Recommendations

Passion Pit - The Reeling
A cool 80s synth, heavy drum-based track from this American electronic band. Passion Pit are fairly new to the scene, forming in 2007 and releasing their first EP Chunk Of Change in September 2008. Their first LP Manners was released just this weekend and has already received rave reviews. Clash magazine wrote "At its most adventurous, Manners sounds like little else – a pop record that exists in a world of its own, carving a sub-genre niche which only fits their expansive, tonally decadent material", while Rolling Stone magazine noted, "what makes the record are his loose beats, shamelessly fruity melodies and breathless little-boy vocals, all pushing skyward."
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Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Hysteric
I remember hearing "Zero" on JOY for the very first time, and the next minute finding myself in JB Hifi purchasing the It's Blitz album. The power of one brilliant song! This album has been on constant rotation for me over the past couple of months and is already one of my top favourites for 2009. It's an alternative art-rock record with subtle electronic influences, and features the beautiful vocal work of Karen O (listen to album track "Hysteric" and you'll understand what I mean). The album provides a change in sound for the band, who aren't exactly new to the scene, having released another two LPs and three EPs since 2003. Their former material is much more raw, heavier and guitar-based in comparison. Reading comments on their Last FM page, this change has been met with some uncertainty from some long-term fans, but mostly embraced with enthusiasm. The album has peaked top ten in Australia and the UK, and reached #22 in the US. I can't recommend a 2009 album more than this one.
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Howling Bells - Cities Burning Down
Quite similar in style to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and another recent band in which I purchased the album after just one listen. These female vocal-lead indie bands are exciting me a lot of late. There's something so authentic and real about the material they produce. "Cities Burning Down" isn't the track we played last night, but it is the first single from the new record Radio Wars. We played the upbeat album opener "Treasure Hunt" (which has been added to JOY daytime playlists). These guys are a homegrown Sydney band who formed in 2004. They moved to the UK to record their debut album in 2006. Both records have received much critical acclaim. They have toured extensively, supporting The Killers, Placebo, Snow Patrol and will open for Coldplay on the 2009 North American leg of their current world tour.
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We Are Smug
Now this is something very unexpected! Former Savage Garden front man turned out of the closet and proud gay, independent artist Darren Hayes has released a new album with long-time collaborator Robert Conley under the pseudonym We Are Smug. The album is a heavily electronic experiment bursting with an uncontrollable sense of excitement and energy. Check out the fab "Shit On The Radio" (a Stephen Hahn - JOY's general manager - favourite). But guess what? It's FREE! You can download the 10-track album here. This is Darren's first release since the 2007 double disc LP This Delicate Thing We've Made, his first album through his own self-funded record label. He is working on material for his fourth solo album, due in 2010.
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