Remember Me (Blueboy Cover)- Tame Impala

A wonderful cover by Aussie psych rockers Tame Impala of the 90s hit song Remember Me. The boys have put their own little twist on it and in my opinion absolutely nailed it.

The xx - Crystalised

Released : 18 August 2009
Album: xx (out 17 August in the UK, no confirmed Australian release date)
Length: 3:21

Touted as one of the band's to look out for in 2009, this British teen band had alot to live up to. And they haven't disappointed. Crystalised is the first single for the band and its painfully simple structure and sound makes its thoroughly enjoyable to listen to. The vocals are shared by the two guitarist. One male and the other female, their dark brooding yet oh so innocent voices leaves you begging for more. The most interesting and unique thing about this song comes in the third minute of the song where the two voices intertwine in the most unorthodox of ways as the male voice sings one line his female counterpart respond creating this cryptic conversation between the two. Truly stunning.

The Killers Live at V Festival 2009

Last weekend saw one of the biggest music events of the year, V Festival 2009 held over two days in two English cities, Staffordshire and Chelmsford. The Killers headlined the Chelmsford stage on Saturday night in front of an enormous crowd of over 70 000. The band chose to close their set with two of their biggest hits from their debut album Hot Fuss. First on this video is Mr Brightside, the popularity and legacy of this success is evident in how the crowd drowns out Brandon Flowers' vocals throughout the song. They ended the night with their era-defining indie anthem All These Things I've Done with a wonderful sing-a-long towards the end. This video backs The Killer's reputation as one of the best live band's going around at the moment.

Stillness is the Move - Dirty Projectors

Released : 25 June 2009
Album : Bitte Orca
Length : 4:10

A very different track from the indie collective. It gives very much a RnB vibe with soulful vocals. The song is a stand out track on their album Bitte Orca not only because it is excellent but because it is so unlike everything else. It's highly melodic, has an addictive riff and very catchy lyrics. Fans who are accustomed to their unique and at times other worldly sounds will be dissapointed by the sound and those who are new to the collective will find this track slightly misleading as it is not a very good representation of the rest of their music. Nonetheless I love this track and I know many of you will especially those who enjoy a bit of RnB.

Welcome

Hello to all new readers of the blog especially those who have discovered it through Macquarie University's Grapeshot Magazine. I would like to thank everyone at Grapeshot for publishing my reviews and articles in their wonderful publication over the past 2 months. I have thoroughly enjoyed writing for them and look forward to continuing to do so in the future. Due to this new found exposure I will be making some new adjustments to the blog to make it more user friendly. The changes will come in over the next few days. These changes will mean that the blog will updated on a more regular basis with a greater emphasis on new tracks and Youtube videos, mostly live performances.

Please spread the word :)

Oasis and Placebo Cancel; Lily atThe Ashes; Luke Steele with Jay-Z;

The biggest names in rock n roll are dropping like flies. Last week I reported several tour and show cancellations due to illness or injury within a band. This week matters only grew worse with Placebo frontman Brian Molko collapsing on stage during the band's performance at the massive Summer Sonic Festival in Japan. The cause of the sudden collapse has been attributed to fatigue, jet lag and a form of Asian Flu. Unfortunately the band has had to cancel their entire forthcoming American tour which was to run through September and October. The band hopes to make up for those shows as soon as possible. According to the band's management this is only the 3rd time Placebo has cancelled shows in their careers. On the other side of the world over 75 000 eager fans in Chelmsford England were anticipating Oasis' headlining performance at the V Festival. But only a matter of hours before they were scheduled to hit the stage and less than 18hrs after playing in Staffordshire the Britpop heroes called off the show due to a viral infection which had brought down lead singer Liam Gallagher. It was meant to be the final show of the band's 15 month world tour.

As much as it pains me to write about this I will include this. English pop starlet Lily Allen has spent much of the past week (along with most Poms and Aussies) following the 5th and final Ashes Test Match. Lily was spotted in the crowd with a new "friend" watching the game and listening to the BBC commentary on the radio. She also played the main stage at the V Festival which was being held nearby. During her set she praised the English teams performance at one stage exclaiming "I fucking love the cricket!". Her set was dominated by songs from her highly successful second album It's Not Me, It's You.

The most incredible piece of news to be announced this week was the inclusion of West Australian artist Luke Steele on the opening track of Jay-Z's highly anticipated Blueprint 3 album. The Sleepy Jackson and Empire of the Sun star will more than likely be singing on the chorus of the song. Steele's second band Empire of the Sun which also includes Pnau frontman Nick Littlemore has enjoyed enormous success in the UK and the lead single of its latest album Walking on a Dream is starting to receive solid exposure in the US. This might just give the band the extra boost they needed to crack the difficult American market.

Humbug - Arctic Monkeys

Released : 21 August 2009
Label: Domino
Length : 39mins
Personnel:Alex Turner (Vocals and Guitar)
Matt Helders (Drum)
Nick O Malley (Bass)
Jamie Cook ( Guitar)

The best way to tackle this album is to take it track by track as the album changes pace and vibe with each song. My Propellor is vastly different from the openers of the band's first two albums, the song gradually builds and it gives us an insight to the band's new 'stoner rock' influence with dreary vocals from frontman Alex Turner. Crying Lightning was the first release from the album and it is nothing short of brilliant. The lyrics are cheeky, the guitar work is intricate, the bass is typically melodic and Matt Helders once again proves why he is one of the premier drummers going around at the moment. This is followed by Dangerous Animals which is the reminiscent of Favourite Worst Nightmare, with its bass loop and almost spoken lyrics. The complex riff and solo will push the band when they perform this song on stage. Turner's second band Last Shadow Puppets have had a major influence on this record and that is most evident on the 'stringy' Secret Door, this will undoubtedly divide fans but its quality is undeniable. Potion Approaching is once again reflective of co-producer Josh Homme's (Queens of the Stone Age) influence but it's one dimensional drumming and monotonous vocals is a let down. Unfortunately matters do not improve on Fire And The Thud which struggles to bring together any sort of coherence or passion. Thankfully the next track Cornerstone gives a beautiful Beatles-esque sound and an inpeccable vocal performance from Turner. A real highlight. The stoner rock returns with Dance Little Liar but this time we have rolling drums, a bouncy tempo, dark lyrics and some wonderfully weird guitar effects. The album reaches a spectacular climax on Pretty Visitors with thundering drums exploding out of the speakers and the best line on the album 'what came first the chicken or the dickhead'. The final track The Jewellers Hand is not unlike the closing track on Monkeys' first two works and most importantly it is equally is brilliant. Humbug in one word. Subtle.

Rating : 8.5/10