Tenda McFly - The.Story.Of.My.Life

I'm not shy in admitting that I'm not a huge fan of current trends in hip-hop. Commercialisation almost destroyed it. A whole bunch of annoying idiots got involved in making fairly sub-standard music. The Australian versions have been almost as bad, and much derided and I think, in many respects, for good reason. Still some people are plugging along and creating some interesting stuff.

Some time ago, I received an email from a Brisbane hip-hop artist by the name of Tenda McFly, but didn't get a chance to listen to his stuff until tonight. He has created a free mix tape for download that is surprisingly catchy. He uses a bunch of well known indie songs and adds in rapping and other beats to make something that fairly interesting. Artists include Grizzly Bear, Regina Spektor, Jamie T and The XX.



You can download the record for yourself and have a listen [ here --> http://tendamcfly.bandcamp.com/album/thestoryofmylife]

Herr Nilsson - Little Bird

So I was mucking about on the myspace page of Soda Fountain Rag , having being led there by a little ditty mentioned on Everett True's blog, when I came across a link to a demo song by Herr Nilsson, a fellow Norwegian group who also dabble in the art of pop music.

It seems the Scandinavian's may have perfected these type of songs. While the rest of us struggle in our bedrooms trying to put together the sort of chords that will make girls (or boys) melt at the very mention of our names, the Scandinavian's put them out like a factory production line.

Have a listen to 'Little Bird Giant Wings' and you might see what I mean.

Herr Nilsson - Little Bird Giant Wings (demo)

Outrageous!

Our Husband - Villages

The theme of girl boy groups continues this week, this time featuring the esoterically named Our Husband, a interstate collaboration between Freya (from Adelaide) and Nathaniel (from Melbourne).

Their track 'Villages' from their forthcoming debut record speaks with voices akin to Cocteau Twins and the more contemporary baltimore duo, Beach House. Featuring a striking piano , Villages immediately grabs the listener's attention with a striking interplay between guitar and piano, adding the obligatory 'dream' elements, a steady rhythmic bass line that combine to create an ethereal atmosphere.

Nathaniel, from the band, kindly gave me permission to share the love. Link below.

Our Husband - Villages

Enjoy!

Dan Parsons's "Firestarter" is a Single of the Week at iTunes

Local pop singer-songwriter Dan Parsons has a free track available via iTunes. It is called 'Firestarter' and it is a 'single of the week', meaning it will cost you a grand total of $0 to obtain. Obviously, you have to be using an application that represents the pinnacle of software design and development, the over-bloated iTunes (ok ok, it's acceptable on Mac, but terrible in Windows).

This is probably the first time I've ever heard a Dan Parsons track despite his name being bandied about the traps for quite some time now. It's listenable and will appeal who like indie singer-songwriters - like Ryan Adams, who coincidentally has a song with a similar name ('firecracker', as I was correctly corrected - I swear these uni assignment's are making me forgetful).

Someone mentioned on his myspace that he sounds a bit like Sebadoh, but based off this one song, I'm not sure where the comparison is exactly. Educate me, dear reader.

You can check out the official video for the song below.

Ed G Gives us the Tacky

Edward Guglielmino is a local Brisbane musician who has been doing the rounds in this fair city for the last several years. While his hilarious wikipedia entry might lead you to believe that he is a avant garde sonic experimentalist, his music is more in synch with dominant indie pop tropes that we all know and love.

Well you can have a listen to his 'old stuff' for free if you want. Well, at least for today. He is offering his 2007 Tacky EP to the masses in exchange for your name on his email list and your first born offspring of your first domestic animal.

Click here for more details.

Effin Tune: Georgie James - Need Your Needs

I'm in study land. I've almost completed my MA in International Relations. I'm on the home stretch. Post essays will mean more music blogging, but until then, expect not much. Apologies to the various groups who've sent me music over the past few weeks - I'm flat out.

Anyway, I was sitting back, relaxing the other day, recalling with some sadness the fact that the vast bulk of my pre-2005 music collection died due to a hard drive failure (lucky I have much of it on CD), when I remember a little group from Washington DC in the states who put out a really funky indie pop song. The group was Georgie James and the song was 'Need Your Needs'. The band featured a guy who resembled Phillip Seymour Hoffman and a girl who was/is extremely attractive. They are John Davis and Laura Burhenn.

While it may be showing its age a bit here, it still a pretty cool little song. Have a listen for yourself.

Georgie James - Need Your Needs

Hopefully, I'll get time to put up some more stuff in the coming two weeks, but don't expect much. Come June 5th though, watchout!

Lands & Peoples

Trends don't lie. This is the year of dream-pop. My pal Alaina put me on to this little number which has made my day of essay writing all so much more bearable. 'In Living Colour' is a song by Baltimore trio Lands & Peoples which you can download for free from their website or from the box below. Weird that an American band chose to spell 'colour' in such a fashion, isn't it?

The Stress of Leisure

Local group The Stress of Leisure sent me an email the other day talking about a few gigs they had coming up in May. I'd never heard of them before, but I took a few moments out of my daily grind to have a quick mosey about their website. Promoting themselves as the bastard child of the Go Betweens and Pavement, the sound is reminiscent of many of those early 90s Australian alternative rock bands that I used to enjoy listening to so much. I don't mind it at all.



They have a song available from their website that I've linked through below, that you may enjoy. They've also have a few videos on their youtube channel. Otherwise, catch them performing a free gig at the Powerhouse on May 23rd. They have a new record coming out in June.

The Stress of Leisure - Calm It Down

Yeehaw.

Pivot turn to Grizzly Bear

I actually meant to post this a week or two ago but it slipped my mind until I received a facebook prodding from Australian experimental-rock act Pivot. About a year back, they have recorded of 'Colorado, the final track of Grizzly Bear's 2nd LP, "Yellow House" but it just seeing the light of day on a Warp Records compilation.

Seems like Pivot have been doing a bit of globe-trotting, recently playing All Tomorrow's Parties in New York City. Hopefully they are making waves - they really are a quality band (if you haven't seen them live, then do so at your next possible opportunity).

The cover is slightly more minimalist than the original track, and features a 'pivotised' drum beat and some gated synth effects. It is not a hugely different interpretation from the original but worth a look if you're a fan of either band.

The cover is available for download from this link.

Local Natives: New Tracks

Yes, I know I should be writing my essay, but I thought I’d pause to mention a great set that you can obtain (for free) by Californian band Local Natives. I’ve talked about these guys a few times in the past, and I really think they might be 'the next big thing'. So, don’t you want to be one of those guys who ‘were fans before they got big’, ignoring the fact that those kind of fans are usually total assholes. (ha, like me!)

Anyway, the band recorded four tracks for LA Music blog Aquarium Drunkard and included some great songs like “Stranger Things” and “World News”. There is also a Talking Heads cover "Warning Sign" included in the session. You can have a gander over at Aquarium Drunkard. I encourage you to check them out!

As far as I know, you still cannot buy any Local Natives music, so it is a blessing that they are recording for blogs and music sites. If you like this session, check out the Daytrotter Session as well which features the great "Airplanes", the song that first got me into them.

Soft Airplane B-Sides

Chad VanGaalen released a great record last year called Soft Airplane of which I was a big fan. He now has offered the b-sides from this record as a free download from his website. A quick listen through indicates that it is 'ok' ('Corvette' sounds great!). Nevertheless, it is worth a look at, and its free! So why not? Thanks to I Guess I'm Floating for the tipoff!