New Music Monday #53

This Mess EP

by This Mess (out now)

The Electronica genre holds a massive piece of my musical heart, with some of my first true music loves being part of this expansive category; Goldfrapp, Bjork, Moloko, Portishead and Everything But the Girl, just to name a few. This Mess are a duo of music fledglings hailing from Illawarra, NSW, who according to their Facebook page have had a big 2012 and have some pretty high calibre engineering expertise in the studio on their current EP. Let me give you the low down on what they have to offer this golden genre after I checked out their self titled EP this week.

Gentle ebbing and flowing in a dream like state, trimmed with gentle pulsing beats is something this duo seem to have down pat. Each song on their current EP is filled with beautiful synth, hypnotic beats and dreamy atmosphere to boot. Portions of it take me back to the late nineties/early noughties electro and alternative scenes (think George and Everything But The Girl), with hints of current darlings of alternative music like The XX.

After consuming each song several times, listening and probing; making assumptions and conclusions, I find them an appealing band in most aspects, they certainly show promise, though I don't feel totally captured. For a seemingly heavily produced sound, they deliver some of the goods, however there is still some polishing to be done before they release a full length album. Compared to their earlier single 'Two Hands' the vocals seem to be lacking a bit of the soul and grunt which was so good in that. Though well sung and "pretty", they are a little "paint by numbers" or generic in comparison. The question I ask is how will they make themselves stand out from their peers? I'm by no means a music pro but I know what I love and although they have the basic recipe, they need to add some ups and downs and light and dark to the formula with a little more oomph in the vocal to make their way into my music collection.

All in all this really is a collection of beautifully put together music offering a sweet, laid back Sunday afternoon listen. I'm interested to hear more of this duo to see how they grow musically over the next few years. Maybe with a few more stand out singles like 'Two Hands' they could be a force to be reckoned with. This Mess' self titled EP is worth a listen and I'll be keeping an eye on them but for now I'm giving it 3 Karen O heads out of five.

Nayt Housman gives the This Mess EP three Karen O heads out of five...

New Slaves

by Kanye West

Album: Yeezus (June 18, 2013)

Oh Kanye, you ego-maniacal music genius. Calling your new album Yeezus? It's so easy to forgive such an arrogant move when he releases a track like 'New Slaves.' West returns to his College Dropout roots to explore racism, politics, consumerism and social injustice right from the opening line in which he discusses his mother being born in a pre-civil rights world. The music is more stripped back this time around, a bare bones percussive synth line keeps you hooked on Kanye's rhymes. He definitely wants his message to be heard. Frank Ocean shows up too and does that thing he does where he sings all nice like. Even though it's title is going to appear in a few 'Worst Album Names of All Time' lists, Yeezus is already on its way to becoming another Kanye classic. 

Matt Bond gives 'New Slaves' five Jay-Z heads out of five...

Ooh La La

by Britney Spears

Album: The Smurfs 2 OST (???, 2013)

Britney is back and this time it's a little less, "it's Britney, bitch," and a little more, "it's Britney, darling children of the world." 'Ooh La La' is aimed at children to promote The Smurfs 2, but that doesn't mean it's not terrible. It both sucks and blows, but hey, I ain't the intended audience so whatevs. What we should really take this moment to reflect on is the fact that Britters heads back into the studio this week to begin recording her eighth studio album. Cause for concern or celebration? Set your awareness levels to concerned because she'll be accompanied by will.i.am and the alleged album title is #britney. Be alert, not alarmed. 

Matt Bond gives Ooh La La one Dannii Minogue head out of five...

City Riots

by The Wrath

Buckle up baby, because The Wrath's 'City Riots' will take you on fast and furious ride. But make no mistake, there's nothing Vin Diesel about these Gold Coast rockers. While vocalist Tommy Creeper croons through the track, it's delivered with a real punk rock snarl. Spectre Deano and Carina Hellbunny Deluxe inject the 'oi' attitude on guitars. 'City Riots' is guaranteed to make you curl your lip, stamp your feet and head butt anyone who gets in your way.

Katie Langley gives City Riots three Alanis heads out of five...

 

NEW MUSIC VIDEO OF THE WEEK:

Fall

by The Presets

Album: Pacifica (2012)

The Presets certainly aren't ones for sticking to the norm when it comes to music videos. With current single 'Fall', one of the most chart-worthy tracks from last year's incredible Pacifica, they've chosen to take things in a more literal direction with the clip. It is amazing what people are capturing on film these days and the captivating images of these two French dudes in Presets face masks falling out of the sky are amazing. With that said, by going with a visually arresting but still kinda boring video, I feel they've done 'Fall' an injustice. It seems that they've gone out of their way with Pacifica to shy away from the success earned with Apocalypso. Here they've got a track that should be sitting at the top of charts and unfortunately the video doesn't match that. Which is probably exactly what they wanted.

Matt Bond gives the video for Fall three Kylie heads out of five...

FREE DOWNLOAD OF THE WEEK:

West End

by Astrid and The Asteroids
download linkage

Hey! You know that awesome track 'West End' we reviewed last week? Well you can go get a sweet, sweet download of it right now over at triple J Unearthed! Viva la anti-faux-hipster revolution!