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

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

Klaxons return

UK’s Klaxons return with a new record and not one but two tours down under this year. Now that’s good value.

First things first, the record cover takes out Album design of the year, hands (or paws) down. The resolute yet apprehensive expression planted on the cosmo-cat’s face as he prepares to enter the unknown, or surf the void, is as hilarious as it is stirring.

Now on to the music. The second album from the group sees the characteristic punk-tinged electro-rock fusion return but with a harder edge, attributed to nu-metal god-like producer Ross Robinson’s influence (credits include Limp Bizkit, Korn, and Vanilla Ice…?). The sound is good. Modern, hard melodic electro-rock that is an original and valuable contribution to the British shoegaze tradition. The standout tracks on the record are the openers, Echoes and Same Space, available for tasting below.

Klaxons play two exclusive shows in Sydney and Melbourne in a few weeks, hitting the Enmore Theatre on Thursday Sep 2nd. More info on that gig here. They then return over NYE to do the Falls Festival and several other festivals on the new year circuit.

You can order Surfing The Void here.

Echoes – Klaxons

Same Space – Klaxons

Cee-lo says “Fuck You!”

Cee-lo Green recently dropped the first track off his upcoming solo release titled Lady Killer. Known as the vocal half of Gnarls Barkley, the duo collaboration with Danger Mouse, Cee-lo sure knows how to deliver a killer vocal track with one of the most distinctive and interesting voices around.

Cee-lo’s new track, simply titled Fuck You, sees him lay his powerful pipes down on a retro mo-town sounding beat overflowing with “ooooohs” and “doo-wops”. The opening major chords on the grand piano contrast perfectly with the ironic lyrics about love, ataris and gold diggers. Cee-lo may just have created the best anti-love song of the year. The video is also thoroughly satisfying and especially useful for karaoke sing-along purposes.

Keep an eye out for Lady Killers coming out in the next few months.

Fuck You! – Cee-lo

Strange Talk?

I heard Strange Talk last week on Triple J being plugged as the week’s Unearthed featured artist. Their track Climbing Walls is sheer electro-pop rock band perfection with pleasing vocals and rising synth melodies. These guys could easily be Australia’s version of Phoenix and have clearly drawn great influence from the French group, not bad for a group that only formed in Melbourne 6 months ago.

Check out their interview on Triple J here.

Climbing Walls – Strange Talk

Kele Tenderoni Okereke

Frontman Kele Okereke has been doing his own thing for a little while now. Okereke has aptly titled his solo project Kele (very imaginative) and the new work sees a heavy shift towards electro and a heavy dance sound. Clearly Bloc Party’s progressive transition to a comprehensive electro sound can be attributed to Kele.

Incidentally he will be rocking out solo at this year’s Parklife (tickets still available, so go buy them!). Rumor has it the set will combine new releases with some Bloc Party “classics” so should be a good show all round.

You can grab a copy of Kele’s debut solo record The Boxer HERE!

Tenderoni – Kele

New Cut Copy

‘Nuff said.

Where I’m Going – Cut Copy