Dan Condon: Sick Tunes, May 3, 2013

KEEP ON DANCIN'S – NERVOUS BREAKDANCE

I think I cried the first time I saw Custard – I can't remember. They're one of those bands that have been such an intrinsic part of my life, a band that has represented things to me personally in a way that doesn't really make a whole lot of sense to anyone who isn't me. I'm pretty happy that there aren't very many Custard covers around, to hear a bad one would be so much more devastating than I think I could handle.

Brisbane's Keep On Dancin's put out one hell of a record in The End Of Everything about two years ago and now – because it's the cool thing to do apparently – they're putting out a cassette with a bunch of other tunes on it, including… a Custard cover. The band are great, but I was not keen to hear this.

I'm pleased I did though; they have knocked this song out of the park. It's a brilliant tune too, so the stakes were pretty damn high. While the majority of Custard songs were pretty jovial, they knew how to be really fucking sad when they had to and Keep On Dancin's turn up the gloominess even further on this tune, though they do so without messing with it too much. Brilliant.

CLASSIXX – ALL YOU'RE WAITING FOR (FT. NANCY WHANG)

Nancy Whang has such a great voice to go with the kind of nu-disco that Los Angeles' Classixx pump out and on this new track she's completely devastating. She toes a line between innocence and attitude; she sounds the kind of girl you'd approach and then very quickly realise that you're completely out of your depth. It's brilliant but kinda frightening.

The song starts off as the kind of electro funk that I imagine they play in those really shiny nightclubs I'm never allowed in to and then cracks into a big, poppy, sing-a-long chorus. There's every chance the synth line that sounds almost like a carbon copy of Prince's Controversy (hear it?) is the reason I love this song, but I'd like to think it's more than that.

UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA – RÀ-ÀKÕ-ST

Oh my, Ruban Nielson and his crew have outdone themselves.

I'm not going to pretend to be a mad Lindstrøm fan or anything, but you have respect the guys skills as a producer, even if his style of electronic music makes you a little sleepy after a while. So to hear that one of my absolute favourite modern day bands, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, were to be covering one of his tunes, I was more than happy to give it a crack.

UMO turn this into an almost cop show funk kind of affair, with a wobbly bassline that sounds equal parts 2012 rave cave and 1976 beer barn, while Nielson shreds over it with his regular finesse. It's one of the year's best covers and is a rare instance of me actually loving a cover of a song far more than its original. Look, I have no idea why this song was recorded because, as far as I know, it's not being released anywhere, but I'm glad it exists.

BLACK LIPS – CRUISING

Adult Swim are putting out another compilation (they do pretty good ones), this one is to be called Garage Swim and will be released through their Williams Street Records label for free in just a few days' time. It's got all the bands you'd probably expect to be on there, you know, the popular ones who wouldn't have rated a mention five years ago but are now practically heartthrobs in the world of indie music. King Tuff, Jeff The Brotherhood, Mikal Cronin and, of course, Black Lips.

It seems the more popular Black Lips get, the better they get, which is pretty rare in modern music. Their Arabia Mountain LP was some kind of garage pop masterpiece and proved that they might change the way in which they make records as they get more money and more success, but that won't dull their songwriting chops one iota. Cruising, their contribution to Garage Swim is a sharp 60s inspired pop gem that is part-Nuggets, part-Beach Boys and golden from go to whoa.

Rolling Stone have the exclusive for this tune so you'll have to go over there and listen to it.

A GRAVE WITH NO NAME – AURORA

It was the fact that his debut cassette (very fashionable) was being released on former Yuck frontman Daniel Blumberg's Boiled Egg label that I found A Grave With No Name (real name: Alex Shields) and, particularly, his song By The Water's Edge which is just a really fucking brilliant heartbreaker.

I haven't really kept up with what he's been doing since then, but he's got a new album due for release in the UK at the beginning of July and Aurora, this kinda stark, cold, 80s goth sounding tune is the first taste. It certainly keeps the drab feel to it (you'd be sad too if you lived in England) but kind of props it up a little; there's almost a sense of optimism in there. It mightn't move me as much as that first tune I heard, but it has me pretty excited about hearing the album.