Are Deerhunter possibly the greatest band in the world? Possibly. Revival (from the upcoming ‘Halcyon Digest’) puts pay to anyone questioning whether ‘Microcastle’ was a one-off (though I doubt anyone is that stupid).

Yeah Tron Legacy will be cool – and Daft Punk will be making it cooler. You can check out snippets of the French duos work on the Soundtrack (or is it the score?) for the upcoming movie here.

Early leaks from Nathan Williams’ Wavves project (‘Mickey Mouse’ and ‘Post Acid’) had me frothing at the mouth. His DIY ethos, Lo-Fi slacker approach and crazy concert antics had me intrigued.

Kicking off 2010’s studio effort with stereo-typical-proto-punk tune ‘King of the Beach’ gives the listener a hint to what ‘Wavves’ is all about; 60’s-by-way-of-90’s punk forms the basis of the album, with tracks like ‘Super Soaker’, ‘Post Acid’ and ‘Idiot’ backing up the opener with some furious aural assaults.

Williams may be traveling a well trodden road on occasions, yet his ability to slip between the role of indie crooner (‘When Will You Come’ or ‘Convertible Balloon’) eclectic-mind melter (‘Baseball Cards’, ‘Mickey Mouse’) and his default the punk monikier without any effort seems both curious and inventive.

It’s hard to escape the nostalgic feeling that this album gives me, and while I feel incredibly lazy making comparisons to other artists when summarising albums – even one that displays it’s influences so obviously – on it’s own merits ‘King of the Beach’ is 36 minutes of the most pleasing and enjoyable (Read:AMAZING) music I’ve heard in a very, very long time.

Take in the glorious ‘Post Acid’ below. ‘King of the Beach’ is released early August through Fat Possum Records.

Mark Ronson is probably most famous for his work with Amy Winehouse, but he has done stuff with almost everyone. Nas? Check. Ghostface? Check. Robbie Williams? Check.

This track is about as catchy as anything you will ever hear. Q-Tip still sounds as slick as he did when he was brand new – and Amanda Warner from MDNR provides the pipes to pull off the spunky bridge and chorus.

Mark Ronson The Business INTL – Bang Bang Bang from Olivier on Vimeo.

My love for Flying Lotus is well documented, and this years ‘Cosmogramma’ might just be the best thing since…Los Angeles.

The video for ‘MmmHmm’ provides the perfect visual imagery to FlyLo’s audial effort. A dreamy soundscape on complimented with dreamy visuals so to speak.

And the coolest thing? Directed by Special Problems! from NZ (who also did The Naked and Famous’ “Young Blood”).

When I think music these days is going all shit, I often find myself tracking back to albums that make me feel calm and happy. You know..”Comfort albums”.

The Black Keys’ “Rubber Factory” is always there. There for me to clean my ears of the drivel and music crimes of modern day music.

While I thought that ‘Attack and Release’ was a little too mainstream for the Akron duo, their work with the Blakroc projecthad me keeping the faith. Maybe in the back of my mind, I was still a little turned off – it took me almost 2 months to get around to getting ‘Brothers’, their seventh studio record.

Auerbach and Carney really work so well off each other, and working from the same sheet undoubtably provides their music with the strength and heart that shines on every note and hit. Fans of earlier material will notice the return to a more simplistic, authentic blues sound. Powerful chugging grooves, sustained leads and stories about love, loss and heartache. Ah. A sigh of relief. All is well in the world of music once more.

It’s available now – including through iTunes – but feel free to sample a few tunes below.

I’ve pretty much liked everything that Nathan Williams has done in the past under the Wavves monkier. It’s so lo-fi and full of energy, it’s impossible not be taken back to another moment in time. For me, it’s the soundtrack to every skate session I ever did.

Williams has done an amazing job at taking punk DIY and giving it a modern spin, without actually seeming like that was the intention (and it may not have been!?). ‘King of the Beach’ is on the verge of being released – and like I expected – it is AMAZING. Forget all the crap you’ve read about him; to be fair, Wavves is an unexpected phenomenon – and that’s just for us listeners – Williams must be wondering right how how he managed to whip everyone into a frenzy.

You can stream the entire fantastic album now through Fat Possum Records here or check out this crazy little doco about the making of the album.

WAVVES @ SWEET TEA from Pete Ohs on Vimeo.

I’ve avoided sourcing anything by ‘The Naked and Famous’ mainly because I thought the name was silly (which is fricken ridiculous), and now I hear that they took it from Tricky; which gives them instant props.

‘Young Blood’ however would convert even the most fickle – big sweeping synths provide the background to emotive and powerful vocals – somehow capturing the feeling of being young, in the sun, and having fun…apparently, it’s at the top of the charts and everything.

Yeah, it’s not summer here, but it is elsewhere – and as well as sending the listener to another place, the track, and it’s accompanying peers will take ‘The Naked and Famous’ places too; like one of the comments on their vimeo profile put it…”Trust me, this song is going to make you more famous than naked”. Nice.

Oh, and they’re kiwis.

The Naked And Famous – Young Blood from The Naked And Famous on Vimeo.

The Naked And Famous – The Sun (C4 Live Sessions at York St. Studios) from The Naked And Famous on Vimeo.

object>