Boy and Bear – ‘The Storm’ (mp3)

Boy & Bear – If The Shins and Fleet Foxes made babies..

Sydney singer/songwriter Dave Hosking has taken a slight change of direction with his new outfit Boy & Bear. Releasing his first EP ‘Marmalade Hill’ late last year, Hosking has decided to abandon the songs from the album (which I was still rather fond of…) and start fresh, writing towards a more mature and original sound. Producer of the first EP, Andrew Macken, has proven to be a great collaborator with his intricate and almost narrative based approach to the arrangement and production. On the bands first single ‘The Storm’, Hosking’s vocals are superb, slowly building throughout the track to release with the heart warming vocal harmonies, while the guitar motif provides an interesting counterpoint melody.

Judging from what this young Sydney band have offered so far, I’m excited to hear the rest.

www.myspace.com/boyandbearmusic

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Joysticks – ‘Your House’ demo

There’s a lot of new bands that I wish I’ve seen live in Sydney but never had the chance to. I did however get to see  Joysticks in show mode recently twice in a short amount of time, both occassions in Spectrum. Which is funny because they remind me of a younger Red Riders I saw five years ago, at the opening night party of the rock institution that is Spectrum on Oxford St. This recording don’t really show it that well, but it’s obvious to see that we’re gonna be hearing from these guys a lot more in the near future.

www.myspace.com/joysticksmusic

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Washington – ‘Cement’ (Exclusive)

Megan Washington is the voice behind these coarsely caramel croonings, and the deft fingers behind the soaring piano crescendoes that are the plinth of this dark but catchy tune. Megan’s spontaneous collaborations from New York to Lisbon to providing the vocals on a popular Bamboos cover of ‘King of the Rodeo’ by Kings of Leon, coupled with her cloak and dagger past as a successful jazz artist, have meant she does well out of the odd google search. Now with winners like ‘Cement’ and ‘Clementine‘, she’s paving the way for all round triumph with her eponymous band Washington.

You can catch Megan on the tail end of her whothehell.net-presented tour, tomorrow night at the Sydney Opera House. Nab tickets here before it’s too late.

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The Scare – ‘Could Be Bad’

There’s quite a few good tracks on the new Scare album, I’ve had this one for a good few weeks now and it’s still on the playlist so that’s saying something!

www.myspace.com/thescare

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Kid Sam – ‘A Black Ant (mp3)

KID SAM!.. Ain’t for kids.

With their self titled album released in March, Kid Sam have steadily gained more attention with every move, securing support and airplay from Triple J’s Zan Rowe, and currently touring the country with Sydney troubadour Jack Ladder.
Drawing from influences as seemingly obvious as Radiohead and Pivot, Kid Sam have ventured on to create a unique aesthetic that lands somewhere between minimal folk and post rock, while never straying too far from the pop sensibilities that make the songs so enjoyable. Vocalist Kieran Ryan’s blend of evocative melodies and abstract lyrical approach is engaging from start to finish, with Kishore Ryan filling out the percussive instrumentation with everything from pots to pans. This Melbourne 2 piece have produced a collection of beautifully crafted songs, each as different as the last.

Goes well on a Sunday afternoon.

www.myspace.com/kidsamband

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AXXONN – The Second Death (featuring Mark ‘Jacko’ Jackson) from Tom Hall on Vimeo.

www.myspace.com/axxonn1

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Closure In Moscow – ‘At Night At The Spleen’ (mp3)

When Melbourne lads ‘Closure in Moscow’ announced that they were packing their bags and heading to the US it’s fair to say that there were a few sceptics. However since making the move the guys have been making headway and proving themselves to be one of Australia’s most successful exports of late.

After signing to the widely respected label Equal Visions (home of bands such as Circa Survive and The Fall of Troy) and releasing their highly anticipated debut album ‘First Temple’, the boys have been impressing crowds all across America while playing festivals such as Bamboozle and touring with some of the biggest American punk acts. The success the guys have been having abroad hasn’t been forgotten back home with their first single ‘Sweet#hart’ being the most played track on Triple J in the week of its release.

With songs that are laced in the amazing guitar work of Michael Barret and fronted by the impressive vocal range of singer Chris DeCinque it’s not hard to see why people are quickly taking to Closure in Moscow’s unique sound – but don’t take my word for it, check out this track and see for yourself!

www.myspace.com/closureinmoscow

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