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.

x
David

Song #94: Nickelback - "Never Gonna Be Alone"

What can be said that hasn’t already been about these guys? They’ve devolved from a somewhat ambitious rock band with a few catchy tracks in their arsenal (Leader of Men, How You Remind Me) to the epitome of what’s gone wrong with radio rock music. They are currently in the realm of glossy, ugly and mostly downright awful music that takes no brains to create and even less to enjoy.

Apparently this little number has been poisoning the airwaves since September of last year, but I’d thankfully avoided it up until now. In fact, all I’ve heard from the band lately is that song they do for the theme song of WWE Raw, which is bloody annoying. Speaking of bloody annoying, did they REALLY need to do another syrupy ballad about fuck-all? Chad Kroeger goes all cassanova with slow drums, simple chords and quite possibly the worst harmonies in any Nickelback song ever. Completely uneccessary, irritating turd of a song, this one. Like you expected any less.

FINAL RATING (/10): 1.5

Fuck 'em.

x
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.


x

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.

x
David

Song #86: Axis of Awesome - "BirdPlane"

The best thing about Axis of Awesome is how they are easily able to take one simple idea and turn it into the most ridiculous, hilarious thing possible. The trio performed on the garden at my university, and it was pretty easy to tell that we were loving every second of it. This track in particular was a huge favourite. The parody only works, however, if you're familiar with your 2000s hit singles.

Remember Five For Fighting? No? How about Superman (It's Not Easy)? Ringing a bell. Now we're getting somewhere. What this song does is takes the first few lines of the original and then goes insane.

I can't stand to fly
I'm not that naive
I'm just trying to find
The better part of me

I'm more than a bird
I'm more than a plane
And in come the Axis:

I'm a BirdPlane!

The rest of the song goes off on this tangent of singing about how awesome life is when part of you is a bird and the other part is a plane. And come on, that does sound pretty awesome! A definite listen for fans of clever parodies that are after something non-Weird Al.

FINAL RATING (/10): 8

Check out the video!



x
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.

x
David

Song #74: Boyz II Men featuring Mariah Carey - "One Sweet Day"

Eugh, remember that awful cheesy I'll Make Love To You song? Boyz II Men did that, and apparently did a lot more. That's fucking scary. Read this shit:

Based on sales, Boyz II Men is the most successful R&B male vocal group of all time. They recorded five number 1 R&B successes between 1992 and 1997 and have sold more than 60 million albums.Three of its number 1 hits, "End of the Road", "I'll Make Love to You", and "One Sweet Day" (with Mariah Carey), set and exceeded records for the longest period of time a single remained scored at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100; "One Sweet Day" still holds the record.

That's from their Wikipedia page. Frightening how successful this crap was, man.

Anyway, I heard their other "hit" with Mariah Carey (god, she was even more of a joke in the nineties than she is now) whilst watching a top 10 on Vh1. For best funeral songs! Who makes these fucking things?
The point is that they could all sing incredibly well. Any record exec with his hands down his pants could tell you that. But there's no soul to this, despite that supposedly being in the title of their freakin' genre. It's all commercially-vying warbles and cheesy production. Next plz.

FINAL RATING (/10): 2.5

x
David

Song #71: Kina Grannis - "Valentine"

This one turned up on YouTube - kind of fitting, given how close it is to Valentine'$ Day. I have no idea who the girl is, but I was particularly interested in the video, which uses hundreds of drawings that fall in a domino style to give the impression of motion and movement. I've included it below, because it's really the only thing that's really interesting about the entire song - think Colbie Callait style, innocent acoustic girly stuff. It's essentially Jacqueline Johnson - Jack Johnson with breasts. It's all very  sweet, but my GOD it's fucking boring. It's barely even worth this paragraph being written about it. Pass.

FINAL RATING (/10): 4

But yes, here's the video.



x
David

Song #70: Gyroscope - "Some of the Places I Know"

So, Gyroscope are back. The Perth boys have been over in London working away on their fourth record, Cohesion. They've solidified themselves as one of Australia's better mid-card bands over the years and have yet to put out a bad album (though none of their releases are without their flaws). I'm still certainly optimistic about the album, although the lead single, Some of the Places I Know, has put me off a little.

This is the shiniest, most well-produced and radio ready song the band have ever produced. And this doesn't sound like Fast Girl or Beware Wolf that were all "well, this is the stuff we like to play, guess some people like it". This shit is all "we want to have a top 10 single bro". It's not an offensively bad song, but it feels too predictable and lacking in passion to really get into. It feels contrived to rock out to, in a way, which is certainly confusing for a band like Gyroscope - they are really genuine dudes who have made great music in the past. Here, though, I'm not sold just yet.

FINAL RATING (/10): 5.5

The single is out now, the video is below.
Cohesion will be out in April.




x
David

Song #68: Marina and the Diamonds - "Mowgli's Road"

This track came to my watching very early Saturday morning rage (about 1am, I think), and I can honestly say that I am glad I was sitting down when I heard it. Holy fucking SHIT.

Marina and the Diamonds, aka Marina Diamandis (I think it's Greek), had her video for Mowgli's Road premiere here in Australia on rage. The video itself is fabulous (scroll down), but the music itself is everything I love about pop music in its current shape and form. Mowgli is catchy, outlandish, engaging, gloriously harmonic and just hooky enough to send you insane over how good it is. Marina's voice is sharp yet easily flexible, showing some bizarre accentuation and a strangely thick range. Even when she's making weird noises in the song, like "cuckoo!", it still sounds amazing.

I dunno what else to say. Just fucking listen to it.

FINAL RATING (/10): 9.5

Here's the video. Lick that shit up.



xoxoxoxo
David and the Diamonds

Song #66: David Bowie - "Kooks"

 

A strange inclusion to my list, this track from David Bowie's third album, Hunky Dory, came to my attention via a mixtape made for me thanks to the amazing Last.FM Mixtape Trading group. For the record, that's a wonderful incentive and I strongly recommend those of you with a profile on Last to check it out.

The song itself is pretty cheesy and kitsch, as was with most of Bowie's early stuff - especially the singles. That doesn't stop it from being a fun little pop tune, that was apparently written to Bowie's son, Duncan, and was influenced by the immortal Neil Young. It's simply done, but it's still a really cute number that's very catchy. Also, The Kooks named themselves after this song. Kooky!

FINAL RATING (/10): 7

Bowie's in spaaaaaaaaaaaace.

x
David

Song #60: She & Him featuring Tilly and The Wall - "In the Sun"

 Indie squeal! Mrs. Ben Gibbard herself, Zooey Deschanel has teamed up once again with that Monster of Folk, M. Ward, to follow up the She and Him debut, Volume One. It's titled, imaginatively enough, Volume Two.

This is our first taste of what's to come, and not a lot has changed since the first record. It's still kitschy, awkwardly cute and flower-dress happy with its chorus of "It's alright! It's okay!" (which the wonderful Tilly and the Wall provide backing vocals for). It's all very pretty - Deschanel's gorgeous looks aside, the little lady can hold a tune; and Ward's sweet piano line and squeaky-clean electric guitar accentuate the isn't-everything-grand mood of the whole thing. But beyond the song's aesthetic, it couldn't punch its way out of a wet paper bag - it's repetitive, lazy and increasingly more and more dull with each listen. It's not capable of being terrible, but it's the closest Deschanel and Ward have gotten to it in their careers so far. Disappointing.

FINAL RATING (/10): 5

Volume Two is set for release in late March for the U.S. and early April for the U.K.

x
David

Song #58: Keri Hilson - "I Like"

The gorgeous Keri Hilson has been working her way into mainstream conscience ever since her show-stealing chorus in Timbaland's smash hit The Way I Are. Her own hit came in the form of the epic Knock You Down, but she was unfortunately overshadowed by the incredible Kanye West. In A Perfect World, her debut, gives her the opportunity to finally make a name for herself as opposed to herself "featuring".

I Like is the first song that I've heard of Keri's on her own, and it's rather sweet. It's a little run-of-the-mill in terms of production and lyrics - swishing synth and boom-boom-pap-boom beat matched with "going out tonight with a guy I'm into" lyrics. Still, you can tell that Hilson is on her way to standing out above all of that. She's got a versatile voice that reach sexy, breathy lows and chirpy highs that suit their environment almost perfectly. The whole thing is over and done with within three minutes, but it's done enough to interest me in the rest of the album. We'll see how she goes.

FINAL RATING (/10): 6.5

In A Perfect World... is out now.

x

David

Song #57: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros - "Home"

I've officially completely lost touch with what is "cool" on Triple J standards. For the first time ever in my seven years of following the Hottest 100, a song has come in the top 20 that I have never heard a single thing about before in my entire life. Who the fuck is Edward Sharpe? Who are the Magnetic Zeros? Why did this beat In For The Kill, My Girls, Rabbit Heart and Two Weeks? I sat there at my girlfriend's house in total confusion as this song played. Shortly afterward, however, this shock turned to pleasant surprise.

There are twelve dudes in this band, making a lot of joyful noise across this five-minute love ode. It plays out like a mini-Polyphonic Spree taking on a Johnny and June Carter Cash love duet like Jackson or If I Were A Carpenter. Sure, it's a little cheesy, but you'll be damned if you're not grinning like an idiot at the end of this little number. It's fun, catchy and infectiously cute. Look out for my favourite part of the song, which is the spoken word near the end.

FINAL RATING (/10): 8.5

x
David

Song #53: The Retreat - "The Weather (Cloudin' Over)"

Okay, got a lot of ground to cover over the past six days, so here we go:

I went and saw Dan Mangan for the third and final time on Friday. He's the one I blogged about back at Song #37. This was his last show in the country before flying back to Canada (ehh), and it was such a thrill to see him off. Of note, however, were his support act - The Retreat.

This Sydney band play a low-key, charming style of countrified pop-rock that recalled acts like Bob Evans, Bright Eyes and even a young Ryan Adams. This song in particular was a charmer. Its major chord progressions and sugar-sweet harmonies were simple but incredibly pleasant. It will also make you want to give lead singer Ross a big hug - and the dude works at JB HiFi in Pitt Street, so there's easily a chance to do so. You have been warned.

FINAL RATING (/10): 7

Follow the doodz on Twitter and the Spaz, etc.

x

David

Song #51: Peasant - "Well Alright"

Straight back into the Challenge again, and straight back to listening to complete strangers singin' songs I've never heard. Lately the risks have either made me so happy I took it (Social Studies) or made me want to stop the Challenge entirely (The Polyamourous Affair). This is another happy ending, however, so please keep reading!

Peasant is a young twentlysomething bedroom musician from the United States. He has one album out, On The Ground, and this is a two-minute taster from it. Judging purely from this, I think I'd like to eat the whole thing - it's lo-fi, charming and very sweetly written and performed. It's basically piano, some electric guitar and a snare drum that keeps a steady rhythm going - the Elliott Smith meets Brendan Benson vocals simmering lightly atop of it all. I feel like giving him a hug already! A very worthwhile listen.

FINAL RATING (/10): 8

Here's a download for you (thanks, No Modest Bear!)

x

David

Song #49: Operator Please - "Logic"

Everyone is always very quick to bash on Operator Please. Most were annoyed with their runaway hit Just a Song About Ping-Pong, and their age (all under 21 at the time) was easy to make fun of (early silverchair, anyone?). I personally like to think that it was just how upbeat and boisterous the band were - both on CD and live - that peeved people. Add in some smart-arse lyrics ("Just out of curiousity/Can you tell me how old I'm supposed to be?"), and you're sure to have a band that can get on people's nerves.

I'll always love them, though - not just because I count Amandah Wilkinson (vocals/guitar) as a mate. They represent freedom, apathy towards negativity, making music for the love of music - they're a fuckload more real than you'd think. With this, I've just sampled their new single from their forthcoming second album, entitled Logic, and I really like it.

If you follow Amandah on Twitter (@operator_please), you'd know how much she loves a bit of Prince. I can definitely hear that love in the slinking bass and funked-out groove that welcomes the listener into the song. It's only fleeting, though - this isn't going to turn into Let's Go Crazy anytime soon. What I enjoy the most about Logic is that it sees the band faced with a pretty serious musical question - "So, what next?" - and taking it on with substantial confidence. There's a lot going on here, but above all it's still distinguishably an Operator Please song: fun, dancey and clever.

FINAL RATING (/10): 8.5

Head over to their MySpaz and suss that shit, baby.

x
David Please

P.S: HALFWAY MARK TOMORROW! YIPPEE!

Song #48: DJ Schmolli - "Brick Halo"

 It's time for the second mash-up of my challenge, and I'm really interested in this one. In the blue corner, Beyonce's smash hit Halo. In the red corner (see what I did there?), the gorgeous Hayley Williams with Paramore's Brick by Boring Brick. Two of the most popular women in music today, together at last (what, just me?).

I'll admit, I was pretty skeptical on face value. The potential to be awesome was just sitting there, staring me in the face. Count yourself lucky, Schmolli (if that is your real name), because this is the balls. Knowles' acapella is thrown in the deep end with the pop-rocking Boring Brick's instrumental track (with Williams popping in near the end). A few choppy transitions aside, it's amazing nobody thought of mixing these two before. The move from verse to chorus blends perfectly with B's soaring scales, and some moments just seem perfect for one another. Some great chemistry here.

FINAL RATING (/10): 8

Here, have a download. (thanks to AudioPorn Central!)

xoxoxo
David

Song #38: Brendan Maclean - "Beat Me To It"

I'm happy to count myself not only as a fan of Mr. Brendan Maclean, but also as a friend. He recently sent me his new EP, entitled White Canvas. I'm happy to report on its excellence - the title track is possibly my favourite thing he has ever done. This track in particular, however, has struck a chord with me. And we're talking major, none of that minor-seventh shit.

The song is a tender piano ballad on the topic of loneliness and isolation. That might sound generic as hell, but it's Maclean's personality and his way around slender baritone melodies that accentuate this song's features above everything else. With only hints of jazz-brush drumming to accompany his voice and piano playing, it's considerably stripped-back, and works wonders as a result of it. It is also the sign of a great songwriter when the lyrics come across as exceedingly personal, yet you feel as if it's instantly a cinch to relate yourself to. Brendan is on to something here, I just know it.

FINAL RATING (/10): 9

If you're in the Wollongong area, I'll be playing drums and guitar for Mr. Maclean on the 13th at the Oxford Tavern. If you're in Sydney, you can catch Brendan's EP launch at Cronulla's Brass Monkey on the 22nd.

xoxoxoxo
David