Super legendary producer Flood, who’s been working with the newly emigrated Londoners-via-New Zealand Cut Off Your Hands, recently raised frontman Nick Johnston on the same pedestal as Bono. That’s pretty high praise.

And this song is reeeeal catchy. Glorious pop.

http://www.myspace.com/cutoffyourhands 

First taste from the brand new Cut Copy album In Ghost Colours, slated for release in March.

http://www.cutcopy.net
http://www.myspace.com/cutcopy

The Dirty Secrets – ‘Lighthouse’

Perth synth rockers sends us their brand new song, hot off the mastering studio. The singer’s rather unusual singing voice fits quite well with the groove, this song sounds like it’s ripe for remixing.

www.myspace.com/thedirtysecrets

Machine Translations – ‘You’ll Change’ (mp3)

Bedroom musical maestro J. Walker has been making sounds under the moniker Machine Translations since 1997. For many, though, he first bleeped onto the musical radar with his 2002 album Happy and the quirk-pop of ‘She Wears A Mask’.

Since then, his brand of abstract pop has never seemed to gain the collective attention like ‘She Wears A Mask’ did. But he’s made a name for himself as a deft producer, lending his skills to other musicians, and the construction and composition of his own tunes are testaments to J’s incredible musical ear.

However, his singing voice isn’t strong enough to carry his own straight-foward pop songs, which ‘You’ll Change’ demonstrates. Built around simple open acoustic guitar chords, when J’s required to drive the song forward with the vocals, it stagnates. Subtlety in the layering of instruments help give ‘You’ll Change’ enough variety for its noticably short 2:30 duration, which makes it a good song, but not a great one. It’s no ‘She Wears A Mask’.

http://www.machinetranslations.org
http://www.myspace.com/machinetranslations

Pnau – ‘Embrace’

This track features one of the most exciting feature up and coming talent Pip Brown aka Ladyhawke, originally New Zealand. Another great cut from one of the best albums to come out in 2007. If you are not yet convinced on how much of a talent Ladyhawke, well you’re a fool.

http://www.myspace.com/pnaupnau

A week or so ago I managed to catch one of the most-hyped bands going round the Sydney scene at the moment, Cassette Kids, at Candy’s Apartment. Expecting an audience full of Mogans I was surprised to find a small but passionate crowd of CK fans getting their groove on.

I really dig Cassette Kids’ Klaxons-meets-YYYs brand of post punk / indie rock. and it was good to hear it in a live context. I still think they’ve got a little way to go with their performance, as the lack of charisma made parts of the set seem a bit cold and distanced the band from those watching, but those skills will come in time.

http://www.myspace.com/cassettekids

Oh man, bluejuice are the funniest, and most insane, band in Australia. Another hilarious filmclip by these funksters, they had to sky-jump three times while lip-synching the words to their new single ‘The Reductionist’. This is the result.

http://www.bluejuice.info
http://www.myspace.com/bluejuice