5 Tracks You Gotta Hear

Grizzly Bear. New Song. As yet untitled album due September 18. Look likely to tour here in November for Harvest Festival. Essential info covered, listen to the goddamn song.

Urthboy could well be the busiest man in Australian music, let alone Australian hip-hop. Not only is he a member of The Herd and co-founder of a corner stone of Australian hip-hop in his label Elefant Traks, but the prolific MC is preparing to dish up his fourth solo album. The man surely can’t have time to scratch himself. ‘Naïve Bravado’ is the first single from the album that’s been dropped and it is a charger. Featuring some fine pipe work from Daniel Merriweather and a film clip featuring Damian Walshe-Howling (from Underbelly for those under 25, from Blue Heelers for those a smidge older) it seems Urthboy is sparing no expense in making album number four one to remember.

Telling people that you met on the internet is usually greeted with a raised eyebrow and awkward, stuttering compliment to your modern thinking approach to relationships. It’s probably never happened to the members of Collarbones though. Despite the fact the duo first initiated contact via the World Wide Web, it’s hard to imagine anyone else caring too much as they’re probably distracted by their beautiful electronica. ‘Missing’ is the first single from the duo’s sophomore album which is due out in September. The droning synth’s and sporadic drums are very nice, but it’s Marcus Whale’s forlorn vocals that really steal this. Grab it for free via Collarbones’ SoundCloud.

Hunting Grounds have been lingering around the periphery of the recognition they deserve for some time. They were winners of triple J’s Unearthed High competition under their old moniker Howl and have been gigging around consistently ever since. Finally their debut album is on it’s way. The six-piece have dropped the first single from the album and it isn’t what you might have expected. The band has definitively stated while recording the album that they didn’t want to make a record sounding like what people expected from them, rather opting to create something they want to listen to themselves. The product, if ‘Flaws’ is anything to go by, could very well be incredible.

New York’s Fiona Apple’s new album is being touted as something very special indeed. The purveyors of all that is indie over at Pitchfork can barely contain their skinny jeans (are skinny jeans still a symbol of being indie?) they’re that excited. In what is set to be the album with the longest title you will listen to this year, The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than The Driver Of The Screw, And Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do is due out on June 19. Cop an earful of the percussive beauty of ‘Anything We Want’ below.

Tagged Collarbones, Damian Walshe-Howling, Daniel Merriweather, Elefant Traks, Fiona Apple, Grizzly Bear, Harvest Festival, Hunting Grounds, Urthboy