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PARADISE MIXTAPE: Darcy Baylis

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darcy-baylis

We’ve got another Paradise Festival mix for you today (only two days to go!). This one was sent in by Melbourne’s own Darcy Baylis, whose debut EP, ‘How Can I Live?’/’Ecstasy’, is out now through Downtime. Currently studying composition at VCA, Baylis was only just out of high school when he released his first album, Celestial Love, under the nom de guerre Naminé. He produces nostalgic dance music with a whole lot of heart, his introspective vocals dealing with depression, heartbreak and delusion.

Baylis has made us an exquisite mix of deep house, post punk and atmospheric techno, including excellent showings from locals Amateur Dance and Total Control. Check it out below, and don’t miss his set from 3.00 to 4.00 this Saturday night in Club Land.

 

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PREMIERE: Sagamore – Longer EP

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Sagamore - Longer EP

I have good feelings towards this band – and generally anyone who thinks employing a horn section is worthwhile, so I’m going to call this one out as a decent dad-jam record worth your ears (Fraser A Gorman not trailing far behind). Melbourne’s Sagamore are putting out their new EP, Longer – recorded over the span of a year between Christmas Hills, Thornbury and North Melbourne before being mastered by Lawrence Greenwood (Whitley) at his Hiss and Hum studio.

Sagamore aren’t changing any frontiers of sound – although but they seem a little more interested than the rest of jangle-gate. They’ve set themselves in a comfortable counterpoint between middle America and a Thornbury backyard. The interchangeable harmonies between Sam and Sophia are warm (‘You Can Take Me My Love’) and rhythms are replete with community hall dance moves from yesteryear (‘Iodine’, ‘Feelings’). Longer is sets off at a slower pace compared to the hook driven self-titled release. The band do edge on running bar chord devotionals and lyrical repetition into the ground, but lead Sam Cooper manages to deliver any leftover passiveness into a warmth only Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy could run off with. 

Sagamore are launching Longer at the Gasometer Hotel in Melbourne tomorrow, followed by a stint at the Queenscliff Music Festival on the weekend.

Longer is out on the 28th of Nov via Flightless. 

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PARADISE MIXTAPE: Foreign/National

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Our next Paradise artist mixtape comes from Foreign/National, a five-piece from the Mornington Peninsula led by brothers Mark and Sean Gage. The mix pretty much perfectly encapsulates the band’s ‘psychedelic lounge’ aesthetic, featuring sounds ranging from Air to Neu!, plus Aussie psych rockers King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard and neo-soul merchants the Harpoons – not to mention my new favourite Nina Simone track.

Foreign/National’s debut EP is out now through DOWNTIME. Catch ’em at Stage Paradise this Saturday at 1.15 p.m.

Track list:

01. Air – J’ai Dormi Sous L’eau

02. João Gilberto & Stan Getz – Corcovado

03. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Work This Time

04. Nina Simone – Baltimore

05. The Harpoons – Never Stop Loving You

06. Sister Sledge – He’s The Greatest Dancer

07. Neu! – Hallogallo

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INTRODUCING: Prints

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prints

There are three things that dogs leave behind: poo, good times, and little prints that will lead you to both the poo and the good times. If you have access to the Internet and enter in the search terms “Sydney” and “band”, you’ll be led to another source of good times: the superbly pleasant foursome of Prints.

Having just released their debut EP Some People Will Listen to Anything, Prints have delivered a casual brand of power-pop garage that recalls the spritely likes of the Strokes having a delightful evening at home with Deep Sea Arcade. It’s well put together music for lovers of guitar and break-up songs.

Although Prints have been around for over three years, this EP is the first real taste of material from the band. They don’t have a heap of live shows under their belt either – which is a shame, because from their driving hooks to their preppy lyrics (“If you’re gonna let me go, I think you oughtta know, I’m gonna take it pers-onally”), Prints are looking to be Sydney’s own little Vampire Weekend.

Whilst we bop our heads to these sincere, torn tunes from Prints and wait for more material, we can at least comfort ourselves knowing that out there somewhere, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zach Braff are staging a cage-fight to the death to see who gets to use “Lady Penelope” in their upcoming indie film.

GIGS:

27 November – The Public Bar, Melbourne

13 December – Oxford Art Factory (Gallery Bar), Sydney

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INTRODUCING: The Emilys

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The Emilys – the very new side project by Mark Turner of the Eversons – are a ‘cartoon band’, featuring illustrations and animation from Ian and Rebecca Hart. Their first release is the video for ‘Play It Cool‘, a story following lead singer Shelley, who does almost anything but.

I need very little encouragement to get excited about anything related to the Eversons, and their defiantly happy music combined with a predilection for suicidal characters makes the transition easy. And, really, I need even less encouragement to get excited about a band of cartoon characters from New Zealand. With all that and a sound like the Cars getting into wacky vocal effects, what’s not to love?

More music (and plotlines!) are promised from the band very soon, and you can read all about the members over at their Tumblr.

They Emilys are playing their FREE debut show with support from the Eversons this Saturday, 29 November, at Portland Public House in Auckland.

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LISTEN: Love Signs – ‘Hold You Down’

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Love signs pic

One of the best things in the world for music writers/fans in general is when a brand new band you loved from the very start exceeds even your expectations – and Brisbane four-piece Love Signs have totally done that for me.

Their previous single, ‘Wish at Home‘, was a mood piece, dreamy and romantically downbeat. With ‘Hold You Down’ they’ve given us a real single, a beautiful jangly pop hit with guts as well as atmosphere. A lot of this comes from the added lead guitar (which they freely admit takes a lot from the Go-Betweens – but when has that ever been a bad thing?), which cuts a spiralling path towards the layered, driving chorus. Izzy Mellor’s classic breathy vocals also work really well against the cynical lyrics to create a bit of friction in all that prettiness.

It’s just so cool to see a band deliver on their promise and develop this confidently in such a short space of time. It’ll be worth keeping an eye on Love Signs.

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PARADISE MIXTAPE: ESC

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ESC

Next up in our mixtape series, featuring artists playing Paradise Music Festival on 28-30 November, are Melbourne post-punkers ESC, who have sent in their ideal soundtrack for the drive to the festival site at Lake Mountain. It’s a wonderfully eclectic mix, featuring everything from vapourwave to future beats – plus a cheeky little nod to the folks at Paradise tucked away at the end.

ESC are working up a new album as we speak, so keep your eyes peeled.

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