The Bees

The way I got into The Bees was rather bizarre. I was browsing through a $10 CD shop looking for some new music. I really didn't know what I wanted so I decided to pick something at random. These days I wouldn't dare do such a thing but alas, I was once ignorant. As fate would have it, I ended up picking The Bees' album "Free The Bees", simply because 'it looked good'. What brought me to this unfounded conlcusion is beyond me, but I'm thankful for it because the album turned out to be great. I'd never heard of The Bees before, but it seemed that around the exact same time I got this CD, I started hearing about their song 'Chicken Payback' everywhere. This quickly became a favourite, however seeing as I had the entire CD at my disposal, I eventually got to know the rest of the songs and discovered them to have a suprising amount of depth. They recently put out a new album 'Octopus' which continues with their highly impressive style. This sound of theirs definitely goes beyond the boundaries of any one patricular genre. It's kind of hybrid between pop, rock and ska. Basically it's colourful and a lot of fun. But while they're most renowned for their gimmicky songs, the best part about The Bees is that they follow this up with solid, more serious songs. Of course none of their music could be considered completely serious, but when you think of it as a sliding scale, you'll get what I mean. And to help you see that, here are two songs from each of their last two albums; one from each end of the scale.

Chicken Payback - Quite possibly the most hilarious song ever written. Absolutely perfect for drunken gatherings and school discos alike.

Horsemen - After hearing the song above, you'd be forgiven for thinking these came from two different bands. Its proof of their ability to make incredibly diverse music.



End Of The Street - I'm not even going to bother trying to explain this song

Love In The Harbour - This is quite nice song that has a strong country element. The album also contains a song that is steeped in disco groove. In other words it's got everything you need in life.



Monday Mix #8

S.T.E.A.K.Peelander Z
Recently I trekked across blog land, collecting over 60 mp3s, in the hope of finding something good. After listening through them all, I emerged with just one usable track. It was absolutely worth it. Medium rare!!!!!

Easier - Grizzly Bear
It took my while to get into Grizzly Bear’s critically acclaimed Yellow House. In fact I didn’t even give it a listen until recently because I had found their previous album rather boring. Thankfully however, I got there eventually and was able to experience what was undoubtedly some of last year's best vocal work.

Bad EducationTilly And The Wall
I don’t what it is, but something about this song just grabs me. I almost feel embarrassed by this fact, like it’s one of those guilty pleasures that you keep all to yourself (just pretend for the moment). But there’s no point being ashamed of music you like, just get out there and enjoy it!

Dear EmployeePapercuts
If you can get past the slightly whiney vocals, you’ll find that Papercuts make some great music.

Vintage Books - Cloud Control
It had been a quite while since I’d heard from Cloud Control, but now they’ve re-emerged with a swag of exciting new songs and an EP on the horizon. If you wanna see them live (and you should), they’re playing Spectrum this Saturday. I hear the support is pretty hot too…..

The Basics

The Basics were along time coming. The world desperately needed a band who knows how to put on a good show, who knows how to have some fun. We finally have just that. It’s funny because a lot of current bands are being criticised for ‘channelling’ sounds from times gone by (it seems to be the only way Australia can produce a big band these days), yet with The Basics their influences are so blatantly obvious and it’s not a problem. I think it comes back to the fact that they are such great entertainers. This is music you don’t have to think about; enjoying it just comes naturally. They recently put out their debut album 'Stand Out / Fit In' and I must admit that at first, I was a little disappointed. Compared to their live show, I felt it was missing something, but as I’ve given it more time, it’s really come into its own. That said, you haven’t really experienced The Basics until you’ve seen them live. You’ll hear all their classics, covers that actually add to the experience and you can actually dance without needing 8 beers to justify it!

Rattle My Chain – This song sums this band up incredibly well. It’s brought to you by resident celebrity, Wally de Backer (Gotye). It’s just a shame they haven’t mastering cloning yet cause he’ll have to divide his time between his two projects.

Sound Off – Unphased by Wally up the back on drums, Kris Schroeder makes a very formidable lead man. This is but one of his many great songs.

Voxtrot - Voxtrot

I have been familiar with Voxtrot for a while now. This is strange because rarely do I pay attention to EPs released by overseas bands and yet with Voxtrot I was getting excited by the release of each successive one. What’s even stranger is that these EPs weren’t even of a calibre that would warrant such devotion. They all had their moments of brilliance, but at the same time were far from perfect. So with this in mind, what was so special about Voxtrot? The answer lies in the track list of this debut album: 11 brand new songs. They could so easily have included the best songs from their EPs and released a much stronger record, yet they chose to just make more. For this reason, I have immense respect for Voxtrot. It may all be in my head, but I feel like this band is putting the greater musical good ahead of their own interests. They simply don’t stop giving. This album continues in the same vein as their EPs. It’s brimming with youthful energy and presents you with a steady stream of indie pop gems. You may not fall in love instantly, you may not fall in love ever, but you’ll feel so much better having gotten to know the beauty within. Buy this album. Then buy their EPs. Then buy a Prius and take heart in the fact that you’re making the world a better place. Voxtrot I salute you.

Kid Gloves – Across the ages, Track 2 has often been graced with the album’s heavyweight. That definitely holds true here. This song gets better every day.

Brother In Conflict – I know I’ve already posted this song, but I wouldn’t want to give too much of their album away for free….. Besides, it is probably still my favourite.

Released: 22/05/07 | Aus: 22/05/07 | Website | Myspace

Monday Mix #7

Nag Nag Nag Nag - Art Brut
I really enjoyed Art Brut’s first album, however I never felt they’d be able to transform their sound from a novelty into a distinct style. But after listening to some of their newer material, I think they’ve pulled it off. Their next album probably won’t compare to the first, but it will definitely be worth a look.

One Two Three FourFeist
I never seem to be able to get into Feist whole-heartedly, but with a voice like hers, I’ll always have a reason to keep coming back.

Cop PopThe Cops
I’m not too happy with the direction that The Cops have taken with their new album, though I really should listen to the whole thing before doing any judging. However that would involve either going to a shop or begging their label to give it to me free, both of which require far more effort than I’m willing to expend.

Walking For Two HoursThe Twilight Sad
I’d always thought that accents were transcended in music, but apparently not. It’s a shame because I think this band could have been brilliant if it wasn’t for that Scottish accent nagging away at me.

Grip Like A ViceThe Go! Team
Exciting times, The Go! Team are back at it. I wouldn’t call this song ground-breaking but it certainly shows a lot of promise. I’m assuming the next record will focus much less on samples (you can thank the ‘legal system’ for that one), so it will be interesting to see whether they’ll still have their old spark.

The Kissaway Trail - The Kissaway Trail

When I first heard the name of this band mentioned on radio, I laughed. It probably wasn’t helped by the fact that the song I had just heard was called ‘Smother + Evil = Hurt’. There’s no avoiding it, English is not The Kissaway Trail’s biggest strength. Horrible word choice and unorthodox pronunciation are just part and parcel of this. But being from Denmark, I’m willing to let it slide (especially since they make some excellent music). Like many of their Danish counterparts, they seem to have knack for writing songs that are emotionally powerful. While they may not have the mind-blowing climaxes of Mew, they know how to make music that builds in intensity and really draws the listener in. This is of course aided by the band’s great vocal work. It really shines on the slower songs, which helps to keep the album interesting the whole way through. It took me a while to start taking these guys seriously, but after giving their album a thorough listen, I’m beginning to see it as one of the year’s most impressive debut releases.

La La Song – Just when you thought track names couldn’t get any worse, this song arrives. It is probably the album’s most accomplished piece and is full of fist-pumping moments.

Tracy – I can’t put my finger on what makes me like this song, but it always stands out. It has quite an usual structure, shunning all verse / chorus conventions and just portraying a simple message.

Released: 01/07 | Aus: 04/07 | Website | Myspace

Birthday Bash

Today marks one year since I began this blog. It is has been a lot of fun and to celebrate the occasion, I’ve prepared a short history, not because you’ll want to read it, but because I want to write it. I’m a sentimental chap and will take any chance to tell a yarn or two. It’s worked for 12 months so why stop now? But to make it worth your while, I’ve re-uploaded 10 tracks that I’ve used over this blog’s lifetime (yes, the Hype Machine had EVERYTHING to do with this decision). Let’s hope this last year has just been the first in a long and lucrative career. Long live Open Your Eyes!

The Beginning - The Capes
This was my first official post (technically Islands came first but that was just a test). Even from the beginning I adopted the format of a general intro + two song descriptions, however a lot more attention was given to the individual songs. It would not take long for this to change. I quickly realised that I knew absolutely nothing about why certain music was good, just that it was. So from here on in I shifted my attention from pretending to explain the intricacies of song structure (have a read, it’s quite amusing) to giving broad descriptions and telling mildly relevant anecdotes. What do you know? It worked!
MP3: Tightly Wound

Intro? - Tap Tap
This method of presenting music was great, provided the descriptions were kept short and interesting. But as time went by, I gradually became more and more caught up in my new found ability to fill space with inane observations. Things really reached a climax with post. As I was writing it, I was swept up in a tangent that got so out of hand, the supposed ‘intro’ ended up larger than the actual post. It truly was a beast, but thankfully it led me to see the error in my ways. Visitors don’t want to leave with a headache (for that they have Pitchfork). They don’t want insanely in-depth descriptions that only make sense to the author (again, see Pitchfork). They don’t want a reviewer that loves themself more than the music (you guessed it!). And so I set out to strike a balance between the brain-dead popular music industry and the pretentious ‘real’ music journalists (for the record, Pitchfork is a great website, but it's just so much fun ridiculing!). The very fact that I’m writing post this suggests I lean slightly towards the pretentious side of affairs (just look at the title of the website!), so if things get out of control, you'll have to put me in my place.
MP3: Little Match (Big Fire)

Hype Machine - Arcade Fire
When I submitted my blog to The Hype Machine I had no idea what kind of impact it would have. The effect was huge. I had previously thought the blog was going alright, but this added a whole new dimension. People were flocking to me by the bucket-load and I was loving it. I am perfectly aware that they only liked me for my MP3s, but I didn't care. Firstly, there was always the chance that some of them would see something they liked and visit more often. In fact, this post is probably being perused by a pack of hungry Hype Machine scavengers this very moment. Hello Hype Machiners. Nice to meet you. Please come again. But the second reason I am happy to let it occur is that it makes my stats look better. I would liken it to fatherhood. I feel warm inside when I see my baby growing up strong and healthy. The fact that the stats are probably a misrepresentation is irrelevant. After all, when has a false sense of worth ever hurt anybody?
MP3: Black Waves / Bad Vibrations

Cease and Desist - The Shins
I don't know why, but I got a strange sense of satisfaction when I was first asked to remove a song. Perhaps was it was the addrenalin rush of being accused of a felony or more likely the feeling that my blog finally held some significance. If record labels start getting annoyed at you, that's when you know you're going good. I was making a difference! Even if it was through questionable means...
MP3: Australia

Features - Sydney Music
Early on in the blog's lifetime, I realised that while I was parading myself as a Sydney music blog, I'd barely written anything about local bands. I had to solve this dilemma without turning off international readers? And then it hit me. A feature! I could pump out enough content to claim a balance and because it would be over so quickly, barely anyone would notice it! From here on, features would become my solution to everything. If you ever see a feature, it will nearly always be making up for some sort of inadequacy with the site. Nothing like a quick fix. These features may go out of date fairly quickly but they give a nice snapshot of what my tastes were at the time
MP3: I Think You're Blind

Obsession - Pixies
Sometimes I get carried away. OK, often I get carried away. But as far I see it, music is such an integral part of my life, that becoming obsessed with a band is only natural. With this blog being an output for much of my musical energy, occasionally this obsession will overflow. I'm sorry, I can't help it. The Pixies would be an example of this. I had liked them for ages, but this year I really got into them. As a result, the blog got its fair share of Pixies entries. The whole experience was topped off when I saw them live, which I couldn't even begin to describe (oh wait, I already did). It isn't the first time I've been completely consumed by a band and it certainly won't be the last.
MP3: Dig For Fire

Comments - Panda Band
I've always been a fan of comments. I always try to respond because interaction makes things so much more interesting. Everyone has a different opinion so it makes no sense to let mine reign supreme. Even a bit of meaningless banter is healthy now and then. Well this is where this post comes in. Weighing in at a whopping 30 comments, it epitomised the feeling of community which I unsuccessfully try to portray. Sure it had nothing to do with the actual post, but it was all in good fun and as far as I'm concerned, there should be more of it (though perhaps a bit more relevance would be ideal).
MP3: Sleepy Little Deathtoll Town

Big Names - The Killers
When I started out, I tried to focus on music by lesser known bands. The theory was that everyone already knew about the big name bands so there was no point in me writing about them. Well that was until I discovered how many visitors they brought me. It may sound like selling out, but I like to think of it as responding to what the people want. I now try to offer a mix between introducing obscure bands and evaluating the established ones. It's a nice balanced diet. I still stick mostly to the music I like (after all, the purpose of the website is to give you good music, not bad), but if I feel an album is gaining undue attention, I may be tempted to write a (gasp) negative review.
MP3: Smile Like You Mean It

Myspace - Mercy Arms
The times sure have changed. I can remember sitting my bedroom, listening to the radio and taping my favourite songs when they came on. Well now Myspace has become the radio and my computer has become the tape recorder. This song came to you freshly ripped of the internet, with all its dodgy quality kept in tact. You really shouldn't underestimate Myspace as a resource for discovering new music. It has opened up a whole new avenue for listening to lesser known bands and I couldn't be more thankful. It's just a shame that the music part of it has to be linked with all that social networking junk
MP3: Half Right

End
The next significant chapter in this blog was this post. It was long and tedious, yada yada, and it now comes to an end. In order to sum it up, I would like to give one last MP3, Lysergic Bliss by Of Montreal. It is appropriate, not only because doing this blog has been bliss, but because I haven't a clue what Lysergic means and to be honest, I couldn't care less. This is what music is all about. Don't look below the surface, just enjoy it. The same goes for this site. Don't look below the surface (mainly because there's nothing there), just enjoy the music.
MP3: Lysergic Bliss

Layout

You may have noticed that recently I've been playing around with the layout. If anything is not displaying properly, please tell me. Similarly, if there's something you don't like or if you have a suggestion, let it be known!

Monday Mix #6

Your EyesAloha
The only flaw in Aloha’s album, Some Echoes, is that it lacks a killer single. Otherwise, it holds its own against any of last year’s major releases. They have quite a warm sound that often reminds me of Field Music.

CharmerKings of Leon
I’m not too sure about all that PR rubbish about this album being the one that establishes them as a massive act, but it sure is bold. It probably won’t receive commercial success, but it’s already gained quite a bit of critical approval. I’m still sitting on the fence.

Do What You Wanna Do - Acid House Kings
I’d been umming and ahhing over whether or not to use this when I all of a sudden I stumbled across it on You Aint No Picasso. This was odd because I hadn’t visited this site in about 6 months and the last time I went there was when found this song. A strange coincidence for an even stranger song. You’ll either find it extremely uplifting or extremely creepy.

HoppipolaWe Are Scientists
It hardly compares to the original (what does compare to Sigur Ros?), but my respect for We Are Scientists definitely went up a notch.

I Know Too WellPoly & The Statics
It’s a shame my first experience with this band had to be in such poor circumstances. However word on the street is that they’re planning on leaving Adelaide in favour of the more opportunity rich Sydney. Fingers crossed!

Malajube

Late last year I remember there being a lot of hype around the French (Canadian) band, Malajube. The praise was endless and yet I never bothered to check them out. Why? Because they didn’t sing in English. I’d always found music in other languages to be unengaging and so figured this band would be the same. While everyone else was in love with them, I was stubbornly ignoring them. Well thankfully I saw through my own dodgy reasoning and decided to give them a listen because their debut album, Trompe-L’Oeil, is wonderful. In fact I actually really like the French vocals and the way they roll of the tongue. Malajube have a sound that fits my tastes extremely well. At times they create a softer, indie-pop sound and then they’ll mix this with powerful, distorted guitars. It’s a record that’s electrically charged, which is just how I like them. The album does tend to lose impact towards the end but I think that overall it’s an impressive start for a very impressive band. I really don’t why I avoided these guys in the first place. I rarely pay a great deal of attention to lyrics and this way I have an excuse for singing badly. If you’ve ever dismissed a band purely because of their language, you should probably reconsider. After all, there’s nothing worse than missing out on excellent music.

Montréal -40°C – This gets their album started with a bang. It’s a great all-round song and I especially love the outro on it.

Pâte Filo – This song gives a nice introduction to many of their varying sounds. It’s got heaps of cool little riffs throughout and the vocals build up to a powerful climax.

The Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs

I’d heard about The Magnetic Fields before. I didn’t know who they were or what they sounded like, but I knew they existed. Well recently I’ve been trying to catch up on a number of bands that I wasn’t familiar with, but had a feeling I should be. The Magnetic Fields were one of them. I jumped on the internet to try and find out which album I should go for first. This usually consists of browsing through reviews and gauging success in attempt to get their best first. Normally I would be rather conservative and get something that reflected the band’s standard sound. Not this time. When I discovered that The Magnetic Fields had released a 3 disc behemoth called 69 Love Songs, I could help but be a little intrigued. It’s weird because generally I would scoff at an album full of love songs and more often than not I get annoyed by albums with close to twenty songs (let alone 69) because they easily drag on and lose impact. Yet I simply couldn’t look past this album and figured it was about time I took a risk. If you haven’t already guessed by now, I went and got it. I couldn’t be more pleased.

The beauty of this album is that it isn’t just 69 songs about love, it’s 69 songs about love songs. The idea behind it was to create a collection of songs that summarises the history of love songs. It spans countless genres and topics as it simultaneously ridicules and honours the art of the love song. This is a concept album I can actually identify with. It challenges the artist, engages the listener and has a genuine message to give. Is it just me or have concept albums become anything with a theme about battling an evil army of robots?

The man behind this album (and The Magnetic Fields in general) is Stephin Merritt. He is my new idol. How anyone could manage to keep my attention for three hours is beyond me. This album truly is a song-writing masterpiece. I suspect its success lies in its variety. As I mentioned before, it uses sounds from all sorts of genres, but it also features a number of guest vocals to help keep it sounding fresh. Nearly every song (I won’t go so far as to say all) has its own special characteristics meaning they each make an individual impression on you. It's amazing how quickly the songs become memorable given the album's length.

One interesting thing I noticed as I listened through is that the songs seem to fall into a number of categories. The definitions of these are undoubtedly crude and very often they’ll overlap, but hopefully this will at least give you an idea of what you’re in for with this album:

Banjo Tropical – Warm, upbeat and lots of fun
I Think I Need A New Heart

Balads – Slow, deep and moving
I Don’t Believe In The Sun

Genre Tributes – Hilarious
Love Is Like Jazz

Female – There’s many subcategories within this but you get the idea
Washington, D.C.

Lyrically focussed – More often than not a little silly
A Chicken With It’s Head Cut Off

Gospel – Ok so there’s only one of these, but this voice is a bit of its own category
Kiss Me Like You Mean It

Experimental – Most could be called experimental but some really stand out
Strange Eyes

Band Tributes – Guess who
When My Boy Walks Down The Street

Normal – About as close as you’ll get to middle ground.
Not That Crazy

The sheer scale of this album is enormous. It’s like a lolly jar that never gets empty. What are you waiting for? Feel the love.


Released: 7/11/99 | Website

Monday Mix #5

This week saw the arrival of the 100, 000th visitor to this site. Yay! To celebrate my ascension into the 6-figure club, you get 6 songs in today’s mix. More yay!

We Will Become Silhouettes - The Shins
It didn’t take long for these guys to feature again. I just can’t get over how different it sounds to the original and how well it stands on it’s own.

VioletsCandy Bars
This band has a really bizarre singing style that almost sounds like whispering. However now that I’ve gotten used to it, I enjoy their music for its warmth and emotion.

Why Does the Sun Shine? - They Might Be Giants
Does the fact that I find these guys hilarious make me a nerd? Probably. Do I care? Nope.

MARIASoft Tigers
By now there shouldn’t be anyone out there who hasn’t heard this song, but with the recent release of their video for it, I thought it deserved a mention. Watch the video here. It’s a masterpiece

Baby We’ll Be FineThe National
This band has been in the back of my consciousness for a while now so I thought it was about time I gave them a mention. They can occasionally come off a bit bland, but when you let yourself get caught up in their music it can be quite moving.

Find A WaySmoosh
What were you doing when you were 12?

Blonde Redhead - 23

23 is my first venture into the world of Blonde Redhead and I must say that I am impressed. The album isn’t breathtaking, but it certainly has an allure to it that keeps me coming back for more. Blonde Redhead have been around for 14 years now, releasing 7 albums. Over this time, they have received considerable comparisons to Sonic Youth. I can’t really weigh in on this argument seeing as a have a shockingly poor knowledge on Sonic Youth, but to me their sound feels very distinctive. This is largely thanks to the vocal work of Kazu Makino. Her voice is rather eerie and the band uses this as the basis for creating their melodies, which more often than not come out quite obscure. I think between this band, Deerhoof and Yoko Ono, there’s enough evidence to conclude that all Japanese people are inherently strange. While that conclusion may be a bit far-fetched, there’s no doubt that musically, they’ve been responsible for some very weird creations and we are all better off for it. This review has been a little mediocre, but I guess I'm just struggling to describe this band in words. I think the best solution is for you to have a listen and see what you think. I’m kind of tentative in recommending it as I’m still not really sure how I feel about it, but that said, there’s plenty here to like.

Spring And By Summer Falls – As far as their regular sounds goes, this is a bit of an exception, but it remains as one of my favourites. Maybe after all of Makino’s thought-provoking pieces, it’s nice to have something a little more straight-forward.

Heroine – This song highlights the band’s obscurity quite well. The vocals are almost piercing and yet I still find them rather soothing.


Released: 10/04/07 | Website | Myspace

Sandwiches For Everyone!

As far as Aussie music blogs go, The Sandwich Club are the heavyweights. They’ve got a respectful following and a name that’s actually recognised in the real world. They’re dedicated to supporting the underdog and with a team ten strong, they can keep the content flowing on a regular basis. I’ve always checked in on their site to see what they’re rambling about, but I recently realised that I was never downloading the songs. This was partly because I’m restricted to dial up most of the time (the pain!), but still, that’s no excuse. I was instantly forgetting about the bands they recommended, putting all their effort to waste. And so I decided to go on a treasure hunt, downloading every song I could and seeing which took my fancy. Here are the choice picks:

Favourite Favourites
Like everybody, The Sandwich Club have their select group of underprivileged bands which they like to champion. If Sandwich Club rave is any measure to go by (and it is) you should really check these guys out.

Poly And The StaticsSymphony
I’ve heard so many good reports about this band that every moment I have to live without them pains me. Their sound is so diverse, it borders on ridiculous. This song could probably be classified as The Strokes song, but their music covers territory all the way out to Pavement. The good news is that this Adelaide bunch will be treating us with their presence on May 4th with support from The Seabellies. Must see gig!

Tic Toc Tokyo - Everything I Told You Was A Lie
Ignore the fact that they’re yet another Tokyo band, these guys have got potential. They have a dark, energetic indie rock sound, which they seem to have nailed down really well. Just like Poly, I can’t wait to see these guys live.

Exotic Discoveries
These are a few songs that would really grab my attention when they went through. They’re not perfect but they’ve all got that spark that promises much to come. Finding unknown gems like these can be extremely difficult, but The Sandwich Club make it look easy.

The Coshercot HoneysMr Dangerous
This band comes from Auckland meaning we can pretty much call them our own. I know little (ie nothing) about them beyond this song, but I’m definitely intrigued. I love it when that chorus erupts.

Cajun Dance PartyColourful Life
These guys are a mere 17 but they’re already beginning to create a buzz over in the UK. Their normal sound is a bit rockier (see there debut single: The Next Untouchable), but this gleeful number shows they’ve got a bit of depth.

Plastic Palace AliceEmpire Falls
You’ve gotta give this band credit, purely for the amount of rhyming and alliteration they’ve got going in their name. The intro to this song is interesting to say the least. For the first few seconds I think it’s Bishop Allen, then all of a sudden it sounds like The Temper Trap. However testimony to its quality, it is gradually overwriting my memory so that it has become the norm. Great song all round.

You could hardly consider yourself a collective of any weight unless you had a regular band night. The Sandwich Club have just that. On the last Thursday of every month they take over Candy’s Apartment in Kings Cross and present the public with a platter of scrumptious local talent. Apart from being a lot of fun, they can also be a launching pad for little known bands. It’s nice to see their power being used for good and not evil (hey baby, I run a music blog about sandwiches). Well if you thought that was impressive (and I did) you were wrong, because The Sandwich Club have gone one step further and will be holding their very own mini festival (for those whose eyes hadn’t already wandered 5cm to the left). This festival is great for me because not only does it contain a number of bands I’ve been meaning to check out (Dead Letter Chorus, Marching Room, Walrus) but also a few which I’ve seen only once and crave more….

Brian CampeauMontreal
This guy must be seen to be believed, his recordings simply do no justice to his on-stage performances. He is an entertainer in every sense of the word. Not only does he have an incredible voice and way cool guitar skills, but when I saw him, he was expertly tapping his acoustic for percussion. Genius.

Cuthbert & The Night-WalkersRed Frogs
Similarly, I doubt that recordings are where these guys excel. With 10 members, including a 5-piece choir, Cuthbert & The Night Walkers are all about the spectacle. When I saw them, I only caught the last few songs songs, so ever since, I've been wanting more.

Well. This was never meant to be such an extensive puff piece (looking back, it sure is extensive and puffy), but I guess I got carried away. However, hopefully the message still got through. Whenever you read a music blog, be it this or any one of the other excellent blogs out there, don’t just read, nod and forget. Regularly gather all the songs you can and give them a thorough listen through. This is why I always prefer downloads to streams; our brains (well mine at least) require excessive repetition before they get the point. Chances are, there’s a wealth of great music sitting right under your nose!

To the Sandwich Clubbers: Thanks (retrospectively) for letting me rehash your material. While you may be using your influence for good, I’m still disappointed that you haven’t taken control of Tasmania yet. Keep up the good work.