SUGAR MOUNTAIN FESTIVAL

Coming up on April 30th at the Forum Theatre and a couple of other venues around my hometown of Melbourne is the inaugural Sugar Mountain Festival, featuring artists and music from Australia and round the globe. Curated and organized by cutting edge local indie-pop and electronica label Two Bright Lakes, it looks set to be a real fun time. Musicians (let's be honest, my main interest) include well known favourites like Canyons, Galapagoose, Qua, and Rat vs Possum, and newcomers like Oscar + Martin, Otouto, and some fancy out of towners, like Aa (say 'big a little a'), the Coolies (say 'coolies') from NZ, and Virgo Four. See below for a run-down of some of these, as well as some tunes.

Tickets are on sale now from the usual outlets (y'all can google, right?)

SUGAR MOUNTAIN FESTIVAL 2011

An interview with Hazel Brown from Otouto and Two Bright Lakes by my dear friend Jalen can be found HERE

And for coverage of the visual artists involved in the festival, go HERE

THE MUSIC:

CANYONS [HOLE IN THE SKY/DFA/MODULAR]

Regulars at eclectic Melbourne nightspot New Guernica and signed on with a couple of the downright coolest labels in the world, The Canyons make left of centre dance music. They've been remixed by such luminaries as Jacques Renault and their DJ sets are always chock full of unexpected cuts that traverse the distance between chicago house, funky disco, afrobeat, and other space-faring psychedelics that are guaranteed to induce motion in your feet.

Canyons - Dancing On Silk [.mp3 /// MF]

Canyons - Fire Eyes [.mp3 /// MF]

Canyons - Fire Eyes (Jacques Renault's Living In The Jungle Mix) [.mp3 /// MF]

Canyons - More Champagne [.mp3 /// MF]

Tame Impala - Skeleton Tiger (Retamed By Canyons) [.mp3 /// MF]


GALAPAGOOSE [INDEPENDENT/MELBOURNE]

Melbourne based multi-media performer/artist Trent Gill is Galapagoose, creating dense and murky instrumental hip hop/beats. Samples slither around and over each other while the bass ties everything together. He's featured on a number of recent compilations and put out a couple of EP's which you can grab for free from his tumblr HERE, and also a quick mix he's put together for the festival, which you can stream or grab for free HERE


AA [SENSORY PROJECTS/BROOKLYN, NY]

Aa are from Brooklyn, NY. They make gloriously fuzzy and distorted noise, tempered by a tangle of synths and 3 drum-kits, frantic shouts and sometimes whispers. If you like the 2-3 minute sections of Sonic Youth songs where the band abandons song structure and melody in favour of raw, unadulterated racket, or the works of fellow avant-garde experimentalists Health, then you'll dig this. The only info i could find on this little piece is that it was recorded live at a show in Brooklyn. It's 18 minutes long, and is a bit rough on the ears no doubt. Dig it.

Aa - Side A [.mp3 /// MF]


OSCAR + MARTIN [TWO BRIGHT LAKES/MELBOURNE]

I remember seeing these guys opening at the Caribou and Four Tet shows earlier in the year and thinking they were something pretty cool. They make summery electronica tinged with just the right amount of sadness to make indie girls hearts melt and congeal on the floor. They've got a new single coming out called 'Do The Right Thing', which hasn't been released yet but has been doing the rounds on local radio - it's all hand-claps and beautiful damaged harmonies, a great pop song. This version is just a promo copy, couldn't find a 320 for now. When it's out, look for it here.

Oscar + Martin - Do The Right Thing [.mp3/// MF]


RAT VS POSSUM [SENSORY PROJECTS/MELBOURNE]

Rat Vs Possum have gigged around Melbourne and Australia for a little while, and put out a record on Sensory Projects called Daughter Of Sunshine in early 2010 - it's raucous, densely packed summery tropical psychedelia and pop which showcases the band's aptitude for great hooks and memorable lyrics like 'I think I love you but it might just be the pills'. Their live shows are full of life and usually involve some rather raucous antics, so I definitely recommend catching these guys in the near future.

Rat Vs Possum - Temple [.mp3 /// MF]

Rat Vs Possum - Binti Jua (Faux Pas Remix) [.mp3 /// MF]

That's all from me for today, seeya there.

later,

HOLY GHOST! - (S.T.) [2011]

Holy Ghost! have to be one of my favourite artists on the DFA roster, so you can understand that I was miiiighty excited when I heard they were putting out their debut album. Holy Ghost! have always been renowned for their unique take on modern house and disco styles, blended with tongue-in-cheek references to 80's and 90's electronic pop music - just listen to 'Say My Name' off their Static In The Wire EP - and their love for analog bass lines have always helped them settle well in DFA's catalog. Although they'd only put out a few singles on DFA since getting their start in 2007, they absolutely crashed onto the scene with 2008's single 'Hold On' which was a glorious slice of synthy, disco-pop-throwback. 

This new album has them sounding a little bit like Cut-Copy's latest effort, another favourite synth-pop/future disco LP of mine, although I'd have to say that the production is more straightforward and less lush than Cut Copy's. It definitely feels more tailored to the dancefloor, which is where Holy Ghost! have always won the most hearts. - look no further than final track 'Some Children' for evidence of that. 

A few previously released tracks make appearances on the full-length, which as a long-time fan I was a little disappointed about, but there's no doubt they're good songs and including them on the album is a smart move to introduce new fans to some of the duo's stronger previous work. As for the other tracks, they generally conform to the trail that the duo have been following thus far in their careers. Along with obvious first single 'Do It Again', 'Jam For Jerry' is probably the strongest new track on the release in my mind; it's a propulsive and danceable future-disco number which will probably be picked up by Triple J.

All in all I'm quite impressed by the release, but then, I probably wouldn't post anything I didn't like a lot on this blog. I'm probably going to start another blog where I just rip on stuff like Ke$ha and still take the time to provide a download. /joke. On a side note, didja hear about all the mothers dragging their tweens out of Ke$ha's run of concerts 'round Australia? You'd think they would have realized that they needed to do a bit more parenting (and/or research) before they took their kids along in the first place, IMO.

With any luck Holy Ghost! will tour down-under sometime soon off the back of this - looking forward to it immensely.


Holy Ghost! - Holy Ghost! (2011) [.zip /// MF]

later,

HOLY GHOST! - DO IT AGAIN [2011]

Just a reeeal quickie from me - Holy Ghost are a duo that I absolutely adore, and they've released a new single to promote their new album (as yet unnamed) which will be released real early April on DFA according to the grapevine.
This is a big one.

Holy Ghost - Do It Again (2011) [.zip /// HF]

later,

CUT COPY - ZONOSCOPE [2011]

big last 10 days for Fingers Crossed; Big Troubles' new album, leaked debut from Discodeine more than a month before it was due and now, an extra special treat for you. no more bullshit from me, this album's been hyped more than healthy (deservedly, i think), i've already posted a remix to whet your appetite. all i'll say is I find it less poppy than In Ghost Colours and Cut Copy have certainly matured in the intervening years. Dig it.

Cut Copy - Zonoscope (2011)  [.zip /// MF]

edit: link taken down, lucky if ya got it, sorry if ya didn't

later,

DISCODEINE - DISCODEINE [2011]

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It was supposed to be released on the 25th of February but yet again an album I've been looking forward to for months has leaked more than a month early. This is good news for you. And I. Discodeine's debut effort, after teasingly releasing a few singles and EP's over the last year or so, is good. Very good. It's disco flavoured as you might expect, with tribal elements and not a little bit of eccentricity. Sometimes scaling the depths to very deep and dark levels, Pilooski and Pentile have shown yet again that they're not your average bears.

Expect more dance flavoured stuff in the next few days as I work through a backlog of stuff from instrumental hip-hop to straight-up new-rave.

Discodeine - Discodeine (2011) [.zip /// MF]

Aaaand here's a link to the other Discodeine post I did a few weeks back with the Singular EP (ft. Matias Aguayo).

later,