The Books - Smells Like Content

The Books are on high rotation at my place at the moment. This song in particular of their 2005 album Lost And Safe is a great track. I love the gritty intro and the crows. The lyrics are cool too... very scientific and theorised.

The guitar about 1 minute 30 in always hits my musical g spot and the video clip is simple and pleasing to watch.

"Then finally, we opened the box, we couldn't find any rules.
Our heads were reeling with the glitter of possibilities, contingencies...
but with ever increasing faith we decided to go ahead and just ignore them,
despite tremendous pressure to capitulate with fate."

Sufjan Stevens - Come On! Feel The Illinoise!

I am a big fan Sufjan Stevens and this song is up there as one of my favourites. This song's actual name is Come On! Feel The Illinoise!: The World's Columbian Exposition / Carl Sandburg Visits Me In A Dream. Sufjan manages to have almost infinite layers in his music, both from an instrumental perspective and in his lyrics.

This goes from a jazzy offbeat beginning into an almost The Cures Close To Me epic ending. Let me know if you can hear the resemblance. There are heaps of instruments in this one to detail but I am a huge fan of the bassline and the clarinet scale used as a fill before the verses.

"Chicago, in fashion, the soft drinks, expansion
Oh Columbia!
From Paris, incentive, like Cream of Wheat invented,
The Ferris Wheel!"


Not much of a video here. So open up another tab, read the news, and give this one a listen.

I am going guitar shopping today... this is why.

Bill Withers - Lovely Day

This is a great song to wake up to on a Saturday morning.

"lovely day
lovely day
lovely day
lovely day"

Tame Impala - Half Full Glass of Wine

I am going to see these psychedelic rock youngsters from Perth tonight. They rock my world. I think they have just worked it all out.

I love their tubular heavy rock sound. The fact that they swap instruments makes for such a great live act. Their guitar, drum and bass solos are so good. To think they were too young to drink in the venues they were playing in makes it all so much better. These guys were the coolest guys in school.

"Said you wouldn't be home late tonight
I gave up waiting at seventeen past midnight
Now my only company's a half full glass of wine"

This video clip is awesome too. Something you want playing on the wall at your next house party.

Sade - Pearls

I bought some new shoes the other week and they still haven't worn in. This song says it all for me today. Literally, it hurts like brand new shoes.

Sade is an amazing singer, I love her voice, her emotive lyrics, and love the production on her tracks... This one is beautiful, the cello, the hallelujahs. There is something so mellow about this song, sometimes this song sounds sad, other times it songs empowering... that is why I like it so much.

This video is a live version as there wasn't a video clip made for Pearls but I think it is nicer to watch anyway. I would love to have been there when this was performed. You can feel the love through the YouTube clip.

This is such a good song for late on a Sunday night...

"There is a woman in Somalia
Scraping for pearls on the roadside
There's a force stronger than nature
Keeps her will alive"

The XX - Crystalised / Basic Space

These two songs are cool. That is all.

"You don't move slow
Taking steps in my directions
The sound resounds, echo
Does it lesson your affection"




"I'll take you in pieces
We can take it all apart
I've softened shipwrecks right from the start
I've been underwater"

Metric - Gimme Sympathy

This song is my current singalong. In fact I don't sing, I scream. So it is more a screamalong.

I heard this on the radio a while back and instantly was hooked. Metric are a smashing group that hail from Canada. I love their rocking guitars, thumping drums and familiar lyrics. Their track Monster Hospital off their album Live It Out was absolutely epic. Their new album Fantasies is that times 10.

Gimme Sympathy's lyrics are so good. Referencing The Beatles and The Rolling Stones in a song gets instant cred from me.

"I can feel it in my bones
Gimme sympathy
After all of this is gone
Who'd you rather be?
The Beatles or the Rolling Stones?"


The video clip is simple but great. It is one of those things that when you watch it you'll be kicking yourself that you didn't think of it first.

Spoon - Everything Hits At Once

I love this song, always have. I love the organ, I love the guitar, I love the piano, I love the bass. Spoon are one of those bands that always come on at the right time when my itunes is on shuffle mode. They have really solid albums that are all underrated. Spoon should be bigger in Australia than they actually are. This track is off their 2003 album Girls Can Tell. The album has a bunch of other shining tracks too which I would put up there as some of my favourites (Take the Fifth, Believing is Art, 1020AM).

To be honest I hadn't seen the video clip until searching for it tonight whilst writing this entry. I like it a lot, but I am always biased to animation.

My favourite part of the band Spoon other than their great music and ability to write songs about the most inane things (eg. give me back my japanese cigarette case or fitted shirt) is their great band name. The name Spoon is a reflection about what their music is all about.

The chorus says it all

"Everything hits at once
What we need is just what we want
I go to sleep but think that you're next to me
I go to sleep and think you're next to me"

Holger Czukay - Ode To Perfume / Persian Love

I had to also include this track today, a complete contrast to my other post. But once I woke up and got in the hire car driving up the mountain I started humming. I think I was humming Ode To Perfume but I cant be sure.

Holger Czukay is a great artist. He manages to create complex tracks with heaps and heaps of layers. Great to listen to in different moods as you always seem to pick out different sounds and feelings.

I like Ode To Perfume because it is so dreamy. Have a listen, check out the epic use of Vocoder.

It has an interesting video clip too.



Persian Love is my favourite Holger Czukay track, and probably the most well known, but unfortunately there is no video clip. So if you like random images check out this video. Otherwise turn it on, and open another window. Great use of a million different instruments, and I really like the phrasing. Makes me move, one minute I am in Hawaii the next I am at a creepy fair the next I am at an Elton John concert. Persian Love is beautiful.

Pharoahe Monch - Simon Says

Today I couldn't get up. It could have been to do with the scotch I drank with my dad last night, or the fact that I wasn't sleeping in my own bed last night, or the fact that it was 4 degrees celcius this morning.

This song is a reminder of how my alarm sounded this morning. Pharoahe Monch's Simon Says is a great song for filling out a dancefloor. It has epic strings (sampled from the original godzilla film), strong lyrics, heaps of swear words, and a fat fat beat.

The video clip is not the best thing i have ever seen but typical of the genre.

"Heads give you beef, you put em in the mausoleum
And the shit don't start pumpin til after 12 PM"

***LANGUAGE WARNING***

Mr Scruff - Music Takes Me Up

I love the label Ninja Tune. All of their artists are on high rotation at my house. Mr Scruff is one of these artists, and I am sure that a heap of others will show up on here as time progresses. I was listening to my ipod on the way to work today. Now today was the third day of daylight savings (losing an hour) and the second day of work for the week. A horrible combo.

Walking along, I hit the park (Flagstaff gardens) and then this track came on... I was instantly uplifted into a refreshed mood. Music takes me up.

This track has a dancable groove, cool piano, fast hip bass line and soulful lyrics to make your morning walk.... It finished too soon so I listened to it again.

The video is a great one too, dancing, singing fruit. Reminds me of when i used to draw faces on the oranges at home when I was a kid. To give them some kind of personality before I devoured their juicy brains.

"When the drums come crawling
The baseline moves you in
Sounds of regal splendour
Fit for a king and queen
Secrets of the universe
The mysteries of life
And the things that don't make sense
All come clear
'Cause music takes me up"

Sebastien Tellier - Kilometer

Sebastien Tellier is one of my favourite chill out artists. His music is so sexy, and his videoclips are very easy on the eyes.

This song is off his Sexuality album, which featured the Eurovision entry Devine. Another sweet sweet sexy track.

This song has some very interesting samples to get you in the mood. The keys are strong and the muted guitar and fat bass pulsate.

The videoclip is something special too... who would have known that eating yoghurt could be so sensual. Sebastien Tellier is my hero. Hidden behind that beard is a musical genius and a sexgod.

You Am I - Damage

I woke up with the war in my head today. Most Sunday mornings are like this though. But today especially so.

I love You Am I. Frontman Tim Rogers is a genius. Sometimes I see him walking down the street with his little girl. He is a normal guy. That is why I like him so much. Not to mention the rest of the band.

Damage is one of my favourite You Am I tracks. It has a nice swaying rhythm. The snare shines through and the guitar moves from glassy to muffy.

"I wrote down what i think on the head of a matchstick
Wrote it all short and sweet all, all that makes sense to me
Burnt six thousand minds, sorry for all the times
I just can't add up the sums to find the damage we've done"

The Beatles - Dig A Pony

I have no words. You can celebrate anything you want.

"I feel the wind blow
Well you can indicate everything you see
Yes you can indicate anything you see
Oh now"

We Have Band - You Came Out

This is a song that I heard earlier on in the year and it got my head bopping. Then I saw the video clip and fell in love.

The videoclip is amazing, simple stop motion with face paint. Painting eyes on eyelids. Simple gags that really work.

The bass line, whistling and funky guitar hit the spot.

"you came out
and you were wasted
you went home
and turkey basted"


Here is the wicked video. I love the paper spew.





here is the making of the video which is cool too.