It’s been a mayhemic few months and, as you may or may not have noticed, not a lot of blogging has happened here on Joe.Blog in that time… but I’ve been absorbing plenty of music nonetheless. Despite the lack of in-depth coverage, a lot of that music has been discussed on my Twitter feed.

For those of you who don’t get amongst the whole Twitter thang, I thought I’d give a broad summary of some of my musically related tweets, along with some additional thoughts. There are plenty of mp3s linked, so you’ve got a good amount of music to download, stick on your iPod and get amongst.

Hopefully you’ll enjoy this fly-by retrospective, for what it’s worth. And, of course, if you want to actually get this stuff as I’m blabbering about it, you can follow me on @flukazoid.

Why?

Oct 13, 2009: Finally have the new Why? album. To say I am excited is an understatement.

Oct 14, 2009: the new Why? album… didn’t think I’d like an album full of Yoni singing this much, but it’s hitting the spot for me

It’s not hard to see why (pun!) the new Why? album Eskimo Snow isn’t being given the same rapturous applause that Alopecia was getting, but this collection of song-songs (rather than hip-hop via songs) still has the capacity to get under your skin. The lyrics are frequently insecure musings on life and death, and as a result the tone is a good deal more sombre – but it’s still hard to work out what is delivered with a good dash of irony and what’s actually sincere. Who knows. At any rate I greatly enjoyed the album and if you liked previous Why? works then you should definitely give this some spins. Just make sure it gets multiples.

Download

• Eskimo Snow (mp3)

Justin Vernon gets wacky

Sept 18, 2009: surprised by Justin Vernon’s new band Volcano Choir. cutups, loops, abstract arrangements. potentially awesome, we’ll see. spectral folk?

Oct 23, 2009: Still getting my head around the Volcano Choir LP. Parts are phenomenal, other bits lose me a little. Certainly impressive, at least…

Let me just state: IF ANOTHER PERSON QUOTES THE DAMN JUSTIN-VERNON-IN-THE-WOODS STORY I WILL THROW HIS ALBUM OUT THE WINDOW.

Ahem. Maybe Justin was feeling the same way. Although Volcano Choir pre-existed Bon Iver, this album is certainly a huge departure from anything that will appeal to a good proportion of Bon Iver’s fanbase. The Americana/folk influences are there, but it’s been heavily tampered with a huge amount of editing and sampling, not to mention bucketloads of reverb. At it’s best, it’s powerful and compelling. At it’s worst it tries a little too hard, ends up as a wash up digital haze and leaves you appreciating the technique rather than the music. It’s interesting, but hasn’t rewarded replays for me yet.

Download

• Island, IS (mp3)

The Yeasayer single and album

Oct 31, 2009: Cranking this up as soon as I get home RT @pitchforkmedia: Listen to the new Yeasayer single, “Ambling Alp” http://bit.ly/4rIlN

Oct 31, 2009: nice work topspin… turned up for the free yeasayer mp3, ended up buying the limited 12″ and extra downloads. http://www.amblingalp.com/

Oct 31, 2009: whoa, new yeasayer sounds like some good fun. too much fun almost? hmmm. think I’m down with it…

Oct 31, 2009: after listen #2, the new yeasayer is AOK by me

Dec 16, 2009: kind of getting depressed about the initial reports I’m hearing about yeasayer’s new album. gotta stop reading spoilers and d/l it tonight

Dec 16, 2009: headphones retrieved. halfway through new Yeasayer. my brain is exploding. this is AWESOME.

It’s enough of a grower that it rewards plenty of listens, but catchy enough that it’ll ensure you actually get there too. The new Yeasayer album entitled Odd Blood (to be released on February 8, 2010) is incredible, so’s the single, and you need to make sure you get amongst it. It’s worlds different from the excellent All Hour Cymbals, but continues the freaky, multi-genre amalgamating, 80s referencing experimentation while staying on a firmly pop-savvy footing.

I guess what I am trying to say is IT IS COOL JUST BUY IT.

Downloads

• Ambling Alp (free mp3)
• O.N.E. (free mp3)

Two guys called Girls

Oct 23, 2009: hadn’t heard a thing from Girls (the band). just sat down and listened to Album (the album) from start to finish. I’m in. hooked. awesome.

Nov 6, 2009: Lunch + Girls (the band, or specifically Album) + Park Bench = one of my favourite lunches ever

The story behind Girls‘ debut album (called Album) and songwriter Christopher Owens’ living hell with the Children of God cult has been well documented (almost to as much over-repetition as the aforemention Bon Iver story). I won’t repeat it here, but somehow in his culturally isolated environment he managed to pick up a fine ear for melody and a penchant for creating great archetypal rock song structures. It works well, and combined with bandmate JR White’s production, it’s a woozy, psychedelic and overall sad collection of songs about, well, girls mostly. The hype has left it overrated, but it still deserves attention. It’ll be great to see what happens next providing drugs don’t kill the band first.

Downloads

• Hellhole Ratrace (mp3)

The Drones – Live at The Hi-Fi

Oct 24, 2009: the new Drones live album MELTS MY FACE

The Drones released a special live album entitled Live at the Hi-Fi. It was produced for a special 2CD edition of 2008′s brilliant Havilah album and exhibits the band blowing the roof off The Hi-Fi in Brisbane and is thoroughly enjoyable. Recommended.

Download

• Shark Fin Blues (live at the Hi-Fi AAC)

F*** Buttons make another insanely amazing album

Dec 5, 2009: Words can not begin to describe how awesome the new F*** Buttons album is for road trips

Nov 19, 2009: some seriously Vangelis moments on F$&# Buttons’ new track “Olympians”… I should be outside running. in slow motion. across a finish line

Dec 28, 2009: Roadtrip with two goons, F*** Buttons cranked to potentially dangerous levels and mayhem abounding. A sort of entertaining way to go insane

Only a year after their first album Street Horrrsing was released, F*** Buttons burst back on the scene with another development of their approach to beat driven noise-pop. It boasts Andy Weatherall on production duties (?!) and has a more streamlined, accessible sound. Put simply, it’s really cool and entirely addictive.

Download

• (sorry no mp3s, just buy it)

Other albums and tracks I really dug

Dec 15, 2009: Isis and I had a moment (or 10) on a late night drive… Wavering Radiant really is a great album.

And that’s basically all there is to say – Wavering Radiant by Isis is some phenomenal post-metal. Plenty of texture, intricacies and thoroughly enjoyable songcraft. Even if you’re not typically into this kind of thing, give it a go anyway.

Download

• 20 Minutes, 40 Years (mp3)

Dec 10, 2009: you’ve all gone and checked out Telefonica right? http://bit.ly/8QfYuC they deserve another mention. get their album immediately.

Jan 6, 2010: getting amongst the new Danimals tracks… it’s nice stuff, got a kinda FlyLo/Prefuse 73 meets BMSR thing happening. http://bit.ly/4CABGL

Oct 29, 2009: hey go check out this new tune on @poa by Sydney band Guineafowl http://bit.ly/e3GH0 … nice lo-fi upbeat pop, reminds me a little of TVotR

The above are just three of many examples of why Sydney’s indie music scene is so amazing at the moment.

Oct 24, 2009: My little bro bought me SDRE’s Diary on vinyl. Truly I have the best brother. (it sounds unreal)

SDRE = Sunny Day Real Estate, a proto-emo rock band from the early 90s. Their debut, Diary, was an underground hit in it’s day, inspired an entire new wave of bands of that ilk (for better or worse) and still has effects to this day. The band recently reformed for a tour and with that their Sub Pop albums were remastered and reissued. I’ll be seeing them on February 23rd at the UNSW Roundhouse.

Triple J Unearthed for iPhone actually rocks

Jan 14, 2010: kudos to @triplej for the new Unearthed iPhone app. great concept, stellar execution. hoping it will lead to lots of grassroots discovery!

There’s a lot of hate for Triple J in the blogosphere, but I’ve really got to hand it to them for this impressive work. This is commitment to getting unsigned music into the hands of as many people as people. Bored? Sick of what’s on your music player? This is encouraging people to discover their New Favourite Band in their idlest moments. I have nothing but praise for the initiative.

Download

• Unearthed for iPhone (app)

Photo credit: Wayne from Oceans Never Listen

I’ve been mulling over this show for a week now, attempting to ensure that the gobsmacked proclamations of “best show this year” weren’t just hyperbole caused by fresh memories. But there we have it – a week has passed and I’m still pretty sure that this night was one of the best gigs I attended this year.

I’ve been a huge fan of Why? since their tune “The Hollows” off the then-forthcoming Alopecia dropped on the web in early 2008. The combination of hip-hop with dramatic, nuanced indie rock sucked me in and I quickly explored their back catalogue and began thrashing Alopecia out upon its release onwards. The album’s never got old since, and it’s use of space and fascinating arrangements, instrumentation and tone has made it something that’s continuously yielded rich rewards. The recently-released Eskimo Snow is a slightly more conventional direction in that’s it’s more song-driven, but still relies on frontman Yoni Wolf’s twisted lyricisms and bizarre compositional approaches.

Back to the show. Expectations couldn’t have been higher: aside from all of the fanatacism built from the countless repeats of the aforementioned albums, both of the supports (Kyu and Seekae) have a strong building reputation in Sydney.

Kyu opened the evening. The duo first appeared Sydney’s radar for a lot of people when their excellent tune “Sunny In Splodges” was included on the highly recommended New Weird Australia compilation. Their sound is an abstract combination of understated minimalistic songwriting, loops, vocal effects, keyboards and the odd floor tom. I’d seen the band once before and was eager to catch them again.

The set began with them beginning more strongly than the previous time I caught them, but a few technical glitches and a crowd with a wavering attention span had the set wobbling its way through the second half. At their best, they’re entrancing. At their worst, they’re can find themselves in danger of being a little too twee and a little too gimicky. The performance confirmed for me that the group’s talent is unquestionably brilliant, but the actual execution still needs some fine-tuning. This being said – a pub is probably not the best place to see them and I look forward to catching them in a different location, which I suspect will yield better impressions.

The crowd’s anticipation for Seekae was apparent, made only more evident by delays in the soundcheck for the set. This was my first time catching the trio live, and I was blown away: this is definitely one of Sydney’s most exciting emerging groups at present and I absolutely can’t wait to see where they go. Their sound is a combination of atmospheric electronica, post-rock and hip-hop with the sound being fresh and absolutely immersive. It was great to see Ivan from the also-brilliant Ghoul make a number of appearances on guitar and vocals.

Not much more needs to be said - see this band if you get a chance. I predict great things for them if they continue on their current trajectory, and having them completely win the crowd over like they did is no simple feat and confirms that everyone was pulled in by their work. Jonny wondered if the band had won the night and I feared that the evening might have already peaked. It was a damn close race, but Why? took the cake.

When you listen to a Why? album from a musical point of view, you’re enveloped in arrangements that are detailed, unique, engrossing and frequently gorgeous. Much of the beauty is contained within the interlocking parts, the exceptional mixing and the impact of the rhythms. How much is a five piece going to be able to actually get that across live?

As it turns out – near flawlessly. The band executes the songs like a finely tuned machine, yet delivered just the right amount of unhingedness and vigour that’s needed to actually make a show out of the performance. Yoni doesn’t drop a beat as he works his way through lyrical acrobatics and stalks the stage. His brother, Josiah, bounces on his kit like a possessed bobblehead effortlessly dropping rock solid grooves, while the remaining members on bass, guitar and keys make all of that intricacy on the album look like a piece of cake. Incredible – and then some. The explosions of fuzz bass on “These Few Presidents”? Devastating. The plaintive emotion of “Blackest Purse”? Tear jerking. The badassery of “Sky For Shoeing Horses”? I couldn’t stop grinning.

“Sydney! Oh yeah, this is a good one. This is a good show” mumbles Yoni with barely-suppressed glee a couple of songs in. I don’t know if he announces a bad show when they’re having one, but it seems the band are really feeding off the crowd. I can’t quite pick where the crowd is coming from. Certainly there’s been some hip-hop crossover judging from the hands in the air floating to the beat, perhaps with some people migrating from the old cLOUDDEAD days (Yoni’s old group). For many I’m sure there’s been the discovery via Internet (like myself). There’s a weird yobbo dynamic present as any time a verse is sung containing some of Yoni’s more twisted lyrical imagery (see: “The Hollows”, “The Vowels, Pt. 2″) the crowd launches into it by positively yelling it back. I wonder if that was a lasting impression of Australia for the group.

The extensive work of the band’s front-of-house sound engineer has to be noted. The guy put the icing on the cake by ensuring that many of the details present in the album were represented by adding delays, reverbs and compression to the mix live. As a result, he spent the entire set riding the effect busses and adding immense amount of detail through - it’s the kind of detail that’s not often seen for a show with an audience size of the Annandale’s capacity. It gave the set exactly the polish it needed and I thought it lent additional distinction to the band’s performance.

Was it the best gig I saw of ’09? It’s a tough call – there were many great, great gigs this year, and it’s hard to pin it on one show – but it definitely came close. I’m hugely glad I went and if you get an opportunity to see this band, don’t pass it up. It’s one hell of a show.

Why? Live at Annandale, Sydney 16/12/2009 Setlist

1. These Hands
2. The Vowels, Part 2
3. Rubber Traits
4. Against Me
5. Good Friday
6. These Few Presidents
7. January Twentysomething
8. Sky For Shoeing Horses / Twenty-Eight
9. Blackest Purse
10. The Fall of Mr Fifths
11. Yo Yo Bye Bye
12. By Torpedo Or Chrohn’s
13. Simeon’s Dilemma
14. The Hollows

I’ve been remiss in not mentioning Why?‘s Alopecia since it was released in April this year, but consider this me making up for it: you really really should get on it if you haven’t. It’s up there with the year’s best in my opinion and appeals to people from a variety of backgrounds.

Pitchfork have the premiere of the band’s new video for their wordily-titled track “A Sky for Shoeing Horses Under”, which is a surreal, somewhat dramatic advanture into the story of – well, I have no idea what it’s about… masked attackers and the frightened hunted I guess, except that Yoni’s chillin’ with his pals and dropping a tune amidst the action. And making tea.

While on the subject of Alopecia (the album, not hair loss condition): How good is the mixing on this record? Seriously, one of the more adventurous mixes I’ve heard this year and it pays off in spades by setting this album apart from the pack hugely. It’s both incredibly dry and upfront while somehow managing to give a wonderful sense of warmth and space at the same time. The treatments are both warped and yet entirely musical. And the drum sounds kill me every time.