Dan Condon: Sick Tunes, 14 March, 2014

What is it about the changing of the season that makes our immune systems go haywire? Everyone seems to be sick – myself included – and saying stupid shit, as we battle pesky, irritating but, in the scheme of things, insignificant illnesses.

So I can 100 percent promise you that every song listed below sounds majestic when riding shotgun to the bold mistress that is the pseudoephedrine and codeine cocktail, but I also teared up while listening to Angry Anderson's Bound For Glory on the train this morning, so that kinda puts things in perspective. Don't worry, this isn't going to end in some awful pun relating the name of this blog to the omnipresent lurgy we're all tweeting about.

The songs also sound great when you're at 100 percent health, too. Promise.

BENMONT TENCH – Blonde Girl, Blue Dress

I learned heaps of stuff about Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench last week after hearing his amazing You Should Be So Lucky LP, which is out now through Blue Note/Universal.

1). He's never released a solo record before.
2). He wrote Feargal Sharky's massive hit You Little Thief.
3). He needs to make more solo records.

It was mere curiosity that drew me to Tench's debut – I didn't even realise the likes of Ryan Adams, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings and Tom Petty were guests on the record – so expectations were modest. That doesn't matter though, this record is pure class from top to bottom, thanks equally to Tench's songwriting and performance skills and the unspeakably amazing production of Glyn Johns, who has to remain one of the greatest producers around. So smooth.

MAC DEMARCO – Brother

Is Mac DeMarco the new Ween? Or does he just smoke a lot of pot? You can't doubt the presence of the Boognish spirit in his guitar tone here, and if he's not a Ween fan he's definitely on the same wavelength in some creepy way.

Like Ween, DeMarco doesn't just do weird, he makes it sound nourishing and exciting as well. The kinda gloomy Brother has an irresistible groove, some expansive harmonies and sees him add another great song to his rapidly expanding collection of them.

Brother is on DeMarco's new LP Salad Days, out through Spunk on Friday 28 March.

SUN KIL MOON – RICHARD RAMIREZ DIED TODAY OF NATURAL CAUSES

Listen here, courtesy of Pitchfork.

I was going to say I slept on this new Sun Kil Moon record, but the truth is, I've slept on Mark Kozelek's work in general. For years people have been telling me to listen to the Red House Painters or Sun Kil Moon, but I've never done it. I'm not sure why I decided to put the new record Benji on the other day, but it took about two minutes of opening track Carissa to have me completely engrossed.

That's the kind of record it is, deeply personal but utterly engrossing. At first it feels like a depressing piece of work – most of the songs relate to death – but it's more to do with how we respond to such pivotal moments in our life. Kozelek discusses his first sexual encounters, his friendship with Ben Gibbard and his love of Led Zeppelin's The Song Remains The Same, as well as the death of his cousin, his uncle, his dad's friend's wife, childhood friends and, in this song, serial killer Richard Ramirez.

Yes, I'll go back and listen to more Kozelek. Stop hassling me. Benji is released today through Spunk.

L-FRESH THE LION – Survive (Ft. MK-1)

Australian hip hop is in such an exciting place at the moment. While there are no doubt plenty of people behind the scenes hoping like hell their artist will be the first to crack the UK and US markets – no one really has yet – artists just below the radar of the mainstream are simply spending their time getting really damn good. Australian hip hop has a more comfortable and broader identity nowadays, and that is an amazing thing.

A huge number of artists now see there is middle ground between rap music that apes that of American artists – a common criticism – and the ground that is all barbecues, beers and backyard cricket. There's been an inherent racism in the adoption of hip hop among the mainstream, and while I'm not saying that's not still there to some degree, it feels like people aren't listening to the simple-minded negativity anymore.

L-FRESH The LION, a Melbourne-based, Sydney-bred rapper is one of hundreds, possibly thousands, of people who are using hip hop as a platform to express himself, his faith and maybe help answer some questions; education is undoubtedly the best way to cease discrimination and it's much better when it sounds this good.

This tune in particular is about the connection we have with people that we believe share similar identities, or elements thereof, and recognising that connection.

TAME IMPALA – Stranger In Moscow (Michael Jackson cover)

I couldn't not put this into this week's blog. I don't think this is a particularly good Tame Impala song or even a very good Michael Jackson song, but it's worth a listen. It makes perfect sense that they would cover this, I can't believe it took us all this long to realise.

You can find me on twitter if you want to chat. I got sad reading it this morning because Marc Maron abused some guy who I don't even know. It can be a real emotional place.