Bon Iver

On the hottest Sydney day in three years it was an odd feeling to walk out of the heat and into the stillness of a concert hall and the sounds of a Wisconsin winter. I was running late, which I feel ended up adding to my experience. I entered the room with Flume in full swing and walked down the centre ailse staring straight at the stage, which meant I got the complete impact of the performance. Justin in the centre and the three other band members surrounding him with guitars, bass, drums, keyboards and more drums. The sound in this venue (Angel Place Recital Hall) is probably second to none, though I suppose it helps that the nature of the place means one never has to strain over the sounds of screaming fans or bad audience sing alongs.

The whole show really blew my mind. It was quickly clear that the whole room was transfixed on this dude who speaks like a stupid, though charming, American hick named Earl but sings with such honest heart that it makes ya' cry. Bon Iver seamlessly mixed the best of their debut album For Emma, Forver Ago with new ones off the recently released EP Blood Bank. Crowd favourite Skinny Love was performed with perfection, as the three other band members drummed heavily in time during the crescendo of the track, as Justin remained seemingly oblivious-singing and playing as though he was alone in his bedroom.

Easily one of the best gigs I have ever seen, in one of the most beautiful and perfectly suited venues I'll ever be in.

Bon Iver-Blood Bank

Bon Iver Myspace

Slumdog Millionaire

I saw Slumdog Millionaire today and it was as good as all the hype, which is nice as so often only disappointment occurs after expectations are set so high. I totally forgot that part of the reason I was excited to see this was because M.I.A helped out on the soundtrack. But I quickly remembered as the majestic intro to O...Saya boomed out during the opening minutes. It really is a beautiful song and not surprisingly M.I.A has been nominated for an Academy award for her collaboration with A.R. Rahman on the track. Prett-y Mass-ive I say.

Great film. Great music. With the mainstream success of Slumdog, getting the Golden Globe etc, this will probably open a whole new audience to the music of M.I.A. In fact a friend heard her called "Mia" on commercial radio the other day as the "great NEW song" Paper Planes was introduced. Meh, I could definitely deal with hearing that song for another year or so.

M.I.A & A.R. Rahman-O...Saya

Slumdog Millionaire Soundtrack available at Amazon

Seekae

"The Sound of Trees Falling on People"

I first heard this track on a cool Sydney evening. Sitting beside a friends pool, sipping on tea and listening to the choppy electronic beats beam from an impressive outside sound system. I was immediately aware that this was music I could listen to endlessly. It helped that my friend was so clearly in love with the track, the band and the genre. Such a passion can obviously be infectious and it does make me wonder if there are some sounds that instinctively appeal to everyones taste. That maybe good music is just good music, that is universal and ignorant of genre. But then I remember those people who are insistent that the tiny sub genre of music they play or listen to is the only music in the world. And also when I really really really love a song I am simply mortified when I find that others don't feel the same way.

Anyway...Seekae is the name of the band. Which is derived from the 90s computer game Commander Keen, that I remember fondly. This probably dates the three boys quite specifically, though unlike most of the swarms of 20 old year old kids making electronic music in their bedrooms these days, Seekae is born from a more respectable musical background of indie bands, classical flute and cello. Their influences include Boards of Canada, Aphex Twin, Kettel, Apparat, Hot Chip and Telfon Tel Aviv causing them to travel between the sounds of ambient and a slightly more upbeat mish-mash of electronica.

Seekae-Void (zShare)

Seekae Myspace

Animal Collective

"I don't mean to seem like I care about material things..."

I have only heard a few tracks from Animal Collectives 9th album Merriweather Post Pavilion but am totally pumped to get my hands on tracks 1-11 . This excitement is further compounded by the knowledge that after hearing this 2009 release i have a good 9 years of well received and diverse albums that will be new to my ears. That's right folks My Girls is my personal introduction to the world of Animal Collective, and after many years of meaning to give them a listen I am happy to finally be here! So whether you have been hotly anticipating this album since you were 16 or still think Animal Collective is a fruit and vegetable co-op in Honolulu, have a listen to some nice nice music.

Animal Collective-My Girls (zShare)

Animal Collective Myspace