And when you leave I feel every ache in my young body

"The thing I like most about you is your stillness," he said. "You're like an beautiful old room in a big old house. Full of muted grandness and warmth. You're dreaming but content."

Atlas Sound - Cold and Golden

[blog - one of Bradford Cox's free downloads from sometime last year I think]

[myspace]

I believe in love

For some reason I've been playing this song all morning and having a wonderful Christmas. Merry Christmas everyone!

Wild nothing

[unknown and knighttcat.com]

Wild Nothing - Summer Holiday

You say you're staying out of trouble but I've never seen you slow down from this frenetic pace and I don't think you ever will. It's like you found me doing pidgeon steps along a straight line with a bend of the knees and a self satisfied smile and you started skipping in circles around me and ahead of me just to show you could. Occasionally taking my hand and pulling me for a run/skip/hop in the breathless early hours but your eyes wanted to see everything in this world and I only had eyes for you.

[myspace]

You wait so long

I had a dream I was in an enourmous castle made of quartz, huge towers of shining rock too big for me to walk from one end to another in one day. I walked and walked looking for everything and anything and saw nothing but angular rock, beautiful but unforgiving. I finally reached the end, indifferent and meaning to turn back you were behind me, had been following me this whole time. You stopped, this was your castle I realised and now you were standing across from me holding your hands together like you were practising your golf, swaying back and forth. And then with a smile you were suddenly tracing the smooth space between my eye and my eyebrow.



Holly Miranda - Waves

[myspace]

Don't you know it's true

In my mind, people stay exactly where they are when I leave them. They do not move, grow or change. When I say goodbye to someone and walk away in a different direction and look back as I turn a corner I am always so confused and surprised to see them so far away.

You're not the only

Animal Collective - What Would I Want? Sky

This is everything, this is being excited after being jaded for longer than you/I/we can remember, this is seeing colour again, this is watching everything move underwater, this is driving out west till you can see the stars again, this is someone telling you to neck up and get over it after weeks of tiptoeing around you. This is getting your hands clean and your feet sandy, this is finally falling asleep at the bottom of your mum's wardrobe while she natters at you, this is fingers pushing along and away from frownlines, this is tasting of sunscreen, this is five people squeezed into the back seat, this is perfect cat's eye, this is your car breaking down outside a mechanics and reaching your absolute limit and realising you don't have a limit, there is no lid. Or maybe it's you. This is the musical manifestation of going out past the breakers and lying on your back.

[buy Fall Be Kind]

[myspace]

Brisbane, Animal Collective are playing at the Tivoli in less than two weeks if you know what's good for you, I'll see you there.

When you say 'I love you', I say 'rave on'

nicholas haggard, via theforesthears

M. Ward - Rave On (Buddy Holly Cover)

It was a mess, sure, just a mess of cigarette ash, sunburn, clasped hands with chipped fingernails and I have been catastrophically wrong. Finally, everything will be fine.

My heart is aching, my heart is breaking

[here]

Atlas Sound - Doctor (Five Discs Cover)

[Download Virtual 7" No. 7]

I don't like to think of you that way, seeing movies by yourself and not answering your phone.

Jeez you're something to see

Home - Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros

EDWARD SHARPE & THE MAGNETIC ZEROS MySpace Video
Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros - Home

The kind of clueless craziness I like.

[myspace]

Spring

EDIT: Video isn't working so have an mp3 for your balmy spring evenings:

St. Etienne - Spring (Air France Remix)

[Air France myspace]

Teen creeps please don't leave me dead, dead this way

No Age - Teen Creeps

[buy Nouns]

[myspace]

You think that I don't know, you're wrong

wendy bevan/spoon/typewriterblues

Atlas Sound - Criminals

[Logos]

[myspace]

Sometimes I come crashing down inside myself

Air France - No Excuses

[myspace]

I wish I had a boyfriend, I wish I had a loving man in my life

Oh I Wish I Had A Sun Tan I Wish I Had A Pizza And A Bottle Of Wine I Wish I Had A Beach House Then We Could Make A Big Fire Every Night Instead Im Just Crazy Im Totally Mad Yeah Im Just Crazy Im Fucked In The Head And Maybe If I Really Tried With All Of My Heart Then I Could Make A Brand New Start In Love With You

Playing for keeps

[via, here]

Someone in my dictionary's up to no good, I can never find the very, special words I should

GRIN MAGIC'S FAVOURITE ALBUMS OF THE 00s

All these end of the decade lists popping up around various corners of the internet have made me want to jump on this retrospective band wagon. Because it would be impossible for me put my favourites in order I've decided to give a song and album with a short write up about why I love it, in no particular order, approximately one a week till the end of the year.



Animal Collective's Feels is pretty perfect, it's all real emotions like longing and heartbreak and awe shining through in a way that I've never really heard in any other music. Animal Collective have this uncanny ability to express every good, bad, fucked up spectrum of human emotion until it gets to a point where I'm floudering around looking unrecognisably at myself. I really don't know how they do it. Probably just by being unpretentious and generally cool guys who, you know, get. it.

Animal Collective - Banshee Beat

[myspace]
[buy]

PAVEMENT COME TO AUSTRALIA IN MARCH

This is kind of amazing, since when does Australia get anything before America/Europe? Auckland gets Pavement's first show in something like a decade?

Pitchfork has dates but Brisbane people will want to be at the Tivoli March 10th.

My head's just one big fuzz

egon schiele

RatTail - Go Green (demo)

Late last year, the day I finished school in fact, my grandmother died. My grandma was very important to my family, and to my dad, as his dad had died when he was 14, leaving him, his mother and younger sister. She lived in Tooting, London, where my family and I had moved from to Brisbane when I was nine. We were happy in the sun of Australia but every now and again we'd feel an aching need for grey days, cold noses, warm houses and the people we'd left behind. When Grandma got sick we'd gone straight to see her and look after her. But I had to come back early to finish my exams, this song reminds of waiting on a balcony outside Grandma's room, wondering how on earth to say goodbye, trying desperately not to cry. It reminds me of weeks of loneliness and my empty house and maths equations and ink stained fingers and wanting to reach down and telephone line and touch.

[site]

I tried to forget you, I tried to forget you

GRIN MAGIC'S FAVOURITE ALBUMS OF THE 00s

All these end of the decade lists popping up around various corners of the internet have made me want to jump on this retrospective band wagon. Because it would be impossible for me put my favourites in order I've decided to give a song and album with a short write up about why I love it, in no particular order, approximately one a week till the end of the year.


Electrelane's No Shouts, No Calls is a quiet achievement by an all girl group from Brighton, one of my favourite places in the world. It's not production-slick, grit free or perfect but to me, it glows with real feelings and melodies. Filled with heart felt harmonies, call and response vocals, splatterings of organs and occasional raucuous guitar meanderings it's definitely one of my favourite albums of the last ten years.





Electrelane - Saturday

You are quivering with excitement over some new project you have, probably an amplifier that sounds like it's fallen down three flights of stairs and pictures that are like looking through a dirty windscreen with a sunset behind it. Cute, I say, squatting down with you and rolling my eyes, hiding my grin in my sleeve. You, self aware and brazen, push me over and pull on my pigtails. I remember this while brushing the dirt off of a creased photo I found of you and me in the shit I cleared out of my car, with a silver spoon, bills, so many empty cigarette packets and a old, ratty jacket.

[myspace]

[buy]

But it's like we weren't made for this world... though I wouldn't really wanna meet someone who was

GRIN MAGIC'S FAVOURITE ALBUMS OF THE 00s

All these end of the decade lists popping up around various corners of the internet have made me want to jump on this retrospective band wagon. Because it would be impossible for me put my favourites in order I've decided to give a song and album with a short write up about why I love it, in no particular order, approximately one a week till the end of the year.

A dizzying triumph of self inspection, soul wrenching terror, longing and raw emotional vulnerability, Of Montreal's Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? is one of my favourite albums from the last ten years. Kevin Barnes pushes all he can onto this record, the darkest and most desperate parts of human emotion, the battle with the chemistry of the brain and a grapple for control whether through fanatical escapism, funky grooves or head long, hysterical, self loathing. This album sparkles in the most suprising ways, always richly melodic and abounding in lyricals gems it seems to demand attachment as it's as hard to ignore this kind of emotive power as much as it is to ignore great pop music.

of Montreal - We Were Born Mutants Again With Leofling

'...our particles are in motion...'

[buy]

Smiles are for private

?/the year in pictures/?

The Mantles - Don't Lie

[from Don't Lie 7"]

[myspace]

[site]

You... are... the... most... luminous... object... in... the... universe...

[here, via]

The xx - Night Time

Could my self consciousness finally have manifested in a pair of staples between my lips? From your looks and my inactivity and almost crippling silence, I think so. There's a whirlwind around me, coerced confusion, but thoughts heavy like dully shining rocks in my gut ground me, keep those staples, and my lips, firmly together like you're dark blood running deeper. You're looking at me questioningly and anxiously from the corner of your eye as I'm wondering about coke or alcohol or fuck, a pair of pliers. Sidle up next to me, just a hand on my arm. I wonder when exactly it got this bad.

[myspace]

[buy it]

Candy girl

Trailer Trash Tracys - Candy Girl (demo)

I've never heard music sound so much like a curling strand of smoke under street lights walking home by yourself. The weather has started to get hot again and once again we can't walk down the street without breaking a sweat. My hair curls widely at approaching storms, we listen to music through crackly speakers and the leather of my couch makes me sweaty as we get lazier and lazier. Night falls and it's hard to believe my heart aches still ache in this balmy air.

[website with studio stream]

[myspace]

Surely we'll be alright

To go away and not look back

[the satorialist]

Atlas Sound - Walkabout (w/Panda Bear)

So it's not really that much of a secret that I'm a fan of Atlas Sound, I'm sure even Bradford realises it, after basically falling to his feet in worship (not really) when I met him at the Brisbane Deerhunter show last month. I'm also a massive Animal Collective and Panda Bear fan, Person Pitch, still hasn't really left my regular listening since it's release over 2 years ago. So I was appropriately excited when I heard about this collaboration, which will appear on the new Atlas Sound LP Logos (which is out on October 10th on Kranky).

This song does not disappoint at all, sounding as if it would've been equally at home on Person Pitch and many laid back, bliss filled summer evenings, I've had this on repeat since I first listened about two hours ago. It sounds like a fresh start, a familiar deep breath and a high five between possibly my two favourite musicians.

My best friend loves to start her night with her hair up. Her golden locks start up in a loose bun until she deems it the 'right time' to let her hair down (usually third or fourth beer) she shakes her hair out and it curls everywhere around her grinning face, flicking her cigarette with blue painted fingernails and bopping along to the tune.

[myspace]

By the way, Brisbane, as you may have heard Animal Collective are playing the Tivoli on December 10th! I'm beyond excited! I'll see you there.

Dark bong

[via]

When I said I didn't love you, I told a lie

Camera Obscura - Honey In The Sun

This song kinda came out of nowhere to become one of my favourites of the year.

It's easy joy in a hopeless situation, a shrug, tightly tied shoelases and a voice as clear as a bell.

[buy]

[myspace]

ALL DAZE EVRY DAYZ

[lost]

Best Coast - Sun Was High (So Was I)

I'm letting you drive for some reason. I've turned right around in the passengers seat, slung my bare legs across the bench seat, lean against the glove box to better look at you. As the engine splutters I accuse you of not looking after anything properly. You just laugh as you pull onto the longest, widest, emptiest coast road, put your foot right down on the accelerator and your eyes catch mine, wind whipping your dark hair around your face. I grin and nudge you, then let my head fall back onto the dashboard, watching the (two, maybe three) clouds through the windscreen, watching the UV try to get through my sunglasses.

thanks Rose Quartz

[myspace]

So little time

BRISBANE

I have a spare ticket to see Ghostface Killah tonight at the Hi Fi Bar at West End for $40, holla at me if you want it. Email me (jess.grinmagic@gmail.com) your phone number and we'll sort shit out.

This will be a fucking awesome show and not to be missed! For ten dollar cheaper than entry price. C'monnnn.

I sit my entire weight on a single note of music above a blackness so deep and wide it would surely swallow me.

Chords around my feet and your hands around my waist I'm afraid I can't tell what you're smiling at anymore.

I walk from your sunlit expectations to the slide of jewellery.

Losing all of that warmth.

You keep telling yourself it's alright

Free Energy - Dream City

So I guess you'll always drink milk with everything even when you're 40 years old but at the moment you're 18 and untouchable, trawling for a fucking service station at 4 in the morning to get your pint of milk and smacking the steering wheel along to some new 70s disco dredge you've pulled up from who knows where - that better not have been a fucking trombone. I think back on the night, excellent music and cheap drinks. You - tying shit cunt drunk indie boy's laces together for fun - and laughing your head off, grabbing my hand and running away. Me -

"So we may or may not in trouble for this..."

"....yeah, that's usually the way it works." Another grin.

[myspace]

"Do you want to come away with me into the pitch black pool?" And i said, "i don't know, i don't know, i don't know..."

Deerhunter - Vox Humana

[Weird Era Cont.]

Black fingernails, double entendres as if you don't know how to be straightforward anymore. I dropped your drink on purpose cause I'd love to see you get angry with me - but you're still fucking ambivalent even in anger. And so I drank twice as much until your charming voice sounded like charms and I was reciting our entire history in my head while our sides were touching and you laughed at my friends, not with them. You think you're pretty clever don't you boy.


And my parents want to know what's wrong. Because my head is so scattered I'm still a wreck even in the shining sun after sleeping for fourteen hours straight. And there's a nice boy who likes me and things could be nice. But I can't look twice at him. Because when I haven't spoken to you in a couple of days I feel like I'm going insane. Because I remember you trying to taste the music off my favourite record and then grinning at me. I remember secret pathways through the neighbours and I remember one pair of stupid jeans. I remember laughing like a lunatic at all the lunatics we see that no one else can. And the single ladies stomp and always dancing and laughing and grinning. And the way you used to shake when you saw me, passing me CDs but not anymore. I think you asked me once. I don't know.

Brisbane! Deerhunter are coming to the Zoo on June 13th, I know right? Best news ever! I'm expecting this to be my favourite night of the year, from one of my favourite bands.

I'm learning not to ask

I know that there are better things

I have your blood inside my heart

I was in a car accident on Monday. The most terrifying thing that has ever happened to me, the car racing along at 110km/h on a motorway bounced off one car and slammed into the cement divider, rolling and rolling. The moment of impact is all I can see when I close my eyes, red light on red skin, blinding pain, smoke filling the contracting space in almost slow motion and the complete certainty that after all the wondering at what death would be like, there's no time to even consider there's just certainty that this is it. Just a voice saying, "Prepare yourself, don't even dare close your eyes." Suddenly stopping with wide eyes looking anywhere but at who was next to me, because I. Just. Can't. It stained my skin purple. It stained all my thoughts with fear. It stained my peaceful self confidence with panic and shaking limbs. It'll be a few days till I'm on my feet again.

Not sentimental, no

Phoenix - Rome

[Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix]

The first minute of this song is kind of perfectly exquisite, typically Phoenixesque devastating, that something can really sound that freaking good, like for fuck's sake - I swear they're not even trying. Inimitable Phoenix! One of my favourite things to do is put Phoenix on in the car, at a party, on my iPod walking across uni and just getting that massive shit eating grin on my face cause Phoenix make perfection possible. And pop perfection is my favourite type of perfection.

[myspace]

[Phoenix website - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is out May 25th]

***

New video for Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix's leading single 'Lisztomania' - and it's really fucking good too.

And it feels like it should

[picture of Lockett Pundt from the Deerhunter blog awhile ago]

Woods - Rain On

I can't tell which pains in my chest are physical pains or not. All of me just aches. After a while it just feels like I'm trying to swallow all this rain at once.

[myspace]

[buy Songs of Shame]

Fall asleep to forget about, him

The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - Young Adult Friction

[The Pains of Being Pure At Heart]

I skipped uni the other day, I skipped my brother's birthday, I skipped my evening shift, seem unable to do the things that I can usually do. I took the car and drove three hours through magic dripping forests punctuated by small towns with skate parks and weird lights. While dusk was gathering around me this long road stretched out in front of me and a old ute rattled along stopping me from going the speed I wanted to, I accelerated and went to overtake, racing the car coming in the other direction. My foot is on the floor, I'm going faster than I ever had before and I can see the eyes of the guy coming the other way. Faster, faster. I just slip into the gap between the two cars with my eyes wide, my breath coming in short gasps, excited shakes, a wicked grin and an uncomfortable reaquaintance with I-BLAME-YOU nihilism. What the fuck.

Sorry guys, no more excuses, a few things have shaken my priorities around, but I'm back into a routine almost, so hopefully blogging more regularly will be too.

[Buy The Pains of Being Pure At Heart. If you haven't already, why haven't you? Seriously you shouldn't need me to tell you to buy this record.]

[Buy Young Adult Friction 7"]

[myspace]

Cheerleader

Fuck yes. Listen, oh listen, to that. It's magic.

It's so wrong, it's alright

Squinting pretty

Twin Sister - Ginger

I'm looking for purchase. Something to hold onto as shining, jangly guitars descend from dizzying heights to play around my ears in all my favourite colours. I think I'd like to hold onto you, cause that descent reminds me of the feeling I get when I see your feet in those shoes through the window on my doorstep. Those colours dance around you when you quirk the corner of your lip at me and when you bump your hip with mine and twist your foot in that shoe to that song. I'd like to hold onto you.

[from the fantastically lush Vampires with Dreaming Kids EP, which you can download FREE here]

[thanks Said the Gramophone]

Honey, do what you want cause I won't remember

[the impossible cool]

The Love Language - Sparxxx

[The Love Language]

Heads up guys, this is very special music. Ahhh you know when something come blasting into you life and fuck me you don't know how you did without it. This, at first, may seem unremarkable but it's like I love it for all the reasons I love Spoon and my friends - cause we're the good guys, the occasionally awkward but always charming... you know? We take a big mixture of beer soaked smiles, ramshackle guitars, cursory winks, unspoken debts, heart warming familiarity, worn out jeans, same streets, late nights, linked fingers, no direction, the balm for a broken heart, ruffled hair, wide eyed earnestness, hand rolled cigarettes, heated discussion, freckled skin, occasional seriousness quickly followed with upturned lips, friendships and relationships like twelve hundred year old foundations and new ones that speak promise over sparkling eyes and hearts of gold.

[on myspace/blogspot]

There's no time. We have nothing but time.

[lost the source]

Lotus Plaza - Quicksand


[The Floodlight Collective]


Hopefully there is some awesome Deerhunter-related release every year for the rest of my life, for the start of 2009 we have the first non-Bradford Cox centric release I've heard: the debut album from Cox's best friend, Deerhunter guitarist, song writer and multi instrumentalist Lockett Pundt. It's everything that's awesome about Deerhunter: guitar reverb with distinct pop aesthetics, ambience, warm melodies, compelling percussion and the exploration of alienation and introversion. This is my favourite type of music: slow revealing, warm, confessional and intensely personal.

[The Floodlight Collective is set for release on Kranky March 23]

And the shape of your knees

[here]

Vancouver - Shape Of Your Knees

[Download]

It started wearing down. Avoiding the landlord, breaking the keys, her humour left, his remained, she forgot to separate the whites, he was late, they ran out of coffee, the fish died, his Grandma died, he started smoking again and the gearbox broke, had to shift straight from second to fourth. Card was declined, earring broke, peck on the cheek, milk went off, forgotten birthdays, the weeds grew higher and higher between them till they were squinting through greenery to see each other, trying to remember smiles and kisses and the way she held his hand while they slept. 

[myspace]