PLAY4ME PICKS: Top 5 Upcoming CDs!

There's been recent discussion over at out new Facebook page about the quality of new CD releases at the moment... Well, this has inspired me to put together a list of our Top 5 Upcoming CDs that we're most excited about at the moment:

1. Portishead: Third

Almost everyone has a Portishead story. Can you remember the first time you heard Glory box? I can. The album Dummy is a staple in any CD collection, its one of those timeless albums - it didn't sound like anything else when it came out in '94 and in 2008 it still doesn't.

Every year since it came out I revisit it. I feel like my feelings towards Dummy have changed over the last 10 years to the point where I can look back at each year and think something like, "In 2004, I lived in that house, with those people, I was working at that job and at that point hearing Dummy made me sad and reminded me of that person", or "in 1998, Dummy relaxed me, I went to sleep listening to it almost every night" etc...

Their third album, aptly titled "Third" comes out on the 28th of April. And none of us Play4mesters can wait!

Order yours now

2. Madonna: Hard Candy

Everyone DOES have a Madonna story (more so than Portishead even). Did you dance with your high school sweetheart to Crazy For You at your school formal? Did you get a bit silly once and sing Like A Virgin at a karaoke bar? When you're home alone, do you secretly sing Don't Cry For Me Argentina at the top of your voice into your hairbrush? Do you get a little teary when This Used To Be My Playground plays in A League Of Their Own (the later is just me, isn't it)?

Whether you'd call yourself a Madonna fan or not, almost everyone is interested to hear what she'll do next. Hard Candy comes out on the 28th of April too.

Order yours here

3. Flight Of The Conchords: Flight Of The Conchords

Grammy award winning Kiwis, Flight of the Conchords have a new album of folky, poppy hilarity out tomorrow! We've had a sneak preview listen and its fantastic! Have a little listen yourself over here. And, if you order your copy now - you'll get a free badge and sticker.

Order yours here

4. The Audreys: When The Flood Comes

Fresh faced ARIA award winners The Audreys are back! We've had a little sneak preview listen to this one too and confirm that Audreys fans will not be disappointed. Have a listen here. The album comes out on the 21st of April.

Order yours here

5. Shihad: Beautiful Machine

Imagine rock music in Australia without Shihad! I can't remember a time when Shihad weren't playing gigs all over town. Their seventh album, Beautiful Machine is out on the 19th of May. We've heard it and can testify that its everything you want from a Shihad album. For a preview listen, head on over here. Beautiful Island is available as a standard single disc edition and as a limited edition double CD.

Order yours here

If you want to see our full Top 10 list of Upcoming CDs, head on over here.

V-Festival

A few of us Play4me-sters headed over to Melbourne's V-Festival on Saturday. The V-Fest line-up included acts like: Robyn, Hot Hot Heat, Duran Duran, The Smashing Pumpkins, Jesus & Mary Chain, Roisin Murphy, Modest Mouse, The Presets, CSS, Queens Of The Stone Age and Air.


The first person to comment and tell us who their V-Festival highlight was and why, will score a $5 play4me voucher. Don't forget to leave your email address. Alternatively, if you didn't go - tell us who you would have liked to have seen the most.

Because we LOVE to tell you about ourselves, here are our favourites from Saturday:

Anthea hearted HOT HOT HEAT the most:

I was honestly a bit scared about seeing Hot Hot Heat play in 2008. I last saw them play in 2005 and it was probably my favourite gig of that year. It was one of those nights where every part of my night was brilliant. So, when looking back - I wondered whether the band were actually as good as I thought they were, or if I just had a great night which made them seem spectacular.

So, I was worried that seeing them again could potentially tarnish that memory. But, that was not the case at all! They made me remember how much I loved them. Its a cliche to talk about how much "on-stage energy" a band has, but it has to be said about Hot Hot Heat. Their singer, Steve Bays is a little firecracker on stage! He (and his hair) bounced all around the stage, inspiring the crowd to indulge in some indie-kid stlye dancing with their hands above their heads (this was most notable during "Bandages")... And then to air-cowbell during their cowbell fuelled number, "Talk To Me, Dance With Me"... And then to panto'-dance during "Goodnight, Goodnight".....

Five starts to Hot Hot Heat from me! They made me remember how fun it is to be an indie-kid.

(NB: When I've referred to "the crowd" dancing, I might've just meant me)

Steve hearted ROBYN the most:

Having seen Robyn perform twice before in the past six months, I wasn't expecting anything new from the Swedish queen of cool, but in her usual fashion, she was full of surprises! Smack bang in the middle of playing the hits from her 2005 (released in Oz in late 2007) self titled album, the pop dynamo got her sass on and performed a medley of tracks - Neneh Cherry's "Buffalo Stance", Salt n' Pepa's "Push It" and her latest collaboration with US rapper Snoop Dogg "Sexual Eruption". While the medley was definitely a highlight for me, the show stopper was her worldwide hit "With Every Heartbeat" complete with no chorus and big swirling string section which erupted blissfulness. She certainly knows what it takes.

Daniel hearted QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE the most:

The last time I saw Queens of the Stone Age, I copped a stray boot to the head from a lovely chap crowd surfing. Whilst I can't remember much of it, my friends tell me it was, apparently, one of the best festival sets I have ever seen. So it was with high expectation that I headed toward that (or was it this?) stage - joining Josh Homme and co. already a couple of songs into a ripping set. QOTSA sure didn't disappoint. Little Sister and Feel Good Hit Of The Summer definite highlights - with plenty of tracks from Era Vulgaris, Rated R and Songs For the Deaf peppering the set list.

Lauren hearted ROISIN MURPHY the most:

You know what makes us happy here at Play4me, aside from chocolate and salt 'n' vinegar chips? Aha, yup - costume changes. Costume changes of the highest order. And thank god for Roisin Murphy, who was a clear stand out at V Festival 2008 and probably the only performer to don more than one outfit during her barely there performance on Saturday. She accessorised like a champion moving between visors, wooly coats, bondage-esque tassles and spherical head pieces that would make Philip Treacy stand up and take note. But more impressive was her fancy footwork and amazing live vocals. Touring on the back of her 2nd album, Overpowered, the set was a good mix of old vs. new. Opening with the Moloko track, Cannot Contain This, she also belted out a few tunes from her first album, Ruby Blue, much to the delight of the Matthew Herbert fans in the audience. In a word - show stopper.

Newbies That Are Hits 'Round Here

Here are some of the new releases that are getting flogged in the Play4me HQ this month...:

The Anthems (Various Artists)

This is a true selection of modern "indie" classics. I've done a fair bit of DJ-ing at Melbourne's Indie clubs and I think from now on, I will have this on hand everytime I DJ. This CD is a perfect representation of the songs most commonly requested at said indie club nights.

It features the obvious ones:

Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out
Kaiser Chiefs - I Predict A Riot

The Killers - Mr Brightside
The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army
LCD Soundsystem - Datf Punk Is Playing At My House

And the less obvious choices:

Modest Mouse - Dashboard (I think this should've been number 1 on Triple J's lattest Hottest 100 - it is everything that an indie anthem should be)
The Doves - Pounding
The Prodigy - Voodoo People

The Zutons - Valerie

And then, the second disc concludes perfectly with David Bowie's Heroes. What a perfect song to have your final dance/pantomime to at 3am when the club is closing and you know it's now time to go home...

Grab your copy here

Soundwave 2008 (Various Artists)

Play4me was well represented at this year's Soundwave Festival, oodles of us who work here headed over to this year's festival with our horns raised. Relive the highs of the festival by whacking the CD on and listening to bands like:

The Offspring
Alexisonfire
Carpathian
Killswitch Engage

Don't forget to put your horns up even if you're just listening at home - you've gotta stay true to Soundwave.

Grab your copy here

Supergrass - Diamond Hoo Ha

Indie pop rock greats, Supergrass who brought us all such dance-floor joy with hits like "Pumping On Your Stereo", "Alright" and "Caught By The Fuzz" have returned! They get a little more raw and dirrrrrty on this one than usual. You can almost head the squelching of pub carpet sticking to shoes in the background on Diamond Hoo Ha.
I do get excited when bands can continue their career for as long as Supergrass, good on 'em I say. I'm glad to be on a planet that has embraced Supergrass so much.

Grab your copy & listen to the album here

Eels - Meet The Eels: Essential Eels

The Eels are one of my favourite bands in the world and I can't wait to see them when they return down under at the end of April. This collection of Eels hits is perfect for those ready to discover them, and the accompanying DVD is perfect for those (like me) who want to know more about them and about Mr E.

The CD has a good mix of songs released over the many years that they've been making music including the live (with strings) version of Dirty Girl, which is so amazing that it makes me contemplate giving up everything because I'll never be as good at anything as the Eels are at making music.

On the DVD, Mr E provides audio commentary (while regularly pausing to ask his dog to share his thoughts too). Its dangerous territory when artists critique their own work - quite often, you just want them to create it and leave it as is (are you reading this Eskimo Joe? Sweater was your greatest song - stop denying it!) but other times, its reassuring and hilaaarious. Hearing Mr E talk about how he regrets ever calling himself "Mr E" and how much he hates the "Susan's House" video - is brilliant. He just gets to.

Grab your copy & listen to the album here

Foals - Antidotes

To believe, or not to believe...that truly is the question regarding The Foals, the latest must-hear band outta the UK. That which we call the UK hype-machine (aka The British Music Press) has been in overdrive since mid-last year, reporting, retorting and rallying behind the Oxford quintet, and finally the debut album has arrived. Antidotes has been described as math-rock, puzzle-pop, and new-wave dance rock pop - who'd have guessed that there could be any more 'super-genres' in the world. But us Play4Me folk reckon it's just good ol' pop music, the kind that makes you want to get up and wiggle your hips and twinkle your toes. Make special note of Balloons, the first single off the album which may just be a contender for single of the year.

Grab your copy here