Another great mixtape for your listening pleasure from some amazing local and international acts including a Big Scary and Jonti face off, some new tunes from Kate Martin and Oliver Tank, the fresh-outta-the-clink jam from Ms. Lauryn Hill, and more! Check it out.
Jonti vs Big Scary – ‘Slumming It In Paradise’
Melbourne duo Big Scary have hooked up with Sydney producer Jonti to create this one-off track. Opening with a dense trip-hop beat, the track then shifts to a stilted piano riff and then on again to a light pop beat. Each one of these grooves is a solid production in its own right, but the three come together to make a great collaboration.
Lauryn Hill – ‘Consumerism’
Lauryn Hill has spent the past three months incarcerated in a minimum-security prison due to a horror tax evasion conviction. On the eve of Ms. Hill’s release from the Connecticut Correction Centre, the neo-soul singer-songwriter dropped a track she’d been working on during her imprisonment entitled Consumerism. The track races at a manic Hill-inspired speed of spoken word with a unique South-American pan flute sample. Consumerism has blown up, with fans lauding the track a success with comments such as “the Queen of hip-hop is back” and “forever educating the miseducated”. Commenting its release Hill stated, “letters From Exile is material written from a certain space, in a certain place. I felt the need to discuss the underlying socio-political, cultural paradigm as I saw it.” This is some of Hill’s freshest work in years with new reports stating the R&B queen has been granted reprisal from home detention to tour at the end of 2013.
Cull – ‘World Inside Your Head’
Upon first impressions, Sydney psych-pop quartet’s new single sounds like they’re just trying to jump on the Tame Impala bandwagon. After a closer listen, it becomes apparent they’re doing their own thing. ‘WorldInside Your Head’ is exactly what it sounds like, a sprawling, bright musical landscape. Turn the headphones up and go for a brief excursion.
Oliver Tank -‘ Different Speed’ (feat. Ta-Ku)
Sydneysider Oliver Tank crafts something rather special with guest Ta-Ku, it’s delicate yet at the same time carefully balancing the number of elements within the mix without it ever becoming ‘busy’. Entering with pizzicato atop of a warm pad, we first hear the softly spoken line, ‘slow down world you move too fast for me’, before being treated to both a gritty synth in the lower-end of the frequency spectrum and a complex arrangement of intricate percussion. Set for further success, you’ll be seeing Oliver Tank at both the Falls Music and Arts Festival and Southbound over the New Years period.
Sincerely, Grizzly – ‘Us; Or Optimism’
Explosive from the first beat, Sincerely, Grizzly certainly know how to write a sweet alt-rock song. The South Australian band, who say they met at “an Anthropophobiacs Anonymous meeting in South-West North Korea”, have a knack for tunes reminiscent of Japandroids. What you think is going to be a gradual tempo song soon erupts into a fast paced display of dynamics, character, and a hell of a lot of drums. Sweet little guitar riffs provide a great contrast whilst the vocals weave in and out. Be sure to catch them at one of their shows this November.
Kate Martin – ‘Awaken’
Townsville-via-Melbourne- songstress Kate Martin has unveiled her dazzling new single, ‘Awaken’. Martin’s acoustic-based indie pop is simply alluring, with layers of beautiful instrumentals building a lush atmosphere for her glass-like vocals to cut through. It’s foot-tappingly catchy, too, with a clapping beat and various oo’s and oh’s bringing welcome doses of pop to the table. Go on – pull up a chair, sit down and get lost in Kate Martin’s magic.
I Know Leopard – ‘She’
‘She’ is the first single to be released from the recently announced debut EP from the group, I Know Leopard. Hearing the track for the first time leaves you seeking more, and hoping it won’t be too long before you have your clammy little indie-rock loving hands on ‘Illumina’. The repeat button will have to suffice for the time being. The track is full of good space, allowing the four piece to seamlessly drop ambient textures, jangly and reverberated guitar lines, what sounds like a gong and some slick vocals that float across the mix to much listening pleasure. Catch I Know Leopard across the nation throughout November.
Jeff Gitelman – ‘Weirdo’
One third of psychedelic band The Stepkids and one-time guitarist for the likes of Alicia Keys, Odd Future and 50 Cent, Jeff Gitelman has finally taken centre stage with the release of his debut solo single, ‘Weirdo’. The track is a swirling, swooshing electronic jam pixelated with experimental synths, backed by an infectious R&B bass line and then filtered through an ‘80s cassette tape. Meanwhile, Gitelman’s addictive vocals provide soulful melodies over all the disjointed noise. It’s all very strange, but even more catchy.
