There have been whispers that old man Faith is back in the game with another cracker and they’re right. Dead right. I’m here with a surefire winner. High Highs is the name of the artist and the team at Sound Doc are truly enamored. We’ve all been talking amongst each other about the harmony, the reverb, the haunting vocals, the Deathcabian acoustic tones and the fact that they’re Australian, initially hailing from Sydney though they now perform out of New York. Download two songs free of charge from their Unearthed page.

Having just visited their facebook page I’ve noticed that five of my friends have already ‘liked’ this band. So to Samantha Howell, Zak Kaczmarek, Patrick Wall, Nicola Robinson and Peter Covington, thanks for taking some of the wind out of my sails.

Remember Sleepyhands? Yeah you do! They’re a fan favourite here at Sound Doc and they’re back with a free Christmas tune for you to download for free without paying because it’s Christmas and because you’ve earned it for passing three out of your four subjects at uni this semester. Don’t get too excited though, you’re going to have to retake Geopolitics next year. Serves you right for spending 13 weeks of lectures drawing geometric shapes on your lined pad. Also, why did you bring just a pencil to the exam? It’s not multiple choice, idiot. Next time we’ll know better, won’t we. Listen and be merry.

Sleepyhands – Noel

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

There’s exciting rumblings going on beneath the surface for Sleepyhands at the moment so keep your ear to the ground over the next few months. What I can say for sure though, is that they should be appreciated live. You can mark these dates into your moleskines: December 17 at the Spectrum and January 15 at Oxford Art.

Magic Man won’t blow your mind. They’re crazy accessible in a dreamy, electronic, chilled, adjectival, retro way. There’s some 64 bit bleeps and blips, vocals that fall somewhere between Vampire Weekend and Antarctica Takes It and not much else in the way of instrumentation. It’s the type of thing I can see myself falling asleep to. Obviously I realise that that could be understood to be a criticism but I mean it in the best possible way. It’s the type of thing I could intentionally fall asleep to. You can thank Tom Lingafelter as you download his 10 track record for free.

Magic Man – Daughter

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Jonathan Boulet – You’re A Animal

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

[FREE DOWNLOAD via Stereogum]

I don’t know why so much is made of the fact that Jonathan Boulet is 22. It’s not that young. Old mate from Tim & Jean is 12 or something, isn’t he? That‘s young. Two things should be said though: when I say 12 I’m exaggerating and Jonathan Boulet has more than the combined talent of Tim AND Jean.

After releasing his hugely successful self titled debut album, Boulet is back with a new single called You’re A Animal. While I don’t absolutely love the recording you can bank on it being enormous live. The first time I saw J. Boulet was at Manning Bar late last year in support of the recently discussed Middle East. The energy of his live show was pretty attractive so I can’t wait to see how the pace of this You’re A Animal fits into his set. You can catch the tail end of the You’re A Animal Tour on any of the below dates.

December 3 – Newcastle – CBD Hotel
w/ Grace Woodroofe, Nova and the experience

December 4 – Sydney – Beach Road Hotel
w/ Grace Woodroofe, Megastick Fanfare

December 9 – Brisbane – Alhambra Hotel
w/ Grace Woodroofe, Sunshine Ensemble

December 10 – Adelaide – Uni Bar
w/ Grace Woodroofe, Jimmy and the Mirrors, East End Villians

December 17 – Melbourne – The East Brunswick Club
w/ Grace Woodroofe, The Parking Lot Experiment

I could find next to no information about him, so without wasting time, here’s what I assume to be an accurate though unconfirmed backstory to Leon Sommer.

Leon Sommer was conceived in 1984 as, having won $20 on a $1 scratchcard, his parents celebrated with drunkenness and accidental impregnation. Fast forward 7 years. It’s 1991 (simple math). A seven year old Leon Sommer first picks up a guitar. Within 11 minutes he’d written his first song, a wonderful track titled ‘Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Salmon!’. Lyrically it was exactly what people needed to hear at that time but another fifteen minutes later he recorded the track using a MacBook, some straw and several paper cups, renaming it ‘Sun Looks’. Shortly afterwards Leon was signed to Sony BMG. After a falling out between label and artist a lengthy court case ensued which left Sun Looks bound up in legal proceedings until mid 2010. Finally, Sony traded the rights to Sun Looks for several magic beans and Leon was able to take control of his music once more. In the August this year Leon Sommer was awarded the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize for his work in astrology, having found the 13th sign of the zodiac. Leon now resides in Geneva where he is simultaneously the assistant to the UN secretary general and world bantam-weight boxing champion.

Leon Sommer – Sun Looks

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

If you want to hear more from the man, the myth, the legend, then visit his bandcamp. His most recent collection of tracks is available for download with the option of paying nothing or something. I recommend you at least give him something. Heads up courtesy of Holly at East to West.