Song to watch
Throughout much of April it was very much the locals who shone the brightest, with killer new releases from Voltaire Twins, Messrs, Rufus and Jonathan Boulet. However, the end of April has brought us some brilliant music from overseas as well. Some of the standouts were Electric Guest, the new Nas track, another local in Owl Eyes, and this purely awesome little number.
The UK duo (although one is a Swede), Punks Jump Up have teamed up with the familiar soothing voice of Dave 1 from Chromeo. This track is everything that it needs to be; It is a very catchy song that will brighten up your day and, mainly thanks to the vocals, it starts with a lot of energy, which builds up and carries right through the song.
Punks Jump Up feat. Dave 1 – Mr. Overtime
HOT TIP: Go out and get Sydney lass Catcall’s new album ‘The Warmest Place’ when it comes out on May 4. I managed to get my hands on a copy and I cannot stop listening, every track is golden. Trust me, it will replace the void left by Ladyhawke and her lacklustre new album.
Best Video Clip
You all should have at least heard about Van She’s brilliant new single ‘Idea of Happiness’ by now so I don’t really need to speak too much about it, apart from discussing the clip. The accompanying film clip was unexpectedly weird, which I wouldn’t have gone with, but really works magically for the story that it tells, check it out below. Because I did blog about this song last month and because I was too torn to decide between them, Sydney band Rufus share best video for April.
Van She – Idea of Happiness
Rufus – This Summer
Since the track ‘Paris Collides’ that they released last year I have had my eye on Rufus, so I was very glad to get a copy of their latest EP BLUE. It is a dark and enthralling release that I am very fond of, with the stand out tracks being ‘Selena’ and the lead single ‘This Summer.’ The video for ‘This Summer’ is equally dark, haunting and enthralling as the song itself, making for an excellent combination by somehow making a party scene give you goosebumps.
Most favourable news
The most favourable announcement to hit our shores for some time is the Splendour in the Grass 2012 line-up announcement. I’m sure some people’s mouths are still wide open and plenty more people are still drooling at this. Splendour organisers have really gone all out for this years incarnation of the Byron Bay festival.
Bloc Party, the newly reformed At The Drive-In, Explosions In The Sky, Dirty Three and The Kooks will all be performing exclusively as part of the bill. Then there’s the return of some act we had started to forget about like Spiderbait, Gypsy & the Cat, The Beautiful Girls, Shihad, Wolfmother and Missy Higgins. In addition to this there are a bunch of newer artists and also familiar faces that will no doubt appease, such as Kimbra, DZ Deathrays, Big Scary, Pond, Yacht Club DJs, Emma Louise, Miike Snow, Muscles, Smashing Pumpkins, Yuksek, Ball Park Music and Zulu Winter. Plus, a selected crop of upcoming electronic artists and DJs with Gloves, Beni, Nina Las Vegas, Luke Million, Parachute Youth and Flume.
Did I mention it will be awesome? Didn’t have to. Yeah that’s pretty self explanatory, which is probably why every single type of ticket had sold out in a record 43 minutes. Devs.
Remix discovery
Matt & Kim – Block After Block (Punches Remix)
Brooklyn boy Punches brings the goods for this rework of fellow Brooklynites Matt & Kim with a relaxed, summery dance vibe. Probably influenced more by indie than dance music, Punches perfectly underpins this track with plenty of airy synths and verb creating a feeling that would go perfectly accompanied by drinks on a sunny Sunday afternoon. A free download from Punches’ soundcloud is recommended.
Black Strobe – Italian Fireflies (Reflex Remix)
This tune has been out for a couple of months now but I’ve only just discovered it thanks to Rec Room Blog and it’s one of those memorable instrumental tracks that you want to keep listening to over and over again. The somewhat old school Black Strobe track has been given a true Reflex revamp with some huge electro-disco energy. This track may not be for everyone, but if you are keen on it, you can download all 7 glorious minutes from Reflex’ soundcloud page.
Blog to check out
http://fivefourentertainment.com.au/
5/4 are a promotions company from Adelaide, because of this they talk about a lot of their own shows, but they do put on some pretty awesome shows. However, they don’t just make posts with their own interests at heart, they also post good music. Whether it be a single or video from a heavyweight, a little known band from Perth, an upcoming artist from the states or a tour announcement, my musical tastes are usually pretty on par with what they find. They are also really relevant, which should go without saying, but the amount of blogs out there posting material ages after it has come out this is a big plus. So make sure you like them on facebook as well because their feeds will enlighten you. Their only flaw is really the Rihanna/Drake post that they did a little while ago, but we can forgive them for that.
Featured local band
Archie
Named after singer songwriter Annabelle’s dog, Archie are making their own mark in Adelaide. With quirky, soulful and catchy indie tunes, these are definitely one of the local artists that will no doubt be falling onto people’s ‘next big thing’ lists sometime soon. The songs are undoubtedly driven by the strong, flowing melodies of the female voice but the music itself is nothing but standard. The unique mix of retro sounding synths over what would otherwise be a casual guitar jam certainly catches your attention, this paired with some interesting chord changes almost make them sound like a happier, less boring Jezabels. I think they are taking a little break right now but they have been a busy little band so far this year so I’m sure they will be playing again regularly soon. Until they do have some more shows on the radar again however, make sure you suss the songs on their facebook bandpage and do the mandatory facebook ‘like’ just in case they drop something new.
El Mirador 