It's My Kind of Scene: June 2013

Sunday 30 June 2013

Top 25 - 30 June, 2013

Lorde!

Songs of the Week, 30/06/13 from itsmykindofscene on 8tracks Radio.

1. M.I.A - Bring The Noize (#1 for 2 weeks!)

2. The Paper Kites - St Clarity (NEW)

3. Snakadaktal - Hung On Tight (NEW)

4. Thelma Plum - Dollar

5. Lorde - Royals

6. Lorde - Tennis Court

7. Our Man In Berlin - Temaze

8. Haarlo - What You Want (NEW)

9. Battleships - As You'd Begun

10. Molly Contogeorge - Bang, Bang!
11. Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros - Better Days

12. Arctic Monkeys - Do I Wanna Know

13. The Trouble With Templeton - You Are New (NEW)

14. Tired Lion - Desperate (NEW)

15. San Cisco - No Friends (NEW)

16. Younghusband - Dromes (NEW)

17. Empire of the Sun - DNA (NEW)
18. Crystal Fighters - Bridge of Bones
19. Grizzly Jim Lawrie - Midnight Run

20. Little Daylight - Glitter and Gold (NEW)

21. Bloc Party - Ratchet (NEW)

22. The Raffaellas - Hands
23. Jessie Ware and Sampha - Valentine (NEW)
24. Greyjoy - Idle Thoughts (NEW)
25. Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros - This Life

Saturday 29 June 2013

The Candy Shop #9

Siouxsie And The Banshees (It's Pronounced Suzie)

by Nayt Housman

I was watching RAGE this morning and chatting away to my husband when I heard this sound, like PJ Harvey in her punk-rock years but different, 80’s style. I looked at my TV to find Siouxsie And The Banshees; it’s a name I’ve heard for most of my life but never really known much if anything about. If you had asked me to recall their most well known songs I’d draw a blank. Why have I never discovered them before??? Maybe I was too ashamed to bring them up in conversation because I couldn’t figure out how to say Si-oux-sie? Sio-uxs-ie? Well consider them discovered.

My introduction to Siouxsie And The Banshees ‘Spellbound’ hit me with its “post-punk-pop” galloping beats and jittery guitars. Then there’s the voice of Siouxsie Sioux, like the mother of Karen O and PJ Harvey, deep, powerful, desperate and dreamy.

Skeletons, fire AND lava? NO WAY! How could you not love this? Is it possible to have a personal music revolution in a day?

Then there’s the outfits and makeup. That girl is painted like a ghoulish drag queen on her way home from performing in some grungy club. Where has she been all my life?

Previously my music taste was always in search of the newest, weirdest kind of alternative pop goodies but lately I’ve learned the importance of looking back. In the 80’s especially I’ve found the root influences of some of my fave “modern” musicians and added some new favorites to my list. Plus who doesn’t love finding new karaoke tunes to belt out?

Siouxsie And The Banshees apparently are cult figures and pioneers in the punk-goth movement of the late 70’s and early 80’s. Who knew? Thank you RAGE and thank you Siouxsie And The Banshees for opening my world of pop just that little bit more. Please excuse me now; I have some new lyrics to learn.

Gig Review - Michelle Xen and The Neon Wild

Michelle Xen and The Neon Wild

Live at Judith Wright Centre, Brisbane (27/06/13)

Words and Pics by Nayt Housman

Recently we've offered you a taste of Michelle Xen in our Brisbane. Now. Top 20 Countdown and she's popped up in our Top 25 numerous times this year, but now I’ve had the ridiculously large pleasure of seeing her live, TWICE, as part of the production ‘Salõn’ (which finishes June 29) at The Judith Wright Centre, Brisbane.

Michelle Xen may be familiar to patrons of The Judith Wright Centre or the live music scene in Brisbane where she has performed with her previous band ‘Edge Of Colour’ and as part of the Lady Electronica collective; a group of talented female electronic artists. Since then Michelle Xen has gone solo, releasing her debut EP ‘Synaesthesiac’ and has now teamed up with another local act ‘The Neon Wild’, currently performing as part of the production ‘Salõn’.

“Toto! I don’t think we’re in Brisbane anymore!” Brisbane is not a city I consider as a source of electro pop capable of taking on the best in the business, yet that could begin to change. Thumping beats are the bricks in the yellow brick road that lead us on this bold, 80’s inspired syth-pop journey. With the looks of a young Daryl Hannah, vocals packing the punch of Mohammed Ali and the stage presence reminiscent of Roisin Murphy and Alison Goldfrapp (two of my fave doyennes of electro pop) Michelle Xen is a commanding artist who needs to be known. On stage she is a sexy human bullet with music as her gun and I promise, you want to be hit with her energy. An extravaganza of bright colours, sequins, silk, metallic fabrics and tulle drape the stunning electro goddess. Then there’s The Neon Wild, like a pack of wild flying monkeys, not just content to fade into the dim stage background, their energy equally matching Xen’s electric personality with their own fiery personas and heavy hitting performance.

Michelle Xen And The Neon Wild performed songs from Xen’s EP ‘Synaesthesiac’ like ‘Lose My Cool’ and her current single, the super catchy ‘L.O.V.E’ as well as a few totally revamped covers like Blondie’s ‘Atomic’, MKS’s ‘Lay Down In Swimming Pools’ and a snippet of Pink Floyd’s ‘Money’. Xen’s style can be likened to Moloko, Roisin Murphy, Goldfrapp or even Grace Jones but don’t for one minute think it as cut ‘n’ paste dance-pop. Xen manages to keep her music style fresh and punchy, with nods to her influences delivered in her own sassy packaging. This is one Brisbane artist en route to make waves in the Australian and world wide electro-pop genre.

You can download a copy of Michelle Xen's EP on her bandcamp page or you can catch Michelle Xen and her Neon Wild friends at Brisbane’s Teneriffe Festival on July 6th or in Sydney at the Oxford Arts Factory on August 2nd. I highly recommend you do.

Thursday 27 June 2013

Where Is My Mind - The Best Month Of My Life...

My mind is on stuffed animal pants, that's where my mind is....

...A Cup Of Caramel Coffee And Yes, Where Is My Mind?

by Jo Michelmore

Hey! How are you? It’s been so long, I’ve missed you. Honestly! You knew I was gone, right? I was on holiday in many beautiful countries across Europe. It was probably the best month of my life. There were a whole bunch of awesome days in 2012, but not a whole month in a row. Yep, probably the best month of my life.

That brings me to here. The month after the best month so far, a laptop, this blog and a cup of caramel coffee. I know. Caramel coffee, right? Probably the best thing ever (except for that month I had in Europe and a whole bunch of other awesome things). Why am I drinking a cup of caramel coffee? Well, come with me here, let me take you on a little journey and adventure into the mind of Jo…

It started with my hair falling into my eye today, at an inconvenient moment when I had my hands full and couldn’t remove my hair from said eyeball...

This got me thinking about how much my hair has grown over the past month while I was in Europe, (probably the best month of my life)...

Which got me thinking about Germany, one of the places I loved in Europe, which got me thinking about coffee, because every morning my travelling buddy would get me a cup of coffee for when I woke up...

Which got me thinking about all the awesome things I drank in Europe...

Which got me thinking about the amazing markets I went to in Berlin, where I drank beer in the sun at 11am while watching a band...

Which got me thinking about which bands I was going to write about on this here blog when I got back home, which got me thinking about not wanting to be back home but on holidays instead...

Which got me thinking about Europe again and the incredible Belgian waffle I ate in Brussels, which didn’t have caramel sauce, but should have...

Which got me thinking about what I was wearing when I ate that amazing waffle, which was a super cute dress and a scarf in my hair...

Which got me thinking about another time I wore that dress, which was to one of my favourite cafes, where I always get a salted caramel coffee...

Which got me thinking, I’m going to have a caramel coffee tonight….and here we are.

See how my mind works? I've given you an insight into how I think and from now until I get bored with the idea, I'm going to take you on a little journey every week. We're going to start with one song and that song is going to take us to another song and that song is taking us to another song and so on and so forth. Each week I'm going to present you with a song and every song will have a link to the one before and the one after, so every week you get an insight into the life and mind of Jo and in the end you can tell me where my mind is...maybe? I'll give you an example...

Since we're talking about how my mind works, let's start with this little track...

Where Is My Mind? - 1988

by The Pixies

Well, I'm not the world's biggest fan of The Pixies, but there's something about this song I kinda love. It's that "oooh ooh" isn't it? It just gets stuck and it's so easy to sing along to it's hard not to; especially in the car, driving long distances. The Pixies, they just never quite made it, did they? The alternative musicians-musicians. The cool kids in the 90's loved them. This song featured on the 'Fight Club' soundtrack which almost propelled them to super star....no actually, it didn't. They were still that fat guy and the girl who played bass. Things must have been weird in the late 80's, because bands like this were competing with bands like this next one...

The Only Way Is Up - 1988

by Yazz And The Plastic Population

See? Nothing like the last song, at all, but I like that I can manage to link a Pixies song with a Yazz song. I'm sure this Yazz person has had a whole career doing...something, but really, her biggest claim to fame must be this, which is possibly one of the most annoying songs of the 80's. If you bother to listen to the lyrics, it's actually a statement about a class system, but who's going to listen to the lyrics when there's all that denim and those 80's midriff tops going on? It's so darn catchy which is what makes it annoying, it gets stuck, but you know what else makes it irritating? When someone replaces the word 'baby' in the chorus with 'Joey' while they're climbing mountains of stairs with you, as happened to me on my European holiday. It's annoying if your name is Jo and it's probably even more annoying if it's not. This song will never be the same for me again. As I sang those lyrics over and over again, that got me thinking of a song that also had 'up' in the title....

Uptight (Everything's Alright) - 1965

by Stevie Wonder

Oh you have no idea how much I love this song. Actually, I just said it, so now you do. How good is Stevie Wonder? This was was the first song he ever co-wrote and considering everything else he wrote (let's ignore a lot of the mid-80's here) this was a pretty good place to start. He was 16 when he wrote this! What were you doing when you were 16? Are you 16? What are you doing with your life? Get off this blog and do something important. No wait, stay, do something after you've read this! Stevie Wonder always reminds me of this song...

Higher Ground - 1989

By Red Hot Chili Peppers

Yeah, I was a big Red Hot Chili Peppers fan for a little while there. Still am. I thought that life couldn't get better when I found out one of my favourite bands had covered one of my favourite Motown artists of all time. Did you know there have been thirteen members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers since the early 80's? Flea is probably the only one to have worn the teddy bear pants though. Where do I get me some of them? Screw this onesie trend, why isn't there a teddy bear pant trend?

Where are the Red Hot Chili Peppers going to take us? Who's to say? We went from The Pixies to Yazz to Stevie Wonder then to RHCP! We could end up anywhere next! How great is this? Where is my mind? I don't even know. You'll have to read again next week to find out....

Monday 24 June 2013

New Music Monday #57

Yeezus

by Kanye West

Ah Kanye, what a funny little fellow you are. I've defended you, I've danced to you, I've laughed with you (ok, sometimes at you) and I've even declared myself a fan. Yep, it's true. I saw you at Splendour In The Grass a couple of years ago and applauded your performance, it was entertaining, there was no denying that. Now you present the world with your sixth album 'Yeezus' and you've got the mainstream music media in a frenzy. Some love it, some hate it and almost everyone's got something to say about your lyrics. I'm just a little blogger in Australia, but I guess I'm the one who'll be heading over to the itunes to press 'purchase' so maybe my opinion should count the most.

My opinion? I'm not going to deny it, I kind of love it. Kanye West is not a philospher, he's not a genius, he's not even a good singer. A Kanye West album is the album you put on to get ready to go out on a Saturday night, it's the album you listen to in the car to stop yourself from thinking about the traffic, it's the album you dance badly to in your kitchen. This album allows you to do all of those things, or whatever else it is you might like to do with Kanye's sweet, sweet vocals in the background.

'Yeezus' is aggresive from the very beginning and that's part of what makes it magic, the opener 'On Sight' has an industrial feel, 'I Am A God' is Kanye at his arrogant best. No wait, maybe his arrogant best is his audacity to rap over the legendary Nina Simone in 'Blood On The Leaves' or his arrogant best could even be the lyrics everyone seems to have centred on in 'New Slaves' (if you haven't heard them, don't worry, you will sometime soon, I can't even be bothered repeating them) but ultimately, this is the same guy that controversially told us "she ain't nothing but a gold digger, she ain't messin' with no broke niggas" eight years ago, so I don't really understand the focus on those particular lyrics on that track.

I know I'm biased, but if Kanye can be arrogant, I can be biased (I'm a Daft Punk fan so I'm just going to say it) the best part of this album is the fact that Daft Punk have been involved; 'Send It Up' being a standout, the restrained siren sound mesmerising and reggae style ending were totally unexpected. It's the final track 'Bound 2' that I loved the most of all though, this is the track that will make it to my all time Kanye playlist, where he reminds us of where he's been and why he is the musician he is today. Unexpected samples, such 'romantic' lyrics, the soul sound that he does best is a fabulous way to end an album that some are going to love and some are going to hate. Either way, there's no denying Kanye West is an artist defining a time of music that can sometimes be a little bland, and if there's one thing Kanye isn't, it's bland.

I've said it before, he's not the world's best rapper, he's not the world's best singer, he's no genius, he might like to be, but he's no philosopher, in fact, a lot of times he's just kind of annoying, but there's one thing Kanye does really well and that is exposure, publicity and fame. 'Yeezus' isn't going to change the world, but it's going to make getting ready to go out on Saturday night that little bit more fun for a while.

Jo Michelmore gives Yeezus five Jay-Z heads out of five...

Maybelene

by The Love Junkies

2013 has been quite the year for Australian acts making a statement with their debut album. We've heard debuts that celebrate a creative new generation of fearless artists that are pushing boundaries, exploring genres most Aussie talent would shy away from and drawing the eyes of the world down under. The Love Junkies are no strangers to attention from international music media, with NME listing the Perth locals in a list of five Australian bands to watch in 2013. One listen of their debut album, Maybelene and you'll understand why. You'll even understand why I'd consider it one of the best debut albums of the year. Maybe even the best. Sometimes you don't have to push boundaries or explore new genres. Sometimes three friends can come together, polish up some insanely catchy rock tunes and let us join in on the fun. The real statement bands like The Love Junkies make is that they're not interested in making a statement at all... they're interested in making enjoyable music.

Mitch McDonald, Robbie Rumble and Lewis Walsh have clear influences that come out in their music and instead of shying away from those influences they embrace them. It worked for the best Australian bands like Silverchair and Powderfinger and it works for The Love Junkies too. The rampant sense of urgency that album opener 'Heads Down' commences with explodes into blazing guitars, banging drums and unconstrained howls. From here on in, the energy hardly lets up as you're taking on one hell of a thirty-eight minute ride you won't want to stop. 'Oxymoron' has a hook Damon Albarn would be proud of that will have you jumping in the air, banging that head around like its 1997 all over again. McDonald appears more than confident in his vocal abilities. Bouncing between an alluring confidence and a bitter snarl on the standout track 'Baby Come Home' seems all too easy for him. While a lot of love and attention will be given to the title track, I find the painite of Maybelene to be 'Black Sheep Blues.' The sound certainly lives up to that title and this is heavy blues that keeps me coming back again and again. Forget The Black Keys... The Love Junkies have got you covered.

Maybelene is the rock album I feel like I've been waiting a long time to hear. It's an explosive declaration of who The Love Junkies are and what they are is kick ass rock and rollers that make music you'll want to hear over and over again. NME got it right when they said to keep our eyes on these lads. I feel like we're going to be keeping our eyes on them for a long time to come.

Matthew Bond gives Maybelene four Kurt Cobain heads out of five...

ICU

by Lou Doillon

Album: Places (out now)

Who is Lou Doillon? You don’t need to know who her mother and father are or who she is when not being a musician. All you need to know is her deep, warm, smoky voice (think a mixture of Roisin Murphy, Joan Wasser and Jenny Wilson) and folk rock sensibilities combined with her candid story telling style make her one of the most intriguing new artists to come out of France.

Already Doillon has received critical acclaim in Europe and is now spreading her wings to take up some musical real estate abroad with her debut album Places. Leading the adventure comes the single I.C.U. reflectively sung about love lost and unattainable. Though not treading any new musical ground I.C.U. is an acoustic, mid tempo confessional, made buoyant and heady by Doillon’s smoky, longing vocals.

Already being compared to the likes of Joni Mitchell and Cat Power, Doillon will also appeal to fans of musicians such as Martha Wainwright, Joan As Policewoman, Fiona Apple and even the more up-tempo likes of Jenny Wilson. Definitely worth a listen.

Nayt Housman gives 'ICU' three and a half Fiona Apple heads out of five...

Temaze

by Our Man In Berlin

Oh see, now music doesn't always do this, but when it does, that's when I remember just how much it means to me. Such a beautiful, soft opening and the deliciously gentle voice of Hayden Mansell is how I was introduced to 'Temaze' and now we've met I don't ever want to lose contact. This song won't grab you by the back of the neck and force you to listen but it will slip its beautiful sounds around your shoulders, hold on gently and warm your heart. Knowing the art of less is more is a talent that takes some musicians a lifetime to master, but clearly Our Man In Berlin have already figured out that sometimes space says more than a synth, a beat or a guitar can ever manage. Temaze is actually a brand of sleeping tablet and the lyrics "now don't you stay awake" are so tender it's almost hard to stop yourself from closing your eyes and losing yourself in the moment, but if this is the kind of music this six piece from Perth keep creating, then I don't want to sleep in case I miss whatever kind of amazing they come up with next.

Jo Michelmore gives 'Temaze' five Bjork heads out of five...

Hands (Snakes and Ladders)

by The Raffaellas

Download for free at Triple J Unearthed!

Melbourne four-piece, The Raffaellas return with 'Hands' and once again they've got another slice of indie rock goodness to serve up. Much like their last 2013 track, 'Words', we've got a track here that will leave you wanting to hear more and more from The Raffaellas. Again, like 'Words', 'Hands' is engaging from the second we hear Pat Santamaria's smooth voice and builds and builds right up until the end with a repeated "don't ask me, I can't see what's in front of my hands" segment that leads into a fantastic instrumental outro. While I thought 'Words' was good, 'Hands' is on another level. Join in the fun; sing along, dance around... you can't stop it from working its way into your head so don't even bother trying. Embrace it. 'Hands' could be a real sleeper hit this year and hopefully finds the support on radio it so richly deserves. Now, somebody tell The Raffaellas to get a move on with releasing their next EP. I'd like to hear a whole lot more and I'd like to hear it now. They're setting the bar pretty high with a track like 'Hand', but I imagine they'll smash all expectations when next we hear something new.

Matt Bond gives 'Hands' four Beatles heads out of five...

Midnight Run

by Grizzly Jim Lawrie

I'm going to put aside my fascination/love of drummers who sing, drumers who step out from behind the drumkit and show us their other talents, drummers who have fabulous arms from all that drumming...I digress. I'm going to put aside those loves for the moment and if you haven't already met, let me introduce you to Grizzly Jim Lawrie, the latest project from Melbourne ex-drummer Jim Lawrie who has stepped out from behind the kit he's previously been found sitting behind. Releasing his debut LP 'Paying My Debts From The Grave' last year, Grizzly Jim has returned with his latest track 'Midnight Run' which is an awesome and simple piece of indie pop-rock perfection. Building slowly, layer upon layer of sound, it's a full and rich song that get's stuck; I'm currently on my third press of the play button and no doubt there will be more. Beside all of this great, can someone look at the guy please? The beard, the glasses the unassuming pose, you're totally not single are you Jim? The cuteness is unbearable..and you drum? Ahem, yes, sorry, love this track.

Jo Michelmore gives 'Midnight Run' four Michael Hutchence heads out of five...

NEW MUSIC VIDEO OF THE WEEK:

We Can't Stop

by Miley Cyrus

Miley Cyrus... the gift that just keeps on giving. She's following a career trajectory we've seen before. Young, southern cutie pie wins the hearts of teen fans around the world with sugary pop tunes, hits a 'not a girl, not yet a woman' stage where she must ponder how to transition into a more adult sound, causes a stir by entering the 'sex, drugs and rock n' roll' phase. Give her a couple of months and she'll be making out with Madonna (while Ke$ha does the same thing and no one cares) before marrying a backup dancer, popping out some little bubs and unleashing cray-cray Miley on the world. Beware bald pop stars brandishing umbrellas. Finally, Billy Ray will place his daughter under a conservatorship in which time she'll reemerge, like a phoenix from the flames, and win back the fans with pop anthems and a glassy, soulless look in her eyes. The Britney method has worked before. Let's see how it pans out for Miley Cyrus. If the video for 'We Can't Stop' (and the awful, awful, awful track itself) tells us anything, it's that she's not off to the best start. She might have to enter the meltdown stage earlier than expected.

Matt Bond gives the video for 'We Can't Stop' one Germaine Greer head out of five...

Sunday 23 June 2013

20 and 1 - Best Songs of 2013 (So Far)

Janelle Monae

2013... So Far

by Matt Bond

Doesn't the time fly by. It only seems like yesterday that we left 2012 behind and walked into 2013 with resolutions for the year ahead that we broke about a week later. Making good use of that gym membership? Me neither. The fact is, June is almost over and you know what that means? Mid-year music recap lists are gonna start popping up all over the place! Around this time each year, and like a lot of other high class music publications, It's My Kind of Scene likes to take a look back at the best tracks we've heard over the past six months. And to answer your question, yes... when I say we're a high class music publication I mean 'high class' the way a prostitute might say they're high class. Think about it. Now stop thinking about it because it doesn't make sense.

Moving away from that whole 'hooker' thing, we're super sizing the old '10 and 1' format tonight. How about we listen to the twenty best songs of 2013 so far? Of course, it would just be damn wrong not to hate on at least one track released this year, and the '10 and 1' format requires one track must walk the plank of shame I just made up in my mind. Any guesses as to what it's going to be?

THE TWENTY:

In Alphabetic Artist Order...

I Need Answers

by Asta

West End

by Astrid and The Asteroids

Recover

by Chvrches

Beautiful Parade

by Colour Bomb

Bridge of Bones

by Crystal Fighters

Pool

by Cub Scouts

Further Still

by Curxes

Haxan

by Ella Hooper

Josie

by Go Violets

The Courtship of Summer Preasley

by The Griswolds

Q.U.E.E.N

by Janelle Monae ft. Erykah Badu

Mirrors

by Justin Timberlake

New Slaves

by Kanye West

Disintegration

by Monarchy ft. Dita Von Teese

Dirty Hercules

by Ngaiire ft. Nai Palm

Beach

by San Cisco

The Alphabet Song

by Texas Tea

Around Here

by Thelma Plum

Together

by The xx

Sacrilege

by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

THE ONE:

#thatPower

by will.I.am ft. Justin Bieber

For crimes against music, the plank of shame awaits the Biebs and William. When it's time for the 2013 Anti-Scene Awards... will we be naming it the worst song of the year? Only time will tell, but as we already know, time flies by. We're going to need a bit of time to block #thissteamingpileofyouknowwhat from our minds. What are your fave (and not so fave) songs of the year so far?