the Modern Collection

Alison Mosshart sings What A Wonderful World

2011-09-10T21:24:00.000+08:00

The Kills are one of my favorite bands, a duo consisting of Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince. They are best described as being grunge rock, and I was absolutely stoked to be able to see them live this year. I love Alison Mosshart's voice, she makes every song sound so amazing. She also recently(ish) formed The Dead Weather with three other famous rockers, most notably, Jack White, formerly of The White Stripes.

Just the other day on the TV show, Sons of Anarchy, a wonderful cover performed by Alison Mosshart & The Forest Rangers was featured. They covered Loius Armstrong's What A Wonderful World, and did an awesome job. While I would have liked them to have transformed the song and made it more grungy or rocky, Alison's voice sounds great singing the song. Take a listen below

Los Campesinos! - By Your Hand

2011-09-10T16:58:00.001+08:00

While I try stick to posting about Aussie music here on the blog, I couldn't help but share this great new song with you guys. Los Campesinos! are a 7-piece indie pop band from England that I have been in love with for quite some time now. They are really poppy and upbeat, and have recently released the first single from their album due out on the 14th of November. Although the album is titled Hello Sadness, this song will definitely not leave you feeling sad at all. With a very catchy chorus, and charm that I have not been able to resist, this is definitely one of my favourite songs of the year so far. Watch the accompanying video below .

Hear Alice SpaceDoll's mesmerising sounds

2011-09-09T10:14:00.000+08:00

Alice SpaceDoll... Now that's a strange name. But man am I digging that voice and that spaced out ambient music. This electro producer/singer has a total of 2 EPs and her recent debut album, and I am liking them all. Actually I'm really loving them. Alice's debut album, Sunships & Starseeds, follows with the idea that she is actually from the Sun and has been reincarnated on Earth. Whacky I know, but who doesn't like a bit of quirkiness? Especially with great music to back it up.

You can buy the album over here. The whole album has a really great vibe, with the standout being Alice's mesmerising vocals. I will be listening to these tracks for quite some time! You can stream the album below, but make sure you grab the album if you like it, its pretty cheap, and well worth it

<a href="http://alicespacedoll.bandcamp.com/album/sunships-starseeds">Sunships & Starseeds by Alice SpaceDoll</a>

Stream CANT (AKA Chris Taylor's) new album

2011-09-09T09:44:00.001+08:00

If you were really diggging those tracks we talked about a while back from Chris Taylor's (Grizzly Bear) side project CANT, then you can listen to the entire album now trough Transdreamer Records. It's definitely worth a listen, especially if you plan on going to Southbound or Falls Festival as CANT is on the bill. If you like the stuff make sure you grab yourself a copy.

Latest tracks by Transdreamer Records

Shontay Snow previews new song

2011-09-09T07:35:00.000+08:00

We have given Shontay Snow some love on this blog, I think shes got an amazing voice and can see her doing some big things. Just the other day at Fremantle (Mojos Bar) she released her debut EP, and unfortunately I couldn't go. You can find out more about Shontay here, and get some details on her new EP. She played a couple new songs on the night, with one song, Artificial Love not being included on her EP, but it was recorded, and you can watch it below. The song is not perfectly recorded, but you can definitely here how great it is despite that.

Caitlin Park - Baby Teeth Video

2011-09-08T13:51:00.002+08:00

You remember the sweet sounds of Catilin Park right? If not make sure you check out this post we did here. After releasing the single Baby Teeth from the debut album, Milk Annual, she has now released a video clip for the song. Check it out below

sleepyhands - Smoke People

2011-09-08T13:37:00.001+08:00

Sydney 7-piece outfit sleepyhands are definitely a band to listen out for. Last year they released a very impressive self titled EP with 5 stunning tracks, enlisting the help of one of my favourite Aussie artists Jonathan Boulet. After touring their music with some pretty well known Aussie acts, Jinja Safari and Holly Throsby to name a couple, they have finally produced some new music.

Back a couple months ago now, in July, sleepyhands released the first single from their new release, Smoke People. The song is very exciting indeed. Effortlessly combining folk and pop influences, with beautiful piano interludes and superb vocals from lead singer Christine Hazelwood, this an easy song to listen to, and it takes me to another world with every listen. Be sure to check out the song below, and keep your eyes and ears open for news of sleephand's second release.

<a href="http://sleepyhands.bandcamp.com/track/smoke-people">Smoke People by sleepyhands</a>

The National go national

2011-09-08T13:17:00.000+08:00

Probably one of the standout albums for many people last year was High Violet by indie outfit The National. They were recently announced to be playing at Harvest , alongside TV On The Radio, Mogwai, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Kevin Devine, Seekae, The Flaming Lips, Bright Eyes, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Mercury Rev, The Family Stone, Holy Fuck, Death In Vegas, The Walkmen, Dappled Cities, PVT, This Town Needs Guns, The Holidays, Foxy Shazam, Phosphorescent and Kormac's Big Band. While those of us unlucky enough to live in WA or SA will not get to see all of these bands (as Harvest like many festivals sticks to the east coast), The National today announced a couple sideshows to cheer us up. Here are the dates:

Solo tour with The Walkmen:

Tue 15 Nov - Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide, SA
Thu 17 Nov - Metro City, Perth, WA

Harvest dates:

Sat 12 Nov - Harvest Presents "The Gathering", Werribee Park, Melbourne, VIC
Sun 13 Nov - Parramatta Park, Sydney, NSW
Sat 19 Nov - Botanical Gardens, Brisbane, QLD

Tickets are on sale for the Adelaide and Perth shows on Friday September 16th, and let me tell you, The National are absolutely amazing live, and you definitely want to grab yourself some tickets because The Walkmen are also a terrific live band.

1929Indian impress fans

2011-09-07T17:49:00.000+08:00

1929Indian are a 5-piece indie rock band hailing from NSW, Australia that are beginning to make a big splash in the Aussie music scene. The band have been together since early last year and are finally releasing their debut EP to a growing fan base. After offering up a demo song for fans, the band have now added two songs to their bandpage from the EP. You can stream and download both tracks, which I recommend doing right now, before this band take off. These guys are really unique, combining many layers of sounds to make mini-masterpieces. My favourite of the two is Six O'Clock Swill, I am a massive fan of the chorus, with a mix of classic aussie rock sounds and more modern experimental dance sounds being combined perfectly by this fresh aussie group.

Class A - So Bad

2011-09-05T21:52:00.004+08:00

As someone whose taste is pretty deeply rooted in indie music, I cop a lot of flak from friends with similar indie leanings for my love of hip-hop, and in particular Australian hip-hop. But despite some people's hesitation to embrace the genre, it's hard not to enjoy the upbeat sounds of up and coming rapper Class A.

There aren't a lot of female lyricists in the hip-hop scene, and Class A has established herself as one of the best. From her debut EP Class In Session to last year's full-length album Me, Me, Me & Him, she has been turning a lot of heads. In particular this song So Bad, produced by hip-hop heavyweight M-Phazes, not only showcases her skills as an MC, but it's an incredibly catchy track that just makes you want to dance. Give it a listen, and check her out on Triple J Unearthed here.

So Bad by Class A MC

Aurora and Daisy - Winter Time

2011-09-05T20:38:00.004+08:00

I first discovered Queensland twins Aurora and Daisy last year in Triple J's Unearthed High competition, and instantly fell in love with their track Winter Time. It's a very stripped back, mellow tune but the power of these girls voices gives it a spacious, transcendental quality that's kept me listening to it again and again. Right now it's the only track they have available, but you can head on over to their Unearthed page and download it, or give it a listen below.

As a pair of harmonising, acoustic-guitar-playing twins, the Tegan and Sara comparisons are inevitable, but these girls already have such a developed, unique sound of their own. I'm definitely keen to see where they go from here.

Aurora and Daisy - Winter Time by thenewsound

Joel Fenton and the Runaways debut EP

2011-09-05T14:26:00.001+08:00

I must admit, I am a big sucker for looking at bands influences and letting that decide whether or not I will listen to them. This probably isn’t a very good habit, but it’s got me this far. New indie rock band, Joel Fenton and the Runaways are an interesting group, in this regard. They cite their influences as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jamie T and Kanye West. Interested now?

Lead singer Joel Fenton and fellow band members Ash Woodward and Harley Pascoe have just finished their debut EP. They have four songs on offer from this EP at the moment, and they’re all pretty catchy songs. While I would say that they sound a lot more similar to rock legends Red Hot Chili Peppers then any of their other influences, they definitely do not mimic their idols. All of the songs have a funky edge to them, crafted around great guitar hooks, these guys don’t seem like strangers to the music scene at all.

My personal favourite from their debut EP is the acoustic track Home. I’m a big fan of the acoustic guitar, and I really think this song lets listeners hear the great talent on offer from this band. Misty is another great track that features loads of rockin’ guitar, its a nice combination to that solid drum beat, and it absolutely makes this song. You can check these guys out here, make sure you do, because I can see these guys going pretty far in a couple years!

Adam George delivers a spectacular EP

2011-09-05T09:54:00.000+08:00

Brand spankin' new Aussie artist, Adam George is already a master of indie folk jams, recently releasing an EP full of soothing tracks, featuring absolutely stunning vocals. I can definitely hear the Angus & Julia Stone influences in his songs, that's not to say his music is unoriginal, he's just got a similar sound.

The first track I listened to, Lost In You is a very slow, mellow song centering around his beautiful melodious vocals. This is the trend in all of his songs, with simple chord progressions and minimal instruments really highlighting his great voice. Towards the end of Lost In You, the song takes off, a wonderful finishing touch.

If you prefer your songs a little more upbeat, then you should take a listen to Smoke & Mirrors, which is probably the standout of the EP for me. I love the careful combination of guitar and drums on this track, with Adam's voice making the song one you will have on repeat for days. Feel free to stream this song below and tell me what you think.

You can listen to every one of the songs off this EP at Adam's myspace, which is quite a generous offer from such a showcase of talent. Adam George appears to be a new musician on the block, but he definitely has the goods to go a long way, I will definitely be keeping my ears out for more form this gifted lad.

Smoke and Mirrors by Adam George

National Campus Band Comp

2011-09-04T16:14:00.003+08:00

The National Campus Band Comp has seen university bands going head-to-head in Australia for 21 years, and with past winners including the likes of Eskimo Joe, Jebediah, Grinspoon, The Vines, Augie March, and The Vasco Era, it's a pretty big deal. The 2011 competition is getting close to the finish line, with state finals already well under way.

In the ACT, chilled out folksters Sidney Creswick took out the prize in late August. You can check out some of their music here on their facebook page.
At the SA final in Adelaide, newcomers MISM stole the show.
The winners in Queensland were the funky five-piece The H Gang, who you can listen to here.

The rest of the state finals are yet to take place.
The Victorian final kicks off this Wednesday the 7th of September at 6.30pm at The Espy - Gershwin Room.
Here at home in WA it all goes down at 8pm on Saturday the 10th at the Rosemount Hotel, with finalists The Shallows, Cult of Addiction, The Runner, Tusk, Three of Life, The Cabarets, and Ermine Coat.
And last but not least, the New South Wales final will be held on Friday the 16th at the Gaelic Hotel.

I'm definitely keen to see who comes out on top in each of the state finals, and the national final in October, and to discover some of the freshest young talent on offer in Australia.

the Modern Collection on Tumblr

2011-09-04T16:00:00.003+08:00

In order to boost our indie cred, we now have a tumblr page. It will mostly be the same content as on the blog but also occasional entries that don't make it here. If you want to check it out, go here (or follow the-moderncollection on tumblr).

Guerre - Darker My Love

2011-09-03T18:05:00.000+08:00

One particular genre or style of music that has caught my ear over the last year is the loosely defined ambient electronic pop or lo-fi electro, call the genre what you will, some of the music falling under this branch is wondrous. From acts such as James Blake, The Weeknd and Animal Collective, these easy to listen artists are really making an impression on the music scene at the moment. I recently stumbled over Aussie artists Guerre and his bandcamp page for his new album Darker My Love. The album is offered as a pay-what-you-want price, with the option to listen to every song in full before you make any download.

Guerre, is a really impressive artist, producing beautiful, ambient songs over the last year. He has recently launched his own record label, suitably named Yes Please, with his first release being his own album in June of this year. Every song off this album is a sweet sweet, electronic delight, blending his soothing voice perfectly with organic sounding synths. His minimal approach to the songs off of the new album is really refreshing, and it helps him create the perfect atmosphere in each of his songs. Take a listen to the album below then be sure to grab his album, it's definitely worth your time!

<a href="http://yespleaserecords.bandcamp.com/album/guerre-darker-my-love">Guerre - Darker My Love by Guerre</a>

Bastian's Happy Flight have the knack

2011-09-03T17:03:00.002+08:00

Get On Your Dancing Shoes! Ok, so these guys don’t really have much at all to do with Arctic Monkeys, but they will definitely get you dancing in no time. Bastian’s Happy Flight are a local band from Perth, WA, and are producing some absolutely stunning dance tunes. After taking a look at their Triple J Unearthed page, and seeing their incredibly funny band picture, I knew these guys were going to be a bit of fun. I definitely did not expect the mature, polished sound that these guys have shown on their killer track My Love's (just not good enough) which you can hear below. Combining great synths, and some really sweet vocals, these guys have a very fun vibe, and I look forward to hearing more from them in the future.

My Love's (not good enough) by Bastian's Happy Flight

Eliza Hull describes herself with 'Five'

2011-09-02T21:50:00.001+08:00

Here at the Modern Collection, we are always looking for new bands to share with you, new and interesting sounds; modern sounds. We like the music we post about, and if you like it too, we strongly encourage you to 'like' our page, or pop your email into that little box on the right.

A recent discovery of mine is impressively talented artist Eliza Hull. She is from Melbourne, and brings a lot of musical experience to her solo work. After extensive work with her band, Describe Eliza, she has released her first track Five from her upcoming debut album Hourglass. With the help of Ollie McGill (Cat Empire), Mark Pearl (The Commas), Cayn Borthwick (Sans Gras), Ainslie Wills and Nat Bartsch and producers Jonathan Steer and Leigh Fisher (Gypsy and the Cat), Eliza has created a song that terrifically blends electronic elements with her easy to listen to vocals. You can hear one of the great songs from her band (Describe Eliza) below, and can go check out Five at her Unearthed page

Just Breathe by Describe Eliza

Stonefield are rocking Australia and the World

2011-09-02T18:36:00.000+08:00

Stonefield, 2010 Triple J Unearthed High winners are definitely going places. After playing Glastonbury this year (yes you read correctly, GLASTONBURY!!), these four sisters have played an acoustic version of their new single Blackwater Rising. They are absolutely amazing, both in the studio and at their live performances. They bring an amazing energy to the stage, and will have you rocking in no time, no wonder they landed a spot at Glastonbury. You can definitely expect to see these girls moving up in the music world, so keep an eye out. Take a look at the acoustic session here and be prepared to fall in love with lead singer Amy Findlay’s stunning voice. You can also find out a bit more about the girls by listening to their interview after the song. I have embedded a video (not live) of the song that won them the Unearthed High competition (Through The Clover) below, just in case you are too lazy to click the above link - plus it's one of their best!

Edward Deer does it again

2011-09-02T07:38:00.000+08:00

I recently talked (hyped) about a cover released by Aussie indie-folk artist Edward Deer, of Miike Snow's dance number Animal. I hope you liked it as much as I did, it was a fresh change from the original. If you still haven't checked out my post, you can click this link here and check it out now, or you can read this and check it out after, or not at all, I'll leave that one up to you. So I can't even remember how I stumbled along that cover, but I thought hey, this guy has talent and so like you should right now I subscribed to his mailing system. Now I receive one song from Edward a month!

Last night/This morning Edward finished recording the 8th song that has been made available to subscribers, and emailed it out to all of his fans. I was impressed with Mr Deer's last song, but it was a cover song, so I was quite excited to hear some of his new solo material. Now just to put things into context: when the weather is rainy and stormy, I love to listen to folk jams, stuff like Fleet Foxes, Tallest Man on Earth, etc, etc, it seems to fit the mood perfectly! If you live in or around Perth, then you probably know that early this morning the weather was pretty dismal, perfect time for an indie folk song? You got it! Edward's new song Maree, is absolutely stunning, and I'm not just saying that because it fits with the weather.

Edward Deer's song begins with a nice little finger-picking intro, which continues blissfully throughout the entire song. It begins to build up as his voice hits your ears, and then the tap-along drums come along and you know we've got a winner on our hands. I think this song will charm many people over. My only problem, and I guess it is my problem not the song's, is that it feels like it ends way too early. Now that I mention it, I guess it's not really a problem at all, it just means that this song is a great song. I strongly urge you to head over to Edward's blog and grab his song, sign up for his and our mailing system and please leave a comment below with our new Facebook comment system so we can hear about your thoughts on Edward Deer and his new song Maree.

Grinderman coming to Perth and Adelaide

2011-09-01T12:57:00.001+08:00

Grinderman, led by the legendary aussie rocker Nick Cave have added Perth and Adelaide dates to their Australian tour today. They are also playing at Homebake and Meredith Festivals. Be sure to mark these dates on your calenders if you missed them at Big Day Out this year:

SAT 3 DEC - Homebake Music & Arts Festival, Sydney, NSW
MON 5 DEC - Metropolis, Fremantle, WA
THU 8 DEC - HQ, Adelaide, SA
SAT 10 DEC - Meredith Music Festival, VIC

the Modern Collection team grows

2011-09-01T07:33:00.000+08:00

Hello All! Some of you guys may have not noticed yet, but a major change has happened at the Modern Collection. There will now be two authors (and owners) of this blog. We will be covering similar content as the blog previously covered, you will just get more music, and a fresh opinion on everything MUSIC. The new owner/author is Jack Burgess, who is very interested in new aussie talent, so be on the lookout for his posts. If it matters to you, you can check out the author of the posts just below each post, so you can see who's posting your favorite music. Hope you're all still enjoying the blog, and we would LOVE to hear from you on the blog or on our facebook page, so please leave us a comment. Thanks and enjoy the music!

Split Seconds amazing Debut EP

2011-09-01T07:18:00.000+08:00

If you’re a fan of catchy indie pop music then I have the perfect recommendation for you! Split Seconds are a band from Perth, WA, that are probably one of my favourite bands at the moment. They have played alongside many great aussie acts, at festivals including Southbound, Big Day Out and Laneway and they are truly a treat live. Their self-titled EP was released earlier this year in March, featuring the awesome single Bed Down. Just recently, the mature sounding band have released another single All You Gotta Do, showing that they can create hit song after hit song. If these guys aren’t as big as they deserve to be within the next year, then I really don’t know what talent is, take a listen yourself, and make sure you check them out live! Have a listen to the tracks off of their debut EP here

Husband - Ordinary

2011-09-01T07:05:00.000+08:00

I’m always on the lookout for artists that sound similar to The National, Editors and Nick Cave. It’s all about those deep voices, I can never get enough of them. Husband is the solo project of Michael Paolino from two relatively popular unsigned bands. He is the lead guitarist from CARL FOX and the frontman from Luna Parade, two good bands. Michael’s amazing voice really shines through on his solo song, Ordinary, this track is definitely worth a listen, so click away here to buy it if you like the preview below.

Ordinary by husbandmusic

Tokyo Police Club- 10 Days/10 Covers/10 Years

2011-08-31T21:06:00.000+08:00

I can't not talk about Tokyo Police Club's incredibly fun 10 Days/10 Covers/10 Years project, in which they- you guessed it- cover one song a day from each of the last 10 years (2001-2010). It's being sponsored by Polaroid, so you can check it out here. There's some unlikely song choices making for a really interesting bunch of tracks. They've just passed the halfway mark, but I thought I would post what I think are the standouts:

Jimmy Eat World's Sweetness (Featuring Michael Angelakos of Passion Pit) by TokyoPoliceClub
The Strokes' Under Control by TokyoPoliceClub
Phoenix's Long Distance Call (Featuring Ray Suen of Mariachi El Bronx) by TokyoPoliceClub