PREMIERE - half/cut's New Single 'Martin Was A Diver'

We have a few premieres coming up over the next few weeks, and first cab off the rank is this incredible number from Melbourne dream pop outfit, half/cut. From their forthcoming debut album Ecco Locale, 'Martin Was A Diver' is a silky, sinuous movement, with Jessie's exquisite vocals stretching and overshadowing, a delicate Siren of confidence. The description of the band's sound as "Cocteau Twins meets American Football" is perfectly balanced here. Their sound shimmers, a mixture of the moddish New Wave pop of The The with more earnest, cinematic mores - pretty incredible seeing the band have barely stepped out into the live arena since their inception a couple years ago. The production may help - the album was recorded by Neil Thomason (Augie March, My Disco) and mastered by Harris Newman (Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Arcade Fire) - but half/cut arrive fully-formed. Listen to 'Martin Was A Diver' below, as well as other cuts 'Coming Of Age' and 'Your Shadow Builds A City I Can Never Visit'.

Swept Away In Swift Armour

With a name like The Sweeps, I was in danger of immediately writing off this Chicago trio. I have made a habit of poring over every possibly decent release that comes my way though, so I dipped my toe into the waters that is their debut LP Swift Armour - and whilst it may be winter still here (albeit an Aussie winter, particularly a Queensland winter, doesn't often call for layers of clothing), rather than being frozen out, the temperature was just fine. This is raucous, edgy, yet edifying guitar rock - think the more rambunctious fringes of Built To Spill, the dingy breakdowns of Desaparecidos, the sonic sleekness of (dare I say it) early era Arcade Fire, with a lashing of the cantankerous scourings that likeminded bands Pile and Spook Houses to fill out the boisterous recipe. But Swift Armour is emblematic of the trio, staunch Chicago kids, who although not always hitting their mark, spray the speakers with gusto that most of their efforts indelibly stick. When everything explodes is when the band finds traction - a growl and expulsion of emotion that feels visceral and real. I still find it difficult to warm to the name - but dive into this album. It's fine, once you get in...

You can pick up Swift Armour from here.

Fa Fa Fa Far Out

Its nice to get a new album in the mail by a band you know nothing about, throw it on and fall for its charms on the first listen. This has happened to me twice today, which must be unprecedented.

The first album is this one, What Made Those Holes And Rents, by Reno indie kids Fa Fa Fa. Its got some pedigree - its been recorded by none other than Howard Bilerman, responsible for the Godspeed! You Black Emperor albums. Yet these nine tracks are more akin to Bilerman's more recent output, where he has worked on indie gems by the likes of Wolf Parade and the Arcade Fire. Its an interesting blend of sounds and genres, floating from the more generic college indie rocker 'Camden' (although it contains direct links to TS Eliot's amazing poem "The Hollow Men") to the OMD inflected 'Le Ciel '74' to the woozy jam that is the titular track. They love to play around with convention, which is fitting seeing as their name references the familiar repetitive refrain from Talking Heads' seminal song 'Psycho Killer' - and the hats are tipped further on 'Horns For Horns'.

Admittedly this amount of genre hopping does make the head whizz, but when most of the tracks hit the mark it makes for a great listen - and the perfect launchpad for a band to assault the sense both now and in the future.

What Made Those Holes And Rents is out now - you cant get it either at their Bandcamp or here. There's a rumour that they will be doing something with the cool San Franciscan label 20 Sided Records later in the year too - keep an eye out for that for sure...

Fa Fa Fa - Great Ocean Explorer

Fa Fa Fa - Give The Lie To

2010's Re-Discoveries...by Secret Knives

Ash Smith AKA Secret Knives has had a strong year, with a lot of coverage surrounding his great debut release Affection. I asked if he wanted to contribute a list to our little collective. He has already contributed to great Kiwi blog Einstein Music Journal (a very interesting list too I might add), so he wanted to go in a different direction...

"I generally find doing a top 5 of the year doesn't accurately reflect listening habits because I spend more time listening to things that were not released in 2010."

Top 5 musical "discoveries" of 2010:

1. Discovering Slowdive's Pygmalion
2. Rediscovering Weezer's Pinkerton
3. Discovering Slint's Spiderland
4. Rediscovering Arcade Fire's 'Broken Window' (from Keep The Car Running 7")
5. Discovering Cocteau Twin's Heaven or Las Vegas

5 albums I never stopped listening to:

1. MF DOOM - Is Viktor Vaughn Vaudeville Villain
2. Burial - Untrue
3. The Chameleons - What Does Anything Mean? Basically...
4. The Cure - Wish
5. Grouper - Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill

Thanks Secret Knives! And cos Im loving these albums myself (its your fault I cant get 'Miranda' or 'Heavy Water/ Id Rather Be Sleeping' out of my head!) - here's a Secret Knives Christmas mixtape!!!

Weezer - No Other One

Arcade Fire - Broken Window

Cocteau Twins - Cherry Coloured Funk

Slowdive - Miranda

Slint - Nosferatu Man

Burial - Archangel

The Cure - From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea

MF DOOM - Vaudeville Villain

Grouper - Heavy Water/Id Rather Be Sleeping

The Chameleons - Nostalgia

And, as a final special treat, here is a remix of Secret Knives' 'Black Hole' by equally exciting NZ act Glass Vaults! Merry Christmas from the Land of the Long White Cloud!

Secret Knives - Black Hole (Glass Vaults remix)