Music news

What is the deal with The Teenagers? Are they the world's biggest in-joke? Are they laughing all the way to their local American Apparel? Because really; how can a band be (both lyrically and musically) so rude, crude and cheesy yet still be so likable? Over the course of debut album Reality Check, the London-dwelling, Parisian expats lust awkwardly over Scarlett Johansson; use cheesy synth-lines; make fun of clingy girlfriends; are often off-key and describe "making love" to an American cheerleader in terms far less chivalrous than that. Are they taking the piss? Who cares; they're French and their accents are just so cute and fun that they could read the ingredient list for dog food and I would personally make it hype Machine's most blog-flogged track. Anyway, above is the awful (ironic? Post -modern?) video for The Teenagers' latest single, Make it Happen. You can also catch the cheeky lads when they hit our shores this month.

Just sending out a holla to all of you indie-electro punks out there!
Crooked Kids is back this Friday night at Le Panic in Kings X.
Once again, no shitty music will be heard and only the best DJ's will be seen spinning some seriously hectic tunes.
If you feel like a night out, head down to the red-light district around 10pm.
It's a cheap 10 bucks to get your sneakers in the door - just be nice to the door girl okay!

Last year, DC rapper WALE ("the name's Wah-lay/ don't say Wah-lee") released a free mixtape over the internets. Produced by musical wunderkind, Mark Ronson, 100 Miles and Running saw Wale's clever and catchy verses spliced with vocals from the likes of Amy Winehouse and Daniel Merriweather or slathered over an assortment of (in true mixtape style) appropriated beats to create one of the tastiest releases of 2007. One of the tape's highlights is the enduringly addictive W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E. Just pipping Kanye to the post with the whole French-Electro-sampling thing, Wale rapped over Justice's club-killing single, Dance and took that thing to a whole new level of amazing. Anyway, a year on a video has been released for the single - making it fresh all over again in my books - and you can watch it above. Another free WALE mixtape, entitled (in reference to Seinfeld) Mixtape about Nothing is due out on May 30.

"So, have you seen that new Weezer video yet?!" I swear, this is all I'm hearing at the moment. The clip for the iconic hipster's latest single Pork and Beans is actually quite a clever one; the unison via song of 2007/2008's brightest Youtube stars. Given the ephemeral nature of the internets though, this vid will not be understood by our grand children (who's that freak screaming "leave Britney Alone? Who's Britney?") and will, in fact, probably lose relevance in about one year, two months and 18 days. But whatever, its good right now. Weezer's much anticipated "Red" album is duer out in June. In the meantime, have you seen that new video yet?

Above is the music video for Keeping it Clean; the first single from Sydney band, Songs. A collective project of sorts, the clip was directed by up-and-coming film maker, Michaela Sanders and shot by esteemed Australian photographer, Pierre Toussaint at Rose Bay Secondary School. If you like what you hear you can find Keeping it Clean on Songs debut, self-titled; due out through Spring Press and Pop Frenzy, May 31. You can also catch Songs perform live (let’s hope they include some of the clip’s interpretive dance routines) at Sydney’s Annandale Hotel, June 1 before they head off to tour the green pastures of NZ.

Although it's an undoubtedly bold statement - and a rather significant generalization, I'd like to suggest that the preponderance of us have one single favourite band. Yes, dear friends, a lone artist or group that intrigues and inspires you for not only that first, glorious listen that punctures the monotony of silent surroundings, but again and again. You could listen to them every day. On repeat. And you probably have. In fact, the intensity of your attachment means that you tend to get a little defensive at times. It is for this reason that I'm not going to disguise the purpose of this unashamedly bias rant. Whatever band you hold dear to your ears, I assure you that Death Cab for Cutie is better - or at least a significant contender to the position. Sure, they're not the most aesthetically pleasing assemblage of individuals - but who cares? With a career spanning over a decade, their music has evolved to become instantly recognisable. It is both subtle and beautifully layered, occasionally swelling to a glorious height , with the lyrics conveying an explicit vulnerability in their melancholy utterances. Their new album, Narrow Stairs is a little different, but no less captivating than its proceeders. Gibbard's vioce has certainly matured since the band's inception in 1997. Raw, stripped-back and intimate, it has, as Chris Walla describes "some teeth". Death Cab for Cutie are the perfect auditory companion to any emotional state. I urge you to dig a little deeper than the occasional Triple J play and let their seven albums overtake your eardrums. If you don't love them, you should. Catch them on tour in Australia from the 17th to the 22nd August.

In 2007, alternative-folk artist Krista Polvere left Australia for New York to further pursue her music career. One of the first people Krista’s music caught the attention of was Lost Highway / Universal artist, Ryan Adams. Adams has since collaborated on songs on Krista’s debut album, “Here Be Dragons” which has just been released in Australia. Krista will be heading to the US later in the year to support Ray LaMontagne but before she heads off, Krista will do a run of shows in her home country. You can catch her album launch @ The Toff in Melbourne on Wednesday May 28^th or for further dates head here