Brain Children – ‘Guts’ (mp3)

Sounding a lot like Stereolab who I’ve been a long time fan of (and am seeing tonight!), Brain Children is the new collaboration between Michael Young of Eddy Current Suppression Ring and hardcore drummer Max Kohanne. They will release this song as a part of a 6 track 12″, yet to be named, and are developing a live show to support it.

www.myspace.com/brainchildrenmusic

The Paper and The Plane – ‘All That I Had’ (mp3)

Have you ever loved a band’s music so much that you wanted to live inside it? As wanky as that sounds, that’s  how I feel about Brisbane’s The Paper and the Plane. Described by the ever-reliable Wikipedia as “post-everything”, their music is a blend of atmosphere, angst and honesty that makes me want to slam-dance and sob all at once. The combination of their music and an impressive tour CV listing Brand New, Thrice and Minus the Bear as partners in crime has earned the band a reasonably sized and fiercely loyal cult following.

“All That I Had” is from the TPATP’s first EP, An Introduction. It’s my all-time favourite song of theirs, but their latest EP A Year, Two Months, Sixteen Days and Counting… is also well worth your time and money, especially if you buy the re-released Stomp version with a bonus DVD.

The band play the Pushover festival in Melbourne on the 8th of March.

www.myspace.com/thepaperandtheplane

McKisko – ‘The Hollow Boat’ (mp3)

McKisko is a solo Brisbane performer who makes sparse avante-pop music. The repetitive and minimalist compositions rarely extend beyond layered piano or guitar lines with a hint of percussion, which provides the perfect platform for her vocals stylings that range from high and oft-operatic to quiet and breathy.

Live, McKisko brings the songs to life using loop pedals – which is not only interesting from a performance perspective but also in the way it brings transparency to the simplicity of the layers in her songs. It’s a cliche, but her work is definitely greater than the sum of its parts.

Her debut is released at the end of March so keep an eye out for what will be a stunning local release.

www.myspace.com/mckisko

Tennis – ‘Future Ghosts’ (WOW Cover) (mp3)

Tennis – ‘Dancing On A Knife’ (WOW Remix) (mp3)

Musical friendships are great – indie relationships and inter-textuality excite bloggers like myself no end. Like Tennis (pictured above) and WOW: two bands from Sydney making danceable indie rock – the former with an emphasis on angular guitars and dark hues, the latter with more sass and a prominant electro stomp in their sound. Both of these bands are great in their own right and now they have (sort of) combined in a fun musical exchange wherein Tennis have covered WOW, then WOW have remixed Tennis. To no real surprise, both tracks are exciting and highlight each group’s strength as they imbue the other’s work with their own identifiable character.

Hopefully we’ll see some full-lengths from these young bands during 2009.

www.myspace.com/wowsydney

www.myspace.com/tennisband

An Horse – ‘Little Lungs’

An Horse are the flag-bearers of Australian indie-pop right now. A big call, I know, but after that Mercedes Benz ad, their ridiculously great EP and both national and international tours with indie-pop superstars Tegan & Sara and Death Cab, I think it’s approaching a realistic appraisal. They now finally have their debut LP set for release. It’s already on iTunes for those who like instant digital gratification; otherwise, fans can wait until March for a physical copy. Either way, they launch the album across the country over the next month, bringing their striking brand of direct, two-man/woman pop to your locale.

If you haven’t seen them live then you haven’t absorbed the full An Horse experience. Apart from the immediacy and rawness of the live setting that heightens the impact of these songs, the two possess the confidence, charm and wit of superstars well beyond the relative youth of the project.

‘Little Lungs’ begins more fragile than some of their catchier songs, however, it only works to increase the intensity and excitement of the crescendo towards the end. Multi-tracked vocals, pounding drums and even a fuzzy bass guitar (not found elsewhere on the album) provide the song and album’s carthartic climax.

For those interested, An Horse also recorded some stuff for Shoot The Player that’s well worth checking out.

www.myspace.com/anhorse

Eddy Current Suppression Ring – ‘That Time Of Day’

You definitely already know this band and you probably already know this song – it’s been floating around the blogosphere and on radio for the past fortnight and now, finally, I’ve gotten around to uploading it.

Despite how widely-disseminated it already is, this release is still worth covering because these guys put out one of the best albums (Australian or not) of 2008 and, most importantly, because ‘That Time Of Day’ is up to the same high standard presented on their sophomore effort Primary Colours.

Eddy Current Suppression Ring refuse to make the band a full-time pursuit and so it could be a while before we see another full LP with their name on it. Until then, let’s hope their 7″ output continues at a steady pace. This is a good start.

www.myspace.com/eddycurrentsuppressionring

It’s been some time people, and for that I am sorry, but much news is coming in from the frosty streets of London. As 2008 drew to a bitter cold and dark end, album of the year polls rolled in with Australian and New Zealand artists popping up in most lists though disappointingly not as frequent as previous years. The most popular album of the year from Australian artists was easily Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, who featured on CLASH Magazine (#37), NME (#29), Rockfeedback (#2), Mojo (#5) and Q Magazines (#10) top 50 lists with ‘Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!’ Cave’s success comes after fourteen records and almost fifteen years of experience and exposure with The Seed’s in the UK, this experience making Ladyhawke by far the break through success story of 2008, featuring on not only NME’s top 50 (coming in at #16 ain’t too shabby) but also the only Kiwi or Australian on Rough Trade’s prestigious mention, coming in at a wonderful tenth spot. Though I’m not wholly into the siren’s synthy coy bash at 80’s pop, the blonde has truly been embraced in the UK and interestingly, 2009 has been penned as the year of the ‘unique female solo artist’ with Ladyhawke being named as just one of the acts that has inspired the surge of attention and signing’s of pop friendly females.

Though getting back to lists I was somewhat sad to see Cut Copy only mentioned once; (this said, they landed an impressive #4 on Pitchfork’s list) #17 on the Rockfeedback list. The Preset’s, sadly were not mentioned at all (unless someone can prove me wrong?) and that wonderful Pivot record was ranked #79 on Rockfeedback’s Top 80. Though some might argue that end of year polls are a load of bullocks, none can deny their role in shaping an artists career in the eye of the public and setting precedents for music in the years following. I think the results of 2008 indicate a number of things for Australian and New Zealand music but mainly reveal just how hard it is to break through the market. None can doubt Pip’s presence on the live circuit and her commitment to making an impression internationally and for that she is rewarded. Though here I’d similarly like to mention Snowman as this posse is making considerable ground on the uber-hip East London front with their kooky clash of horror rock and goo-punk.

And so, here we are in 2009 with the whole years worth of new music ahead of us. Just think of all those unheard gems waiting in the midst! And of course in London tails are already wagging for two great new Aussie acts, the first being Empire of the Sun. Yep, most of us have heard the album and seen the vid and know that these kids are HOT and are well on their way to riding the avalanche of success started by their predecessors (ie. MGMT and Yeasayer). This must be particularly exciting for Nick Littlemore whose prolific career as both a producer and as a member of Teenager and PNAU has yet to be fully acclaimed in the UK. Though equally HOT and tipped for success in 2009 is The Temper Trap. These boys have been knocking about the sticks for what seems like a lifetime, but this incubation period has obviously done the band justice, having provided the space to develop a sound that has nabbed the attention of not just NME but also the BBC. My bets are on Temper Trap!

And another Operator Please record would be great also, but hey it’s still only January!