Yeo – ‘Two Sides of A Door’

Yeo (as in bust a cap in yo ass) is the solo project of Yeo Choong, member of Tragic Athletic and numerous other Brisbane bands. Seriously, it seems like every second band I see has this guy in it.

‘Two Sides of A Door’ is from his self-recorded and produced debut album, Trouble Being Yourself. It’s heavily influenced by 1980s popular culture, but the good bits, namely Super Mario and Prince.

Yeo and his live band The Fresh Goods have just finished a tour down the east coast. They will be supporting Adam Green from The Moldy Peaches at his Brisbane performance at The Zoo on December 17.

www.myspace.com/snackswithyeo

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Lost Valentinos – The Bismarck (12″ Version) (mp3)

Their stand-out 2007 single ’17 Deaths’ showed a move away from their indie roots to embrace a more dance-oriented aesthetic and feel. Now, Lost Valentinos have made those dancefloor aspirations even more transparent with the release of their latest single ‘The Bismarck’ as a 12″ with a handful of glorious remixes.

The song itself is a great number that shows why crossing over to dance territory doesn’t necessarily signal a dissolution of artistic integrity. Whilst still accessible, ‘The Bismarck’ has almost as much in common with Can’s krautrock digressions as it does with modern dance-pop kings The Rapture. Dark and dense, the incessant beat keeps the song progressing through the moody mire they have concocted alongside reknowned Berlin-based producer Ewan Pearson. Without a traditional verse/chorus structure, the song is directed by the tight groove of the rhythm section that weaves its way between the different segments of the song. Fantastic.

Lost Valentinos – The Bismarck (Knife Machine Remix) (mp3)

Knife Machine is actually Jono and Pat from Lost Valentinos in their electronic side-project mode. Their version introduces a straight up house beat, distorted synth bass and filtered break-downs that move ‘The Bismarck’ firmly into the realm of dance music. I’ll avoid making any solid comparisons to in-style French house remixes, though they do make for a good point of reference.

Lost Valentinos – The Bismarck (Canyons Remix) (mp3)

The Canyons remix makes the original sound like something lifted off Swedish duo The Knife’s last album by adding an even more sinister electronic vibe to proceedings. A quality remix that genuinely adds to the original.

www.myspace.com/lostvalentinos

www.myspace.com/theknifemachine

www.myspace.com/thecanyonsinfo

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Lions At Your Door – ‘Shake It’ (mp3)

Sydney’s Lions At Your Door have constructed possibly the catchiest verse of the year with just a handful of words, some aggressive organ and a driving, hypnotic hi-hat. ‘Shake It’ echoes the naivety and simplicity of early pop but is updated for the modern indie dancefloor with a rhythm section to rival early Liars recordings and some subtle guitar work that adds a hint of darkness to this gem of a song.

The pro-dance sentiment of the lyrics is only heightened through the relentless beat and energy that bleeds through the speakers. This song does nothing if not make you want to jump around.

This is not meant to sound reductive – ‘Shake It’ is a quality composition that refuses to rely just on its dancefloor potential. Though its lyrics are simple and straightforward, they intentionally obscure the intelligence and precision of arrangement and performance that underscores them.

I’m so keen on this song. Definitely looking forward to hearing more from these guys.

www.myspace.com/lionsatyourdoor

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Seekae – ‘Snax’

Sydney three piece Seekae (pronounced C.K.) are a tough band to pigeonhole musically. Using a variety of sounds – including synthesizers, glockenspiels and spoons – they create simple, experimetal(ish) and oft-gorgeous downbeat instrumental hip-hop.

The above track is taken from their (self funded and produced) debut record, The Sound of Trees Falling on People.

http://www.myspace.com/seekaemusic

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Major Major – ‘The Beast’

This song’s been doing the rounds on music blogs lately – and rightly so. It’s a great slice of indie pop from a band who, when I saw them only twelve months ago, seemed incapable of producing something so professionally bold and catchy (which is a glowing appraisal of their progression and not a back-handed compliment).

‘The Beast’ combines a strong, stuttering back beat, stereo guitars and the odd ‘group chanted’ vocal to elevate its modest melody into near-anthemic territory. In addition to their penchant for effective embellishments, the band are fortunately also adept at knowing when to drop the bells and whistles. At various times throughout ‘The Beast,’ both dynamics are on display and work well when played off against each other. Adrian Slattery’s smooth and consistent voice contrasts nicely with the distorted guitars but is also, in itself, rough and emotive enough to avoid transgressing into dull competency. Perhaps the coolest thing about this song, and the best indicator of its success, is that it would sound equally at home in both small clubs and large stadiums.

Chances are that you’ve seen this song floating about already. Even if you have, you should listen to it again – it keeps getting better. I swear.

http://www.myspace.com/thisismajormajor

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Crayon Fields – ‘Mirror Ball’

Here’s something new from Crayon Fields – their first 7”, and our first taste of their second record (due 2009).

‘Mirrorball’ is delicate do-wop from one of Melbourne’s most revered guitar pop ensembles. Try not to feel giddy when Geoff O’Connor (songwriter and shyest man in Australian music) sings, “I look at you and suddenly I’m a virgin” (who are these people that have love songs written about them anyway?)

www.myspace.com/thecrayonfields

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Ben Lee – ‘Yoko Ono’

Figured I’d get this one up quickly.

So, new Ben Lee. It seems like this guy hasn’t taken a break in the last four years.

His latest song, ‘Yoko Ono,’ is from his upcoming album The Rebirth of Venus (released Feb 7th) and continues Lee’s obsession with straight-forward pop songs filled with rolling, unassuming hooks. Acoustic guitars, quirky lyrics, and a double-tracked chorus keep this song within the sweet-pop aesthetics he’s mastered with ‘Catch My Disease’ et al.

Though perhaps not as successful as some previous outings, ‘Yoko Ono’ still sees Lee continue to strive for the perfect pop song he’s been trying to write for on his past three albums. He’s come pretty close before. Maybe there’ll be a revelation somewhere on the album. ‘Yoko Ono’ may not be it, but it’s still likely to be as contagious as previous outings.

www.ben-lee.com

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