I'm not sure that 'song of the WEEK' does this justice. This could be a lifetime musical highlight for me.

Matt performed this track live on Triple J radio yesterday and it overloaded the text line of the international radio station with people saying things like 'I've had to pull over on the side of the road because I started crying', 'it's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard', 'this song has restored my faith in music'. 

I don't think for one minute that any of those comments are simple hyperbole. I too was driving when Matt played this, and the butterflies it gave me were akin to those I only get when I hear something truly special. For me personally, it was a reminder that the purpose of listening to new music is to find an artist like this.

What really gave this track the edge was the timid nature of Matt recounting the heartbreaking story that inspired the song. Matt admits that he doesn't make a habit of discussing the orgins of this track (as becomes apparent in the video below) as he doesn't feel that it's right to capitalise on an event which has upset him so much. However he did open up to breakfast show hosts Tom & Alex (the clip of which you can listen to below) claiming that the song is about a fight between him and his closest friend, and how much he regrets everything that he did, and what's worse - this argument remains unresolved and his friend probably has no idea that this song is for him. And so the track is aptly titled 'Brother'... 

I think fans of artists such as 'Mumford & Sons' or 'Black Keys' will fall in love with Matt. Fans of Mumford & Sons especially so because Ben Lovett from that band, who runs the UK indie label 'Communion', signed Matt whilst he was based in London working in coffee shops. The track also has that crescendo finish which many people will associate with Mumford's biggest hits.

You'll get much more of a feel for what this track is about by playing this short clip from Triple J radio;

And without further ado I provide you with the track which Triple J have podcasted, for your listening pleasure;

And if you fancy listening to Matt's cover of the Black Keys track 'Lonely Boy' you can get it here;

And if you'd like to find out more about Matt, download some of his tracks for free and purchase his EP 'into the flame' which has now gone gold in Australia, visit his site here.  

And just for luck, here's an audio clip of the track 'Brothers' with full instrumentation which you can expect on the EP... Enjoy this. Tree Boy xoxoxox

It's sunday, I trust your weekend was madness. Now here's a few little indie numbers to soothe the pain. Best enjoyed with a cold one, enjoy it. Tree Boy xoxoxo

Starfucker - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (Cyndi Lauper Cover)

In my eyes this cover makes this guilty pleasure even better, as well as a lot less camp. It's subtle in the Jamie XX sense and I haven't stopped listening to it since I got a hold of it. I might even get to keep my window down next time I'm smashing this tune out at a set of traffic lights.    

Bahamas - Sunshine Blues

Bahamas; aka Canadian Based solo artist Afie Jurvanen has spent the last few years playing piano and guitar for 'Feist' but now it's time for his own album, 'Pink Strat'. I could post the whole album here it's that good - you'll get the picture from ths track though. It's folk, it's beautiful, it's perfect for Sunday.

Bibio - K is for Kelson

To lighten up the mood for us is a bit of Stephen Wilkinson from the British Midlands better known as Bibio. Currently signed to Warp records, so you know this guy has talent, he specialises in experimental music which is probably why I can't tell you who this sounds like! But I'll try to describe what it sounds like - it sounds like the theme music to 'playbus' that kids programme a lot of us would have seen and heard as teeny tots. The excitement we felt as children when our favourite cartoon came on is embodied in this track, love it.

Absofacto - 80844264@81 (Love Song)

How indie is that song title, eh? Right, you're going to have to trust me here. I love this song more than alot, I think it's got the makings of something brilliant. But this doesn't begin happening until well after the one minute mark and so we have to sit patiently until then. From then on it's just dreamy. The vocals have a Passion Pit type feel about them in some ways but there's something more mature about it. It doesn't follow the song structure formula either and after a few listens that's what I've loved about it, it makes you want to leave it on loop. There's no 'verse, chorus, verse, chorus' lark... We go through the long intro, then we peak, and then we settle down again. I am willing you to try this song out a few times. It's gorgeous. Enjoy your Sunday.  

You're in for a special treat tonight, if not a world blog exclusive!!

I say exclusive because I've had to rip these covers off the radio and try and edit them myself with software I've never used before, that's how good they are, that's how much you need to hear these, that's how much I think you deserve them...

Kate Nash - Let's hear it for the boys (Deniece Williams Cover)

That's right, Kate Nash. Who would have guessed she's ever make it onto this blog? Certainly not me, but this shut me up. If you've ever seen Peter Kay's series 'Max and Paddy' you'll appreciate the revival of this classic even more! This is a guilty listen, I'd never let anyone over hear me thumping this one out at traffic lights but when I get it home, it's all about the 80's campness. Loving this one.

Plan B - Runaway (Kanye West Cover)

As soon as I heard this I thought, Vizzle wouldn't mind a bit of it! Both of these covers were recorded by Triple J Radio on their 'Like A Version' feature (much like the 'Live Lounge' but with a far better name). There's been some huge covers on there, if these are to your liking let me know by liking them back :) Then I will pull all the stops out and make sure you get this treatment on the regular.

Yeasayer - Crazy (Seal Cover)

As I've turned today's feature into a display of the finest covers I can find it's only right that this track gets a download. It's a beauty, it sounds like what I'd imagine Mumford & Sons to sound like when they're happy. Not that Yeasayer need an intro, and we all love Seal, fact. You'll like this one, I know you will. Tree Boy xoxoxoxox

I’d be lying if I told you that I didn’t download Allo Darlin’s debut self-titled album on the back of them having such a great name. It would also be a lie to say that I wasn’t surprised with how great this album is; my worst fear was that a band with such a promising moniker would waste it on an album that staggered through the indie motions. Now my only fear is that I might not be able to listen to anything else for a long time because I cannot turn this off!

I think the bands webpage got the sentiment right exactly when they explained the band; ‘Allo Darlin' are many things. They can turn a room in a famous punk venue into a joyous, jumping, sweaty, pop-mosh pit, or bring a room of 500 to hushed silence with the few strums of a ukulele and a love song about cooking’. I think you’ll agree after a few listens to the tracks below that this is a nail on the head description.

The guys are signed to Fortuna Pop! Records have been playing together since 2009 although they’ve played under different guises since 2007. Half of the band (Elizabeth and Bill) are from Australia, which explains the references to ‘Queensland’ and ‘beer in the esky’ in the track ‘let’s go swimming’, a personal favourite of mine. Mike and Paul hail from Kent, another hotbed of talent as I’m sure my co-writer will vouch for. Lyrically I’m a sucker for Allo Darlin’s descriptive tracks; I like to be able to see what’s going on with my minds eye so to speak. Take ‘Kiss your Lips’ for example which is all about a smitten couple having a day out at the fair; ‘In a fairground in the meadow of Paris / You tried to prove to me your manliness by winning me / A teddybear / Your mouth was pink from all the fairy floss we ate / And I got bits of popcorn stuck between my teeth and I felt a bit sick … And I kissed your lips and they were kind of salty / And I kissed your lips and they were sweet too…

Allo Darlin’ are already receiving air time on the big stations; Radio 1, BBC6 Music and XFM and have sold out European shows in the past as well as receiving rave reviews from the likes of the New York times for their slot at Popfest. They’ve only got a few tour dates left at the minute which they’re playing in the UK right now, a full list of which you can find here at their myspace. As well as tour dates you’ll also find many other eulogies thrown at them from press & media across the globe who are also convinced that that this is one of the greatest summer pop bands to grace us all this year. Tree Boy xoxox

P.s. You can buy Allo Darlin’s debut album from the Fortuna Pop! website here http://www.fortunapop.com/ as well as get free downloads of their other tracks and check out all the other indie talent the label has offer.  

Think Marina Diamandis, think Lykke Li, think Sheryl Crow, think again. Although Alex Winston has been compared to all three of these songstresses there’s something about this quirky brunette from Detroit’s melodic vocals that sets her apart from the rest.

When it comes to song writing Alex has all bases covered – she plays the guitar, writes her own lyrics and sings them too, leaving just enough room for her backing singers who join her when performing live. She says she’s like Morticia Addams meets Blossom meets Cher in Mermaid (take that as you will) and is classically trained as an opera singer, however her sound on tracks such as “Medicine” would have you believing otherwise.

Alex has spent the past year working on her debut album with fellow HeavyRoc Records artists and producers The Knocks (coming to a post near you on iknowasong!) and in the meantime has produced the Choice Notes EP, a collection of bouncy, feel good tracks that will put a smile on your face no matter what mood you’re in. Even her haunting covers of more heartfelt tunes such as Jack Penate’s “Pull My Heart Away” (featured on The Basement Covers EP, which you can download for free here) make for such easy listening you’ll be making room for her on your Most Played list in no time!

Alex played her debut UK show this Monday at The Social, in London. I’ve been on a bit of a gig hiatus for the past few months and this was a perfect welcome back to the music scene for me. Tracks such as “I Don’t Care About Anything” captivated the crowd from the off, with “Choice Notes” and “Medicine” picking up the pace leaving everyone wanting more. Hopefully, our new fave won’t leave it too long until she hits this side of the pond again!

You can order the Choice Notes 7" EP on Heavyroc here. 

As you no doubt know after the amount of times I’ve now reminded you of it; I‘ve relocated to the other side of the world, and I feel that a great way to take advantage of this is to dig deep into the Australian music scene and feed back all the juicy titbits that I come across, and whether this surprises you or not, there are heaps of musical treats here (cobber.)

So, first up on this iknowasong.com feature is a Ms. Lisa Mitchell, a 20 year old songstress whose talents will no doubt appeal to fans of artists such as Feist, Eliza Doolittle, Regina Spektor, Coeur de Pirate, Laura Marling etc. Lisa cites Missy Higgins and Clare Bowditch as some of her main inspirations so you can expect the very best of what female led indie pop / folk has to offer if you’ve not heard Lisa’s music before.

Firstly we have to clear up the technicalities - Lisa was born in Canterbury, England but moved to New South Wales, Australia aged only 3 and now resides mainly in Melbourne. Since then Australia has gone on to revere her as one of the country’s most prized recording artists with Lisa picking up 3 ARIA nominations (Australian Recording Industry Association – a BRIT award equivalent you could say) in 2009 as well as being nominated for the huge 2010 ARIA Award ‘Most Popular Australian Artist’ (votes are currently being cast).

Even more impressively Lisa won the Australia Music Prize 2010 (similar to the Mercury Prize) and put her $30,000 winnings towards building her own recording studio, bless. Other massive accolades come in the form of the support Lisa gets from Triple J Radio (Another Australian Equivalent! This time to Radio 1) Lisa’s track ‘Coin Laundry’ made it to the top 10 of Triple J’s hottest 100 tracks last year and her album ‘Wonder’ went platinum in Australia (70,000+ sales) being released on major label Warner. Lisa has written songs with big names like Newton Faulkner, has toured with big names like Jason Mraz, and as the video above shows – she’s still lovely enough to play impromptu gigs in parks for her fans!

BUT success has not always been so easy for poor Lisa who crashed out of Australian Pop Idol 2006 – I exaggerate, 6th place isn’t bad at all especially as she was a 16 year old playing her own compositions! In fact Lisa began guitar lessons aged 12 and used to perform folk covers in cafes and at events either on her own or as part of her young cover group ‘Chrome’.

I really do feel that the choice of video above (Neopolitan dreams performed at a picnic in Hyde Park) really sums Lisa up as an artist in my eyes; relatively anonymous, shy and reserved (you can’t help but ‘aww’ at Lisa’s nervous opening), but desperately talented – when she starts singing you just know straight away that the 20 year old is superstar in embryonic form and I steak my credibility (which isn’t the biggest compliment I know, but still) on the statement that Lisa Mitchell will go on to achieve even more amazing things on a much larger scale.

I am positive that if you like any of the tracks posted here that you’ll find a song on her album which you’ll think is even better. The instrumentation is amazing for a start; put a harmonica, a xylophone and a triangle on your album and you’ve now got a soundtrack that can both warm up the UK winter which surely sets in, or can chill you out as you lounge in Australia’s evening sun.

I’m not the most prone to listen to whole albums over and over unless they’re something spectacular but Lisa’s 13 track LP had me looking for the play button again and again. From the upbeat, uplifting tracks ‘Oh! Hark!’ and ‘Clean White Love’ to the contemplative, heartfelt and raw emotion of ‘Pirouette’, ‘Love Letter’ and ‘Valium’ - hearing a complete album this beautiful from such a modest young artist is truly humbling. This album just moves me and I know that it'll stay with me for a long, long time. I’ll still be listening to this album years from now, through the worst and best times of my life, guaranteed. 

And perhaps the best part is – Australia has many more artists of this calibre, and you’ll find them here every week on iknowasong.com. Tree Boy xoxo

P.S. If you like this make sure you check out my next post where I’ll feature new tracks from Eliza Doolittle and Coeur De Pirate! As always let me know your thoughts by clicking ‘comments’ in the top right corner of the post!  

MP3: Lisa Mitchell - Coin Laundry   

Medway… what a view. A ‘glorious’ place to live but more importantly an area with a thriving music scene. This past weekend alone there have been live acts ranging from hardcore to folk, which gives the inhabitants of this colourful area a vast number of gigs to suit all tastes.

Some of the bands I briefly want to mention I believe my fellow writer ‘Tree Boy’ will thoroughly enjoy, and it also shows off the talent pouring out of Medway. Firstly four acts which I saw at The Beacon Court on Saturday night. Four acts very much under the heading of ‘alternative/folk’ I would suggest. ‘The Flowing’; really good live vocals. ‘The Sans Pareil’; whom we found out did name themselves after the pub in Frindsbury, great energy live and having a male and female singer worked really well. ‘The Singing Loins’; who have been together for many years, which really showed as the crowd gathered in large numbers for them, and they were basically amazing live. Finally, the headliner ‘Lupen Crook’; was the first time I has seen the act live and was blown away by the use of a 12 string guitar. This was the album launch for Lupen Crook, and the album is called, ‘the pros and cons of eating out.’

I know I have only briefly explained who these guys are but they can all be found easily on Facebook, and then links to MySpaces etc can be obtained! Clever thing the internet machine. I urge people who haven’t heard of these guys to check them out either on the internet or at any live gigs they have coming up soon, all of which can be found listed on their Facebook pages. Those acts again are;

The Flowing
The Sans Pareil
The Singing Loins
Lupen Crook.

The last act I wish to talk about are called ‘The 286’. They were on Fizzer’s radio show (www.fizzersradioshow.com) last night which I was privileged to be a part of. They played four songs for us, all of which will be available on podcast, and I will put up a link when that is ready. The thing that makes this band different is the array of instruments, guitar, drums, bass, violin, two cellos and a keyboard. So you get a mix of 60’s rock and roll with a classical twist. This sounds strange at first but to watch live was really exciting. The bands debut single ‘Hello’ can be found on their Facebook page so just search ‘The 286’ and check them out! A link to their Facebook page is below.

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/The-286/244161049552?ref=ts  
 Vizzler.