a sydney new year

still looking for something to do tonight?



go carve up the dance floor for me, and ill meet you in two thousand and men

down time

photo: by radge

Happy holidays

Drink and eat a bunch. Read some good books.

Fresh and Onlys 'Lets Hang'

See you on the flip side

x Michaella

a tenner for your troubles

My boys at Rose Quartz asked me to list my Top 10 releases of 2009 for their website. I acquiesced (hesitantly, as I always find those sort of end of year wrap ups really difficult), wrote it up over the weekend and sent it through last night. Then, this morning, I got really embarrassed when I read the introduction they wrote. So much love (awww group hug)! You can read it here if you like.

If you do have a read make sure you check out the rest of their LISTRAVAGANZA - the crew have been posting their fave songs and albums and Australiana and tapes and all the rest for the past two weeks. Just like this book I've just started, it's super good reading.

Wild Nothing

Under the name Wild Nothing Jack Tatum had just released a 7" with THE pop song for summer.

This morning I went for a jog and it was really warm morning. The sun was shining down on me and it made me feel a million dollars as I jogged along and listened to this song. I put the record on as soon as I got back home and wandered around my room getting ready for work, singing and dancing and vibing the fact that summer was here, that it is almost time for a week-long holiday, and that after a few weekends in a row laying around at the lady baths I am starting to get a bit of a tan.

Wild Nothing 'Summer Holiday'

Can't you imagine this as the soundtrack to a Super 8 film of people sitting on a patch of grass by a beach on a summer day drinking beers and cooking sausages on a bbq. They're probably throwing a frisbee too. How dreamy.

Buy it here.

dam funk damn right

The killer pure sex funk jam that I have been raving about to anyone who'll listen now has a killer video to go with



With tune this as my soundtrack I look so fly while I'm doing my thing on the treadmill

one hundred percent vibe

My friend Nathan won the Bridezilla film clip competition. GO Nathan.

Just getting my summer on today.

This track is killer for shining summer vibes. Bring on Martinis poolside.

Class Actress 'Careful What You Say'

Elizabeth Harper has a handsome voice - strong, commanding. After the underwhelming efforts from Little Boots and La Roux this year, pop music needs someone with some guts.

7" coming out in Feb on Terrible Records. No pre-order up just yet, but check in a few weeks from now and there should be. Alongside Class Actress, Terrible are releasing fellow Brooklyn band Acrylics - another really strong female- driven electro pop group.

Obviously getting my Girl Shine on today too.

cosmetics

Yesterday I said good things come to those who wait. Turns out we didn't have to wait so long!

Last night Nick from Cosmetics emailed me the so super smooth Black Leather Gloves which he explained will be the B-Side to their December 7" on Captured Tracks. What a nice guy! I am going to buy their 7" for all my friends for Christmas (and pray it arrives in time for the celebrations - I sent a friend a parcel six weeks ago and they only just received it today!)

Cosmetics 'Black Leather Gloves'

touch so soft, I never take them off

Vancouver duo Cosmetics (not to be confused with the not so great Brooklyn/Sao Paulo duo also called Cosmetics) sounds like something you've already heard on Italians Do It Better- their sensual and glistening minimalist productions shout to the slippery disco pop Johnny Jewel has become famous for. Sweet dreams and light touches, hushed stories on beat making delicate haze for dancing nights.

Fan Death, Nite Jewel, Desire, now Cosmetics; their synthetic recordings set to take place alongside those glamorous darlings of the scene.

All their tracks are self-produced in their home studio. There are three jams on their myspace now but more is due out early 2010 through Captured Tracks, initially as a 7" vinyl and then as a full length vinyl/CD album. For now, no mp3, just the myspace page. Good things come to those who wait.

rosanne barrr

I am not sure how I feel about this. Those that know me well know my feelings about Mariah.

Rosanne Barrr 'No Means No Mariah'

I am really into Rosanne Barrr and their screaming low fi London garage (how good is their song Akira! - listen on myspace), so if we could call 'No Means No Mariah' a homage to the talents of our number one American pop goddess then I would feel much better about the whole thing.

RBarrr Dumb Broad album is out now on Hex Out Tapes but on the band's myspace their label is listed as Geffen so they might have something out on Interscope in the not too distant future. Interscope (Universal) intially feels like a weird fit... but it if means they can hook up with label-mate Mariah for a collab at some point then that would be aaaaaaaamazing.

no art cock safari

Vivian (pic: far right) and Trish (pic: centre) used to be in a band called One, Two, Three, Amazing. They had a great name obvs, but not a load of recorded material or scheduled shows and so folded after not too long. I really liked their song Tender Is. I just listened to it again, and it's still really lovely, with hushed vocals over a melodic 90s guitars.

Vivian and Trish now have less angular haircuts and a new band called No Art, and with their boy friend Chris on drums are making expansive moody post rock.

Outside my office someone is playing that Shaggy song that has the lyric "honey came in and she caught me red handed, freakin' (is that the lyric?) with the girl next door".

Feel free to disagree, but I do think No Art's Fight In The Nocturnal House, while certainly not as instantly catchy, is much better than the Shaggy song.

No Art 'Fight In The Nocturnal House'

Also, while talking good aussie music (no art) and cool band names (1, 2, 3 amazing)... cock safari, anyone?! These dudes are killing it.

Cock Safari '8MH'

(via New Weird Australia)

thursday week

Lets go surfin



and run along the beach



This will probably be the best $20 you ever spend

Also FYI before you see ECSR do their thing, The UV Race are launching their own frenetic lovable clanging punk debut at Good God this Friday for the third and last of Mountain Fold Journal's music nights. It'll be a pretty sweet party

Signed, sealed and delivered (I'm yours)

'I love Every Little Thing About You' Syreeta

For some reason tonight I grabbed a record I've not listened to in forever - Syreeta Wright's debut self-titled record. They don't write about love like they used to. Now, Destiny's Child sing about 'catering' for their men and Lady Gaga poisons hers in a video clip and throws him off a balcony. I am as guilty as the next woman for disregarding simple declarations of adoration as naff and old fashioned, but then simultaneously lamenting the death of chivalry and romance.

Listening to Syreeta tonight, I've decided to make more time for unabashed, uncomplicated and unrehearsed love in my life. Hey you, I love every little thing about you. Deal with it.

There's nothing cheesy about that if it's honest.

When I'm with you, I have fun

I was just raving about Summer coming and how excited I am at the idea of going to the beach this weekend when my friend told me it is going to be super hot but raining all day Saturday and Sunday. Bummer.

Don't get wet, do this stuff instead.

When you wake up, listen to When I'm With You by Best Coast over and over and over.

During the day, the Art Gallery of NSW is currently showing a wonderfully in depth and engaging retrospective of John Kaldor's public projects, covering everything from Christo's wrapping of Little Bay, to Gilbert and George's 'singing sculpture' in the gallery foyer in 1973, to Tatzu Nishi's current sculptures engulfing the gallery's outer walls.

In the evening, go see Beautiful Losers. After all my whining Aaron Rose's doco finally makes it's Sydney premier at Paddington Town Hall for the Anode festival launch. Tickets are still available but probably not for much longer.

Later that night, Vampire Weekend play at Oxford Art Factory. I met with Rostam and Chris B today to talk about their new album. Super nice dudes.

The video for Cousins was just released a few hours ago and it displays the VW aesthetic perfectly - simple in idea but elaborate in execution.

creepy kids: golden filter, martin de thurah

My Melbourne (soon to be New York, sob) friends Moopjaw have finally released their video for The Golden Filter's latest single Thunderbird (which reminds me so much of The Presets' This Boy's In Love - why is that?)

The Golden Filter 'Thunderbird'

The Golden Filter - "Thunderbird" from The Golden Filter on Vimeo.

I was sent a few stills of this clip while they were editing which immediately made me think of Martin de Thurah and his work with Karen Dreijer on her Fever Ray project - particularly their video for When I Grow Up from the self-titled Fever Ray debut.

His work is really stunning but insanely creepy. I've not seen his latest feature films because if I did I would never sleep again.

WE WHO STAYED BEHIND trailer from martin de thurah on Vimeo.

free choice duo

Free Choice is the new project of Jarod Ziadic from Fabulous Diamonds, and Free Choice Duo is the stage show.

They performed at Gold Shoulder last night (a four week residency of Mountain Fold Journal at Good God) and their live show was unencumbered, uncluttered Cluster style atmospherics, droning synth sounds filling the room but without being too heavy or obtrusive. Their name suggests each performance is unplanned and unrehearsed, but I think they must've had some sort of discussion before the performance - it just seemed too easy for them.

You know, it was interesting seeing an audience watching the two of them on stage, because they don't say anything or move while they're playing. There's not much to watch. But the sounds they were making were intoxicating. I just vibed out for their entire set, which was two movements of visceral free-form on synth and organ.

Free Choice have a split 7" with Mental Powers out now through Fifth Column which you can buy at shows.

mgmt australia

My friend Sam came to Australia almost a year ago (aside: where has this year gone?!) with MGMT and filmed a heap of footage of them on his super 8. He just sent it to me, probably because he thought i'd get kicks from the footage of Koalas and Kangaroos. If that's the case, then he was right.



A few years back Sam's friend Ben won tickets in a raffle for a Jamaican river cruise and the two of them decided to use the vacation as an opportunity to shoot a feature film starring Sean Bones and Norah Jones. The film, titled Wah Do Dem, is finished and has been making its way around the festival circut, premiering at the LA Film Festival in June and winning the award for 'Best Narrative Feature'. Talented boys.

Wah Do Dem from sam fleischner on Vimeo.

I'm not your fantasty girl

"Been away so long you love me only in your dreams..."



I've been a fan of this lady for a while. Here, I love how she loops her vocals back and over the top of each other to create her own 'man-made' backing track. It's not easy to create something so engaging with vocals, bass guitar and a drum. 4AD described her as blending "coarse folk ingenuity with the bold pop sensibility of an R&B siren" which is wonderfully appropriate (and super surprising as it's unusual for a label to accurately describe something on their own roster without sounding all smoke and mirrors.)

This performance is the first of 4AD records new live sessions where they are taking their artists into a studio and recording the results for an exclusive vodcast series. The first was with Deerhunter last year, but it now looks like the videos will become more regular with 4AD making a more official thing of it. Watch the video of Real Live Flesh above for a taste, and check out the full session (all 30 mins) here.

les sins for summer

'Lina' Les Sins

Some coconut flakes and something French house inspired by Toro y Moi's other project Les Sins to take us back to the days of Cassius and Starsailor on such a brilliantly shiny Sydney Spring (Summer) day.

If you've not tried shaved coconut before do yourself a favour and get some asap. This combination is really making my day today.

Together in summer coconut dreams

where'd you go?

I've been absent the past few weeks. Stating the obvious! I've been binging on work and wasn't remembering to come up for air. "Remember to breathe", I told myself this morning. It's working so far!

I interviewed David Jacob Kramer from Family Bookstore last week for Issue 3 of The Blackmail which is online now. David is a wonderful guy, and the story has some great fly-on-the-wall photography by Thomas Jeppe. Sometimes his photos may appear disposable, but if you make time to look again, you see how insightful they actually are. Quick yes, but always well considered. Check it out at the link above, and make sure you read the others too. The issue includes an interview with awesome Melbourne label Arnsdorf, Blackmail editor Gabe talking to ace band Royal Headache, and some lovely photographs by Ben Sullivan documenting his time traveling through the American desert.

The Middle East 'blood'

Despite my adoration of Greedy Hen works and The Middle East's beautifully somber recordings, I really underestimated how spectacular a combination of the two would be when I commissioned this clip two months ago.

It is true that Katherine from Greedy Hen is my flatmate, and The Middle East are signed to Spunk, but bias aside I think this is such a remarkably beautiful and accomplished film clip. I am also overjoyed to finally be able to share it with the world after the organised premiere on Myspace last Thursday (if you've not yet seen it on the thousand other blogs that have already posted it, of course!)

'Blood' The Middle East


The Middle East are on tour through October and are playing Homebake and Meredith Music festival in December. Their Myspace has the details.