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LISTEN: The Phoncurves – ‘Heartstrings’

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Sometimes when I get sent press releases that describe a band as the ‘darlings; of a particular scene, I like to set my laptop on fire and throw it out the window.

Luckily, in the case of excellent Brisbane two-piece The Phoncurves, I restrained myself and listened to the song. The duo’s latest single ‘Heartstrings’ is actually pretty sweet. Abbie Roberts and Naomi Burrell’s voices are the most immediately striking; their harmonies are open and resonant – filling up all the space in what appears to be a seemingly simple acoustic pop song. But multiple listens reveal a depth in their songwriting. This is a track that swings and moves in waves; it’s well-structured and smart while still being soft on the surface….

‘Heartstrings’ is the first single off The Phoncurves second EP to be released early next year. Catch the duo heading out on these dates in December:

Thur, 5 December – SYDNEY @ Factory Floor

Fri, 6 December – MELBOURNE @ Victoria Hotel

Sat, 7 December – BRISBANE @ South Side Tea Room

 

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LISTEN: Sunbeam Sound Machine – ‘Cosmic Love Affair’

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Sunbeam Sound Machine is Nick Sowersby, a young guy who’s been playing in bands around Melbourne since he was in short trousers. His debut release, double EP One/Sunbeam Sound Machine, is coming out through Dot Dash/Remote Control Records on 29 November.

First single ‘Cosmic Love Affair’ is psychedelic pop in the original sense – woozy and detached, it gives you the odd sensation of having stepped into someone else’s waking dream. The song staggers along, half asleep, as Sowersby’s multi-tracked vocal floats in: ‘Everyone changed / I stayed the same / Everything’s gonna be different from now’. Escapist and dissociative, this is sure to provide some lovely summertime listening.

 

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MAPCAST: November Edition

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The newest edition of MAPCAST is now up streaming over at our Soundcloud. Robbie’s picked his best from this month’s Music Alliance Pact – including some seriously chill beats from España, Italy’s most fervent Thurston Moore worshippers and a mailbox smashing tune from our own backyard of course.

Stream/download previous podcasts for free here!

 

PREMIERE: Hayden Calnin – ‘Coward’

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Whaaaat a dreamboat. Here’s the new video for ‘Coward’, the new single from wunderkind Hayden Calnin. The video is just Calnin alone in his home studio with his Akai. If you’re familiar with his EP or other live sessions, you’ll know the prominent drawcard in Calnin’s previous material has been his simple approach to the whole layered indie electronica thing. ‘Coward’ is pared back, but it’s no wallflower of a tune. Calnin’s amazing vocal refrain pulls this through. Sure, a home studio ain’t a cabin in the woods – but here’s the point where you leave any grievances you might have for Justin Vernon at the door. It’s really nice to hear a track that would have otherwise been buried in reverb in an acoustic context. LET’S TALK ABOUT FEELINGS, OKAY.

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‘Coward’ is available for purchase here.

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PROFILE: Silo Arts & Records

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Silo Arts seems to fit the bill of a label that seems to be dripping in cultural cool. Being a Brisbane-based, outward looking label that’s pegged to Frenchkiss Records, the Silo Arts collective have managed to make a real mark since their start in 2011.

The likes of Rainbow Chan, ƒriendships, and Tincture lead the charge for Silo, creating a niche of young, curated electronic music that reaches beyond domestic ears. Tomorrow, they’ll be staging their unofficial Melbourne Music Week showcase at The Workers’ Club.  

In the lead up to this, we asked label founder Hugh Francis to explain Silo’s deal:

Silo Arts started in 2011 as a little artist collective.  We got a bunch of like minded Brisbane producers together and started doing some shows around town, and hosting some internationals. The exact birthday of Silo Arts is unknown, however it’s roughly September, around Bigsound.  We started in 2011 as a little arts collective, doing gallery shows with a bunch of unknown producers. We were lucky enough to be discovered by the peeps at Frenchkiss when I was working for CMJ in New York City in 2012. Those guys are pretty close to the CMJ crew, and I guess someone mentioned that I was running a small label back home.  They had a listen to our sampler, and sent us a contract within a week.  For me, that’s point where I really got my head in the game – up until then it had been a DIY collective. That’s when we decided to really have a go at this whole label thing….

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MAP November 2013

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While we only post stuff from this small corner of the world, For those new to MAP (Music Alliance Pact), it’s that time once a month where our hormones go rioting for month new music from around the globe. Us and a whole selection of fun blog-ly types get to assert our supposed internet authority by picking the best tracks each month. It’s a compact version of Eurovision without the spandex, violence and soviet subtitles.

MAP is also available in podcast form curated each month by our very own Robbie Ingrisano. Listen to the latest edition of MAPCAST over at our Soundcloud account here.

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
Onda Vaga – Tataralí

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Since their inception in 2008, Onda Vaga have avoided the steps that independent artists usually take in order to be a part of the music industry. It was a wise call. Thanks to word of mouth from a public that follows them whenever they perform, this folk-rock band have become a huge success, both locally and internationally (they made quite an impression at last year’s Fuji Rock Festival in Japan). Tataralí is the first single from their recently released third album, Magma Elemental.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
La Mancha Negra – Belango Twist

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It’s easy to imagine that Belango Twist might have been found inside a dusty shoebox containing a mix of rhythm and blues cassettes somewhere in the Deep South. Surprisingly that’s far from the case. Sydney swamp-rockers La Mancha Negra (which loosely translates from Spanish to “The Black Stain”) recently delivered their second album. Packed with blues ooze and reverberated hollers, Belango Twist is a tune that’s ideal for cruising… and smashing out a few letterboxes on the way.

AUSTRIA: Walzerkönig
Robotra – Morninglight 2

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Don’t let the noisy, distorted lo-fi shell of Robotra songs trick you. This three-piece band from Graz and their pop melodies will catch your attention and make you want to sing along immediately. Morninglight 2 is taken from their full-length debut Tinker, which was mixed and mastered by Wolfgang Möstl (Mile Me Deaf, Sex Jams, Killed By 9V Batteries).

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Marcelo Jeneci – De Graça

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In Marcelo Jeneci’s new psychedelic/pop-influenced album, the single De Graça is one of the weirdest and greatest songs. Strong influences of the earliest works of Caetano Veloso and Arnaldo Antunes (with whom Jeneci still plays keyboard) can be easily heard, as well as Jeneci’s talent for making catchy melodies that create the kind of feeling when everything is just fine and you don’t worry about anything.

Click after the jump to for a full list of tracks…

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