The intoxicating Hancock Basement

Owls of the Swamp: “The Hypnotist”

Sometimes I like to think I’m a thousand miles away, at a cabin on the lake, with my cousins and nieces and nephews. They brim with enthusiasm when the day is hot and they’re playing tag and the sun is shining its driest heat. And at eve it’s cool — not just a breeze, but [...] [...]

Lee

Hayden Calnin

I saw you as you were. The red hue on your cheeks. Your glistening eyes. Your silhouette as you walked away from me forever. But hope keeps us alive, and I never stopped smiling. Who am I without the white of my teeth? Hayden Calnin on SoundCloud | Facebook [...]

Lee

[MP3] Battleships: “Your Words”

Anthemic pop rock rarely ever goes wrong in my book, and Adam touched upon this beautifully when he spoke about why he likes his music “big.” Battleships, a four-piece Aussie band, has that build-up to loud emotion and a lushly orchestrated sound in their latest single, “Your Words.” These guys are set for primetime. “Your [...] [...]

Lee

Music in Australian GetUp!’s “It’s Time.” commercial

How can you not love this video (if you haven’t seen it yet)? It took me all of five seconds to go searching for the stunning background song. Oliver Tank – “Last Night I Heard Everything in Slow Motion” [MP3] Get the entirety of Oliver Tank’s Dreams EP for free on Bandcamp. [...]

Lee

[MP3] Oh Ye Denver Birds: “I Believe In Love, Kid”

Why did it take me so long to find this song?? Despite parts of the track sounding like Pogo’s “Upular” Pixar remix, Oh Ye Denver Birds’ “I Believe In Love, Kid,” is a shimmering, frenetic pop gem. Male and female vocals play off each other, the rhythm winds in and out, and falsetto harmonies fly. [...] [...]

Lee

[MP3] Lanu: “Fall (feat. Megan Washington)”

So, I gotta be honest with you (which begs the question, am I usually not honest with you?). It took some time to get this song cleared to post for download on Knox Road. It’s available as a free download on Lanu’s Bandcamp (which I recommend you check out — there are more great free [...] [...]

Lee

[MP3] YesYou: “Half Of It”

Certainly not me, but definitely this Brisbane producer duo (Jono Kirkham and Gav Parry, aka YesYou), who enjoy the help of James O’Brien (of The Boat People) and the St. Margaret Angelican Girls’ School Choir on vocals for the first single, “Half Of It”, off their forthcoming dance pop debut. You know what? I’m impressed [...] [...]

Lee

[MP3] Hancock Basement: “One in a Million Does”

Nothing like some new, bouncy Australian pop from folks we’ve excitedly featured in the past. Hancock Basement remains unencumbered by genre trends, moving forward with their own brand of pop weirdness, oooh-ahhhs, and general likeability. They get me going on a day like today, where I need all the energy I can muster to pack [...] [...]

Lee

Notable Album Release: Sally Seltmann – Heart That’s Pounding

Sally Seltmann, best known to me as her now-defunct moniker, New Buffalo, will be releasing a new full-length (and the first under her own name), Heart That’s Pounding, in Spring 2010. There are already quite a few buzzworthy 2010 albums to be excited about, but this one will be near the top of my list. [...] [...]

Lee