The Push Beat All Ages Column

With Ashan Munesinghe

School holiday time has just passed and I’m pretty sure I’m reverting back a few years to when I was a teen. Firstly, I’m getting unhealthily hooked on episodes of Skins – everyone I know seems to be a Freddie, Effie, Cookie, Panda, Jay-Jay or one of the other life size characters created by the British TV phenomenon. Me? I’m a Freddie. Skating around aimlessly, chasing life itself – it’s fun.

Secondly, probably more appropriately, it could be that childhood heroes, Brand New, had finally released new album Daisy (released 22nd September and unfortunately leaked way earlier) – and with no surprise it was really listenable from start to finish without any song, whether it be Daisy, Noro or Bed standing out that much. It’s a kind of theatrical kitsch in melody and that works for me. Something about the front cover, and the vulnerability and depth of the photo also just entrances me… it’s weird… really weird. AFI’s Crashlove I didn’t get so much.

In news, Aaron Barnett and Dave Anderson from past band The Getaway Plan have joined as the rhythm section in Saskia, a band led by Australian Idol contestant Amanda Grafanakis, it’s pretty lively stuff at www.myspace.com/saskiaband. The band will tour America and Europe in May next year as a part of the Australian Showcase World Tour.

Secrecy in music seems to be over, at least for now, favourite American hardcorers Blessthefall are streaming all songs from upcoming album Witness at www.myspace.com/blessthefall and Thomas Erak from sleeping giants The Fall of Troy walked Alt press through every single song off In The Unlikely Event at http://www.altpress.com/features/txtthefalloftroy (it may have become lost in the archives). Read the descriptions for Panic Attack, People And Their Lives and Nobody’s Perfect and get a laugh =).

For an honest rendition of someone’s life in tweets that doesn’t come in a million updates, Lisa Mitchell’s twitter at www.twitter.com/lisahmitchell is pretty swell. With tweets along the lines of “Has anyone lost a pretty black elephant with broken-off feet and half a trunk? I found her in the petrol station.” Such is my mental state at the moment I had to actually check out the twitpic to work out that she was talking about a toy.

Young Aussies I Explode Like, who will support 30H!3 at The Hifi later this month, have some rad new merch up on their Myspace site at http://www.myspace.com/iexplodelike.

Finally, I’m sure you’ve heard but I might as well remind you, it has been the week of Festival line-up announcements. The Big Day Out have announced their first list of bands, headed by Muse, The Temper Trap and The Horrors and Pyramid Rock has added second line-up announcements, headed by Cat Power and Dirty Delta Blues, British India and Red Riders.

For the record, I’m not a fan of the way Hayley looks on the latest AP Cover, she’s way hotter than that, don’t know how many of her twitter followers would agree with me.