Yup, it's the arse-end of the decade meaning that music-peddlers are going Top-Ten crazy. Every man and his blog feels it his/her responsibility to set down for all to see, the absolute and unequivocal list of musical moments that defined the decade. Pitchfork got a cheeky head-start by announcing back in July their Top 500 Songs of the Noughties - though it's disappointing they didn't drill down further to the top 1000 choruses or top 5000 chords. Other blogs have since started following suit, all happily spruiking their own tastes (though perhaps none so much as this one). Those silly enough to allow comments get blasted for not including some lo-fi band that was a phenomenon in some exclusive suburb of New York, while others get rubbished for daring to put a non-Radiohead album at number one.

6/11/09 @ The Excelsior - supported by Pirate

With a global music scene drowning in indie, it's pretty easy to forget what real musicians sound like. As much as I can listen to Kings of Convenience records all day (and I can), jangly 4/4 and single-note guitar solos can only be so satisfying. Slotting Falsimilies From The Factsmachine into the CD player some weeks ago was the punch in the skinny jeans I'd been yearning for. It's the third EP from Sydney progfreaks Captain Kickarse and the Awesomes and it's choc full of chops, time signature changeups and drumming intensity. Last night saw them throw down an official release of the EP at the Excelsior (the spiritual home of the distortion pedal) to a crammed house.

I had this idea a few months back for a Youtube video clip. I was going to line up hundreds of beer bottles. All would be meticulously filled to appropriate levels, such that when I sprinted passed them with a stick they would sound out The Flight Of The Bumblebee. I was stoked at the idea. I'd even thought of particular circular configurations for the bottles, which would allow me to jump from one section to the next and back again. I'd sorted out the venue for the shoot, started hoarding some bottles etc etc... So you could imagine I was pretty deflated when a friend suggested I watch this.

After waiting more than two months for an album launch, I braved the miserable and wet Sydney night to see the wonderfully talented and beautiful Sarah Blasko launch her new album. Produced by Bjorn Yttling of Peter Bjorn & John, As Day Follows Night has a brighter, rockier and more voluptuous sound than its two predecessors. Recently nominated for 5 ARIA awards in 2009 (Album of the Year, Best Female Artist, Best Pop Release, Best Cover Art and Best Video) it was easy to see why Blasko received these nominations after seeing her spectacular live show.

Bears. We're the only continent that's never had them. Yet they are unquestionably the animal du jour in the Sydney band name stakes. Earlier in the year I interviewed Bearhug (who had recently changed their name from Skeletal Explosive to become more bearlike), and this week I have the pleasure of talking to Boy And Bear. On top of this, the next Sydney band on my 'to-see' list is the doubly bearish Brown Bear Black Bear. They've come as hugely recommended from a few sources, and i'm certainly excited to see a band that boasts twice as much bear as your average.

Most of us would like to think we're pretty open minded when it comes to music. That said, in the privacy of our own iPod headphones, we still tend to confine ourselves to particular genres (though perhaps not so much as this guy). Whatever our comfort levels with other genres, there's usually a more-than-healthy dose of contempt reserved for anything that could be labelled experimental. As much as the late John Cage was lauded for his vision and musical innovation, 4'33" is a real buzz-kill on any party playlist. I'll admit I sniggered at a Sydney University bandcomp performance some years back, where a doublebass was being dragged along the floor by one 'band' member while the other was reading a book at a desk... crucially, the page turns were mic'ed up.

I was part of a vegetable collective once. It cost me $60 every two weeks for a huge box of fruit & veg that would slowly rot on my kitchen counter. I was told i was saving the planet by purchasing organic, fairtrade, bionic, free-range and whatever-else foodstuffs. But there really wasn't much in it for me. Am i really going to know the difference between a hydroponic and non-hydroponic eggplant?? And Rambutans? WTF.

Being the inaugural gig review for the blog, I was hoping to deliver a hard hitting, super-critical and 100% fluff-free treatise. Praise would be rare, lest we look like we're pandering to the scene. Nobody respects a yes-person* and certainly nobody would put their faith in commentry from a yes-blog. Unfortunately for me then, I had probably the best live music experience I've had all year (perhaps a close second to the collective joyful weeping induced by the Fleet Foxes playing the Metro). Each of the three acts were brilliant and genuinely engaging, but for completely different reasons.

Over the past few months, Sydney's experimentally-inclined girl-pop duo, Kyü, have been making quite an impact in both the real and cyber-world. The ladies, Alyx and Freya, propel harmonious and lush, ethereal noise that has kindled muchos love from a wide-range of sources: Big-time blog and radio love, winning the Sydney University Band Competition last Thursday night and being selected to play at the seminal This Is Not Art Festival held in Newcastle in October.

I spoke to the two ladies on The Bridge last Wednesday evening (before they conquered the Sydney University Band Comp) and was dazzled by their music, which they have described as "a tea party with Beethoven, Bowie, Bjork and a Banshee". Sounds pretty ridiculous doesn't it? Well, have a listen to their tracks below and make up your own mind. Sunny in Splodges appeared on the inaugural New Weird Australia compilation (put together by FBi's own Stuart Buchanan and Danny Jumpertz) and Pixiphony was recorded specifically for The Bridge! See em this Friday at SerialSpace supporting the indie jamtastic Japanese group Tenniscoats. PS. Bring your own pot of tea! --- LL

mp3: Kyü - Sunny in Splodges
mp3: Kyü - Pixiphony

Upcoming Gigs:
September 11th 8pm
Tenniscoats (jp) w/ The Pancakes (hk) + kyü
Serial Space
33 Wellington St, Chippendale
$12

Kyü links:
Myspace

mp3: SOMASEK - Rumour

Upcoming gigs:
Radio Social World Bar - Sun 6th Sep
Oxford Art Factory- Wed 30th Sep (free)

Tracklist - 03/09/09:
Left Wing Guardian UNDERLAPPER
Last Night On Earth TOO MANY FORCEFIELDS
Dodecahedron SOMASEK
Rumour SOMASEK
Question/Mark SOMASEK
Origami Sun BEARHUG
Soldier PAPER SCISSORS
Sanfransisco Now LES ANNEES
Pangaea THE CHURCH
Fly Away Home NINJA SLUMBER PARTY
Untitled LEED FIENDS

Flirting with children's singalongs might be considered a cred-hazard to many music punters, but Cuthbert and the Night Walkers have really made the artform their own. Since the unfortunate passing of the legendary Adelaide songster Baterz in 2002, there's been little to fill the void of intelligent children's music (ICM anybody??). Thankfully CATNW pick up where Baterz left off; cheekily hiding their musical maturity beneath the cutesy singalongs. Don't be fooled, the songs aren't all gooey - the first time I heard Red Frogs I was too caught up in a solid rock song to forsee that months later I might be singing the lyrics to my 5 year old cousin.

The band joined me on the Guest Programming Bridge on Monday 31st August. I figured that to suit the mood I'd administer my Nursery Rhyme Quiz (see below for an audio grab of the Quiz). They also threw down a titillating rendition of an upcoming track Walk To Work. Their second album is due out at the end of this year, and if the first single Pace Ourselves is anything to go by, there'll still be plenty to sing along to. --- JZ

Cuthbert links:
Myspace | Facebook

Tracklist - 31/08/09:
Pace Ourselves - Cuthbert and the Night Walkers
Sunny In Splodges - Kyu
Then Came The Sun - Brian Campeau
Musings Heartthrob - Megastick Fanfare
Untitled - The desks
The Barber's Son - Jack Ladder
Havin A Party - Little Lovers
Jonathan Richmond - Little Lovers
Etcetera - Betamax Bandits
Walk to work (LIVE!!) - Cuthbert and the Night Walkers
PS I Love You - Richard In Your Mind