Mitzi

Mitzi might sound like the name of your next-door neighbour’s cat or your first born daughter if your were Scandinavian, but that’s wrong. Mitzi actually sound like groovy, upbeat disco-pop of an impressive standard for a young band from Brisbane. Their sound comprises dreamy synths and twangy guitars over melodic basslines coupled with some tight drumming. The occasional faux horn is thrown in for good measure too.

I caught them on Thursday supporting Strangetalk at Good God. To my surprise they had quite a good crowd for the start of their set and quickly had the dancefloor moving (including myself and my severely inebriated friend). I mean genuinely dancing up a storm, their potent grooves even afflicted the cynical hipsters and piss-guys in the place. Really impressive to see, especially for a “smaller” support band. Strangetalk unfortunately were quite disappointing. Just too keen it seemed, they played climbing walls twice which I think is just a tad self-indulgent. Mitzi definitely outshone them.

Here are some good tracks for your consumption including a top remix from Cassian and another good Strangetalk track.

India – Mitzi

Morning Light – Mitzi

All I Heard – Mitzi

All I Heard (Cassian remix) – Mitzi

Eskimo Boy- Strangetalk

Seekae

Seekae are an excellent Sydney Band signed to the Rice is Nice record label, alongside Seja, another excellent Australian artist. They produce ambient non-linear shoe-gaze electro made in the bedroom (well that’s what I’m calling it) of an enviable pedigree. They played Manning Bar over the weekend, which was an excellent gig expect for the smoke machine setting off the fire alarm and telling everyone to “evacuate in an orderly fashion, whoop whoop”. Mild OH&S threat aside, it was an industrious performance from the trio.

Their second album +Dome has just dropped and is receiving much deserved acclaim. It is an accomplished equal to its predecessor The Sound Of Trees Falling On People. Both are available for purchase HERE, and are wise investments.

Void – Seekae. Off “TSOTFOP”

Bloodbank – Seekae. Off “+Dome”

We have made contact

Contact High from Architecture in Helsinki on Vimeo.

This was easily the best Australian song of the last month.

Moment Bends is out now.

Contact High – Architecture In Helsinki

B-B-B-Breakbot!

He is French, he is hairy, and now he is back (much like this blog*). Breakbot makes some of the funkiest dance music going around channeling some serious 70’s funk and soul. Heavy on synth strings and groovy bass, I think it’s music that both you and your mum can dance to (at the same time too).

He has recently dropped two tracks as part of separate Ed Banger compilations, firstly “Shades Of Black” on the Let The Children Techno featuring other dance masters like SebastiAn and Cassius. “Fantasy” features on the compilation The Bee Sides, somewhat unsurprisingly featuring B-sides from a few EB artists.

Both are as funky as Bootsy Collins’ underpants, so enjoy.

Shades of Black – Breakbot

Fantasy – Breakbot feat Ruckazoid

Interestingly and somewhat remarkably my last post on Breakbot was exactly a year ago. Interesting huh? Not really…

*blog is not necessarily back, just I will try a bit more.

New Toro y Moi

How exciting! TyM has just dropped his new track. It is typically fantastic with great beats and groove. I love this man. “Still Sound” is the first sample of the upcoming Underneath The Pine record to be released on 22nd Feb on Carpark Records.

He is playing an upcoming gig at Good God Small Club in the city on the 23rd of February. Unfortunately I’ll be in Japan so I am deeply upset on missing out.

Still Sound – Toro y Moi

Sally Shapiro

Sally Shapiro makes the kind of music that (if you close your eyes and imaging you were wearing an eye-patch and had a 5 o’clock shadow by 11am each day) makes you believe you are Snake Plissken dodging bullets and lasers as you pass burnt-out cars and climb semi-demolished walls. This really is the sound of Escape from LA, but a little more upbeat and fun, perhaps.

Anyways. Top quality disco going on here. I love her quaint, soft voice over the bouncy synths and simple beats. You wouldn’t think it would work, but it sure does. Her collaboration with Anoraak is off the charts. Yum.

I’ll Be By Your Side – Sally Shapiro

Don’t Be Afraid – Anoraak feat. Sally Shapiro

Looking At The Stars (FM Attack mix) – Sally Shapiro

Beach House Anyone?

I’ve posted Beach House before. They’re good. I have been listening to them a lot lately and have realised that they are really very good. At first I thought they were a bit too laid-back/lo-fi/la-zy and their music might have an adverse affect on low-resistance insomniacs, but I have changed my mind. They really are excellent.

Their third LP Teen Dream came out about an e-lifetime ago (1 year, that’s how fresh I am) and they are wrapping up touring for it early next year with the Sydney Festival. If you were disorganised like I was, typically, then you might have bought tickets to Sufjan Stevens on the same night Beach House are playing and by being  incapable of being in two places at once or some form of osmosis then you have missed out. Others might still be able to get tickets.

Lover Of Mine is my pick of the tracks, hence it featured in the first post, but Silver Soul and especially Walk In The Park are really just as good. Still, I do wish they would rock out with their cocks out every once in a while. It is only the two of them I suppose.

PS How rad and serious do they look in this photo! A duo you wouldn’t want to meet in some dark back alley. No sir.

PPS I bet you want to go on holiday to the beach now, don’t you!

Walk In The Park – Beach House

Silver Soul – Beach House

More New Cut Copy

More newness from Cut Copy. Seems like they are enjoying releasing the singles for their upcoming album at a glacial pace, Where I’m Going was dropped way back in July. Take Me Over is more typical electro mixed with some blatant 80’s pop-ballad vocal melodies. Lovely stuff.

Zonoscope is out on Feb 4th in Aus. Only 3 more months.

Take Me Over – Cut Copy

Blatant Pop Indulgence

I have been listening to a decent amount of shameless pop lately so I thought it was only appropriate, and fair, that I share it with you. I am not ashamed.

First on the list is the freakishly good-looking and stylish Danish Songstress Oh Land. “Oh” is not her first name but it is easier to pronounce than her actual title. Ethereal modern pop with occasional glimpses of a harsher edge. I like it.

Sun Of A Gun – Oh Land

Perfection – Oh Land

Next is this track Baby Lee by Teenage Fanclub. Simple, beautiful melodies over moderate tempo acoustic guitar strums. This is the kind of stuff that fills the playlist for any road trip I have to do with my Mother, because it is incapable of offending anyone. I find a great similarity between this and R.E.M., which I used to put on our road trip mix tapes a decade ago, and would explain why I like it so much. Don’t judge me.

Babylee – Teenage Fanclub

To add some much needed balls to this post I will add on the Yuksek remix of Sun Of A Gun, which is typical Yuksek, and fucking brilliant.

Sun Of A Gun (Yuksek Mix) – Oh Land

Washed Out Bliss

Washed Out is the solo project of Ernest Greene. Ernest Greene, at the ripe old age of  22, is the kind of person who makes you ask yourself what you have achieved with your life as you approach your own 23rd birthday. Not enough, it would seem.

One of the premier young exponents of the Chillwave sound (along with Toro y Moi and Neon Indian), Washed Out produces music so warm and inspiring it just makes you want to live your life, more. The aptly titled Life of Leisure EP summarises Greene’s sound perfectly. Laid-back, warm electro sounds with soothing vocals and tranquil melodies create the perfect cathartic summer sound track.

Watch this in 720p, please. An ideal visual accompaniment to the track.

Fortunately for us Sydneysiders Ernest will be visiting very shortly. $40 ain’t cheap for a gig at the Arts Factory but when you consider what you get for your money it is easily great value. I’ve been looking forward to this gig for a while now.

Feel it all around – Washed Out

You and I – Washed Out Feat. Caroline Polachek

You’ll See It – Washed Out