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LISTEN: Seagull – ‘Written Word’

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It was raining on the beach yet our Austrian visitors still decided to swim naked. On the drive home, we listened to Seagull’s new album Ocean From Above. Through the car’s air conditioner, I could smell that someone was burning off in the distance. As we crossed over the West Gate, I tried to place Seagull’s sound. There’s a little bit of Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy in there, a little bit of Sleep Decade, of Elliot Smith. As the album progressed I often felt as if I was listening to a darker version of Low; a haunting melody slowly (always slowly!), shifting with that typical Kishore Ryan (Kid Sam, Otouto) minimalist-style drumming.

Yet, Written Word – and the album as a whole – strays into ambience much more than it ever does into darkness, or dissonance. Take the vocal track on WW, about two minutes in that cuts and loops over itself after Christopher Bolton mutters: “Soon enough, I’ll be on medication”.  And to say that WW is dark is to discredit the odd bits of humour that surface in Seagull’s lyrics. Bolton pauses as he sings “The end of our connection / came with The Age…. of civilisation”, as if to play on the image of society’s severed connections arriving with the morning paper.

As we reached home, unpacked the esky and the blankets, it struck me that Seagull doesn’t necessarily remind me of a particular band, but a mood. There’s a certain sadness inherent in their sound, in those delicate guitars and sparse melody lines. Yet Seagull don’t offer colossal, cathartic finishes. Rather, their form of sadness hangs around in an anti-climactic, repressed manner. And, as the opening seconds of WW started up, as Bolton’s voice began to waver, the only thing I can think of were naked Austrians running into the water, a long drive home and the smell of burning wood.

 

Listen to Ocean From Above in full here.

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LISTEN: The Zebras – ‘Chase’

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The Zebras

If all was right with the world, The Zebras would be a veritable Aussie institution. Instead, Tony Abbott is in the Lodge, the weather is fucking bananas and it’s near impossible to find any information on this band at all. These guys have been around since almost the turn of the century and were regulars on Brisbane’s live circuit before moving to Melbourne in 2007. Their second album, Worry A Lot, was praised by Rolling Stone and the Australian, and over the years they’ve supported bands like The Shins, The Mountain Goats and Lambchop.

The Zebras’ relative obscurity may be to do with the fact they’re named after everyone’s favourite stripey equid. Lord knows the people love their online safari ephemera, so a Google search leads to a lot of videos of hunting scenes. Plus, so far as I’m aware,  they haven’t released anything since the 2008 EP New Ways of Risking Our Lives. Whatever the reason, it’s a crying shame, because The Zebras’ Sarah Records-channelling power pop is damn near perfect.

The band is signed to Lost and Lonesome, the twee-revivalist imprint run by Mark Monnone of The Lucksmiths. With boy-girl harmonies and organ-like synth tones, The Zebra’s ‘Chase’ recalls the bittersweet gems of Rocketship. There are also intimations of fellow analogue obsessives Broadcast and Stereolab, especially in the timbre of Edwina Ewin’s lead vocal. ‘Chase’ features on Lost and Lonesome’s 15th birthday sampler. With charming contributions from The Icypoles, The Sublets, Captain Coach and more, it’s well worth a listen.

 

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STUFF WE LIKED IN 2013.

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A lot of great Australian music was put out this year. We won’t be making an end of year list about end of year lists. (If you want a leisurely round-up, sit down with a tinnie, roll up your sleeves and read our archives).

However, for the last hurrah of 2013 – a year of self-funded labels, concept festivals on hilly rural estates and an upsurge in pressed suits – we’ve frantically decided to compile a mega-post in the hope that you’ll resolve your new year by buying one of these records. We’ve included artists of sentimental value – some who we’ve already covered this year, some we haven’t written about yet.

We’ll keep low on the sentimental fluff, but it’s been a great year for WTH too. We welcomed a bunch of bright writers and photographers, started a monthly podcast with our blog friends from around the globe, hosted a number of warehouse parties and events, with one recently in Berlin. Our role in documenting Australian music took a visual focus this year. Instead of sending our photographers to photo pits, they’ve ended up in in Vietnamese restaurants, back-lot studios, tropical themed boats and parking lots scoffing chiko rolls with some of the country’s best (see our photo recap in full here).

We also recently said farewell to our assistant editor/ long serving photography contributor Dave Payne who’s hanging up his blog boots to focus on his career. Dave has been an incredible driver behind Who The Hell. For those needing journo/photography work, you can say nice things to him via here or heckle him over yonder. We wish him the best!

To the artists who’ve contacted us with your work, we’re getting through it all – thanks! You label folk and bookers who keep us in the loop are heaps cool too. Hugs to our friends, collaborators & blog perusers from our backyard and abroad – thanks for reading and listening. We’re 7 years on…and chugging along.

2014 will be fun.

 

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A_T

 

End of year lists have always seemed pretty arbitrary to me, and so much great Australian music was released this year that rather than trying to narrow it down to three favourites, I thought I’d focus on some bands that didn’t get as much exposure in 2013 as they deserved. Shout outs to the always on point Crawlspace Magazine for keeping me abreast of these things and to the busy kids up in Brisbane – keep moving down to Melbourne, thanks.

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 Sadglint – ‘Sadglint‘ (Spartak’s Love Like Fire reduxxx)

Brisbane’s Rohan Cooper put out his debut EP as Sadglint in December 2012. Cooper is a multi-instrumentalist whose solo work is based on loops that spiral and float, with drums and horns provided by Jacob Hicks and Richard Thayil. Feral Media, which has had a swag of great releases this year, including the Winter and Spring instalments of its Seasons EP series and Nimble Animal‘s Bleak Moments LP – picked up the track ‘Sadglint’ for its remix compilation Strain of Origin III. The reworking by Canberra duo Spartak is expertly restrained, stripping back an already stately track and making a centrepiece of the horns that crest the original.


 

Primitive Motion – ‘Colours’

Another product of Brisbane’s lively experimental scene, Primitive Motion released their first LP, Worlds Floating By through Bedroom Suck in September. Comprised of Leighton Craig of Deadnotes and visual artist Sandra Selig, Primitive Motion describe their sound as ‘neanderthal pulsewave’. With drum machines ticking propulsively, the constant oscillations of euphonium, melodica and analogue synths, and Selig and Craig’s sub-lingual wailing, their music recalls the proto-punk of bands like Suicide and Silver Apples. Check out the video for single ‘Colours’ below.

 

Wonderfuls – ‘Change’

Cousins Robert Vagg and Danny McGirr have been making music together as Wonderfuls since about 2004 – around the time that Vagg began to undergo a series of psychiatric treatments, including hospitalisation, after moving to Brisbane from rural Queensland. Their first full-length release, Salty Town, can be tough going. The songs, built from McGirr’s scattered tremolo and tape hiss, have an icy sheen, and there’s a vacant, damaged quality to Vagg’s vocals that starts to burrow under your skin. ‘Change’ is a  song that bursts from the record with a shimmering riff that, for me, has to be one of the standout moments of underground music in Australia this year.

The ever-prolific Wonderfuls have just put out a collection of tunes recorded in the period between 2004-07 which you can get on Bandcamp, and they’ll be releasing a 7″ of new material on No Magic Man Records soon.

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M_L

 

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The Gooch Palms – Novos  (Independent)

This Newcastle duo’s debut is an album about small cities and big ambition; a punk record that’s catchier than pretty much anything you’ll find on a Top 40 list. Featuring one of the most impressive new vocalists in Australia in Leroy McQueen, whose knockout wail recalls old school Aus Rock without ever feeling stale,  Novos is brimming with scrappy charm and rough pop genius.

Jeremy Neale – In Stranger Times EP (Create/Control)
Obvious? Maybe, but this long awaited EP well and truly proved Brisbane’s Jeremy Neale worthy of his massive hype.The singles are so great it’s almost not fair; ‘Swing Left’ especially brings super slick production and a stomping, sultry kind of mood that turns epic as soon as that soaring vocal in the chorus kicks in, but the album tracks are equally impressive – the super smooth ‘Lone Tiger’ and emotionally raw ‘Merry Go Round’ are standouts.

Dick Diver – Calendar Days (Chapter Music)
A lot’s been written about these guys and this album lately as they continue to (most deservingly) top almost every local list around, so I’ll just say I love this album because it’s beautiful – it speaks to me in the voice of my friends, with lines we all wish we were smart enough to come up with. This record is smart, subtle, and effortlessly cool; the kind of album you always feel like listening to.

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LISTEN: Sarsha Simone ‘Gold’ EP

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I feel there could be a turf war between Melbourne and Sydney soul soon. Down here, we’ve got a knack for big brass; as Saskwatch, Clairy Browne, and The Cactus Channel have gone on to reflect the city’s penchant for gritty live shows. And in true form, Sydney’s hit back with something slick. That person behind it all is Sarsha Simone.

Previously front woman of Dojo Cuts—a revivalist funk outfit—Simone has brought out the Gold EP: five tracks that serve up a mix of neo-soul, hip-hop, and contemporary RnB. But, Simone’s voice is hard to place.  It’s raspy in part, but it’s smooth as well — almost like Winehouse’s raw voice on her debut Frank. You can her this more clearly on Jazz Soul Scent, Simone’s recent collaboration with French artist DJ Moar. And, in the vein of your neo-RnB revivalists, she can rap to boot.  This could raise ire in others, but she seems to rap in a style that’s akin to spoken word poetry on tracks like ‘All Night’. And of course, you could look to the likes of Candice Monique for further comparisons.

The EP ticks all the boxes of the RnB tragic. Gold presents themes of lust, sensuality, and sultry nights out in language of the genre. You’ve got your usual dose of heavy bass, with Simone directly addressing you on tracks like ‘Move’.  And while it’s safe to say that Hiatus Kaiyote has broken the ceiling for local neo-soul, this EP doesn’t seem to following its direct path. On ‘Gold’, the EP ramps up the electronica, with vocal lines distorted and melodies that break out of RnB’s DNA.

But, ‘Goin On’ seems to be the front-runner. With a bass line that subtly references funk, this track illustrates why future soul has become as big as it is now. This reminds me of ‘Everytime’, a track from British producer Eric Lau, precisely because production takes a back seat to vocal agility. Here, Simone’s voice is allowed to fully branch out as you’re enveloped in her vibrato.

On the whole, Gold is a tight release that knows how to play to its strengths. Considering the sheer amount of acts that have spawned from the neo-soul trip, Simone’s yet another welcome addition to a scene that’s hitting its stride.

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INTRODUCING: Mallee Songs

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The first Mallee Songs material was recorded by Michael Skinner, alone in his room, with an acoustic guitar and whatever equipment was to hand. The result is an introspective collection of songs, rustic and close sounding – like he were strumming quietly to himself from the armchair in the corner of your bedroom.

 

Becoming tired of the constraints of bedroom production, Skinner recorded this year’s Stolen Flowers b/w Egyptian King with his brother, Lucas (Atolls, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard), and friend Stu Mackenzie (King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard) on guitar and drums. Elaborated by a full band, Skinner’s songs achieve a balance between intimacy and squall similar to the work of Phil Elverum (the Microphones, Mount Eerie). On ‘Stolen Flowers’ guitar feedback hangs low over Skinner’s acoustic guitar, with the incremental addition of bass and a rumbling kick drum coming before a cathartic outro that sounds like the whole edifice is collapsing.

 

Skinner is currently working on a full-band album to be released in 2014. In the meantime he’ll be putting out a compilation of remastered early solo demos. Mallee Songs will be playing their last show before heading into the studio this Friday, 27 December, at the Post Office Hotel. Both sides of Skinner’s project will be on display, the band kicking off at 9.30 p.m. with two sets – one quiet and harmonious, the other a showcase of the noisier, more badass collaborative material. Details here.

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