Local Artists:

Feathers: True Believers (Single) (Bon Voyage)
- True story: when I was new in town and still fresh to everything, I one day went and had lunch in a park somewhere. I spotted a nice-looking bench under an even nicer-looking tree, and was concerned when I finally reached the bench to find an ownerless Moleskine, just sitting there. No stranger to the manufactured sense of artistic legitimacy lent by this particular brand of notebook, I decided I would experiment with altruism and return it to the owner. I read enough of it to discover that it belonged to one of the members of Feathers, and she soon ended up getting it back. So in conjunction with the release of this new song, I'd like to use this opportuntiy to take a small amount of credit for its creation, even though probably none of it was written within that notebook at all. But to the point, this is a really great tune that manages to simultaneously radiate both a menacing darkness and a crystal-clear, nonplussed brightness. Unpretentious goodness. (Joe Saxby)

The Goldhearts: Here's The Thing (Single) (Indie)
- The Goldhearts have been rocking for a while; several members of the Gold Coast band served in '90's Brisbane outfit The Dream Poppies. This experience surely contributes to how smooth this single sounds. I mean, it's so smooth and easy it's almost dream-pop; but it's also lightly fuzzy alt-rock and ends up sitting somewhere between The Superjesus and Spiderbait. Could be a little commercial for some tastes, but there's also not too much else out there at the moment that sounds like this, which is a bit of a breath of fresh air. (Chris Cobcroft)

The Goon Sax: Boyfriend (Single) (Chapter)
- As The Goon Sax abandon some of the jangle in their sound and head into straight-up acoustic indie-pop, it gets alarmingly close to sounding like The Magnetic Fields. On consideration, that's good! Keep it up. (Chris Cobcroft)

Julia R. Anderson: In The Beginning (Single) (Indie)
- Local lady Julia R Anderson adds to her brimming pool of releases with her latest single, a wafting dream folk delight. Anderson has a real knack for balancing hooks and an impeccable ear for composition, I don't want to over-explain this so just listen to it, it's bloody good. (Grace Pashley)

KRS-One x Nick One: Keep Talkin (single) (R.A.M.P.)
- Local producer Nick One scored a bit of a win recently when hip hop legend KRS-One tapped one of his beats. KRS hasn't always punched his weight, lately, but over Nick's reggae-flavoured track his trademark 'schooling these rap whippersnappers' theme sounds on-point and fresh. (Chris Cobcroft)

The Steady as She Goes: Monoliths (Indie)
- Tal Wallace has really developed his gothic blues into something grim and dark. Everything on Monoliths is slower and lower than before: even Tal's vocals have slid down from his Chris Isaak moaning into a tarry groan. These drone-blues, touched by HP Lovecraft's mythological horror, set The Steady As She Goes apart, in a patch of midnight gloom that is all its own. (Chris Cobcroft)
 

Australian Artists:

Cold Hands Warm Heart: Magnolia (Single) (East Mint)
- This harp driven trio make a quiet and brittle kind of folktronic pop that is intricately worked. Ever so slightly twee, but will certainly appeal to fans of early Joanna Newsom and anyone who misses the lilt of quiet folktronica. (Chris Cobcroft)

Conrad GreenLeaf: Modern Emotions (Indie)
- Richard In Your Mind's Conrad GreenLeaf releases a rambling record of country-synth-psych-folk-MOR which is united by its deadpan humour. Featuring enervated delivery of lines such as "Conrad's back to save Australian music, once again." It's hard not to smile and wish him well on his mission. Go you good thing. (Chris Cobcroft)

Food Court: For The Morning (Single) (Indie)
- Leering punk and jangly looseness meet a meaty '90's guitar sound on Food Court's new single. A gutsy and satisfying heaviness and a big middle-finger attitude. (Chris Cobcroft)

The Holy Soul: Fortean Times (Damn You)
- The Holy Soul have been around since the turn of the millenium and in that time have forged a reputation as one of Australia's most important underground assets. The list of their collaborators alone is gobsmacking, Gareth Liddiard's production credit on their new record being merely the latest on the list. That record, Fortean Times, is extremely wide-ranging, taking in everything from heartland rock, alt-country, proto to post-punk, post-rock, every kind of art-rock madness and even drone and doom, just to prove how moody they are.
As a result the record ends up sounding like everyone from The Hoodoo Gurus to MC5, The Dirty Three and The Hold Steady, which is a lot to take in, but The Holy Soul are good enough to pull it off. Along the way, they pump out what are certainly some of the most notable rock songs of the year. (Chris Cobcroft)

Leisure Suite: Feel (Single) (Deaf Ambitions)
- Leisure Suite's new single builds on their rep for understated electro-pop. It's subtle and well-executed and despite starting off a little slow it hits its stride about two minutes in; it's worth the wait. A dreamy sound that doesn't drift off, very easy listening. (Grace Pashley)

Luca Brasi: Aeroplane (Single) (Poison City)
- The first taste of a new album from the Tassie melodic-punks. Recalls the most fist-pumping moments of Bodyjar. Blokey and emotional. (Chris Cobcroft)

NO ZU: Hi Gloss EP (Chapter)
- Vaguely cheesy dancefloor nonsense of the absolute highest calibre. Everything NO ZU does is a party, but there's still always this current of spontaneous weirdness flowing through the project's veins. It's like a rainbow in a glass of milk. Get amongst. (Joe Saxby)

Retail Therapy: 97 Love (Dumgut)
- This is some super gnarly experimental electronic stuff with a definite aloof streak. It almost feels as if it's living and breathing in front of you as you listen, which is much more than can be said for most of the people making this kind of thing. It's dark, but somehow not even doomy or gloomy. Works for me. (Joe Saxby)  

R.W Grace: Love It, Need It, Miss It, Want It (Liberation / Mushroom)
- The debut EP from R.W Grace, fka Grace, (er...) faka (?) Grace Woodroofe, delivers on what her first iterations promised: soulful veleveteen vocals, sombre lyricism and driving, dark synth work. Woodroofe doesn't shy away from honest self-expression, and there is a maturity in her vocal timbre supporting the weight the feels-laden release. The production is moody and tight, best captured on Down Looking Above where trap rolls weave into a hulking current of synth rhythm sprinkled with lighter keys. Woodroofe's voice calls to mind fellow Perth songstress Abbe May and RnB influences crop up all over the place. It's a nuanced release with mass appeal, Woodroofe is one to watch. (Grace Pashley)

Soda Eaves: Aphrodisia (Single) (Indie)
- Jake Core of Hot Palms returns with his excellent Soda Eaves project. The decidedly disingenous, lo-fi production contains a blurry collage of whispery folk, strangely aimless percussion and weird close-harmony. It floats together, creating moments of unexpected clarity, the disparate elements coalesce and the effect is haunting. (Chris Cobcroft)

Thomas William: Annum Contra (Plastic World)
- Thomas William takes a fascinatingly weird approach to making dance music. It's a very minimalist, almost musique concrete-informed kind of approach. On first track Tuition, and then throughout this EP, he limits himself to fiddling only with the smallest platter of sound-bites, and gradually layers more and more subtle little layers as it goes on. It's a little hard to get into because of its slow, abstract nature, but once you do, there's not a lot out there that's tastier. (Joe Saxby) 

WILSN: Fooled Me (Single) (Indie / Inertia)
- Featuring a bit of a who's-who of Australian soul-pop in her backing band and production credits, (members of Dorsal Fins, Holy Holy, The Cactus Channel and the Cat Empire), the young Shannon Busch, aka WILSN, has the kind of voice to attract that kind of attention. There's something unassuming about it, but it's undeniably huge. Her impact may well be too. (Chris Cobcroft)

New Zealand Artists:

Silicon: Cellphone (Unkown Mortal Orchestra Rework) (Single) (Weird World / Inertia)
- Ruban Neilson of UMO inverts this PC funk track off his brother Kody's, aka Silicon's, debut album Personal Computer. Essentially this version is just the bassline faded up and Ruban swaggering all over the melody, they're quite similiar and both good - just depends if you want the muted electro-funk of Kody or the bright, lush sounds from Ruban. (Grace Pashley)

Overseas Artists:

Astrid S: Hyde (Single) (Universal)
- As we loom ever closer to the most unforgiving of all Australian seasons my love for electro and dance pop reaches fever pitch. Yet already I am almost at summer-dance-jam saturation, and we haven't even reached December. In spite of this, I've totally fallen for Astrid S, a Norwegian artist whose calling card is smooth, subtle pop. With Hyde being just her second single (after signing to Universal off the strength of her first, 2am), the eighteen year old's progression will be an interesting one. (Grace Pashley)

Bibio: Petals (Single) (WARP / Inertia)
- Bibio returns with a particularly soft touch on latest single Petals, an under-stated, ambient folktronica track. He's hinted at a new album early next year eleven years after his debut. (Grace Pashley)

Blood Orange: Sandra's Smile (Domino)
- Dev Hynes drifts away from the very genre-specific stuff on Cupid Deluxe here, and moulds a really solid, extreme pop track out of some much more readily disparate elements. Stank beats, ominous vibes, and a chorus with actual huge brass. So good. (Joe Saxby)  

Cass McCombs: A Folk Set Apart (Domino / EMI)
- Cass McCombs is a guy who's pretty diverse, on any given release. Take a great swath of his b-sides, rarities and previously unreleased material and that tendency becomes full-on. A Folk Set Apart is full of the punky, folk, heartland, psych, country, rock'n'roll, grizzled outsider fare. Its range is engaging enough for newcomers and its depth and obscurity will have McCombs many confirm fans swarming over it. (Chris Cobcroft)

The Cult: Dark Energy (Single) (New Wilderness / Cooking Vinyl)
- The Cult's cock-rocking is ageing well. Dark Energy sounds like it's bursting with power and Ian Astbury's voice is taking on a quality similar to (a more glammy) Lemmy. In both cases it's pretty effective. They've still got it. (Chris Cobcroft)

Dusky: Lydia EP (Juno)
- I find this upsettingly good. Perfect for totally ignoring your surrounds and just carrying on with whatever business you're up to in a selfish way. Whip it on the headphones and remain still, it will help. (Joe Saxby) 

Free Children of Earth: Terminal Stasis (Cricket Cemetary)
- The Washington DC punk trio has members from Trial By Fire, Darkest Hour, Majority Rule and The Explosion among others, which bodes well. Perhaps because of the diverse background the new record seems to sit somewhere between metal, melodic hardcore and skate punk. At any rate it's tight, heavy and focused on social justice. Just what the doctor ordered. (Chris Cobcroft)

Gazebos: I Don't Wanna Be Here (Single) (Hardly Art / Inertia)
- The Seattle band's single weirdly sounds a bit like Courtney with Kurt doing backing vocals on some little known Blondie cover. Endlessly modulating weirdness or no-wave pop anthem? Make up your own mind. (Chris Cobcroft)

Indian Handcrafts: Creeps (Sargent House / Redeye)
- Prog-metal with a stoner edge that cuddles up snuggly with the sound of Mastodon. This is on Sargent House though, so stay alert for a wild array of unexpected stylistic deviations and a generally above-par level of psychosis. (Chris Cobcroft)

Julien Baker: Something (Single) (6131)
- Julien Baker is a singer-songwriter from Tennessee, and being generally enamoured with people from this region I was pretty prepared to fall in love with this song. And I did. This track hit me square in my emotions. Help. Acoustic guitar under a voice as crystalline and pure as a freshwater oasis, it's simple, evocative and relatable. (Grace Pashley)

Kill The Noise: Mine Ft. Bryn Christopher (Single) (OWSLA)
- Don't let the smooth, hook-laden RnB intro fool you. This single off Kill the Noise's latest EP Occult Classic is a straight up club jam and sits well amongst the other mind-altering/life-questioning bangers. The single isolated is a different story. Personally, I reckon it could do without the massive dubstep injections, the track could easily stand on the strength of the complementary guitar, bass and vocal melodies but hey that's just me. Don't do drugs kids. (Grace Pashley)

Lafawndah: Tan (Single) (Warp / Inertia)
- The press release makes the Iranian-Mexican-New Yorker sound like the worst kind of art-school wanker, but her sound, while not exactly approachable is lean and agile, hybridising electro-pop and edm in a sparse but fierce manner. Like the Love Child of Bjork and Grace Jones. (Chris Cobcroft)

Madegg: New (Flau)
- Japanese producer Madegg (Kazumichi Komatsu) on some atmospheric slow-burning electronica on his third LP, New. This release is full of tracks that suck tonality from an array of samples that fade in, peak, and fade out. The use of insidious progressions and warped samples make New the perfect soundtrack to skulking around haunted houses in the middle of the night. (Grace Pashley)

Max Graef & Glenn Astro: Magic Johnson (Single) (Ninja Tune /  Inertia)
- The German duo take a zany, spacey trip through jazz, house and hip hop, milking each one for as much loungey flavour as possible. In doing so it recalls much of the history of Ninja Tune and the sounds of Bonobo, Cold Cut or Luke Vibert. A groovy snatch of yesterday. (Chris Cobcroft)

Moon Child: Please Rewind (Tru Thoughts)
- Smoothness is the order of the day on the LA nu-jazz / neo-soul trio's Tru Thoughts debut. It's kinda like Hiatus Kaiyote with the sharp edges buffed down and it turns out that's a pretty pleasant prospect. (Chris Cobcroft)

Prequel Tapes: Dragon Keys EP (Ninja Tune / Inertia)
- Atmospheric, vibed-out ambient house that rows around outside the perimeter of the box, and proceeds to tick all the boxes that lay outside of that box. I usually hate it when someone busts out several different "versions" of the same song, but it's actually the most appealing aspect here. You kind of fall so strongly in love with the original mix of Dragon Keys that you want to find out where else he's taken it. And none of it disappoints. Very psyched for the upcoming album. (Joe Saxby)

Promise & The Monster: Time Of The Season (Single) (Bella Union / Mushroom)
- Swedish folk-rockers Promise & The Monster out to prove that literally nothing bad has ever come out of that country. Time of the Season is a sweeping track with barely any change in tempo or instrumentation throughout, verses drift unwittingly into choruses and back again. The vocals are breezy and sweet, it's a lovely track for a slightly melancholy grey day. (Grace Pashley)

Savages: T.I.W.Y.G. (Single) (Matador / Remote Control)
Hnnnnnnnnnnngggggg seven thumbs up for the second single off Savages' forthcoming second LP Adore Life. Pulsating post-punk with a hammering bassline with all the fieriness we've come to expect from British outfit. T.I.W.Y.G. sees Jehnny Beth's voice dunked in reverb when the song briefly pauses just over the halfway mark. It's a brief respite in the frenetic intensity, and you'll need that when the full LP is released early next year. (Grace Pashley)

SOPHIE: VYZEE (Single) (Numbers / Indie)
- UK terror SOPHIE is spewing out singles off the back of his album, Product. Pop that sounds like a preteen workout routine is liberally garnished with farty, squelchy sound-effects, atonal squirts of melody and, at last, a big, cheesy climax. EDM that'll leave you feeling like you need a shower in multiple ways. (Chris Cobcroft)

Sunflower Bean: Wall Watcher (Single) (Fat Possum / Inertia)
- Super bright and fuzzy indie pop that belies Sunflower Bean's Brooklyn residence. Or maybe New Yorkers are happy in Brooklyn? I don't know. It's gritty enough to take the annoyingly smooth shine off your typical sunshine and rainbows indie pop. (Grace Pashley)