Album coming soon. Find the Alabama Shakes EP here.

Cut Copy (the Aussie Duran Duran de nos jours) had a frighteningly large amount of success this year with the electro-poppy Zonoscope. Meh. Go figure.

But wait. Enter legendary DJ Andrew Weatherall, who did what he does best to the rambling overextended Sun God (from the abovementioned album). Nine minutes of perfectly produced bubbling blissed out Madchester (Madcunian?) groove. Download it courtesy of Stereogum.

Party on! Stay safe. See you on the other side.

Super Furry Animals frontman Gruff Rhys can always be relied upon for a warped outlook on life, and with seasonal song titles like ‘Post Apocalypse Christmas’ on his upcoming EP release, he certainly delivers. Stream it below, and buy it on his web site.

Have a cool Yule, y’all.

Watch out for my Best Music of 2011 list.. coming very soon.

Check out the seasonal four track EP from Aidan John Moffat over at Bandcamp.

But he’s found time and space this year to bash out a bright, breezy, hook-crammed five tracker as David Newton and Thee Mighty Angels, chock full of melodiferous and extremely hummable tunes. Out now, pop pickers! Grab title track Paint The Town here and zoom over to iTunes to get the rest. Loving the opening riffage on Everything Is Just So.

Indie darlings Okkervil River have put out a free covers EP of songs by obscure artists.. well, not too obscure since one of the songs is the Triffids’ One Soul Less On Your Fiery List (about which I expounded recently). I loved The Stage Names and the Overboard And Down EP.. I’m less convinced by the recent stuff, but this EP is a nice addition. And the price is right, of course.

Oh yeah, and if you haven’t already downloaded the Merge Records Winter Sampler, do it now.

I wish I could make it, because that would mean I could also pop into the wonderful Union Club Hotel and the most excellent Napier for a few pre-gig slurps and shenanigans with some good friends.

But I am consoled, because Iowa have been kind enough to give us free download of both sides of the aforementioned new single: Complete Control (kind of a sacred song title for a lot of us, fellas?) and Serotonin. Exchange your email address for them over at Bandcamp. A couple of slices of shoegazey goodness, shot through with a touch of Pearl Jam, methinks, and very fine.

Check out the video for Complete Control below. And if you are in Melbourne this weekend, YahYah’s is the place to go.

Wham bam thankyou maam!

Our Blood is the new record from cult singer-songwriter Richard Buckner. His voice is an extraordinary instrument and this set of songs is so strong. All human life is here: love, loss, hope and redemption – it’s a brilliant collection of perfectly constructed Americana.

So download Richard’s mini-concert over at Daytrotter and pop over to Aquarium Drunkard to get a couple of tracks from the album.

And play them all, over and over again.

I love that sound. Grab a couple of tracks over at Bandcamp.

Lashings of Hallertau‘s excellent beer and the sprightly indie pop of all-girl octet St. Rupertsberg made for a delightful Saturday afternoon at The Golden Dawn. Sunny tunes in a C86 style, close harmonies,  instrument swapping shenanigans, handclaps, bursts of brass.. just right. The girls captured the mood of the day perfectly, despite operating in a space slightly smaller than your average linen cupboard, and I’ll be watching out for future releases.

Their debut EP is called Seasonal Glimpse – check it out at Bandcamp.

Dave King dropped me a line to tell me about the title track from his upcoming album Under The Golden Sun. Dave’s nom de musique is The Heavy Dream and the album drops in October, with stellar contributions over the past twelve months from folks like Wilco‘s Pat Sansone. A slice of beautifully controlled power pop with hook-y, squiggly guitar lines.

And you can grab it in exhange for your email address, alongside Rachel’s Garden, over at Bandcamp. Matthew Sweet and Jon Brion fans, go there right now.