Every week a plethora of big name acts, Australian musicians and little-known musos drop brand spankin’ new tracks on the internet. We’ve trawled through the internet to find some of our favourites and plucked them from the masses.
SALES – ‘Vow’
‘Vow’ is the latest release from SALES, a minimal guitar-pop two-piece that hail from the deep south of Orlando, Florida. The leading lady Lauren Morgan wields a vocal prowess that is scratchy yet sweet, downtrodden and utterly transfixing, which pairs seamlessly with the blue melancholic chord progressions that slowly fade in and out of focus.
‘Vow’ builds progressively from simple guitar licks as Morgan vents her frustrations of a relationship turned sour as the track climatically closes with the lush higher string tones from the hazy world of dream-pop. (JH)
Danny Brown, BadBadNotGood & Ghostface Killah – ‘Six Degrees’
With a lot of speculation and plenty of headlines over recent weeks of in-house disputes over at Wu Tang HQ, Ghostface Killah has just announced a 10” single with Toronto jazz icons BadBadNotGood, the A-side of which will feature the toothless cussing of our man Danny Brown.
With a minimalist beat filled with mystique, never building to more than a simple drum stick tapping and a short, sharp, plucked guitar piece it’s the perfect contrast for the passive aggressive Ghostface and Brown’s ultra cool deranged rhymes. Put simply it’s experimental, right where the best stuff comes from. (JM)
The Sinking Teeth -‘You Can’t Build A Bike Out Of Muffins’
Mastered and released in the same day, ‘You Can’t Build A Bike Out Of Muffins’ is the latest single from Melbourne punk rockers The Sinking Teeth.
Taken from the band’s upcoming second EP titled Salt & Stitches, ‘You Can’t Build A Bike Out Of Muffins’ is an incredibly exciting follow-up the the trio’s 2013 debut EP White Water. This track is simple, fun punk rock at its best. (LD)
Anna Calvi Feat. David Byrne – ‘Strange Weather’
We here at Tone Deaf are excited that David Byrne loves alternative female artists as much as we do. The Talking Heads frontman teamed up with St. Vincent on the jazzed up Love This Giant and as we previously discussed in our Mixtape a couple of weeks back will now feature on two songs on Anna Calvi’s covers EP,Strange Weather.
So just as St. Vincent departs our shores and Calvi begins her Australian tour it’s fitting that this exquisite Keren Ann cover has dropped (alongside a magnificent video). The song, just like her ‘Papi Pacify’ cover, is just as brooding and epic as expected. Although this time Byrne’s vocals provide a lighter touch, which only makes the sentiment of this heartbroken ode even more devastating. (CT)
Orbits – ‘Al Tropix’
This is not for those with short attention spans, ‘Al Tropix’ is the latest release from Orbits a psychadelic/ shoegaze/ drone trio from Canberra. This track is also the first taste of upcoming Orbits tape Tunguska which is set for release on the 9th of June via the brand new label Whalesmouth.
The brainchild of JJ Baker (Bandcamp Hunter/ Formless Fields/ Formless Mondays) Whalesmouth promises to be an exciting venture into the world of experimental, eclectic and improvised sounds. Settle in and enjoy the 9 minutes of freeform krautrock meditation that is ‘Al Tropix’. (LD)
Angus & Julia Stone – ‘Heart Beats Slow’
It’s been a gruelling four years since this adored brother/sister duo released their chart-topping sophomore record, Down The Way. At long-last, the two-piece have unveiled a brand-spanking new track entitled ‘Heart Beats Slow’, and it’s everything you want it to be.
The track is vintage Stones, the siblings merging their distinct vocals together to create their one of a kind gorgeous harmony that we’ve been missing for so damn long. (JH)
La Roux – ‘Uptight Downtown’
Elly Jackson is well and truly on the comeback trail after dropping her first song in five years in Let Me Down Gently and her first official single from Trouble In Paradise. ‘Uptight Downtown’ is more in line with the pop gems she provided in her debut, but just like the slow burner that preceded this track it signifies a mature step forward.
Much like Jackson’s new hairstyle, it’s less of a flick and more layered down. The song relies less on overdone flashy synths and more on funky guitar chords. It’ll take you back to the disco dancefloor, that’s for sure. (CT)
Sia – ‘Chandelier’ (Four Tet Remix)
Two years on the sidelines making hits for just about everyone in LA and finally Sia is back to take centre stage (kind of). She’s still visually as elusive as ever, but a stand-alone album from this pop maestro is as good as Christmas as far as we’re concerned. The Boxing Day gift here is of course the remixes.
Four Tet has previously offered up his incredibly reworking of her breakthrough track ‘Breathe Me’ and undeniably, just as you’d expect from Sia’s evolution in style over the years, is much different from ‘Chandelier’. Although you can’t deny this remix restrains some of pop power of the original with a percussion heavy consistency. However there’s nothing that can subdue Sia’s powerhouse vocals come the chorus. (CT)
