Phat Chance – ‘Mountain Of Glass’

“Probably not the most accessible song on the album… [but] most reflective of what I’m about as an artist.” Thus goes the description that accompanied this track when it appeared in our SoundCloud account (yes, we do check it regularly). I’m not entirely sure just how accessible the album gets, but this song is already pretty catchy. I won’t sit here and pretend to be an Aussie hip hop connoisseur, but I know when I like something and I’m quite taken with this song. I like how laid back it feels; where other Australian emcee’s often have a forced intensity that personally I shirk at, Phat Chance sounds like he lays down his vocals while sitting forward in an arm chair. The beats and production aren’t showy but are up to scratch and suit the track well.

I couldn’t find his Myspace (the curse of having a fairly generic name), but if you head to his Triple J Unearthed page listed below then you can grab the track for free anyway. Score.

www.triplejunearthed.com/phatchance

The Boat People – ‘Echo Stick Guitars’

I have to level with you guys.
I don’t like this song and I find the promo pic incredibly pretentious.
However, you’ve gotta commend The Boat People on what is either a complete re-invention or an elaborate piss-take. Apparently borne from Robin Waters’ dabblings in hiphop side project, perhaps it’s a bit of both.

Give this a shot if you like Architecture in Helsinki or other pop music incorporating shouting children, vintage synths and nonsensical lyrics.  If you didn’t like The Boat People’s music before, you might like it this time.

www.myspace.com/theboatpeople

Joel Edmondson – ‘Edge of The Road’ (mp3)

Brisbane’s Lofly collective not only run one of the coolest venues in town, but provide the kind of artistic guidance, growth and support that only a functioning artist’s collective can. Initially performing under the name Calvara, Joel Edmondson is a shining example of this, and the closest thing Lofly has to Triple J fodder.

Edmondson’s songs sound like experiments to see how many sonic oddities can sneak into an arrangement of a pop song before the listener gets distracted. With ‘Edge of The Road’, the appearance of a deep-voiced, reverb-soaked choir on backing vocals ends the experiment early, but it’s fine. Edmondson has the chops to pull it off.

Joel Edmondson will release the Invisible Steps LP later on this year.

www.myspace.com/joeledmondson

www.myspace.com/themesshall

Usually I don’t copy and paste pressers, but these words from the filmmakers help explain this clip:

‘Bell’ follows a day in the life of the eleven-year-old preaching phenomenon, Minister Terry Durham – also known as “The Little Man Of God”. Hailing from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Pastor Terry started preaching at the age of four, and was ordained by his grandmother Pastor Sharon D Monroe at the age of six.  In his short lifetime, he has travelled to 38 states in the US, as well as making several overseas trips to the UK, South Africa and more, to preach.

‘Bell’ was shot over a weekend in LA where the Minister had travelled to give a guest sermon at a small church in Compton – in and around where the entire film was shot. Before each LA sermon, Terry likes to buy a new suit, and has it tailored to fit, accompanied by his grandmother. This routine is beautifully captured in the video. What unfolds from there is best seen and not explained.

Director Justin Kurzel, who is the brother of The Mess Hall’s singer/guitarist Jed, has directed all of the band’s previous videos, including ‘Keep Walking’ and ‘Pulse’ which won the Audience Award and Best Music Clip respectively at the 2008 St Kilda Film Festival.

“Jed told me that ‘Bell’ was about someone who knocks your socks off, someone who amazes you,” says Justin. “Having chanced upon Terry on the net, we were immediately fascinated by his story. After some lengthy phone conversations with Pastor Monroe, we were lucky enough to be granted three days with Terry, and unlimited access. The idea was to capture an incredibly powerful performance and to simply record it, without judgment or commentary, and get the impact that he has across on film.”

Leena – ‘Universe Can Wait’

What a bloody great pop song! Leena really knows how to nail a great smooth melody and some interesting instrumentation.

Universe Can Wait is the first single from Leena’s Mean Old Clock EP. The EP is a collection of smooth, well-crafted pop gems and its been sitting in, or at least within easy reach of my CD player for the past few weeks.

Although it’s definitely a pop record there is some real depth to the song writing that makes it an involving listening experience.

The songs on the Mean Old Clock were the product of sessions with some very well respected and well know producers; Josh Pyke, Joe Chiccarelli (The Shins, Tori Amos, My Morning Jacket) and Mike Daly (Whiskeytown).

www.myspace.com/leenamusic