Australian Album of the year?

Now at thrashingteens.tv the word countdown has not even been mentioned, And as it's only August, don't think we will be writing one soon. However we have decided over the next couple of weeks to provide you with a couple of Australian albums that we have been enjoying this year. It's been a pretty solid start to the year on the Aussie front with The Temper Trap and An Horse having a big SXSW, Dappled Cities ready to drop and Red Riders producing a solid effort.

But to kick us off will be our Qld darlings Yves Klein Blue's Debut Ragged & Ecstatic, who with bands like I Heart Hiroshima, An Horse, DZ and Violent Solo are starting to put Vegas back on the map.

Yves Klein Blue - Ragged & Ecstatic
This album had to live up to the hope, the thrash team have seen on that many joyous occasions and have been waiting for this debut for some time. From first listen you realise just how good this album is. It sounds complete, while still maintaining that passion, rebellion and personality that a debut should always have. Extreme maturity for a band of only 2 EP's, they have come a long way from that MTV competition winnings funded first EP and you can tell they had a bit bigger budget to play with. The epic finger work of guitarist Charles Sale on Digital Love, Polka and Queeny shows just what balls this record holds, whilst always maintaining ever perfect rhythm.

The lyrics that demonstrate the zeal and power that Tomlinson evokes must have to be in Soldier, 'when I'm a grown man I only hope I don't forget, exactly how I feel right now in this moment!' And Celebrity Death goes on to confirm this. Kevin August without doubt took the boys to a place beyond their comfort zone and it paid off, as I'm sure will be the case with their next record/producer. Polka and Getting Wise have already gained a fair chunk of airplay and with Summer Sheets and Celebrity Death still in the bag let's just hope the record finds the audience that it deserves. For mine the album is surely painted on Yves Klein Blue, let's wait and see if it's the same colour when it dries…