Angus & Julia Stone on Manly Beach at The Australian Open

A few weeks ago we had the pleasure of traveling back to our old local, Manly Beach, for the Australian Open. This is an annual week long competition for skateboarding, surfing and art - drawing out the largest crowds to experience the true aussie beach lifestyle.

This year the headliner for the event was none other than the globally notorious brother and sister combo of Angus & Julia Stone - who we discovered we're locals themselves hailing from Sydney. In contrast to the DJ that followed them on stage, Angus & Julia have a very quiet and peaceful sound that calmed the beach, while the waves crashed alongside their melodic strumming. Returning from LA where they produced their latest self-titled album with the legendary Rick Rubin, this duo was a massive draw card, as they exposed us to their new and old music, finishing with Big Jet Plane (our favorite).If you ever have the opportunity to come to Australia this is the week to do it. Just stay on Manly Beach, don't plan anything, and enjoy the laid back lifestyle.

Tame Impala Live in Melbourne

Earlier this month we headed out to Sidney Myer Music Bowl, an outdoor venue in Melbourne (read lawns) to see a major stage of Tame Impala's national tour. The group toured Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth (for 2 shows in their hometown) - heading exclusively into outdoor amphitheaters to promote their latest album Currents. They put on a ripper of a show for hours, playing through their entire selection, accompanied by a visual trip, and ending with fireworks (literally), It was clear it wasn't just the nationalism that sold these shows out across the country.

While this group is extremely well known in Australia (with Currents even being named the ARIA Album of the Year), they have only recently started to make major waves across North America. With their psychedelic rock feeling similar to much loved bands like MGMT, Neon Indian or Empire of the Sun, their sound provides a perfect vibe to graze to at the beach, mountain-side or for an easy afternoon backdrop. Although the band has been around for a long time, last year was clearly a breakout year globally - with blog aggregator hypem declaring them the 4th most blogged band of the year. Here's another mention for ya mates. If you haven't stumbled across these guys just yet, take a look at their album below (start with Let It Happen) - could be a nice addition to your selection. Or if you're feeling in the mood - get your horn out and listen to one of their older tracks - Elephant.

Alt-J in Melbourne

A few weeks back I had the opportunity to see Alt-J live in Melbourne and it was quite the treat. The UK lads were welcomed with open arms to a sold out show, which was replicated in Sydney, Perth and Brisbane shortly after.

These guys put on a great performance, with a nice contrast between melodic songwriting and quick indie rock. In the arena the energy would swing drastically from the calm visions built in "Arrival to Nara" to the haunting translucence of "Hunger of the Pine" to the earthy undertones in "Dissolve Me" - keeping the audience interested in every note.

Playing the part of opener was Asgeir, an Icelandic folk band that is gaining global notoriety - after an extremely successful local launch (10% of the Icelandic population now owns their first album).

The Lazys

I was recently introduced to The Lazys by a friend of mine from Sydney who is particularly close to the band, so close that she was actually included in their leading music video - in Shake It Like You Mean It (below). These guys are a perfect fit for this blog, as they are based in Australia, but actually found some really good success touring across Canada a little while back.

Described as a new age ACDC - The Lazys are bringing back rock and roll in a big way. With a heavy sound, strong guitar riffs, a style you can get behind and the look to match, these guys are prime candidates to bring Aussie Rock into the limelight. As you would expect, most of this groups' music actually isn't the type of thing that you would hear on the radio, but to appease the masses, they have recorded a few tracks that everyone can get down to. Apparently they are even better live (which isn't hard to believe), and it's definitely on my list to make it out to a show the next time they are around to experience it first hand.

The group will be in Canada for another tour in 2015 - coming into Toronto on May 7th at the Phoenix.Concert Hall. If you're in the 6 it's going to be worth it to make it out.

Rufus - Live in Newtown, Australia

A few weeks back I had the pleasure of making it out to a little suburb/town outside of the city to take in my first concert on this side of the world. It was only fitting that this first concert was held by Rufus; an indie group that’s originally from Sydney, but was likely one of the only native groups that I had heard of before making the trip down here. Releasing Atlas last year, this tour was sort of a homecoming for Rufus to celebrate the new album, which the crowd certainly reflected. Aussies certainly know how to enjoy themselves and this was definitely one of those times they showed it. Inside of a packed concert hall at the Enmore Theatre in Newtown, Rufus pounded out hits like Take Me and Desert Night to make for an experience that went late into the night. If you haven’t heard of this group (they’re not THAT Australian), check out those two tracks below – which should help visualize the night a bit more than I remember.

Rufus - Desert Night

FROMTHEPAST // The Human Expression

From California in the mid-sixties The Human Expression headed primarily by Jim Quarles who collaborated with one of the other band member’s father Jim Foster. The two over a short period wrote and recorded several demos. Some singles gained favor in the local Westminster, California area; most favorably the B side “Love At Psychedelic Velocity”. 

The band continued for a little and had some tracks mixed by Wally Heider who would later work with The Grateful Dead. Quarles unfortunately made the decision to turn down ‘Born To Be Wild’, which Steppenwolf went on to make famous. Eventually the band ended around 1968. 

‘Optical Sound‘ shows the bands skill for milky neon grooves and ‘I Don't Need Nobody’ is an example of Quarles’ introspective writing style, which ultimately dominated most of the material.

Quarles goes on to writing and recording more demos and eventually becoming a sound engineer, sadly his music really never came to a recognition it deserved. The Human Expressions music still lives on in Psychedelic mix tapes, volumes, and the internet.

cheerz,
egoeggo

Mikky Ekko - Kids (The Chainsmokers Remix)

Recently another great submission made its way into the Straight Goods inbox (info@straightgoodsmedia.com) from the Chainsmokers, who were able to break through the noise of the many promoters/artists we hear from, with some clever, clever writing from their flight from Seattle to NYC (excerpt below)...  

"We could go on but the guy in front just leaned back and now i am forced to type with dinosaur arms and can literally feel the carpaltunnel syndrome taking affect..." 

Alex and Drew from the Chainsmokers were kind enough to explain their approach to Mikky Ekko's Kids, which is a great track as an original, but i like what they did here. Hope you enjoy. 

"So, Mikky is an absurdly talented writer and vocalist, so when we had the chance to work on a track of his we were delighted because we feel he is this perfect blend of pop/mainstream and indie which is two qualities we hold more dear to us than anything.  Between his really unique voice and its styling which is something we care a lot about and and our style of producing we though we could create a really interesting remix that embodies our tastes... When we started producing the song we gravitated towards the more progressive sound, flush with big synths but wanted to pair it with a sweeping horn over the drop to give it this really grand almost orchestra feeling that gave it a unique feeling, almost cinematic in nature. In doing so it allowed us to maintain a high energy remix but maintain a unique undertone. In the end his rhythmic vocals along with the piano chords allows the tracks to cruise along effortlessly.”

They also signed off as "Kendell Jenners future boyfriends..."

It's always nice to see that the art of quality writing still has it's rewards.

Mikky Ekko - Kids (The Chainsmokers Remix)

The Straight Goods Monthly Recap

Let me introduce you to the Straight Goods Recap - the latest development by SG M+E, a podcast styled radio show, covering all of the best music we featured on the site monthly, as well as the various music and stories that managed to slipped through the cracks.

Run by SG M+E's newest member, "The Prince", who comes to us with a background in running a radio show at the Wilfrid Laurier University called Verses from the Abstract for the past few years. Since The Prince has now finished his university career, we jumped on the opportuntity to bring him up into the big leagues of the SG empire - http://www.radiolaurier.com/category/shows/verses-from-the-abstract/.

Listen to the first official SGM Recap below, but we will be featuring this ongoing podcast/radio show in the right sidebar, so it will be easy to listen to and catch up with SGM at any time. As always, send your feedback or ideas for improvement to info@straightgoodsmedia.com

We're always listening, as you should be.

In Remembrance

Since it's remembrance day, it's fitting we pay tribute with a track for our fallen comrades. There are millions of tribute songs that have been created for this very reason, but I was sent one in particular today which stood out, because it was so descriptive and focused in on the impact that these wars had on the younger generations. The version of the song which I've included below is actually a hip hop remix of an anti-Vietnam song from 1972 by Redgum, with the same name. Read along and listen below. This one goes out to my grandpops - who lead a tank battalion for Canada in WW2, survived the war, but not the cancer - as well as any other man-of-arms that was made a martyr to protect what they loved.

I Was Only 19 - RedGum (covered by The Herd)

Mum, Dad and Denny
were some amongst many
who turned up to see the passing out parade at Puckapunyal
Seemed every man and his mongrel
watched cadets stumble
on the long march to the Viet jungle.
"Oh Christ", I mumbled as I drew that card
and my mates came to slap me on the back with due regard
We were the sixth battalion and the next to tour
we did Canungra and Shoalwater before we left, rest assured

Seemed half of Townsville turned out to see us leave
and they lined the footpaths as we marched to the quay
And the papers wrote it up like you wouldn't believe
but we were looking to the future for a fast reprieve
And there's all of us looking young
strong and clean rockin' slouch hats
slung SLRs and greens

God help me, I was only nineteen

From Vung Tau the black helicopters
the chinhook pilots seemed relieved at Nui Dat when they dropped us
Seems like months running on and off landing pads
letters to Dad
'cause it's like, man, he's sad
But he can't see the tents that we call home
cans of VB, pin-ups on the lockers of chicks off TV
The noise, the mosquitoes and the heat suprising
like the first time you see an agent orange horizon

So please can you tell me doctor why I still can't get to sleep
the scar's left in me?
Night time's just a jungle
dark and a barking M16 that keeps saying
"rest in peace"
And what's this rash that comes and goes
I don't suppose you can tell me what that means?

God help me, I was only nineteen

Sent off on a four-week long operation
where every single step could be your last one
My two legs were sorta living hell
falling with the shells, war within yourself
But you couldn't let your mates down
'til they had you dusted off
so you closed your eyes and thought of something else

Then someone yelled "contact!"
another bloke swore
we hooked in there for hours then a god almighty roar
Then Frankie kicked a mine
the day that mankind kicked the moon

God help him, he was going home in June

And I can still see Frank with a can in his hand
thirty-six hour leave in the bar at the Grand
I can still hear Frank
a screaming mess
of bleeding flesh
couldn't retrieve his legs

You see the ANZAC legend
neglected to mention
the mud
the fear
the blood
the tears
the tension
Dad's recollection
beyond comprehension
didn't seem quite real until we were sent in
The chaos and confusion
the fire and steel
hot shrapnel in my back
I didn't even

God help me, I was only nineteen

Mum and Dad and Denny saw the passing out parade at Puckapunyal
It was a long march from Cadets
The sixth battalion was the next to tour
It was me who drew the card
we did Canungra and Shoalwater before we left

So please can you tell me doctor
why I can't get to sleep
I can't hardly eat?
And the sound of the Channel Seven chopper still chills me to my feet
still fuels my grief?
And what's this rash that comes and goes like the dreams
can you tell me what that means?

God help me, I was only nineteen.

Arcade Fire - Reflektor (New Album)

Happy Friday everyone, I come bearing gifts.

Arcade Fire's follow up to 2010's Grammy winning album The Suburbs is due to be released on October 28th, but the band has been far to generous and has provided their fans the opportunity to stream the album from front to back (and subsequently, made the stream private a few days later). I've just finished my first listen through and immediately jumped back in for another. Let me tell you, this is a huge piece of music, and I mean that in two ways.  In a literal sense, it's a full 85 minute double album but more importantly, the album is big in that it is absolutely rammed with quality. I know it's pretty excessive to be standing on rooftops yelling ALBUM OF THE YEAR after one listen, but honestly, this is a phenomenal collection of music. Great songwriting, skillful instrumentation, as well as themes and melodies that run from the front of the album to the back, give it a very cohesive, concept album-like feel.

On this album, Arcade Fire seem to have accomplished something that many artists seem to struggle with: After huge mainstream success, following up with an album that progresses from their previous work, without totally departing from their earlier sound. This album is not The Suburbs 2. It is a different animal, and a great one at that

 Their Google Chrome experiment is pretty cool too: https://www.justareflektor.com/

Throwback Thursday - Soundtrack Edition: Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2

The nostalgia is strong in this one.  Rivaled only by the likes of soundtracks from the GTA series, Tony Hawk Pro Skater has to be a strong contender for greatest video game soundtracks of our time. These songs bring back a mixed flood of memories, from getting painstakingly close to topping a high-score challenge, to battling it out in a grisly game of SKATE.  Not only did this game act as a basis for what will likely be a life-long addiction to video games in general, it also provided an early-introduction to some of the rawest ska music (kinda like indie before indie was cool), underground hip-hop, and alternative rock.   THPS2 soundtrack embodies the peak of my experience, so enjoy the skate down memory lane:







And everyone's favourite, from the original THPS:

Hilang Child - Chaturanga

   

Fall music at its finest.  After a first listen I spent longer than I am willing to admit searching the depths of the Internet to find a little information about Hilang Child.  More specifically, I wasted time searching for a connection to the Fleet Foxes that doesn’t exist.  Multiple listens later and I’m still finding it hard to believe that Robin Pecknold didn't change his name and cut his beard (which would be tragic).  Connections aside, this song is amazing and I can’t wait ‘till November 25^th when First Writings EP is slated to drop.  Check out Chaturanga as well as the acoustic living room session performance of the song below.

 

Mayer Hawthorne - Royals (Lorde Cover)

I preface this post by apologizing for my absence as of late. Turns out a Master's degree is a little more work than the kid anticipated but nevertheless, here's a quick jolt to your Lazy Sunday. Though I've never followed his work in-depth, some of Mayer Hawthorne's tracks catch my ears at random times and I just have to share.

It takes balls to cover the #1 song in America (2-weeks running by the way) and put your own take on it, especially when the original is still hitting its peak. On a side note: MysterC is really pulling for Katy Perry's, Roar to take this 16-year old Kiwi down next week. Now back to MH. His jazzy interpretation of the tune reeks of fresh air. From the live 'off the floor' feel to his strong, smooth vocals...this one's a winner.

To prove that the art of the Billboard Hot 100 cover is hard to master...I take it back to 2004 to one of my favorite covers. Who said it had to be Thursday for a fuckin' throwback?

Flex Cop - This Is Not Meth (Breaking Bad)

It seems like Australian producer Flex Cop is the latest to be inspired by Vince Gilligan's incredible crime drama, Breaking Bad.  This feel good track is mostly a rework Darondo's ever so smooth Didn't I, but it also contains a sample from a climactic Breaking Bad season 1 scene (Spoiler ahead):

God, I love this show.  Without going into full blown fanboy mode, this latest season has been a roller-coaster of emotion.  With only 2 hours left to air, when it's all said and done there is little doubt Breaking Bad will go down as one of the greatest shows of television's Golden Age. Taking the complexity of modern TV storytelling to new levels,  BB gets increasingly better from episode to episode.  Brian Cranston's is nothing short of electrifying, shifting from family man Walter White to ruthless drug king pin Heisenberg, creating a drama that just feels so real. To prove that these aren't just the ramblings of a guy who watches too much TV, Breaking Bad's fifth and final season has scored an unheard of 99/100 on the review aggregate site, Metacritic.  

Back to the song though.  A lot lighter themed than the show for which it's named, this jam will flow nicely with your work week.  Have a listen below, and please, for your own sake, start watching Breaking Bad.

Sleigh Bells - Reign of Terror

The first time I sent my ears on the journey through Sleigh Bells sophomore album "Reign of Terror" I found myself a combination of offended and intrigued. The new age girl pop group that gave us the addicting Rill Rill came back with a bang and after a couple listens, I can't get enough of the album. Guitarist, Producer Derek Miller brings heavy 70's and 80's style rock guitar complimented by simple but hard hitting drums that give the instrumentals a heavy and throwback feel. The often distorted rock guitar seems to blend with Alexis Krauss' soothing voice to create some amazing sounds. I'm not about to say that Sleigh Bells reinvented anything here but they definitely brought a new feel to whatever genre they actually belong to. Check out early highlights bellow and get your hands on "Reign of Terror" if you're into it.

Sleigh Bells - Crush



Sleigh Bells - Comeback Kid

Lotty and Arc - He Can Only Hold Her Remix

Straight out of Hamilton, Ontario I bring you Lotty and Arc; two members of local rap group the Hamilton High-Cats. Met the one guy through a friend a couple years ago and until now have never given his music a listen. They bring a classic hip-hop feel to the table with the groovy sample of Amy Winehouse's "He Can Only Hold Her". Don't know which one is rapping and which one sings the hook but the track features some solid flow and a damn catchy chorus. The track gives me that sunny day barbecue type of feeling that you don't hear very often in hip-hop today. The video is of their new track "Ready to Roll" in which the duo get a little deeper on us. It feel's damn good to be reppin some Steeltown talent on Straight Goods... so enjoy

Lotty and Arc-He Can Only Hold Her (remix)

LiLa - 8 Bit Kid

This place has been a little quiet lately, which may be in part due to my lack of attendance. I moved more-downtown in Toronto and had to do the whole internet dance all over again, apparently they can't change that shit in a day's notice. It's all good now though and I'm going to use this as an excuse to post some music that is a few weeks old, but definitely still worth looking into if you didn't catch it. Starting with a track I heard about a month ago on the blog Sunset in the Rearview, this song has stuck around on my iTunes as a go to subway/traveling song. The lyrics match the almost autistic feeling that comes from the instrumentals, as the repetitive strings create an atmospheric nature that seems to take you in if you'll let it.

LiLa - 8 Bit Kid

Walk Off The Earth- Somebody That I Used To Know (Gotye Cover)

5 band members and one guitar. The original track by Gotye, posted here earlier by Surebuds, has absolutely blown up. It's got a hypnotic and haunting vibe that is like nothing I've heard in a while. And now we get a nice twist on the song brought to you by a local Canadian talent. Straight outta Burlington, Ontario, Walk Off The Earth's cover is receiving widespread recognition and has quickly become a youtube sensation. The view count went from 3,000 to 3 million almost overnight. This isn't even the first time we've seen the ol' "multiple people, one guitar" trick, but that takes nothing away from these guys. Oh, and blondey's voice is as sexy as she is. Enjoy.

Rill Rill - Phi Unit Remix

Digging into the SG mailbox is always a good look when things are a little bleak in the general music world. Personally I think that Christmas makes for one of the worst times for music, with artists trying to include that spirit into their lyrics that won’t get played again once Dec 25th has passed. Rather than going that route, I’d rather listen to music that gets me in a good mood, but leaves out all the reference and religious overtone. Not that it doesn’t have a place, but when everyone tries to jump on something like that it seems too fake for me. That little rant takes me to Phi-Unit, a DJ out of New York that sent over his, (and my), interpretation of a good Christmas song he did some work to. Rill Rill is a song by Sleigh Bells that I posted a while ago with a Clique NewTrends remix to go along with it. Phi-Unit adds a little more hype than the other remix or original, but still keeps it light as it dashes onward. Check it below.

Sleigh Bells – Rill Rill (Phi-Unit Remix)
Sleigh Bells - Rill Rill (Phi Unit Remix) FREE DOWNLOAD by Phi Unit

Daniel Lee Kendall - Lost in the Moment

I’ve recently been hearing Australian singer/songwriter Daniel Lee Kendall’s leading single, Lost in the Moment, sampled ever so slightly on a number of commercials. The subtle high hats combined with bouncing keys gives this song a warm, welcome entrance, which stuck on me and forced me to hunt it down. When I came across the success Daniel achieved based off these commercials, it was clear that having his song featured has now given him the opportunity to truly chase a life in music (with his featured track at 100k YouTube views & the rest of his music quickly rising from the ~5K it sat at prior).

This significant change got me thinking, who are these executives responsible for choosing music to place in the ads, and where do I sign up? The extent to which media is helping artists these days has simply grown to such a point that they should realize their power is starting to rival that of music labels. If they give artists the opportunity to showcase their work – whether this be through a commercial, or on a a larger scale in a show or movie – it can easily mean big things for them and their career, much past the feature itself. Although this path clearly places all the responsibility on the artist to grow themselves, when good choices are made and the right audience is exposed to the material, things always have a way of working out. See how Daniel Lee Kendall has responded to this newfound fame, with his re-released track Lost in the Moment below, as well as a video to follow. Recognize it?

Daniel Lee Kendall - Lost in the Moment