I first heard the song “Blood” by Australian band The Middle East on KCRW a couple of months ago.  The harmonies and soft, melodic progressions build to create moving, stirring music and the same is true for all of their songs, most of which are between 5 to 7 minutes long.  ”Blood” immediately reminded me of “Wake Up” by Arcade Fire although I’m not sure if most people would feel the same way.  When I first heard “Pig Food” I thought it had to be a cover of a Radiohead track.  The debut album, The Recordings of The Middle East, was self-released in Australia in 2008.  An EP was made available in the US on iTunes just a couple of weeks ago.  Check out the tracks below including “Pig Food” which isn’t included on the EP.

MP3: The Middle East – “Blood” (Download)

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MP3: The Middle East – “The Darkest Side” (Download)

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The Recordings of The Middle East EP (October 2009)

MP3: The Middle East – “Pig Food” (Download)

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The Recordings of The Middle East (2008)