Pnau – ‘Baby’

The hot industry story this week is that while Elton John was in the country to do his Rocket Man tour, he chanced upon hearing a Pnau song, fell in love with it, and instructed his husband to buy 40 copies of PNAU‘s third album so he can send them off to his musician friends back in England and urged record label types around the world to get involved with this album. A modern fairy tale? Perhaps. But I finally received a copy of this album and I have to say it’s really fresh. It is really very creative and sound different from any other Australian releases around and can do really well overseas if pushed the right way. There are a few tracks that I could feature here, but I picked the one with the childlike sing-a-long vocals. This track blend nicely into the next one on the album ‘We Have Tomorrow’. There are numerous other guest vocalists on this album like Nik Valentinos and Luke Steele of the Sleepy Jackson, won’t be too long before we blog those.

www.myspace.com/pnaupnau

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Sparkadia – ‘Animals’

Sparkadia’s new song has been getting a flogging on national broadcaster Triple J, this recording a result of their recent trip to the UK to record an album with Ark Recordings. It’s well recorded and easy on the ears but I don’t really find it as catchy as their older songs, which I really hope are rerecorded and saved as future singles for the album.

www.myspace.com/sparkadia

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Mammal – ‘Slaves’

Rarely has an artist got it so right live, but so wrong in the studio. With the various acts that Ezekiel Ox – the vocalist with only one speed: ludicrous speed – has fronted, their live shows have always been testosterone-driven sweat-fests of rock ‘n’ roll bravado. Full Scale, or more succinctly Ox, knew how to whip a crowd into a frenzy. It’s no wonder they picked up a deal in the U.S. of A. But it’s also no surprise it didn’t work either – and the disintegration of the band has been put into writing by former bass player Rob Kaay.

Picking up the pieces, dusting himself off and getting right back on the horse, Ox found himself a new batch of musicians and together they called themselves Mammal. The first positive thing they did was shed the undercurrent of ’80s theatrics that weaved throughout Full Scale and annoyed the crap out of me everytime I heard one of their overblown riffs.

But what they kept was the intensity – and needless to say, it’s a hard task following these Melbournites when you’re playing with them. But again the music lacked what the live show gave the punters. The songs were OK, but the performance made them awesome. Take away the performance, and the songs are lukewarm at best. It’s probably why Mammal’s first release was a live album.

It’s taken a while, but I think Ezekiel Ox and co. are finally at the turning point. ‘Slaves’ has a punk/funk rock aesthetic with enough intelligence to sustain a 3 minute listening session without needing the band to run riot in front of you. So kudos Mammal for showing me it’s not only showmanship up your sleeve, but the promise that something greater lies ahead.

http://www.mammaltheband.com
http://www.myspace.com/mammaltheband

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Grinderman – ‘Get It On’

Since I last blogged about Nick Cave’s stripped down side project, this album has grown to become one of my favourites of the year. This opening track lays out the intentions of the project, the array of instruments Cave has at his disposal, the tone of songwriting and mood of the narrative throughout the rest of the album. In short, it is the perfect opening song to a pretty great album. One that goes unmentioned in the recent Triple J Album of the Year ‘J’ Award. I wonder if there is some snobbery towards albums made overseas by Australian expats? Who cares really. Listen to this song, it makes you want to listen to the rest of the album. And you should.

www.myspace.com/grinderman

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Die! Die! Die! – ‘Death to The Last Romantic’

New Zealand noisemakers Die! Die! Die! return with a new song off a new album Promises! Promises! They are playing a few Big Days Out and then heading to South by South West yet again to try their luck in the US.

www.myspace.com/diediedienz

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www.myspace.com/thepresets 

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Riot In Belgium – ‘La Musique’ Ooee & Loot Remix

Melbourne Serato expert Ooee teams up with his mate Loot to remix another Melbourne duo, Riot in Belgium. This club staple track just keeps on going..

www.myspace.com/djoohee

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