The Beatles’ pop music and the wide spectrum of jazz music at large played an instrumental role in the musical upbringing of Brisbane-based singer-songwriter-interpreter and four times platinum selling Australian songstress, Katie Noonan. This facet of her musical education has never been more evident than in Katie’s new album, Blackbird — the music of Lennon and McCartney.
Joni Mitchell / Little Green This song is about one of the saddest things, choosing to give your child up for adoption. I can’t imagine the anguish and the pain and the guilt attached to such a decision. But this song is about that and it is beautiful. Somehow it is joyful though, also. It is from the incredible record, Blue, which I really think is a masterpiece. She was so young when she wrote these songs and they are simply amazing.
Radio Wars, the new album from ex-pat Australian band, Howling Bells, is the follow-up to their self-titled debut released back in May 2006. It’s been a long time coming. ‘We’re an industrious lot. We never stop thinking and being inspired’, says singer Juanita Stein. ‘If it were up to us, we’d put out this record tomorrow and then start recording another straight away’.
The Flamingos / I Only Have Eyes for You This has to be one of my favorite tracks of all time. It’s a perfect, perfect love song. The melodies and harmonies are to die for. And if you get the chance watch the clip on YouTube, it’s a beautiful performance by the band.
In mid-February, Australian band, The Devoted Few, release Baby, You’re a Vampire, the follow-up to their previously acclaimed album, Billboard Noises. Baby, You’re a Vampire is an astonishing record from start to finish. It’s got moments of transcendence that would make the Arcade Fire blush, dark corners that would frighten Robert Smith, and ideas that would make Brian Eno say, ‘bugger, I wish I’d thought of that’.
Pivot / In The Blood Lawrence Pike must be one of the best drummers in Australia. Whenever I see these guys live, I generally spend the whole show glued to what he’s doing. There are some beautifully messed up guitar sounds on this and the approach to playing them is one that I’ll be trying to rip off in the future.
Hailing from London, garage rockers Brute Chorus belie their name with a sound that takes in the stomping soulful music of the late 1970s with a more delicate and melodic folk twist. The BestTuna blog sums them up succintly: ‘In a UK music scene full of non descript interchangeable bands playing mind numbingly indistinguishable indie it’s great to hear a band with the courage to forge their own identity and serve up a cocktail of breathtaking swamp rock that sounds three steps removed from the usual tepid sludge’.
Cold War Kids / Hang Me Up To Dry This is a lyrically brilliant, dark but shiny bit of indie rock. The dirty laundry analogy works in all its possible computations throughout a minimally arranged yet heavy song. The clean production seems to play against the words and feel of it all. So indie but so pop.
With members scattered across the globe, though with roots firmly planted in Sydney, electro mavericks Pivot create lush, onimous, and beautifully porous music that seeps through your soul, steals your heart, and renders you immobile. For a good ten minutes at least, as their latest album, O Soundtrack My Heart, proves.
Jean Michel Jarre / Oxygene IV [Richard Pike] This was a record a particularly cultured school teacher of mine played to a class when I was ten years old. I never owned it but the image of the cover and the sound of the record stayed with me for years. I only finally bought it a few years ago and loved it. I knew he was considered cheesy and associated with new age, but I didn’t care, it’s awesome. Still.
Titled V, Van She’s recently released full length debut is a confident modern rock album, recorded in London with acclaimed English producer Jim Abbiss, who has worked with Arctic Monkeys and Placebo, among others. In this Playlist, bassist and vocalist Matt Van Schie, trawls his crates to give us a rundown on his current musical obsessions.
Kazino / Binary One note riff my heart out! The bass, the guitars, and that synth line … oooooh. They’re all doing their jobs so well in this New Wave Italo Disco blast. And what a great start it has. It’s pure underground sex! I feel like I’m hanging out in an early 80s Paris nightclub with my drink resting on the stomach of painted naked lady, doing mesculine with less violent clockwork orangers.
Sydney duo, The Black Ryder, are supporting Brian Jonestown Massacre in a few weeks in Sydney and Melbourne, so we checked in with singer Aimee Nash to see what eight tunes she’s getting down to right now.
Muddy Waters / I Can’t Be Satisfied An old one, but a great one. I love everything about the song – the sound of the song, the guitar part, the slide guitar, the vocals, the lyrics. I’ve been listening to a lot of Muddy Waters lately.
My Secret Playlist is a music discovery website and weekly email publication. We invite our favourite bands and musicians to give us the rundown on their eight favourite songs right now. These are their words on the music that inspires them.
