Beg Your Pardon

... But do imports just do it better? Seems like all the big players these days are hailing from abroad. Based on the success of the latest Radiohead and Coldplay releases one might wonder if American music still exists. Maybe it's not such a new trend though. The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Clash, U2, Pink Floyd ... ringing any London/Dublin bells? However, what began as this audioholic's European fixation has migrated southwest for the duration. Perhaps in pursuit of tanner, more muscle clad men with a bigger investment in oral hygiene, my interest has found itself a new home on the shores of surfer central; the land down under, and title of the new Baz Luhrman production, Australia herself.

It's no secret that my taste flew south for the summer occasionally. How else would I know about/love AC/DC, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and in more recent years, Jet, Youth Group, and The Vines. Still its more contemporary acts that have been catching my two cents (or .99 - fascist itunes) lately. So for all you mates interested in Crocodile Dundeeing up a bit musically, here's an all Aussie mixtape for you. Just don't go hating New Zealanders all of a sudden. Kiwis made Flight of the Conchords; they can't be far away from genius.

PS. Aussie Slang for you.
Slag = Slut
Pash = Kiss
Boot = Trunk
Get Stuffed = Self-Explanatory

Josh Pyke - Beg Your Pardon [ysi]
My favorite new artist to chillax to. This song is irresistibly sweet, heartfelt, and oddly addicting. It's funny how you can miss someone/Even when they're sitting next to you/So I profess that loneliness isn't always by company, cured/ ... But oh no, around you I forget behavior/But if I begged your pardon might I once again be in your favor?/I know that I'm not the one of whom you think at night/But I know I/Presume to think I made you think of me right now
Red Riders - I Think You're Blind [ysi]
These boys know how to use a hook - line, and sinker. Though the ambiguity of their lyricism has me still scratching my head at certain phrases, I'm too busy singing along to this jam to notice. There's money so dirty/That I can't stand to touch it/It's not unusual this kind of crime/I think you're blind/I'd rather die
Youth Group - On a String [ysi]
I hang by a thread/Oh, let's go to bed/And get ourselves by
The Crayon Fields - Living So Well [ysi]
The Moldy Peaches meets The Decemberists. Add a little prep-school electronica and stir.
The Panics - Ruins [ysi]
I'm close enough to know you're near/But not enough to make it real/Have I become like all the others here/A ruin?/The deepest of all fears
Lowrider - Faded Dreams [ysi]
Machine Translations - You'll Change [ysi]
The Audreys - Small Things
Evermore - Light Surrounding You [ysi]
Red Riders - Crawl Back Baby [ysi]
Youth Group - Skeleton Jar[ysi]
The Boat People - Awkward Orchid Orchard
The Panics - Don't Fight It [ysi]
I left my heart in places/Forgot everyone of their faces/And tried to navigate a broken path of which I may have helped create/In any incident, this is never no accident/To stand alone and let the silence make itself at home

Peace Love and Hot Australian Surfer Boys, LTk