Dan Condon: Sick Tunes, October 19, 2012

What is up, yo? I have been getting chest pains thinking about seeing George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic at Golden Plains, but apart from that I'm pretty well.

Anyway, here are some songs you might like. If you don't then I am 100 percent okay with that.

THE WU-TANG CLAN – Six Directions Of Boxing

If you've been keeping your eye on other music blogs over the past couple of weeks then you'd be well aware that Wu-Tang's RZA makes his directorial debut with The Man With The Iron Fists, a Tarantino produced martial arts flick that features none other than Roy Asotasi's best friend Russell Crowe. You'd have also seen that the soundtrack features a bunch of big names; The Black Keys, Kanye West, Danny Brown and a whole slew of Wu-Tang members in different formations.

The best track I've heard from the record thus far comes from Wu-Tang Clan themselves and I'm kind of nervous about giving my thoughts on it because I'd prefer you go into it with an open mind.

There's something just so thrilling about Six Directions Of Boxing. After all these years and, let's face it, plenty of subpar live performances and a few iffy records, Wu-Tang Clan can still put together a hip hop track this fucking good. It's creepy, groovy, vicious and powerful, everything we love about the Wu. I bet it comes in at a fucking sick part of the movie where old Rusty Crowe karate chops some dude in the face while wearing a TOFOG t-shirt too.

THE ROLLING STONES – Doom And Gloom

Another band I absolutely adore but have limited faith in in 2012 have gone and released a half-decent tune as well. There are a lot of people who think that The Rolling Stones should have broken up many years ago, while Doom And Gloom isn't likely to change that opinion, it's enough to keep people who don't entirely hate on the corporate megabrand they have become to feel kinda good that they're still around. I think Mick sounds excellent on this tune – though he's a little too loud in the mix – and the song itself is pretty well written despite their kinda questionable lyrics. I think they're still a good rock band after 50 years together (that is a LONG time), but I don't think they need another Greatest Hits compilation. I'm sure they'll sell a billion copies of GRRR! all the same.

TIMES NEW VIKING – Sleep In

One of the slightly less trendy bands to emerge from the garage rock explosion of the past couple of years, Times New Viking are coming from a far more indie-rock inspired place than many of their trashy contemporaries. Sleep In is a track from an EP that came out in the States this week, another six tracks (none of which threaten to touch the three-minute mark) of really pleasant lo-fi indie fare. It's probably the best of the lot, with its steady groove and individual melodies that don't really complement each other at all, but still manage to sound fantastic all smashed together. If you've slept on this band, I'd recommend a listen to this one.

KE$HA – Die Young

I feel the need to weigh in on this track briefly because I have, in the past, been one of Ke$ha's biggest supporters. I thought that her debut record Animal had a few bona fide bangers that I rate up there with some of the best pop tunes of the past decade and I was really looking forward to seeing how this artist, who I think is pretty intelligent and must have a great team behind her, would follow it up.

This song is an enormous letdown. I wanted to mention this in my last blog but had heard so much positive stuff said about the song that I figured I needed to give it some time. Every element of it just feels completely uninspired; the lyrics on all her songs are dreadful so I'm cool with that, but the melody is just completely flat and unremarkable, the production doesn't pop nearly as hard as even the worst songs on Animal and it doesn't have any of that edginess that so many people found so annoying, which I enjoyed so much. Not a Sick Tune, more a tune that might make you sick if it wasn't so utterly dull. Her new record Warrior will be out just in time for Christmas – let's hope it has a bit more guts than this song.

NEIL YOUNG & CRAZY HORSE – Walk Like A Giant

The new Neil Young & Crazy Horse Psychedelic Pill album is 88 minutes long, features nine tracks and, well, it's called Psychedelic Pill so that is a pretty sweet sign of what we're in store for as far as I'm concerned and I can't wait to hear it. Walk Like A Giant is one of the album's lengthier songs (they range from three to 27 minutes in length) at a 16-and-a-half minutes, but they released a video for it a couple of weeks back that trims a good 12 minutes from it.

It's pretty classic Neil Young; kick-arse fuzz guitar, lyrics about “riding on a desert wind” delivered in his high-pitched, casual croon and Crazy Horse back him up like the solid powerhouse unit they are, chiming in with very powerful backing vocals as they jam out in their trademark gloriously languid fashion. Jesus I hope they tour Australia on this record.