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MAP September 2014

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Another month, another round of MAP! September’s submission for Aus is ‘Life Tourist’ from Foreign/National; proof that this country still wrings a good guitar hook out every once in a while. If you’re local and like what you hear – Foreign/National rounds up a wonderfully curated lineup for Paradise Music Festival in Victoria in November. In its second year, the festival also features Oscar Key Sung, Kirin J. Callinan, Banoffee and Lucianblomkamp on the bill. Tickets are available here.

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Click the play button icon to listen to individual songs, right-click on the song title to download an mp3, or grab a zip file of the full 21-track compilation through Dropbox here.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Los GongsSuicidas

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Suicidas is a brand new track from Los Gongs’ sophomore album, Volumen 2. This young, promising band from Buenos Aires takes us back to the folk-rock, kraut and psychedelic sounds of the 60s and 70s. It was recorded at Ion, one of the few studios in Argentina that still offers a completely analog recording environment.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Foreign/NationalLife Tourist

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Five-piece Foreign/National was formed by brothers Mark and Sean Gage in their hometown on the Mornington Peninsula, a short drive south of Melbourne. The band has released three singles since November last year, attracting their fair share of attention from the music blogosphere. On latest offering Life Tourist, the lyrics offer a harsh counterpoint (“What’s your motherfuckin’ problem?”) to the band’s signature blend of psych-pop and tropicalia. It’s a cheerful, off-kilter sound that falls somewhere on the spectrum between Django Django and Os Mutantes. Foreign/National’s debut EP will be out on Downtime later this month.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Moreno VelosoUm Passo À Frente

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Moreno Veloso, the eldest son of Caetano Veloso, released his first studio album this year, Coisa Boa. Um Passo À Frente, the first single from it, is an indie-samba song that reflects the easygoing mood of the record.

CANADA: Ride The Tempo
D-SisiveJonah Hill

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Toronto rapper D-Sisive describes his own biopic and reveals who would be the ideal person to play him. Despite being seemingly ridiculous, this track may be his best yet.

CHILE: Super 45
BernarditaHojas

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Bernardita (Martínez) took some songs that her friend and fellow musician Felipe Cadenasso had kept for years and included them in her self-titled debut album. Hojas (“Leaves”) is a melancholic song that allows the listener to experience the intimacy of the recording. It’s fresh, warm and sweet. Just as the leaves fall to the ground during autumn you will fall for this track.

(Keep scrolling for the full list of tracks.)

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INTRODUCING: Vigilantes

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Angela Ford and David Jenkins are a pair of vigilantes. The Sydney duo don’t fight crime per se, but they do fight the good fight of producing great music. Vigilantes have created an immaculate and imaginative tune with ‘Circles’ – a glossy, New Wave-y melody built on danceable beats. The duo have also recently put forth a brand new cut, creatively entitled, ‘<3’. Believe me, these songs ooze style.

‘Circles’ seems to lament or grudgingly accept the cyclical nature of things. Recurring mantras and looping synth progressions help to round out this feeling. Angela’s vocals are particularly special, moving across angelic peaks from chorus to verse.

‘<3’ has a bit more pop and bounce. This one focuses heavily on David’s sculpted vocal tones; smooth, yet not over the top. He sings about devotion, eternal love and other happy things but without sounding cheesy – no mean feat when you specialise in effervescent electro-pop.

Both Angela and David are accomplished musicians, having previously performed with Bertie Blackman and Kirin J Callinan. I’ve been told by the pair that the creative process is rarely linear, but things manage to come together with ideas and fragments recorded over time. If ‘Circles’ is any indication, I’d say the process works perfectly.

No EP or album is planned at this stage, but expect more singles that will assuredly help spread the word of this daring duo.

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WATCH: Andras Fox – ‘Pontoon’

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andras

Everyone – seriously, everyone – avert your eyes from whatever activity you were engaged in before, and focus all of that visual attention on Andras Fox‘s brilliant new clip for ‘Pontoon’.

Andras Fox (also of Fox & Sui and Andras & Oscar) has been kicking enormous goals lately, getting himself signed to legendary US label Mexican Summer. But, as this clip shows, the Melbourne producer still has a sweet spot for home. Prepare yourself for the highlight of your day, featuring sandboarding, silver-toothed villains and errant iPhones. Oh, and sax laser guns.

Now, ‘Pontoon’ itself is pretty great. Smooth, electronic lounge music, mushy as hell and drowning in cheesy synth riffs, it’s on the same plane as ironic Sydney acts Donny Benet and Alex Cameron. But when paired with the video, the song re-invents itself into the soundtrack of the greatest B-grade thriller that was never made. It’s as though a short-lived spy/vigilante 80’s TV show had been shot on a shoestring budget and relocated to Melbourne’s CBD.

The Vibrate on Silent 12” is out now through Mexican Summer.

Andras Fox will be appearing in Andras & Oscar form (with Oscar Key Sung) as part of Melbourne Music Week on Saturday 15 November at the QVM.

Facebook / Bandcamp / Web / BUY

INTRODUCING: Males

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Trekking all the way from the southern music hub of Dunedin, Males are one of New Zealand’s most formidable feel-good punk bands.

Specialising in songs that are short, quick and catchy, the trio play music that would probably be pop if not for its ferocity. Their double EP, Run Run Run/MalesMalesMales, captures the band’s satisfying mix of jangly guitars, rumbling bass, and driving percussion.

Despite the upbeat nature of the songs, lyrically they’re not always a happy affair, telling tales of anxiety and weakness. In a live setting it’s obvious that the songs are a therapeutic endeavour, the band working through negativity by throwing a kickass punk dance party.

Males have two more dates to go on their NZ/Australia tour:

26 September – ReFuel, Dunedin with carb on carb and Dinosaur Sanctuary. RSVP on Facebook.

27 September – The Space, Christchurch with carb on carb, The River Jones and coate. RSVP on Facebook.

Facebook / Bandcamp / Web

Who the Hell’s Guide to BIGSOUND

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Apart from being one of the few places in the world where old white dudes drink for free, BIGSOUND (if you don’t know) is also a great place to see new Australian bands – and your old favourites – which is something we’re pretty keen on. Here’s who we reckon will be worth checking out between beers at the LIVE portion of this year’s festival. You can check out the whole lineup and pick up last-minute tickets here.

We’ll also be instagrammin’ live for the festival at @whothehellnet if you wanna see us attempt to find a filter that might make Fortitude Valley Mall look good.

Jesse Davidson: Wednesday, 8.00 p.m. – New Globe Theatre

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Jesse Davidson is an Adelaide eighteen year old (and he already supported Mac Demarco this year. Jesus.) making really subtle, lovely pop music with warm, dynamic vocals. He does mumbly angst just as well as soaring… angst. His latest single ‘Ocean’ is precise but dreamy – nothing seems out of place or accidental, and the end result is something very pretty.

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Bad//Dreems: Wednesday, 9.40 p.m. – The Brightside (Outdoor)

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It’s no secret that we’re fans of these guys, but if you haven’t seen them live yet, you’re missing out. Bad//Dreems specialise in heavy downer vibes and grab-you-by-the-throat melodies. With a debut album on the way, there’s sure to be plenty of new stuff to sink your teeth into.

Facebook / Bandcamp / Website

Blank Realm: Wednesday, 11.20 p.m. – New Globe Theatre

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Okay, not exactly an underground find, we know, but Blank Realm is a truly world class act and if you’re not already planning on seeing them well… you gotta. They write riffs like no one else and are probably gonna be the most fun act you’ll see all festival – the perfect band to get sweaty and messy and a bit dirty to at the end of the first night.

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INTRODUCING: Planète

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Planète

Dion Tartaglione is an expert manipulator of noise. As Planète he is at the forefront of the newest wave of Australian electronic music. This might seem like big praise if you’ve never heard of him, but I have a feeling after listening to the latest Planète tunes – the ‘Visions’ / ‘Snow Sketch’ double A-side – you might agree with me.

I’m so confident that you’ll agree this guy is the bomb that I am tempted to stop writing now and let the music talk for me. I’m too vain to let that happen though; let me tell you a bit more about what to expect.

‘Visions’ starts off simply, quietly. Only a few blips and clicks permeate the low-level sound, but they are crucial to the build up. Not long after, the bass enters and your synapses start firing; electrical and chemical impulses start moving in your brain. The groove, once this track gets going, is undeniable – it might not make your heart race, but it will make your brain work.

‘Snow Sketch’ is the slightly longer song of the two, and it has more of a body groove going for it. You can bop around a bit more to this one, but its charm is in its restraint. Plucky synth notes dance around the maracas and bass undercurrent. Both tracks get beyond the seven-minute mark, making each a hefty yet satisfying aural trek.

‘Snow Sketch’ and ‘Visions’ are so immaculately crafted you’ll think they came from a bigger, more established name. The songs are like rooms decorated in the most elegant, minimalist style – unfathomably cool. Planète has the backing of similarly hip electro-heads, Silo Arts, and has supported the likes of LUCIANBLOMKAMP live. If you’re not convinced by this release, then it’s genuinely your loss.

Facebook / Bandcamp

LISTEN: Unity Floors and Chook Race – Cheap Split 7″

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I mean, this was inevitably going to happen, right? Of course two of the country’s most underrated guitar pop bands were going to combine forces and go multi-platinum on a split single! It seems ridiculous that it’s taken this long for it to occur.

For those unacquainted, Gus and Henry are Unity Floors. Best mates from Sydney, these guys are basically the Marrickville share-house equivalent of Pavement. The kind of music Unity Floors play can best be summarised by the bummed-out, hunched-shoulders riff of their contribution, ‘Hold Music’, with the accompanying line of ‘C…CBF/I couldn’t be fucked/but I’ll do my best’.

From here, ‘Hold Music’ just gets better and better, with buzzing and frantic guitars and lines that prove Unity Floors’ fantastically irreverent lyrics didn’t peak with ‘Nice Fit’. ‘Hold Music’ packages itself nicely as a song to be chucked on between The Replacements and The Go-Betweens on the Sunday BBQ mixtape.

Flip the side, and you’ve got another group that’s severely underrated in the scheme of Australian music – Melbourne band Chook Race. These guys are pure pop with a little bit of scuzz lurking around on the fringes, like a lo-fi version of The Preatures. Their new song ‘Numb’ ranks as one of their finest, and those who have heard ‘Pop Song’ know that Chook Race pack some punches.

Unity Floors and Chook Race are teaming up for the Sydney launch of Cheap Split real soon – and it’s free! Check ’em out on Friday, 12 September at the Standard Bowl.

Unity Floors – Facebook / Bandcamp

Chook Race – Facebook / Bandcamp