mcArtney – ‘Circles’

Having toured almost relentlessly playing in other people’s bands, mcArtney (a.k.a. Tim McArtney) sat down with his Apple Macbook and spilled out his own musical thoughts, coalesced them all together and he now presents us with his debut EP, Volume One. Taking lead from subtle folk/pop artists like Josh Pyke and Augie March, Tim’s songs are sutiably bare; sometimes garnished with a glockenspiel, or cello, or, in the case of ‘At Least I Think I Know’, some extra vocals in the form of Dead Letter Chorus’ lady wonder Gabby Huber.

‘Circles’ is the first single from the EP, and encapsulates what mcArtney is all about: narrative vocals based around sweet acoustic guitar melodies, but ornamented with a spattering of percussion and tinkling glockenspiel.

http://www.mcartneymusic.com
http://www.myspace.com/mcartney

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My Disco - ‘You Came To Me Like a Cancer Lain Dormant Until it Blossomed Like a Rose’

Naming themselves after a Big Black song, it was only time before My Disco entered a studio session helmed by Steve Albini. Paradise, their second album after 2006′s Cancer, is a far more sparse and minimal affair than its predecessor. Just check out ‘You Came To Me Like a Cancer Lain Dormant Until it Blossomed Like a Rose’ (which may be the longest title of any song we’ve ever blogged about, disregarding the gigantically-titled KIM remix Jerry posted a week or so ago) which barely has any vocals and it’d be lucky if it had more than two chords.

http://www.mydisco.com.au
http://www.myspace.com/mdband

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The Third Cycle - ‘Brand New’

Something brand new (HA, my puns are AMAZING!) from Sydney kids The Third Cycle. ‘Brand New’ comes from their debut EP Pressing Sound which, if you’re hanging around Sydney city on Friday night, they’re launching at a new venue at Luna Park called Sonar.

http://www.myspace.com/thethirdcycle

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ii – ‘Tropes’

Alex Nosek and Jon Tjhia, two guys from Melbourne, are ii - an abstract, sometimes improvised, outfit that combines the ambience of Boards of Canada and the unpredictability of Triosk with abstract drones and the occasional pop-tastic moment. Attempting to define ii is a fairly redundant task, and their latest concoction, Landlakes, is a minimal nocturnal soundtrack for back alleyways with flickering neon lights and candlelit, aromatic lounge rooms. Sparse and cerebral, Landlakes is the Dali of abstract music.

http://www.myspace.com/iitunes

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The Hot Box - ’Riot’

In the throes of a current Lions At Your Door fixation, I donned my deerstalker hat and embarked upon some sleuthing, under the guise of intrepid journalism. I was on a mission. A quest, if you will.

That mission (or quest) was to uncover the Mystery of the Pseudonym Frontwoman. Who is this soulful-voiced Cookie that fronts Lions At Your Door? Thus I plunged headfirst into the rabbit hole that is Google…

This all sounds much more stalker-ish that it actually is, but what I find out is that Cookie, whose name is Marihuzka Larenas, also fronts (or has fronted, the MySpace isn’t all too clear) The Hot Box, a stripped raw, blues rock outfit, much in the vein of The Stooges but with vocals akin to The Bell Rays or Gossip. I don’t really know too much about them, but I thought this would make an interesting blog. Though that’s for you to decide.

Either way, ‘Riot’ is the only song of theirs I could get my hands on, so do with it what you will.

http://www.myspace.com/getintothehotbox

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http://www.abandcalledironon.com
http://www.myspace.com/ironon

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The perpetually fucking cool, always dapper Nick Cave and his band of merry men, The Bad Seeds, return with the title track from their brand new album; the first since 2004′s Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus. This is classic tounge-in-cheek Cave. Love it.

http://www.nickcaveandthebadseeds.com
http://www.myspace.com/nickcaveandthebadseeds

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Lions At Your Door - ‘LAYD (Mailer Daemon Mix)’ (mp3)

Visceral and thumping, ‘LAYD’ was a vociferous opening statement that was more startling than an unexpected punch to the back of the head. Lions At Your Door, you funky, foot-loose bastards. ‘LAYD’ went straight onto infinite repeat on my iPod and in my head. I love the 3 minute mark in the song when catastrophy ensues.

Remixes of indie bands are ubiquitous these days so they can be fairly banal but Mailer Daemon has done a great job in turning these dance-punk rockers into salacious dancefloor drawcards, giving a Gossip-esque feel to ‘LAYD’. Heavy on the hi-hats, processors and moments of electro-freakout, there was so much indie gold on offer with the original that it would be really hard to fuck it up. But here’s another song that’s going straight onto my iPod.

http://www.myspace.com/lionsatyourdoor

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Brilliant Fanzine - ‘Change For You’

Tinkling piano flanks this Britpop-tinged number from Melbournites Brilliant Fanzine. Totalling a mammoth seven members means ‘Change For You’ is garnered with a lush instrumental bed which Matt O’Neill’s creamy, harmonised vocals can lay on. They try and mix some difficult elements, like pop and hallucinogenic noise breakdowns, but somehow it works in the heat of the moment. Around the 2 minute mark, the electric guitars and synths go spastic while the acoustic guitar strums along oblivious to the chaos. It’s Elastica, Blur and Bends-era Radiohead sandwiched together. Rather tasty too.

http://www.myspace.com/brilliantfanzine

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Des Miller - ‘Lucy’

Melancholic and reflective, ‘Lucy’ is Des Miller at his most narrative, assuming the role of storyteller about our titular protagonist who’s the victim of some bad shit, though what it is is never clear. “Time wounds all heals, but pain remains,” Des sings with ardent emotion and crackling falsetto notes. “Close your eyes and make it go away.” The circular rhymths and steel-guitar riffs conjures up images of driving along empty highways; the slide guitar the sound of dry desert winds blowing in through the open window. A folk song should always spin a good yarn, especially one with a country inflection. This is Western saloon music at its best. Grab a whiskey and settle in.

http://www.myspace.com/desmiller

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