Ohhhhhhhh shiiiiiiiiiiit, it’s the return of Music Feeds Faves, our weekly column where the team gathers together their favourite new songs to juice you up with a fresh new playlist for the weekend. For our first week back in 2016, we take a look at the tracks that got us frothing over the summer break.
Darby – Timber Towers
Over the blisteringly hot holiday break, my ears stumbled upon this gem of a debut single from NSW singer/song-writer Darby, and it meshed so perfectly with my listless days populated with nought but the beach, beers and BBQs.
Timber Towers starts like a much needed gentle summer breeze, swirling gently around your ankles before escalating with Darby’s (Bec O’Brien) on-point and emotional vocal delivery combining with an unexpectedly gritty guitar riff, resulting in a tune which soothes and revives in equal measure. / Mitch Feltscheer, Creative Director
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTGfpLNxHXU
Hands Like Houses – Colourblind
Hands Like Houses have unleashed a monster and its name is Colourblind. The 10,000-pound dance-rock beast will come rampaging through your town to stomp down trees with its massive chorus, topple buildings with its pulverising breakdown and crush your neighbour’s Camry in between its unstoppable hook-teeth.
Only Jeff Goldblum can save us now. / Emmy Mack, Staff Writer
Wallace – Negroni Eyes
This was the gem that replaced all of those haggard, irritating Christmas tunes that make you want to stick double earplugs down your lugholes and hibernate until February.
An independent artist residing in Sydney, Wallace hails from New Zealand and absolutely pioneers her self-proclaimed genre of ‘Future Soul’.
Her sultry tones sound intimate across strings, keys and perfectly sliced beats. The luscious verses peak and fall, fading away and casting us out into a sea of distorted, distant instrumentation and whispering vocals. No need to cast out a life buoy. It’s been a long time since a tune has caused both smiles and shivers simultaneously. I’m quite happy to stay immersed. / Chelsea Deeley, Contributer
Chelsea Wolfe – I Love You All The Time (Eagles Of Death Metal Cover)
So Chelsea Wolfe has covered Eagles Of Death Metal as part of the Play It Forward campaign to support victims of the November terrorist attack on the band’s concert in Paris, and it’s pretty darn beautiful.
I Love You All The Time has been covered by the likes of Florence + The Machine, Savages and Jimmy Eat World, but no one has recreated the song quite like Ms Wolfe, whose slowed-down version replaces all party-time vibes with bittersweet refrains and heartbreakingly beautiful tones. Enjoy! / Tom Williams, Staff Writer
Operators – Cold Light
Indie music nerds across the globe celebrated, unironically, a few weeks back when Canadian darlings Wolf Parade announced their return from a lengthy hiatus. Frontman Dan Boeckner though is set for a busy year ahead, having also finally announced the arrival of Blue Wave – the debut album for his other project (one of many) Operators.
The album’s first single Cold Light is immediately reminiscent of New Order and the Cure, awash with catchy ’80s hooks and truthfully wouldn’t feel out of place on The Breakfast Club soundtrack. Far from kitschy nostalgia though, those distorted guitars give the song an entirely modern edge. If you think it has a Divine Fits-vibe, you’d be right too. Operators also features New Bomb Turks drummer Sam Brown, who is also in Divine Fits with Boeckner. Settle down overachievers. / Nastassia Baroni, News Editor
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros – No Love Like Yours
RIP Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, long live Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. Yes, as we continue tumbling forward into a world where band names are a series of erratic emojis and vowel-less, mangled keyboard bashes, we have the rebirth of Eddy Sharpe and his troupe of psych-folk-rockers.
Although, as far as I can tell, Alex Ebert is still in the band, the new presentation of the outfit sees his moniker struck out. What does it all mean? Fucked if I know, but this new tune No Love Like Yours is uplifting as all get out. Maybe I particularly needed it as it’s Friday, but this track has me almost floating above my god damn chair it’s so full of charm and joy. Do what you want with the name mates, just keep delivering me these sweet ditties. / Mitch Feltscheer
Four Tet – Disparate (with Champion)
I got to see Four Tet play at Lost Paradise over New Years and I was so excited to see that he had released some music a couple of days ago as I hard been yearning for some of his driving yet ghostly dance music. Disparate, a collaboration with Champion doesn’t disappoint on that front, living up to it’s name and bringing back to mind the long standing rumours that Four Tet is Burial (Believe).
An expansive take on UK garage, blending synthesisers, drum machines and percussion samples it touches on world music, deep house and techno, but never really commits, remaining elusive and hypnotic. It all ends rather abruptly though, hopefully a taste of more to come from these two. / Michael Carr, Staff Writer
