we will sink and be quiet as mice

Been neglecting the blog yet again due to school, but here's a post I managed to squeeze in during this break week.

Radiohead - Lotus Flower
Geniuses at work. It's been a while since Radiohead's last opus "In Rainbows" in 2007, and now they've finally released another album, "The King of Limbs", which clocks in at just over 37 minutes. This particular track features Thom Yorke dancing/moving awkwardly/spasming/insert-what-you-think-is-appropriate. It's nothing overt, a really ordinary beat in the background, such that you won't think much of it. However, Thom's almost permanent falsetto brings a sort of emotive counterbalance to the normalcy of the backing rhythm. Don't expect something massive that would blow you away when listening to this track, more a gentle prod in between ebbs and flows, against your conscious. The first listen is good, but give it a few more listens, it'll warrant infinite repeats.

Peter Bjorn and John - Second Chance
Really fetching track from the guys most famous for their iconic tune Young Folks. Some elements of pop catchy-ness as well as rock riffs abound, it seems right up their alley. And as many have said, the cowbell is a neat touch.

Jamie Woon - Lady Luck
Dedicated an entire post on him a while back, and he's just released a single of his debut album which drops in April. Lady Luck is a downright wicked tune - slick and sensual. Echo-ed and on a loop as the words 'lady luck' rolls of his tongue, the bass beats intertwined with his extremely soulful voice, this is one tune that will make people go all over each other on the dancefloor. I expect some remixes to roll in soon. Pity he didn't win BBC's Sound of 2011 poll. Check out his Al Fresco version here. It's basically him and his vocals while he's on a sampan in a swamp in Cambodia. Exquisite.

Interview: The Temper Trap

Managed to nail this email interview with Temper Trap after speaking to their drummer, Toby Dundas at the media tent during Laneway. Here's the interview, word for word. It's pretty short though so don't expect much. Italics are my comments after getting a reply.

How did you feel about performing at the debut Laneway Festival in Singapore?

It was a great honour for us to headline the first Laneway Festival in Singapore. Our first festival gig was at Laneway, we were first band on and it was that gig that really kickstarted things for us back in 2006, so we have a lot of love for the festival. The Singapore audience was fantastic, to stand in the rain all day and go crazy for every band takes a lot of dedication so i know all the bands just wanted to get onstage and give the crowd a great show.


Was this your first time in Singapore? If yes, how did you find it here?

We came for a couple of nights last year for the media launch of the festival, so this was our second time. We came in a few days early to rehearse and work on some new songs and i had an awesome time again. Ate some amazing food, caught up with a few friends and had some fun nights out (thanks butter factory!) and it was all topped off with the festival.
We really wanted it to be a special gig as it was the last show after 2 years of touring and we weren't disappointed.

Oh yeahh! Thanks guys, it was an awesome way to round off the night!


How did you guys meet?

Jonny and Dougy were longtime friends and Lorenzo and I were friends since we were 12 or so. Dougy and I met through work and stared practising together with another guitarist and then Jonny. Loz joined after a year or so and we brought in joseph about 2 years ago.


What was it like initially when you guys first started out and were trying to get Conditions together? How does it compare with the immense popularity you guys have now?

Back then we were just rehearsing a lot. We had a little room where we could keep our stuff set up so we would go out there 3-4 nights a week and write songs and work on the set.
We did a lot of demo recording so we could work on adding more electronic textures and beats and stuff with computers and samplers. Back then if we played a gig to 400 people we thought it was going great so we really had no idea that the album would connect with so many people around the world.


There's an increasing number of bands from Down Under that are getting more well known (or are already known), such as yourself, Tame Impala, Architecture in Helsinki, Empire of the Sun, The Presets and Cut Copy. So what's it like for the Australian music scene in the years to come?

I think Australia's always had a great music scene and it's cool that a lot of the bands around at the moment are getting noticed overseas as well.
Tame Impala are amazing and bands like the Midnight Juggernauts and The Drones have been putting out great albums for years.
In the new crop of artists i really like Cloud Control and an electronic act from Sydney called Seekae.

Certainly gotta check Cloud Control and Seekae out. Certainly have a thing for electronic bands.


Lastly, what are your 5 favourite albums of 2010?

in no particular order

Gil Scot-Heron I'm New Here
Kanye West My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Menomena Mines
Arcade Fire The Suburbs
Gareth Liddiard Strange Tourist

Thanks a bunch Temper Trap, especially Toby!

in the parking lots of these endless nights

TWO MORE FUCKING DAYS! I'M GOING CRAZY WAITING FOR SATURDAY! I never dreamed I'd see them in Singapore, much less in the same day.

Beach House - Silver Soul
Their brand of hazy dreampop already imprinted in us as their signature, they deliver it with the usual panache. Pouring their entire soul into this one, the syncopated keyboards dovetailing nicely with Legrand's ethereal vocals.

Lotus Plaza - A Threaded Needle
With a persistent rhythm and tinkly sounds, how can I not be hooked into the song? The rhythm subsequently forms the backing of the song, over and above the barely heard vocals. Elegiac in a rough way, the entire song feels hazy amidst a microcosm of intimate sounds, and it runs out amidst a dishevelled blast of intense repetitive sounds.

Deerhunter - Agoraphobia
A thoroughly enjoyable listen; comforting and warm. A slow tender piece that takes delight in its measured pace, preferring to let the music speak for itself.

Deerhunter - Desire Lines
Accompanied by a fat reverby guitar line, Cox reminisces about the nostalgia of youth, awash in careless freedom. And just when you thought what could get better than the first 2 minutes of awesomeness, a good 4 minutes of instrumental takes over. It's ponderous yet urgent, slowly seeping into your consciousness. Going on and on, you're sinking deeper and deeper, only for you to be jostled out as it gradually ends.

when i look around i can feel it spinning

Simon Hinter - Take Care
What a myriad of sounds this track presents - a certain eye, or ear-opener for that matter. A winding road, tall firs looming. Blinding white light. Streets of nowhere, a dull thud. Mesmerising blinking light, in the distance.

Deerhunter - Fountain Stairs
Super swell and loving it. Warm fuzzy guitar lines and warbly vocals from Lockett Pundt.

each day takes you some place i can't find

Ducktails - Killin' The Vibe
Oh so chill. A sweet laconic vibe with a backing piano? that sounds a little like Bibio's Lover's Carvings. I totally agree with the comments on the video that it's a great driving song. I can picture myself in a old Dodge, just clunking and cruising down the countryside roads.

Azure Ray - Don't Leave My Mind
Damn, I missed out on this release last year, which would have definitely made my 2010 list. A seven year hiatus as a duo clearly did nothing to diminish their fantastic chemistry. Testament to their craft, the two best friends have given us an exquisitely gorgeous song to savour. The electronic beat and lush melody provide a lovely complement to Orenda's? spectral vocals - stunning.

no pockets full of grain and crumbs

Flying Lotus - MmmHmm (feat. Thundercat)
Aural pleasure with a soundscape put together with such panache. Flying Lotus is Steven Ellison, and he has carefully arranged a wonderfully crafted piece with influences I can't put a finger to. Almost balladic, the electronic nature of this tune does not really settle in entirely as the vocals serve as an elegant distraction.

Flying Lotus - Zodiac Shit
Trippy stuff filled with psychedelic imagery that would just blow your mind into the stratosphere in the first half, before abruptly going into electro-funk stuff that juxtapose nicely against the first half. Amazing shit.

Jenny Wilson - Like A Fading Rainbow

together they would travel on a boat with billowed sail

Broken Social Scene - All to All
Exquisite gem led by Lisa Lobsinger. It lost to Sweetest Kill by just a handful of listens. The intro is a soft delight, with a short and deft touch of trance. Led by the wonderful Lisa Lobsinger, her lush voice graces our ears, complemented by a back drop of electronic elements which seem in an urgent rush to somewhere. The strings are a neat touch as well. Very similar to RSR's stuff, but it's prolly due to her voice.

Broken Social Scene - Puff, the Magic Dragon
I've known the original version by Peter, Paul & Mary for quite a while, but only chanced upon this version by BSS recently. What an awesome find. Heavily slowed down, with more purposeful enunciation of the words, they infuse a whole lot more mood here, no doubt trying to elicit a reference to the "subtle drug referencing" many people speculate that is present in the original.

Tennis - Marathon
What summer bliss. A little hazy nostalgia here, a bit of hooky hooky there, a perfect recipe for a fabulous song. Don't count out the soft oooohs as well. As she coos so wistfully, I wonder if I could be the one on that yacht out yonder on the sapphire sea instead of being buried in my books.