Washington - I Believe You Liar

Perhaps it was the fact that Australian Megan Washington -- known simply by her surname --  nabbed two 2010 Aria awards for Best Female Artist and Breakthrough Artist. Maybe it was the platinum success Down Under. But for whatever reason the planets seem to have alligned for the Melbourne-based 25-year-old singer/songwriter as last year's debut full-length I Believe You Liar, a brilliant and diverse album of art-pop magic finally hits the U.S. shores on October 11. Starting with a handful of songs from three prior EP's released since 2008 and then adding in new songs to round out the track list, Liar careens easily from the darkly eclectic to bright and shiny jumbles of infectious hooks. And the U.S. version, admittedly late to the party, still gets to score a fresh remix from Michael Brauer (Coldplay) along with two new tracks including single "Holy Moses" (surreal video below)...

Washington's keen sense of wordplay, bordering at times on quirky, is balanced nicely by both a solid melodic foundation and a rambunctious, witty attitude. Self-described as "minimalist elegance", her songs are confident and assured, not the navel-gazing, mumbled musings of "deep" introspection but smartly conceived and playfully, skillfully executed productions that strut with panache. We're particularly fond of the 80's girl-group "I get shakin' when you shake it" sassy come on romp "Sundays Best" or Phil Spector-ish "Cement" as well as the staggered synth-keys rapture of "How to Tame Lions". The explosively dramatic title track, however, is what ultimately sealed the deal: a majestic, orchestrated ballad of epic dimension (in every sense of the word).

Washington -"How to Tame Lions" (from I Believe You Liar)

Washington - "I Believe You Liar" (from I Believe You Liar)