Their talent is self evident. Their creativity boundless. Their reputation sky high. Friday night at the Enmore Theatre only confirmed all of these opinions and more. For the stars shined and sparkled as a near musical perfection was attained. In spades. This, ladies and gentlemen is Animal Collective. On their only previous visit, they played a much smaller venue. @newtown. They also numbered four back then. Now they are three, with Deakin taking a leave of absence. They also have a much bigger audience now. Due in no small part to the release of this year's hugely acclaimed "Merriweather Post Pavilion". Thankfully the audience that they attracted last night was attentive and appreciative. Engrossed and entranced. Well, why wouldn't they be? It's not like every day Animal Collective roll up to this town. For this we are truly grateful.

As expected cuts from MPP featured heavily. They opened with "Also Frightened", which is one of my least favourite songs from that album. But this version was soaked in reverb and came across better then the studio version. A good start, I was in good hands. Launching into "What Would I Want? Sky" sealed the deal early. This wondrous song from the just released "Fall Be Kind" is already an instant classic. An impossibly gorgeous song. Then it was time to dance. The crunching bass of "Summertime Clothes" had the crowd moving with great joy. Going into the night I was hoping for material from their masterpiece in "Feels", but I was to be disappointed. However I was pleasantly surprised to receive two tracks from "Sung Tongs". "Leaf House" was the first and I didn't recognise it at first as this version is more synth heavy and not so tribal as the original. After this the band paused briefly. Avey Tare uttered a few words of thanks and off they went again. This was basically the only interaction of the night, with most of the set list flowing from one song into the other. Each vehicle presented as a seamless transition into the next, with small jams connecting many of the songs. Animal Collective do not play to the crowd. They are not showman. Their mission is to impart joy in each and every one of us. In this they succeed, wildly. Then it came. "My Girls". This slab of sunshine floated across the venue, with everyone breathing in the goodness. But the absolute highlight was still to come. "Fireworks" was an orgasmic exploration into sound. Stretched out to nearly twenty minutes in length, the band shaped and shifted the song to all of its boundaries. Panda Bear took up the drum kit for the majority, keeping perfect time with Avey's impassioned screams. The performance of this song will be burned into my memory forever. They then closed with the drop dead "Daily Routine". A slow burning marvel that showcased the great vocal qualities of Panda Bear. You could hear a pin drop at certain sections of this song.

We needed more though and the encore surely delivered. "In The Flowers", which I thought would have been an ideal opener, came at the end. Its bone crunching transition is hard to resist. Oh yes, hips were moving. "Bleed" was great also and the uplifting "Brother Sport" put a fine exclamation point on the night. A night of sunshine and bliss. Of melancholy and exuberance. Panda and Avey exchanged harmonies with exquisite timing, as Geologist kept things moving all the time. I also appreciated that despite the band now having a bigger audience they certainly don't pander to the party crowd. They still push the boundaries. Searching for that perfect sound. That point of discovery. As the clock struck eleven and I wended my way home I looked up into the sky and all I heard was sky-blue, bells ringing...

Set List
Also Frightened
What Would I Want? Sky
Summertime Clothes
Guys Eyes
Leaf House
Slippi
My Girls
Who Could Win A Rabbit
Fireworks
Daily Routine

In The Flowers
Bleed
Brother Sport

The year in song. Well, there were many fine examples of song writing. Mr Krug dazzled us again, as did the Grizzly Bear boys. Then you had Animal Collective, stamping their feet all over the year, beginning in January with a bang and ending in December with a glorious nightcap. But a brief appearance from Destroyer was enough to remind us all just how incredibly gifted a songwriter Dan Bejar is. His band released a two song collection called "Bay Of Pigs". The title track winning its way to the top of my list for 2009. This thirteen minute epic was beyond scope in grandeur and ambition. Delirious, delectable and quite stunning. All set to a background of some ambient disco. Voila! "Bay Of Pigs" was my number one of 2009. Below I have included various clips of my other favourite tunes of 2009.
Please enjoy!

When I started this little blog back in 2006, a band came to my attention that I soon grew to love. They were called Aloha and their album of that year, "Some Echoes", would make its way into my top ten albums of that particular year. This band from Ohio made delectable and bewildering melodic pop rock. Stuff that would have you humming the tunes for weeks on end and not ever grow tired of it. Hailing from Ohio and consisting of four members, the band was formed in 1997 and so far have given us four full length albums. Now you can make that number five. On March 9, 2010 Aloha will release "Home Acres", which will contain eleven songs and hopefully be another solid chapter in the band's career.

Polyvinyl Records will be delivering the goods.

Home Acres Track Listing
1 Building A Fire
2 Moonless March
3 Microviolence
4 Searchlight
5 Everything Goes My Way
6 White Wind
7 Cold Storage
8 Blackout
9 Waterwheel
10 I'm In Trouble
11 Ruins

Recently I contributed to Sean's list (possibly last) of the best of Australian music in 2009. Somehow my number one band was the same as the overall winner. That is, Sydney's finest in Dappled Cities. This year saw the band release "Zounds", an album that I would say is their finest work to date. An impressive effort indeed. But there was plenty of other good music to emerge in 2009, some from established acts. Some from new discoveries. So I give you the list of 20 artists that I thought had the greatest impact on Australian music in the year quickly drawing to a close.

1. Dappled Cities
Released their most mature and best perhaps best work to date. Still the benchmark in Australia for melodic rock.
2. Bridezilla
Their debut album is only a sign of the great things to come. This band will continue to get better and better. A very exciting future.
3. The Middle East
A stunning debut EP; a great and pleasant surprise. Who knew Townsville could produce something this good?
4. Leader Cheetah
The album was good, but live they are getting better at each and every show. Violin was a good addition to their music.
5. Whitley
Their latest album is hugely impressive, displaying an ample and significant growth in songwriting.
6. Dead Letter Chorus
New tunes at various shows indicate that this wonderful live act is on quite an impressive upward curve.
7. Parades
Finally saw them live and was blown away. Great melodies and great guitar work make for an exciting combination.
8. The Crayon Fields
Their latest album was a subtle and rewarding experience.
9. Rat Vs Possum
Saw them open for Handsome Furs in Melbourne. Yes, they are good.
10. Children Collide
2009 saw them come into their own.
11. Kid Sam
12. The Kill Devil Hills
13. Songs
14. Aleks and the Ramps
15. Sarah Blasko
16. Washington
17. The Temper Trap
18. The Paper Scissors
19. Cloud Control
20. The Mess Hall

NB: Having recently purchased the 2009 release by Psuche and being very much impressed, I would find a spot for them somewhere on this list.

Here it is. The cover art for the new Frightened Rabbit album. "The Winter Of Mixed Drinks" will be released on March 1, 2010 on Fat Cat Records. The album was produced and mixed by Peter Katis, who also worked on "The Midnight Organ Fight".

The Winter Of Mixed Drinks Track Listing
1 Things
2 Swim Until You Can't See Land
3 The Loneliness and the Scream
4 The Wrestle
5 Skip the Youth
6 Nothing Like You
7 Man/Bag of Sand
8 Foot Shooter
9 Not Miserable
10 Living in Colour
11 Yes, I Would

February 15 will see the release of "The Golden Archipelago", the newest album from Shearwater. Containing 11 tracks, the CD and LP are both packaged with a 50-page perfect-bound book featuring a set of extracts from a dossier of records, photos, regulations and images collected by Shearwater's Jonathan Meiburg. Matador are delivering the goods and have made available an MP3 in the shape of "Castaways".

MP3: Castaways-Shearwater

The Golden Archipelago Track Listing

1 Meridian

2 Black Eyes

3 Landscape at Speed

4 Hidden Lakes

5 Corridors

6 God Made Me

7 Runners of the Sun

8 Castaways

9 An Insular Life

10 Uniforms

11 Missing Islands

As reported before, Final Fantasy will release a new album on January 12. The long awaited "Heartland" is being released on Domino Records. If you go here right now and give over your email address you will receive an MP3 of "Lewis Takes Action". So, what are you waiting for.