In 1955, French artist Yves Klein developed a deep blue hue of paint that had the same brightness and intensity as its dry pigments. The colour, crowned International Klein Blue, went on to be the inspiration for the majority of Klein’s masterpieces. In 2006, four lads from Brisbane borrowed his name and used it for their band. Three years later and after an almost unparalleled amount of hype from the Australian music industry, Yves Klein Blue have unveiled their very own masterpiece.
Yves Klein Blue’s debut full length, Ragged And Ecstatic, delivers on the promises made last year by their triumphant EP, Draw Attention To Themselves. Recorded in LA with Kevin Augunas, indie producer extraordinaire responsible for the Cold War Kids’ latest, the foursome have crafted a mature piece of Australian indie rock with a healthy serving of pop sensibilities spattered throughout.
Chances are you’ve already heard the insanely danceable Polka, filled with frontman Michael Tomlinson’s enigmatic musings on chemically fuelled nights on the town. And it’s Tomlinson’s witty lyricism that goes a long way to making Yves Klein Blue so damn charming. There aren’t many wasted moments on Ragged And Ecstatic, with every song a testament to the boys’ versatility and skill. While the horns of Summer Sheets are reminiscent of that signature ska sound, the carefully crafted rock goodness of Queeny cries out to be played at high volume every time.
Whatever your musical affiliations, Ragged And Ecstatic is destined to have you shuffling along in your bedroom and bursting into impromptu air guitar solos on the train. Oh, and it’s a hell of a lot more entertaining that watching paint dry.
Liam Sharrad

Inshalla! What will be will be! There is little doubt that the most hotly anticipated Australian release for 2009 comes from Eskimo Joe. Just when the likes of Powderfinger and Silverchair are on sabbatical, it seems like Eskimo Joe are making a play for the biggest band in the country mantle - and justifiably so. Lining up the Eskimo Joe discography paints an evolutionary tale of consistency and being able to deliver the right song at the right time.
In short, Inshalla is terrific! It’s hard not to look on like a proud father as this is a solid album from start to end. Eskimo Joe take a few well calculated and considered risks, which works well for them. The first single Foreign Land is a bold statement from the band, which is inspired by their reaction to the passing of Heath Ledger. It’s a clever mix of eastern instrumentation coupled with some catchy hooks, making for a pleasant surprise and a great start to the album. The title track Inshalla is full of character and has its own classic rock sound, while the introspective numbers Childhood Behaviour and second single Losing Friends Over Love are equally impressive.
Producer Gil Norton’s (Pixies, Foo Fighters) influence is noticeable, but Eskimo Joe have raised the bar by taking their music to a whole new level without straying too far to alienate the most die-hard of fans. There are plenty of other surprises to feast on, making each playback all the more enjoyable.
Rob Lyon

Much has been made of supposed supergroups in the past, often when there is no more substance to the collaborations than a cash grab by getting as many big names in the same room as possible. I'm happy to report that Chickenfoot does not fall into that category and their eponymous first album is an amazing debut, thanks to the sum of the parts.
Avenida Revolution is a killer track and gets things off to a powerful start, as aggressive a song as inimitable frontman Sammy Hagar has ever ripped through. The red rocker doesn't sound like he's aged a day in the last 20 years, his voice as strong as ever.
The cool funk you’d could expect from a collaboration of guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani and Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith hits its groove the moment Soap On A Rope begins, and carries throughout much of the album, really shining through on the track Down The Drain, which has the coolest underlying groove to a song in a long time.
Satch's style suits the band well; he gets to unleash his rare talent more than once throughout the disc and he particularly shines on the driving rock of Turnin’ Left. Hearing this album it's hard to believe he hasn't been tapped for a permanent project like this by anyone before.
 Chad Smith's drumming is superb and, along with Mike Anthony's pulsing bass style, provides the backbone of the album. Mikey’s also in full force, at times providing more than a shade of the Van Halen signature sound on tracks like Oh Yeah.
Sexy Little Thing and My Kinda Girl are cool, simple feel good rockers and provide the album with a cool party rock feel, while Learning To Fall lets the band take their foot off the pedal a little and allows the soulful side of Hagar’s voice to shine through.
An instant classic.
Peter Lanyon

Like Lewis Carroll collaborating with Guillermo Del Toro on a sequel to Labyrinth, it’s a strange and amazing wonderland that Bertie Blackman has created on Secrets And Lies, drawing equally on dreamscapes and nightmares. After rocking the pain away on her second album Black, the Sydney artist this time delivers her darkness via stealthy pop with a lush ‘80s aesthetic. Created with help from producers Francois Tetaz (Gotye) and Lee Groves (Goldfrapp), the result is as mysterious and fanciful as the cover art suggests.
Sky Is Falling opens the album with sweeping strings creating an immediately tempestuous mood, with Bertie’s hushed vocals existing in the eye of the hurricane. Like Kate Bush re-imagined as a disillusioned streetwalker, Bertie’s metamorphosis from PJ Harvey snarler to cloudbustingly awesome pop act is stirring.
Using a barnyard full of animal metaphors, Bertie sings of bats on the towering Jurassic swoop of Byrds Of Prey, sharks on the Knifey swirls of Black Cats and birds and bees on the reflective Shout Out. Away from the animalism there are plenty of climactic, climatic visions and topographic twists, with Bertie’s multi-layered opus presenting heaving skies, whirlwinds and black holes.
Latest single Thump harnesses the fist-pumping thrill of a Pat Benatar hit, suggesting that life is the battlefield. Initial Secrets And Lies taster Heart glides along like a serpent, but it has far more bite than most hits you’ll hear on Australian commercial radio.
A confident melding of Enya textures, Talk Talk atmospherics and Portishead’s more pastoral moments, Bertie allows electro pulses to accentuate her latest collection without ever overloading the listener. A deeper and darker counterpoint to Ladyhawke’s ‘80s cool, Secrets And Lies is a strategically crafted wonder that sets Bertie up for a global respect.
The smartest Aussie pop album in years.
Bertie Blackman plays the Governor Hindmarsh on Thu Aug 27.
Scott McLennan