I’ve really been digging this video lately. It’s the kind of aesthetic I really enjoy – it has absolutely beautiful costumes and imagery, and the kind of carefree ‘hippie’ attitude that I so love in life. I love the contrasts between the scenes – it goes from a very stern-looking Victorian tea party (Miss Thorburn looking positively bored, pouring her sugar all over the place while everyone else sips daintily at their teacups, pinkies up) to the same kind of thing inside, like a portrait, to a much more free-spirited setting where she’s running around in shorts, paint splattering everywhere as she dances without a care in the world.

Nikki Thorburn is a singer/songwriter from Sydney, and her music falls into the indie pop category. This tune is an upbeat little number not unlike something you’d expect to hear from artists like Lenka. Cute, but not nauseatingly so. I think the video goes so well with it too, and Nikki’s voice has that delicious sultry edge to it while still maintaining a certain youthfulness.

The track comes from Nikki Thorburn’s new EP, To The Place. You can check out more of her tunes on MySpace.

Some fun facts about me:
- I have a soft spot for Perth. I’ve never been there, but my other half grew up there and hearing him talk about it is always endearing. Whenever I find out bands are from Perth, a little part of my heart smiles for whatever reason.
- I love ‘indie’ music. I love folk music. I love a bit of electronic music.

So when all these things come together, they make me very happy indeed. Hello Anton Franc, a ‘folktronica’ duo from Western Australia whose new single, ‘Letting Go’, from their first and self-titled EP is now floating around the interwebs for you to have a sneaky peek at.

Listening to it, I’m reminded of far-off landscapes, earthy browns entering the gaps between my toes as I walk through barefoot. It’s super chill stuff, starting off with a gentle finger picked guitar and delicate tinkers, before the airy vocal begins, steady but with a feeling of real lightness. For some reason my first thought was Iron & Wine, but it’s not quite as textured or fluffy as Sam Beam’s voice – it’s got that same effect though, calming but very controlled all the same.

‘Folktronica’ is a funny word, but after listening to this track a couple of times through, I understand how those elements can seamlessly come together. There are equal parts of both, the electronica acting as a driving force but the folk keeping it withdrawn enough. I especially dig the build up to the chorus coming in for the final big bang; the twitters of birds and joyful shouts of children overlap the silence before the vocal and instrumental smacks back in.

Worth a listen for you folks who like…folk. Folk with a little itty bit of difference. Super cool.

Head to the band’s Bandcamp page to download the track for free in a selection of audio formats.

Very cool video from Brisbane band Montpelier for their latest single ‘Last Boat’, lifted from their upcoming EP. The track itself, built on floaty synths and guitars, shows off frontman Greg Chiapello’s sweeping vocals as it ascends to soaring heights and brushes several moods, ending in a defined calm. But seriously, check out the video. It’s paper stop motion made by Sydney’s Paul Andrew Rhodes and is one of the more original clips coming out of a local band of late. Definitely worth a watch and listen.

And if you want to check the band out live, their next shows in Sydney are as follows:
Saturday January 8 @ Raval with Ngaiire, Husky & Vorn Doolette, 8pm, $15 at the door
Sunday January 9 @ Dr Pong with The Spirits, FREE
Friday February 18 @ MUM World Bar, FREE

Free download – Last Boat.mp3

Melbourne’s Tinpan Orange are back with a beautiful new single, ‘Like Snow’, in the lead up to their national tour next month. Combining luscious violins with a strummed acoustic folk beat, the track is as gentle as it is subtly forceful, evolving from a slow show to quietly frantic sawing. Vocalist Emily Lubitz goes from quiet crooning to a unison chant with the violins in between verses, creating a sense of unity as the track continues to build intensity. Perfect track for a brisk winter morning, and goodness knows we’ve had plenty of those lately.

Tinpan Orange play The Vanguard on Saturday 14 August as a part of their national tour, after which they’ll be jetting off to Europe in support of The Cat Empire.

DOWNLOAD: Like Snow (mp3)

I’ll preface this with full disclosure – Jenna McDougall of Tonight Alive is a high school friend of my sister’s (and mine), who I had some rad musical “jams” with back in the wonder years (including a fucking awesome rendition of Ben Folds’ ‘The Luckiest’ at my parents’ 25th wedding anniversary party in 2006). It’s a pleasure to hear about any young up-and-coming bands making big things happen, but even moreso when it’s a friend (and really, I wouldn’t be promoting a friend’s music if it wasn’t any good).

Tonight Alive are a young five-piece pop/punk band from Sydney, having already racked up some pretty impressive support slots for acts like Lostprophets, 3oh!3 and Mest in their relatively short time as a group. This is their very first video for single ‘Wasting Away’, lifted from their debut album, All Shapes and Disguises, which was released to the iTunes store yesterday and has already made its way to #1 on the Australian alternative charts.

Though I haven’t really paid a whole lot of attention to the pop/punk scene since about 2005, it might very well be time to – this song is catchy as hell and is a pretty good throwback to my better days (Paramore comparisons aside). Check it out.

It has been a lengthy wait, but Canadian indie orchestra Arcade Fire have finally put some new stuff out, the first since 2007′s Neon Bible.

‘The Suburbs’ meanders along a path similar to Arcade Fire’s previous songs, although it is a little tinny-sounding. Win Butler’s vocals have not developed much on this track, and musically it’s nothing out of the ordinary – I’d go as far as to say that the melody is even a little pedestrian, never developing much past its very strict chorus-verse-chorus structure save for a bit of a bridge which sits on the same triadic lines. Perhaps it’s because this is a leaked track, but the quality of the song is a little lacking as well. Considering the three-year wait, this is a little disappointing.

The second leaked single, ‘Month of May’, is a much more interesting and intriguing listen. It’s upbeat in a way that no previous Arcade Fire songs have really been – this one has a real rocky edge to it, and the instruments all mesh together to create a really raw sound that they haven’t touched before. I’m not loving it on these first few listens, but it sounds like a song that might be a real grower, and if this is the first taste the band has chosen to give the world of the album, then that’s a pretty good indication that the record is going to present some pretty radical changes to the Arcade Fire everyone knows and loves.

The album, The Suburbs, will be released August 2.

I’ll admit that prior to meeting my current boyfriend, I was pretty indifferent to Blur – to me they were that band that had that one “woo hoo” song that was on that one car ad when I was growing up, and sure, it was a decent song, but I never gave them much of an afterthought.

But once I met Peter that had to change – this is, after all, the guy who went halfway around the world last year and saw 5 of the band’s reunion shows. Craziness. And so I picked up all of their albums, had a listen, chose my favourites, and while they’re still not my favourite band I certainly have a wider appreciation for them than I once did.

It’s been 7 years since the band released any new material (the last being that year’s excellent Think Tank), and excitingly they are back now with a new single ‘Fool’s Day’, recorded and released for Record Store Day and pressed onto 1000 limited 7 inches. Have a listen above and if it takes your fancy, download it from their website on either mp3 or uncompressed WAV.

2010: the year of Blur? Let’s hope so.

Swedish indie popsters Shout Out Louds are just about to release their third album Work and, a month before the record drops, have thrown a new single out into the world. The band who gave you the crunch of ‘The Comeback’ and the constant roll of ‘Please Please Please’ continue along their usual path with ‘Fall Hard’, a straight pop piece with thumping drums and crystal clear guitars which flick between bubbly and ethereal. As always, the Shout Out Louds bring their appeal with the beautiful intertwined vocals of Adam Olenius and Bebban Stenborg, always charming with their boy-girl vocal interaction. The track also features horn accompaniments and is a diversion from their usually more upbeat style, choosing instead to showcase a serious side of the Shout Out Louds that sounds almost sympathetic, but never hasty.

DOWNLOAD: Fall Hard (mp3)

Work is out February 26 through Dew Process.

Everyone’s favourite hipsters Animal Collective have released a video for their latest single, ‘Brother Sport’. The video is a colourful burst of inspiration and weird psychedelic creatures. Too poor for acid? Watch this instead.*

*Shakespeare’s Sister does not encourage the use of recreational drugs. Heh heh heh.

Melbourne five-piece The Smoke released their debut album Blood Orange last March, and they’re back now with a new single. Blood Orange saw a band that was still hesitantly testing new waters, with some fantastic results and others, not so focused – but ‘Bury My Love’ sees a much more confident Smoke who really seem to be coming into their own.

Seemingly ditching their garage ethos, the band opts instead for a polished sound that makes good use of layered group vocals for the huge chorus. Gone are the tinny drum sounds and raw, crunchy guitars that defined Blood Orange – not that those were at all bad things, but this is something that is more suited to the masses while retaining its integrity. Singer Dane Robertson has developed more maturity in his voice; where before he relied on shout-sing for a hard edge, he’s now smoothed the corners for something that packs the same punch whilst appearing effortless.

The Smoke have changed, for sure. This is vastly different to their debut album. But the great thing is that it sounds like one thing – promise. This band is quickly upping the catchiness, the attitude, the feeling of rock music – keep an eye (and ear!) out.

DOWNLOAD: Bury My Love (mp3)