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Erasers – ‘Safe Sound’

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Erasers – ‘Safe Sound’ (mp3)

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Quite often, the term ‘minimalist’ is less of a descriptor of compositional style, than it is a euphemism for ‘shit boring music’. Perth’s Erasers have given themselves a head-start in the right direction with clean production and a solid groove and motif to base the song on. The female vocals annoyed me a little, but by the time they started, I was deep enough into the drone of the song to accept and forgive them.

They’re playing Sydney and Melbourne in the next fortnight or so – check their MySpace for details.

www.myspace.com/erasersonpencils

Cardboard Tube Fighting League

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I have fond memories of playing sword-fighting games with my little brother, winning and making him cry. Then there were the times where I beat him with a hollow cardboard tube. *badoom-tssh*

Seriously though, this has to be the best piece of Facebook event invite spam I’ve ever received.
On Saturday July 10 at 2pm, a  bunch of people are going to meet up at the park behind the Milton State School in Brisbane (cardboard suit of armor is optional) and fight each other with cardboard tubes. I’ve just moved house, so I’m going to make myself some badass protective gear with my leftover moving boxes.

The Facebook event invite is here.

DJ Pogo

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DJ Pogo – ‘UPular’, remix of the Pixar movie ‘UP’

I’ve only recently discovered the work of Perth’s DJ Pogo who makes remixes of popular films. It’s really interesting how he’s sidestepped the whole bloghouse remix world and just went straight to popular culture.

DJ Pogo – ‘Alice’, remix of Disney’s animated film Alice in Wonderland

By his youtube viewing count alone on makes DJ Pogo one of the most popular musicians out of Australia at the moment.

DJ Pogo – ‘Skynet Symphonic’, remix of the movie Terminator 2. All sounds in the remix sampled from the film’s sound track.

www.pogomix.net
Pogo’s youtube channel

Young Heretics – 'Risk/Loss' video

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Young Heretics – ‘Risk/Loss’ (mp3)


Here is the new Young Heretics clip (aka. Matthew Wright – ex. Getaway Plan dude + step sibling Kitty Hart) for their single ‘Risk/Loss’, directed by James Lawler and produced by Nick Grimsdale of Doomsday Films.

The video clip trails out like a three dimensional Sailor Moon episode. You’ve got the emotive piano balladry, the megaphone banter, schoolgirl outfits, cutesy coloured props and even a mysterious man suited up in a top hat and frills wielding a thoughtful piece of horticulture (chicks dig that shit).

A little narrative of melodramatic expressions, crazy purple poison fruit that leaves you frothing at the mouth and enough wardrobe frills to give the host of Iron Chef a good run for his money. It also contains the sort of innuendo that calls for tortured teenage vampires to fly over the hill and emote all over you.

There’s an obvious mass market to whom this clip will resonate with, who’ll probably be too busy releasing their sexual frustration into their Stephanie Meyer novellas, reading JD Salinger on park benches (see 0:05 mark) or gelling their fringe like Hailey Williams.

Three minutes and fifty eight seconds of climatic suspense and thespian performances has me summoning a pack of xanax and a good lie down.

Some nice cinematic colours and heartfelt vocals here. But unfortunately, I just can’t bring myself to jump on this bandwagon yet.

Wons Phreely – 'The World Has a Bank Account'

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Wons Phreely – ‘The World Has a Bank Account’ (mp3)

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Perth singer-songwriter Justin Wonsley Snowball aka Wons Phreely seems to have fledged off the radar since the release of his glorious debut The Rules of Nature EP two years ago. He’s back with his first track since signing to Ivy League, ‘The World Has a Bank Account which was written and recorded on his globe trotting adventures across Manchester, London, Berlin & New York.

“I was doing a lot of new things and getting right into some classic and current hip-hop and the way those artists observe and react to life around them” he says.

The track was inspired by a girl Wons Phreely met a Patrick Wolf concert.

“(She) proceeded to tell me about her life and took me on a journey that lasted a lot longer than it should have really,” he explains. “It’s about how she told me her plan to settle down with a rich guy so that she could use his money to basically save the world”.

A cleverly crafted track backed up by fun beats, prime melodic fare and witty lyrical banter, ‘The World Has a Bank Account’ is an great demonstration of Won’s buoyant approach to pop.

Channelling casual geek swagger and a mouthful of wit, this is the type of guy I’d take home to meet my mum.

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www.myspace.com/wonsphreely

Bangin’ Tunes from Speak’n’Spell/Inertia

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I don’t normally bulk post stuff released on the same label, but A) all these arrived in the same envelope, B) I have a heap of stuff in the drafts folder to get through following exams, and C) they’re all super sweet and I figured you should get a taste ASAP, in time for sweet weekend chilling. All are available digitally  via Speak’n’Spell/Intertia either now or over the coming weeks.

Castratii – ‘Orchids’ (mp3)

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Castratii, out of the blue mountains, are an industrial-leaning electronic band that couldn’t be further from the sounds we’re used to from that region (see: Cloud Control, Belles Will Ring, The Maple Trail). I commented last time that the vibe they project is of a more intense psuedo-metal band (that’s the cover art above – no one but metal bands uses that font). This is possibly fueled by an obvious love for Trent Reznor. They actually do a pretty good job of emulating their hero’s recognisable aesthetic, but they sound closer to his latest project, the dreamier How to Destroy Angels, than the more ferocious Nine Inch Nails (which ain’t a bad thing, I totally dig that HTDA EP). ‘Orchid’ is taken from their forthcoming EP The Telling Of Bees, which is released digitally on 3rd July.

www.myspace.com/castratii

Kite Club – ‘Downstairs’ (mp3)

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Another band that I posted about earlier this year, Kite Club really caught my attention with their track ‘Royal Gums.’ It’s easily the best track he (Kite Club is one dude) has written, bringing the best of his pop sensibility and love of reverb and layered falsetto together into a tight, memorable tune. He probably needs to get that balance right on more of his tracks if he really wants to stand out above the rest of the indie-bedroom-pop crowd, but there’s still enough to enjoy on his debut EP Esoterica. ‘Downstairs’ is another strong track – not single material but a good display of what could potentially make Kite Club’s sound instantly recognisable.

www.myspace.com/kiteclubclub

Dear Time’s Waste – ‘Room For Rent’ (mp3)

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Dear Time’s Waste is the name of Auckland she-bro Claire Duncan. Although at times a bit singer-songwriter-ish for my taste, her debut EP ‘Room for Rent‘ is very solid first offering. Especially strong is the title track, which damn near literally stopped me in my tracks upon first listen. It’s a hazy bedroom pop number not far from international buzzband Twin Sisters, until it builds to a transcendental coda, full of harmonies and floor toms, that slowly drift away. It’s a beautiful tune and I hope to hear more like it on whatever she releases next.

www.myspace.com/deartimeswaste