We’ve got ourselves a real premiere here fellas, something never before heard by the common man. Before we get into it though, I had to guarantee 250 thou page views to get this exclusive so I’m going to need all five of you to share this round about 50 thousand times each. Cheers.

Leaks has been at this nigh on a year now and his past excursions into beat making have borne good fruit. The most recent of these was ‘I’m Glad You’re Still Here‘ wherein man of the minute Thomas Guide demonstrated his knack for generating beautifully aesthetic soundbeds. The beat clung to pitch shifted vocals like a teething child, but not a regular child, like a super developed teething child. Like a twenty two year old man, still teething. Like a full grown twenty two year old adult teething away like the womb wasn’t actually that far back. A fully developed beat hanging tight to that vocal but without any really strong topline. I know, agreed, a successful beat maker need not always concern him/herself with topline but so many of these producer(/vocalist) types have loftier goals than limited production and so too does Leaks, it seems. So sayeth this new song, anyway. The last was a warning shot to say “friends, I can string some sounds together very nicely indeed, maintain a safe distance and I’ll do you no harm’. This new one though, this is big business.

It’s called ‘Often It’s You’ and it sees the Leaks brand skyrocket in value with the addition of an unmolested vocal line delivered by, well, Leaks. Or Thomas, or whatever. It’s a rainy day anthem that doesn’t wallow too deeply in pessimism but holds to an ambivalent ‘sometimes’ sentiment. Beats are as they’ve been in the past (ie pretty swell) and the production is out of sight. It’s the same restraint that will stop this tearing up hype machine that’s also the most credible feature of the song. It all sees Thomas Guida move from super-bantam to featherweight and it’s now staring the Mundine’s of the music world straight in the teeth. With shifting weight classes come greater expectations but I’m confident he’ll deliver.

His second EP will be out through Zero Through Nine. Eventually. Just another coup for Melbourne, isn’t it. Keep yourself well oiled, there’s good things ahead from/for Leaks, mark my words.

‘Watch Me Turn Colourful’ sees a Morse code bassline carry an encrypted message of ‘All of you just simmer on down’ while smokey hi-hats just keep on keeping on. This is whiskey drinking music. This is crime solving music. These are some proper Carmen Sandiego super sleuth jams. No more than thirty seconds in Black Pews and I’d already helped vindicate Jeremy Hammond and convinced the global super-government that ‘Leaky Old Snowden’ was innocent of all charges. These are songs of justice and truth, piped to you direct from McKinnon, VIC.

Little while back I had feelings for a song by Yujen. It was called Heirloom. It was a staggered little number with chimes, an attractive round bass sound that was graceful in its simplicity and on the back of that good’n they’ve offered up another. I’ll just come out and say it: the part that’s going to be the headline for Yujen over the next few weeks is the guest Chetvox. The beardy-boy wonder Chet Faker is on this and feel for Yujen in that their (they’re a three-piece) reasonably long awaited resurgence is going to be veiled by bigboys vocals. Sadly, the beat end won’t even be the byline. Story two is that Chet just started his own label (interesting move on the back his own FC signing) with Jack Vanzet (aka Thrupence) under the name Detail Co. This new Yujen jam will spearhead things. I know I’m perpetuating the media misdirection by talking about the wrong aspects of this release but I’M GETTING TO IT, give me a sec.

As for the actual song itself (See? It was literally one sentence away), it’s strong. I made much of Chets vocals but the guy has a way about him that’s crazy charming. Sophisticated in delivery and though we’ve never really seen his range challenged, his tone is nothing if not saccharine smoothe. The beat is swollen with bass and not the kind that kicks in and out but one that remains a constant, padding the whale sounds and snare snaps. It’s warm and it’s easy but it doesn’t smack me with an irrefutable hook or particularly modern beat end so while the listening is sweet that’s as far as I’ll go. Really promising, but then so was the last. Let’s see what’s next.

Any opportunity to middle man your relationship with D.D. Dumbo is one I’ll readily take so it’s with no small pleasure that I share at you the new video for Tropical Oceans. Crash course for the uninitiated, old man Dumbo carried the win in my Best Australian Releases of 2012 list (a middling honour). Dude must have been so stoked with that result that he’s actually releasing the damn thing all over again, this time on vinyl. I would have loved to see a bonus track thrown on the release to spritz things up but who am I to argue with the Don Juan of twelve strings? You can order from the 250 vinyls that have been pressed (first batch have just shipped) or you can bide your time, watch the Tropical Oceans video THEN order. Just the two options friends, make your beds. Bonus points to Dumbo for spelling out what I’ve known for years, that dogs are better than humans but I won’t ruin the super massive twist. Where them humans at!?

Stop what you’re doing, you’ll need to hear this one because it’s unbearably attractive to the ears. Four songs in and for my money, Spirit Faces are there. On last single ‘Jupiter’ we heard massive Neil Young vibes and a honey voice, but this new one, this is the one that points at a release that’ll throw some unexpected hairpins turns when you were ready to drive straight through to Middle Dural. You guessed it, this is the Galston Gorge of songs. Tempo changes, guitars that make way for saxes that make way for guitars and a vocal that’s only half there when it’s there. That’s the rough makeup of what you’ll hear and all this with a raw edge that screams ‘one take recording’. Like everything they’ve released prior ‘Momentum’ is a free download and like everything prior it’s exceptional.