Local Artists:

100 %: You Are 100% (Moontown Records)
- These Brisbane synth-poppers have been putting so much effort into their craft since the release of their self-titled cassette, on Moontown Records. And now, the trio make a return to Moontown with this release on 12", entitled "You Are 100%". The release has such an etheral quality that it is very easy to lose yourself in the spacious synth work, and stark drum machine rhythms. Singer Lena Molnar's vocal delivery is nothing short of haunting, sometimes fading away into the background, before reappearing at the forefront in a fragmented fashio. Otherworldly and mournful, a great release. (Lee Evans)

Drag Mondays: The Reaper (Single) (Indie)
- Oh to bathe in the skizzling shimmer of noisy drones. Gold Coasters, Drag Mondays are conjuring some wildly dirgey sludge. Don’t be fooled by it’s lo fi approach, it’s level of control in wielding feedback is an ice cold talent. Think Alan Vega fronting Sunn O))). (Nick Rodwell)

Faux Bandit: Kill The Comedown Bug (Single) (Indie)
- Loud, tight and technical alt-rock. For some reason it reminds me of Spiderbait, but with a lot more teeth. Good. (Chris Cobcroft)

Kenta Hayashi X Matt Hsu: Tap Water (Single) (Healthy Forest)
- Japanese experimental rocker Kenra Hayashi and The Mouldy Lovers’ Matt Hsu took time out from touring together to create this. It’s a reworking of Hayashi’s original which he usually bangs out on lap guitar. Now it sounds like a glorious jumble of instruments -mostly courtesy of Matt- doing old school folktronica, but building to bigger rocking, melodramatic peaks than usual. Pretty nice if you’re into that slightly twee sort of thing. (Chris Cobcroft)

That Field Of Red Flowers Is Actually A Grass Fire: That Field Of Red Flowers Is Actually A Grass Fire (Songs are forever)
- Quiet and peaceful for post-rock, this little EP by one man band Andrew Foley is graceful and ethereal, even when it reaches those soaring guitar peaks that post-rock must. (Chris Cobcroft)

Kerbside Collection: Trash or Treasure Remixed (Legere)
- Kerbside's rather-good second full-length of jazz-funk has been given an expansive remix treatment. Some of it's subtle electro-funk, some of it's hip hop and other downbeat, some's disco (smooth, Renegades Of Jazz, smooth), some's electro a-la 1979 (nice work Two Dee) and some's Latin psych-tronica (Sampology, I should have known). Quite impressive, really. (Chris Cobcroft)

Mad Article: Better Without You Feat. Kate Wild (Single) (Indie)
- Is it house, is it nu-disco? It's heavy diva action first and foremost for sure. Kate Wild's voice is a big instrument, but agile too. The house beats are so classic and full-on, meeting Kate measure for measure. It's almost a little cheesy, but this one of those cases where it just works. (Chris Cobcroft)

May Lyn: Escape (Single) (Dub Temple)
- The Brisbane-based Malaysian producer-performer has a quite seductive new single. Her quietly smokey vocal sounds like it could front a latter day Sneaker Pimps, but the downtempo beats are better than that. The synths are initially lilting and actually quite haunting before May turns up the distortion and morphs into a menacing quasi-trap. More like this please. (Chris Cobcroft)

Rafael Karlen: Trace (Pinnacle)
- After pulling down a Churchill Fellowship earlier this year, local Sax player Rafael Karlen has been busy, travelling the world to seek out inspiration for his music and consequently laying down this full-length, Trace, with a little help from pianist Steve Newcomb and guitarist Toby Wren. It's a gently melancholy affair, but one that's also rather suave. It's that same sort of attraction that made French existentialists seem like rock stars back in the day. (Chris Cobcroft)

River Heads: Lovers of Brisbane (Single) (Indie)
- Once of The Casuarinas and The Courier Mail, Noel Mengel’s introductory glimpse into his solo effort, River Heads, is a hometown reverie swimming in a reflective lilt. Minimal and evocative of a life lived passionately, this single generates great intrigue. (Nick Rodwell)

Sun Sap: Hanging Heart (Single) (Future Popes)
- Over the past couple of years there has been a steady offering of tight rock‘n’roll rising out of NSW south coast. Sun Sap are next out of the area and are of the the 60’s garage variety They have their shit together. Brittle, raucus and excitable, the grit and raw power in this one is commendable. (Nick Rodwell)

Australian Artists:

Various Artists: Eat Your Friends: A Hidden Shoal Compilation (Hidden Shoal)
- West Australian label Hidden Shoal is, perenially, a really interesting source of experimental rock, post-rock, electronics and, really, all sorts of other things. Their roster takes in artists from here and abroad who are only really united by the fact that they all fly a bit beneath the radar; it always means there's unexpected, fascinating things waiting to be discovered in Hidden Shoal's discography. This holiday season compilation is great example: featuring a bunch of the label's artists remixing or covering other members of the roster. Well worth your time. (Chris Cobcroft)

Caroline No: No Language (Indie / Worldnewsrecords)
- Recorded impromptu with a single microphone, Caroline No releases No Language and it's a breath of fresh air. This release manages to capture the raw creativity and expression, before the stage of constant overdubs to nail the take. Perfectly imperfect. (Lee Evans)

Dag: Guards Down (Single) (Bedroom Suck)
- Dag continue to establish themselves as one of the jangly bands actually worth listening to. Easygoing pop with a little bit more depth than you might expect, taken from an album, The Benefits Of Solitude, due early next year. (Chris Cobcroft)

department.: Crashed (Single) (Indie)
- From Melbourne’s raucously garage-punk Bad Vision comes department. They’re a somewhat cleaner, hints-of-new-wave, if-only-Elvis-Costello-were-one-of-us type of garage rock. Full of ragged charm and free of bullshit. Top notch. (Nick Rodwell)

Fight The Morning: Summer Of Love (Single) (Indie)
- This fiery new track from female fronted punk rock band Fight The Morning will spice up your summer with its punchy guitar riffs, fast and relentless drums, and gut wrenching vocals. The clarity of lead singer Gromits' voice is a step away from the usual grungey vocals in this genre, and creates an emotional sound to drive the point home once and for all. Great track. (Olivia Shoesmith)

Fortunes: 501's (salute remix) (Single) (Future Classic)
- The original 501's was the perfect accompaniment to the impending endless summer. Salute has somehow managed to elevate this to a new level, while still maintaing the vibe of the original. Sparse percussion lays the foundation, as the interplay of synth sounds pepper the laidback remix. (Lee Evans)

Howlite: Reasons (The A&R Department)
- Full of dark ballads, experimental sounds, and gut wrenching vocals that are reminiscent of Florence + The Machine, or AURORA, the crafty tunes and lyrics from this Melbourne songstress wind themselves around darkly produced avant garde ballads. Anxiety ridden tracks explore the triviality of life, death and existence in a disturbingly satisfying way. (Olivia Shoesmith)

Jai Pyne: Certainty (Single) (Turktown)
- The dance beats are loungey, funky and the whole thing feels like you're hearing through a heat-haze. Jai's falsetto floats to you over the gentle synths and sampled lorikeets, begging for relief from it all. A funky balm for the summer. (Chris Cobcroft)

James Moloney And The Mad Dog Harrisons: Raleigh St (Indie)
- Yearning rock that could've been laid down in the studio any time in the last three decades. Has the urgency of Hunter And Collectors, but the dusty thoughtfulness of Paul Kelly and the chops to do a bit of justice to both. (Chris Cobcroft)

Lisa Richards: You Got The Power (Single) (Footstomp)
- Work up your self-esteem to this minimal jive. Lisa Richards may well be larger than she sounds as she sings of empowerment of a understated, jazz-styled roots number with the groove only helping to embed the mantra. (Nick Rodwell)

Martin King: Pepsi (Single) (Good Manners)
- Strong house vibes aplenty on this new track by Martin King. Amazing progression, and clean production values really drive this track home. Littered with pitched up vocals cuts and a funky bassline. (Lee Evans)

Megastick Fanfare: Nighs (Indie)
- An unexpected return from the Sydney experimental rockers. A fast-paced, even break-neck collection of avant-pop-rockers. The tension never relents even when the tempo does creep down a couple of notches. Full of sharp corners and hard edges, uncertainty and paranoia. Clearly the perfect Christmas time soundtrack. (Chris Cobcroft)

NO ZU: Body2Body (A Certain Ratio Do The Du ZU Mix) (Single) (Chapter)
- This is a stylish addition: foundational English post-punks get their hands on the throwback, no-wave funk of Melbourne's NO ZU. It gains both a muscular, funk-rock feel and also a new housey danceability. It's a credit to everyone involved. (Chris Cobcroft)

PEZ: Weekend Feat. 360 (Single) (Forthwrite / EMI)
- Melbourne MC Pez treats us to another anthemic hip hop number, with a wonderfully introspective lyrical base. (Lee Evans)

The Possé: Happy Accidents (Single) (Plastic World)
- Taking it back to basics, using  traditional hardware, to create fresh sounding house jams. The collective known as The Possé deliver on so many levels. (Lee Evans)

Simo Soo: klaus (Single) (Yes Rave)
- Sydney’s weirdly wonderful Simo Soo has returned with more of his glitzy rap. Flirting with the outsider-ness of Yung Lean and Le1f, Simo is cementing his place as the odd cousin to club sounds with this seriously thumpin’ track. (Nick Rodwell)

Overseas Artists:

Airileke: Sorong Samarai Feat. Twin Tribes (Single) (Rize of The Morning Star)
- Airileke Ingram, a Melbourne based Melanesian artist whose work has been pretty consistently high-calibre, penned this in collaboration with West Papuan independence leader Benny Wenda. It’s also the first release for Rize Of The Morning star, which of course has connections to Natalie Rize of Blue King Brown. Pretty solid politics as you would imagine. Musically it’s an interesting mix of reggae, faster paced dance beats and a big poppy vocal harmony for the chorus and extra solidarity. (Chris Cobcroft)

Aloe Blacc: Real Slow (Single) (XIX / Interscope / Universal)
- This track is unbelievably smooth in every sense of the word. Production duties handled by DJ Khalil, Aloe Blacc's lyrical content paints a vivid picture of his approach to relationships, in an old school manner. (Lee Evans)

Bethlehem: Bethlehem (Prophecy)
- Delivering their own brand of dark metal, Bethlehem are still going strong with this release. Twisted, raspy, howling vocals, dealing with the type of subject matter one would come to expect from the German outfit, layered over the discordant musical elements. Seriously, evil... (Lee Evans)

Bonobo: Break Apart (Single) (Ninja Tune / Inertia)
- Bonobo is one of the great survivors of '90s downtempo. With songs like Break Apart its easy to hear why. Subtle to the point of vanishing, but breezy and beautiful in the cracks between Rhye's whispery vocal. Really quite moving. (Chris Cobcroft)

Elektro Guzzi: Parade (Denovali)
-What Elektro Guzzi make is closer to techno than anything else: dark, hazy grooves laid out over dub plates and disorientating delays. What make Elektro Guzzi interesting is that there is limited synthesis, they’re a trio from Vienna committed to kraut-leaning, live techno and it sounds really attractive. For live instrumentation, the presentation is well and truly blurred. (Nick Rodwell)

Fil Bo Riva: Franzis (Single) (PIAS / Mushroom)
- Part George Ezra, part Alt-J but ultimately 100% Fil Bo Riva. The light backing vocal harmonies paired with the deep leading vocals make for their own interesting take on the indie-rock-pop genre, setting them apart from the throngs of their predecessors. The musicality of this track creates a vibrant and catchy track with twanging, harmonising guitar hooks and a backing drum beat that just makes you want to move and groove. (Marli Blanche)

Half Japanese: Attack Of The Giant Leeches (Single) (Fire)
- Amazingly still rocking out for over four decades, Half Japanese offer up this single from their album "Hear The Lions Roar". Very much harkening back to their early years, and the subject matter of horror movies. The lo-fi pioneers are very much here to stay. (Lee Evans)

Joe Goddard: Lose Your Love (Single) (Greco-Roman / Domino / EMI)
- Hot Chip's Joe Goddard mixes up disco old and new on this solo single. The backing vocals and horns are the perfect offset to the artificiality of the synths. Cool, crystaline and wistful, much as Hot Chip often is. (Chris Cobcroft)

Klimt 1918: Sentimentale Jugend (Prophecy)
- Saying Klimt 1918 are an indie-rock band is about as informative as saying the Dalai Lama is a nice guy. The Italian emotion-merchants bond dream-pop, shoegaze and post-rock in an over-the-top extravaganza that shares some of the same lush and lavish qualities as m83. Oh and their lead singer sounds a bit like Neil Tennant from the Pet Shop Boys. Perfect? In a very specific way, oh yes. (Chris Cobcroft)

Novella: Does The Island Know (Single) (Sinderlyn / Remote Control)
- The London 4-piece tantalize us with this single from their new album "Change of State". Psych vibes with a DIY punk attitude, very much appreciated. (Lee Evans)
(Lee Evans)

The Magnetic Fields: 5 Selections from 50 Song Memoir (Nonesuch / Warner)
- A taste of the forthcoming, expansive collection. Autobiographical in nature, each year of Stephen Merritt's life gets dedicated a song and this little sampler nabs one from each decade. It's exactly the sort of self-indulgent project that I'd expect from the long-suffering Merritt and, as always, it's uplifted by deliciously detailed baroque pop, surrounding his treacly, bass voice. I did just fine with MF's 69 Love Songs (who didn't?) so I'm looking forward to another epic and I can say that these five are just right. (Chris Cobcroft)

Mikhael Paskalev: Witness (Single) (Mom+Pop / Communion / Dew Process / PrettyBoyFloyd / Universal)
- Mikhael is a Nord with all the new wave goodness. Chugging along on a guitar with added synth sparkle, Witness is a fine example of the genre’s dedication to dancing, when it doesn’t seem to be worth it. (Nick Rodwell)

Nadia Reid: Arrow & The Aim (Single) (Spunk)
- There is a distinct clarity and confidence in New Zealand’s Nadia Reid that propels her leading single Arrow & The Aim. Its slow, swirling atmosphere is captivating as it swells with new knowledge and determination, characteristics of a wise singer-songwriter and the reason we gravitate to these figures. (Nick Rodwell)

Pick A Piper: Geographically Opposed (Feat. Introverted Dancefloor) (Single) (Tin Angel / Abandoned Building)
- Pick A Piper is Brad Weber, drummer in Caribou's band. On this advance for the album Distance, due next year, he teams up with Kiwi song & dance man Introverted Dancefloor who still sounds like Hot Chip's Alexis Taylor. Those sweet vocals counterbalance the fast, clinical beats and make this sound just really goddamn tasteful. (Chris Cobcroft)

RHAIN: Oscar November Echo EP (Indie)
RHAIN is a UK songstress influenced by both Joanna Newsom and Regina Spektor in the fey piano vignettes of this EP. I didn't know I needed more melancholy pixie music in my life, but if it sounds like RHAIN, apparently I do. (Chris Cobcroft)

The Rolling Stones: Blue & Lonesome (Universal)
- Despite taking only three days to record, "Blue & Lonesome" arrives as the first album in over a decade from the legendary Stones.With the same old-school, bluesy, gritty flavour that has made The Rolling Stones so iconic, this album is a trip down memory lane for those who may remember the days when rock 'n' roll was king. (Clare Neal)

Run The Jewels: Legend Has It (Single) (Indie / Sony)
- The unstoppable RTJ tease the release of RTJ3, early next year. EL-P and Killer Mike hit as hard as ever and the techy beats kill as clinically as a surgeon. Why aren't there more people copying what they do? Hip hop that pleases just about everybody and disembowels those it doesn't. (Chris Cobcroft)

Tinariwen Sastankakan (Single) (Wedge / Mushroom)
- The extent of African musicianship never ceases to captivate me. South Saharan soul rebels, Tinariwen, compose with a tantalising sense for melody and rhythm - their single could groove for days with effortless charm and a worldbeat to have any musicologist salivating. (Nick Rodwell)

Xiu Xiu: Wondering (Single) (Polyvinyl)
- A taste of the new record due early next year. It's a move away from some of Jamie Stewart's wilder divergances into dark ambient and soundtrack homage and a return to some of Xiu Xiu's poppiest sounds (albeit still featuring his every-shrieky voice). Wondering is very wistful synthpop, dovetailing nicely with the theme of renewal that Stewart has been talking up, regarding the album FORGET. (Chris Cobcroft)

Yoko-Zuna: January Sun (Single) (Loop)
- The Auckland beats outfit have crafted a sleek dancefloor number. Lushly ambient and complexly rhythmic, sometimes it feels like the smoothest nu-disco, at others its ballsy, muscular funk. Don't even get me started on the horn solo. A bravura effort. (Chris Cobcroft)