Silverchair – ‘Straight Lines’

If you don’t know who Silverchair are, I don’t care if you are Australian or not, then there really is no help for you. This post isn’t aimed at informing you about the band itself but more just recognition of album number five, Young Modern, and a tribute to an Australian band whose credentials might far out live most current Australian bands. I guess I am totally biased since Silverchair’s 1997 Freak Show tour was the first rock concert I saved my penny’s for to actually buy a ticket too, with my Dad waiting outside to pick me up at the end.

But I think the progression of Silverchair as a band is really interesting. With a career spanning twelve years and all original members remaining, they have transformed with every new album, with the most recent installment still baring the signs of Daniel Johns friendship with Paul Mac and work as part of The Dissociatives. ‘Straight Lines’ is an incredibly good and catchy song, and even though I’m less partial to The Chair these days, they still make me rock out a little when I hear them on the car radio.

www.myspace.com/silverchair

KIM – ‘BTTTTRY’

Continuing our weekend of exclusive material here on Who the Bloody Hell Are They, this is the brand new track from KIM, better known as Kimberley Isaac Moyes from The Presets.  It’s called ‘BTTTTRY’ which is short for “By the time that they reach you”, which is yelled out through the song.  It’s the next single to be released on Bang Gang’s new Twelve Inches record label.  It’s a hyphy, jungle inspired track – steel drums galore!  There’s also a Bag Raiders remix of the track too, though it doesn’t really drastically change the song much.  

Thanks to mnky for pointing out that this track is actually from KIM’s Japanese-only mini album System Breakdown.  Expect to hear it on dancefloors everywhere in a couple of weeks.

http://www.myspace.com/kimberleyisaacmoyes

The Basics – ‘Hey There!’

Kris Schroeder of The Basics has given this blog the all new exclusive to their new album Stand Out / Fit In. It contains 13 tracks, only two of which are covers. All the originals sound like they could have been written in the 60s or 70s, with delivery and play so confident they put a lot of newer bands to shame when it comes to skill and musicianship. I have to say I was half expecting to hear a few covers that I have heard them play live like The Police’s ‘Roxanne’ or New Kids On The Block’s ‘The Right Stuff’. I suppose it would have been difficult/expensive to clear, I’m sure plus the originals could earn them some nice syncing dollars somewhere. So what to feature here? We’ve already blogged the singles ‘Just Hold On’, ‘Rattle My Chain’ and ‘Lookin’ Over My Shoulder’. So I’ve picked this little number that I’m pretty sure not very many people have heard called ‘Hey There!’, featuring horns!

The Basics are right now in the middle of their crazily ambitious Tri-state residency playing Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane each week for a month! This must be some record breaking feat.

www.myspace.com/the3basics

Ground Components – ‘Hands In The Air’

A post on these favourite Melbourne sons of ska / punk / rockers Ground Components is long overdue. I’ve thought about them for a long time and didn’t want write a half arsed entry just because their album came out last year and people were talking about them. Prior to the release of Eye For A Brow, Tooth for A Pick album release, I haven’t really been keeping track with their developments. I know they had a fair bit of buzz around 2 years ago, but failed to keep this going in momentum, resulting in people dismissing them as another one of those bands that missed the boat. But after moving to Melbourne (six months ago now) I’ve started hanging around the scene people who eventually led to meeting the guys in the band, and found out how the band developed, the scene they came from and how that shaped the sound they have perfected in the album.

The Groundies represent a sound that is not only distinctively Australian, but uniquely Melbourne. The basic shout/singing style of Joe is a result of a community that had its roots in the ska/punk scene still thriving today in parts of Melbourne. Coming from Sydney where this scene is nonexistent it’s all quite new to me, and I’m not sure if it exists in anywhere else in the country. A typical ska-punker would wear black band t-shirt, 3/4 black dickies shorts, more than plenty facial hair and has an ever present whiff of bong water smell hanging around.

There are many songs on this album that is quality tunes that will be posted here in the future, it might be hard to get used to at first because of non melodic vocal style. To start with, I’ve blogged their current single ‘Hands In The Air’, the perfect introductory song to Groundies sound. It’s now time for me to see their reputable live show, they are playing tonight at the East Brunswick Club so come join me.

www.myspace.com/groundcomponents

The Scare – ‘Bats!Bats!Bats!’

The Scare‘s ‘Bats!Bats!Bats!’ is without a doubt the best punk song about at the
moment. It’s sweating sleaze, screaming for rebellion and quite frankly, the
sexiest bloody song to come out of Australia (dare I say) ever! The band
originally come from Queensland but resides in the UK. Though they were
briefly back in Australia a little while back to play some shows and record
with Scott Horscroft of Big Jesus Burger Studio, another praise worthy slap
in the face for this band is a recent stint supporting Gallows, a UK punk
band causing more than a riot in the UK. I think it could well be the year
of The Scare! I too will be relocating to the UK for a bit and can’t wait to
get to one of their UK shows (the last Sydney one was sensational).

www.myspace.com/thescare

Sui Zhen – ‘No Disko’

I’ve known Sui Zhen for years and have seen her performed live so many times that I thought I lost objectivity for her music. Since moving to Melbourne 6 months ago I have not seen or heard any new material until last week when I was in Sydney and heard her instantly recognisable voice on FBi Radio. Before I left she told me that she was going to collaborate with an electronic producer whose name I can’t remember now. ‘No Disko’ is the first song to come out of that recording session and it shows off a more confident and relaxed sounding Sui Zhen. The arrangement turned out to be warmer than I was expecting which is nice cos I was afraid that it would turn her to some sort of chill out/comedown music vocalist. She’s going to do a bit of touring in August I believe so keep an ear out.

www.myspace.com/suizhenmusic

Superb Lyrebird – ‘Insignificant Appendage’

One of my favourite bands to emerge from the Sydney alternative scene in the past twelve months are these guys, Superb Lyrebird.  Like all sub-scenes, it becomes a bit incestuous after a while, and Superb are a good example of that, because all the members come from different bands who, during one point or another, have shared the stage with each other. 

Superb Lyrebird brings together members from two defunct Sydney outfits: Endusk (who programmer/keyboardist/percussionist/general beeps and blips James McKenna was a member of) and Fat Slinky (who dummer Nathan Tuffin and bassist Wesley Von Grabill were a part of).  For vocals and guitar, they’ve borrowed the talents of Dave Bleus, who moonlights as the frontman for Sydney outfit Self | Is A Seed (once called Self, but there’s already a band in the States called that).

This is easily my favourite of all the members’ current and prior projects: it’s a far more mature alternative sound, combining dissonant, foreboding melodies with driving riffage, similar to bands like Cog and Karnivool.  Though while most alternative bands these days are trying to be the next Cog, and you come across clone after monotonoua clone, Superb thankfully put their own spin on it, so rather than sounding like some rehashed, second rate rock band, they’ve developed their own style.  Their debut EP Anoised has just been released, and if you’re a prog rock fan it’s a great listen.  Though, as good as it is, it doesn’t really match up to seeing them live, at their most visceral, because that’s where it all clicks.

http://www.myspace.com/superblyrebird