Song #100: Broken Bells - "Vaporize"

Here we are at the final stage! For my last trick, I’ve decided to have a listen to the new project for James Mercer (normally of The Shins) and Brian Burton (aka Danger Mouse/one half of Gnarls Barkley). It’s entitled Broken Bells, and they’re just about to set their debut album out on its merry way. This first taste, entitled Vaporize, sounds almost exactly like you’d think it would - almost. Remember, Burton never forces his hip-hop and soul leaning on artists that don’t need it (lest we forget his collaboration with the late, great Sparklehorse). It’s much more of an acid-dropping approach to this new project – this really does sound like The Shins adventuring through outer space in slow motion.

That’s definitely a compliment, for the record. Mercer sounds both peacefully placid and creatively inspired, the music behind him sounding spacey but also incredibly comfortable. He has plenty of catchy melodies that float by in a loving haze. If I got high, this is probably something I’d do it to; just put it that way.

FINAL RATING (/10): 8

The new album is streaming online now. Google that shit, suss it all out.

Well, that’s it! A conclusive post is to come, but I have successfully completed THE SONG CENTURY CHALLENGE! Hooray!!!!

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David

Song #99: Foals - "Spanish Sahara"

With two songs to go, I’ve decided to shut the fuck up for this one. Because, really…how the hell do you describe something that left you speechless on first listen?


Foals are back. And I’m so glad they are

FINAL RATING (/10): 9.5

PLEASE watch this video. It’s insane amounts of goodness.



x
David

Song #98: Dead Letter Circus - "Here We Divide"

What a pleasant surprise in my email inbox this morning! “Hey dude,” writes a friend of mine. “Thought you might want to hear the new Dead Letter Circus song, so here it is.” Well, thank you very much, my good man! Having seen DLC just over a week ago, it’s very exciting to hear that their debut album is done with recording and is set for a mid-May release. Anyone who’s been following the band for awhile would be more than aware that they’re not the kind to disappoint, making their debut easily one of my most anticipated releases of the year.

This new track, Here We Divide, continues on with the sound established by earlier DLC records which mixes an Edge-style lead guitar with effortlessly technical rhythms and Kim Benzie’s distinctive, impeccably powerful voice raising hell atop of proceedings. Even at nearly five minutes and some forms of repetition that seep through the song’s movements, it keeps your interest and engages you as a listener right up to the final crescendo. That’s the great thing about this band – I’ve been racking my brain and can’t think of even one bad song these guys have. It’s an impressive track record, that’s for sure; and I doubt that will change much when the album drops.

What else can you say? Dead Letter Circus are something to get enthusiastic about. Let’s do so!

FINAL RATING (/10): 8

DLC’s debut is out in May. Don’t forget to check out the band’s website to explore Project Dead Letter, which is a really cool series of footage in relation to the recording of the album. Very nice!

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David

Song #97: Calling All Cars - "Disconnect"

You know you’ve got a good song on your hands if your only words after hearing it for the first time are “fuck” and “yeah” in quick succession of one another. Such was the case for the brand new single for Melbourne band Calling All Cars. I’ve been enjoying these guys for quite some time – they’re a bouncy ball of energy live and they’re always keen to chat at the end of their gigs, handing out fliers for the next gig (and, given their hard working schedule, there is ALWAYS a next gig). Now, fresh from a tour with AC/DC and Wolfmother, the three-piece are readying their debut album, entitled Hold, Hold, Fire.

Disconnect, the lead single, more or less sums up everything that’s great about this band. It’s punchy, ridiculously catchy and incredibly tight, with each member contributing to the overall sound in a positive light. The chorus alone is one of the best things I’ve heard all year – the thing has hooks as sharp as nails that will lure you in and then savagely tear at your body. Am I getting too violent? Maybe, but fuck it: Disconnect is awesome.

FINAL RATING (/10): 8.5

Hold, Hold, Fire comes out on the 12th of March. Also, they’re about to go on tour with Grinspoon. Fuck yeah.

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David

Song #96: Jon LaJoie - "Let Me See Your Genitals 2: E=MC Vagina"

Three times Chris has come to the rescue in terms of my hearing of a song I’ve never heard before. That’s my younger brother, for those of you playing at home (as if you are). This time, however, he managed to pull something out from absolutely nowhere that I did not expect from him at all. Although, now that I’ve heard it, I’m somewhat less surprised.

“Vagina


Vagina


I want to have sex with your vagina”

Meet Jon LaJoie. This comedian has already had one YouTube hit with Show Me Your Genitals, and couldn’t see the harm in throwing a sequel out to the web. Show Me Your Genitals 2: E = MC Vagina continues on with absolutely ridiculous lyrics, sending up the over-sexualisation of commercial hip-hop/pop rap music and delivered entirely in a brilliant deadpan. Admittedly, it does get irritating towards the end, with the song running out of ideas (wasn’t there only one to begin with?) and it’s the kind of thing someone out of high school probably shouldn’t be enjoying. Still, it was fun while it lasted. The guy has a few good ideas, going from the rest of his YouTube channel. Nice one.

FINAL RATING (/10): 6

Devour the video belowhand. Belowhand is now a word. Deal with it.



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David

Song #95: Crash Tragic - "Simple Separation"

Saw these guys opening for Gyroscope and A Death In The Family at uni. A Wollongong band who’ve been around the block a few times with bands like Kisschasy, Trial Kennedy etc., I probably should like at least something about these guys. They seem nice enough and they’re going for a catchy pop-punk sound. It all falls apart, however, after one look at them (they all look well into their thirties), the fake American accent and the horrid simplicity of it all. It’s weak bunny-mosh styled music that’s very basic in its execution, which loses almost all of its identity within the first minute – Simple Separation is a perfect example of this. I’m sure they’re nice guys and all, but they’re getting WAY too old for this shit.

FINAL RATING (/10): 3.5

Their new EP is out now. Wotevs.

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David

Song #92: Estelle feat. Kardinall Ofishall - "Freak"

She's back! It seems with every release,the divine Estelle changes again. Her first album, The 18th Day, was a hip-hop based affair. That was followed by the soul/rnb/pop stylings of Shine, which spawned the Kanye-boasting megasmash American Boy. Where to from there? Simple: go absolutely fucking batshit.

With David Guetta at the production helm, Estelle has delivered a decidedly weird, minimalist dancefloor inferno. Chopped up vocal samples lead the parade before Estelle throws in some smutty sex-raps, breathy speak-singing and a banging chorus that ties the entire bizarre affair together. I'm normally not a fan of Guetta at all (I found One Love to be all style and no substance), but I really appreciate his approach to Freak from a composing perspective. It's much more a focus on Estelle's voice and the beat itself, as opposed to overloading it with cheesy club synths and repetitive chord progressions. It's a very clever way to go about it, and it's especially different for an artist like Estelle. It fits her like a cute Gucci dress, though. Will be interesting to see how the rest of the record pans out.

FINAL RATING (/10): 8

If I've piqued your interest (fingers crossed), check out the song's music video.


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David

Song #91: Die! Die! Die! - "We Built Our Own Oppressors"

Fuck yeah. Die! Die! Die! are back to fuck shit up. Anyone who's seen these three live know exactly what I'm talking about - they're an insane joy to watch. Their recorded material, whilst good, has nevertheless always seemed to lack the awesome spastic energy of their live gigs. We Built Our Own Oppressors is already awesome on the basis that it translates the ferocious live sound arguably better than any other of their recorded tracks. Complete with flurrying drums, thick bassline snarls and even a few "WOO!"s thrown in there, it's a song with palpable energy. What else can you say really? This rules.

FINAL RATING (/10): 8.5

Also, check out the awesome video! It was filmed on top of a building they broke into :D

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David

Song #88: MM9 - "Talking to Himself"

 

Did I miss something here? Last I heard, Many Machines on 9 were a heavy rock band with hints of electronica that had simple, fun and catchy songs like New Chemistry. The next I hear, they're just MM9 and have started to sound like Good Charlotte. Their debut album, The Air Between, is a very awkward listen for people who've listened to the band for awhile. It's a big, glossy pop-rock sound that the group have found for themselves, with the vocals landing somewhere inbetween Disturbed's David Draiman and Joel Madden. I have no idea where this has all come from, but it really doesn't suit them. It's trying way too hard and ends up tripping over its own feet. In short, if you liked them before there's a good chance you won't like them now.

FINAL RATING (/10): 3.5

The Air Between is out now.

x

David

Song #87: Jamie Cullum - "Just One of Those Things"

Jamie Cullum is back to do the three things he does best: woo the ladies, swing like a beast and go so hard he forgets what the third thing is. Just One of Those Things is the first track from his brand new album, The Pursuit, and it's a cracker of a tune to kick off with.

It begins with a drunken swagger towards the tinkling ivories as he slowly puts together what happened last night, before Cullum snaps his fingers and gets the drums and double bass to come riding in.The second they do, he's right into action. Even so many years after the cutely-titled  Twentysomething, he's still got all the whiz-kid energy that he had when he debuted. If anything, he's developed it further. This is catchy, swinging and a top display of his talents. If you liked him before, you'll definitely enjoy this.

FINAL RATING: 7.5

He's back in Australia this April, if you're interested.

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David

Song #85: Sunny Day Real Estate - "Nine"

 

It's not everyday you get to be "Oh hey dude, what you get up to last night? Cool. Oh, me? I just saw SUNNY DAY FUCKING REAL ESTATE, that's all." I feel like so much more of a man having the ability to say that.

Anyway, this was a track that I didn't know out of their set. I later found out it was a track that was added to the re-issue of Diary. If I didn't already own the CD, I'd definitely get the re-issue for this number (woo pun!!). It has all the strained, scratchy emotional work you'd expect from SDRE, with some great moments on guitar and vintage Jeremy Enigk vocals. It was great during this part of the set watching at least two or three members from every other band on the bill (Jimmy Eat World, Motion City Soundtrack, RX Bandits and Glassjaw) watching from the upstairs balcony, all being schooled in how to put on a mesmerising, intense performance. Fuck yeah.

FINAL RATING (/10): 8

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David

Song #84: Gil Scott-Heron - "Me and the Devil"

After a few Wiki run-throughs, I landed onto the fascinating story of Gil Scott-Heron and I'm so glad I did. I dowloaded his latest album - his thirteenth - entitled I'm New Here, and it's nothing short of sensational. It's a tale of blues, folk, spoken word, dubstep and ambience, as the sixty-something dude tells us all about his life growing up, his reflections on mortality and impermanence...and this track, a Robert Johnson reinterpretation.

What's interesting about this version of Johnson's Me and the Devil Blues is how drastically the track has changed. Johnson's original is rustic, traditional blues - Scott-Heron more or less takes the lyrics and puts them into the filthy, sinful slums of late-night American cities. Electronic bleeps, buzzing basslines and a shuffled beat accompany Scott-Heron's raspy, desperate vocal rendition of the pitch-black lyrics. It's the exact kind of song that's only very short in its length, but the kind you want to listen to over and over again. Truly sensational stuff.

FINAL RATING (/10): 9.5

I'm New Here is out now. Check out the video below:

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David

Song #81: Artists for Haiti - "We Are The World 25 For Haiti"

What the fuck is this shit.

I mean, really.

I'm all for Haiti charity and disaster relief.

But really.

Why not a new song?

What the fuck is Celine Dion doing?

A RAP? With LL FUCKING COOL J?

This is just.

No.

FINAL RATING (/10): 3

Gets a 1.5 for the cause and 1.5 for the song.

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David

Song #80: Kate Nash - "I Just Love You More"

 In this week's installment of "what the fuck just happened", former skirt-twirling indie pop darling Kate Nash has gone all artsy-punk on her new track, I Just Love You More, which is the first track to be lifted from her long-awaited second album called Crayon Full of Colour.

Gone is the summery, cutesy pop that's prevalent on her debut, Made of Bricks. Instead, we get a snarling, single-string riff, a tight drum beat and Nash's creepy speak-sing of the title of the song. She doesn't say a lot more apart from this, except when she starts primal screams and shrills in the vein of Karen O or Yoko Ono. It's completely left of centre, but it's a real treat to watch her trying out something so different. The song is a little hollow overall, though, with the same parts reoccurring continuously. Maybe this is just a taste of what's to come? Oh boy oh boy oh boy, this is going to be awesome. Hopefully.

FINAL RATING (/10): 7

Crayon is set for an April release.

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David

Song #79: Circa Survive - "Get Out"

Finally, Anthony Green and co. are back at work on a new record. It's entitled Blue Sky Noise, and today we not only got the cover of it, but we also got a brand new song as well! Bonus!

The song, entitled Get Out, might be a bit of a struggle for fans to get their heads around. There's no slow, distorted immersions or slow-burning, spacious moments. More, the song dives right in and doesn't let up, with Green's vocals taking their normal route of total audacity and liveliness. It's an intense song, but considerably stripped back in its arrangement in comparison to previous Circa tracks. What this shows is that the band are hopefully trying for something really different on Blue Sky Noise. More power to them - this is one of the best tracks they've ever done!

FINAL RATING (/10): 9

Also, you MUST see this album artwork!

 

Isn't it amazing???

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David

Song #78: Art VS. Science - "Magic Fountain"

I got to see the Gossip last night. That was incredible, they put on a fantastic show and I got to meet them all as well. Such a thrill, I nearly started bawling. Before all that pussy crap happened, though, these boys came on.

No doubt you will have heard this lot via one of their hit singles like Flippers or Parles Vous Francais? It's big, dumb, fun music that's easy to get into and very well made. Magic Fountain was the first track of the set, and t appears to be a part of a batch of new material that will be on their debut album. The song is pretty crazy, with lead singer Dan going on a bit of a David Byrne/Robert Forster trip with eccentric spoken-word vocals and some crazy whispers. I can barely remember the story that was being told, but it was all very mystical - almost Bowie-esque. Another very silly song, but probably another hit for these kids.

FINAL RATING (/10): 7

Jolly good, AvS.

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David

Song #77: Sade - "Soldier of Love"

 Here's a few things I didn't know about Sade before today:

1. It's pronounced "shar-day"
2. Sade is actually a band.
3. Sade have sold over fifty million albums worldwide.
4. This song is fucking awesome.

This is the title track from Sade's latest album, and it really is a cracker. A slow-burner, for sure, but one that sticks in your mind for all its darkness, world-weariness and pure intensity. Everything in the arrangement works perfectly - the snare rolls, the synths, the low-key harmonies. It's just purely badass music, smoothly and professionally done. What more can I say? It's the tits.

FINAL RATING (/10): 9

Out now, go grab yrself a piece of the action.

xxx
David

Song #76: Angels and Airwaves - "The Flight of Apollo"

 

Tom Delonge's post-blink love of Angels & Airwaves have finally returned. Thank fuck, says I. Anything to get me away from bloody blink-182's reunion footage: they sound like trash and it's pretty obvious it's all about the money here. I know there's a lot of AVA hates out there, but whatever. I think enough time has passed for the blink obsessives to shut up and appreciate AVA's work as a separate entity - and a superior one at that.

The Flight of Apollo is the second track on LOVE, the band's third album which has just been released for free online, via Delonge's site Modlife. If you were a fan previously, you'll know the drill - it's atmospheric, with layered keyboards and big guitar with fuck-tonnes of reverb. There's even a bit of a synth-string section going on here in the background, which I thought was a pretty nice touch. It all comes together with a sense of familiarity, but fans won't have any major issues with this - the band sound great here and it's easily one of the catchiest things these guys have ever done.

FINAL RATING (/10): 8

Here's the link to download LOVE. Sure hope y'like it and all.

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David

Song #75: Angus and Julia Stone - "Hold On"

 The Stone siblings, Angus and Julia, have returned with their second album, Down the Way. These two have always had a knack for some sweet, beautiful tunes, but they've also written some pretty boring tracks in their time. Thankfully, this little number that opens Down the Way is one of the best things they've done musically.

Julia takes the lead on this one. She still sounds like a little kid, but it's easy to look past - she's very cute and she can keep a tune well enough. The simplistic drum pattern works perfectly as it builds up the song at various accentuated points, as well as the reverberating electric guitar and the wonderful chorus that really assists the song in picking up a notch. If you listen to anything from this record, I strongly recommend it is this very song. Loving it.

FINAL RATING (/10): 8

Down the Way is out next month.

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David

Song #73: Cameron Smith - "The Grey Man"

Cameron Smith is an Australian musician, formerly of the brilliant Epitomes, and also a good friend of mine. Recently, he did a very special bedroom recording for his younger brother, Curtis, and his eighteenth birthday. What a lovely, brotherly thing to do!

The song is The Grey Man. Fans of Copeland will recognise the song from their final album, the incredible You Are My Sunshine from 2008. Cameron plays everything himself here - the guitar, bass and percussion all sounding very impressive for such a low-budget quality. His voice, even though the falsetto is out of his range, also sounds really good - the bridge sees some distorted vocals and even dual harmonies come into play, which works surprisingly well. A perfect cover? No, sir. But if someone got me this for my birthday, I wouldn't be complaining!

FINAL RATING (/10): 8

You can download Cameron's version here.

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David