it's the start of the end

Cullen - Easily Impressed
Mr Cullen here, who hails from Melbourne, cites Phoenix, Daft Punk, The Beatles and Weezer amongst others as his influences. Debut single Easily Impressed has an intro with Daft Punk-ish synths for a solid backing rhythm. His sweet boppy voice fits the confession of a song to a T, especially in the repeated chorus. A sweet package all in all, his off kilter pop sensibilities in the vein of Phoenix would definitely appeal to the masses.

Grizzly Bear - Foreground (Phoenix Remix)
This has got to be either the smartest or the laziest idea Phoenix has come up with. I think I'd go with the former. Just follow the instructions as said. Personally, I liked what I tried on my first try. I started Foreground when Canon in D Major reached 1:00. Canon in D Major is a slow and classical piece which totally melds into the piano backed masterpiece, where Daniel Rossen holds fort. Brilliant idea, really.

Crystal Castles - Baptism
Permission to go ape over this song please. Been quite a while since we've heard from CC. It's mind blowingly catchy with 8bit synths, warpy vocals that can't be deciphered, deep bass beat that goes thump thump in your head. Delish.

Kinema - My Girls (Animal Collective Cover)
I'm loving this cover by Kinema, and according to themselves, they sound like "really good". I've got to agree with them, though it seems to have polarised opinion on youtube. Uber dancey rendition of AC favourite, My Girls.

Kinema - Let's Get To It
Groovy downtempo electronica (of sorts), this trio quote Giorgio Moroder, Aeroplane, Erlend Oye as influences. Also imbued are certain poppy hooks that are so damn infectious, they seem to be destined for bigger things.

50 Favourite Songs of 2009: Part I

Merry Christmas to all my readers (a very small number I suppose). Well, for the next five days including today, I will be doing a feature 50 Favourite Songs of 2009. It will be divided into 5 parts, 10 songs for each day. Why I'm not doing a ranked list - it's because I don't think I have that discerning a ear yet to rank the songs, and personally for me, good music is good music, there's no real need to rank them. Besides, it's gonna be a real huge headache trying to rank 50 songs, and the best ones at that, what with all the good music dropped this year. So, the 50 songs listed in this feature are my favourite songs for 2009, and are in no particular order.

Thought to self: To actually just fit 50 songs is gonna be crazy, I mean, I don't even know where to start. Gotta thank my procrastinating self, I knew I should have started earlier.

Muse - Resistance
The almost title track of the album, immediately reminded me of 2006's Starlight from "Black Holes and Revelations". The short piano-infused intro bears slight resemblance, and that chorus of "it could be wrong, could be wrong...." mildly reminiscent of "hold you in my arms/i just wanted to hold/you in my arms". A balladic rock anthem taking it's place amongst my Muse favourites such as Time Is Runnng Out, Starlight, Map of the Problematique, Knights of Cydonia amongst others.

official, myspace, last.fm


Kings of Convenience - Boat Behind
How is anyone not to enjoy their brand of laid back acoustic songs that totally lull you into singing along and feeling so good? Well, that's this Norwegian duo for you.

official, myspace, last.fm


Animal Collective - My Girls
My Girls is almost a compendium of sounds that can be used from the synths. Ok, it's an exaggeration, but clearly, a myriad of electronic sounds can be heard in the song at any point in time. Psychedelic euphoria at best, electronic noise at worst, much has been said of AC's much vaunted single from "Merriweather Post Pavillion". However, I believe that detractors are far too few and in between, and with a well produced song as such, it's not hard to see why. Approaching new grounds and yet retaining some elements of old, this will clearly remain a favourite for the years to come.

official, myspace, last.fm


Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks
Four of them looking goody-two-shoes, glowing even brighter than the early morning sun. Before long, sparks are flying and their heads catch fire. The same can be said of the song, hot out of the studio, the album leaked amid the hype surrounding "Veckatimest". The song building up gently with the keyboard and some choir-like vocals. Sounding almost like a church-choir, the song seems to be crawling out from under it's shelter, stretching well and good before hitting the ground running. It's apt that when they start off with a lilting "whoa-oh-whoa-oh-whoa-oh", they hit their stride midway with "whoa-oh-whoa-oh-whoa-oh", the fragmented phrases Ed Droste sings of distance and love, fall in place nicely; like the end where their heads burst into fire, one can bask in the song's full aural glory.

official, myspace, last.fm


Reverie Sound Revue - Walking Around Waiting Downtown
A really fantastic song set to a poor video. I mean, a very fast-forwarded Harry Potter? Lisa's well toned voice sings of something most people do everyday, literally of walking around and waiting downtown. A suitably paced song filled with ambient sounds, they do not feel like they're rushing through anything, taking their time with the song, walking and waiting. RSR have a delight that never fails to set one in a good contemplative mood.

official, myspace, last.fm


Simian Mobile Disco - Cruel Intentions (feat. Beth Ditto)
When you have a song featuring Beth Ditto of Gossip, you know you're gonna have a song with solid vocals that's not going to let you down. Someone of her stature with
a duo who are known for their heavily stylised tracks, you can immediately turn up the dial and start grooving. SMD's background arrangements are nearly outdone by her vocals, but with deadly hooks like that, they go head to head with each other; at times competing yet complementing each other, it's one pretty good dance song.

official, myspace, last.fm


The Black Atlantic - Madagascar
This little known group hailing from Groningen, Netherlands leaves us wanting more with a pleasant, affectionate track titled Madagascar. I've not been to Madagascar, but if this song embodies what this country is about, I can perfectly envision a quaint country with so many little things to love. A particular line in this acoustic number keeps returning to me, because it seems so apt "whether man needs the lie like air to survive". I would like to pose this question to myself, but I think I wouldn't be able to find an answer.

official, myspace, last.fm


The Polyamorous Affair - New York City
The track in question is New York City pulled from their album "Bolshevik Disco", so click "full track" and then the play button at the top right hand box. Reminiscent of retro disco, complete with thumping electronic synths, this is pure decadence and lush melodies, nothing short of what you'd expect from glam-pop harkening from the 70s and 80s. They generally have quite short songs, ranging from 2:30 to 3:30, but this is slightly longer at 4:01. Escape into a world of fantasies and soak up the "inspired dance beats of Giorgio Moroder and the raw sexuality of Serge Gainsbourg’s collaborations with vixens, Jane Birkin and Brigitte Bardot, plus a twist of Marc Bolan-esque hooks and Goldfrapp’s technological pagan naturist ways." (as said on last.fm) This husband and wife duo(remember Handsome Furs) are definitely one to keep on your playlist and radar. Why this seems so familiar is because it was from my previous post and I just cut and paste. Sorry for being a little lazy. Hah.

official, myspace, last.fm


Inch Chua - Devotion in Reality
This is actually a link to her official page where you can do a download of the lovely EP of which this track is part of. And shoot me, but I'm reusing the write up of this song from an older post again, partly cause I've got no time, and there's really way too much to write.

Devotion In Reality delves deep into her past, musing about lost love. Of (broken) promises and heartbreak, you realise that this album could be about personal experiences. Well paced, with what sounds like a xylophone(?) in the background, the song slowly introduces you into her world, where the lack of lyrics mid song coincide with the opening to the door into that cosy, intimate world of hers and moves on, as if she's showing you around this wonderful place. I'm reminded of The Little Prince written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, where the title character lives in a really tiny world (actually an asteroid), which is just about as big a house could be.

Listening to it again has made me realise this could be actually a very nice song to listen to if you're all alone on this Christmas where it's supposed to be a day of joy, love and giving.

official, purevolume, last.fm


Au Revoir Simone - Shadows
An emotional song which sees the trio going on about a break up, and how it affects both parties. The keyboards and synths are but only partners in crime in this intimate song. The dulcet yet at times appealingly flat sound of Erika's voice (I think) makes me want so much more.

official, myspace, last.fm

chance and sow, nothing changing

Delphic - Doubt
Remember Delphic? Yes, and they are back. More epic, more intense, more futuristic. As the lyrics come spilling out, an intense gaze burns into your soul, as if etching the lyrics into you. Bullets, bubbles, crystalline shapes and whatnot, slithering over taut beautiful bodies, the various "metallic lifeforms" vibrating to the wicked beat. One is almost reminded of Michael Jackson's metallic glove as the bullet like objects cover one woman's hand. This is definitely gonna be an uber dance floor anthem, taking us humans by storm. The monotone and expressionless faces adds to the allure, and everything culminates in the explosion of these things flying off the bodies.

Missing the life gone by that I have lost/I'm missing the better times that I had lost

The Antlers - Kettering
A brilliant song about a guy who's hired to look after this patient in a hospital, it is littered with vivid descriptions - which evokes desolation right to the very bone. The video is just a collation of photos. But that's where I'm wrong. It is not JUST a collation of photos, but a very elegant and masterful one. A lot of thought must have been put into choosing the photos (the person who uploaded the video is not the person who took the photos). That said, most of the credit must be given to the photographer for the beautiful photos. The song and video doesn't just tug at your heart strings, it resonates deep within your soul, making you wonder how and what could have sparked such loneliness, devoid of hope as the songs tails off with "and i didn't believe them when they told me that there was no saving you."

Sia - You've Changed
Here's some dance from Sia. Not the usual goods from her, but fresh and dancey. It's free too! Click here.

Grizzly Bear - Cheerleader
Damn it, I always have this problem, the last few songs don't get any write up at all cos i always get lazy. It's definitely not because the song isn't good or what, i'm just LAZY. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

it's a fight for one

This will be a short post. Gotta run!

Ladyhawke - Paris Is Burning



The xx - Infinity

Grizzly Bear - About Face

Sonic Youth - Antenna


Edit: It's been 4 days since Blogger emailed me about this post, and so far they haven't replied to clarify anything, it's frustrating when I'm pretty sure I've not done anything wrong and am trying to find out what's wrong. There are 5 links here, of which 4 are youtube videos, while the last is a mediafire link hosted by Memory Tapes themselves. So I'm gonna remove the link for Green Knight.

X Factor UK #5 - while you wait on the answers

Picture's done by some guy called jonsibal. I think he does rendering on deviantart.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Higher Than the Stars
Can TPoBPaH reach higher than the stars? I think they can, with a song like this.

shitfaced, fumbling in a dark place, drinking in the last days
this street looks just like the next street, bumblefuck on repeat

this time you should have stopped but where’s the fun?
the outcome, the only friend you ever had is setting off with a rich son

so sure she was like a brother ’til you dropped another
so sure you kept it under covers, until you knew you loved her

now you can’t think straight, because you’re not straight
in the back of her mothers car
no secret’s too safe, and how you can’t stay
in the back of her mother’s car

no secret’s too safe, and how you can’t stay
higher than the stars.


It's just barely audible lyrics, with accompaniment that nearly drowns it out. But that's what makes it all dreamy and lovely.

Grizzly Bear - While You Wait for the Others
This is definitely an acquired taste. Listened to it the first time and I didn't even get through the first minute. However, knowing Grizzly Bear, I decided to give it a few more listens, and voila, it found it's way into my system.

Milosh - Then It Happened
Pretty obvious it's homemade. The girl's face could be discerned at times. Brilliant idea for the song. "Ooh oh split me so perfectly" is juxtaposed with the perfect symmetry in the video.


OHH! X Factor UK's bootcamp has been out for 2 days and so here's the good stuff!


Lucie Jones singing Hurt by Christina Aguilera
Everybody's favourite I think. Well, the judges were smiling, but Simon agreed with what Cheryl said, about her not being able to do up tempo songs, whatever that is. And she couldn't possibly keep singing ballads every week as well.

Danyl Johnson with Holding Back The Years by Simply Red
Aww damn, my favourite to win, and I think he simply chose the wrong song that would really showcase his talents. Listen to him at his myspace and you'll know he can do a million times better than that.

Stacey Solomon and There You'll Be by Faith Hill
oh boy, yet another crowd favourite who failed to live up to the standard of their audition. She was visibly nervous and I guess that came with the expectations she's carrying after her auditions.

Jamie Archer singing With Or Without You by U2
Certainly he isn't the best singer on the field, but he's the one with no fear. Really. Where people are nervous, he conquers it. He's a born entertainer, and that's why people like him.

Olly Murs singing Elton John's Your Song
HAHAH! "He could sing Elton John in his sleep." Indeed a much safer performance, compared to Superstition.




ohh, and here's your FINAL 24. Let's roll.

I'm so glad Simon got the over-25s. So many of my favourites are in there. Hope they shine under him. "This could be a fantastic year for me, I mean them." HAHAHHA.

Dannii's reaction when she got the Girls was totally whack. She just kept going manic.

Bet the Boys loved it when they saw Cheryl Cole walk in. Who wouldn't?

Finally, it's the Groups left, with who else but Louis. Seems to me they weren't all too excited with him as their mentor. Oh well, let's see how things pan out shall we?

some partied heavier than others, a hazard of imbibing the juice of the vine...

...which has taken most of us at one time or another.




Grizzly Bear - Knife

Memory Tapes - Bicycle(mp3)
Right click etc etc. I love the upbeat rhythm that is surely to make you feel good, and groovy.

The Skygreen Leopards - Dixie Cups in the Dead Grass(mp3)

save up all the days

save up all the days - I would save up all my sundays. alas, sunday is soon to be over. and i bring you Grizzly Bear, Deerhunter, Gregory & The Hawk and Amandine. Maybe I shouldn't have featured Amandine so that there will be something in common with the remaining 3 bands. Can you spot it?

Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks

Deerhunter - Nothing Ever Happened

Gregory & The Hawk - Grey Weather

Amandine - Faintest of Sparks
really nice semi-instrumental song. there's the violin and the accordion. sounds like a very autumn-ish song to me.

i've got a feeling that swedish, canadian and scottish bands are gonna take over the worlddddddd. whaaadduuupp!!