Lisa Mitchell wins the AMP 2010

In case you missed the news, Lisa Mitchell has won the Australian Music Prize for 2010, taking away $30k cash for her efforts. I’ve not heard her debut album, ‘Wonder,’ but am told it’s actually pretty good for a former Australian Idol star. Regardless, I’d probably feel more comfortable with this prize going to smaller, independent bands like it has in the past (The Drones, ECSR, The Mess Hall) who could use the money more than Ms Mitchell. But hey, congrats to LM. Hopefully she can produce something worthwhile with the moolah.

Castles Sunk Below The Sea

Castles Sunk Below The Sea – ‘1992′ (mp3)

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Castles Sunk Below The Sea make music for thinking deep thoughts to. From the same school of sound as local post-rock bands Willows and The Paper and The Plane, they sound a bit like Appleseed Cast, a bit like Explosions in the Sky and a bit like Brand New. ‘1992′ is a short but powerful track (that’s what all the ladies say, eh? eh? eh?) based around  samples from Severn Suzuki’s speech at the UN Earth Summit in 1992. More thoughts than feelings at the moment, but that’s not a bad thing at all.

They have a show at Fat Louies in Brisbane on Saturday night, just sayin’.

www.myspace.com/castlessunkbelowthesea

King Cannons – ‘Teenage Dreams’

King Cannons – ‘Teenage Dreams’ (mp3)

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Imma level with you and confess that I don’t really “get” ska music. Yeah, The Specials are pretty sick and I can totally see why people dig this stuff, but it’s just not ever going to take up much room on my iPod. King Cannons are a newly Melbourne-based but NZ-bred ska band that, to my non-connoisseur ears, tick all the right boxes for ska bands. It’s upbeat, fast, has more than five members, and has appropriate “stick-it-to-the-man” lyrics. I haven’t exactly thrashed ‘Teenage Dreams,’ but this is still well catchy and has at least made me come back for a few repeat listens. Plus I can’t remember the last ska band featured on whothehell.net.

If you’re into ska then let me know what you think of this one.

www.myspace.com/kingcannons

Jonathan Boulet – ‘North To South East To You’ video

Dandruff

Melbourne up and coming illustrator Eveline Tarunadjaja is having an exhibition of her latest works “Dandruff”. I wish I can go check this out.

Opening Thursday, March 11 (6-9pm)
Exhibition runs March 11 – 21, 2010

No Vacancy Gallery
34-40 Jane Bell Lane, Melbourne 3000
Gallery Hours: Tues – Sat 11 – 5, Sun 12 – 5

New Weird Australia, Vol. 5 (w/ The Atlas Room, Vorad Fils)

Vorad Fils – ‘Temple Leak’ (mp3)

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The Atlas Room – ‘Iris’ (mp3)

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I’ve been seeing a number of people talking up the latest volume in New Weird Australia’s free download series, so it’s good to see it getting some decent traction. I’m a big fan of these compilations, and what I’ve found impressive is that they’ve managed to uphold the quality of those first couple of compilations, the point where Vol. 5 might actually be my favourite so far. If you’ve not downloaded it then you can so for free RIGHT HERE.

Above are a couple of rad tracks I’ve pulled from V5. Vorad Fils is the new solo project from Seekae member John Hassellm whose debut album will be released by upcoming eclectic label Feral Media (AFXJIM, Broken Chip, Cleptocleptics); while The Atlas Room is the solo laptop project of Newcastle resident Ezekiel Kigbo. There’s actually some more accessible and even borderline-acoustic tracks on the compilation if none of this floats your boat. Definitely worth checking out.

www.newweirdaustralia.com

(PS our blog bros Polaroids of Androids have posted one of the compilation highlights over on their site. Check it here – it’s probably the closest Australia has come to joining the glo-fi movement that I’ve yet heard).

I Heart Hiroshima – ‘River’ video

I Heart Hiroshima – River from Paul W. Rankin on Vimeo.

(Cheers to @Niteshok for the tip)

Yves Klein Blue – ‘About The Future’ video

YKB frontman Michael Tomlinson goes stark for the band’s new vid and several hundred teenage girls get taken away for cardiac arrest.

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Edit from Matt

Just got sent a different video from Dew Process. Apparently the above clip is the ‘Alternate Version,’ presumably because it’s less likely to get rotation on MTV etc. This one features less nudity and smoking, so if cardiac arrest is a serious concern then perhaps this is the version for you.

Sounds Loud Festival 2010

If you like local music you will like this festival.

If your weekly disposable income is spent on rent, goon, Ikea furniture and cheap Thai food, leaving you no money for play – you will like this festival.

If you sound like Maculay Culkin and are still waiting for your southern regions to develop properly, you will like this festival.

If your athletic ability has been reduced to jumping fences at gigs and if you take pride in ripping off door stamps with thick texta, then you will also like this festival.

Fresh off the demand for some decent FREE all ages gigs -comes the brand new SOUNDS LOUD FESTIVAL 2010.

A decent stash of Triple J favourites are headlining the bill; Bluejuice, Philadelphia Grand Jury and Calling All Cars. Joining them will be Hungry Kids of Hungary, Behind Crimson Eyes, Yacht Club DJS, Scientists of Modern Music, Seth Sentry, and more.

Check out www.myspace.com/soundsloudfestival for all the details.

Predrag Delibasich

Predrag Delibasich – ‘Serpent Bites the Young Lion’ (mp3)

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Although he’s been kicking around the Perth music scene for over ten years, Serbian-born muso Predrag Basalich only just recently started releasing music under his own name (yes, Predrag Delibasich is his name). In live sets, apparently his setup is filled out by just three drummers and three guitarists. You know when you see a band sound-checking three drumkits that they’re going to be quite rhythm-heavy, and ‘Serpent Bites the Young Lion’ is certainly that. In fact, detractors might say that this song is nothing but clattering drums and some inconsequential guitar noodling over the top. Fair enough – if you don’t dig this track after one minute then you’re unlikely to dig it after three. Though it has a subtle build, the song otherwise refuses to change course, trading on the rush of incessant drum hits.

I’d love to check this guy out live as I’m sure that’s where his material shines.

www.myspace.com/predragdelibasich

Aeons – ‘In Great Wonder’

Aeons – ‘In Great Wonder’ (mp3)

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‘In Great Wonder’ is a cool new song from Sydney duo Aeons that was co-written with Hot Little Hands over a day in a Sydney rehearsal space. Primarily a synth-based band hitherto better-known for their remix work, this track sees Aeons absorbing guitars and analogue delay pedals into the texture and arrangement of their tunes. It’s a hazy, slow-burning number that’s a far from the club-stomp house reworkings of Deep Sea Arcade and Ellie Goulding, which suggests these guys either got some more patience or Ritalin.

‘In Great Wonder’ is taken from their forthcoming, as-yet-untitled debut EP.

www.myspace.com/aeonssounds

Bell Weather Department

Bell Weather Department – ‘Hole In The Sky’ (mp3)

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It’s no surprise that I like this track since it kinda sounds like Aleks and the Ramps making love to Belles Will Ring. I don’t know much about Bell Weather Department but this song has certainly grabbed my attention, and the other tracks on their Myspace suggest these guys are worth keeping an eye on. They definitely have an accessible sound that could see them get some serious airplay with proper recordings under their belt.

www.myspace.com/bellweatherdepartment

Fans presents Lost and Found

In lieu of the sadly canceled Lost Weekend festival in Brisbane, the Fans group (ie. the guys behind a bunch of Brisbane club nights and Useless Art Records) have decided to put on their own scaled down version of it. It’ll be held in Rosie’s in Brisbane’s city where the group hold host ‘The Cubby Hole’ club nights on weekends.

The line-up is below and it’s pretty killer for such a small venue, including a bunch of international and interstate acts. The Fans group, it must be pointed out, aren’t making any money off this night – they’re just filling the gap for the bands (and, um, fans) that were left hanging after Lost Weekend canceled. Tickets are only $35, but I hear there are 2-4-1 deals floating about the place.

If you’re in Brisbane then get along to it. Line-up after the jump:

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‘Bridezilla’ set at St Jerome’s Laneway, Footscray

I revisited my coverage of St Jerome’s Laneway in Melbourne, this was my most coherent set.
- I was pretty effin sick that day, got through on cold tablets and sugar.
Full coverage, including the internationals xx and my fav Dirty Three, up on my flickr.

Guineafowl/General Pants Co. new singles club

Guineafowl – ‘In Our Circles’ (mp3)

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So General Pants Co. are launching a monthly singles club record label starting with entries for Guineafowl, Circle Pit and High Highs in March. This shouldn’t seem like too much of a surprise to anyone who’s shopped in General Pants over summer and has likely been greeted with the line, “hey, you going to [insert next music festival] this weekend?” from the floor staff and pumping indie remixes over the speakers. I don’t know whether it’s actually written in their staff manual to try and connect with customers via music, but it’s certainly something that they’ve been successfully pushing of late.

But moving past the oversized singlets and undersized jeans, GP have actually collected some cool tracks up first. Circle Pit have been getting some mad props elsewhere on the internets, and we’ve already featured Guineafowl on whothehell.net before. While I think his previous track ‘Botanist’ was slightly better, ‘In Our Cirlces’ is still a nifty pop song with the same quirky edge to his electro-acoustic workouts.

www.myspace.com/guineafowl

www.generalpants.com.au/majorlabel

Romy

Romy – ‘Sleep’ (mp3)

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I’ve seen the new Romy Hoffman project live last year at Bigsound conference but it is still quite a surprise to hear this from the woman better known to us as Macromantics. “Sleep” is the first single from Romy and it features cool remixes from Juan Maclean and Brain Children.

www.myspace.com/rahromyruckus

Future Music Festival 2010 giveaways

Sydneysiders: we have a double pass to giveaway for you thanks to Smirnoff Festivals Experience and Future Music Fest in Sydney. The vodka people are setting up a bar next to the main stage so you and a friend can check out Empire Of The Sun, Bag Raiders and Jump Jump Dance Dance, as well as internationals such as The Prodigy, Franz Ferdinand and Bookashade. All you have to do, is wait for the question we will send through our mailing list and be the first to email me that answer. Of course you will have to join our mailing list first if you’re not there already. GOOD LUCK!

International Songwriting Competition- Aussie Finalists

The International Songwriting Competition’s list of finalists is out, boasting a very strong  Aussie showing. Maybe the judges are onto us now after Kate Miller-Heidke’s win last year, taking home US$25 000 in cash and a tonne of other prizes. We’ll be taking a look at artists from the list between now and the announcement of winners in April – there are just too many to do justice to in one post.

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Loon Lake – ‘Into The Office’

Loon Lake - ‘Into The Office’ (mp3)

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‘Into The Office’ is one of the first demos released by Loon Lake and it’s super promising. The sounds like a demo, yeah, but I’m really hoping they retain this loose, lo-fi feeling. Even if even every band this side of Eddy Current is trying to record thirty minute albums in twenty minutes, Loon Lake genuinely sound like dudes chilling with guitars in their garage. Doesn’t hurt that the hook in the chorus is a killer as well. In the increasingly crowded Australian garage rock market, these guys manage to stand out without ever sounding like they’re trying.

www.myspace.com/weareloonlake

Stature::Statue – ‘Rumours’ film clip

Finally. Fuck yes.