Let It Happen – Tame Impala
“New Song. Track 1” is all the band had to write on their Facebook page on Wednesday to trigger mass blogosphere hyperventilation. Psychedelic rockers Tame Impala have released their first new music in three years, and at eight minutes Let It Happen is a humdinger of a track – grandiose like chapel music, and led by “voice of an angel” singer and primary songwriter Kevin Parker. Halfway the song seems to get stuck on repeat, before slowly sliding back into an electro groove that has a touch of Daft Punk about it. The song is also available as a free download from the band’s website, and they’ve announced new tour dates for North America. Expect more music from the Perth five piece later this year, who come fresh from Parker’s recent collaborations with Mark Ronson.
Depreston – Courtney Barnett
An inflated housing market is rarely the stuff of musical inspiration, yet somehow Melbourne-based songstress Courtney Barnett turns the mundane into profundity, with all the wit and humour of a Seinfeld episode. Depreston is the second song to be released off her highly anticipated debut album Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit (only nine sleeps to go). The tale of house shopping in the Melbourne suburb of Preston, a place she describes as “depressing”, sounds none too fun although it does inspire a fascination with the previous occupants of her potential new abode (“then I see the handrail in the shower / the collection of those canisters of coffee tea and flour / and a photo of a young man in a van in Vietnam”).
Here’s To You & I – The McClymonts
The inaugural Campfire Festival takes place this weekend on the Hope Estate in the Hunter Valley and promises to rival Tamworth as a showcase of the best in Australian country music. In addition to headline acts Kasey Chambers, Lee Kernaghan and John Butler Trio, there is big selection of other artists to see on two stages such as the all-female acts the McClymonts and We Two Thieves. The proliferation of blokey country singers out of Nashville has given rise to the term “bro country” and it’s impossible to resist the temptation to call the McClymonts, three sisters from Grafton, New South Wales, “sis country”. Their songs, such as last year’s singles Going Under and Here’s To You & I are breezy slices of pop-meets-country, the odd mandolin or fiddle thrown in to complement the smoothly produced hooks and melodies. They should be fun live under the stars and are sure to, er, Kick It Up.
Beast Mode – Ta-Ku and Jaden Smith
Australian producer Ta-Ku has scored a musical coup of sorts by teaming up with Jaden Smith on Beast Mode. Smith migrates from starring in Hollywood blockbusters into the realms of hip-hop and rap (yet again). With husky growls, and grabs for breath, lyrics delivered by Smith are fresh and fiery: “Hopefully all you jokers can be as dope as me, once you grow up and go and live your life how it’s supposed to be” – and has everyone wondering if the student has already overtaken the master (Smith’s father: the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air). At nine minutes long, the song is a touch self-indulgent but puts the 16-year-old on the map as serious hip-hop talent. With oodles of funk and feeling, the somewhat radical switches of pace qualifies Smith’s declaration “this is my Michelangelo”.
So Sweet – The Cuban Brothers
The Cuban Brothers are set to show off their flamboyant musical style at the weekend festival Return to Rio (20-22 March), situated a short drive north of Sydney at Wisemans Ferry. Sultry hip hop beats and funky Cuban rhythms will set the party mood, broken up with the band’s unique flavour of comedy. Contrary to their name, the trio – Kengo-San, Miguel Mantovani and Archerio – hail from Torquay, United Kingdom but the nation from which their music is inspired is all Cuba. The fresh summer vibes of So Sweet, from their debut album Yo Bonita!, evokes fantasies of pina coladas and Havana sunsets. Have your sunglasses and dancing shoes ready, as the band headline the festival on Saturday.
