Recent Posts

INTRODUCING: Alex Cameron

, , No Comment

alex_cameron_corner

If you’re about to head out tonight, you should take a listen to the latest offering from Alex Cameron, (otherwise known as the babe from Seekae).

Having been a fan of Seekae since they first came out, I’m forever obliged to take a listen to whatever comes next from this Sydney based trio. The last we heard from the Seekae boys was the stunning ‘Yech‘, a mello, down-tempo jam laced with soul-rnb undercurrents. For some, it seemed as though the band departed from +Dome’s aesthetic into more of the brooding, less abrasive sounds of The Sounds of Trees Falling on People.

And first out of the solo project stables is vocalist/percussionist, Alex Cameron.

It’d be a disservice to not acknowledge the fact that you’d be hearing this track through the lens of Seekae, considering that’s how we’ve come to know Cameron up until this point. But that said, it’s also a disservice to rely solely on Seekae to get Cameron’s latest offering. But you really don’t need to anyway. At points, this track is reminiscent of Twin Shadow circa Forget.

This track seems to inhabit a space which is almost pseudo-80s, with its liberal use of synths. Cameron’s vocals are subdued, creating a character according to his Soundcloud:

“A voice like honey and lyrics that sting…He knows what he’s doing and although he’s nobody’s fool, he is a slave to love.” 

The legacy that Seekae has left over their two albums has done more than enough to hold future solo releases in good stead. It’s now up to Cameron to mark a definitive step away from the band to make it all count.

 

Photograph: Alan Weedon

 

PREMIERE: Meg Mac – ‘Known Better’ Video

, , No Comment

Meg Mac

Look at Meg Mac go. Wading in the Murray River with an efficiently taped dress, then having to chase off some dick who thinks he’s the fifth member of Mumford and Sons. Other than picking up some Hypem credits (#8) and serious national radio play along the way, Meg Mac is earning some decent brownie points from the general collective. She has a great vocal too, so here’s hoping jazz hands/horn section makes a cameo at some stage. (Also, if you haven’t already stumbled upon this Beyonce cover – make your move.)

YouTube Preview Image

 

Facebook / Website

INTRODUCING: The Sunbirds

, , No Comment

The Sunbirds

Here’s another rimshot of an excellent band who sound like they were made for better days. Adelaide’s The Sunbirds are probably the first ‘rock ‘n’ roll’ band I’ve actually been excited about in what feels like eternity. The word provokes as much dry wrenching as it does enthusiasm. No one wants to be the neo-goth, the barre chord bitch or that band still wearing driver hats shitting lyrics on top of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club chords when clearly, we’ve all moved on.

Leaving the great divide behind though, The Sunbirds are just so fucking great. These guys have only been going for just under two years, but I feel dutifully ashamed that I didn’t really give their first EP Emergency Christmas more love to begin with. 

Post-humous Name Change is the second release from the Adelaide five piece. This record is wayward and gutsy and somewhat generous with distortion levels. The first half of this release sounds like the band locked themselves in a large room with nothing but My Bloody Valentine‘s Loveless and something potent, then sat back to see what would ensue. I really hope warm, fuzzy 90s throwback stays on as flavour of the year. As for many other local bands who do what they do: bless your snark Oz accent, bless putting it on tape. Maybe it’s just me, but I’m really getting bored of everyone whining about how much Australian suburbia really sucks. We get it, hey. These guys have the shoegaze thing going for them, but it’s been a while since apathy has sounded this sincere. Tracks like ‘One’s I’ve Finally Met’ and ‘Car Crash’ are straight up MBV, but the second half verges closer to golden Lucksmiths territory (‘I Will Scream’).

In short, The Sunbirds have made a record that sounds like Thurston+Kim getting rough, the fading memory of your adolescence AND whatever haze headed goodness you’d like this collection of songs to be. Whether you dig this as much as I do, or get fidgety about shoegaze – what a strong record. Someone needs to hear this.

 

 

Facebook / Bandcamp

PREMIERE: Hollow Everdaze – ‘Ships’ Video

, , No Comment

Hollow-Everdaze-Ships

Glad to present to y’all the first look at the new video from the excellent Hollow Everdaze.

I caught these kids playing a dim, hole-in-the-wall warehouse party a few weeks ago. Cop searches at most parties I’ve been to have ended in drunk guys throwing lemons at police, people leaving and a general deflation of the mood, but props to Hollow Everdaze for playing right through. The guys were as chill as they are in this clip.

If you haven’t heard much material from these guys, this video is a decent introduction. Sitting on an empty wharf at mid night seems to be a fitting place to pen a lazy psych waltz anyway. Hollow Everdaze are releasing a mini album on July 28th which you should definitely get excited about. The guys don’t really look too happy about anything in this clip, but we promise they’re hyped about the album release too.

 

YouTube Preview Image

Film/Editing: Jason Galea

Additional Filming: Michael Avery and James Thomson

_____

Facebook / Bandcamp

 

LISTEN: Jenny Broke The Window

, , No Comment

Jenny Broke The Window

Jenny Broke The Window is definitely one of the more interesting and unconventional band names I’ve come across.

Hailing from the South Coast of NSW, the indie-pop outfit’s new single ‘Ravel’ is feverishly catchy – from the bouncy string sample intro to the track’s anthemic hook, there’s an energy present throughout the entire duration of the song that compels you with giddy desire to skip, dance or do something!

The five-piece have crafted a single that continually shifts and evolves. It’s a mash-up of musical ideas sewn together ever-so-smoothly, while the production on this is slick.

‘Ravel’ is the first of two new songs Jenny Broke The Window has recorded this year with a video also currently in the works. They’ll be launching ‘Ravel’ at The Standard in Sydney on the 23rd of May, with support from The Preatures DJs, Gang Of Youths and Rockets.

In the meantime, highly recommend giving their previous EP Another Summer a spin.

 

Facebook / Twitter