Knives At Noon - Violins & Violence

Knives At Noon are one of those rare finds - a radiant gemstone among the piles of musical garbage that litter the bustling streets of the inter-web. They reside in the depths of Dunedin churning out what they call 'Doom Pop' - an ever so slightly darker interpretation of conventional pop with an indie / post-rock twist. They inevitably draw comparisons with fellow South Island dance-punk maestro's Bang Bang Eche!, with their synth heavy riffs, infectious melodies and white-boy aggression.

Their latest single 'Violins & Violence' off the forthcoming debut EP Glitter Guts is a hooky dance track driven by a 4-to-the-floor beat, raw lo-fi guitars, burping synth and tongue-twisting vocals. And despite my failure to adequately encapsulate the song in words, it is one of the best New Zealand releases I've heard in a good wee while... The breakdown towards the end is undeniably 'Doom Pop'!

Keep an eye on these guys, they opened for Vampire Weekend a few months back and are slowly stamping their mark on the NZ music scene... I foresee a prosperous future for these Dunedin doom-poppers!

Glitter Guts, the debut EP from 'Knives At Noon' is due out in September.

knivesatnoon.com

facebook.com/knivesatnoon

BOYS NOIZE - NEW TRACKS!

Literally 8 minutes ago on Facebook BOYS NOIZE announced the release of two new 'preview' tracks to his soundcloud. While they are obviously still works in progress they are nonetheless brilliant as Alex Ridha effortlessly flaunts his electro wizardry. Although the two sneak peeks are trademark 'Noize' they thump with more authority than anything off the more experimental 'Power!' Perhaps a bangin' 12" in the making?

Let's hope we get a taste of the new stuff live @ Rhythm & Vines 2010/2011!

Boys Noize "1010" Preview by Boys Noize

Boys Noize "YEAH" Preview by Boys Noize

Miami Horror - I Look To You MUSIC VIDEO

I only posted on Illumination, the debut album from Miami Horror a few days ago, but today the they released the music video for the disco-funk album favourite 'I Look To You' featuring our most enchanting New Zealand lass Kimbra.

LexiconDon - Pink + Blue

LexiconDon unleash their debut album, 'Pink + Blue' today on Binary - a feat that has been two years in the making. These guys caught my attention a few months back with their first single 'December Sunset', a no frills disco track that magically envelops emotion in a singular revolving chord progression. There is a sense of less is more with LexiconDon as they strip back to the bare essentials serving up infectious, unadulterated synth-pop. Admittedly, they are a slightly guilty pleasure with tracks like pop-heavy 'Student Body' that wouldn't sound astray on any 'top 40' countdown, but it's not worth holding it against them - pop is great. However, Pink + Blue is not a one trick pony. LexiconDon delve into banging electro, sexy R&B, and 70's inspired nu-disco creating an eclectic, well rounded album that will be enjoyed by an extensive audience.

Check out the tunes below, and if you like what you hear pick up a copy of 'Pink + Blue' on iTunes today - they even encourage you to burn copies for all your friends!

LexiconDon - December Sunset

LexiconDon - Student Body





LexiconDon - December Sunset (U-Tern Remix) - DOWNLOAD

The Earlybirds - Favourite Fears

New Zealand indie-pop young guns, The Earlybirds, released their debut album 'Favourite Fears' yesterday. Their first three singles 'Runaway', 'I Killed the DJ', and 'I Can't Live Without You' generated significant TV and radio exposure due to their accessible 'can't-get-you-out-of-my-head' melodies, and have propelled The Earlybirds onto the centre stage of the New Zealand music scene.

The Earlybirds take the raw rock & roll attitude of The Strokes and early KOL and sprinkle a spoonful of sugar in the mix to help the medicine go down for a more mainstream audience. The songs are well crafted and breathe originality due in part to lead singer, Filip Kostovich' suave European tinged vocals. It's hard not to like The Earlybirds... even the most pretentious 'alt-buff' is likely to catch themselves humming along to their infectious indie-pop anthems. The debut album, 'Favourite Fears', is a top-notch release boasting a musical maturity well beyond their years, so at the risk of my plug sounding like a closet 'uber-fan' outburst - runaway now, runaway now, runaway and grab yourself a copy today.

myspace.com/earlybirds

facebook.com/theearlybirds

theearlybirds.co.nz (download a free acoustic track here!)

Late Of The Pier - Best In The Class

Late Of The Pier released a double A-side single, Best In The Class / Blueberry, in March on limited edition vinyl and digital download on Erol Alkan's Phantasy Sound label. It is their first release since the full-length 'Fantasy Black Channel' in 2008, which set an unprecedented standard for indie / electro crossover bands by defying era and genre with the help of visionary producer Erol Alkan.

Best In Class / Blueberry expands on the experimental tendency of Late Of The Pier. 'Best In Class' is definitely the 'pop-ier' of the two, but you couldn't exactly classify it as conventional pop. The melody is hooky, but the modulated vocals after the first chorus and the unexpected thrashy breakdown outro is on a par with 'weird-rock' maestros The Mars Volta. 'Blueberry' tilts even further into the experimental beginning with a noisy, frantic intro before dropping into an MGMT-meets-Beatles strum-a-long and once again evolving into a spastic distorted guitar finale. What some will consider genius, others will label noise-pollution - whatever you're opinion, everyone should agree that Late Of The Pier are relentlessly innovative.

The Naked & Famous - The Sun

I saw this video a while ago and had every intention of posting it, but for reasons unknown, it slipped my mind.

I stumbled across it again today during a routine youtube click-a-thon and was once again enthralled by its magnificence. 'The Sun' is a song from the forthcoming debut album by The Naked & Famous, which was filmed for the C4 Live Sessions and recorded at York Street Studios.

It's not likely to be a single, but it's such an intelligently executed track. The gradually building female / male vocals over a melancholy Radiohead-esque chord progression, scattered with distorted guitar feed-back builds the tension to the brink of climax... and then leaves you hanging, thrusting for more, but still - strangely satisfied by the overall experience.

The debut album, Passive Me, Aggressive You, is due out September 6.