LOST AND LONESOME RECORDING CO.

There was no need for splashy hype last July when their album landed in Melbourne stores. Norwegian pop purists, Je Suis Animal, snuck onto playlists and into hearts all over town. In February, Still Flyin' hijacked Melbourne for a weekend and took patooties by surprise. The super-group - made up of members from Track Star, Aislers Set, Ladybug Transistor, Love Is All, Maserati and Red Pony Clock - put their heads and trumpets together and shook The East Brunswick Club like 14 skinny white kids playing their reggae-inspired hearts out can.

Then there's a little gem of a band called The Lucksmiths. In 1993 the floopy-haired crooners produced a darling little cassette (quick! Go here and coo over their early '90s stylings!). These days, The Lucksmiths have world tours under their belts and are parading a new album. Listening to First Frost, you feel like everything is okay. That's just the kind of band they are.

So what do all these bands have in common? The Lost and Lonesome Recording Company. It's a collection of thinkers who want the best for Melbourne music. Their genesis story wasn't a grand meeting of earth, water, contracts and money; it was the result of a few beers and a mutual realisation that their friends all played in bands that needed a label.

It began between The Lucksmiths member Mark Monnone and musician of The Foots, Jane McCrackin, and in 2006 Nathan Nott joined them. Today, Lost and Lonesome represent 21 bands, manage international tours and have even more musician friends than when they started, 11 years ago. And at the end of this month Lost and Lonesome are bringing back those 14 skinny white kids who will shake Melbourne's patootie like they did last summer.

www.lostandlonesome.com.au

SASKIA PANDJI SAKTI AND TRISTAN JALLEH

When Saskia Pandji Sakti and Tristan Jalleh talk horror films it sounds like they're explaining exactly how cute their pet poodles are. Tiny grins form at the sides of their mouths and a fondness for gore sparkles in their eyes. Their mutual interest in themes surrounding death have led to assembling group shows, and over-coffee discussions about how the occurrence of death effects, well, everything.

"Horror movies deal with moral issues and reflects the fears of the public. I'm fascinated how horror focuses on the flesh and the way we have such a physical reaction to it", says Tristan. Tristan's art deals with the crossover between fictional and real world stories. Saskia's photography focuses on the rituals surrounding death and the positive influence it can have on the way we communicate. She has a fascination for the split-second moments before death.

Together their shared interest in death, horror, bereavement and fantasy has led to a profound interest in one another's work. In recent months, Saskia and Tristan have translated their art to curatorial practices. TwentyByThirty gallery is the pea-sized 20cm x 30cm gallery space in Pushka's front window. On the first day of each month, Saskia and Tristan dust out the old and make room for a brand new artwork in the form of video, canvas, ephemera or whatever materials the artist chooses.

Last month's exhibition was by Heather Leighton (pictured), a work that beautifully wilted over the month of December. It commented on cosmetic vaginal surgery - labiaplasty - bemoaning contemporary ideas of feminism. TwentyByThirty's next installment will be by Jesse Hogan. Remember his work from Until Never's recent exhibit Tragic Magi? You know the one that was like the curiosity show hosted by wizards? That was his. While Saskia and Tristan allow the commissioned artist to work freely, with only the space as their limitation, it's clear that their obsession with gore, death and destruction have subtly leaked into their curatorship like blood leaking through floorboards.

Jesse Hogan's exhibit will be installed from January 1st, 2009.
www.twentybythirtygallery.com