I hope you’re all enjoying your Christmas Day! Wherever you are in Australia, and whoever you’re spending the festive season with, I hope it’s merry, jolly, and all of those other positive adjectives that we only trot out at this time of year.
Personally, I’ll just hope my mother doesn’t find her Peppermint Candy Kids CDs. I’d much rather listen to something like this smooth version of “O Holy Night” by Barry Southgate. Who needs a band when you can do your own backing vocals like this?
You can keep your Samantha Jades and your Jason Owens. When it came to The X Factor this year, I only had eyes for Matt Gresham. I was gutted (but frankly not surprised) when Mel B kept this soulful singer-songwriter out of her top three. Mel’s always been a bit afraid of artists that played left of centre, but I think he could have been an amazing addition to the show.
There’s no sense worrying about could have beens now though, because Matt has capitalised on his 15 minutes of fame and released a single. “See the World” is an intriguing and uplifting blend of hip hop and rootsy blues. I wouldn’t have thought this combination would work, but the proof’s in this delicious pudding. Clearly I’ve got Christmas on the brain. Perhaps it’s time to stop writing and thinking of food and just let you listen!
The Never Ever have created the kind of epic song that makes young girls swoon with their latest single “Déjà vu.” The track isn’t officially released until New Year’s Eve but with the video already on YouTube, we can take an early listen.
I must admit, I wasn’t so sure about this one when I started to listen to it. The vocals were a bit whiny, the production a bit overblown, and the whole thing just a little too earnest. But somewhere along the way I got swept up in it all. I guess no matter how old we get, we never really lose the part of ourselves that’s still a squealing teenager!
No doubt there’ll be plenty of those when The Never Ever take this song on the road. They’ve scored the support slot on the Diviney tour in January, which will no doubt earn them a new legion of young fans. After that it’s off to New York where they’ll start recording with a big name producer. It sounds like there’s big things to come from this band!
Kate Vigo’s current suitor should be under no illusion with the release of her new “Not the One.” The track pulls no punches; this man might be a good distraction for now, but he’s not the one!
“Not the One” comes from Kate’s forthcoming album Blue to Gold, a disc which promises to fuse the organic roots of music with the synthetic sounds Kate loves so much. She says she’s been enjoying having fun and writing the kind of songs that “people can dance around in their bedroom to,” although she adds that the album also has a much darker side.
If “Not the One’s” any indication, Blue to Gold will be an album to listen out for in 2013.
Is anyone sick of hearing me talk about how good Gold Coast six-piece Fairchild Republic are? I fall a little more in love with them every time I hear a new track. The latest is “Tear Us Down” an anthemic slice of pop-rock that will have you wanting to buy a cigarette lighter, just so you can hold it above your head in the soaring chorus. I’m pretty sure there’s not a bad song in this talented new act.
Victorian act Von Stache has wooed me with the video for her latest song “Sandbox Love.” The vintage clip was actually created using old footage of her parents. Doesn’t that just make this love story even sweeter? It’s not overly polished, as we’d expect from something recorded independently in a home studio, but there’s something so delicious about this slice of retro electro-pop!
If you love Von Stache’s sweet homegrown sound, you’ll be happy to know there’s more where it came from. Von Stache is preparing to release her debut four-track EP We Don’t Sleep In the Night in the coming weeks.
Mama Kin has given us our first taste of her forthcoming sophomore album The Magician’s Daughter. That record won’t hit stores until early next year, but until then we’ve got this hypnotic video for new single “Was It Worth It” to tide us over.
It’s a hint at what’s to come, a lusher sound with bold production and a more polished edge.
“I got used to the idea that I have to be out of my comfort zone to make the kind of art I want to make, I have to feel pushed. I have to be on the edge to be able to jump in and get as deep as I want and need. Magic for me is when there is a transformation inspired by subtle forces, and this is what we aim to bring to our audiences,” Mama Kin explained.
What do you think of Mama Kin’s new single?
Melbourne-born Berlin-based muso Mez Medallion serves up plenty of good vibes with his synth-heavy slice of electro-pop “Move Towards the Light”. The title track from his new album, it’s the perfect for keeping that smile on your dial as you face down the final hours of your working week.
Mez will return to Australia for one special show with fellow Australian-born Berliner Phia later this month. The pair will play The Grace Darling in Melbourne to launch the album before Mez heading to Japan. Here are all the places you can see him play over the Aussie summer.
23 December 2012 – The Grace Darling, Melbourne
18 January 2013 – Nanahari, Tokyo
19 January 2013 – Hasutobara, Tokyo
20 January 2013 – Streamer coffee, Tokyo
They might not have Sam Mendes’ budget, but the lads from Brisbane band Hey Geronimo have managed to stage a Skyfall-worthy chase sequence in the music video for their latest single “Dreamboat Jack.” Who knew watching the antics of some stuffed animals could be so much fun?
The video release is well timed as Hey Geronimo have just been announced as the support act for the President of the USA’s Aussie shows in 2013. That’s a match made in musical heaven if you ask me! If you can’t wait that long though, you can see Hey Geronimo at the following summer gigs.
22 December 2012 – The Zoo, Brisbane
28 December 2012 – The Beresford Hotel, Sydney
29 December 2012 – The Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle
31 December 2012 – Peats Ridge Festival, Glenworth Valley
If you’re looking for the perfect Christmas gift for the music buff in your life, Warner Music might have the answer. A trio of CDs has been released to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the influential compilation album Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From the Psychedelic Era: 1965-1968.
Now if you’re too young to remember Nuggets, let me give you a history lesson. This 1972 release brought together 27 of America’s first garage rock acts, and paved the way for the punk rock movement. That original album has now been remastered and repackaged to include new liner notes from Lenny Kaye, Patti Smith’s future guitarist and the man behind the compilation.
For some Australian flavour, Warner has also released Nuggets: Antipodean Interpolations of the First Psychedelic Era. Basically it’s the original songs covered by Australia’s new breed of garage rockers including The Frowning Clouds, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Eagle & the Worm, and Velociraptor.
You can complete the set with Down Under Nuggets: Original Australian Artyfacts 19650-67. This album showcases the best Australian garage rock bands of the 60s. It’s what Lenny Kaye might have put together if he lived in Oz. Think The Lost Souls, The Loved Ones, The Moods, The Black Diamonds, and even early recordings from The Bee Gees and The Easybeats.
The Nuggets trilogy is in good record stores now.
Image used with permission from Shows in Space Publicity