Dan Condon: Sick Tunes, September 21

No theme this week, just a bunch of good new songs because there is a lot of good new music being released at the moment and I want you guys to have only the good shit plugged into your earholes.

Titus Andronicus – In A Big City

When I first heard Titus Andronicus' second album, 2010's The Monitor, it was one of those real “where have you been all my life” moments. I immediately rushed out and bought their 2008 debut The Airing Of Grievances (eh, it's okay) and the aforementioned follow up (truly a masterpiece) and delved right into it. It's got everything a music nerd needs; lyrical concepts based on real life historical events (specifically the American Civil War), guest appearances by members of killer bands like Pony Tail, Felice Brothers, The Hold Steady and Vivian Girls and – most vitally – great songs that are indebted to Springsteen without trying to be Springsteen.

Anyway, they have a new album out next month called Local Business and the band posted the first single on their blog the other day. The clip they've put with it is hilariously cheesy and awesome and the song is a killer. Good, honest, smart rock'n'roll.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Swim and Sleep (Like A Shark)

I loved UMO's debut – it was actually my favourite album of 2011 – and I'm excited to hear that they are back in action and ready to release a new record early in the New Year. This taste of it sees them move well away from the heavy funk groove that drove many of their songs (its absence perhaps due to drummer Julien Erhlich leaving the band), but the bizarre, dreamy, inventive, left-field pop hooks of Ruban Neilson are still there and still strong. It's a progression, but a promising and not overly drastic one.

Neurosis – At The Well

I'm not going to profess to being a Neurosis fan, fact of the matter is I don't really know that much about them besides the fact that they're very much revered and they're not afraid to try their hand at a few different styles. I'm a curious kinda guy and decided that I'd have a listen to their new single for a bit of a laugh and it turns out it's pretty amazing. I think the best thing about At The Well, which is a ten-minute-long epic, is that it's insanely dark and foreboding and vicious and scary, but it coveys this darkness without going overboard on the cheap tricks that more modern metal bands tend to employ. There's just a sense of realness to what they do and the fact that they still sound as passionate and awesome as this after 27 years is admirable to say the very least.

Listen to the tune via NPR right here

The Transistors – This Is Not An Exit

Okay, this isn't a new song at all – in fact it was released about ten months ago – but seeing this band last week was one of my favourite musical discoveries of 2012 thus far. The Transistors are a kiwi trio who have been smashing out this punked up indie fare for a couple of years and have managed to cover a fair amount of ground while doing so. This tune, apparently taken from their debut album which isn't out yet, is a great example of the kinda tuneful, aggressive, breakneck awesomeness they delivered to BIGSOUND and I really, really hope we're gonna see heaps more of them in Australia real soon.

Calexico – Splitter

I can keep this one short and sweet; Calexico are an amazing band and has proved that all the way through their illustrious 16 year career and their latest record Algiers sees the band writing some of their best songs yet. This tune, Splitter, is a classic example of the warmth that their music emits; lush harmonies speckled with glorious, unobtrusive horns and imagery that takes you well away from your office desk on a frantic Friday afternoon. Buy the record ASAP!