The Greeks.

Ahh the days of being a kid. Remember playing war games with your toy guns pretending you were in the middle of some battlefield? Well thanks to some crafty animation and one very creative video clip, those days have come to life once again. Possibly my favourite clip of 2011, so many good memories to accompany a great song by Is Tropical in The Greeks. Enjoy.

Update.

So incase you haven't noticed, over the past month I've been pretty much over this whole blogging thing. Yes, I've still listened to many hundred songs in that time but sometimes the effort to sit down, write about them and post them just all sounds like too much. So here it is, in an effort to please my four dedicated readers per day who for some unbeknown reason have persisted with this blog, I bring you an update.

That pretty face belongs to Melbourne's own Owl Eyes (aka Brooke Addamo). The 20yo singer/songwriter is onto something with her dreamy, intelligent indie-pop that has so far seen her release two highly successful EPs. Whilst I wasn't huge on the Faces EP, new song Raiders has seen her produce a far more matured sound and has definitely won me over. The clip was released today, and sees her capture the breezy and catchy vibe of the song perfectly. The fact that she's incredibly cute doesn't do her much harm either. Look out for her at The Espy this Friday 10th June, and all over the radio no doubt!

Groovin' the Moo @ Bendigo Showgrounds (30/04/11)

Bringing a complete review together of a music festival is a tough job at the best times. Mix in a whole lot of alcohol and some very hazy memories, and the job becomes a tad more difficult. And with that in mind here it is, my attempt to review an epic day that was Groovin the Moo 2011, or parts of it at least.

New Music.

So I realise it's been a while in between posts, mainly because I've been lazy but also because I've been busy moving to the party capital of Victoria in Mildura. Anyway, somewhere amongst my hectic schedule I've found some new tunes to listen to.

The first is by newly formed band Cat's Eyes. If you recognise the vocals it's because the guy is Faris Badwan, lead singer from The Horrors. Bit of a darker tune but I'm just loving the harmonies of the overlying chorus sung by the relatively unknown Rachel Zeffira, apparently a renowned opera soprano and classical multi-instrumentalist. Hmm. Good tune anyway and thanks to Zan Rowe for the tip!

 Cat's Eyes - Face in the Crowd 

New music from UK band Cults has been doing the rounds on the blogosphere also. You might remember their track Go Outside from my list of last year's top 100 songs. They play a simple yet unique brand of 60s-inspired indie pop and it's just fun to listen to. This is newest track Abducted, and will be on the forthcoming debut release in June this year. Wait for it to really kick in around the 40 second mark.

 Abducted by cultscultscults 

And finally, to make up for the lack of posts over the past two weeks here's a new track from seasoned indie act Metronomy. Their latest release 'The English Riviera' has so far seen the band produce a more chilled sound but still of the highest quality. This is The Look. I remember being a bit indifferent at first but give it a few listens and it will definitely grow on you! You can also check out the video here.

 Metronomy - The Look  

new arctic monkeys.

You've gotta love the Arctic Monkeys. The band sure as hell know how to create hype around their releases, and even though 'Humbug' wasn't everyone's cup of tea the excitement building around forthcoming album 'Suck It and See' is hard to ignore. Okay, it's terribly titled, but give the guys a break. This is the first official single off it in Don't Sit Down Cause I've Moved Your Chair, and since yesterday's release it's been played over 160,000 times on the band's Soundcloud page alone.

Whilst it's a bit darker than the shambolic indie rock most of their fans are yearning after, it's certainly promising and will no doubt grow on you with each listen. 'Suck It and See' is out June 7 worldwide.

Update: Arctic Monkey's have mysteriously removed the song from the band's Soundcloud page. Here's the official clip instead :)

Groovin the moo map & set times

The set times and maps for regional Australia's biggest music festival Groovin the Moo have finally been released! Whilst many would be hoping that organisers have learned their lesson after last year's debacle, the latest release makes me think that may be wishful thinking. One has to question the idea of starting festival drawcard The Jezabels at 12.35pm, with once again only a single entry point for the thousands who will no doubt rock up at or around Midday. Oh well, the one major change they have appeared to make is renaming the Myspace stage to 'The Udder Stage'. Hmmm. Here's to hoping my cynicism is proven wrong!

You can check out the set times for Bendigo here. Stay tuned for a full review after the festival.

I think I'm in love.

far from home, all alone, but we're so happy

No prizes for guessing here, I'm speaking of Icelandic band Of Monsters & Men. You'll perhaps remember that I posted a recorded home video for their track Little Talks a while back, one that has been on repeat on my computer and I dare say yours for quite sometime. Hell, I refuse to believe anyone can listen to that song and not instantly fall in love. Well they're back again, and again I seem to have fallen for them. Their perfect blend of indie folk has me singing along, smiling and enjoying music like I never knew I could.

After exercising my googling skills to the full extent, here's a newish track of theirs called From Finner. Whilst it's a tad more stripped-back than its predecessor, it contains everything that makes them sound so damn good from the first listen. Can't wait to hear more from these guys, enjoy them before they get the inevitable popularity they deserve.