Just in time for Christmas - here is Old Indie Kid's Top Ten Albums of the Year 2016
# 10 Hills End by The DMAs
From Sydney 2016 comes the sound of Manchester 1992 - Think Oasis if they were Shoegazers
#9 Waiting For The World To Turn by Winter Palace
An Australian/Danish band that are making epic tunes similar to The War On Drugs.
#8 Room To Breathe by Andy Cooper
MC from US Hip Hop's Ugly Duckling made an excellent solo album.
#7 Belgica Soundtrack by Soulwax
Soulwax have made a fantastic movie soundtrack under the guise of multiple imaginary artists.
#6 Nonagon Infinity by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
Sydney's King Giz release an album every year. This one merges all nine songs and can be played on an infinite loop if you have nothing better to do with your life.
Warning: crazy strobe effects for first ten seconds of the below video.
#5 Honey Bones by Dope Lemon
Australia's Angus Stone has a new band and its so good that you won't even miss Julia Stone.
#4 Meet The Humans by Steve Mason
Steve Mason is the former frontman of The Beta Band and he has released a solo album to rival his best work from the 1990s.
#3 Everything You've Come To Expect by The Last Shadow Puppets
Alex Turner and Miles Kane have reunited to produce another classic album.
#2 Prospect of Skelmersdale by The Magnetic North
An album about 1960s utopian housing developments in Lancashire. Better than it sounds!
#1 Weezer by Weezer (The White Album)
Perfect Indie Pop from the American band who have been crafting such gems for over two decades.
And here is the playlist if you want to check out these ten recommended albums.
These are my top forty tracks of 2016. The playlist is available on Spotify and some of the videos are provided below for those of you of an audiovisual persuasion.
In reverse order...
#40 Wind In Our Sail by Weezer
A jaunty pop song full of sailing imagery.
#39 Cool Out by Matthew E. White
A laid back tune with a whispered duet
#38 Night Owl by Metronomy
Sounds like a lost synth classic from the early '80s.
#37 Nihilist Party Anthem by Ball Park Music
Australian band from Brisbane with a dark indie-rock singalong.
#36 End Of An Era by Public Access TV
Typical NYC sound. Could be The Strokes younger brothers.
#35 Nothing But Love by James
Manchester's James still creating alternative love songs complete with horn sections.
#34 Signs by The Magnetic North
Simon Tong, former member of The Verve is behind this band and this beautiful song.
#33 Bulls by The Cat Empire
Infectious melody from the Aussie rock reggae band.
#32 Let Me Get There by Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions featuring Kurt Vile
A quiet year for Kurt Vile so I expect he is recording new material.
Hope Sandoval, on the other hand, released an album and will return later in this list.
#31 Natty Rides Again by Nattali Rize & Julian Marley
Head nodding Jamaican Reggae.
#30 Drag by Cat's Eyes
Canadian singer Rachel Zeffira and a member from The Horrors making dreamy 60's influenced pop.
#29 On Hold by The XX
First new single from The XX for several years pushing the dance beats to the fore.
#28 Subways by Avalanches
Melbourne Cut N Paste DJ Collective return after 15 years with a long awaited second album featuring this excellent track.
#27 What Part Of Me by Low
Minnesota slowcore band with a hypnotic duet.
#26 Second Heartbeat by Urthboy featuring Sampa The Great
Aussie Hip Hop tune that Spotify informs me was my third most played track of 2016.
#25 Come On Mess Me Up by Club Sport
Another excellent Brisbane indie band.
#24 You Want It Darker by Leonard Cohen R.I.P.
The Canadian singer's final single released on his 82nd Birthday and three weeks before his death.
#23 Before The Wall by Kyle Craft
In the ramshackle style of a Dylan protest song this is a song that dreads an American future under President Donald Trump.
#22 The Opposite Of Us by Big Scary
Melbourne band with an epic piano ballad.
#21 1955 by Hilltop Hoods
Skip hop legends with their ode to living in a small town and feeling like you are sixty years behind.
#20 Randy by Justice
Funky French dance rock fusion. Make sure you listen to the full version not the radio edit which cuts off the euphoric instrumental ending.
#19 Bad Habits by The Last Shadow Puppets
Taken from the second album from Miles Kane and Arctic Monkey's Alex Turner.
#18 Blast Off by The Allergies featuring Andy Cooper
The Allergies have been making some smoking tunes lately and here the team up with Andy Cooper of my favorite US rap artists Ugly Duckling to ensure the Hip Hop Don't Stop.
#17 Dark Necessities by Red Hot Chili Peppers
RHCP are still creating laid back funk rock which pleases me immensely.
#16 Poem by She Drew The Gun
Social commentary from a new band who hail from Liverpool.
Are we about to see a re-emergence of protest singers in the next few years?
#15 Ain't No Love by Jake Bugg
This album track songs like an Odelay-era Beck song and was the highlight of Jake's third album.
#14 Gamma Knife by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
Sydney's High Priests of Weirdness.
#13 Big Ideas by The Boxer Rebellion
Epic production, great voice and guitars reminiscent of U2's "Where The Streets Have No Name" result in a tune that swerves into cheesy territory but I still love it.
#12 California Kids by Weezer
Taken from Weezer's White Album which was one of the best albums released this year.
No matter how bad things are there is always a beach in California.
#11 Lauren by Men I Trust
A laidback funky bassline underpins this song about...
well the lyrics appear to be randomly generated so I wouldn't focus on them.
#10 You Are Killing Me by The Dandy Warhols
Best tune from The Dandy Warhols this century and I've been playing regularly all year and it hasn't lost any of its appeal.
#9 Another Day by Steve Mason
Former Beta Band frontman treading a similar path to his previous band but its a track well worth following.
#8 Robin Hood by Jamie T
This is the greatest homage to The Clash that I have ever heard - enjoy all the lyrical references and the unmistakable joyful Clash sound.
#7 Shakedown Street by Unknown Mortal Orchestra
This is a funky cover of a Grateful Dead song from the 1970's and I have been unable to shake it from my head.
#6 One More Night by Michael Kiwanuka
London based singer with a modern classic.
#5 Beautiful Thing by The Stone Roses
22 years after The Second Coming The Roses return with two singles (one cheesy and one groovy)
This is the one, this is the one I've waited for!
#4 1 in 100,000 by L-Fresh The Lion
Australian hip hop with beats, drops, attitude and Indian percussion.
#3 Wow by Beck
Wow Indeed! Just drop your new album and stop teasing me with a new single every twelve months.
#2 The Spoils by Massive Attack featuring Hope Sandoval
Hope Sandoval's second appearance in this list is for her haunting vocals over this beautiful prime cut from the Godfathers of Trip Hop.
#1 Burn The Witch by Radiohead
What else could it be? A claustrophobic string-laden rock gem
The video is also my favorite of the year as Cambellwick Green meets The Wickerman.
It's coming on Christmas, they're cutting down trees, they're putting up reindeers and singing songs
of joy and peace. I wish I had a river I could skate away on...
There are some dark undertones to this month's playlist. Probably because these were the songs that
resonated the most with me. It's not all doom and gloom and dead musicians covering The Smiths -
only mostly.
The mood lifts in the second half to ridiculous levels. The music from 2016 has been fantastic. Those who doubt the abundance of quality modern music are obviously listening to the wrong sets. I am here to be your guide to the best tunes that I stumbled over in the last month.
1) Troubled Times by Green Day
Welcome to the post-truth world - it's a small comfort that Green Day have returned to their best form
since American Idiot. I wasn't planning on mentioning him!
2) You Want It Darker by Leonard Cohen
"If you are the dealer -I'm out of the game" R.I.P Leonard Cohen (1934-2016)
3) Let Me Get There by Hope Sandoval And The Warm Inventions featuring Kurt Vile
A lush and well stoned duet between two great artists.
4) Hold On by The XX
Highly anticipated third album released mid January
5) The Boy With The Thorn In His Side by Jeff Buckley
A cover of The Smiths song originally released on The Queen Is Dead 30 years ago.
"At the record company meeting, on their hands a dead star at last..."
6) Beautiful People by Mark Pritchard featuring Thom Yorke
Thom Yorke makes an appearance mumbling undecipherable words over a downbeat trip hop track.
7) Sandy Lane by The Magnetic North
Beautiful orchestration from a very Northern band.
8) No. 28 by Methyl Ethel
Fremantle's trippy trio return with a taster of goodies for 2017
9) Come On Mess Me Up by Cub Sport
Brisbane indie pop band with a massive hit on their hands.
10) Sad Songs by Sticky Fingers
Sydney Indie Reggae with a joyous tune ready for Summer.
11) Follow The Leader by Foxygen
Third album called Hang released in January from these West Coast Hippies.
12) Make The World by Lee Fields And The Expressions
Uplifting funky and a positive message - desperately needed in 2016.
13) Garden Of Love by The Liminanas featuring Peter Hook
French band with the distinctive bass guitar of Joy Division
14) All I Want From You Is Everything (Alternative Version) by The School
Indie dream pop originally released a couple of years ago and now given the festive makeover.
15) What Are We Fighting For? by Dodgy
Never thought the 90's Scouse indie band Dodgy would ever bother my ear drums again but they
have some damn infectious anthems. (Cheesy as - but it is Christmas)
16) C-h-e-m-I-c-a-l (Edit) by The Chemical Brothers
Back with another one of those block rocking beats!
17) Rattlesnake by King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard
The prolific Aussie psychadelic rock band return with home made instruments tuned to unusual
notes that I don't understand but totally adore.
18) Roll Back The Years by Dorsal Fins
Melbourne band worth investigating if anyone needs a homework assignment.
19) Born Disco; Died Heavy Metal by Cornershop and The Mike Flowers Pops
This is the 90 revival supergroup you would never have imagined.
20) Better Be Home Soon by Crowded House
The greatest New Zealand band Australia ever produced. Their Sydney Opera House reunion gig was
televised and became the singalong that stopped a nation.
That's all from me - I'll be back with my end of year roundup in a few weeks.
November 2016 - The US Presidential Election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton stumbles into its last days. It is worth reflecting on an election poll conducted back in June when 43% chose Hillary, 38% chose Donald and 13% chose a Giant Meteor crashing into the planet causing a cataclysmic end to life on Earth. Here is a soundtrack for the end of days.
1) Might As Well Be Gone by Pixies Love the Pixies - why did they split up for 20 years? 2) Where I End And You Begin by She Drew The Gun Beautiful downbeat lament from Liverpool.
3) Deep Blue Skies by The Vryll Society Good use of the wah-wah pedal displayed on this trippy wig out. 4) End Of An Era by Public Access TV NYC - The Strokes, The Virgins and now Public Access TV 5) Our Town by Sticky Fingers Australia's Sticky Fingers providing the soundtrack to another BBQ season 6) Strange Diseases by Gang Of Youths Sound like Aussie Kings of Leon fronting an Orchestra 7) Press Rewind by Kaiser Chiefs
Kaiser Chiefs continue their invasion into Hot Chip's territory 8) No No No by Yes Sunshine Ramshackle Indie Rock from Coventry 9) Sweep Me Off My Feet by Pond New single from one of Perth's best bands - hopefully a new album will follow 10) Lost Cause by Sons Of The East Meanwhile in Sydney the Sons Of The East are releasing Embrace style anthems 11) Bills by Ultimate Painting I thought Veronica Falls had been quiet lately. Just found their guitarist in another band. 12) Don Quixote by Drapht ft. The Hilltop Hoods Perth's top skip hop artist teams up with the Hoods 13) Learning To Fly by Deep Sea Arcade Great Aussie band who appear to be about to follow up the excellent Outlands album 14) 16 Beat (Cassius Remix) by Metronomy
Funky French Techno Vs Grooves from Devon 15) Takeover by L-Fresh The Lion L-Fresh has attitude, rhymes and beats - Aussie Skip Hop Legend 16) The Summer by Spring King Dedicated to everyone in the Southern Hemisphere 17) SloMo by San Cisco Fremantle Band with a ridiculously poppy song - as slick as an oil spill 18) Time After Time by Iron & Wine Amazing cover of Cyndi Lauper song 19) Find Me by Kings of Leon This sounds just like Gang of Youths if they were American and didn't have an orchestra! 20) Found God In A Tomato by Psychedelic Porn Crumpets Best Named Perth Rock Band Ever with 9 minutes of madness
1) Love by Stonefield. Four Aussie sisters from Victoria, Australia
2) People On The High Line (Richard X Remix) by New Order Great dance remix of New Order track courtesy of Richard X 3) Randy by Justice French dance masters with the full joyous version - please ignore the short changing radio edit 4) Harvest Moon by Sunflower Bean New York band with a cover of Neil Young 5) Never Say Never by Thundamentals Funky Aussie Hip Hop 6) Stonecutters by Dope Lemon Another track taken from Angus Stone's excellent new album 7) Acid Rainbow by Sweat Time to find the end of the acid rainbow according to this new sweat band from the UK 8) Still Breathing by Green Day Green Day continue their revival with this being the second new song in two months that I've enjoyed 9) Robin Hood by Jamie T This is one of my favourite tracks of the year and must be remembered when I start compiling an end of year wrap up. It is a fitting tribute to the legend of The Clash 10) Hold On by Teenage Fanclub One of indie's greatest bands has returned after six years with their eleventh album called Here 11) Wow (GUAU! Mexican Institute Of Sound Remix) by Beck. Awesome Mexican remix of his first single with an album expected in November 12) Grace by Work Drugs A dreamy chilled out moment 13) Ceremony by Wussy You can't beat a Joy Division cover (unless you're playing the original) 14) Ivy League by Alex Lahey Alex Lahey is an indie pop songwriter from Melbourne 15) Hearts To Kill by Palace Winter Danish/Australian indie rock 16) Gotta Find A Way by The Frightnrs New York group making classic early reggae sounds. The singer Dan Klein died a couple of months ago but the band have just released this final album. 17) Olympic Village, 6AM by Belle & Sebastian A cheesy instrumental offering from the Twee Overlords that reminds me of O.M.D. 18) Waste A Moment by Kings Of Leon. No description necessary here. Plus I've got nothing of interest to add. 19) The Opposite Of Us by Big Scary Beautiful music from the Australian band who have released a new album this month called Animal 20) Just A Lover by Hayden James A slab of laid-back Aussie house music to play us out
1) High and Low by Empire of the Sun
First track taken from the Australians's third album expected to drop very soon. 2) Never Seen This Before by The Delta Riggs Another funky band from Australia who have just released their Active Galactic album. 3) Let Love Be (With U) by Kula Shaker Twenty years after their debut album K comes its companion album K2.0 and it is their best work since 1996. I got giddy promoting the original as one of the greatest records of all time so I will be more even handed with this review - "Glamorous Indian Rock N Roll /Mythical Bollocks".
4) Bang Bang by Green Day I haven't enjoyed a Green Day record since American Idiot but this is great punk rock.
5) The Spoils by Massive Attack featuring Hope Sandoval This is outstanding - if they can top this I will be surprised. Haunting and beautiful.
6) Architecture Lecture by Methyl Ethel One of my favourite bands from Perth have just released five new tracks - Bonza! 7) Darwinism by Holy Holy The first track to emerge from the Aussies' second album should whet your appetite for more. 8) Give Me A Reason by Jagwar Ma Another cut of pure groove marinaded in Screamadelica. These Aussies must be close to releasing a second album any day now.
9) The World Is Overtaking Me by Mystery Jets This Pink Floyd inspired band have released this tune reminiscent of Gary Numan's Cars. 10) Guilty by PJ Harvey Polly Jean Harvey releases a great new track that is not included on her recent album. 11) Lose My Mind by A-Trak & Tommy Trash Groovy electro collaboration between the Canadian A-Trak and Queenslander Tommy Trash. 12) Beverly Laurel by Tame Impala New music from Perth's Tame Impala. 13) Whipping Boy by Ball Park Music Lead single taken from these Australians' excellent fourth album called Every Night The Same Dream. 14) One More Night by Michael Kiwanuka Classic sounds from this Londoner taken from his debut album Love and Hate produced by Danger Mouse. 15) Extreme Ways (Jason Bourne) by Moby A new version of the classic Moby track taken from the new Bourne movie soundtrack. 16) Sunkick by The Shimmer Band Third single from this new British group. 17) Inside Your Sun by Venus II A new Australian band with an uplifting electro anthem 18) You Belong by The Avener featuring Laura Gibson A new song from the French house producer. 19)California Gold by Dodgy Still trying to recapture the classic sound of The Stone Roses. At least that is something totally unattainable but worth aiming for nonetheless. 20) Talent by Pixies Short n' sweary.
Its been 29 years since I got my first twin tape deck - I think it was a Phillips but it became my first tool of piracy! A fuzzy copy of a fuzzy copy of a fuzzy copy.
1) Cubensis Lenses by Psychedelic Porn Crumpets When I heard this band's name I had to hear their sound and I've enjoyed what I found. Another Hairy Psychedelic Perth Rock Band. 2) Um Chagga Lagga by Pixies Pixies turn 30 this year making this old indie kid feel even older. Still got it but. 3) Ain't No Rhyme by Jake Bugg This is my favourite Jake Bugg track from his recent album - heading in a Beck direction.
4) Marinade by Dope Lemon Breezy laid back tune which I have been loving - just realised it's Angus Stone's new band. Marinade on that for a while...
5) Take It From Me by Kongos Three years after their debut Kongos have realised their follow up with African rhythms and instruments. Think Kings of Leon covering Paul Simon's Gracelands. 6) Anesthetized Lesson - (Kevin Parker Remix) by GUM GUM is a solo project by a Tame Impala musician and now remixed by a Tame Impala musician so unsurprisingly it sounds even more like Tame Impala. See Mixtape Dec 2015 for the original. 7) Subways by The Avalanches Finally The Avalanches released a follow up album after 16 years. 8) 2 4 by Sampa The Great More awesome Aussie music! 9) Breaking The Girl by El Perro Del Mar Minimal Swedish synth cover of the Red Hot Chili Pepper's original from Bloodsugarsexmagik. 10) Siberian Nights by The Kills Taken from the fifth album by The Kills. 11) Tiny by Dinosaur Jr Three minutes of spunky grunge pop. 12) Touch Of Grey by The War On Drugs New music from The War On Drugs. A cover taken from The Grateful Dead tribute album will have to suffice whilst we await their next opus. 13) Belle of St Marks by Helen Love A new album is out from Swansea's finest power pop punks. This follows the release of the year's best football record for Euro 2016 with "A Boy From Wales Called Gareth Bale"
14) Clouds & Rain by BUOY Don't even know how to describe this music anymore... drum n bass for coffee tables?
15) Undermine by Planet It was bugging me for weeks who this band sound like. I've just realised they sound like the DMA's. Planet also hail from Sydney and have yet to release their debut album. 16) D'You Know What I Mean? (Noel's Remaster) by Oasis It has been 19 years since this topped the charts. This remaster has scraped away three layers of excess cocaine inspired guitar overdubs to reveal the strings and Wonderwall chords that were hidden in the mix. 17) Natty Rides Again by Nattali Rize & Julian Marley A nice slab of reggae. 18) Time For Heroes by Graham Coxon Cover of The Libertines which is more ramshackle than the original which was a single 14 years ago. 19) Night On The Sun by Modest Mouse The Mouse have just released this nine minute epic. 20) Night Owl by Metronomy Playing out with Metronomy's classic beach synth sound. Laters
1) Colours by The Avalanches. After sixteen years in the wierderness, Australian DJ collective The Avalanches emerge with new music. Colours is lush, backwards chanting return to their classic sound and much preferable to their annoying Frank Sinatra comeback single.
2) Wow by Beck. It's a fantastic stab at day-glow cowboy pop and together with last year's Dreams single lead me to speculate that he is about to release his album of the decade in the near future.
3) Shakedown Street by Unknown Mortal Orchestra. It's an irresistible feel-good cover of The Grateful Dead's original.
4) Cinnamon by Cullen Omori. I loved the indie band The Smith Westerns who produced some great singles and a classic album Dye It Blonde in 2011. Their follow up was disappointing and they broke up in 2014. Happily the former vocalist has gone solo with a great album called New Misery.
5) Dave's Song by Whitney. The guitarist from The Smith Westerns teamed up with a former singer from Unknown Mortal Orchestra and formed Whitney who just released their debut album Light Upon The Lake. So two excellent albums from the ashes of a great band. Happy days!
6) Parachute by Kaiser Chiefs. The Kaiser Chiefs have traded their guitars for synths and have a forthcoming album in the same vein.
7) Bulls by The Cat Empire. Aussie Legends.
"The Bull's inside my head and the flag I wave is red".
8) I Never Get Old by Nathaniel Rateliff And The Night Sweats. It's a modern soul classic!
9) Beautiful Thing by The Stone Roses. This Is (More Like) The One. Backwards loops, reverb, drums, guitar licks, blasphemy "There was no Crucifixion, just lies to steal your mind...", seven minutes long, room to breathe and a looser funkier jam. This resets the expectations for the third album which is, after all, What The World Is Waiting For.
10) Theme From Likely Stories by Jarvis Cocker. Why has Jarvis never been chosen to write the James Bond theme tune? I can just hear him whispering "Casino chips, and gravy stains, it's not all fast cars and beautiful women, it's dirtier than that".
11) Hype by Dizzy Rascal and Calvin Harris. Unhinged dance floor lunacy and great rhymes.
12) Dune Wind by Palace Winter. Now this is more like it - in fact I'm playing noodling air guitar between typing words in this sentence.
13) Open Wound by Bob Evans. Bob Evans a.k.a. Kevin Mitchell of Perth band Jebediah singing what feels like an album closer from a Crowded House album.
14) Since You Been Gone by The Heavy. They sound very American but actually hail from Bath, England. This is their first single from their new album Hurt and The Merciless.
15) Spinning Away by John Cale. I thought this was a cover of Sugar Ray's classic Spinning Away which graced The Beach Soundtrack. John Cale is of course the Welsh musician and founding member of the Velvet Underground. It appears that actually John Cale's version was the original.
16) Freedom by The Shimmer Band. A new British band tearing up the festival circuits. This is one to watch.
17) Surgery Of Love by The Delta Riggs. Ah the psychedelic pop return of Australia's Delta Riggs. Life is better already.
18) Drag by Cat's Eyes. A Canadian singer Rachel Zeffira and Faris Badwan of The Horrors have teamed up to become Cat's Eyes and produced the wonderfully lush 60's influenced string laden album called Treasure House.
19) Feasting On The Flowers by Red Hot Chili Peppers. I'm enjoying the 11th studio album by the RHCPs. It's as rock n roll as a comfy pair of Ugg Boots but just as pleasing.
20) True Love Waits by Radiohead. It certainly does and so do fans of Radiohead who have been waiting two decades for this song since it was first performed. It was previously released as a live recording in 2001.
Update - actually Jarvis did do a cover of All Time High the theme from 1983's Bond film Octopussy.
Midway through the year and a host of new releases from old favourites have arrived.
Radiohead return with a new album and The Stone Roses release their first new material in 21 years.
90's staples Dodgy, Super Furry Animals, Richard Ashcroft and the Chili Peppers all have new tunes out.
So tonight we're gonna party like it's Nineteen Ninety Five!
1) You Give Drugs A Bad Name by Dodgy. Struttin' Led Zeppelinesque riffs introduce the return of the band that no-one was waiting for. Lyrics are based around the Wizard of Oz and there is a whiff of suspicion that they have timed the released of this to cash in on the return of the next band.
2) All For One by The Stone Roses. A short track based around a repetitive Squire riff. Nothing too remarkable except the fact that they are releasing new music. Begst part is 2:30 -2:50 where they rock out for twenty seconds. Looking forward to the eight minute jams where the magic of this band really elevates them to their deserved legendary status. Sadly, this track couldn't match the expectations the fans had placed upon it.
3) Burn The Witch by Radiohead. This is an absolute classic that can hold its own with the best of Radiohead's songs. If you haven't seen the Trumpton/Wickerman video yet then pull your head out of your arse immediately.
4) Dark Necessities by Red Hot Chili Peppers. A laid back funky baseline propel this track along. It's classic RHCP and I'm very pleased to see they are still writing and performing such high quality tracks.
5) Ready Or Not by Pete Wiggs & Sarah Cracknell. This is from St Etienne's Pete Wiggs' solo album. With Sarah on vocals it may as well be St Etienne. Lush!
6) Hold On by Richard Ashcroft. The Verve front man releases his fifth solo album called These People.
7) Bing Bong by Super Furry Animals. I was surprised to hear from them again after so long but the way things are going I wouldn't be surprised if The Smiths reform before Christmas.
8) Wax On Wax Off by Citizen Kay. Not every track this month is a comeback single from a 90's band. From this point on things get more varied. Citizen Kay provides this month's obligatory Aussie Skip Hop track.
9) Nihilist Party Anthem by Ball Park Music. Latest single from this Brisbane band
10) Inertia by 20syl. I know nothing about this beyond a quick google search and now suspect a French Jazz/Hip Hop artist is behind it.
11) Destination Heartbreak by Kim Salmon. Hailing from Perth Western Australia Kim was a founder of the first Punk band in Perth called The Cheap Nasties in 1976. He later formed The Scientists both bands are now on my list to investigate. This is whatever happened to Kim Salmon.
12) Ocean Of Night (Henri PFR Remix) by Editors. A dance remix.
13) Evil Death Roll by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. Australia's greatest psych rockers release their 83rd album of the year so far. These guys are so prolific they put The Fall to shame.
14) Signs by The Magnetic North. This British trio includes Simon Tong, another former member of the Verve and The Good The Bad And The Queen.
15) Moon by Beth Orton. Beth Orton's latest album is less folk and more beat orientated.
16) Blast Off by The Allergies featuring Andy Cooper. Old School Dope Hip Hop.
17) Ha Ha Ha Ha (Yeah) by White Denin. Funk Soul Rock N Roll from Austin Texas.
18) Oblivious by The Strokes. Taken from the new EP this is the first new music from The Strokes in three years.
19) How Long by The Shitz. This is really by Soulwax (a.k.a. 2manyDJs) who have released an the Belgica Soundtrack which is comprised of 16 fictional bands with different genres all alter-egos of Soulwax.
20) A Life Worth Living by Quantic, Flowering Inferno, U-Roy and Alice Russell. Reggae bliss.
Welcome to April's monthly roundup of new songs from old bands, old songs from new bands and everything else that made my radar lately.
20 tracks to ease you into April in the Spotify playlist and a small blurb for each.
1) Gamma Knife by King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard.
New single from Melbourne's prolific Psych Rockers.
2) High Hopes by La Sera.
Taken from the new album "Music For Listening To Music To"produced by Ryan Adams.
3) For Good by REMI featuring Sampa the Great. Fresh Aussie Skip Hop.
Sampa the Great features twice in this playlist also popping up on Urthboy's track.
4) Another Day by Steve Mason.
Taken from the excellent new album "Meet The Humans". This album is highly recommended - winner of the inaugural Old Indie Kid's Album of The Month. Some of his catchiest tracks since his early work with the Beta Band in the late Nineties.
5) Aviation by The Last Shadow Puppets.
Alex Turner and Miles Kane drop another track from their long awaited second album.
6) 1955 by Hilltop Hoods featuring Montaigne.
Kick back and dare I say "chillax"? with Adelaide's finest.
7) Today by The Billy Rubin Trio featuring Lady S.
A prime cut taken from the vaults of the 1930's grunge scene.
8) California Kids by Weezer.
Joyous Indie Surf Pop taken from Weezer's long awaited White Album.
9) Caught By My Shadow by Albert Hammond Jr.
The Strokes' guitarist rocks out! (Or "disappears up his own arse" as my wife put it).
10) Human Ceremony by Sunflower Bean.
Reminds me of a trippier 80s R.E.M. Great album just released by this Brooklyn trio.
11) Second Heartbeat by Urthboy featuring Samba the Great.
The man behind the Aussie Hip Hop Elephant Traks label and The Herd requires no introduction...damn he just got one.
12) Jigsaw Falling Into Place by Off The Beat.
To celebrate Radiohead's tiny world tour, here's an A Capella cover version.
13) Bitch by James.
James released their 14th studio album of their 30 year career. Nice to know they are still out there.
14) Sometimes You Win by Soul Elixr.
Another uplifting slab of skip hop to nod your heads to.
15) Menton by Palace Winter.
In the same ilk as The War On Drugs are Denmark's Palace Winter.
16) Nylon String by Underworld.
Underworld have released a new album called "Barbara, Barbara, We Face A Shining Future" and are going strong twenty years after Born Slippy.
17) Private Wars by Primal Scream.
An acoustic track lifted from the new Scream album "Chaosmosis". Private Wars is untypical of the album which frankly left me cold for the most part.
18) White Winter Hymnal by Birdy.
Birdy is a twenty year old singer from Lymington in Hampshire's New Forest. Here she covers a classic song originally by Fleet Foxes.
19) Big Jet Plane - Live by Tuka featuring Sarah Corry.
Tuka is a member of Thundamentals having a solo career with a cover of Angus & Julia Stone's hit.
20) Can You Kick It (J. Cole Remix) by A Tribe Called Quest.
In remembrance of MC Phife Dwag a self proclaimed Funky Diabetic. 1971 - 2016 R.I.P.
A great selection this month with lots to whet your appetite for new albums due for release soon.
1) The Wheel by PJ Harvey
A haunting song and her first from this years' high anticipated PJ Harvey album.
Hopefully it will even surpass 2011's Let England Shake.
2) Pleasure Drive by The Jezabels
Australian band with a storming catchy song taken from new album Synthia.
3) I Walk The Line by Hasley
This is a great cover of the Johnny Cash classic prison song by New Jersey singer Hasley. Sends chills down the spine and makes you re-evaluate the familiar lyrics.
4) You Are Killing Me by The Dandy Warhols
This is a return to form from so hopefully we will be hearing more from them in 2016.
5) What Part Of Me by Low
The Minnesota Mormons have been making great laid back pop for over two decades and this cut was taken from last year's Ones and Sixes album.
6) Find Yourself(Richard Norris Remix) by Jacco Gardener
Dutch artist Jacco Gardner released the great Find Yourself single in 2015 and this trippy remix feels like it has tumbled down the rabbit hole.
7) Where The Light Gets In by Primal Scream
An upbeat dance track with catchy chorus, a vocal duet with Sky Ferreira and typical Bobby Gillespie lyrics - what's not to like?
8) 1 in 100,000 by L-Fresh The Lion
Australian Rapper takes things up another notch and away from the commercial career he was previously pursuing. He sounds angry.
9) Gimme The Love by Jake Bugg
Nottingham's Bob Dylan is back and releasing tracks off his forthcoming third album.
10) Turn Up by Dub Pistols
I've been loving their 2015 Return of the Pistoleros album all week. I will soon be exploring the groovy back catalog.
11) Estuvo Bien (Suedehead) by Mexrrissey
Morrissey has a huge following in Mexico and they have embraced him with a tribute band playing his hits with full horn fanfare and Spanish vocals. Three singles released to date. Viva Mozza!
12) Ui Yia Uia by No Zu
Melbourne based band hard to describe - best I could think of is a funky Bentley Rhythm Ace.
13) God Walked Down by The Allergies
Taken from their excellent Kicking Up Dust EP this band make some damn fine music and are worth a follow!
14) Room To Breathe by Andy Cooper
A solo effort from a member from my favorite US hip hop act Ugly Duckling. His album of the same name Room To Breathe has just dropped.
15) How's Your Life by Tricky
Taken from the new album Skilled Mechanics sees The Tricky Kid do what he does best - whispering sour nothings over laid back grooves.
16) In The Moment by DMA's
The DMA's from Sydney have finally released Hills End their debut album of retro indie pop.
17) Nighttime by Turtle Giant
Another great album released in February was Many Mansions I by Turtle Giant.
18) You Cannot Call For Love Like A Dog by Holy Holy
Australian band who skirt just the right side of The War On Drugs.
19) 3 Miles High by Travis
First thing I've enjoyed by Travis in thirteen years. In fact I haven't heard from them in over a decade but I assume they've been releasing the same old stuff to smaller audiences in the intervening years. Nice little bass line has elevated this to my radar. Fran has not aged well - his beard makes him look more farmer than hipster.
20) Black Rabbit by Turin Brakes
Along the same lines as Travis are The Turin Brakes who once wrote a song called Fishing For A Dream over ten years ago. I didn't expect anything more from them until I stumbled upon their new album Lost Property and found it a quiet masterpiece. Black Rabbit is the album's epic closer.
Hope you enjoy these sounds as much as I have - see you next month!
Hardest of all months to spell - Welcome to Febuary!
This is a new mix of indie shmindee dance and rock n roll.
Some great new tracks from the end of last year and the beginning of this one.
It is also a leap year so you can enjoy it for an extra day.
1) Too Soon by DMA's. Hopeful of a debut album this year from these Sydney Rockers.
2) You Ruined My Chippy Thursday (Should Have Gone to Codrophenia) by The Eccentrontic Research Council. Weirdest thing from Yorkshire since Pulp.
3) Hold It by The Allergies. I know very little about this group apart from their funkiness.
4) Greasy Mind by Slug. Slug evolved from Sunderland's Field Music to make this seedy funk.
5) Float On by Ben Lee. Cover of the classic 2004 indie hit by Modest Mouse.
6) Makin' Babies by Reverend and the Maker. Taken from the album Mirrors - a collection of great and very short songs.
7) Fast and Slow by Sons of the East. The Aussie Mumford and Sons. Better than it sounds!
8) The Man Who Sold The World live version by David Bowie R.I.P.
9) Out of my Mind by The Arcs. The talented Dan Auerbach from the Black Keys knocked out this side project in his spare time last year.
10) Wide Open (Kolsch Remix) by The Chemical Brothers featuring Beck. A widescreen remix.
11) Virtue by Bloc Party. Taken from their 5th album Hymns released in January 2016.
12) Bad Habits by The Last Shadow Puppets. 2nd Album coming 8 years after their debut.
13) Silver Bullets by The Chills. These guys are not Big In Japan they are Small in New Zealand.
14) Three Packs A Day by Courtney Barnett. New tune from Australia's finest whinger.
15) Feel Free (Pianna Version) by Groove Armada. House music with pianos - lush!
16) Tomorrow by The Skints. Final track from the excellent album FM from these London reggae allstars.
17) Take It There by Massive Attack,Tricky & 3D. More reasons to be cheerful in 2016
18) Cool Out by Matthew E. White & Natalie Prass. Laid back duet.
19) T Shirt Weather by Circa Waves. The sound of Summer.
20) Blaze Up The Fire by Major Lazer featuring Chronixx. Lets go out with a banger!
1) Into The Cave by Lonelady. Let's kick off the New Year with a dirty bassline from Manchester.
2) Like Kids by Suede. A return to form even ends with a kids choir. Never going to top We Are The Pigs but certainly making some great music again.
3) The Good News by Bloc Party. And the good news is that Bloc Party release their fifth album this month.
4) Never Gonna Hold You (Like I Do) by Fraser A Gorman. A singer songwriter from Geelong.
5) Harry's Symphony by Joss Stone. The Soul singer from Devon has been working with Damian Marley and there is a strong reggae influence on her latest album.
6) Get It All by DBFC. They are French, groovy and sound like Django Django.
7) 1990's by Custard. Brisbane Indie Rock band who have been recording since the 1990's.
8) Higher by The Hilltop Hoods. Adelaide's Finest Skip Hop Act.
9) Just A Dream by Tobias Jesso Jr. Canadian songwriter sings a lullaby for his newborn on the eve of the Apocalypse.
10) Eye To Eye by Wild Honey. All I know is they are Australian (probably).
11) Dusty In Memphis by The Dreaming Spires. I know a fair bit about these guys on the other hand. Second album from this band from Oxford is their homage to all things Americana. If the lyrics are autobiographical the singer was also born in London in the late 70's to a Catholic family.
If that helps?
12) Play Some Roots by Chronixx. Reggae for your soul.
13) Adventure Of A Lifetime by Coldplay. Released their 7th album in early December and thankfully Chris seems to have stopped mopping over his divorce which ruined their 6th effort.
14) Let It Happen (Soulwax Remix) by Tame Impala. I love a good Soulwax remix and here is one of my favourite songs of 2015 under their steady scalpel hands.
15) Salvation Army by Darren Hanlon. Australian folk singer with a lovely little ditty.
16) Cheer Up London by Slaves. Modern punk rockers that don't suck! In fact they're awesome.
17) Eagle by Southeast Desert Metal. Sounds like Motorhead mixed with Iron Maiden but they are an Indigenous Australian metal band from the desert South East of Alice Springs.
18) Sympathy For The Devil by Motorhead. Lemmy is now rocking on his Valhalla Tour.
19) Song for Josh by Frank Turner. Live version of a sad song dedicated to a friend who took their own life. Brings you to tears.
20) Tomorrow Never Knows by The Beatles. 2016 marks the 50th anniversary of Revolver. This track was 30 years ahead of its time. The Beatles music is finally available on Spotify so enjoy!
