You might remember I introduced to the blog , Brisbane indie rock band Yves Klein Blue . Other than busy being played in car ads and touring everywhere, they've settled down to release their first full length album this June, called ' Ragged & Ecstatic '. The track ' Getting Wise ' will be the first single released off the new record. And in their 50's reminiscent nature, neon signs and surge of lights and colours; ' Getting Wise ' is a nifty swagger pop shamble (yeah I think I just made [...]
Every little now and then a new band emerges with sounds of something fresh and promising. Slipping into that radar is a very young band and one of Sydney's own, Papa Vs Pretty . Catching on quickly is their described 'soaring, beat-afflicted post-gaze new-wave', but anything goes, really. Their music is a vast mixture of band's influences from Talking Heads, Radiohead, Beck, Joy Division to Grizzly Bear, blending sombre sounds of haunting synths, pulsating guitar build ups and the guileless vocals of frontman Thomas Rawle. Having reformed last year with their current line up, the [...]
Named after an Orange Juice song and the 1980 summer games, is little known Fillipino indie pop quintet, Moscow Olympics , whose amazing debut ' Cut The World ' was one of my favourite albums of 2008 that I never got around to introducing because I either was procrastinating or consumed by books, or both. At first upon listening you could easily mistake this band of being of a shoegaze, post-punk British band from twenty or so years back. But Moscow Olympics wear their influences proud with Galaxie 500, Blueboy, New Order and Sarah Records favourites, yet sound [...]
Its pretty sweet how this band has gone from kinda cool "synth thrash" band to "totally amazing space disco epic". I heard a few months ago that they broke up but apparently my sources are wrong. Damn Arms - Destination Part II
Fuck Buttons | Street Horrrsing (ATP Recordings) I don't get why everyone made a big who-ha out of the whole "fuck" thing that some artists have chosen to place somewhere in their names. There's a naughty word in the name; big whoop, move on. This album was bound to get noticed, and for numerous other reasons than just the band's name. One reason being the production work done by Mogwai member John Cummings, another being it's odd name, and on top of that! The actual sound and end product Andrew Hung and Michael Pincott [...]
Fuck Buttons | Street Horrrsing (ATP Recordings) I don't get why everyone made a big who-ha out of the whole "fuck" thing that some artists have chosen to place somewhere within their names. Looking back, it should have been something that didn't have to reach the extent it has now, and band's shouldn't get recognition based solely on their name (although I guess it helps, but that's besides the point!). There's a naughty word in the name; big whoop, let's move on. This album was always bound to get noticed, and for numerous other [...]
To this day I can honestly say that I have never really given much thought about Mimes. It's not that I have a distaste for them or don't appreciate what they do; their just people who have never crossed my mind or I've spared a moment to give a though too. That is until now because I can tell you that after just witnessing Abe Vigoda 's video for Skeleton I'm officially spooked. The way the group portrays these Mimes - whilst still rocking out to the tune, might I add - is eerie to say the [...]
Photos taken by Mandy Hall and can be viewed here along with her other work. Opening up the night was Pistons Misfire , a 'supergroup' of sorts, containing members from various bands such as Kamikaze Trio, Group Seizure, Digger & the Pussycats and The Cheats. This band was loud and brash, with a clash of distorted guitar and deafening drums, as if the result if Jay Reatard collaborating with Wolf & Cub. It was punk, with psychedelic undertones but still maintaining a contemporary appeal. I admit that [...]
This kinda reminds me of how New Order always did their own extended remixes, which often times were better than the original. I guess maybe, its a personal thing but for some reason I really prefer it there are less vocals and the track is 50 percent longer. Its good that I can still be a little excited about an "dance punk" band in late 2008 but the Lost Valentinos' new single just gets it right. Its a pretty sweet glimpse into their forthcoming album. It feels like it has been longer than a [...]
It's been a little since I've posted one of these (which I really should start doing a lot more frequently seeing as though there are so many more yet to be posted) but now that I'm trying to get things up and rolling on this website once again - and introducing some new features in the not-to-distant future - it's pretty much a perfect time to be doing this. So, all excuses aside, it's time to push forward. Children Collide is possibly one of the most talked about Melbourne bands at the moment. What with a debut album [...]
It really doesn't seem that long ago that we last heard from - probably Melbourne's finest world-loved indie pop group - Architecture In Helsinki . I mean it was only, maybe, 6 months ago that their EP for Like It Or Not was making some waves everywhere (mainly for that of it's B-Side, Beef In Box ) and you would think that maybe the band would take some time out, relax and then possibly get back to writing some new tunes sometime next year. But it's never been the case; they toured the hell out of [...]
It probably seems that with every post I put together and publish I'm always speaking about bands that I absolutely love to death and couldn't live without. Well, in some cases, this is true and this one today most definitely fits under that category of "if they didn't exist, I might just die". I have to admit, I'm a late bloomer to this prog-rocking gospel-folk group but as cliched as it always sounds, it's always better late then never. It wasn't until this year's release of A Certain Feeling that Bodies Of Water grabbed my attention, [...]
I don't know if I could be anymore excited at the moment. Not only have I managed to find some motivation to try and get Off The Record back up and running again in much a better way (did you notice the "single review" stamp on the above picture? a sign of things to come people) but in doing this, and searching around for something new and pretty damn good to post about, I happened to just visit the Howling Bells website at just the right moment as their new single Into The Choas has just [...]
The album has finally arrived! I've given You & I just over a month now to get familiar with it, love it, analyse it and now I think it's time to digest. I have to be completely honest with everyone though, on first listen I wasn't too happy with what I was listening too. In fact I'd probably go as far as saying I was pretty disappointed. But with a couple of more listens I became a bit more attached to a few songs and on further listening became tolerable of a few tracks on top of [...]
This video came as a bit of a surprise, a good surprise at that. The boys in Tic Toc Tokyo have once again shown that they are the hottest unknown thing going round Melbourne, and this video only encapsulates that even more. With news of an album coming early next year, it looks like the group could be in for some exciting times ahead. For now though, we have to make do with their single, 'Ritual' , which isn't necessarily a bad thing at all. Try not to enjoy this. Tic Toc Tokyo Ritual
If you look up at the above picture you'll see a band who look like they have a bit of fun. That band, in case you hadn't picked by the post-title, is Portugal. The Man . And that photo is probably the only time you'll see the band being anything but serious. They are just one of a handful of artists that I have been following ever since their beginning and have witnessed, this one in-particular, only continue to rise up and up with each release and secure a spot safely as one of my favorite bands. Their now [...]
Voltaire Twins are from Perth and are a sister/brother duo. They make pretty catchy rudimentary pop music. They have recently supported Ladytron and played Parklife. Their early demos consist of two tracks, Disco Inteligence Light and London. DIL will probably get most people's attention with its charming Glass Candy meets Crystal Castles aesthetic. Personally I'm beginning to despise the whole "8-bit" glitchy sound but I think I'm part of a minority, so I'm sure people are going to love DIL. Where they really shine is London, with its brooding [...]
Winston's post yesterday has reminded me that I needed to post this Ladytron one I wrote up months ago, better late then never, hey? It's been three years now since Ladytron's last (and arguably their most definitive) release, Witching Hour . The foursome return with their new album Velocifero , which has taken just under a year to structure, produce and officially release. The group haven't expanded too much on their sound, still sticking with the echoing electronic-noir sound, but also having delved deeper and thrown in a few noticeable gimmicks here and there. It works [...]
The fact that I wasn't aware of Fluorescent until this morning is really a testament to the diversity and strength of the Australia music scene. Their style is somewhere between My Bloody Valentine and New Order . This is most obvious in their track Unfamiliar with begins with a primitive synthetic drum sequence which slowly begins to segue into a dense drowning wall of guitar. Really endearing stuff. Fluorescent - Sleeping Fluorescent - Collapse Fluorescent - Unfamiliar They have [...]
Off The Record
Bleached - "Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World"
Azealia Banks - '1991' [Listen]
Lana Del Rey’s “Blue Jeans” Used In A Nespresso Commercial
