High Places

The first I time I heard High Places was their song 'New Grace', featured on last year's Mistletone Records Xmas compilation Mistletonia. It was love at first listen.

The duo released a 7" through Brooklyn indie label Ancient Almanac about 6 months ago, and it sold out super fast. These days, they are recording their debut full-length and obsessing over their pet cats

The songs are dreamlike and ephemeral and summery and so so lovely

'Head Spins' High Places

Hercules and Love Affair

The first video for Hercules and Love Affair (aka DFA signed Brooklyn producer Andrew Butler)



'Blind' Hercules and Love Affair feat. Antony Hegarty

The self-titled debut album is out March 10, and has been produced by Tim Goldsworthy. If you can't wait, here more at the myspace page

i feel it all

the brand new video for feist's 'i feel it all', again directed by the great patrick daughters.



speaking of fireworks, i heard a rumour that the encore for the bjork show at the sydney opera house steps last night included fireworks? awesome. maybe feist will do some sort of pyrotechnics when they play at the metro on february 29 and at laneway festival on march 2.

p.s. patrick daughters' younger brother jamie is also very talented and a nice guy.

let's all move to austin and listen to college rock!

Sometimes I love a bit of indie-guitar-pop-college-rock-deathcab but sometimes I can't EVEN DEAL like last weekend when i was in the car and a song came on the radio that started with "Let's talk about the weatherrrrrr and how it effects our moodssssss...." YOU'RE BREAKING MY HEART. Can't you just imagine the video too with some amateur animation and some sort of mint-green coloured paper boats?! And the band would be wear sweaters and brown trousers and be on Subterranean talking about how "High school was pretty lame" in a too-high-pitched voice.

Some of the selections that made it into pitchfork's top 100 songs of 2007, i really... truly... wondered if they were on crack but others were pretty spot on.

Okkervil River is an indie rock band that formed in 1998 in Austin, Texas. They were named after a short story by Russian author Tatyana Tolstaya about Okkervil River in Saint Petersburg. Last year Lou Reed declared his love for the band and invited them to open for him. Their song 'Our Life Is Not A Movie But Maybe' is a good'n. The lyrics are kinda "oh" ("It's just a life story, so there's no climax") but not in a depressing way.



This post is dedicated to movestill friend Shag who first introduced me to Okkervil River and who i can SO imagine belting this song out (especially the "hoo hoo's") at, oh about 3 in the am, over a beer or ten.

Okkervil River play at Manning Bar on Feb 27 and are also appearing at the Laneway Festival in Sydney on March 2.

art lesson

Beautiful Losers director Aaron Rose has curated a show of works by Corita Kent for Monster Children Gallery

Kent was a nun with the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and she ran the convent's art department. She exhibited her first silkscreen print in 1951 after graduating with a masters in Art History from the University of Southern California, and her sterigraphs are often considered precursers to Warhol's pop prints. She left the convent in 1968 for focus on her art practise, and produced an amazing body of work before she died of cancer in 1986.

"I am not brave enough to not pay my income tax and risk going to jail. But I can say rather freely what I want to say with my art."



Rose is giving a talk at Monster Children (20 Burton St, Darlinghurst) tomorrow at 1pm, and I can't wait to hear more about this remarkable woman.

marc hearts mia, we heart mia, i heart marc, marc hearts mia...

Look what I just saw over at Opulent mag



I am SOOOO SORRY for not having posted this earlier. How Movestill could have missed such a happening, I'll never know... Perhaps the glory of the Victoria shoot momentarily blinded us...

MOREY (more corey)

This was originally played on Dools and Linda, taken off air once the old Corey was arrested, some nerd made the clip, and a bigger nerd blogged about it.

As if he needs anymore internet love.

Current Affairs

"Go away and take a good hard look at yourself..."

"I have. Everyone has. They love it"



Too amazing. Just too amazing

CATCALL

Ummm... do MCs get much hotter?



I was totally intrigued when I first heard Catherine Kelleher was MC'ing as Catcall. She's been gigging for years with her punk band Kiosk but last year decided pop beats are her thing and started work on her debut EP 'The Anniversary'

Recorded in Melbourne with Geoff O'Conner (Sly Hats, The Crayon Fields) and her producer Crumbden K, the release blends pop, ambient electronica and hip hop and is ready for release via her myspace. Catherine has a self-awareness that is confident and guided but without arrogance, and a vulnerability that is charming rather than amateurish. This honesty is what I adore about Catcall, as pop/hip hop MC's often claim to be the best, the hottest, and the best connected without ever having the beats or lyrics to back themselves up.

Sit down, grab a drink, right click and 'save as'

'August' Catcall
'Chicky Babe' Catcall (Her Uffie diss track!)

She is supporting Dan Deacon on his Aussie tour ahead of the Laneway Festival and I encourage you to go see her live show - she is captivating to watch on stage, AND has costumes, glitter makeup, and backup dancers!

Australia needs more powerful female MCs. Catcall is talented, smart and a learned performer. I just hope the rest of the world see's how fucking incredible her stuff is!

I LOVE HER

Posh Spice makes me feel awkward at most times.

But when she takes the piss (and usually of herself) I am proud to be a fan.
REALLY PROUD.




WELL DONE VICTORIA.
I.
LOVE.
YOU.

so good it should be fattening.

My friends will tell you two things about me- i hate being cold (irrelevant) and i get really excited about things i like.

Enter Beirut.

Yes I'm late on this one (probably because A-track hasn't remixed him) but better late than never.

I woke up this morning after being at a beach party until sunrise not expecting much of the day. I went to brunch where the new Beirut record 'The Flying Club Cup' was playing. It ripped my heart out. I had to find out who it was immediately.

Later this afternoon, fellow Beirut aficionado and movestiller Sophie lent me his entire back catalogue and it floored me.

22-year-old Zach Condon attended Santa Fe High School, where he was a student until he dropped out at the age of 16 to travel Europe where he was first exposed to Balkan gypsy music. He wears these influences on his sleeve as his songs are like the lush score to a movie about Gypsies and bohemians, steeped in the brass bands of Eastern Europe and former Soviet bloc iconography.

After starting the day feeling hungover and hopeless, his music made me want to continue it with a sense of class and dignity. It made me want to smell fresh flowers and buy a vintage brooch and look at old family photos and watch a black & white movie and say 'i love you'.

Watch the video for 'Postcards from Italy'... especially from 2 minutes 3 seconds.



Or have a listen to 'Nantes' and 'A Sunday Smile' here on his myspace.

You wanna know the best thing about all this? The TIMING. Beirut plays at Manning Bar in Sydney on March 5. I'll probably go.

thurrsty, baby bring it ova here

missy elliot just dropped her new track at her site

'Ching-A-Ling' stream

does anyone do it better? nope, dont think so

living in ikea

And have you seen this?!

marklivesinikea.com

American comedian Mark Malkoff had his flat fumigated... He decided staying in a hotel would be too expensive, and crashing on his friends' couches wasn't an option, so he wrote a letter to IKEA and asked if he could live in a store.

They said YES!

He moved in to the bedroom section of IKEA in New Jersey on Jan 7th and is keeping a video diary until he leaves on the 12th! Craaaaaazy

Glass Candy / Invisible Conga People

My new favourite band is Glass Candy.

I know I play favourites a lot... kind of like someone who decides she wants to be your girlfriend, but as soon as you take her home to meet your parents, claims things have become "too serious", dumps you and starts dating your best friend. But, whatevs. I know what I like, I just happen to like a whole heap of different things!

Glass Candy released a mini LP Love, Love, Love in 2003 and the B/E/A/T/B/O/X EP last year through Italians Do It Better. I'm hating on myself for not having discovered them earlier, but better late than never.

Johnny Jewel is responsible for the music, Ida No is the vocalist. I've been obsessing over the 80's nostalgia and Italo-disco flavour of their EP. Ida's vocals are effortless and so sensuous, and the precise simplicity of the synth and drum drives the melody just enough, without being too obvious or too kitsch. If I was DJing in a club at 4am after a big big big night and everything was winding down, I'd play this

'Candy Castle' Glass Candy

Their sound is similar to new tunes from Melbourne band The Emergency (with Metal Postcard) or the latest Chromatics album 'Night Drive' (also on Italians Do It Better.) Johnny Jewel is actually producing Chromatics tracks, so it all makes sense, really.

'Beatific' Glass Candy




Glass Candy label mates Invisible Conga People are also driving me wild! Their debut is due out in February, but here's a sneak peak...

'Cable Dazed' Invisible Conga People

Want more?
www.myspace.com/invisiblecongapeople
www.myspace.com/glasscandy

Girl Power

Uffie is performing at Sounds on Sunday tomorrow and while I love her style, I wish she could record a good track. She whines unoriginal rhymes, is useless on-stage and hardly does Feadz beats justice (no pun intended!)

What I find most frustrating is that Uffie is getting as much attention, if not more, than Kid Sister, but Kid Sister actually has skills! Unlike Uffie, whose rhymes are arrogant and repetitive, KS is a wonderfully charismatic performer whose lyrics are thoughtful, catchy and well written. And she is just so beautiful and charming!

Here she is explaining why Kanye decided to rap on her first single.



Want more? Bag Raiders have recently finished an exclusive remix of her debut single 'Pro Nails' which you can download free from Fools Gold or rcrdlbl



With the power of indie Chicago hip hop (her brother J2K of Flostradamus and boyfriend A-Track) behind her, my fingers are crossed that she surpasses the Uffie/Ed Banger juggernaut asap and really gets the attention she deserves in the US.

Bitchee Bitchee Ya Ya Ya

Firstly, does a name get any better than that?!

These guys are new to Kitsune. They're trying to keep themselves anonymous, leaving their music as the main focus as the project.

Want to hear what all the hype is all about?

'The Anthem' Bitchee Bitchee Ya Ya Ya

'Before' Bitchee Bitchee Ya Ya Ya

'Office Boy' CSS (Bitchee Bitchee Ya Ya Ya booty remix)

For more head to Kitsune where you can purchase the new single 'Fuck Friend', complete with remixes. Enjoy!

mix tapes

You should download these mixes for your next Ipod beach session.

They will change your life.

ONE: Perks and Ransom 'Pizza And Mezze'
TWO: Perks and Ransom 'Space Train'

I remember listening to one of these when I worked in a clothing store called Alfies a few years ago. When I left the shop, I accidentally left the mix behind and I'd forgotten all about it, until the aforementioned Melbournite gave me a copy last week!



MEGA thanks for these go to Richard Campbell and Declan Kelly, whose site r-n-d.net gives them an online home. Check out the site, then bookmark it, you know the drill

OH looking at that picture of the pizza is making me hungry...

i heart january

I've just seen in the NY in Melbourne.

While it was a tonne of fun and I really miss living there (the architecture, fabulous and careless fashion and amazing support for the arts) I'm pretty happy to be back home.

Why?

SYDNEY FESTIVAL 2008 LAUNCHES TOMORROW!

Someone asked me yesterday why I cared about Sydney Festival. I cant blame them for asking, they're from Melbourne.

Shows from Bjork, Sufjan Stevens, Andrew Bird, Mice Parade, Joanna Newsom, Battles, Girltalk, Caribou, Tunng, Lady Saw, Spankrock and La Clique are why I care!

Another is tomorrow's Festival First Night, with free concerts and performances in and around the CBD. Spankrock are playing in Phillip Street, Plump Djs and Chromeo will be performing in Martin Place, and Brain Wilson (Brian Wilson!) and Paul Kelly are live in The Domain. And thats just the launch evening! Wow, right?

If lack of sleep gets me down over the next month, I'll just call my Melbourne friend... But somehow, I think I'll be alright

To celebrate, here's a reworked Spankrock remix from movestill's good friend and Daddy Dj Spruce Lee

Ratatat 'Wildcat' Vs Spankrock 'Backyard Betty' (Spruce Lee re-edit)

Tomorrow's launch does however highlight the fact I am now only 2 weeks away from my haircut by children. See previous post, and get suggesting. Beehive? Twiggy-style bob? Shaved head? I'm yours for the cutting!