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It was a year ago when Young and Restless first tore up the blogs with their demo mp3, “Satan.” Since then the band has gone on to take notice in Australia… beating out thousands of other entries in Tripple J’s Unearthed national competetion.

The band is back with a new single “Kapow!” taken off their debut album due out July in Australia. With their earlier work, there were some unavoidable YYYs comparisons floating around. But with Y&R’s latest, the band has shooken off that likeness and have come into their own. They’ve found their sound.

The highlight of this track is Karina Utomo’s vocal production. It’s totally dynamic — juxtaposing it against itself. If “Kapow!” is a hint of what’s to come then we’re in for a special treat when the album drops.

Young and Restless - “Kapow!” (mp3)

And here’s the band performing “Kapow!” live on MTV Australia:

June tour dates (more…)

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This twosome from Jersey City have a love affair with lo-fi electronic music. Lismore sounds like Matt & Kim’s cousins from the wrong side of the tracks. A little grimier, a little less pop-y and a little more of an edge.  But it sounds to me like they have a sound that would be even more enhanced and engaging live.  Lucky for you, they are embarking on tour at the end of this month so go check ‘em out…

Lismore - All That you Are

tour dates (more…)

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The drop box is closed, submissions are in, and it's time to turn the reins of this thing over to you guys. The Stereogum Presents: Another Freakin' Green Screen Contest (Starring Modest Mouse) netted ten entries from Modest die hards with video know how, and it's time for them to be judged by a jury of their rather-snarky-but-hey-we-love-each-other-don't-we peers (i.e. YOU, anon231). To cast your vote click here. Hope you feel like listening to a lot of "Fire It Up"! It'll be more fun that way.

Check out the Saam directed video for Unklejam’s “What Am I Fighting For” — f’ing neon. This is one of my current favorite pop groups for obvious reasons. Oh and the jamm… LA Priest mixes up “What Am I Fighting For” and creates a ravetastic anthem… gonna blow yr brain open.

Unklejam - “What Am I Fighting For?” (LA Priest Remix) (mp3)

There was a Herve remix of Unklejam making it’s way around the blogs a few months ago. In case you missed it… like everything else Herve, this is massive:

Unklejam - “Love Ya” (Herve remix) (mp3)

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Here's another taste of Macca's latest record and first for the benefit of Starbucks nation. After hearing this one, looks like Memory Almost Full's shaping up to be one of the year's sleeper keepers. Haven't seen Sir Paul this restlessly creative for decades, and "Only Mama Knows" is like a thumbnail glance at his compositional skill set: infectious guitar pop verses, awesome transitions, a spirited hook, all bookended by Ecce Cor Meum-y arrangements. So good that yes, we went ahead and coined the term Ecce Cor Meum-y. Have a listen...

For a second you'll think that pulling hunky Croatian thespian Goran Visnjic is just another stab at the hit-or-miss celeb stunt casting that's running rampant -- until he opens his shirt (hey ladies!) to find a digital surprise. More like a short film than video, and the song becomes secondary soundtrack to the Croat's paranoia. Somebody get this guy a television show, STAT. (And thanks for the heads up, teco apple.)

The Twang haven't found much love stateside, but our NME subscriptions indicate they are VERY IMPORTANT! Though the band's "swaggering, big-hearted mischief" struck us as a tad sappy on first listen a few months ago, they've put out a remix of "Either Way" with Mike Skinner which of course has us listening.

Head to MySpace to see just how much Skinner's Streets slang benefits the cut, and then stream debut single "Wide Awake" so you can better embrace or call bollocks on the ever-churning NME hype machine. (We call bollocks.)

Simian Mobile Disco - Sleep Deprivation / It's The Beat / I Believe (all recorded LIVE on Radio 1)

Just as a (rather unfair) tease for MFR favorites Simian Mobile Disco's upcoming full-length album Attack Decay Sustain Release, the gents played Zane Lowe's Radio 1 show last night, and these are recordings of their live cuts. If you check out the actual show, archived on Zane's page for one week, you can hear bits of the interview he did with the guys - well worth it because the guys are really funny!

And if you're wondering, the tracks really were recorded live, synths and sequencers and stuff, all jacked in and throbbing to the beat... Check out the live performance video above too and you'll see what I mean. They've got their first ever live US performance coming up in July at FIXED, so you better be there.

It's the bleep!

Covering "That's All" is a tall order. Not to get all Patrick Bateman, but we do consider it a perfect pop song. That said, you could have at least learned the words, Keane! Check in at 30 seconds (and again at 2:48) for the flub.

C'mon Tom, it's easy to remember...

Something about Finn's voice, that guy can cast a melancholic shadow over a tune even when the rest of the band lifts their pop-noir veils. And so it is with "Calliope," a-break-from-the-bleak on the outstanding Nux Vomica, with a jaunting, happy hook that Andrews makes cry just a bit "to tell you you're needed." Keen director, then, sending long shadows out against the walls and infusing some anxiety with the stuttery, sped up film speed. Love this band.

Here are a couple of Stereogum faves from the record...

The Veils - "Jesus For The Jugular" (MP3)
The Veils - "Not Yet" (MP3)