The Peep Tempel – ‘Thank You Machiavelli’

‘Thank You Machiavelli’ is a meaty slice of indie-punk from this duo (which I assume consists of drums and guitars, but this is unconfirmed). Either way, you know those duos that just sort of rock out. DZ comes to mind, but judging from the above photo The Peep Tempel have quite a few years on those lads. This is loud and boisterous with plenty of shouting, cymbals and distortion. With a  decent tune and enough energy it’s hard to completely fuck up this genre, but The Peep Tempel go one further and deliver a playful, vibrant performance of the song.

www.myspace.com/peeptempel

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Joysticks – ‘Purple Berries’ (Demo)

I was only just the other day introduced to the joy of Joysticks, but I know Jerry’s been a fan for a while. They’ve sent through their latest demo and it’s another promising sign for the young band. ‘Purple Berries’ is a bit rough and sparse in this form, but the song’s minimalist bass-line and barely-there beat lends itself to such an aesthetic. The sweet backing vox are a fun, but the intentionally sloppy acoustic non-solo is a personal highlight here. It has the right things in the right places and makes for a fun listen.

www.myspace.com/joysticksmusic

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Steering By Stars – ‘Closer’

I don’t know much about these guys except that they’re seemingly from Adelaide and have at least one really beautiful track in the vein of recent Decoder Ring. After a frantic opening, ‘Closer’ morphs into a contemplative, piano-led number that doesn’t just hinge its success as a post-rock composition on a predictable, impending crescendo, but actually turns the ‘calm before the storm’ into something of a storm itself.

Apparently they’ll also have an album out by the end before relocating to Iceland (NB: the latter is still unconfirmed, but would definitely add cred).

www.myspace.com/steeringbystars

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COMPANY HOUNDS from Papa Vs Pretty on Vimeo.

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Wolfmother – ‘New Moon Rising’ (YATCH Remix)

It’s pretty easy to hate on Wolfmother these days. Everyone seems to be doing it and, to be honest, what I’ve heard from their latest album hasn’t much interested me either. That said, latest single ‘New Moon Rising’ has now become a summery disco hit at the hands of Portland’s YATCH.

This is kinda the jam. Perhaps Andrew Stockdale is ripe for an electro makeover a la Luke Steele.

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Witch Hats – ‘Check The Centre’

Witch Hats’ debut was full of equal parts spiky and sludgy post-punk and it won them plenty of praise amongst bloggers back in 2007. Their new EP is a mix of tighter compositions and looser performances, at times sounding fairly coarse but generally complementing the songs well. As the band themselves say, ‘Check The Centre’ and its unwavering two-note plod of a verse is the closest thing to a single they’ve yet produced and it’s surprisingly catchy. It won’t be for everyone, but if you get through to the chorus then it’s hard to not get hooked.

www.myspace.com/witchhats

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