Snob Scrilla – ‘Houston’ (mp3)

Snob Scrilla was the breakout hip-hop act of 2008. Hands down. His debut EP was released on Ivy League Records, his songs ‘Chasing Ghosts’ and ‘There You Go Again‘ should’ve featured highly in the JJJ Hottest 100, while another cut, ‘Mr Officer,’ featured a guest spot from Del Tha Funkee Homosapien. A fairly impressive effort, you’d have to say.

His debut album is still a couple of months away from release but the first single, ‘Houston,’ has already leaked. If you liked the pace and intensity of Scrilla’s EP then you’re  probably going to love this. Though it leads with a lilting, melancholic piano line, the song soon introduces the dirty synth-bass, double-tracked vocals, and heavy guitars that made his previous effort so exciting. Tight production, great energy and a catchy chorus make this another great single in Scrilla’s short but impressive catalogue.

“I think we got a problem, Houston” – perhaps, but it’s nothing to do with this cut. Excitement is mounting for Day One.

www.myspace.com/snobscrilla

Ben Lee – ‘Ben Lee’

For all the light-hearted pop he’s eschewed over his career, Ben Lee also possessed strains of over-earnestness and white-boy spirituality that sat uncomfortably alongside his more inter-textual, self-reflexive lyrics (‘We’re All In This Together’ anyone?). Fortunately, the hits always far outweighed the misses and even those who hate on this still-divisive little songwriter probably found themselves humming one of his tunes at one time or another.

It’s great, then, to hear his most transparent and heightened offering of self-aware humour so far floating around the internet. The song in question is ‘Ben Lee,’ originally recorded by The Ataris as a hate letter to title performer and presented here, unedited, with its full anti-Lee rhetoric still firmly in place.

It’s a wonder Lee can sing with his tongue clearly planted so firmly in his cheek. I don’t know whether Lee or the listener are having more fun here.

www.myspace.com/benlee

Fergus Brown – ‘John, She Was Never Only Dancing’ (mp3)

New track from the Sydney based songwriter, Fergus Brown, who recently toured and performed with Martha Wainright around the country. His debut album Burgers Frown features fellow Sydney musicians Jack Ladder and Tim Derricourt of Dappled Cities. He is launching this single at the Hopetoun Hotel in Surry Hills, Sydney, with more dates to follow I’m sure.

www.myspace.com/fergusbrown

Jackson McLaren -‘Farewell This House’ (mp3)

17 year old Jackson McLaren from Warrnambool have finished recording his first EP with Josh Pyke in the production duties. The result is a very promising start to a budding singer-songwriter career. While this market is very crowded, the key to breaking out from the pack is having that one song. Just like Josh Pyke did with Middle of the Hill a few years back. Jackson hasn’t got that song yet, but I’m keen to keep listening for more.

www.myspace.com/jacksonmclaren

The Crooked Fiddle Band – ‘The Rom Rebellion’

More furious fiddling from The Crooked Fiddle Band, these guys have a new EP called Rise which they are touring now. I’ve been getting into bands like Balkan Beat Box, and while these guys are different, I like the punk element in the songs, it just sounds like a whole lot of fun to watch. I’m gonna check them out this weekend at The Spiegeltent, part of the Sydney Festival, it’s a free event so come along. If you can’t make it, check out other dates on theirspace.

www.myspace.com/thecrookedfiddleband

Sydney: Cassette Kids Roll on from SPIN visionary on Vimeo
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Got your finger on the music pulse in your city? Dom Alessio and I shot this video interview of the Cassette Kids at the Beach Road Hotel for SPIN Magazine’s new international video site, and it seems to be just the beginning of an amazing global network. We’ve been working hard to capture the best bits of the music scene around Sydney, but we obviously can’t cover the whole country on our own. That said, SPIN’s on the hunt for more contributors nationwide… So if you’ve got your own camera, some skills and enthusiasm for something like this, drop Domingo an email at drobledo(at)spin.com and let him know what you think you can offer.

http://www.myspace.com/cassettekids

The Lovetones – ‘Journeyman’

Matthew J Tow has had a fairly varied and impressive career, consisting of time in acclaimed 90s Sydney band Drop City, a solo album released on ultra-indie US label Sub Pop and even a tenure with The Brian Jonestown Massacre. His main preoccupation lately, though, has been The Lovetones – a psychedelic rock band with a penchant for jangly-pop, strong melodies, and dreamy vocals.

Their fourth album, Dimensions finds the band injecting a more obvious Byrds-ian/Kinks-esque songwriting flavour to their now-perfected lush, psychedlic leanings. Journeyman exhibits these strenghs in composition and aesthetic. The impressive production (courtesy of Belles Will Ring‘s Liam Judson) is broad and full, capturing the reverbed chime of the guitars that has characterised their sound. Although the vocals are never presented as the drawcard of this sound, the song is certainly steered by the melodic vocal line of the verse and the floating harmonies of the chorus before the string section takes over for the tail end.

The Lovetones also have a couple of live sets available on MoshCam for anyone interested in checking out their impressive performances and hearing some of their intimidating back-catalogue.

www.myspace.com/thelovetones