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LOOK: Fifth Floor Warehouse Party II

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(Photos: Vlad Chant)

Last month, we put on a thing in a warehouse with FIFTH FLOOR in Brunswick, Melbourne. A twelve band line-up including Wolf & Cub, Damn Terran and Hollow Everdaze took to a half-pipe transformed into a stage for the night. Kaleido visuals from Astral Projection Artwork kept everyone occupied, while everyone else was content flailing around to Mangelwurzel –  the funktoid, girl version of Fugazi throwing up jungle punk in a trashcan. Saw some guy in the room wearing a leopard bucket hat. What year is it?…

The Fifth Floor team are in Berlin at the moment, where they put on a show with local expats Ascetic two weeks ago. We’ll have photos from the event soon.

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INTRODUCING: Driffs

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Driffs are four housemates from Sydney who make loping pop of the supine kind; the sort of thing critics like to call ‘the soundtrack to summer’ (see? couldn’t help myself). Their music does have a beach-ridden feel. I imagine that when they decided to form a band they were reclining with the sun in their eyes; someone tried to say the word ‘drifts’ but couldn’t quite be bothered.

New single ‘Back to Bellevue’ was recorded at their home in Annandale and mastered by Mikey Young. These guys clearly have a thing for Underwater Peoples (the US label that handles Real Estate, Julian Lynch and Australia’s own Free Time and the Twerps). Their bell-toned guitar is heavily refracted, like a glimpse of something discarded on a creek bed, and the vocals are gentle and hazy. ‘Back to Bellevue’ is a pleasing step up in tempo for Driffs; sharp, cheerful and concise.

 

Driffs have an official release slated for early 2014.

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GUEST: Hot Mosh

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Hot Mosh Emmeline

 

Hot Mosh is a new(ish) publication out of Sydney. Run by Fin Duggan and Emmeline Peterson, the humble zine features a whole host of point and shoot snaps documenting all the grot-glamour of local music. Previous issues have featured everyone from The Gooch Palms to Donny Benet’s revered bald spot. The Hot Mosh team have teamed up Deep Sea Arcade to present their first curated gig ‘Visions’ this Saturday at Oxford Arts Factory.

Cruising down the line up alongside Deep Sea Arcade will be Shining Bird, The Tsars & Preatures DJs.

We cut Hot Mosh’s curatorial skills by asking them to pick out their favourite new Oz artists. Emmeline gives us the low down on her top 5 below.

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Black Soul – This guy is a newcomer on the scene. I’m pretty sure he’s only played one gig, but I was there… and it was awesome. One of few Sydney artists experimenting with the witch house genre right now; chopped and screwed beats and slowed down hip-hop. At least that’s what he sounded like when he was going under the name BLVCK. Now he’s Black Soul. It could be very different. HE’S A MYSTERY.

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Lunatics On Pogosticks – When I first heard their song ‘Freud And The Nazi’s Go Surfing’ 12 months ago, I proceeded to find the band’s Facebook to tell them how amazing they are. That’s when I found out they were 17 year old babies. I wish I asked them if I could be their manager right then because since then they have gone on to release a bunch of amazing tracks and win Triple J’s Unearthed High. This is how everyone who saw The Beatles at The Cavern Club felt in 1962 I bet.

Zeahorse  – One of those bands that has been kicking around for ages but has consistently ruled. Go buy their album on vinyl right now and just pay whatever the record store wants ok?!

 

Housewives – These guys are releasing some of THE BEST punk in Sydney right now. The band have released a sick EP called Lick The Pip. Title track closes in at 1 minute 30 seconds, which means you can hear it 960 times today. GO.

Chicks Who Love Guns – Full disclosure, this is my boyfriend’s band. But he’s only been my boyfriend for about 1/4 of the time I’ve been obsessed with this band, so really I’m just a groupie who hit the jackpot. This year they released their single ‘Pencil Neck’, a total step up from their thrashy punk beginnings, accompanied with a clip created by Manuela Leigh, which involves food being thrown on some hot babes.

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LOOK: Major Leagues

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I ran out of lazy adjectives and miscellaneous blogger labels to describe Brisbane bands a long time ago (see also ‘tweewave,’ ‘summertime pop’ etc.). Here are some awesome studio photos Major Leagues sent us recently. All the usual studio behaviour here; drop tuning, fondling pets and gazing dreamily into the camera while hanging off a wooden slat from the roof.

The band are capping off a big year touring with Jeremy Neale, The Preatures, landing the Australian support slots for Beach Fossils & Wild Nothing – and releasing their excellent debut EP Weird Season a few weeks ago. Not to mention, putting together the most appeasing video clip you’ll ever watch of a bunch of young people slobbering over tacos. A national tour has just been announced for early next year and Wagga via Osborne St pals The Ocean Party are tagging along for the ride. Contrary to the smug faces that appear in all of their press shots.. this looks like fun! Tour dates below.

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INTRODUCING: André

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After he released Do Whatchya Wanna in February this year, André (solo project of André Vanderwert from Pencil and Hot Palms) is back already with debut single ‘Friends’ from his upcoming album Smooth Move.

If the promo pictures are to be believed, André is nothing but a tousle-haired bandit afflicted with a thousand-yard stare, who never strays far from his trusty motorised stallion. Along with his band, which features members of the Ocean Party, Soda Eaves and Hot Palms, he makes slow-burners heavy on the fuzz and meandering guitar solos.

Previous single ‘Mend’ was one of my favourite tracks of 2013; its washed-out cynicism permeating every chord change and crack in Vanderwert’s delivery. ‘Friends’ is executed in similar style, with Vanderwert crooning, ‘You know it isn’t easy to be your friend’. It’s perhaps less nihilistic than the chorus of ‘Mend’ – ‘I’m staring at the ceiling’ – but it’s up there.

 

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MAP December 2013

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Joining the MAP pack this month from Aus are House of Laurence with their track ‘Just Don’t Move Me’. Plenty of new music action from our blog friends around the globe below, keep scrolling. Our latest MAPCAST podcast is now streaming over at FBi Radio online too.This month’s podcast is coming soon. If your patience is waning already – stream and download last month’s compilation over at our Soundcloud.

 

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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 27-track compilation through Ge.tt here.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie

Cam Beszkin – Cucharita De Manual

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We came across Cam Beszkin’s music when she was a member of Las Bailarinas Anarquistas, Mariana Bianchini’s solo band. This song is from Cam’s sophomore album Este Amor Ya No Es Para Tanto, in which her potent vocals adds up to a solid guitar and drum rock duet.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?

House Of Laurence – Just Don’t Move Me

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Let’s be real – if the industry was a caste system, psychedelic/prog music would sit on the lower rung. Thankfully, we don’t fear throwback in this country. We embrace it with open arms and wild, flailing John the Baptist hair. Just Don’t Move Me is the brand new track from Melbourne band House Of Laurence. If the image of Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker in a white pressed suit, struttin’ (barefoot) down the Fremantle boardwalk makes your insides feel like goo then this is dedicated to you.

AUSTRIA: Walzerkönig

Hella Comet – Tinker Boat

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The post-punk sound of four-piece Hella Comet calls for Sonic Youth comparisons, although their freshly-released second album Wild Honey, from which Tinker Boat is taken, is not afraid of pop either. Hella Comet were selected as one of 18 bands to represent this year’s focus country Austria at Europe’s most important music festival/conference Eurosonic.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado

Castello Branco – Necessidade

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Necessidade is taken from Castello Branco’s first album Serviço. It’s typical of the easygoing feeling he generates to make songs that speak directly to our souls.

CANADA: Quick Before It Melts

Rebekah Higgs – Loneliness

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Rebekah Higgs’ new release Sha La La is shot through with the spirit of 60s girl groups minus the innocence and politeness of those times. Higgs gets down and dirty climbing Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound. She throws classic doo-wop pop down an echo chamber and what comes out the other end is a gauzy, hazy doo-wop/drone-rock hybrid that’s utterly compelling. Loneliness has never sounded better.

 

(click after the jump for the full list of tracks…)

 

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INTRODUCING: Milwaukee Banks

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Before this year, I don’t think I’d ever heard an Australian hip hop track that I liked. More accurately: before this year, I don’t think I’d heard an Australian hip hop track to which I did not take active aversion. There was a passing tween phase where I listened to a lot of friendly, melodic hip hop like De La Soul and Jurassic 5, but generally the stuff that appealed to me was lean, lo fi and tough as shit. The garish samples and relentless optimism of groups like Hilltop Hoods made me feel a bit like puking.

In July, Melbourne’s Brothers Hand Mirror dropped the Picture Tape EP. ‘We Don’t Hide’, featuring HTML Flowers‘ odd flow and quiet lines on friendship, and Oscar Key Sung‘s honeyed refrain, became one of my favourite tracks of the year. In September, Dream Damage put out Psycho Shower Scene by POWER MOVES – a collaboration between Austin Buckett (Golden Blonde) and Thomas William. The EP’s tortured beats recalled some of the standout underground Southern rap of the previous year.

Then there was Milwaukee Banks, with beats by Adrian ‘Edo’ Rafter (Flight Tonight) and words by the happily named Dylan Thomas (Polo Club). For no particular reason their name’s a nod to both the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks and Tyra Banks of America’s Next Top Model (and, more importantly, in my opinion, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air). The vapour-logged synths and rolling snares of first single ‘Pluto Bounce’ have an unsettling effect that brings to mind the words ‘horror-core’, while heavily treated vocals and lopsided rhythms point to the influence of UK bass. The lyrics are understated – there are nights out, girls to impress and a broken ankle in jelly bean coloured socks – which in the Australian context, is kind of refreshing.

A video for ‘Pluto Bounce’ came out last week. It was filmed around Wonthaggi and Hayfield in Victoria, on 16mm infrared film (and if you’re not sure what that means, just watch and it will become apparent).

 

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