That’s right, everyone’s favourite A.D.D. party masher Girl Talk has announced two Big Day Out sideshows for next year in Melbourne and Sydney.  Read on for the dates.

Wednesday 20th January
Melbourne – The Palace

Monday 25th January
Sydney – Enmore Theatre

Tickets go on sale this Friday 13th November at 9am over at Ticketek so don’t muck about as this will sell out much like the Big Day Out festivals have…

To sign off, enjoy one of Bunny Greenhouse’s music video for the track “In Step”. Do check check out the rest of the videos in his ambitous project of mashing up all the music videos  to the tracks off Girl Talk’s album, Feed The Animals.

So the first line-up for what many thought would be the last St Jerome’s Laneway festival has been announced and I’ve gotta say it does look pretty good:

• Echo & The Bunnymen
• Florence & The Machine
• Black Lips
• The xx
• Daniel Johnston
• Sarah Blasko
• N.A.S.A.
• Eddy Current Suppression Ring
• Hockey
• Dappled Cities
• Mumford & Sons
• Radioclit
• The Very Best
• Wild Beasts
• Whitley
• The Middle East
• Kid Sam
• The Dirty Three

Mumford & Sons leaked earlier this week in a Tripe J interview that they’d be in the country for a “laneway” festival so that pretty much confirmed for me that the festival was still one… Definitely pretty keen to see Florence & The Machine, The xx, Radioclit, The Very Best (makes sense since Radioclit is there…), Hockey and of course N.A.S.A. So where has it moved to you may ask?

Farewell to the stinky lanes and hello to the banks of the Maribyrnong River...

Why the Footscray Community Arts Centre… No laneways in sight at all but at least we’ve been told the debacle of lockouts this year’s festival will no longer be an issue… I might as well list the dates and venues for the rest of country also:

Brisbane – Friday 29th January @ Alexandria St off St Paul’s Terrace, Fortitude Valley
Melbourne – Saturday 30th January @ Footscray Community Arts Centre
Sydney – Sunday 31st January @ Sydney College of the Arts
Auckland, New Zealand – Monday 1st February @ Britomart Station
Adelaide – Friday 5th February @ Fowler’s Live, North Terrace
Perth – Saturday 6th February @ Cultural Centre, Northbridge

Looks like the festival will make an appearance over in NZ also. Tickets go on sale next Friday 30th October at 9am from the Green Tix website.

Another week and another batch of music. Pretty short entry this week with a focus on a few melancholic tracks that have been out for quite some time now but continue to get some regular airplay from myself. Anyway, onto the music…

Midlake – Roscoe

Midlake is not Uncle Sam's answer to Radiohead...

Often compared to Radiohead because of their similar take on sound and influences, Midlake tend to use more use of synths combined with a song writing style emphasising on evokative imagery. Yes I know Tim Smith sounds like Thom Yorke but then you could compare Interpol’s Paul Banks to Joy Division’s Ian Curtis, Muse’s Matt Bellamy  to Jeff Buckley etc. Let’s face it, whatever the comparison it sounds great.

Anyway, while I absolutely love this version off the album “The Trials of Van Occupanther” I do suggest you give the  Beyond The Wizard’s Sleeve (BTWS) remix of the track a whirl also. Rather than butchering the original, they’ve stripped away the hopeless angst and built on the wispy, dream-like sounds to create something that is even more soothing on the soul. Love the reverse guitar sampling embedded in the track. In case you’re wondering, BTWS is a side-project comprising of electronic producers Erol Alkan (here for Parklife yeah!) and Richard Norris. So enough ranting from me, you can judge the remix yourself by getting it HERE.

Scott Matthews – Elusive

Scott Matthews looking a little more cheery here

This one is a bit of an oldie now, well I guess 2006 is considered old now right? So yeah, “Elusive” was the lead single off Scott Matthews debut album “Passing Stranger” and hearing it today it still gives me the same beautiful yet, haunting feel it did back then. I suppose I could rant on about the lyrics and what they mean to me and shit but  a) that’d be too emo me (is that still in these days?) and b) I’d hate to sway your opinion before you’ve actually had a chance to listen to the track… If you do dig this track, have a dig around for the entire album and maybe look into his new one “Elsewhere” which was released earlier this year.

Bon Iver – Blood Bank

Bon Iver now back from the wilderness...

So Bon Iver is the last on my list of woe and melancholy for this week. “Blood Bank” comes off the EP of the same name and features tracks that didn’t make the cut on Justin Vernon’s debut release “For Emma, Forever Ago”. Anyway, while this track has the trademarks of the debut album it’s a little more upbeat and warm.

Righty-O! That should wrap up this week’s depressing selection of tunes.  As always, if you dig the artist/music the go buy it whether physical/digital and go see them live. Your conscience and the artists will love you more for it!