The Sophisticants – ‘Roughness’ (mp3)

My first impression of The Sophisticants came when I stumbled into a Melbourne club and looked up at the stage to see four rough looking (possibly alcoholic) dudes wailing like there was no tomorrow and about 30 punters who had rushed the stage dancing and trampling all over their equipment.

If you’re looking for a ‘tight’ band or even a well recorded band, then perhaps these guys aren’t for you. But if you’re looking for a band who plays some pretty great straight up rock and roll and who throws all they have into their live show and is above entertaining as all hell – check them out!

The Sophisticants are playing a Wednesday night residency at the Old Bar in Melbourne this month, get down and take your drinking hat.

www.myspace.com/thesophisticants

TST – ‘Halfhand’ (mp3)

Recently saw Melbourne lads TST perform an impressive support slot at Neon Love’s EP launch a few weeks ago. TST disperse a myriad of cavernous sounds onto a enigmatic canvas which lingers in the brooding shadow between pop and post punk.  Although this sort of sound isn’t anything overly new to bands sprouting up across town, TST still run command over tiers of angular guitar frames, stark bass lines and reverberating drums – all which each shift between seperate power plays and moments of accord. Without a doubt, you can hear layers of Dardanelles and Sugar Army echoing through TST’s musical Jenga block.

While TST comprise a milder, more restrained sound than erratic counterparts Bachelor of Arts (TST Frontman Kevin Mc Dowell does vocals/bass for BOA),  there is still evidence of the same distinct jabs of acute guitar riffs synonymous in both. There’s an assurance of brilliant ideas resonating from the Melbourne four piece, but still scope for the promising musicians to broaden their sound even further.

TST support Sugar Army on the 3^rd of December in Melbourne at the Evelyn.

www.myspace.com/tst

Children Collide – ‘Skeleton Dance’ (Ladytron remix) (stream only)

I’m quite a fan of the FIFA soccer series. I’ve been playing FIFA ’95 (or was it 96) when the opening song for the game was Blur’s Song 2. The thing with these games is that you end up spending hundreds of hours playing them, and the playlist becomes your favourite radio station. That’s why there so much value in getting a song in because the exposure is just enormous, even if its a localised version of the soundtrack. EA Games have been very active in putting the latest music in their games and this year’s is another great soundtrack. There’s a few notable artists that we support that’s on the game this year, including Cut Off Your Hands and Children Collide.

www.myspace.com/childrencollide

Danimals – ‘Christmas Worms Quest for Fresh Apples’ (mp3)

It’s appropriate that this artist’s name contains the word ‘animal’ since I definitely get some sort of scavenger vibe from them (at very least a scrub turkey vibe). ‘Christmas Worms Quest for Fresh Apples’ is a cool folk-pop tune with summery, layered vocals fleshed out by random, slightly disjointed, and sometimes even ugly synths. I’m not sure how they decided that fucked-up synth horn made sense as the main hook, but it totally works. This adventurous attitude to the arrangement pays off, elevating the song into genuinely interesting if not exciting territory and bringing to mind a more electronic Aleks and The Ramps.

Danimals will be releasing a double a-side (including the above track) on the 17th of this month. I’ve not heard word of a launch, but they’ve pulled the support slot for super rad LA hip hopper WHY? if anyone is especially keen to check them out. I know I’d be interested to see how they take this beast to the stage.

www.myspace.com/jontidanimals

The Process -‘Ceremonial Dagger’ (mp3)

Spurred by a bloodied barrage of tribal palpitations and interrupted by a shrill Indian call, I feel as if I’ve been chased into the forest by spear wielding banshees dressed up as members of New Order demanding their supper. Ceremonial Dagger is a colossal offering from an assemblage of four buccaneers – August Skipper, Saxon Jorgensen, Felix Davis and Vijay Singh who form Melbourne outfit The Process.

Erupting into a sinister chronicle with all the dynamo of an Indiana Jones installment, August Skipper’s brooding vocals alternate against menacing fits of guitar spells and acute pulsing drums, forging an onslaught of tense dynamics. It is indisputable that post punk tendencies coil through the Process’ ghostly sound. Definite Birthday Party/Bauhaus sounds exhumed here, with parallels to the same vacant sound built upon discordant minor progressions shared with other local gems in the same vein like Atrocities, Whores and The Nevada Strange.

This track dispatches like an intriguing tale; Jorgensen’s cascading riffs face off against Singh’s meticulous drumming resonates in shadows of intensity. Withering echoes of Skipper’s subtle vocals in the verse add a notion of unpredictability, giving the rest of us a brief moment to catch our pulse. Just like sitting in the cinema next to a dickhead who spoils the plot, I won’t give too much away. However, I just can’t shirk a mention of the climatic moment nearing the end – erratic screams, quivering ruptures of guitar, frenetic cymbal clashing, where the song’s narrative erupts into a complete mind blowing cacophony.

Mysterious, atmospheric and utterly alluring, the Process have enough bravura to rip all four of your limbs off and splatter the bloodied remains in a way that will leave you curious for more.

The Process cast a spell over The Tote in Melbourne this Friday the 6th of November.

www.myspace.com/processprocess