Shortly after starting this blog last year I conducted a poll of Australian music bloggers/DJs/friends to determine the Best/Top/Hottest Australian artists of 2005. I got exposed to a lot of bands through this little project and I/we are in the process of doing the 2006 version. So this post is just a little reminder to those of you still working on your lists to get them in by Sunday night!

And how about an informal contest with no prize (at the moment anyway)?

WHO DO YOU THINK WILL BE VOTED THE TOP AUSTRALIAN BAND/ARTIST OF 2006?

Last year some rather quiet bands in 2005 (Bluebottle Kiss and Augie March) did very well. This year they both released records, but will they be as high? The Grates had a huge year so do we assume they will make the Top 25 again? Do people still care about Wolfmother?

Leave your guesses in the comments and we’ll see if anyone has their finger on the pulse of…the bloggers? Australian music? Lists? Surely on the pulse of something.

And just to help you out, here are last year’s Top 25 (full post here):

25: Wolf and Cub
24: Bit by Bats
23: British India
22: Pivot
21: Big Heavy Stuff
20: The Drones
19: Sarah Blasko
18: Art of Fighting
17: The Avalanches
16: You Am I
15: New Buffalo
14: Wolfmother
13: The Presets
12: The Grates
11: Gerling
10: Expatriate
9: Decoder Ring
8: Architecture in Helsinki
7: The Mess Hall
6: Dirty Three
5: Cut Copy
4: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
3: Bluebottle Kiss
2: Dappled Cities Fly
1: Augie March

The complete list of every band (over 100!) that received a vote last year is here. I am pretty damn sure some of them will crack the Top 25 this year.

Much like Dom I have been aware of The Basics for a while but had yet to hear them until a couple weeks ago. But thanks to the urgings of Who The Bloody Hell Are They? I finally checked them out and I’m glad I did.

With a sound harkening back to the blues-based rock of Chuck Berry and the melodic pop sensibilities of The Beatles I can’t help but enjoy myself when I listen to The Basics. Living up to their name the band features just guitar, bass, and drums with all three members taking turns singing the songs. And what makes this all even better? The drummer for the band is none other than Wally De Backer who has made one of my favourite records of the year under the Gotye moniker. Sydnesiders’ next chance to check out The Basics live will be at Homebake (Gotye will be performing as well!). I’ve got my tickets and I’m pretty damn stoked. For now, check out these songs and look out for a full-length from The Basics early next year.

Download:
Second Best
Call It Rhythm & Blues
Baby, Let Me In

Next month (November 11 to be exact) Dappled Cities Fly, one of Australia’s most exciting young bands, will release their second album entitled Granddance. I am pretty damn excited for this album after seeing them numerous times over the last year performing the bulk of the songs that ended up on the album. You don’t have to wait until November 11 to get a taste of the album though. First single ‘Fire Fire Fire’ is all over the radio and you can download another song off the record courtesy of Speak ‘n Spell:

Download: Within Hours

Granddance tracklisting:

01. Holy Chord < -----this one kicks ass
02. Work it Out
03. Fire Fire Fire
04. Colour Coding
05. Beach Song
06. Vision Bell
07. The Eve the Girl
08. Granddance
09. Within Hours
10. Watercourse
11. Battlewon

Bonus Tracks (Australian Release)
01. Paint the Walls
02. Save Your Money
03. Granddance (2005 Demo)
Video 1: The Birds
Video 2: Peach

The band have also announced details of an Australian tour to properly launch the album. Dates below:

23 November 2006 : The Cambridge Hotel : Newcastle, NSW
24 November 2006 : The Transit Lounge : Canberra, ACT
25 November 2006 : The Gaelic Club : Sydney, NSW
29 November 2006 : Karova Lounge : Ballarat, VIC
30 November 2006 : Peninsula Lounge : Mooroooduc
1 December 2006 : Spanish Club : Melbourne, VIC
2 December 2006 : Jive Bar : Adelaide, SA
7 December 2006 : Gasworks : Parramatta, NSW
8 December 2006 : The Coolongatta Hotel : Gold Coast, QLD
9 December 2006 : The Columbian Hotel : Brisbane, QLD
16 December 2006 : Mojo's Bar : North Fremantle, WA
17 December 2006 : Rosemount Hotel : Perth, WA

The Sydney date clashes with my current plans of seeing The Vasco Era tear up the Annandale so I'm debating heading out to Parramatta. Anyone seen a gig at Gasworks?

More details on the recently relaunched DCF website and MySpace.

DCF photo courtesy Boudist (of course).

The Guardian has an article up today about why/how The Clash are still relevant. I don’t normally just link to articles like this, but The Clash are one of my favourite bands ever and they should be one of yours. Irvine Welsh, The Edge, Pete Townshend and others share their favourite Clash singles upon the release of this amazing box set. Carl Barat has this to say about ‘Tommy Gun’:

A mate told me a funny story about the ad lib near the end where Strummer sings: ‘OK, so let’s agree about the price, and make it one jet airliner for 10 prisoners.’ Apparently, he texted it to a mate who couldn’t figure out what the lyrics were and the next morning some heavies from MI5 turned up on his doorstep! That alone proves ‘Tommy Gun’ is as relevant now as it was back then.

Full article here.

Download some of my favourite Clash singles below (‘Clampdown’ was never a single). All songs are from a show in New York on September 21, 1979. The show was at the Palladium and I think it may be the show where Pennie Smith shot the cover for London Calling.

Complete Control
(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais
Tommy Gun
White Riot

Big thanks to the Sandwich Club for putting on such a fun show at Candy’s Apartment last night. Three cool bands, a DJ that played ‘Under Pressure’ and ELO (who I hate but I think shows you the lack of pretension in the room), and a friendly crowd all made for a great Thursday night out. And in a city where I still don’t know a ton of people it was nice to finally meet four (!!) SClubbers and this guy who were all so friendly. Anyway enough of that blab, how about the bands?

Adelaide’s Poly & the Statics headlined and they were pretty damn awesome. I had planned to leave early but their set was so much fun that I had to stay for the entire show. By the end of their set they had most of the crowd on the dancefloor dancin’ like no one was watchin’. Geoff and I tried to compare them to other bands later without much luck. Tapes ‘n Tapes maybe? It’s all we could come up with after a long day…and I remember a song that sounded NOTHING like that band…soooo yeah. I think we’ll all be hearing more of this band in the future so be sure and check out their next Sydney show (or whenever they play your town).

Lead singer’s t-shirt: Kylie

Download:
Symphony
Lucky
Chainsaw
Nashville Rd.

MySpace::Official Site

On stage before them was another Adelaide band, City Riots. Their sound was definitely that synthy-rock that seems to be taking over Sydney somtimes, but it was still heavily guitar based. I enjoyed their set but can’t say that they really stood out all that much. Maybe they’re better on record? I’ll have to check out their EP which comes out in a couple weeks.

Lead singer’s t-shirt: The Rolling Stones

MySpace::Official site

First up for the night was Sydney’s own Cloud Control who recently won the Sydney Uni band comp. First off, I thought the lead singer (who looked about 16) sounded a lot like Owen Pallett. For such a young band they seem to have this music thing figured out pretty well. Well-crafted indie-pop songs featuring boy-girl vocals aren’t always the easiest thing to pull off but they’ve done it. I think they show a ton of promise and they were definitely better than I was expecting.

Lead singer’s t-shirt: Bob fucking Dylan

Download:

Buffalo Country
Freelove

MySpace

Lead Singer T-shirt Winner:

Cloud Control. You can’t top Dylan.

More photos of the Sandwich Party here.

I seem to be on a post-rock kick lately. How much does Mogwai’s ‘My Father, My King’ kick ass? This live version (from a Coachella performance I think) emobodies everything I love about Mogwai. And while I like their last couple records, I’d love more of this please.

My Father My King (live) < ---- may cause ears to bleed (in a good way!)

Some might call Mogwai haunting (can you see it coming?) and this Thursday you can get your haunt on down at Candy's Apartment for yet another installment of the S Club Party. I don't know any of the bands but I'm going to get my ass down to King's Cross come hell or high water (unless I fall asleep - damn "career"). Poly and the Statics, along with City Riots and Cloud Control will all by playing along with some DJs. Anyone who shows up to this Hallowe’en themed night in a costume gets their photos taken and put up on this blog – I can bestow no higher honour. And no, Hipster Indie Kid is not a costume.

Download: Poly and the Statics – Chainsaw

And seriously Australia, Hallowe’en is realllllly lacking here. You should be embracing this holiday and all it’s glorious trappings for all they are worth: the chocolate, the slutty costumes, the drunken throwing of pumpkins on to moderately busy streets. It’s fun for the whole family.

See you there.

My friend Quinn likes to tell me about the Godspeed You! Black Emperor show he saw in Vancouver back in 2001 or 2002. I was not there for some reason I can’t recall now. Stupidity most likely. Anyway, whenever Quinn speaks of the show – usually at my urging – I can’t help but feel I missed my chance and that I will never see GY!BE live. I truly hope I’m wrong, but it has been pretty damn quiet in the Godspeed camp the past few years. Yanqui U.X.O., their last album, was released almost exactly four years ago. There have been rumours of some commotion at the Hotel2Tango involving Godspeed in the studio…but they are nothing more than that: hopeful rumours. And, of course, I do love A Silver Mt. Zion but they’ve never been able to reach the heights of Godspeed’s finest moments (‘Moya’, for instance).

Like many other Godspeed fans I’ve been hooked up to a verrrrrry slow I.V. drip of two unreleased Godspeed songs that they played live in 2003 before scrapping a planned tour of western North America, announcing an indefinite hiatus, and disappearing into side projects. ‘Albanian’ is a monster of a track that eclipses anything off Yanqui…even shitty recordings can’t hide the sheer ferocity of this song.

Download: Albanian (live in Nantes)

Another new song, ‘Gamelan,’ while less immediate, does embody a lot of what Godspeed were/are about. In fact, if the band went into the studio, put just those two songs down and put it out I’d be thrilled. You can download ‘Gamelan” and the complete show this ‘Albanian’ recording was taken from (and another show) here courtesy Dead Flag Blues.

Since this blog has been around nearly a year now, I find I’m getting more and more emails from bands/labels/PR machines who want bloggers to pimp their bands. Let me say right now that any band I write about here I actually do enjoy…even if their label did give me the opportunity to hear the band for free.[/disclaimer]

This week the fine folks at Sydney’s Architecture Label sent out an email to all the Sydney bloggers giving us the opportunity to share the brand new single by Belles Will Ring. I had heard of the band, but not a single note by them. I checked out their MySpace and listened to a couple demos which I enjoyed more than I thought I would, especially considering they are just demos. Then I listened to the new single ‘Mad Love’ and liked that even more.

Much like The Boats, I think one reason I’m digging this band is that they don’t sound a thing like a lot of the other music dominating Sydney at the moment. It’s not that I don’t like the new-wavey/80s/electro thing, but it certainly is nice to listen to some sparkling melodies that evoke lazy sunny Sunday afternoons spent outdoors. Their bio mentions the Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, the Velvet Underground and the Hollies but I also hear the wooziness of early Spiritualized and the Dandy Warhols. I don’t think I was looking for a psychedelic pop band to follow, but Belles Will Ring have certainly got me paying attention.

Download the Mad Love single:

1. Mad Love
2. Nightflower
3. All That I Cannot Give

If you like what you hear, be sure to pick up the CD in shops/online. Belles Will Ring will release their debut album early in the new year. But before that make sure to check them out November 10 as they launch the Mad Love single at Spectrum. Details here.

Elsewhere: Boudist, Fat Planet, Whiteboydancefloor

Photo by Dan Boud, Esq. (flickr)

The 2007 Laneway Festival line-up was announced this morning. Yay! Much better than BDO. And while there isn’t one band I’m super dying to see, there are a number of acts I’m interested in checking out. Yo La Tengo, for instance, are a band I’ve never really listened to, but have always thought I should. And since Peter Bjorn and John have released two of the catchiest songs of 2006 I am also looking forward to big crowd singalongs with them. Or maybe some whistling. The Walkmen…each album I’ve liked a few songs but never the whole thing. I’ve only heard one song off their latest record but it’s actually pretty good and a bit different for them. Anyone have thoughts on A Hundred Miles Off? And someone give me the 411 on Love Is All.

Anyway, here’s the list if you haven’t seen it already:

Yo La Tengo, Peter Bjorn and John, The Sleepy Jackson, Youth Group, The Walkmen, Camera Obscura, Archie Bronson Outfit, Love Is All, Fionn Regan, Macromantics, Ground Components, Midnight Juggernauts, and The Temper Trap.

Who are you most excited to see? The Sydney show takes place on Sunday March 4. Tix on sale Thursday November 2 at 9am. Sydney tickets will set you back $82.50 (10 bucks more than the other shows for some reason) and will be available through Moshtix
.
Download:

Yo La Tengo – Pass The Hatchet, I Think I’m Goodkind
Peter Bjorn and John – Young Folks (via BV)
The Walkmen – Lousiana
Love Is All – Talk Talk Talk Talk

Modest Mouse will be making MANY indie kids happy on January 3 when they play the Enmore. I’ve been told this is their first time to Australia…which I find incredible (UPDATE: I read somewhere today they were here 13 years ago…which is even odder than not havign been here at all). I’ve never been the world’s biggest Modest Mouse fan and they can be hit-or-miss live, but if Johnny Marr is touring with them I am SO THERE.

Tickets on sale October 30.

And just some details about those New Pornographers shows I mentioned yesterday. The band are hitting Sydney for two shows:

December 10 – The Factory (wtf is this place? some real Sydney peep help me out)
December 15 – Annandale

And more importantly than the dates is that I’ve read somewhere that Neko Case WILL be with the band on this tour.

My Latest Novel are playing The Basement on December 9. I’ve never actually heard them but I’ve read some things that make me think I might like them. Anyone know if they’re any good?

I also read in Brag this week that there are rumours of Bob Dylan making his way down to Australia in March for an Australian tour. Oh man…please be true.