5. My Only One: Now I'm an absolute sucker for slow, meaningful songs, and so I think this is one of the best songs off of the record. I really like the drums in this song, and as always, Dave Hosking's voice is surreal, fitting in with the instruments perfectly. What a great song.

6. Percy Warner Park: I really struggle to see the value of this song. It showcases Dave's voice perfectly, but other then that, it doesn't do much for me. I wasn't really ready for an interlude, and I'm not 100% sure if this album needs interludes, but oh well.

7. Golden Jubilee: Almost to make up for the interlude, this song is quick and upbeat from the very beginning. With cool synths, this is a song that gets you tapping your feet and bouncing, wherever you are, and I look forward to hopefully seeing this one live. That guitar is killer just before the ending, and Dave's 'Oww' is hilarious. Love it!

8. House And Farm: I'd love to hear from somebody that doesn't love a mandolin in any song, I think the response would be pretty dismal. Because lets face it, that mandolin absolutely makes this song, it's something fresh and new and that's all I have to say about that. This song has a slightly foreign feel to it, reminding me a little of some of the work from Beirut (I'll be posting about Zach Condon soon so stay tuned for that). Just the pizazz this album needed!

9. The Village: I knew as soon as I started listening to this short song that I would be sad to hear it finish. This is one interlude that I approve of. I love the use of the percussion instruments and those vocals just blew me away. I would happily listen to this song for 3 minutes plus, but it is much better then track 6 which I still have doubts about, maybe it'll grow on me.

10. Beach: This song starts off slow and wonderful and very slowly builds up, changing pace just after some very beautiful singing from Dave Hosking. These guys do slow songs very well, and this is the perfect example of that. I've probably mentioned Dave's voice a few too many times already, but this song should prove to anybody that he has the goods! What a great song, with a jam at the end that will take you to a whole new world.. I'm beginning to wonder if this shouldn't be the final track of the album.

11. Big Man: After hearing what I thought could easily of been the final track for the album, I was very intrigued. But I think Boy & Bear showed me the reason that they were making the music and not the other way around. Somehow, this song feels like a complete wrap-up of the record, giving you the time to think about what you've heard and digest the great tunes. I love the chanting behind Dave in this song near the start, and then really love the choir-like end to the album Amazing!

I really enjoyed this album, showcasing the talent that fans around Australia have been waiting to hear in full glory since their debut EP was released very early last year. Wowing fans with a cover of Crowded House's Fall At Your Feet, which reached number 5 in the Triple J Hottest 100 of 2010, Boy & Bear have cemented their place very well in the growing reservoir of amazing artists coming out of Australia.

I give this album a 7.5/10

Snow Patrol release new video for single Called Out In The Dark

If you haven't heard Snow Patrol's latest single Called Out In The Dark yet, you can now watch their video clip that goes along with the song. Snow Patrol for me are one of those rare mainstream bands that actually have talent, or at least they know how to show it. This song is pretty cool, and its great to see them exploring new avenues in their music, take a listen for yourself below.

The Rapture allow full live album stream and announce Australian tour

The Rapture are in full swing with their new album In the Grace of Your Love. I recently talked about their new album and the single they delighted us all with How Deep Is Your Love. It has since been deleted with all the URL changes, so you will just have to take my word for it. First up, The Rapture have let it slip in an interview with Triple J that they can be expected for a tour in March sometime next year, so that's pretty exciting. But probably more exciting for me at the moment is the stream of their new album In The Grace of Your Love. I have been eagerly awaiting this album for quite some time now, and it's definitely been worth the wait. The streaming of the album was also followed by a Q&A session with the band members themselves, but this all went down while most of us Australians were asleep, bummer. Go take a listen to the album in full for yourself, while it is still available here.

Bon Iver/James Blake Collaboration in the works

James Blake, the amazing indie artist who has released one of the best albums this year has tweeted something very interesting. The message, "24th August 2011 - James Blake & Bon Iver 'Fall Creek Boys Choir'," will garner a lot of attention worldwide. Fall Creek is the town where Bon Iver's Justin Vernon owns his studio, and I am very into the idea of these two artists with a choir, that would go down so well. These are possibly two of the biggest names in the music industry at the moment, so a collaboration between the two would be... quite amazing! Watch this space for updates as they come out.

Edward Deer's ironic cover of Miike Snow's Animal

Miike Snow's hit song Animal was released way back in 2009, and has received a lot of attention from cover artists around the world. Australian artist Edward Deer has just released his own indie-folk cover of the synth filled original this month. Edward is very talented, taking the song and making it his own, a concept many cover artists struggle to grasp. He has his own songs which you can grab and listen to over at his unearthed page here or you can go to his blog here and check out his other stuff. There are some great folk jams there that you just can't miss out on, but before you do that, take a listen to the original Miike Snow song if you haven't heard it already and then listen to his cover below. Also take a listen to a cover I have been enjoying for quite some time now by Sky Ferreira.

Mike Snow - Animal by downtownmusic

Edward Deer - Animal (Miike Snow Cover)


Sky Ferreira - Animal (Miike Snow cover) by ohkatie

Southbound add Kimbra, John Butler and CSS to the lineup

Southbound have just announced a few more artists following the release of their tickets going on sale to the general public. The artists added to the lineup are An Horse, CSS, The Head & The Heart, John Butler Trio and Kimbra. I have previously talked about CSS and Kimbra recently, you can check out those posts by clicking on the artists names. Now wouldn't it be nice if we could have Gotye as well and then we may get to see a live duet... one can only dream... Take a listen to The Head and the Heart and then An Horse below and see what you think.

The Head and the Heart - Lost In My Mind by subpop

An Horse - Trains and Tracks by anhorse

The Naked & Famous Release Video For 'Sun'

The Naked & Famous, New Zealand electro-pop band were probably one of the surprise highlights for many people last year. They released their album Passive Me, Aggressive You last year, with many standout hits including All of This, Punching In a Dream and Young Blood. But one of my favorites was Sun, it is a great song that builds and builds, really showcasing this bands talent! The band have already released a few videos for the songs off of their album, but just today the band have released a film clip for the song Sun. The video clip features some really great slo-mo effects and some rather passionate scenes which have gotten it banned from youtube already. Take a listen below and let me know what you think. They are also on the line-up for Parklife, so be sure to go and see them next month.

The Naked And Famous - The Sun from The Naked And Famous on Vimeo.

Ball Park Music - Happiness and Surrounding Suburbs

Ball Park Music have been very busy over the last year, releasing hit song after hit song on the radio station Triple J. Some of the hit songs you may have heard are iFly, with the catchy chorus (I f#cking love you, I think you're pretty), two other singles are Sad Rude Future Dude again with a catchy chorus (I haven't had a friend in years, I only have sex with myself) and Rich People Are Stupid, with a rather funny message.

Last month, Ball Park Music released their first single off of their new album Happiness and Surrounding Suburbs which is set to drop September 9th. The track, titled It's Nice To Be Alive is perhaps the most polished out of the singles that have been released so far, and I am really enjoying it. The video clip is very clever, with a great message; enjoy life! I love these guys, and got the chance to see them at Southbound at the start of this year, and they were amazing live, I expect big things from this album! Pre-order your signed copy here.

(Album Hype) Kasabian - Velociraptor

English band Kasabian have been wowing fans all around the world with every one of their first three albums. A few months ago, they released their first new single Switchblade Smiles, receiving much praise and excitement for their new album. The song is nice and heavy, starting off with an awesome electric introduction, which will be absolutely amazing to see live. Days Are Forgotten is the second song we have heard from the album, and I feel like I hear small influences of Arctic Monkeys new grungey-rock style in there. This second song is my least favorite out of the two, and although it is a little repetitive at times, I really like the new heavier sound they are producing. The new album, Velociraptor is set to be released on the 16th of September, so make sure you grab yourself a copy.

Switchblade Smiles by kasabian

Balam Acab – Motion

Balam Acab has released two singles already, Oh Why and Apart in the buildup to the release of his debut album WANDER/WONDER. The album is going to be released on the 29th of August, and will feature those two songs, plus the new song he just released Motion. This guy is very talented, he knows how to create sounds that sound real and tangible. When I was listening to Motion I felt like I was in some sort of forest with a river trickling by. People always say how music has that amazing ability to take us to other places, but this song truly does and it is making me keen for his debut album.

Balam Acab - Motion by TriAngleRecords

Green Day Debuts 15 New Songs Live

I'm not going to say much about this, mainly because I have never really liked Green Day. But for all of you that do, they have debuted 15 new songs live at a California show So an album is very likely to be coming out soon. Here are the songs they played if you're interested

'Nuclear Family'
'Stay The Night'
'Too Young To Die'
'Oh Love'
'Carpe Diem'
'Crushing Bastards'
'Little Boy Named Train'
'Trouble Maker'
'Sweet 16'
'Wow, That's Loud'
'8th Avenue Serenade'
'Ashley'
'Gabriella'
'Wild One'
'It's Fuck Time'
'Stray Heart'
'Last Gang In Town'
'Amy'
'Goodbye To Romance'
'Welcome To Paradise'
'Burnout'
'Murder City'
'J.A.R. (Jason Andrew Relva)'
'Only Of You'
'Hitchin' a Ride'
'St. Jimmy'
'Minority'

tUnE-yArDs Gangsta Gets Gangstered

OK, so I may be using this remix as an excuse to write about tUnE-yArDs, but that doesn't mean I don't like it. tUnE-yArDs is the brain child of Merrill Garbus, who released her second album this year called w h o k i l l, and it is absolutely amazing. The album is like a breath of fresh air, with Merrill making some of the most experimental and beautiful songs I have heard in quite a while. One of the best songs off the album (although every song is great), is her, what I call taking-the-piss song Gangsta. Just last night, Beastie Boy's Ad Rock released a remix of this song. Instantly, the song became a lot more 'gangsta,' and I quite enjoyed it, although I would refrain from telling you it's better then the original, you should definitely check out both versions below. If you are digging tUne-YaRds other songs, you should definitely check out some of their live stuff, it's amazing to see how it all gets put together at a live show. Although it may not mean much, before the Falls/Southbound line-up began getting released, the Falls twitter tweeted 'Loving lots of new music right now. Especially tUnE yArDs -who kill.' Now don't get too excited, but I definitely am.

tUnE-yArDs - Gangsta by ListenBeforeYouBuy

tUnE-yArDs - Gangsta (Ad-Rock Remix) by thisisfakediy

CSS - La Liberacion

CSS are a Brazilian dance band that I had not heard of much before today. Their new album La Liberacion is due for release next week on the 23rd of August, and it is streaming for free exclusively over at Spin. Listening to the album is a really happy experience, that is reminiscent of early Architecture in Helsinki albums, so I am a big fan. I don't think there is a track on there that wasn't great. Their first single, Hit Me Like A Rock is probably the best gem out of the lot, with such awesome synths and a catchy chorus, I love it, so make sure you go give it a listen! This song also features Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie, and whether that's more incentive for you to listen or not, I don't know. I have added a remix of this song by Dillon Francis below, it's a pretty killer remix.

CSS - Hits Me Like A Rock (Dillon Francis Remix) CORRECT VERSION by DILLONFRANCIS

CANT - Believe

Chris Taylor, from the very awesome Indie band Grizzly Bear has released a new single. He is releasing music under the alias CANT, with his first song coming out sometime in 2009. The album, titled Dreams Come True will be released next month on the 12th of September. Believe, the second single released today sounds like a really cool song. You can hear Chris Taylor's experience and genius all through this track, which will be recognizable by any Grizzly Bear fan, take a listen below. This is really exciting, because CANT (Chris Taylor) is already on the line-up for Southbound, so if you're enjoying his music or you are a fan of Grizzly Bear, make sure you go check him out. Answer was the first single from his upcoming EP, which you can also listen to below.

CANT - Believe (taken from Dreams Come True - Terrible Records / Warp Records) by Warp Records

CANT - Answer (taken from Dreams Come True - Terrible Records / Warp Records) by Warp Records

The Very Best - Super Mom Mixtape

If you were following new music last year, you probably came across The Very Best, best described as an African-Western infused band. Their second album Warm Heart of Africa saw them garner attention around the world, helped by sampling an Architecture in Helsinki track, and getting lead singer of Vampire Weekend, Ezra Koenig so sing alongside them on the track Warm Heart of Africa. It really was a great album! A few months ago, they released an entirely free mixtape of 12 songs, which you can grab over at their website. The album/mixtape includes remakes of songs by the likes of Kanye West, Kate Bush, Cee-Lo Green, Billy Idol and LCD Soundsystem, and is definitely worth grabbing!

Doctor Rosen Rosen - Girls EP

If you like poppy electro music you should definitely enjoy these four songs released by Doctor Rosen Rosen this morning. Doctor Rosen Rosen is probably more well known for his remixes of other's songs, but I think he definitely deserves some hype from these tracks. The idea is that he makes the backing music, and gets four different girls to sing on each track of this EP, suitably titled Girls. You can grab the entire EP for free from his website here or you can easily have a listen to each track.

The four 'girls' are Jessie Malakouti, from her band Jessie and The Toy Boys, who sings on the most poppy song of the four, Five O'Clock. Poison is the next song, sung by Meg Myers, and it is a really great tune that will probably stick in your head for a while. It is my favorite out of the lot and I can't stop listening to it. The third song is Hot, which is actually quite good if you move past the lyrics sung by 'Kay.' This song gets really good towards the end, so if you don't like it to begin with, keep listening! The final track, with solo Canadian artist Anjulie singing is a pop-filled finish to the 4-track EP, with some sweet synths that i really enjoyed.

Just keep in mind, that if you don't particularly enjoy female pop singers, you may not like this EP, but it's definitely worth a listen.

POISON (feat. Meg Myers) by DOCTOR ROSEN ROSEN

Dusk Warrior - Overdrive Sunrise

One of my favourite blog sites, We All Want Someone To Shout For has been posting bits and pieces lately from a band he knows personally, Dusk Warrior. The snippets have been sounding pretty good, with a mix of sounds that I am loving. The entire album is instrumental, which I think is pretty impressive, as it is so much easier to make hit songs with catchy lyrics and good vocals. You can grab their entire album over at their bandcamp page for free here and see what you think.

Sampha - Indecision

UKs new masked producer SBTRKT's album SBTRKT has been one of my favorite albums of the year so far. It is a dance album with really great vocals that sell the album and take it to new levels. You can have a listen to my favorite song off the album here. The UK vocalist that sings with SBTRKT on his debut album is Sampha. He has recorded some of his own stuff, and just released a demo of a new song Indecision. The track is a slow piano jam that is really soothing, and if you're a fan of great vocals and mellow music you should definitely check out the new song here.

Florence & The Machine Finish Recording Songs For New Album

Florence Welch, from Florence & The Machine, whose album Lungs did amazingly well back in 2009 has finished recording new material for her new album. Her record label still needs to pick the 10 or so songs that will make it out to the public, so a due date for the album is still probably quite a while off, but her producer Paul Epworth confirmed all the things we would expect from Florence on the new LP, stating 'it sounds live in ways and like a machine in others,' 'with sensitivity and power from both the music and Flo's voice.' This is pretty exciting news!

Lyke Giants - 400 Days

Lyke Giants are a band that have become very worthy of mention. They are an unearthed band from Tasmania that have been rising in popularity after the release of their debut EP last year. Their new track, 400 Days has received some air time on Triple J, probably largely due to it's greatness. It is a very mellow track that will probably see Lyke Giants rise to higher grounds this year, with a guitar riff that kind of feels like it goes around in circles, and then a nice explosion towards the end that I wasn't expecting. Although I don't think 400 Days quite matches the expectation i had after the sounds that the band created on one of their earlier songs The World Shakes, it's definitely one to add to your playlists. Take a listen here at their unearthed page.

Also, something interesting, after listening to some of their songs earlier this year, the band sent me a message on last.fm thanking me. These guys are either really nice or great promoters.

M83 - Midnight City

M83 released the first single, Midnight City from their upcoming studio album Hurry Up, We're Dreaming last month. It is a great track that progressively slows down and speeds up which I love. The track would go down well at any nightclub, with a very solid beat that I'm really enjoying. You can grab the track off of M83's website after taking a listen below. The album comes out October 18th and it should be a killer album, plus, who can turn down a double album right?

Air France - It Feels Good To Be Around You

This song is guaranteed to take you to new places. If your a fan of the new wave of lo-fi indie that is being released from artists such as The XX, James Blake, etc then you should be a fan of this song. The song actually sounds like it samples snippets from James Blake's song Wilhelms Scream, which I thought was quite interesting. Air France are a duo from Sweden who are yet to release their debut album, but are impressing lots of people with this new single. I'm looking forward to hearing the new album.

Southbound Update/Summadayze Line-up

Just an update for those of you that may have missed out on the pre-sale tickets to Southbound. The exclusive pre-sale tickets that were offered to 2011 Southbounders and website subscribers have now run out. What does this mean? Basically, there is an overwhelming demand for tickets this year, so if you missed out on pre-sale tickets, make sure you are ready to get tickets when they go on sale this Wednesday or you may miss out completely. The line-up so far is killer, including Arctic Monkeys, Arj Barker, Beirut, Crystal Castles, Fleet Foxes, Jim Jones Revue, Josh Pyke, Metronomy, Missy HIggins, Papa vs Pretty, PNAU, Regurgitator The Jezabels & The Kooks. Many more artists are still to come, and it is likely that another announcement, will come before public tickets are released, so be quick!

The Summadayze line-up has now been announced. The festival is taking place in the first week of 2012, which is roughly the same time as Southbound. The artists announced are Pendulum, Snoop Dogg, Scissor Sisters, Moby DJ Set, Calvin Harris, Grandmaster Flash, Erick Morillo, Sasha, Markus Schulz, Tiga, Skream & Benga, Busy P, DJ Medhi, Seth Troxler, Spank Rock, Flying Lotus, In Flagranti, Mighty Fools and Jack Beats. Tickets are on sale September 1st.

Gotye Announces WA Show Dates

Fans of Gotye, put a cross through the 26th of August and the 9th of December of your calenders. You better be ready at 9:00 am August the 26th as this is the time that the tickets for Gotye's Swan Valley show goes on sale. Judging by the rate at which the other shows around Australia sold out, and the demand on Gotye's facebook for a Perth show, I'm guessing it's going to be hard to get a hold on tickets. The show is scheduled for the 9th of December and is being held at the Belvoir Amphitheatre in Swan Valley. Good luck!

While we are on the subject of Gotye, you can stream the album in full all this week, as Triple J is featuring it, the album is amazing as expected. You can check it out here. The album is officially released on the 19th of August.

(Album Hype) Kimbra - Vows

Yes, Kimbra is 'that girl' that sings with Gotye on his track Somebody That I Used To Know, which has become impressively popular, and for good reason too! After gaining significant attention singing with Miami Horror on their track I Look To You, the New Zealand born Kimbra released her first single, Settle Down. Everything about this track is great, from the clapping build up to the chorus, the 'boom ba boom ba' chanting to her amazing vocals. Love it! Take a listen for yourself here.

But it gets better, Kimbra's second single is just as great, with a boppy, colorful music video that goes perfectly with the song titled Cameo Lover. Testament to how great of a song this is, it took out the 2011 Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition, beating none other then Gotye's single Somebody That I Used To Know, which came a humble third. Keep on the lookout for more great stuff coming off of Kimbra's debut album,Vows which is set to be released on the 2nd of September. If your a fan of signed CDs, you can pre-order your copy signed by Kimbra from JB Hi-FI here.

Laneway/BDO Rumours + More

Ok, so I will refrain from posting about too many rumors, but some of these are just too good to not pass on, and also, Miss Info (an anonymous poster) is usually pretty spot on with her 'leaks' of Australian festival line-ups.

So first up, according to Miss Info, us Australians can expect to see Twin Shadow, Laura Marling, Wild Beasts, The Horrors & Thurston Moore at next years Laneway Festival. The Laneway festival actually run another 'festival' at the SXSW (south by south-west) in America which showcases some of the worlds greatest music. So, we can usually put our bets on seeing at least some of the artists that are featured there at Australia's Laneway, so here are the bands that were featured this year; Givers, Cloud Nothings, Royal Bangs, Foster The People, Hanni El Khatib, Cloud Control, The Holidays and The Jezabels. Austra is tipped to come after announcing a trip to Australia, with James Blake also a possible candidate.

Blink 182 and Prince have both been supposedly snared for next years Big Day Out, with Queens of the Stone Age also a possibility.

Radiohead are also expected to be touring Australia in February, and Kanye West is supposedly returning in November for his own show.

The Shins - New Untitled Song

The Shins front man, armed with a new backing band including members of Modest Mouse an Fruit bats has been very busy lately. Last year James Mercer took a break from his band The Shins to work with producer Dangermouse (one half of Gnarls Barkley with Cee-Lo Green being the other member) to record a new record last year under the name Broken Bells. This album would have to be one of the best released albums of last year so you should definitely check it out, or take a look at the music video for the first single, The High Road here. Recently, The Shins released a cover version of David Bowie's Ashes to Ashes which definitely did the song justice. The 4th album by the band is set to be released sometime next year, with the band playing 'a slow song' live as a teaser. While the audio is not great, the song is, and James Mercer is on fire at the moment with his music it seems.

Wilco - Album Preview

Wilco, an American Alternative band are gearing up to release their 8th studio album, The Whole Love. Back in June, their first single from the album dropped called I Might, it's a pretty rocking track, which you can listen to here if you haven't heard it yet. The album is set to be released on the 27th of September, and the new video preview that the band just uploaded on YouTube takes my excitement to a whole new level. That guitar work is so good and I can't wait to hear the full song Almost that they are showcasing in this video.

Big Scary announce 'intimate' album launch

If you have not discovered Big Scary yet, you should definitely check them out. Last year, they released 4 season themed EPs, and a compilation CD with all the tracks at the end of the year. They then played a handful of shows, and I was lucky enough to see them at Southbound (that's where I took the above picture). Tom Iansek, the lead singer is also apart of another band, Detective Social who also have some pretty killer songs that you can grab off of their Triple J Unearthed page here. One of my personal favorite tracks of last year was Big Scary's Falling Away, so I am very excited for the release of their debut album Vacation which will be released on the 7th of October. I will post more details of their album launch shows when they are announced. You can check Big Scary out at the following places:

Website
Unearthed Page
Myspace

Triple J Unearthed High 2011 Nominees

The finalists for the 2011 Triple J Unearthed High competition have now been announced. The reward is a gig at the winning bands school with The Living End, but more importantly, Triple J will record the song that wins the competition for the band. Let's take a look at the acts on offer:

The Mcqueens - Fiasco: I think this song is one of the best this year. I love the combination of rock and synths, and The Mcqueens pull it off so well. But the standout comes at the chorus, with the emotion and anger really shining through. These guys are in with a good chance to win!

Danika Smith - Oh Father: This artist wonderfully combines the sounds of Angus and Julia Stone and Boy & Bear, who are coincidentally both cited as influences by this super talented girl. That not to say this song is not original, she has a very good voice, and definitely knows how to create an enjoyable track.

Snakadaktal - Chimera: I must admit, I was expecting big things after seeing that these guys are influenced by Foals and Metronomy (two of my favourite bands at the moment). Luckily for these guys, with a name like Snakadaktal, their music delivers the goods, although I did find the song a little everywhere. I will definitely be watching out for these guys in the future.

Albert Salt - Fear & Loathing: This track is amazing! It grabbed me from the intro, and I loved every single bit of it. With some very unusually melodies and sounds going on, Albert is extremely talented at combining it all together. Fear & Loathing is probably my favorite song out of the lot, and I would love to see him win.

The Guppies - Never Liked Monkeys: This song was the least exciting out of the 6 artists nominated for the Unearthed High 2011 competition. I can't decide whether its the repetitiveness, the very raw sound, or the fact that I just didn't relate to this song; but ultimately, this track was not for me.

The Cactus Channel - Pepper Snake: I love funky music, and this ten piece orchestra definitely have the most funkiest track out of all the finalists. The track is purely instrumental, which really lets the talent of these 17 year olds shine through. I could hardly believe they were all in high school still, they have the sound of a very mature band, and regardless of whether they win or not, they should go very far.

All of these tracks can be viewed at each of the artists Triple J Unearthed pages, or can be easily accessed from here. All the songs are downloadable for free, so check out all the finalists and grab some new great tunes!

BONJAH - Go Go Chaos

BONJAH, a four-piece group from Melbourne, have been together since 2006. They have been nominated by Rolling Stone for the 2011 'Artist to Watch' award, and after listening to their music you will definitely see why. You can grab two tracks, The White Line and Something We Should Know from their Triple J Unearthed page. After digesting those two beauties, you can grab a taste of their new album (here) released in July this year, the track being titled Go Go Chaos after the album. The song, courtesy again of Triple J, is a very lo-fi track, with absolutely amazing vocals. I think it's perfect.

(Album Hype) Grouplove - Never Trust A Happy Song

Grouplove wowed us all last year with their self-titled EP, and have become a band to watch for many people. And boy have they delivered! June of this year, Grouplove released the first single from their about to be released debut album, Never Trust A Happy Song. The song, called Itchin On a Photograph ironcally makes me very happy, and is quite amazing really. There is something quite special about the lead vocalist and guitarist Christian Zucconi's voice that seems to suck you in from the first listen. I am very excited about their debut album, which comes out on the 9th of September, it will definitely be one to add to your collections.

Feist - How Come You Never Go There

Feist has released her first single How Come You Never Go There from her second upcoming album Metals. The song is very relaxing, and accompanied with Feist's oh-so beautiful voice, it's a pretty great track that grows with each listen. Her album will be released on the 4th of October, and I am very excited for it, especially if it is as soothing as that mountain-side lake looks!

Coldplay Names Album 'Mylo Xyloto'

A quick visit to Coldplay's website will tell you two things, firstly, that the fifth album will be released on the 24th of October, and secondly, that their new album will be called Mylo Xyloto. This name does not mean a whole lot to me, but it does have a very nice ring to it. The first single Every Teardrop is a Waterfall had very mixed reactions from many fans, with two other songs (Major Minus and Moving To Mars) also being released as an EP earlier this year in June. While I did enjoy the upbeat poppy first single, The second single Paradise will be released on September 12th and will hopefully see a return to some of their more mellow stuff.

Best Coast - How They Want Me To Be

Bethany from Best Coast has delighted us fans with a sneak peak from their upcoming second album. The second album is apparently 'still very far away from being created,' but I'm sure fans of Best Coast's ultra laid back, summer jams will be excited by this rough demo which you can hear here