Song of the Day - Snowflake

Kate Bush - Snowflake

Album: 50 Words for Snow (2011)

Oh, wow. Kat Bush's 50 Words for Snow is just the bestest. For someone that's been making music since the late 70s to release something so amazing in the here and now doesn't happen all that often. If you're Kate Bush... it happens. All the qualities of her best work are on display; haunting melodies, heartbreakingly beautiful lyrics and the distinctive vocals of an industry icon. Looking for something to buy this week and you just don't know what? Get 50 Words for Snow. You won't regret it.

Rating: 5/5

Song of the Day - I Would Die For You

Matt Walters ft. Washington - I Would Die For You

Album: Farewell Youth (2011)

If you've been around these parts since last year, you probably already know (and love) the insanely beautiful track, 'I Would Die For You.' Performed by two of Australia's most underrated acts, the song seemed to pass by Australian radio and you know what... I really don't understand how. We said it was one of the best tracks of last year (#41 - Top 100 Songs of 2010) and we couldn't wait to hear more from the Melbourne based singer-songwriter. Of course, as is often the case, we lost track of what was going on with Matt Walters, but yesterday I looked him up to see if he had released anything and BAM! he had released Farewell Youth this year. One iTunes purchase and many, many listens later, I'm happy to report that he hasn't lost any of the magic found on 'I Would Die For You.' A pretty stellar album that you should definitely check out. Enjoy! P.s. Megan Washington is still way too underrated. Just in case you were questioning the line above. Ricki-Lee can crack the top ten and 'Holy Moses' can't. What's up with that?

Predictions: 2011 ARIA Awards

The 25th anniversary of the Australian music industry's night of nights is... tonight! Kicking off at 7:30pm on Go! the 2011 ARIA Awards promises to be a return to form after last year's horrible, horrible ceremony. Unlike the last couple of years, it actually seems like anyone could walk away with some of the top honours making it quite hard to predict what's going to happen. But predict I shall, nay... I must! For what else will I do with my Sunday? Who will win, who should win and who should have been nominated; it's all here in our 2011 ARIA Awards preview. Let's get to it!

BEST GROUP:

Birds of Tokyo vs Boy and Bear vs Eskimo Joe vs Grinderman vs The Living End

And they say rock is dead. Five bands that encompass indie, alternative and plain 'ole fashioned rock and/or roll are up for one of the biggest awards of the night. With Powderfinger and Silverchair out of the game (for now), The Living End stand as one of the last rock institutions in the Australian music scene. Will ARIA give them the 'thanks for sticking around' nod? I don't think so. Birds of Tokyo don't deserve to win on the strength of a single alone and let's be honest, Eskimo Joe are just there to make up the numbers. That leaves Grinderman against Boy and Bear, two deserving acts that released critically acclaimed albums within the eligible year. The real crime here is the lack of incredible GROUPS that released music this year like Seeker Lover Keeper. If you want the award to be best band, just call it that.

Who will win: Boy and Bear

Who should win: Grinderman... or Boy and Bear. Whatever.

Who should be nominated: Seeker Lover Keeper, The Grates, Architecture in Helsinki

BEST FEMALE ARTIST:

Adalita vs Clare Bowditch vs Kasey Chambers vs Kimbra vs Washington

Five very deserving nominees. Three former winners, including 2010 Best Female Artist, Megan Washington. Don't expect her to pick up back-to-back gongs. Adalita and Kimbra are both first-time nominees and I would scream at the TV in joy if either lady has her name announced as the winner. Kasey Chambers and Clare Bowditch are both ARIA favourites, but I'd say the voting panel will go with...

Who will win: Clare Bowditch

Who should win: Kimbra

Who should have been nominated: No complaints. Go ARIA!

BEST MALE ARTIST:

Drapht vs Gareth Liddiard vs Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu vs Gotye vs Josh Pyke

Your first assumption is this is between Gotye and Gurrumul. Then you remember that Drapht is tied with Gotye for most nominations for the evening (7). Then you remember that Josh Pyke is well overdue for a Best Male Artist win. Then you try to remember the name of the band that Gareth Liddiard is from. Then you remember that it's called The Drones. Then you decide he's not going to win. Then you have no idea who's going to win... so you guess!

Who will win: Drapht

Who should win: Gotye

Who should be nominated: Are there any other male artists in Australia? Matt Walters could have been nominated. He could have even won... go get his album, Farewell Youth, now!

SINGLE OF THE YEAR:

Birds of Tokyo - Wild at Heart

Boy and Bear - Feeding Line

Drapht - Rapunzel

Gotye ft. Kimbra - Somebody That I Used to Know

Guy Sebastian ft. Eve - Who's That Girl

The Jezabels - Dark Storm

Seriously?

Who will win: Gotye ft. Kimbra - Somebody That I Used to Know

Who should win: Gotye ft. Kimbra - Somebody That I Used to Know

Who should be nominated: How much time do I have here? Kimbra - Cameo Lover, Seeker Lover Keeper - Even Though I'm a Woman, Pnau - The Truth, Emma Louise - Jungle, Washington - Holy Moses, Architecture in Helsinki - Contact High. All of those are better than 'Who's That Girl.'

ALBUM OF THE YEAR:

Boy and Bear - Moonfire

Cut Copy - Zonoscope

Eskimo Joe - Ghosts of the Past

Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu - Rrakala

Grinderman - 2

Um.... right. Let's eliminate Eskimo Joe. Cut Copy can go too, but they should be very happy just to be nominated. Now let's see why the other acts could win. ARIA has a history of delivering a ton of praise on the 'it' band of the year. Since The Jezabels' debut was ineligible to compete, that leaves us with Boy and Bear. Gurrumul was a strong contender in 2008 for album of the year, but lost to The Presets. Rrakala was critically acclaimed and bestowing it with the title of Album of the Year would go a long way in restoring some credibility the awards may have lost recently. Grinderman? Nick Cave's in it. He's kind of a big deal.

Who will win: Boy and Bear - Moonfire

Who should win: Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu - Rrakala

Who should be nominated: Seeker Lover Keeper - Seeker Lover Keeper. Not only should they have been nominated, they should be winning! It's like one step forward and two steps back with you ARIA.

Well, that's it kids. Sure there are other categories... but some of them have Altiyan Childs and Damien Leith in them, so the less said the better. Remember, the ARIA are tomorrow night at 7:30 on Go! and the ceremony features performances from;

*Gotye and Kimbra

*Gurrumul and Missy Higgins (MIGGINS!)

*Art vs Science

*Boy and Bear

Plus, Kylie Minogue and The Wiggles join the Hall of Fame. Prime Minister, Julia Gillard will be inducting Kylie. Nice one!

There's only one question left to ask... who do you want to win?!

Top 20 - 26 November, 2011

Rachael Yamagata!

1. Rachael Yamagata - Even If I Don't (NEW)





2. Adele - Rumour Has It





3. Kimbra - Two Way Street (NEW)





4. Emma Louise - Al's Song (NEW)





5. Florence + The Machine - No Light, No Light

Song of the Day - Willie Nelson

Wagons - Willie Nelson

Album: Rumble, Shake and Tumble (2011)

Seeker Lover Keeper's show was incredible. Thanks for asking. Seriously though, the quality of their performance was never in doubt... so let's not talk about how AWESOME they are for a second. Just one. I was more surprised by their support act, Henry Wagons; lead singer of the Melbourne band, Wagons. I'll be honest and say that I had never heard of him before, but one performance and I'm on the road to becoming a lifelong fan. He's got a great Cash/Orbisonish voice, he's pretty darn good on the guitar and he's funny. Laugh out loud and not in a lame 'lol' way funny. It must be taken into consideration that the average age of the audience at Seeker Lover Keeper was 58. I still laughed out loud. What did I laugh the loudest at? His ode to Willie Nelson. You'll never be able to think of the country icon in the same way ever, ever again. You'll also laugh whenever you hear the words salt and/or pepper. Listen and love.

Rating: 4/5

Song of the Day - We Will Know What It Is

Seeker Lover Keeper - We Will Know What It Is

Album: Seeker Lover Keeper (2011)


Australian three-piece, Seeker Lover Keeper bring their 'Heavenly Sounds' tour to Brisbane tonight. I'm just a little bit excited to be going. This series of intimate shows is only being held in Churches or Cathedrals, so it's going to sound amazing, the three ladies are going to look amazing and I'm just assuming that the whole evening is going to be amazing. Just like their debut album, Seeker Lover Keeper. If you don't have it you should probably go out and get it. Now. Over the past couple of days I've had the pleasure of seeing incredible performances by Portishead, Flamings Lips and TV On the Radio (plus one kinda crappy performance by Mogwai). Seeker Lover Keeper has the potential to top all of them. Expect some sort of report from St. John's Cathedral...

#12 - Your Favourite Female Vocalists



Don't let South Park fool you, Stevie Nicks is amazing!



Two Music Listography posts in one week? Aren't you just the luckiest readers in the world! All four of you. It's still about our favourite voices, so let's get this show on the road. Last time we looked at the gentlemen, now it's the time for the ladies to step up to the plate. This group of women come from a variety of genres and decades, but they all have unique voices that will always set them apart from their contemporaries. If you're a girl who wants to rule the world (or you just want to listen to some beautiful music), pay attention to the following women that made It's My Kind of Scene's personal list of favourite female vocalists. Disclaimer, the list isn't based on vocal talent alone.

Your Favourite Female Vocalists

Kate Bush

Eva Cassidy

Stevie Nicks

Amy Winehouse

Portishead - Threads

Portishead - Threads

Album: Third (2008)

2011 has been the year of incredible live music for It's My Kind of Scene. We've knocked a whole bunch of iconic acts off our music bucket list this year and after the Harvest Festival we can scratch another name from the list; Portishead. They gave an amazing, haunting and beautiful closing set that had the crowd firmly in the palm of their hands for the entire performance. 'Roads' as an encore song? Brilliant. One of the best moments of the year. 'Threads' translated surprisingly well live, so let's enjoy it again... and again and again and again. Enjoy!

Top 20 - 19 November, 2011



Florence can fly?



1. Florence + The Machine - No Light, No Light





2. Adele - Rumour Has It (NEW)





3. San Cisco - Awkward





4. Black Keys - Run Right Back





5. Washington - High Treason

Song of the Day - Rumour Has It

Adele - Rumour Has It

Album: 21 (2011)

When Glee gets it right, it really gets it right. Case in point, the amazing mash-up of Adele's 'Rumour Has It' and 'Someone Like You.' Damn good stuff right there! Adele hasn't received that much attention this year, so the boost that Glee are going to give her is awesome. Sarcasm? Yes. Adele is more than deserving of her overwhelming success in 2011. 'Rolling in the Deep' and 'Someone Like You' have topped the charts in the UK, USA and Australia (and a whole bunch of other countries). Will 'Rumour Has It' become her third #1 from the future Grammy nominated album, 21?

Rating: 4/5

Song of the Day - Starring Role

Marina and the Diamonds - Starring Role

Album: Electra Heart (2012)


After feeling somewhat ambivalent towards Marina's previous Electra Heart leak, 'Scab and Plaster,' I believe my excitement about the album's release in February had waned. 'Starring Role' is good enough to reignite some of that excitement, but I'm still slightly anxious about how the album will sound in full. For now though, we've got this nice little slice of pop perfection. Love the lyrics, love the chorus, love Marina. Enjoy!

Rating: 3.5/5

#11 - Your Favourite Male Vocalists

Mr. Mercury: It doesn't get much better. As in, it doesn't get better.

You may have noticed that I feature female singers a whole lot more than their male counterparts on the blog. What can I say... apparently girls run the world. This doesn't mean I don't have love for a whole bunch of dudes that can string a couple of lines together to form sweet, sweet music. It's just that new music today is dominated by the ladies. Who's representing in a major way (vocally) for men right now? Bruno Mars... Adam Levine... Chris Martin? Those three are admittedly very talented vocalists, but I don't see myself adjusting this list to fit them in when I'm hanging out at the retirement village seventy-five years from now. With my mind. Because I'm sure you'll actually BE the blog eventually. That kinda makes me sick. Only kinda. What was I talking about though? Ah, yes... There's a huge hole in the music industry right now that needs to be filled by an exciting male singer. Someone that can compete commercially with the likes of Gaga and Adele. While not every one on my personal list of favourite male singers has been as successful as Michael Jackson (who made the list... duh!), there's plenty to learn from the unique sounds that come from their mouths (don't be gross). Gentlemen singers of the world, if you want to be a huge star, take your cues from these twenty legends.

Your Favourite Male Vocalists

Freddie Mercury

Eddie Vedder

Song of the Day - Stay Gold

The Big Pink - Stay Gold

Album: Future This (2012)

I like The Big Pink. Their debut album, A Brief History of Love, was chock full of dang good tracks and was the perfect compliment for those chilled out Sundays all the way back in 2009. Such a long time ago. I think of those days now and again, when the sun shone brightly on my face and the world was something of an oyster to me. But I digress (and need to stop watching British period dramas)... that album was all kinds of awesome. Anyway, I was quite surprised to see that this electronic duo had released a new single to very little fanfare. What's up with that? 'Stay Gold' doesn't deviate much from the winning formula The Big Pink came up with for their debut, but there's nothing wrong with that. Comparisons to The Naked and Famous are certain to follow but you know what... these guys came first so you can take those comparisons and stick them where the sun don't shine. But don't do that. Just enjoy this song!

Rating: 4/5

Top 20 - 13 November, 2011

Black Keys run right back to #1.

1. The Black Keys - Run Right Back





2. Florence + The Machine - No Light, No Light





3. Amy Winehouse - Our Day Will Come





4. Little Boots - Shake





5. Mumford and Sons - Ghosts That We Knew

Song of the Day - Talk That Talk

Rihanna ft. Jay-Z - Talk That Talk

Album: Talk That Talk (2012)

Rihanna's title track for her sixth album, Talk That Talk, has leaked on das internets. The song sees Ri-Ri team up with Jay-Z once more and let's just say... it's no 'Umbrella.' That last collaboration between these two stars was a career defining moment for Rihanna. I don't see 'Talk Like That' becoming the new song that automatically comes to your head when you think Rihanna, but it should do well chart wise. If it's anything like 'We Found Love,' it will grow on me to the point where I can't stop dancing to it, even ten minutes after the song's stopped playing. Stop judging me.

Rating: 2.5/5

Song of the Day - Fireball

Willow Smith ft. Nicki Minaj - Fireball

Album: Willow (2011)

Let's be honest... this song is 'Whip My Hair' with the added bonus of a G-rated Nicki Minaj rap. Don't you just love it though? This sneaky eleven year old knows how to craft a catchy tune. Well, maybe. I'm not sure what sort of role Ms Smith actually has in the whole 'creative process.' What I do know is Willow is... THE FIREBALL AT THE PARTY, SHE THE FIREBALL SHE THE FIRE, FIRE, FIRE." Yep. She's the fire. What?

Rating: 3/5

Song of the Day - Give Me All Your Love



Madonna - Give Me All Your Love

Album: TBA (2012)



For real-real or for play-play? Demo... or not a demo? Regardless of this leaked version of 'Give Me All Your Love' being the final product or not, we've got our first taste of new Madonna since 2009s greatest hits collection, Celebration. "BUT IS IT ANY GOOD?" you scream at me... all in capitals. What's up with that? Let's just say, if you're one of the Queen of Pop's lifelong fans, you'll love it out. Probably out of some misguided sense of duty or something. If you're not a fan, you're likely to deride the opening as Madonna's take on Avril Lavigne's 'Girlfriend' and curse the catchy chorus that you'll never admit to liking whilst sober. The chorus is the highlight of the track and that's a good thing. Club play is generally a guarantee for Madge and that chorus will ensure the trend continues. That's a good thing for Madonna, but a bad thing for the haters that'll be all drunk at the clubs and telling anyone near them how much they, "luv thiz shong!!!" I look forward to laughing at you real soon.

Rating: 3/5

Song of the Day - No Light, No Light

Florence + The Machine - No Light, No Light

Album: Ceremonials (2011)

After two months of amazing travels, writing some for real-real articles (on fashion and design, because I am nothing but fashionable... duh!) and knocking some big-time acts off my musical bucket list (The Cure, Bjork, PJ Harvey... Britney), I'm back in Australia and ready to get my blog on. Sigh. I mean, get excited! Go crazy with cheers and applause. That's enough! Don't get too crazy just yet. First, check out Florence Welch's amazing new single, 'No Light, No Light.' Then you may go crazy. The track contains all of the elements that makes Ceremonials such a brilliant album; lyrics that read like a beautifully violent fairytale, epic choruses that attach themselves to your brain and never let go and Welch's soaring siren vocals that draw you deeper and deeper into her world. The album is currently sitting pretty at #1 in the UK and Australia.


Rating: 4/5