solwat?

Regina Spektor can do no wrong. Over the course of a six-album...

Tue, 29 May 2012 21:59:00 -0400

Regina Spektor can do no wrong. Over the course of a six-album career, she’s released increasingly bubbly and enticing tunes that pull the listener into a whirlpool of ‘quirk’ and ‘charm’ like a talented Zooey Deschanel, dropping pseudo-scat and a massive vocal range into folk-pop while creating uniquely powerful musical moments.

Her latest record, What We Saw From The Cheap Seats is an eleven-track exercise in the unsurprising. Not in the way your three-bottle hangover is unsurprising, but in the way that freshly baked pretzels are a genuinely failsafe day-maker: light, crisp and a little buttery, but incredible nonetheless.

Read the rest of my hella lovely review in Brag 464 (May 28) or right here.

Today, in “things that fucking blew my mind”,...

Thu, 17 May 2012 10:04:00 -0400

Today, in “things that fucking blew my mind”, “boobytrap” is “partyboob” backwards. It’s a struggle to deal with this, I know - but we’ll cope, we’ll make it through.

Wondering why things have been quiet on this front, oh my...

Thu, 17 May 2012 01:26:56 -0400

Wondering why things have been quiet on this front, oh my brothers? It’s pretty simple, pretty swish - I’ve been on tour with Chance Waters for the past month, which while glorious, fun and super-sweet takes all kinds of energy.

It’s hard to play banjo, guys.

Anyway, tour finishes up this weekend - playing The Evelyn in Melbourne on Friday, alongside Seth Sentry and Kryptic. Saturday, we’re at FBi Social. Not many tickets left for either shows, but it’d be great to have all y’all down there, celebrating the internet and life in general.

Also, the track above is our new single, Maybe Tomorrow. I think it’s a whole lotta fun. I’m not going to beg, but if you like it, request it on triple j or something.

Spent Sunday afternoon down by the MCA, meditating with...

Sun, 13 May 2012 20:39:29 -0400

Spent Sunday afternoon down by the MCA, meditating with Sydney’s super MedMob. It was more than a little bit chill(y).

Check it out.

"It’s the difference between buying Tim-Tams and home brand ‘chocolate biscuits’ – essentially the..."

Thu, 03 May 2012 21:09:02 -0400

“It’s the difference between buying Tim-Tams and home brand ‘chocolate biscuits’ – essentially the same thing, and initially you don’t notice the difference. But after a couple of bites, your entire being feels tainted and you swear you’ll never buy them again. But you will, and you should – they change the recipe all the time, and there’s a chance they’ll get better. Just like Oceanics.”

- Oceanics - Bright People EP from The Brag (Issue 459, April 23)

Elizabeth Rose, one of Sydney’s strongest electronic...

Wed, 02 May 2012 02:14:15 -0400

Elizabeth Rose, one of Sydney’s strongest electronic artists has just dropped a new video clip that eradicates any need/desire I’ve ever had to take drugs (by being as much of a trip as anything ever produced by nature/science, not by scaring my soul out of its shell).

The clip, for her latest single Ready, is psychadelia in super crisp, sweet HD. At moments like a Luhrmann green-fairy trip, it’s primarily a superchromatic spin through a live song - and Elizabeth Rose’s hypnotic voice and musical inflection.

Elizabeth Rose has her production - live and on record - nailed down, and it’s good to see that polish translating into a visual format. Rose herself continues to make engaging and gutsy pop-electronica, above and beyond an increasingly flooded market - and Ready is no exception.

You should check her out on Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud or Rdio (if you’re into that).

"Instead of a fully developed experience, Lowlakes’ EP is a casual users’ guide to the..."

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 21:33:00 -0400

“Instead of a fully developed experience, Lowlakes’ EP is a casual users’ guide to the ephemeral – an abridged how-to of subtlety and understatement, wrapped in beautiful orchestration. Lowlakes’ failing is to be too careful and pretty – sacrificing hard release and catharsis to create a musical ideal.”

- Lowlakes - Lowlakes EP from The Brag (Issue 458, April 16)

Sydney super-slashie extraordinaire Brendan Maclean has a new...

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 23:30:00 -0400

Sydney super-slashie extraordinaire Brendan Maclean has a new video clip. Simply shot and completely charming, the video continues Maclean’s run of top act music videos.

Often music videos miss the entire concept of plot, sacrificing it for beauty and vague visual glory. There is a moment in the clip for OnlyOnly where it runs along the edge of a plotless razor - but in the last moments, delivers the story in it’s entirety.

Pleasure delay (or timed release) is a rare blessing, but it happens right here. Props to director Andrew Bennett for doing something different (and doing it well).

So, you should check it out. If you don’t want to, that’s cool too, but you’ll probably have a bad day because of it. Here is great music with a great video - and who doesn’t love great things?

(For reference, I now play bass for Brendan - but as you can tell by Tom Tilley’s appearance in this clip, I didn’t at the point of filming and thus my integrity remains intact. Plus I really do love this clip, and the music Brendan makes. ‘nuff said.)

My SC2 partner, friend and all-round good-guy Ben Abraham did...

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 19:22:00 -0400

My SC2 partner, friend and all-round good-guy Ben Abraham did this awesome (and I mean, legitimately awesome - featured on Kotaku!) video essay on Attention and Immersion in gaming. Even if you’re not into gaming, you should watch - there are some damn fine points, and Ben’s voice is sweet n’ sxc.

All Hail Lord Ben.

My sweet ladyfriend Mary Prince with a baby green tree frog this...

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 04:38:00 -0400

My sweet ladyfriend Mary Prince with a baby green tree frog this weekend just gone at my parents house in Wee Waa.

Both are equal levels of cute, IMO.

Grill Collins can hear it grillin’ in the air tonight. Oh,...

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 00:57:00 -0400

Grill Collins can hear it grillin’ in the air tonight. Oh, oh.

Jay P, Banana Del Rey’s mortal frenemy. HT frsr_hrvy

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 01:46:00 -0400

Jay P, Banana Del Rey’s mortal frenemy.

HT frsr_hrvy

Banana Del Rey, the musical fruit! The more you eat, the more...

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 01:41:00 -0400

Banana Del Rey, the musical fruit! The more you eat, the more bland you will feel when you wake up from you pastel nightmare.

HT frsr_hrvy

In case you missed it last week, here’s ballsing...

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 18:30:00 -0400

In case you missed it last week, here’s ballsing re-imagining of the classic Simpsons’ tune ‘Monorail’, orchestrated by Dan Ilic and Brendan Maclean and feat. me (amongst others) as ‘Council Bro No.1’. I think I pull it off.

To make it perfectly clear - I was sent by Barry O’Farrell to WIN YOUR HEARTS THROUGH SONG.

Terms and Conditions is Chet Faker’s first video clip off...

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 21:14:00 -0400

Terms and Conditions is Chet Faker’s first video clip off his debut EP, Thinking in Textures. Chet Faker has been whitewashing the ‘net with his success for the past several months - and it’s easy to understand why.

The album itself is excellent. Standout from the (seemingly) factory produced indie-electronica that’s recently been birthed, Chet Faker creates flowing tracks that are full of soul and warmth, rather than uninspired/lazy minimalism.

The Terms and Conditions clip does dive into the cute-girl-through-forest cliché, and the narrative is a little unclear - but it’s easy to forgive such small things in the face of Chet Faker’s soul-stroking RnBeard and the look of despair pouring from the female protagonist.

At the core of this EP is Chet Faker’s undeniable skill. Here is an artist with soul, devoid of pretention yet loaded with enough lyrical depth and musical potential. On one hand, it’s simple, rolling blues - on another, warm, rich post-dub that outclasses everything in the field.

Smooth production, elegant beats and the beard of a god - Chet Faker is glorious, and going places.

Chet Faker on Facebook

Thinking in Textures on Rdio/iTunes

Chet Faker is playing somewhere near you, towards the end of April.

Recovering from a binge on ‘brazil nuts’ is Macawlay...

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 23:10:00 -0400

Recovering from a binge on ‘brazil nuts’ is Macawlay Culkin. Some say he hasn’t aged well, but personally? I think he’s still flying high.

HT kinghfb.

In the spirit of potential lulz, I ducked down to Darling...

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 18:23:00 -0400

In the spirit of potential lulz, I ducked down to Darling Harbour to be in Dan Ilic/Brendan Maclean’s farewell to the monorail. I won’t show you my outfit, ‘coz that would be spoiling all the fun, but I can give you Brendan and Dan rehearsing in their beauteous costumes.

I also had a line, which is great (and an improvement on my previous silent roles).

Also, if you’re reading this before 10.00, get on down and be part of the fun.

So, Polar Knights have just released the video clip for...

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 23:39:00 -0400

So, Polar Knights have just released the video clip for Overtime, feat. my heaps massive muscles and offices. It’s also just a little bit okay, if my bias allows me to say that (and even if it doesn’t, too late).

Above, I illustrate why I won’t ever be a security guard. All I want to do is hug. All day, everyday.

Anyway, check it out. It’s great.

Check out Polar Knights on Facebook/Twitter.

Oh look! It’s Matt Cowby, famous Australian...

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 18:25:00 -0400

Oh look! It’s Matt Cowby, famous Australian singer-songwriter (moosician)! And that must be his…udder next to him! Oh ha ha ha.

I hate myself.

So, I’m super pleased to let y’all know that...

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 00:38:00 -0400

So, I’m super pleased to let y’all know that I’ll be gently fingerin’ da bass for Brendan Maclean at Sosueme’s 5th birthday on the 24th of April.

Not only do I get to further blur the lines between ‘internet person’ and ‘real life person’, but I get to play at the Beresford, laden with popcorn and funtimes.

You should definitely come on down. Complimentary drinks and party times - plus Brendan Maclean, YesYou, Pluto Jonze, Elizabeth Rose and so many more.

Y’all totes better come.