Sydneyside

So Justin Vernon and Bon Iver put on a string of awesome shows last week for Sydney Festival- the highlight for me being a front row seat at their first Speigltent show.

Mercy Arms made a huge amount of noise at the Beach Road last wednesday (Kirin's birthday)- putting in a frantic set heavy on their Kept Low EP and earlier songs.

And then on Friday, TV on the Radio brought the house down with an already legendary post-big-day-out show at the Metro (photos above). New album sounds terrific live, working especially well alongside their first and second album staples.

Fan of the esoteric Brooklynites? be sure to grab this stripped down version of Wolf Like Me from a few years back.

Wolf Like Me (Live KEXP)- TV on the Radio

The Skeleton

Compelling tunes from windy Wellington

There isnt too much to know about these guys except they are the newest signing on kiwi imprint A Low Hum.

Their 2008 EP was one of the years most acomplished and enthralling debut releases..

Its up as a free download so you'd be mad not to.

The Skeleton - Secret Knives

Download The Wolves EP Here

Damn Arms

This will do well cos its the kind of chilled out electronic-space-disco whatever that everyone likes, but from a band who forged a solid reputation (not too mention a great debut album) as a more post-punk outfit this is a pretty interesting directive u-turn. Its catchy and super easy to listen to, but not quite as grabbing as what came before

Or maybe Destinations Part I and II are in fact even more post-punkish for their (un)decidedly ironic change of tune.. Lately i dont know what i should do

Who knows.. just enjoy - im sure thats what Damn Arms are thinking anyway

Destination Pt. II - Damn Arms (Via InTheMix)

Shocking Pinks

Shoegaze is a pretty interesting way to label music. Word has it the term came about in the late 80's, emergant from a new generation of musicians who tended to stand almost motionless at their guitars; eyes glued to the ground.

Yeah so perhaps not such an uncommon a trait really, though shared however among those identified by the powers that be (journalists apparently..) was a new "wall of sound" approach to rock music. Here, a myriad of effects, channels and distortions came to comprise what bands such as Sonic Youth and The Jesus and Mary Chain became known for: a distinct and new sonic vocabularly, more often that not a grunge-cum-pschadelic type sound.

So anyway, Shocking Pinks are a band from New Zealand signed to New York- based Dfa records. Interestingly enougth, the label has been credited for the move as a means of broadening a perhaps constrictive roster of more electronic and quite often disco-centric type artists (think LCD Soundsytem, Hot Chip). Where the move remains classic Dfa however is as a nod to a distinct and pioneering modern music style and movement. With Hercules and Love Affair it was a love of laid back disco grooves, and here Shocking Pinks embody much of the shoegaze spirit.

I cant vouch on whether this guy moves his feet or whatever those 80's journalists were banging on about, but the music as always speaks for itself. In this case, the band's debut album is a contemplative and thoughtfull release. Songs like this, Second Hand Girl are both interesting to listen too and lyrically impressionate.

Because theres a lot you can do with a single riff, some oblique-yet-romaticic musings, and a bunch of effects pedals.

Second Hand Girl- Shocking Pinks [Buy]

Shapeshifter

Probably the most important thing to note is that these are of NO relation to the Shapeshifters responsible for that shoddy club track from a while back. You know the one, Lolas Theme or whatever.

With that out of the way, aside from repping the Kiwi flag overseas, New Zealand's premiere live drum and bass act have sold out London's Astoria and amassed a big Australian fan base. They put on a hell of a live show so check em out if you can-

But even if you dont like drum and bass all too much then Shapeshifter make for far too good a time to ignore, or with songs like "One" too laid back and easygoing to miss. And thats where its at really with albums such as their 2006 long player Soulstice, which was an absolute chiller of a record and well worth buying or tracking down (it wont be hard the guys are well loved everywhere).

Shapeshifter- One

Soulstice [Buy] iTunes

Neil Young

So Big Day Out is coming up pretty soon...



shame its sold out because this will be AWESOME