Yeah, I've been slack.

So anyway, I've been stuck in the real world for the last couple of weeks and forgot to get on it, so here's a big fuck off post of tracks you should just download because I'm telling you to. Have a gorgeous weekend and make sure to drop a few of these.

Love prog-rock, high-register vocals and swimming in pools of fuzzed-out guitar? Tame Impala's new single, lifted from 'InnerSpeaker' out May 21st, is everything you're after.

Dwnld: Solitude Is Bliss

Miami Horror is smashing box wherever they travel. Luckily they keep hitting winners with newie 'Moon Theory' following in the same vein as 'Sometimes'. The lads are hitting RAdelaide next month with The Touch and Transmission DJ's in tow, make sure to get on it hard.

Dwnld: Moon Theory

I bum anything Sweat It Out release really, so when I heard Yolanda Be Cool & DCUP we're teaming up I basically made plans to ovulate around that period. Finally I can post my absolute favourite track of the year, that being 'We No Speak Americano', full of african hous-ey style vocals and regular DCUP-brilliance b-b-beats. I actually can not sit still through this track, it's incredible. Check it.

Dwnld: We No Speak Americano

A couple of Phonat tracks now of his latest 'Love Hits The Fan' EP. The title track is packed into a space-age mess of futuristic vocals and the oh-so-cool dreamwave/synth-pop technicalities that everyone seems to be jumping on top of right now. It's lush, synthetic fun, perfection wrapped in 4 minutes.

Dwnld: Love Hits The Fan

As a cheeky bonus, here's the Bestrack remix, more banger than the original, still contains the stream of chill that flows through. Get on this, very, very cool.

Dwnld: Love Hits The Fan (Bestrack Remix)

Check in tomorrow when Part II is posted. Lovelove.

It could be a good week

Friday's coming (it occurs at least once a month), and with it comes five releases in Australia which have me excited. In no particular order, other than alphabetical

The Fall - Your Future, Our Clutter

For the uninitiated, The Fall has been going around for over 30 years now. More accurately, Mark E. Smith has been going around for 30 years, others have come and left. You may know him for supplying the vocals for the Gorillaz track Glitter Freeze, or you may know him for his almost always loud, slurred delivery of lyrics. Lyrics which are always eccentric, and often make sense of madness.

I cannot possibly describe the sound without simply reinterpreting John Peel's quote of how "They are always different, they are always the same". Put simply, the subtle changes in their style has kept them from being just another post-punk fare, and made them a joy to follow, or to try and follow if you're younger. Here's something from the overlooked 2008 release, Imperial Wax Solvent.

The Fall - Wolf Kidult Man

The Golden Filter - Voluspa

From what I've heard of The Golden Filter, I can see them going down two paths. One is becoming one of the better new electro acts. The other is for them to be just another synths and female vocals act. Maybe I haven't heard enough and there's more to it. No matter what, there is promise, hopefully Voluspa does offer something different to 2009's electro assortment.

Kate Nash - My Best Friend is You

2007's Made of Bricks had some terrific moments. Songs like Foundations and Mariella were exciting, humourous and quite refreshing. Unfortunately, and with the exception of We Get Along, it fell flat when the tempo slowed down, sincerity lead to almost painful lyrics and it became quite dull.

My Best Friend is You keeps the good pieces of Made of Bricks, and takes a few from others. The screaming vocals and screaming guitars make I Just Love You More sound like a missing Yeah Yeah Yeah's track, while the first half of Mansion Song is like listening to a modern, female John Cooper Clarke. Still, rest keep the pop-jingle style that make Kate Nash a joy to listen to.

We Have Band - WHB

Debut album from this impressive 3 piece band from the UK. Electro mixed with funk based post-punk, occasionally straying into dance-punk, resulting in only the occasional bland spot. Whether or not this dynamic stays the same with a full album of material is yet to be seen. There is always the possibility of the slower song or two electronic acts seem to be obliged to do nowadays, few of which interesting. Hopefully that temptation has either been arrested, or succumbed to with good results.

We Have Band - Time After Time

The other Australian release that has me excited is the debut album from Parades, titled Foreign Tapes. Alas, I haven't heard so much as a note of their music, so can't really preview this album. According to the JB Hi-Fi website, their style is art-rock, and they contain Jonathan Boulet, so it seems worth taking a punt on it.

Jimmy Hawk/$5 extra

I feel kinda guilty for leaving Jimmy Hawk out of my previous post. Another splendid artist in Melbourne's independent scene, his debut album Echo Park is full of wonderful melodies which blur the line that separates folk from alt-country. The perfect cure for a dreary Sunday afternoon, hungover or not.

Jimmy Hawk - Want Her Today

Open Up Your Mind.

Midnight Juggernauts, perhaps Australia's finest electronic exports, are back with new album 'The Crystal Mix' in the not too distant future. Over here at the 1'' lab we're bursting with excitement at the prospect of a huge twenty10 for these boys. We are slightly biased in saying this though, considering how bad a fanboys we are, hell, I still fantasise about their gig last year in RAdelaide (I admire the set-list in my pool room often).

'Vital Signs' is the second single from the yet-to-be-released record, and it's a journey through time and space that you never want to get off of. Swirling and whirling as the 5 minute epic peaks and troughs through various stages, the chorus attacks the heart and inflates the spirit, proving the Juggers have hits just waiting to be shared with the world. 

Dwnld: Vital Signs 

Shorts

I figure the best way to introduce myself would be to offer a summary on the year so far. That way you can see what I might have to offer.

While I'll try to avoid hyperbole, and even though it's only April, this is potentially the best year music's had to offer in a long time. Since I've been alive, certainly. So, this is my top ten from January to March, according to Australian release dates.

1. Beach House - Teen Dream

Not simply great, but rather beautiful. Its luscious tones are well complemented by the lyrics discuss themes of closeness and longing so delicately it will stop all your thinking, and leave you dreaming. Utterly stunning, the first classic of the decade.

Track of the album - 10 Mile Stereo



2. Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Rush to Relax

Their self-titled debut and follow-up, Primary Colours, were both examples of the best modern garage punk around, so good, they need not move on with their third album if the quality stayed the same. Rush to Relax is effectively garage post-punk. It's not all that far removed from the sound of the first two albums, but the differences are noticeable and as a result, the quality has improved.

Track of the album - Anxiety



3. Gorillaz - Plastic Beach

Whenever a new Gorillaz album is released, it's all about who's on the guest list. The list is strong, but the music is stronger, and that's what makes the album. Arabic touches in White Flag, suitably sweet pop on Superfast Jellyfish and glorious synth on Empire Ants, I'd like to say it never gets boring, but the last four or five tracks can drag on a bit. Fortunately, it's saved by the goldmine that are the first 11 tracks.

Track of the album - Empire Ants



4. Groove Armada - Black Light

On the other hand, here's an album with a guest list who make the album. Black Light's sound is great, but even more impressive are the vocal stylings, which always suit the feelings created by the music.

Nick Littlemore goes from timid and desperate in Fall Silent to bold in Warsaw, in a way that treads the line between passionate and annoying. Thankfully, it falls on the side of the former. SaintSaviour's performance on I Won't Kneel is wonderful, slowly gaining confidence in her voice throughout the song, while Bryan Ferry's lamenting vocals on Shameless are almost as good.

The band that started with a sound that seemingly had Ministry of Sound wanting every song for their chillout compilations, now have this sound so vibrant, and all without losing any of the quality.

Track of the album - Warsaw



5. Lightspeed Champion - Life is Sweet! Nice to Meet You

With a couple of albums (Album in a Day 2 and House Sitting Songs) roughly and swiftly recorded and released for free since the debut Falling Off the Lavender Bridge, this wasn't an album I was desperate to hear. I was looking forward to it, sure, but I hardly had a chance to miss Dev. This won't be the case again.

Life is Sweet! Nice to Meet You is familiar, but it shows what he's capable of with professional recording tools, and and other artists to help out. It's never quite folk, nor pop or rock, but a wonderful blend with the occasional orchestral sound to help out. Unfortunately, the interludes are annoying enough to drag this album down a tad.

Track of the album - Sweetheart

6. Spoon - Transference

Transference possibly the most consistent album of the year so far. There's not one bad song on it. However, with the exception of Got Nuffin, there are no standouts, which stops me from rating this any higher. Still, Spoon's familiar sound of typical American-indie rock with dash of acoustic guitar, and Britt Daniel's relatable and occasionally humourous lyrics is something to be enjoyed.

Track of the album - Got Nuffin

7. Holly Miranda - The Magician's Private Library

To describe this album as magical would be overstating it more than a little, not to mention groan inducing, but at times you will feel swept away. The albums opener, Forest Green, Oh Forest Green, has a chorus which sounds nothing more than a nice little jingle. However the rest hints at what the album contains.

The grand and relaxing music is complemented by Holly Miranda's soulful, and at times breathy vocals. It does get a bit stale towards the end, but the first half of the album is more than good enough to make this a worthwhile listen.

Track of the album - Waves or Slow Burn Treason.

8. Vampire Weekend - Contra

The entire album can perhaps be summed up with one song - Diplomat's Son. Shades of the debut album, bursting with excitement (Horchata, Cousins), let down by the slow breaks (Taxi Cab, I Think Ur a Contra). In fairness, I Think Ur a Contra does make a good ending, but what really makes this album are amazing melodies produced from Rostam Batmanglij's keyboard.

Track of the album - Giving up the Gun

9. These New Puritans - Hidden

Once again, another band doing well in fusing the sound from their first album, with some different influences for the second. Hidden is once again a mix of post-punk and electronic music, but with a bigger drum beat and horn sections, which initially border on grating before colliding to make something worthwhile.

Track of the album - Attack Music

10. Love Connection - Love Connection

The strength of this album should be determined by the recording quality. It isn't great, which is forgivable for any other independent release, but when you still manage to make enchanting dream-pop music, it's praiseworthy. Maybe it could've been a bit longer, and opener I Know You're Real, while good by itself, meanders along when compared to the rest of the album.

A great effort, beyond promising, definitely worth purchasing.

Track of the album - Lost City of Gold



Releases from Dr. Dog and MGMT out tomorrow, Dum Dum Girls earlier in the week, and The Fall, Tame Impala, Midnight Juggernauts within the next two months look like continuing the trend. With more to be confirmed, who knows how well it could end.

There's A Science To Edit.

WOW. I fooking love Loot & Plunder DJ's. They have absolutely destroyed The Temper Trap's hit 'Science Of Fear', mashed it up with a track I ashamedly don't know, and snipped it up into a cheeky little edit. RAdelaide are doing huge things. 

Dwnld: Science Of Fear (L&P Edit)  

I'm Giving You A Nightcall.

It's been too long 1''rs, been caught with the school and the liek, still that's no excuse! Coming over the next couple of days will be huge amounts of posts including the best new music on the Internet. 

We've got the lush Breakbot remix of Kavinsky's 'Nightcall', featuring the gorgeous vocals supplied by CSS' own Lovefoxxx. This track sweeps and falls in all the right places, reminding us why Breakbot is one of the best of the game. Get on it. X

Dwnld: Nightcall (Breakbot Remix)