Monster Children

*Bloods* are a three-piece lo-fi, garage-punk-pop band from Sydney. That's a fucking mouthful. Simply put, they are two girls and a guy having some fun and swapping instruments. I had a chat with singer and guitarist MC, whose nickname is a little confusing when writing for a magazine that goes by the same nickname. So for the record, her name is Marihuzka Cornelius, and we are Monster Children. Got it?

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A few months ago I met this guy, Monte, at a bar and thought, “that dude has good hair.” Turns out his mates have good hair too and together they make music, as is expected by guys with good hair. The difference with these particular guys is that their music is actually impressive and is now on offer in their debut full-length album *Hex.Lover.Killer*. I asked my new mate *Michael Tramonte* for a quick lesson in all things Delta Riggs - which was great - but more importantly, I figured out why they call him Monte. 

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*City and Colour*, aka *Dallas Green*, will be releasing his new album The Hurry and The Harm at the end of this month. After a great run with *Alexisonfire*, Green has decided to concentrate solely on his solo work as City and Colour, parting from his former band and band mates last year. It seems like a joke really, that the lead singer of a hardcore band could turn around and produce such pleasant melodic music, but Green is far from a joke, and if anything, he’s proving that tattoos and loud music don’t always make a guy tough. But don’t bag on Canada’s weather, because he will pull rank.

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It’s been thirty long years of making music for veterans The Flaming Lips. The Terror is their thirteenth studio album and these guys know how to keep themselves, and their fans, entertained. I guess thirty years in the industry can breed boredom of the regular, so why not crowd surf in a bubble like an immunodeficient on a field day, or make a 24-hour song and then hunt down twenty human skulls to insert the limited edition song into?

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The boys from Daft Punk have released another teaser for their upcoming album Random Access Memories. This time it’s a video of producer Todd Edwards talking about his life changing experience of collaborating with the musical geniuses. Make sure you also watch the first episode with veteran producer Giorgio Moroder.
In the mean time, word on the street is that the band will be premiering the album in Wee Waa, NSW, on May 17^th. Random? Yes. Amazing? Absolutely!
I’ve always wanted to welcome in a cotton harvest by dancing to the worlds best electronic music.

This morning has been a good morning. The National released the first single from their upcoming album Trouble Will Find Me. The track is titled ‘Demons’ and it isn’t a far throw from their previous work, which in this case is a good thing. The National do what they do to perfection and no one need change that.

The Flaming Lips are releasing their thirteenth album next month. That’s almost 30 years in the industry. Even with a three-year gap between their last album **Embryonic** and their new album **The Terror**, **lead singer Wayne Coyne tells me that they never stopped making music. They even went as far as to record a 24-hour song, make 20 copies and sell them inside of a human skull. Why? Because, why the fuck not?

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The boys from Jagwar Ma are about to drop their debut album this May but before they do so, they’ll be touring around Australia with The xx and then another once over for their own shows.

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*Bob Dylan *- ‘Don’t Think Twice It’s All Right’.

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*St Jerome’s Laneway Festival* is one of the best international festivals going around. In my opinion it is, by far, the best festival offered in Sydney and I don’t say that lightly. Taking into consideration not only the acts, but the crowd, the venue, the food and drinks and the over-all vibe of the one day festival, Laneway comes out on top every time, and not even a little rain could change that this year. 

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Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s (UMO) self-titled debut album is a nice shift to indie pop. I’m calling it ‘psychedelic pop’ and I’m crossing my fingers and praying it catches on because I can’t listen to another summer of shit indie electro crap.

The band, now based in Portland, OR, consists of Ruban Nielson (singer), Jake Portait (bass) and Greg Rogove (drums). At first I thought the songs were a little (for lack of a better word) uneventful. But the more you listen to them the more they stick in your head and before you know it the album is on repeat and you’re telling your friends about them like you just discovered the next big thing and they owe you big time.

The boys will be out here in a couple of weeks for Peats Ridge festival – if you're spending your New Years out there, make sure you catch them!

There is a common misconception among Australians that Americans are all ‘fake nice’. Its one of those things where you meet one and they are über enthusiastic and excited to meet you and you think, “what the fuck is that guy’s problem?” But if you talk to them long enough, most of the time, you feel like an ass because they turn out to be sincere and you’re the sarcastic Aussie with a bad attitude. This phenomenon has screwed me over time and time again both in the US and at home and this time during an interview with one of my favourite bands.

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Dave Landgren is another Swede who has somehow bartered his way into Australian citizenry. Although he may be one of many of his people taking over Bondi, he’s also quite the photographer - so Dave, you may stay.

Last night was the opening of his exhibition at Somedays Galery titled ‘thru a plastic lens / a holga exhibition’ and if you didn’t know about it and missed it, sorry, the free booze is now gone. However, the exhibition will be up until late January so there is still time to see the art. If booze is what you were after, smuggle a long neck in your bag and sip on it when no ones looking.  

Bat For Lashes is single and looking. She wants a nice husband. She said so herself. I know she doesn’t need pimping out, but I told her I’d write a piece about her wanting a good man, so I am. And lets face it, I’m telling 50 percent of you your dreams might come true.

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After 365 days of existing, Physique Aerobics celebrated their 1^st birthday last night at Redfern PCYC. The class of 30 decked out in their best 80’s g-string leotards and kicks to shake the house down (literally- that old PCYC is on the brink of collapsing) one grapevine at a time.

Kirk Docker, the founder of the movement in Sydney explains that the idea was inspired by the 80’s flick Perfect staring John Travolta and the sensual Jamie Lee Curtis with scene upon scene of crotch thrusts and air grinds leading to a sexual tension that can only be created by high cut bikini lines and men in midriff tank tops. 

The class is run by 80’s fanatic and NIDA graduate Shannon Dooley, who has worked hard to choreograph fun routines that actually work to get you trim and tight. Upon his recent return from the “aerobics capital” of the world, Los Angeles, Docker has big plans for the class this Christmas, something along the lines of basketball courts, hundreds of people and a lot of fluoro.

You can attend the class every Tuesday and spaces are limited so you should book online. It’s worth getting down there just for the chance to wear layers of lycra. If you’re a Surry Hills local there is no doubt you’ll already know someone who attends, and if you’re not, well, there’s no better way to meet new people in skin tights who are willing to let you thrust your crotch in their direction. 

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, my biggest pet peeve in the music industry is when reviewers compare one musician to another, or say they’re “the new someone”. Let’s face it; everyone is kind of like someone else. There are so many human beings on this planet and so many of them making music that, yeah; ultimately they will sound like someone you’ve heard before.  But to burden a man like 29 year old Gary Clark Jr with the comparison of a rock legend like Jimi Hendrix… well, that’s just cruel! When asked how he feels about being labelled ‘the new Hendrix’, Clark Jr replied, “Hendrix was Hendrix and I’m just me doing my thing. [He was] definitely a big influence.”

Clark Jr just wants to make music. He wants to play every kind of music, everywhere, all of the time. “I love to play, I love to learn. My whole thing is not so much [about] being boxed into a certain thing…I’m up for exploring and seeing what happens.” He only raps for a certain few individuals though, but I’m working on winning his trust for that. His sultry tunes are a nod to the time-honoured blues and an amalgamation of raw rock’n’roll that made Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney so popular.

Hailing from Austin, Texan where I’m convinced they put something in the water that breeds talent, Clark Jr was strumming his guitar and listening to records every day from age 12. “I wanted to be Michael Jackson when I was a kid and I still do sometimes. I know all the moves and I’ll challenge anybody to a Michael Jackson dance competition no problem.”

His affable demeanour and his smooth Texan accent make me want to call him a “Cool Cat”... but I’m not sure I can get away with that. He’s one of those guys that make you wish you weren’t white just so you can have the same relaxed attitude and not be considered a stoner. Although, even this cool cat (yep I did it, I went there) gets nervous in the presence of greatness, admitting that playing for Obama was “pretty massive”. As part of a tribute to the blues night, Clark Jr was surrounded by some iconic names in rock and blues that would make the most arrogant musicians meek. “It was surreal to be up on stage next to B.B. King and Buddy Guy and Mick Jagger and all these great artists who laid the foundations for  me to be able to roam around and play guitar - so it was really special.“

Glary Clark Jr’s debut album ‘Blak and Blu’ is out today on Warner Bros Records and available to download on iTunes.  Clark Jr will be back in Australia for the Big Day Out festivals, so make sure you fight your way through the heavily peaking crowd to his stage on the day!

If I had a dollar for every time something’s come out of my mouth and I’ve immediately thought “douchebag!”, I’d be comfortably living in a mansion built with diamonds in the Caribbean overlooking the ocean. Easily. This interview with French DJ Breakbot, also known as Thibaut Berland, would add a solid amount to my hypothetical riches. Not only did I struggle to understand his accent, but my flirting was armature by the lowest of standards. But he was a good sport and I’ve either made a new friend or will be shunned by his record label from here on in.

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I know a few people in Los Angeles, mainly artists, actors, models, musicians etc, because lets face it, other types of people don’t live in LA. In the midst of all these beautiful people, there’s one guy I know, in particular, that is just too cool for me. I haven’t even tried to be apart of his circle… I’m just not cool enough. He has, however, started a new music label, but not the normal kind of record label because that’s been done. This cool cat birthed Spring Break Tapes, a label that creates albums on the traditional tapes we used as kids, and he’s not the only one; apparently it’s a whole ‘thing’ that I’m just finding out about. So I asked the man some questions.

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Mac DeMarco is a weird one...in a good way. His lo-fi experimental sound has an uptone simplicity than makes his tunes perfect for chilling out/coming down. He calls it "Jizz-Jazz" which is oddly perfect. After touring with the Japandroids on the release of his EP 'Rock and Rock Night Club' earlier this year, it seems the singer song writer has honed his style into a uniquely soulful, 80's inspired beach rock for his debut full length album, '2'. You can listen to the full album when its out on October 16, until then, you should listen to his track "My Kind Of Woman" on repeat. 

Thom Yorke has been working on a new side project called Atoms For Peace. Although, a lot like his solo album 'The Eraser' it sounds very similar to Radiohead, its still Thom Yorke and he's still awesome no matter what the band is called. Consisting of Nigel Godrich (of course), Joey Waronker, Mauro Refosco and Flea, the group has today released their debut single 'Default'.

"The name comes from some shows of The Eraser that hapened a couple of years ago...we got a big buzz from them and discovered loads of energy from transforming the music from electronic to live, and so afterwards we carried on for a few days in the studio and decided to make it a loose, on-going thing. Immersed in the area between the two...electronic and live." - Thom Yorke