Intriguing indie tunes and the most horrific cover I've ever heard.
THE BEST:
‘Paramour’ – Anna Meredith
This instrumental track from UK
composer/musician Anna Meredith is truly genre-bending. It begins with a
hyperspeed oscillating synth that is gradually joined by more instruments from cellos
to electric guitars, taking various twists and turns but never losing momentum.
The exciting musical journey is visually captured in a music video following a Lego
train.
‘The Pros and Cons of Object Permanence’
– Faux Bandit
Brisbane rock duo Faux Bandit, who
have previously been featured on my blog, are back with another loud and meaty
track. Yelled lyrics, angry guitars and a stomping snare propel the track along
before progressing into a satisfying instrumental outro. It comes off their
upcoming EP Rock N Roll Simulator 2019.
‘Kate Moss’ – The Criticals
A song about Kate Moss is not what
I expected to hear in 2019, but it fits in with the early 00’s nostalgia that this
song seems to be going for. Made up of groovy guitars, Strokes-esque vocals and
even some catchy vocal ahh-ahh-ahhs, the track melds the best of vintage indie
rock, resulting in a tune that’s irresistibly feelgood.
‘Heart Attack’ – Slaughter Beach,
Dog
You know that feeling of anxiety
you get when longingly awaiting a phone call? Slaughter Beach, Dog (the
solo-project-turned-band of Modern Baseball’s Jake Ewald) have created a song centred
around that feeling. It glides along breezily to a backdrop of mellow guitar chords
and is accompanied by a music video that’s both cute and depressing. The single
comes off the band’s upcoming album Safe And Also No Fear.
‘Birthdayland’ – Chernobyl Sunshine
Club
Chernobyl Sunshine Club’s odd
choice of band name fits them. ‘Birthdayland’ is both warm and melancholy like a
sunny day in Chernobyl. There’s a definite alt rock flavour to it, but the weird
ascending drum loop throughout the track gives the song its own style entirely.
THE WORST:
‘Spicy’ – Herve Pagez & Diplo ft. Charli
XCX
I’ll tell you what I want, what I really
really want. I want my memory erased so that I can pretend this sacrilegious
cover/remix never existed. These bastards just butchered my childhood. Even the
space dolphins in the music video can’t compensate for that.