If you looked back over our blog the last couple of years, you’d notice a pattern, an arrangement of names that pop up again and again. (No, not Matt and mine, we write here, duh.) There are some artists whose names keep popping up and that’s probably partly because we’re big fans of said artists but mostly because some artists just keep releasing incredible music. One of those artists is Ngaiire, who we first fell for with the release of her debut album Lamentations, in 2013. It seems like for-ev-ah since then, but any waiting was totally worth it with the release of ‘Once’; the first single from her next album Blastoma. This is the Ngaiire we have come to love, her vocal is perfectly perfect, smooth, strong and so exquisite while the instrumentation is delicately solid and effortlessly inviting. Co-written by Paul Mac and Megan Washington, as a blog writer I suppose it’s sorta professional to name drop but all of the talent here is Ngaiire’s own, it was her gift and vibe we fell in love with two years ago and it’s her that Matt and I are going to continue to love when she releases her second album sometime this year. I think I can speak for both of us (and I write here so I can, duh) when I say that release can’t come soon enough.
Jo Michelmore gives 'Once' four Beyonce heads out of five....
A year ago today I was sitting on a pebble beach in Brighton, watching the sun rise and listening to Little May's last single 'Dust' for the first time. It's crazy what can happen in a year. Even if you're in exactly the same place, you can't say there hasn't been a whole lot of change in your life and the lives of your friends and family, that guy at work you can't stand, the nice lady at the coffee shop or even the changes happening to the environment around you. Little May's Annie Hamilton, Hannah Field and Liz Drummond have had a busy twelve months. Since the release of their stellar self-titled debut EP they've been off around the world, touring North America and Europe and hitting up festivals like Bonnaroo and Hurricane Festival, with a Reading and Leeds debut to follow in August. Oh and they've been recording tracks for their debut album in New York with The National's Aaron Brooking Dessner on production duties. As you do. To think of the changes Little May have experienced over the past twelve months... crazy, right? If there's one thing that hasn't changed, it's the superb quality of their music and that brings us to the first taste of that previously mentioned debut album, 'Home'.
"Jet-setter, I think I'd better go, it's been five years waiting for the snow." Why hello, Hannah Field. How truly wonderful it is to hear your voice once more. The quiet intensity that permeates throughout the track begins its build from the beginning of 'Home'. It's in every deliberate drum beat and note from Drummond's guitar, the haunting effects created by the keys and Hamilton's electric lines and, of course, the captivating vocal performance from Field. In such a short career, Little May have become the absolute masters of the build up, adding subtle layer upon layer like no other. Drummond's guitar drives 'Home' into its second verse and you just know you're about to get some of those gorgeous Little May harmonies. When Hamilton and Drummond's voices enter alongside Field's you're doing a Liz Lemon and high-fiving a million angels. The repeated lines, "til we get, til we get home," bring the track to another stunning Little May conclusion. More and more sounds vie for your attention before it's all pulled away in an incredibly effective way, putting the focus entirely on Field's voice for one last perfect moment. Bravo. Don't knock the bravo. You'll be left a bit speechless at the end of the track too. And all you'll have to say is, "yeah, Bravo!"
It's safe to say that Little May have got this whole debut album thing covered. 'Home' is simply another outstanding addition to a collection of songs from these talented performers that I can't seem to get enough of. And I can't wait until they get home either, because seeing this one live and all the other tracks that are going to make up their debut LP is really going to be something else. If home is where your heart is, right now my heart's with Little May. It's a most excellent place to be.
Matt Bond gives 'Home' five Jay-Z heads out of five... (because of the 'Empire State of Mind' vibes from the video)
You know those moments that we’ve all had, the ones that side swipe you, leaving you unsure of what just happened and probably uncertain about where you’re heading, certain that things aren’t going to be the same as they were three minutes ago? It starts with an impressive ukulele, but even that wasn’t warning of what was about to happen. The threatening signs are there, a slow and steady caution, the gradual build of sounds that should tell you where you're going, but it's probably the vocal, the patient tones of James O’Brien that lulled me into a sense of security which all came crashing down a minute or so later and we arrive at some intense beats, some keys that have me on edge with every listen and the ever increasing but so enjoyable anxiety that ‘Ultimatum Talk’ creates. The debut single for Darling James is unnervingly fabulous, a journey that builds from comfortable to nervous to surprise to wow to comfortable again and it’s a journey I’ve been happy to take over and over again the last few weeks. Will hopefully take it again when they play Trainspotters in Brisbane on July 4 to launch the single, and looking forward to more moments like this as we discover more of Darling James.
Jo Michelmore gives ‘Ultimatum Talk’ three and a half Gotye heads out of five…
Without a hint of the artificial sweetness its title would suggest, Quintessential Doll's rework of 'Saccharine' is a little mysterious, a little dangerous and I can't get enough of it. Originally released on the 2014 EP, Let Not The Monsters Destroy Me, QD's Steph Linsdell has transformed the track to perfectly embody her self described brand of music, that being darkly whimsical folktronica. It leans much further into the electronic field this time around, with startling results. The heavy synth work and gorgeous cello lines (performed by Ruby Rose Hunter) elevate 'Saccharine' to another level, providing just the right foil for Linsdell's understated vocal performance and almost devastating lyrics. I'm sure there'll be many a listener working their way through the track thinking, "yep, been there... it sucked."
The track builds nicely to a bit of post-bridge breakdown that will have those dark electronic fans coming back for more. It definitely had me hooked. More of that please. The black and white clip was shot by Sophia Dique at Silvertail Studios. It's simple, but effective and compliments the song very well. Quintessential Doll comes across as a bit of a badass in the video and the same could be said for the song too. Another excellent addition to the discography of one of Brisbane's great underrated talents, who's on a roll in 2015. We're hoping to hear more soon.
Matt Bond gives 'Saccharine (Rework)' four Shirley Manson heads out of five...
I've had a little tune stuck in my head for the past few days. And I'm going to apologise in advance for what I'm about to do to you, but since the best way to get rid of the earworm is to replace it, what better way than with another 80s earworm. After all, it was a decade responsible for so many.
I've spent years trying to figure out if The Vapors were insanely offensive or not. I don't know, but the mullet definitely was.
The Police didn't have much to say, but what they did say, they said over and over and over and (over and over) and again.
The Bangles insisted on that annoyingly catchy "ay oh whey oh, ay oh whey oh" to start with until that god forsaken whistling kicked in.
Who knew there was a place called Aruba somewhere near Jamaica, let alone some old man thought you were a pretty mama and wanted to take you there before The Beach Boys worst song ever got stuck in your head? And the only way to get that awful tune out of your mind is to replace it with another, which brings us to the most annoying piece of music of all of the 80s, which isn't really a song but a theme, and one we all know is actually also the best.
Beep boop beep boop doob da doop....beep boop beep boop doob da doop...beep boop beep boop doob da doop....beep boop beep boop doob da doop etc. You're welcome.
Since our artist of the month is Florence + The Machine, I thought I'd do up a little list of my ten favourite Flo + friends songs. Which was really hard since, you know, the band has A LOT of great tracks. And I've spent several periods of time in my life just a little bit obsessed with many of said tracks and the new album How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful has only been out for a couple of weeks... but a list was to be completed and so it was! My regular writing gig... or semi-regular... or once in a blue moon writing gig, whatever, is the 10 and 1. You know how it works by now; 10 of something, one of the opposite of those somethings. How was I to loosely make this apply to Florence + The Machine's top ten tracks? Well, I'm going to mix things up a 'lil and countdown the top 10 tracks from 10 to 1. And then I'm going to come up with something while I'm writing to be the 1 of the 'and 1' title. Surprise? Let's just focus on some Florence goodness, k?
THE 10:
10. REMAIN NAMELESS
from the Ceremonials Deluxe Edition
I was born in a big grey cloud
Screaming out a love song.
9. QUEEN OF PEACE
from How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful
Suddenly I'm overcome, dissolving like the setting sun
Like a boat into oblivion, 'Cause you're driving me away.
#8. HEAVY IN YOUR ARMS
from The Twilight Sage: Eclipse OST
My love has concrete feet, my love's an iron ball
Wrapped around your ankles, over the waterfall.
#7. YOU'VE GOT THE LOVE
from Lungs - Candi Staton cover song
Sometimes I feel like throwing my hands up in the air
I know I can count on you.
#6. GIRL WITH ONE EYE
from Lungs
I'll cut your little heart out 'cause you made me cry.
#5. NEVER LET ME GO
from Ceremonials
And it's over
And I'm going under
But I'm not giving up
I'm just giving in.
#4. WHAT KIND OF MAN
from How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful
And with one kiss, you inspired a fire of devotion
That lasted 20 years
What kind of man loves like this?
#3. SHAKE IT OUT
from Ceremonials
And I've been a fool and I've been blind
I can never leave the past behind.
#2. DOG DAYS ARE OVER
from Lungs
The dog days are over, the dog days are done
The horses are coming, so you'd better run.
#1. COSMIC LOVE
from Lungs
I took the stars from my eyes and then I made a map
I knew that somehow I could find my way back
Then I heard your heart beating, you were in the darkness too
So I stayed in the darkness with you.
THE ONE:
Live From The Hammersmith Apollo - London, 2010
Well, I wasn't exactly going to make the 1 a bad song, because Florence + The Machine don't have any. So, um... here they are, live @ London's Hammersmith Apollo. I was there. Seriously. Don't be jealous. One of the best gigs I've ever been to. Enjoy!
It has been a long wait for this and even though I’m pretty sure I knew it was going to be good when it arrived, I’m not sure I was quite prepared for just how good it actually is. I expected the incredible voice, I expected the power I had come accustomed to knowing and a part of me expected some kind of heartbreak tale, maybe a cower in the corner crying type of saga, or maybe a pour me another whiskey kind of story, but I wasn’t quite prepared for just how heartfelt it would be. The impressive instrumentation, the electro sounds that make me wanna shake my head and probably sway in a heated way aren’t the Kira Puru I have come to know, but they only add to the Kira Puru I already love. The down tempo pop synths and subtle beats, set against Kira’s always heavenly vocal are more than perfect, they are divine in the most magnificent way. We have waited what feels like an eternity to hear new sounds from the always fabulous Kira Puru, and while she might be crooning “it never goes away” over and over about a lost love in her debut solo single, it's also how I feel about her exceptional talent, which I don't ever want to go away. It has been a long time coming, but ‘All Dulled Out’ was worth every second of waiting.
Jo Michelmore gives 'All Dulled Out' five Kimbra heads out of five...
Are we really almost halfway through 2015? Yes. Yes, we are. And it's around this time we start looking back on the music we've heard so far this year and deliver unto you our 25 favourite songs of 2015... so far. This year's list was really hard to compile. It seems to get harder and harder every year. So by that logic, this year was the hardest. But the list has been completed and we're very happy to be sharing it with you today. 25 songs that show just how awesome 2015 has already been and make us excited about what's still to come over the next six months. Enjoy!
ARROW
by Stonefox
I'll be there, the light of the sun Always falling in love.
DRIVE
by Ainslie Wills
I don't want nobody to stand behind me I've got to make up my own mind.
ELECTRICAL
by Eves The Behavior
I'm nothing more than skin and bone, With wires that make me tremble.
FORCES
by Japanese Wallpaper ft. Airling
'Cause I've been thinking 'bout it, and I've been dreaming 'bout you Won't do a thing about this, 'cause I don't wanna ruin you.
GIMME GIMME
by Holly Who
Gimme, gimme, gimme your fire I want your desire.
HAUNTED
by Grace Pitts
I've lost my way, I've lost almost everything...
HOLD ON TOGETHER
by Jeremy Neale ft. Phoebe Imhoff
And if you want to bring me down, well I don't I'm cautious 'bout the way I move around town.
HOLIDAY LOVE
by James Chatburn x Jordan Rakei
We pretend our, We pretend our hearts surrender...
I DON'T THINK YOU LIKE ME
by Tired Lion
Now you're left here by yourself Alone and no one else.
IS THIS LOVE?
by Karl S. Williams
Do you want me? Do you want me by your side?
IT WON'T HURT ANYMORE
by The Grates
Blood and fear, hearts on trees, pig skin knees It's not gonna hurt anymore Than it was ever going to.
JUST A STORY
by Okenyo
Walk down the path and slide down the slope When this all passes it'll be just a story.
KING KUNTA
by Kendrick Lamar
When you got the yams (What's the yams?) The yam is the power that be, you can smell it when I'm walking down the street.
M.O.B.
by Tkay Maidza
And you I will find Even if I waste the rest of me.
MOVES
by ALTA
Falling over me, crawling around to please.
PERFECT PICTURE
by I Know Leopard
Darling, I saw you crying Never will I know why.
RIGHT NOW
by Hopium
'Cause maybe I'm a dick But you're no saint either.
SET ME ALIGHT
by Passerine
Couldn't feel what I wanted to feel Could you sense it?
SHIP TO WRECK
by Florence + The Machine
Did I drink too much? Am I losing touch? Did I build this ship to wreck?
SPIRIT DOWN
by Our Man In Berlin
I know you'd like to rule the world I talk in minutes and that's my curse.
SPRINTER
by Torres
There's freedom to and freedom from Freedom to run, from everyone.
WEATHER
by JOY.
I'm sorry that I couldn't change the weather.
WHAT KIND OF MAN
by Florence + The Machine
But I can't beat you 'Cause I'm still with you Oh mercy I implore.
WHAT YOU WANT
by Curxes
You'll always get what you want and just what you asked for Because you asked for nothing more.
YOU CANNOT CALL FOR LOVE LIKE A DOG
by Holy Holy
What do you want from love? What do you need?
You can expect to see these tracks making appearance in our end of massive end of year countdown, along with a whole bunch of amazing tunes we haven't even heard yet. If the second half of 2015 is like the first, we've got so much more goodness to come.
Do we really think pop has changed and grown up since the 80s and the old days of what was an English music making pop factory, Stock Aitken and Waterman? They were three producers and songwriters responsible for so much poop, I mean pop in the 80s, it was impossible not to like at least one of their songs. Kind of like Taylor Swift today (but not really). You think Swift and Sia and all the other pop stars of today have come a long way since the tacky fabulous days of the 80s? You know that old saying, they don't make 'em like they used to? Well, they kinda do, actually.
Sinitta, in 87, released 'Toy Boy'. Featuring big hair, manic arm waving and at 3:30, probably the exact same mobile phone featured in Britney and Iggy's latest clip.
Sabrina, in 88 released 'All Of Me'. Featuring large hair, manic arm waving and some beach moves at 3:05, which I'm sure I saw Beyonce attempt in that 'Drunk In Love' clip.
Donna Summer, in 89 released 'This Time I Know It's For Real'. Featuring large hair, manic arm waving and a hat at 1:24 that wouldn't look pout of place in topshop right now.
Samantha Fox, in 87, released 'Nothings Gonna Stop Me Now'. Featuring large hair, manic arm waving and the classic pop clip phenomenon of horses running on the beach at 2:20.
Sonia, in 89, released 'You'll Never Stop me Loving You'. Featuring large hair, manic arm waving and some dance moves at 1:22 which I'm sure were in one all of Sia's recent clips.
There's a reason that Swift song fits so well with the 88 Aerobic Championship routine. Because it's all been done before. They do make 'em like they used to.
We became big fans of Sydney's Winters End last year when the two-piece released the brilliant single 'Walls'. Comprised of sister-brother duo, Marissa and Chris Pinto, Winters End earned a place in our music loving hearts with big hooks, driving percussion and Marissa's gorgeous, rocking voice. So it was nice to see them playing a new track and tearing it up with the good people from Balcony TV last week and having a chat about their recent overseas shows and what they've got coming up for the rest of 2015.
Balcony TV have given us some of our favourite live performances and 'Waking Dream' is definitely one of them. There's a lot to love; those guitar lines, the full sound the two-piece are able to create and then there's the chorus where Marissa let's loose, showing off that previously mentioned gorgeous, rocking voice. The news that Winters End are heading back into the studio to record their next single 'Mayfair' is certainly welcome and you know we'll be featuring it right here on the blog as soon as it's out. They'll be working with Lachlan Mitchell on recording the new single and his history with the likes of The Jezabels and The Whitlams makes him a perfect fit.
The live performance of 'Waking Dream' shows us exactly why the band has been building a stellar reputation for fun, memorable gigs and Winters End have some gigs coming up in Sydney that you should check out if you're going to be around. There's one at the Oxford Art Factory on July 3 and August 27 sees them take the stage at The Vanguard. We'll just keep on hoping for a Brisbane show sometime soon!
It’s with a giant smile, a great big breath and a whole lotta love that I get to write some words about the latest single from a little band that I’ve found a whole lotta love for over the past few years; Our Man In Berlin. The giant smile is because as soon as ‘Spirit Down’ begins the beautifully familiar feelings and sounds OMIB have managed to create and maintain since long before their debut EP is it right? was released are there; the slow build and the subtle crescendo, rapid percussion, an elegantly powerful bass line and distinctively sweet synths, combined with that recognisably intimate vocal make this yet another track to add to the collection of tracks that this five piece have already made that I adore. The great big breath is in anticipation for the release of their sophomore EP, which is currently being crowd funded on Pozible, which so very close to its target and with only days left to go to score yourself music, signatures, a song written just for you or even better - up close and personal gigs(!), it would be silly not to go over there and spend a couple of bucks on it. And then, well, after all these words, the whole lotta love is kind of obvious, isn't it?
Jo Michelmore gives ‘Spirit Down’ three and a half Florence heads out of five…
Romance in this millennium seems to have become changing your relationship status on facebook or taking and uploading a picture of your (meat)lovers pizza before you eat it. But what were things like before we could tell all of our friends, workmates, ex-workmates, friends of friends, distant relatives and the people you haven't gotten around to deleteing yet about every aspect of our lives? Has social media killed all the mystery and romance in our lives? In the 80s, romance wasn't so public, romance was emotional and tear jerking and in the 80s romance was...
Richard Marx's curly bouffant.
Rick Astley in a skivvy.
Roxette in abandoned real estate.
Rick Springfield in high waisted wide leg pants
REO Speedwagon fawning all over some poor woman just trying to watch some daytime soaps on TV.
Roy Orbison and KD Lang. Wait, that song still makes me cry. Damn you 80s for still being relevant!
Mixtapes are making a comeback! Or so I quickly read yesterday on an article title that showed up in my news feed on Facebook, sandwiched between a billion Caitlyn Jenner pieces. Something about USB sticks that look like cassette tapes the kids can pass around instead of meth. We apparently have an ice epidemic, so I'm just assuming kids are passing it around. But the mixtape is back and don't I know it. Heading off home at my parents' place on Monday, my Dad handed me an old CD that said 'Matt's Music'. Now, I'm not old-old (just old), so when I made mixtape playlist things, they were in the form of a burned CD. For the youngsters, there was no fire hazard involved. It wasn't a literal burning of the CD. After spending a couple of hours downloading eleven songs (twelve if you were really lucky), you could spend ten minutes copying them to a 700MB or one hour duration blank CD that you could play in your handy discman or CD player. If you're lost on any of that, ask your friend Siri to help you out.
I used to make many a mixtape with all the latest "jams", so I couldn't wait to find out what was on Matt's Music'. But when was it from? What would it tell me about the kind of music listener I was whatever year it was from? Would I be ashamed? Not likely. It had my name on it, so obviously it was going to be amazing. I got into my car, put the faded neon blue CD into the player and was treated to the familiar sounds of Fat Joe. "Put the fucking mic on! Mic is on." 'What's Luv?' Featuring Ashanti and Ja Rule. Three artists that don't seem to exist on this planet anymore. I was excited. I remembered all the words, especially the iconic and thought-provoking lines, "you say you gotta man and you're in love, but what's love got to do with a little menage?" The following selection of tracks would lead anyone who found 'Matt's Music' today to think Matt was one fly gal. The flyest. I don't really know what that means, but you'd hear it in songs all the time back then. R&B jams dominated the charts and they sure dominated my chosen tunes of the time.
As there were indeed eleven songs making the cut on 'Matt's Music', the opportunity for a '10 and 1' presented itself. And since I was only mildly embarrassed by one of those tracks, that's what we'll be looking at. Ten songs from 2002 you'll be needing to hear right now and one you'd likely sooner forget. The flashback starts now...
THE 10:
What's Luv
by Fat Joe ft. Ashanti and Ja Rule
When You Look At Me
by Christina Milian
Nasty Girl
by Destiny's Child
4 My People
by Missy Elliott
Without Me
by Eminem
What Would You Do?
by City High
Foolish
by Ashanti
Hot In Herre
by Nelly
U Got It Bad
by Usher
Just Like A Pill
by P!nk
THE ONE:
Dear Lie
by TLC
I love TLC as much as the next fly gal, but this has to be their worst single. The opening lyrics suggest they agree. "Dear Lie... you suck." Can't argue with that. I must have been caught up in the post-'No Scrubs' TLC hysteria that was sweeping the world way back when. Those were good times.
Alright... I can't keep up this ridiculous facade. I still love this song and I am ashamed but I don't care but I do. It wasn't even released in 2002. It's from 1999 and it still made its way onto a mixtape of mine three years later. I've got nothing...
