Top 114 Songs of 2014, #100 - 91

Meg Mac, Lily Allen, The Antlers + Benjamin Booker!

#114 - 101

#100. MISSING HER

by Wilding





I'm missing her, I'll never look the same again.

So here’s a not so secret secret. When you blog, some people tend to read your words and eventually, if you’re lucky, people will start sending you music to listen to. This is one of the reasons one continues to sit in ones pyjamas and write words on a little machine about music they love. One of the things I learnt to love this year was a musician from Melbourne who writes and sings songs that take a huge portion of their sounds from a time well before this one, from a time I’m a little bit in love with, not old enough to have experience first-hand, but every now and then wish I was. (Maybe not. I just want a time machine actually, so I can stay this age, listen to One Direction every now and then, but fill my wardrobe with clothes from eras past. Anyway, I’m digressing.) ‘Missing Her’ came to our attention via this here blogs email address a couple of months ago and it’s been playing on repeat in my retro inspired lounge ever since. This is when I love blogging. There are shoulders shrugging, hair waving and feet tapping when I listen to this and all of those things equals a happy Jo. (Jo is me, by the way.) I wanna hear lots of where Wilding intends to go in 2015, because I think there’s a big likelihood I may follow. (Jo Michelmore)

#99. AIR BALLOON

by Lily Allen





When I'm bored, I, kinda drift away,
I'm not sure, quite, why we work all day... 

Did Lily Allen fall off the Lily Allen bandwagon this year? Some say yes, some say no, I say who fookin' cares (say that with a west London accent and sorry, bit of Lily inspiration there) ‘cause she’s still releasing good pop and that’s what she’s always done. So what if she was accused of sounding like M.I.A? M.I.A is awesome and so was that song; there are a lot worse people to be compared to. It’s four minutes of pop perfection and was co-written with someone who has written for ol’ Swifty and P!nk, so what were people expecting? Nothing too earth shattering, one would hope. In fact, with those kind of credentials, we’re lucky we didn’t get something with one of my least favourite lyrics of the year; “get down with this sick beat” or my other despised lyric from a few years back; “so what I’m still a rock star”. Even with it’s annoying “Miami/Timbuctoo” reference, I loved ‘Air Balloon’ for the fun it was the first time I heard it and I love it for the same reasons right now. (Jo Michelmore)

I'm not going to lie. I hated 'Air Balloon' when I first hear it. Ok, I lied. Hate's too strong a word. How about... I wasn't quite sure of 'Air Balloon' when I first heard it. Safe to say, after about a thousand listens now, I love it. It's fun and silly and a little bit M.I.A in random lines about Timbuktu and Kurt Cobain, but there's some melodies fine enough to stop you in your tracks and the song's also genuinely sweet and earnest. That could pretty much be used to sum up what's so great about Lily Allen. She's ridiculous, but she's genuine. Sheezus was chock full of excellent songs like 'Air Balloon'. If you haven't given it a go, I strongly recommend it. (Matt Bond)  

#98. ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVES

by Meg Mac





It's easier to fake it, oh oh...

Seriously, stop it Meg Mac. Your soulful tones are just too good. It's only too easy to see why Mac took out the Unearthed Artist J Award this year. When she's got powerful tracks like 'Roll Up Your Sleeves' in her repertoire, it's very easy to think up all the places her career will take her in the near future. 'Roll Up Your Sleeves' will have you involuntarily clapping along to the booming, beautiful voice it features and Meg Mac will truly have you believing, "everything is going to be alright." Meg Mac just might be the artist to watch in 2015. (Matt Bond)


There is a beautiful simplicity in a song that starts with the modest words “roll up your sleeves” and ends in the unpretentious words “everything is gonna be alright” and there’s something beautiful about a girl from Melbourne taking some sounds from 70s American soul and making them her own and there’s something simple about a piano driven, hand clapping song and there’s a beautiful simplicity in knowing you're going to be loving an artist like Meg Mac when she writes and releases songs so simple, so beautiful and so lovely like this one. (Jo Michelmore)

#97. RIVERBED

by The Septembers





Somebody's gonna be hurting...

Speaking of some of our favourite new vocalists, it's The Septembers, a duo featuring the supremely talented Donna Arendse and James Chatburn. 'Riverbed' puts the charm of old school rhythm and blues against a chilled out, modern indie-electronic soundscape and you won't be able to get enough of it. Arendse takes lead with some captivating vocal work that will make you melt. Chatburn hits all the right notes backing Arendse up, doing a nice job of building up the track's atmosphere in the process. The duo's respective backgrounds have led them to create a unique sound together and if 'Riverbed' is an indication of what we should expect from The Septembers, we're going to be in for a treat with future releases. Hopefully we get to hear more very, very soon. (Matt Bond) 


I was raised on a diet of music and while I didn’t really know what it was at the time, a huge portion of that diet was soul, which means it makes me incredibly happy to know such a smooth duo like The Septembers have featured in our top 114 for 2014. If you read (other people’s) words about ‘Riverbed’ it keeps getting described as a ‘slow burn’ and while I’d like to have come up with something else, those words describe it per-fec-tly. The guitar invites you into a story that you know is going to be dramatic, the vocal demanding you pay attention, the beats making sure you can’t turn away. I love this kind of song, I’ve always loved this kind of song and if The Septembers keep making music as soulful as this, I think I might feel the same about them. (Jo Michelmore) 

#96. VIOLENT SHIVER

by Benjamin Booker





We found a way,
We found a way... 

That childhood diet of soul music I was talking about with The Septembers in number 97? You can throw a huge portion of Americana-bluesy-rock as the dessert after that plate of soul. ‘Violent Shiver’ is the type of that makes me internally scream “YES!” and throw my fist in the air with each beat. If the gritty guitars and the solid drums aren’t convincing enough, it’s Benjamin’s voice, like gravel coated with a dash of bourbon that make this the kind of song that belongs in a bar in New Orleans, on a stage in front of an enthusiastic audience and in my lounge room, played loudly enough that my neighbours wonder why I’m having a party on a Friday morning. All of that and it’s the type of song I can’t help but nod my head to and if we were to ask Katie Langley that means it’s a winner. (Jo Michelmore)


People are saying big things about Benjamin Booker. And for good reason! There’s a raw, bluesy feel to “Violent Shiver” that really resonates with me. It’s rock, it’s fun, and it’s honest. If you took “Violent Shiver” to a party it would drink Whisky and dance unapologetically, hands flailing on the dance floor. It would make friends with party go-ers in the line for the bathroom, eat all of the kabanos sausage, and have a sneaky vomit behind the bush. (Katie Langley)

You had better strap yourself in, because Benjamin Booker takes you on one rocking and rolling ride you're not going to forget on 'Violent Shiver'. It's a non-stop, jump up and down while you scream and shout kind of jam that's over way too soon. But at least you get to do it all over again. And again. And again and again and again. Booker's guitar work whips you into a frenzy and his bonafide rock star growls will have you completely invested in what he's selling. Yep. 'Violent Shiver' is one hell of a ride. (Matt Bond)

#95. PALACE

by The Antlers





Beautifully oblivious before you were hid inside a stranger you grew into,
As you learned to disconnect. 

When this song came into my atmosphere very early this year, it came via it’s clip, which hit me hard and wouldn’t let go, after all, therein contained so many images and concepts that spoke to me, but as is mostly the case with me, it wasn’t the visuals that really grabbed my heart, they merely made me hear the things I needed to in a stunning piece of music. The pieces that shook me most were the keys, creating the sweet, soft sounds of memories and a sense of bittersweet, of times and places loved and lived and those events and relationships that build who we are in this very moment. It gave me goosebumps the first time I heard it and it does it again now, seven months later and it’s one of those that will always remind me of now and then and now again. In 2014, this is one I have truly loved. (Jo Michelmore)

#94. SPITS ON GIRLS

by Amy Shark





Don't be the boy that spits on girls,
Everybody hates that guy...

'Spits On Girls', our introduction to the music of Amy Shark was so easy to fall in love with. Shark confidently lays out snappy lines, the tune is catchy as anything and the slow build up in the sound that surrounds Shark's vocals is most excellent. Finding a way to stand out from every other performer trying to find a break and get noticed must be ridiculously hard, but Shark comfortably shows us what makes the 'Amy Shark' sound on 'Spits On Girls' and it's a little bit quirky, more than just a little cool, packs the right kind of attitude and it's definitely smarter than your average pop song. And the song also teaches you to share... (Matt Bond)     

Here’s where I admit something. I saw the name of this song way back in July and I didn’t press play. ‘Spits On Girls’? I’m a girl, I don’t wanna be spit on. Who does? Why would I have an interest in a song about that? Then Matt said something wise, as he sometimes does; “unwanted interaction with saliva is blurgh” but he had more courage than I, he listened to it, reviewed it and convinced me maybe I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover or a song by its title and here we are at number 94. Lesson learnt; Amy Shark tells a little tale in her impressive piece of indie pop, subtly thumping along until the layers of vocals and music create a wall of sound that keeps me thinking that I have to remember not to judge a book by its cover, a song by its name and not to share my drugs with celebrities. I don’t even know what that means, but I like it. (Jo Michelmore)

#93. PREY

by Stella Angelico





When it's all burning down, dress me in my wedding gown,
Won't be your prey. 

Stellaaaaa. STELLLAAAAAA! Sorry. Couldn't resist. Stella Angelico might just be the biggest badass in music today. Have you seen the video for 'Prey'? Come on... she's a total badass. When all the sand dudes start running at her I was pretty much expecting her to just go street fighter on all of them. The look on her face says, "I ain't the lady to mess with." While I've got a lot of love for the 'Prey' music video, I've got even more love for the song itself. Angelico puts that powerful voice to work on one of the year's most empowering diva jams. She's been a woman since she was a little girl and she won't be your prey. Stella Angelico keeps on getting better. (Matt Bond)

#92. LOOK OF LOVE

by The Jezabels





In the dead of night,
I can't give in to your love. 

Hayley Mary isn't the biggest fan of music reviewers... but we're just blogger type people or something. So maybe we're still friends? I don't know. But I do know I was a big fan of The Jezabels' second album, The Brink, and spent a lot of time listening to 'Look Of Love'. Um... keep up the great work? (Matt Bond)


So Matt’s right, our friend from The Jezabels doesn’t particularly love music reviewers, but the difference between music reviewers and us bloggers is that we ain’t getting paid a cent, so as far as I’m concerned we can say whatever we want, because we’re only going to spend our time bothering to write about things we like, unless we’re referring to Robin Thicke, so hopefully Hayley can see we actually really like The Jezabels and well, screw anyone who doesn’t. If they just keep making catchy little songs like ‘Look Of Love’ with all its shiny guitars and synths and we’re all going to get along just fine. (Jo Michelmore)

#91. FIGURE IT OUT

by Royal Blood





Nothing here to see, just a kid like me,
Trying to cuss and see, trying to figure it out. 

I love the term ‘garage rock’. Royal Bloods are described as garage rock. Can you imagine that? Damn, I’d love to live next door to the house that their garage belongs to. Rough guitar and harsh, fast drums, a grunting rock vocal and some attitude, this is a band I’d be happy to hear rehearsing in any garage. In fact, I have a garage, it even has some junk in it which I say will only add to the acoustics. Forget that Foo Fighters tour next year Royal Bloods, fancy a gig under my house? (Jo Michelmore)


Finally, some music with oomph! It’s a running joke that one of my tests for a good song is whether or not I am nodding my head and/or tapping my foot. I’m pleased to report that “Figure It Out” passes both of those tests with flying colours. (Katie Langley)
  

Top 114 Songs of 2014, Honourable Mentions

Taylor Swift, Azealia Banks, Montaigne + Lily Allen!

Oh, hey December. It's the last month of what has been a glorious year for music. We've seen Australian acts like Sia, Iggy Azalea and 5 Seconds of Summer make a huge impact on the international charts, those French robot fellas won a swag of Grammy Awards (including Album of the Year), Miley Cyrus seems to be all but forgotten again and the hottest non-feud of the year seems to be between Ariana Grande and Bette Midler. 2014 saw the end of Crystal Castles and The Knife, but it introduced us to some of our new favourites like Montaigne, Sam Smith and Taylor Swift 2.0, pop edition. Yep, it's been a fun year and we'll be celebrating all the good times over the next month. To kick things off, it's our Top 114 Songs of 2014 countdown, which officially starts tomorrow... but there were way more that 114 amazing songs this year, so we thought we'd bump it up with some honourable mentions. And to give us time to finish writing stuff and so on and so forth. What? Here are ten incredible songs from this year that just narrowly missed out on the Top 114 Songs of 2014 list. Enjoy!

Honourable Mentions:

I'm A Fantastic Wreck

by Montaigne

And if I'm a little bit deranged would you not,

Estrange me, or change me...

Humdrum Blues

by The Growlers

She wants something tangible,

Like a ring on her hand.

Chasing Time

by Azealia Banks

Check my watch, I had the future in my pocket,

But I lost it when I gave it to you.

Hard Time

by Seinabo Sey

Hard time forgiving, 

even harder forgetting...

The Haunted

by Northeast Party House

 We all stand too long on the wrong side.

Trainwreck 1979

by Death From Above 1979

I was born on the highway in a trainwreck,

With a heart that was beating outta my chest.

R.I.P CHIX

by Tempura Nights

All the girls that lied to me are dead...

All of Time

by Avec Sans

One day you'll lose somebody,

In the way I'm losing you.

 Our Time

by Lily Allen

Let your hair down it's the end of the week,

And this is our time now let's forget everything...

Blank Space

by Taylor Swift

Got a long list of ex-lovers, they'll tell you I'm insane,

'Cause you know I love the players, and you love the game.

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See you tomorrow for our Top 114 Songs of 2014 kick off!

The A to Z of Pop - L is for Likes

It's all done with mirrors. Right?

The A to Z of Pop

by Jo Michelmore

Social media has provided us with such a simple little way of approval. It's all there, in one quick click of a button you can tell the world (your friends, or the internet world I guess, depending on your privacy settings) exactly (well, not quite exactly, I mean, nothing in depth) what you think of certain things. I post a photo of myself and only got 45 likes? WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME? I post photo the next month and got 57 likes. Must have been a good hair day. I post a photo of my cup of tea and get 83 likes. WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME? WHY DO YOU LIKE MY TEA AND NOT ME? (I do make good tea, by the way). Anyway, the point is, the world (at least the social media world) revolves all around the 'like'. So of my social media world, when it comes to pop, who likes who?

Lady Gaga has an impressive amount of likes. 66,751,491. A tiny bit more than the population of France, actually. "J'veux ton amour, et je veux ton revanche, j'veux ton amour" indeed. Of that population of likers, twenty-six of them are my facebook friends. Make of that what you will. Like.

Lily Allen has 3,868,186 likes on the books. That's only slightly more than the entire population of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Why do I always say that name with an accent? Of all those Balkans, nine of them are my facebook friends. Lily Allen fans that is, not Balkans. I wish I knew a Balkan. Anyway, I actually liked 'Air Balloon'. As in really liked. Not just thumbs up-ed 'like'. I don't care what you think. Like.

La Roux have had a bazillion (not exact number) more views on their youtube clips than they have facebook likes, of which they have 974,231, which is more than there are people in Cyprus, but not as many as there are in Mauritius. This is something a marketing person somewhere should look at. Of all of them, only two are my facebook friends. Oh well, I can't help everyone I know. At least I like the two that like La Roux. Like.

Here's one that intrigued me, because on one hand I was expecting this, on another not so. Lionel Richie has 2,975,220 facebook likes. That's not the bit I was surprised about. After all, that's more than the amount of Lithuanians in Lithuania and Lionel Richie is a popular man, that's no surprise. What is a surprise? Only one of my facebook friends 'likes' him, which is interesting, because I know of at least three that actually like him, not just facebook style and that I genuinely like. Like. 

Lindsay Lohan. She has 2,975,220 fbook likes. It upsets me slightly that she has more likes than people live in Uruguay. Something makes me happy though. None of them are my facebook friends. I knew I chose my social media friends wisely. What I like even more is that I know one of them is bound to go and 'like' on her facebook page after reading this just to spite me. Social media is funny. (Mostly). Like.

Top 25 - 11 May, 2014

Kimbra, Jack White, Lykke Li + Seinabo Sey!

1. Kimbra - 90s Music (NEW)





2. Our Man In Berlin - Flight





3. Ruby Boots - Oh Lover





4. Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX - Fancy





5. Jack White - Lazaretto (NEW)





6. Lykke Li - Just Like A Dream (NEW)





7. Torres - New Skin





8. Montaigne - I'm A Fantastic Wreck





9. Al Parkinson - Like This





10. Little Earthquake - Brightside (NEW)





11. Howling Bells - Slowburn





12. Tired Lion - Are You Listening... Listener?





13. Lancelot ft. Ngaiire - Ain't Nothin' Going on But the Rent





14. Gold Spectacles - What We Might Have Been





15. Japanese Wallpaper ft. Pepa Knight - Waves (NEW)





16. Remi - Tyson





17. Garbage ft. Brody Dalle - Girls Talk (NEW)





18. Ed Sheeran - All Of The Stars (NEW)





19. Northeast Party House - The Haunted





20. Lana Rel Rey - West Coast





21. The Hics - All We'll Know (NEW)





22. Royksopp and Robyn - Do It Again





23. Lily Allen - L8 CMMR (NEW)





24. Seinabo Sey - Hard Time (NEW)





25. Holly Who - Get A Little More

Top 25 - 27 April, 2014

Robyn and Royksopp!

1. Our Man In Berlin - Flight





2. Howling Bells - Slowburn (NEW)





3. Lana Del Rey - West Coast





4. Ingrid Michaelson ft. A Great Big World - Over You





5. Torres - New Skin (NEW)





6. I Know Leopard - Daisy Eyes





7. Lester The Fierce - January





8. Hudson and Troop - Frameless





9. Royksopp and Robyn - Do It Again (NEW)





10. Courtney Barnett - Anonymous Club (NEW)





11. Ayla - Wish I Was





12. Holly Who - Get A Little More





13. Lily Allen - Sheezus (NEW)





14. The Cathars - Delusion's Daze





15. Dear Plastic - Buck Up and Pay the Reaper





16. Little Dragon - Let Go (NEW)





17. Cash + David - Pulse (NEW)





18. Caitlin Park - Lemonade





19. tUne-YaRds - Water Fountain





20. Elliphant - Revolusion (NEW)





21. Hercules and Love Affair ft. John Grant - I Try To Talk To You (NEW)





22. Ma Petite - Lonesome





23. Kelis - Rumble





24. Pepa Knight - Rahh!





25. Wolf Alice - Storms

Top 25 - 16 March, 2014

Kingswood + Bonjah!

1. Kingswood - Suckerpunch (NEW)

2. Bonjah - Honey (NEW)





3. Clare Maguire - Whenever You Want It





4. Elliot The Bull - Colourblind (NEW)





5. Lykke Li - Love Me Like I'm Not Made of Stone





6. Jack Colwell and The Owls - Far From View





7. Son Lux ft. Lorde - Easy (Switch Screens)





8. The Good Sports - Walking (NEW)


 
 
9. Brody Dalle - Don't Mess With Me (NEW)





10. Asgeir - Torrent (Re-Entry)





11. Mia Dyson - When We're Older





12. Lily Allen - Our Time (NEW)





13. JP Klipspringer - Bury Me





14. Psychologist - When Particles Collide (NEW)





15. The Presets - Goodbye Future





16. The Tambourine Girls - Blood and Bones





17. Sharon Van Etten - Taking Chances





18. The Growlers - Humdrum Blues





19. Sons et al. - Day By Day





20. Say Lou Lou - Everything We Touch (NEW)





21. Holy Holy - House of Cards





22. Vancouver Sleep Clinic - Flaws (NEW)





23. The Trouble With Templeton - Soldiers





24. Megan Washington - Who Are You





25. Achoo! Bless You - Wild Eyes

Top 25 - 19 January, 2013

Chelsea Wolfe!

1. Chelsea Wolfe - Feral Love

2. Jessie Frye - Dear


 

3. Horegeous - The Wild Ones (Extended Edition) (NEW)


 

4. Curxes - Avant-Guarded 





5. Arundel - Chimpanzee (NEW)





6. Mwansa - Burn This House





7. Dear Plastic - Everything's Coming Up Roses





8. Wild Beasts - Wanderlust 





9. James Vincent McMorrow - Red Dust (NEW)





10. Kaiser Chiefs - Bows and Arrows





11. Mirror Talk - Don't (NEW)





12. Halfway - Dropout (NEW)





13. St Vincent - Digital Witness





14. Major Leagues - Feel





15. Gem Club - Braid (NEW)


 


16. Passerine - What About Love





17. Angel Olsen - Hi-Five (NEW)





18. Big Tree - Like A Fool (NEW)





19. Nova Heart - Beautiful Boys





20. Broken Bells - Holding On For Life





21. Real Estate - Talking Backwards (NEW)





22. Snakadaktal - The Sun II





23. Bombay Bicycle Club - Luna





24. Lily Allen - Air Balloon (NEW)





25. Paloma Faith - Can't Rely On You (NEW)

 

Top 113 Songs of 2013 - Honourable Mentions

Here comes December. No, wait... it's here! Which means It's My Kind of Scene is almost ready to present to you our list of the Top 113 Songs of 2013. Over the next twelve days, we'll be revisiting our favourite tracks of a year that kicked all kinds of music butt. It was a year of 16 year old music dynamos, French robot people, twerking like only a white girl can and so much more. While the international music scene has been a little bit cray and a whole lot Miley (and a little less Gaga, Beyonce and Britney), the Australian music scene has exploded with exciting new talent that are ready to rock your socks off. You're going to be meeting a lot of them over the next week and a bit. Sadly, not all of our favourite tracks can make the list... so we thought we'd offer a little preview with some honourable mentions. If songs this good didn't make the cut, just think how awesome the ones that did must be. Now go forth, listen and get your white girl twerk on with these 10 brilliant tracks from 2013!

Honourable Mentions:

Worthy

by Jacob Banks

The time has come for fate to decide,

If a part of me is even worthy. 

Rah Rah Radio

by The Delta Riggs

And she said you should go back to where you come from,

She said you should go back to where you come from. 

Hard Out Here

by Lily Allen

And if you can't detect the sarcasm, you've misunderstood...

Down On Life

by Elliphant

I could use a break, me need to go down, down, down, down on life,

I need you to take all my shadows for a walk tonight. 

Over The Love

by Florence + The Machine 

And I'll sing from the piano, tear my yellow dress and,

Cry and cry and cry... over the love of you.  

Fun Fact - Florence Welch has made the top 10 of our end of year countdowns dating back to 2009, with 'Cosmic Love' hitting #1 in 2009, 'Heavy In Your Arms' was #9 in 2010, #3 with 'Shake It Out in 2011 and #7 last year with 'Sweet Nothing', her collaboration with Calvin Harris. 2013 will be the first year Ms Welch has been absent from the upper echelon of our chart. Spoiler alert? 

Glory Days

by Iluka

I'll never let it go, no I'll never let it go...

Motorway

by Little Boots

They have lives, they have plans,

They could never understand. 

The Sound

by Ariela Jacobs

All I can hear is the sound of how we bid farewell.

Ohio

by Kingswood

She's got pretty almond eyes, I was taken by surprise,

She was standing at the show, 

Why? I guess I'll never know.

Fun Fact - The video for 'Ohio' has Kira Puru in it. Everything is better with Kira Puru. Thelma Plum makes an appearance as Puru's badass lady friend and you just might see a whole lot more of her throughout this countdown. Or will you? The drama... the excitement. What?   

Young and Beautiful

by Lana Del Rey

Hot summer nights, mid July,

When you and I were forever wild.

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The Top 113 Songs of 2013 countdown begins tomorrow! 

 

New Music Monday #78

On For You EP

by Michelle Xen (out now)

“In the distance, see the light glow, on for, on for, on for you!” Like a shining beacon of light in Brisbane’s ocean of indie rock/pop, Michelle Xen is a new entity carving a path through the waters greatly lacking in similar species of electronica.


On For You is the new EP project from Michelle Xen, featuring 5 singles and 5 accompanying videos (one officially released thus far) that will be released in the near future and features a cover of the popular Kendrick Lamar song, ‘Swimming Pools (Drank)’. If you like your electro adventures fierce and sexy, brimming in dark energy, pulsing with light and bass heavy beats that make you move like a marionette puppet controlled by an evil dance master, then this EP will serve as the first dose to trigger a desperate Xen addiction.


'Lose My Cool', is the first of the 5 singles which was released a couple of weeks ago and showcases Michelle Xen’s animalistic side which seemingly does NOT like roses at all. It sounds something like a jilted lover making heavy breathing, pleading phone calls in order to rationalize her irrationality, over an ominous bass punching backing track that lends well to the maniacal theme in the song.


Xen’s vocals are both soft and soaring, and confident throughout the 5 tracks. The standouts on the EP are the title track 'On For You', 'My Cells' and 'Electric Comb'. All the tracks are individually strong and the surprise of the 5 is ‘Swimming Pools’, a song I hadn’t heard of until MKS did a version of it earlier in the year and when I heard Kendrick’s original I wasn’t impressed, however Michelle Xen not only gives it her own treatments but impressively makes it a track I not only gladly listen to but dare I say, REALLY enjoy.


Since I first discovered the gorgeous soundscapes of Michelle Xen in a live show early this year I willingly fell in her trance-inducing web. Now that I’m getting the chance to hear those tunes again, my addiction only grows, especially seeing as I’m able to dissolve myself into her visual worlds. I’ve been waiting for this kind of entertainer to emerge from Brisbane’s talented pool of musical artists and Michelle Xen’s On For You EP promises to stand out as something quite special.

Nayt Housman gives the On For You EP four and a half Roisin Murphy heads out of five...

Astrid and The Asteroids EP

by Astrid and The Asteroids (out now)

"Because I'm so unique and so are all my friends." 

Well, that's certainly true of Astrid and The Asteroids. With their new self-titled EP, AATA return with an even tighter sound and show off a range that spans the galaxy. I don't just mean the powerful range of Astrid Jorgensen's vocals either. Brisbane's best emerging band go on a genre hopping journey on the Astrid and The Asteroids EP that will leave you swooning in your seats, dancing around like you're in a Beyonce video and stopping to take a moment to truly appreciate how talented this band is. You'll likely do all of those things on opening track 'West End'... especially the Beyonce dancing. 

Who knew that a song taking a playful dig at Brisbane's hippest suburb could be so much fun? There's not a lot of genuinely 'fun' music out there at the moment. It can be a little drab and all too serious out there in the big bad music world right now, but 'West End' sets the fun meter to 11 and shoots itself off in a rocket that takes you along for the ride. An energetic opening like this is hard to ignore and there's a lot to love. I'm talking rock and roll trumpet, singing ironically with really breathy tones and hipster sledging lyrical goodness. 

An exciting opening number leads into the second single, 'Autopsy'. I once read that Tina Fey is the thinking man's sex symbol, which is just crazy because she should just be Tina Fey, sex symbol to all. There's a point in here somewhere and it comes back to me looking at 'Autopsy' as intelligent pop music. It's very 'smart' with fascinating lyrics that tell the story of a Texan clock tower shooter, Charles Whitman. You want to know more and more about the dark and sad story that Astrid is telling you right from the very beginning. "Five knocks on the doctor's door, don't know what I am asking for, but I feel fine." 'Autopsy' might be smart, but those required 'pop magic' sensibilities aren't sacrificed in the name of good storytelling. There's a gripping hook that will work its way into your brain, thrilling build-ups to the chorus and a whole heap of lines to singalong with.

'Old Friend' is a sweet R&B detour that definitely brings that swoon factor we were discussing earlier. A chilled out number with beautiful harmonies that teeters on the edges of slow-jam glory and funk-infused balladry. This current vibe is carried through to 'Love Right' and you will love this, alright. Yes, that is a statement, not a question. Is it getting a little steamy in here, or is it just this sleek and oh so sexy tune? "Think fast and move slow, 'cause I know that we're doing love right, doing love right." Yes. Yes you are. 

Saving the most suitably 'epic' number for last, 'House of Cards' is one of those brilliant slow-burners that gradually pulls you further and further into the band's world. This expertly layered final number starts with a simple piano arrangement and Astrid's lines, "all the walls are closing in, all the walls so paper thin," before adding in more and more. Expect beating drums, dramatic guitar lines and a stunning conclusion that will have you racing to hit repeat. I've been hitting repeat for what feels like weeks now and I don't see myself tiring of that anytime soon. 

Astrid and The Asteroids have unleashed another intergalactic knockout with their self-titled sophomore EP. Don't just take my word for it... go forth to infinity and beyond or something and give it a listen yourself (last space-ish reference, I promise). Astrid and The Asteroids won't leave you disappointed.

Matt Bond gives the Astrid and The Asteroids EP five Amanda Palmer heads out of five...

NEW MUSIC VIDEOS OF THE WEEK:

Hide

by Little May

EP: TBA (???, 2014)

Little May knocks another one out of the park with Sean Dooley’s stunning video for the bewitching ‘Hide’. There’s hocus and pocus, with the build to a raging bonfire in the forest at night which suitably matches the dramatic tone of the track. Despite my camp language, the clip doesn’t suffer from any such nonsense. It calls to mind the heretical dance from The Crucible more than wacky Samantha Stephens’ hijinks on Bewitched and I think we can all agree this is a good thing. Dooley’s shots grab your attention from the opening lonely walk home, the view from the driver’s seat on the open road, the mysterious flashes of our leading ladies from Little May and, of course, the final dance that’s equal parts cool, mysterious and beautiful. You should already be loving them now, but if you didn’t have Little May on your list of acts to watch in 2014, ‘Hide’ will make you change your ways. I can’t wait to hear and see what comes next from this powerful trio. 

Matt Bond gives the video for 'Hide' four PJ Harvey heads out of five...       

Shiver

by Avec Sans (out now)

Let me tell you about all the times I've listened to Avec Sans 'Shiver' since I spoke about it last week. I've listened in my car, I've listened on my walk to work, I listened on the street during my lunch break while I watched the world rush by, I listened on my walk home from work, I listened while I cleaned my house on the weekend, I listened while I baked some cupcakes, I listened on headphones in the corner of my lounge while my housemate watched TV at the other end of the room, in fact, this is one of those songs that has become part of my daily existence at the moment, I've listened to it so many times. So, imagine my excitement, when, not long after I reviewed it last week, the clip was released.


It's simple and it's adorable and, like the song itself, it's not what I expected from this fabulous duo, so therefore, it's somehow even more lovable. Alice Fox is fabulously fantastic, her 80s inspired makeup perfectly matching the beats and dancing around with all sorts of 80s looking graphics popping around her make it hard to keep your eyes from the screen. I'm no musician, but Jack St James certainly looks like he knows what he's doing amongst all the effects and it's kind of funny how this clip was made by the same person, Sing J Lee, who made the CHVRCHES clip I spoke of last week. What a small world it is. Or maybe not.


Either way, this is a super cute clip I adore and the best part is that now as I bounce around manically as I listen to Avec Sans on the street, in my car and in my house, I have an excuse. I'm just re-enacting the clip, don't you know?

Jo Michelmore gives the video for Shiver four Shirley Manson heads out of five...

Hard Out Here

by Lily Allen

Album: TBA (???, 2014)

So Lily Allen makes a pretty solid statement about the objectification of women in music, especially African American women, and ends up in the news for being racist and anti-feminist. What? What world is this? ‘Hard Out Here’ and the accompanying video takes a satirical dig at your Britneys (you’d better work/it’s hard out here for a… etc.), your Robin Thicke’s (Robin Thicke has a big…/Lily Allen has a baggy…), your Miley and Rihannas (twerk, twerk, twerk) and those that are actually responsible for encouraging misogyny in the music industry.  But Lily Allen is an anti-feminist, racist British mother who came from a privileged background and is part of the problem and part of the corporate machine blah, blah, blah. Allen’s response to the “controversial” clip came via her Twitter account:

"1. If anyone thinks for a second that I requested specific ethnicities for the video, they're wrong.

2. If anyone thinks that after asking the girls to audition, I was going to send any of them away because of the colour of their skin, they're wrong.

3. The message is clear. Whilst I don’t want to offend anyone. I do strive to provoke thought and conversation. The video is meant to be a lighthearted satirical video that deals with objectification of women within modern pop culture. It has nothing to do with race, at all.

4. If I could dance like the ladies can, it would have been my arse on your screens; I actually rehearsed for two weeks trying to perfect my twerk, but failed miserably. If I was a little braver, I would have been wearing a bikini too, but I do not and I have chronic cellulite, which nobody wants to see. What I’m trying to say is that me being covered up has nothing to do with me wanting to disassociate myself from the girls, it has more to do with my own insecurities and I just wanted to feel as comfortable as possible on the shoot day.

5. I'm not going to apologise because I think that would imply that I’m guilty of something, but I promise you this, in no way do I feel superior to anyone, except paedophiles, rapists murderers etc., and I would not only be surprised but deeply saddened if I thought anyone came away from that video feeling taken advantage of,or compromised in any way."

If you’re not adverse to a bit of intelligent, thought provoking fun and don't happen to be completely insane, hate women or participate in race-bating, you should get a good kick out of this video. It was good enough for Adele, Ellie Goulding, P!nk, Laura Mvula and Lena Dunham. Welcome back, Lily Allen. You've been missed.

Matt Bond gives the video for 'Hard Out Here' three and a half Ellie Goulding heads out of five...