The one man-band that is Tim Fitz is producing some pretty beautiful songs. When you download his Infinite Space EP (and you will, because it’s the always pleasing combination of awesome and free) you’ll quickly realise that Tim Fitz doesn’t stick to one single style or genre. The guy can play more instruments than I can name and I can name heaps of instruments. He’s a 20-something year old Sydneysider and he’s getting stronger with every release. I’d give you a track from his earlier EP but it doesn’t hold a candle to his most recent. Enjoy.

Tim Fitz – Disposable Youth

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What happens when an 11 year old African American girl collides with a middle-aged, bearded Irishman? Nope, not criminal charges, the answer is James Vincent McMorrow covering Willow Smith’s Whip My Hair. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry as I listen to this but either way, it’s an interesting artefact showing where two very different streams of music are at in 2011.

James Vincent McMorrow – Whip My Hair

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Today is the one year anniversary of Sound Doctrine but you wouldn’t know it by looking at it right!? It’s also the one year anniversary of East to West blog so happy anniversary to Holly over there. I created this blog exactly one year ago with the intention of making myself more appealing to women and I think we can all agree that it’s a case of mission accomplished.

I’ve been saving this pearl for a special ocassion and today is that ocassion. I’ve been calling Anathallo my “favourite band” since 2006. It’s a contentious title that has to’d and fro’d over those years with the likes of The Middle East, Sufjan and The Tallest Man on Earth all centimeters away.

Anathallo released three EPs (available now as one compilation) before releasing two records that would heavily shape my current tastes: Floating World and Canopy Glow.

I could write an eternity on why I love these two records but I’ll keep it to this. The first, Floating World, was written on the back of a Japanese tour and is the most earthed, culturally tasteful, understated piece of folk music I have in my collection. The track names to the drum sounds are demonstrative of the Japanese influence and it’s truly something else. It’s worth keeping in mind that this record dropped before the folkwave had crashed violently upon our musical shores. I probably could have used more tasteful imagery in a pragraph referencing Japan.

Anathallo – Hanasakajiji (Four: A Great Wind, More Ash

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Anathallo – Kasa No Hone

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Absent on Canopy Glow is the Japanese influence that has kept Floating World so separate from much of the chaff that would come after it. Nonetheless, it still crescendos amazingly and is arranged like little else out there. Here’s two more winners.

Anathallo – Noni’s Field

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Anathallo – The River

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[FREE MP3]

I’ve already written too much. Just quietly celebrate a year of Sound Doctrine with me.

I’ve been sweating it out in anticipation of Chris Brown’s 2011 release F.A.M.E. Finally, FINALLY, it’s out. Obviously I’m messing with you. But shame on you for thinking that I’d write about Chris Brown just because I’m a MASSIVE DEAL in the record industry these days. Yeah, I’m talking to you Tim Watkins.

Here is a little something something to make up for getting your hopes up with all that Chris Brown talk. Hopefully this is more your sort of thing. It’s a band that Katie Brown introduced me to yesterday afternoon called Yellow Ostrich. Hopefully they won’t mind that I haven’t used their official press image.

They’re a New York trio and one of the three is formerly of Beirut so they come preloaded with indie-cred. It’s kind of what I imagine it would sound like if Taylor Rice from Local Natives had a solo project.. Their album is a sometimes chirpy/sometimes experimental thing called The Mistress. Sadly the digital album is exclusive to eMusic (which means it’s almost off limits to any Australians save the few still holding their eMusic account). They have two other EP that are free on their bandcamp which I’ve not listened to yet. Someone download the pair and fill me in.

Yellow Ostrich – I’ll Run

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Yellow Ostrich – Whale

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[FREE DOWNLOAD]

Sometimes I read back over my own posts and I wonder what the hell I’m thinking.

James Vincent McMorrow – If I Had a Boat

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James Vincent McMorrow – Early In The Morning

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IRISH BON IVER. THERE. I SAID IT. As if it hasn’t already been said enough already. Just to prove my point, here are some blogs that have uncreatively referred to James Vincent McMorrow in such a manner:
Yours Truly, Swear I’m Not Paul, Hear Ya, Quit Mumbling, Rcrd Lbl, Decently Dope. People have told me that blogging is all about collaborations (especially music blogging) and that by being antagonistic to other blogs I’m burning bridges that I may want to figuratively cross later on. To those people I say this: Bridges are stupid and I don’t need them. I can cross bodies of water using the sheer breadth of my stride. Does that sound like the type of dude who needs the help of other blogs? I DIDN’T THINK SO. And even if I couldn’t, is it so implausible that I might rent a boat? Even if the Sydney Harbour Bridge collapsed in on itself from the sheer arrogance of the Oprah ‘O’ that disgraced it late last year there’d be no strife. I’d wander my way through the tunnel we ploughed beneath the harbour.

What I’m trying to say by all this is that he writes nice songs. He’ll be all over your radar by the end of 2011. He’s been written about time after time these past six months and he’s the sort of prodigious talent that can’t help but get massive and you know how I feel about singer-songwriter types.