Belgium is responsible for giving us lots of things that we like. We can thank them for their waffle scoffing, boutique beer brewing ways and creating Tintin. However, there are things that come out of Belgium that aren’t related to opulent excess or curious comic book characters. One of them is Gaëtan Vandewoude, the lead singer of the Isbells.

The four-piece recorded their debut album in a stable in the Belgian woodlands, infusing the record with a soft twang and the scent of pine needles. There is a tougher edge to some songs, perhaps coming from Vandewoude’s past days as a guitarist for an emocore band. We’re not quite sure how he made the jump, but we’re very thankful for it.

Isbells’ self-titled debut album will be released in Australia on October 8th on Rogue Records through Inertia. If you can’t wait until then, you can grab a free download of  ‘As Long As It Takes’ here.

Magic Kids kinda make us a little jealous. They are seven friends who make music, have fun and are all about the love. They sing poppy tunes about boys and girls that will make you wish you still had a science-class crush whose name you could scribble across all you text books.

They love playing live with their own kooky aesthetic and bringing smiles to their audience’s faces. They jump around and wear baseball caps and tap key boards and seem to playfully beat drums with light fingers. If this is all a little too positive-rainbow-lollypop-madness for you cynics out there, these kids are actually pretty talented.

We conversed with Will and Bennett from the band as they enlightened us on the finer points of dining in Tennessee and how they got their Beach Boys sound. The boys note that years of music listening without prejudice led to the birth of Magic Kids and every type of musical genre played a part in forming who they are today. We will have to keep our ears out for the announcement of an Aussie tour – there's no word yet, but stay tuned. Will and Bennett mentioned that a trip to Australia isn't out of the question, but for now they're sticking it out in Tennessee where, they say, if you were to come hang out with them, they would take you out on the town and feed you fried food until you burst. It's the Southern way after all.

Memphis is out now, you have can have a listen to some tunes on their myspace.

Talented Aussie muso, Matt Walters has just teamed up with frankie fave, Megan Washington on his new single, Die For You. Check out his myspace, say hello and have a sneaky little listen over here. He is also playing at the Workers Club in Fitzroy, Melbourne tomorrow night if you would like to see the man in the flesh. Very sweet tunes.

We were lucky enough to have a chat with Ross Hope from Brissie band Disco Nap earlier this week. First off, let's clear one thing up – don't let the name fool you. Disco Nap is no strobe-light, dirty-rave, sweaty-singlet sort of band. It's more poetic, soft, thought-provoking and gut-wrenchingly honest. They came on the scene in 2009 when they won the JJJ Unearthed competition and scored a slot at Sounds of Spring in Brisbane. Although the band played pretty early on the day, they were very well received and made their mark on the music scene. One bonus of playing the early time slot, Ross laughs, is that there are far less people to bear witness if you are to screw up.

A year on and the band is set to release their debut album Running Red Lights this Friday before setting off on a national tour with shows in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra. Ross is psyched. He told us that playing live to an audience has a spontaneity and energy that cannot be matched, and always comes with a few welcome surprises. Lyrically, Disco Nap is deep and dark and brutally honest, but the blow is softened with the help of sweet sounding hooks and a little bit of drunk trumpet. A fan of Conor Oberst, The Cure and Weezer, Ross Hope stands by the idea that honesty is the best policy when it comes to songwriting and maintains that stand-out albums are always the most lyrically honest.
To have a listen, head over to their myspace, Running Red Lights will be released nationally this Friday, that same night, the band kicks off their Aussie tour.

Our very special frankie friend and writer, Justin Heazelwood, aka The Bedroom Philosopher, is kicking off his Songs From the 86 Tram national tour on August 12 and we're pretty excited about it! If you're in the mood for some postmodern, super indie musical freakouts then we suggest you head along. Tickets available here.

We have gone totally mad for Brooklyn band, Beach Fossils' warm rhythms and good vibes. The music yearns for wide open spaces and will have you dreaming of sandy toes and warm salty breezes. It's enough to make us start counting down the days to summer already. Their new album is out on July 17 and we strongly recommend you have a listen.