Okay, so my previous two music recommendations blogs have had a few Aussie bands playing some awesome music, so I thought this time I'd go all out Australiana and pull out some great home grown tunes that are overflowing with awesomeness.

This first song is from a dance music duo from Sydney, Pnau. The song is called embrace, and I LOVE THIS SONG SO MUCH. Seriously, get your dancing shoes on or go away and never communicate with me again. It's catchy as fuck, how can you not dance to it, or at least nod your head and shake your body in your chair a little?

.
/* */
John Butler Trio. Better Than. John Butler is a brilliant guitarist (actually, in this case he's playing the banjo). He's a bit of a hippie, weaving some meaningful lyrics into the music, and the John Butler Trio have stuck to their roots and remained as humble musicians trying to make the world a better place.

.
/* */
Now for some hip-hop. I used to be pretty anti-hip-hop, but I like listening to some of these Aussie hip-hop artists/groups. Hilltop Hoods, the Herd, this one's by a hip-hop singer from Perth called Drapht. The first song of his I heard was called Jimmy Recard. It was pretty catchy, but it didn't really hook me in. This one did. It's a more serious song, but he doesn't have that "yo I'm so badass" pretentious asshole tone to his voice that other hip-hop acts do, so his voice sounds more genuine and real. This song's called Falling.

.
/* */
The Presets. Another electronic duo who are, like Pnau, from Sydney. These guys are pretty awesome, the music having a strong driving beat, dancefloor tunes that are kinda badass. This song's off their latest album Apocalypso, it's called Talk Like That. Energetic, a little dark, a whole lot of fun.
Oh, ohh.

.
/* */
Now here's my all time favourite Aussie band, Melbourne trio The Living End. Part punkabilly, part alt. rock, these guys take their music to the max. Hollow bodied guitar, double bass, drums. They're brilliant musicians, in performance and composition, I haven't heard many bands that come close to what these guys have.
Here's "West End Riot" off their self titled 1998 debut album. Every time I hear this song I feel compelled to sing along. It's damn catchy, in that anarchistic punkabilly way. It's one of my favourite songs by these guys. Listen up, and listen loud.

.
/* */
And here's another mellow tune by Melbourne mellow pop rock band Augie March. This one's off their 2000 debut album, Sunset Studies. Here Comes the Night is a song that fluctuates and grows into the very thing that slow dances are made of. The vocals are warm and delicate, lyrics rolling sweetly off the tongue of lead singer Glenn Richards. This song is one you can easily close your eyes and drift away on.

.
/* */
Fourth Floor Collapse. These guys are from Perth, and they're not too well known, I'm afraid to say. They have some brilliant songs. They usually have quite a soft and slow style, not your typical radio hits, but they're a rare gem worth listening to. They've just released their fourth album, called Victoria, I'll definitely keep an eye out for it, as should everyone else. Here's their song; Sun, from their album "From the Cold". The sound quality is a bit of a bummer...

.
/* */
Another band out of Melbourne, punk rockers Bodyjar. They've been around for about 14 years, Lights Out is one of the string of catchy tunes off their self titled 2005 album. They're loud, they're riff-tastic, they're fun to listen to. Check it.

.
/* */
More Perth. More Rock. Birds of Tokyo. They've climbed quickly to mainstream success with their two albums, Day One and Universes. I can vouch that these albums are VERY good. Go buy them. ;D
Here's "Get Out" from Day One.

.
/* */
The Butterfly Effect. A hard rock/prog. rock band from Brisbane. They've just released a new album "Final Conversation of Kings", and this is the title song, "Final Conversation". It's damn awesome music, if you ask me.

.
/* */
And here's some good ol' West Australian folk rock. It's got a nice groove, it's got sweet vocals, it builds into a great song. The guitar is nice, and there's a harmonica! Lighthouse is a brilliant, catchy, exuberant song from the album "Up All Night". Enjoy! :)

.
/* */
Back into the rock music again, here's Karnivool. If you think the vocals are familiar, yes, that's the guy from Birds of Tokyo, he's just in a slightly heavier band. Off the album Themata, the song is Themata. It's like one giant chunk of awesome. It's heavy, it's powerful and driving. I love it with an almighty passion. It's got a huge sound, I'm half expecting massive beasts to lunge out and rip off my head. It's that awesome.

.
/* */
From Perth, all the way across the country to Sydney, here's Cog with the song "What If". It starts out pretty slow, and builds into a killer rock chorus. This song's off their second album, Sharing Space.

.
/* */
Some light punk music with Something With Numbers. Off their "Engineering the Soul" album, here's their song; Stay with me Bright Eyes. The music is upbeat and fun, the vocals are pretty cheesy, but catchy as hell. The chorus is a wonderful blast of music. It's a cool tune to listen to. This band's pretty good, but I don't like the lead singer's hair. =P

.
/* */
That's just about it. I'll hopefully see a few of these bands live on February 1st in Perth for the Big Day Out Show. The Living End, Birds of Tokyo, Cog, Pendulum's going to be there too. I can't wait for BDO '09, it's going to be awesome.

Also, here's something by an unsigned Australian artist, based in Western Australia, this is Prologue, by WritersBlock. LOLZ. Hope you enjoyed all the music. I <3 supporting the Australian musicians.

.
/* */