high places & grouper in sydney

I've finally remembered to check Soft Circle's myspace page and apparently he is working on a new album. This would be great news, had he not been suggesting a new album was in the works for the past year. It may very well be, but I was hoping for something new a little sooner than 2010.

Today was my parents 30th anniversary. They had their first date 30 years ago and married 20 years ago today. I was a flower girl. Today I also saw one of my favourite musical entities perform live for the first time - High Places. I interviewed them for Pages magazine a year or so ago and it was so wonderful to see them play. I had been really excited about the show all week and they didn't dissapoint at all. It was a short sharp explosion of densely layered synthesizer samples, live drum machine, bells, whistles, Mary's tender vocals and early 80s heavy hip-hop beats. Rob was wonderfully energetic, smacking the drum pads with such a wild enthusiasm you'd easily assume he was playing to a crowd much larger than the 30 or so people in the room. The show was really wonderful, and great to dance around to such positive, organic, fun music.

So all in all. What a day!

Tomorrow night, Grouper is performing at Sydney's Serial Space.

Grouper is Portland artist Liz Harris and last year's Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill was a favourite of mine. Described (perfectly) as "the future soundtracks to love, despair and ultimately, hope" her whispered trance-like dream-pop is a little melencholic at times and nothing like the explosive calipso hip hop of High Places - the sort of music she writes would sound perfect as the soundtrack to a Gus Van Sant film.

What I love so much about her is that as she sings you can hear real emotion, the acoustic melodies and harmonised vocal lines creating hauntingly beautiful compositions that resonate with you hours after the CD has run its course.

She is still unsigned, but come May is touring with Animal Collective. So see her now (for $12 at Serial Space tomorrow, obvs) before you have to qeue for days to see her at 500+ capacity venues (Bon Iver, anyone?!)

Grouper with Pimmon and Seaworthy
Serial Space, 33 Wellington Street Chippendale
8pm, $12

Buy Dragging a Dead Dear Up A Hill on Insound

(This is such a creepy album cover... not a great idea to be looking at this before bed...)

Sleep tight x