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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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