Posts By David Payne

LISTEN: Bushwalking – ‘No Enter’

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It’s such a treat to share Australian music every week. And some weeks it really does floor me how much great music comes across my desk. Today I’ll kick off with the excellent release from Bushwalking’s forthcoming LP No Enter. This is the titled track from the group formed by Ela Stiles from Songs with Nisa Venerosa from Fabulous Diamonds and Karl Sculllin from Kes Band. The opening bass line sounds like something My Disco might create if they had vaginas. I don’t mean to be controversial. This sound is pleasantly devoid of the male pounding that typically drives “droning jams over tightly regimented songs”, mess and noise.

It takes a hellova lot of restrain to create this mood. Far more beautiful and enchanting than a Celine Dion record, Bushwalking is music that your church group can get behind. Instantly recognisable for its thick bass, spiralling guitar and stirring vocals. No Enter follows on from First Time released last year and will be out through Chapter music on September 6, as the Americans say.

We’ll preview more from the LP in the coming months.

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LISTEN: Circular Keys – ‘Eurogrand’

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An older track from Melbourne’s Circular Keys called ‘Eurogrand’ has been released on 7″ vinyl through Bedroom Suck Records. Circular Keys are Phillipa O’Shea and Dennis Santiago and despite having been working on plenty of music and playing shows, this is their first commercial release. It follows an initial digital-only release of ‘Possessed’, which is now the accompanying B-Side track chosen for the ‘Eurogrand’ vinyl.

It’s another well-produced, atmospheric track. I like this sound and love the haunting riffs and jarring vocals but I’m quite nervous that this can translate in a live environment. It’ll take considerable patience from an audience that I’m not sure exists in this country… I see Berlin on the horizon.

The accompanying video was made by Santiago’s brother Alberto, using footage shot on holiday in Vietnam. I guess there’s a parallel in that it flows like the track but otherwise it’s just nice footage. Set adrift in the ocean with this one:

 

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STORYBOARD: I’lls – A Warm Reception

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The last six months have been amongst the best of my time. A home base in Toronto and extensive travels about North America gave me the time and space to work on different projects while consuming Australian music through a more long-form process.

Each flight, cross city train ride, or 7 hour bus ride across great snowy landscapes lent itself to a more reflective consumption of music. In particular, new records from Beaches and Standish/Carlyon demanded my attention. But it was A Warm Reception, the new EP by I’lls that kept swallowing my thoughts.

What follows is a series of camera phone pictures accompanied by direct quotes from the stranger folks I met along the way.

It’s an essay explaining a visual and very personal story of a 6 week road trip circling the East Coast of the USA; driving from the fishing villages in Maine, stopping by haunted mansions in Savannah – to hanging out in dingy New Orleans jazz clubs and tourist-ing the maze of museums in DC. The colour, smell, sound and atmosphere of 5000 miles of the pure American dream…

 

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Track 1: ‘Speak Low’

Listen to

“I don’t drink coffee. Or drink that much. I’m not really addicted to anything…except, well, I’m a sex addict. Anyway, so you want to hear a haunted story?”.

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Track 2: ‘Plans Only Drawn’

Listen to

“I hear you like the Man From Snowy River? I’m a big fan. I’ve got an 8’ kangaroo whip. I’ll crack it for y’all if you like?”

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Track 3: ‘Outright’

Listen to

“I play a Benjamin Franklin glass harmonica for tourists on the freedom trail. I’ve pretty much learnt every national anthem so that if someone asks for the… Mongolian national anthem (she gestures with her fingers) I can play it.”

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Track 4: ‘Sharing’

Listen to

“Aren’t you two just a gorgeous couple? And on this lovely sunny day, that’ll be a pretty picture.”

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Track 5: ‘To All The Blurred’

Listen to

“Oh, hey… I laid some carpet in Elvis’ house. 6 weeks after he died. Man, that was a long time ago. Hey could you spare some change for a veteran with colon cancer?”

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Track 6: ‘Mine’s Here or My End’s Here or Nineteen’

Listen to

“My biggest fear is losing my special lady friend cause that’s what gets me through the night.”

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I’lls Warm Reception EP available through Yes Please here.

Catch them launching the EP tonight at Yes Please’s 2nd Birthday:

July 18 – Melbourne
The Worker’s Club
$12 pre-sale
$15 door

with Fishing
Wintercoats
Guerre
The Townhouses

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LOOK: Scenic – ‘Shockwave’

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Polite Perth four-piece Scenic have dumped their new track ‘Shockwave’, taken from their forthcoming EP Shockwaves, out in August through Future Classic, with a montage of VHS video complete with sun-drenched babes and random explosions. The track does sound like Miami Horror’s ‘Sometimes’ but that’s hardly a bad thing.

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LISTEN: Holy Holy – ‘Impossible Like You’

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Holy Holy is singer/songwriter Timothy Carroll from Brisbane and guitarist/producer Oscar Dawson from Melbourne. Their record was pieced together in Berlin, as you do, then recorded with Matt Redlich back in Aus. Redlich has knocked out very accomplished sounds with Emma Louise, Hungry Kids of Hungary, and Holy Holy’s current touring buddies The Trouble With Templeton.

‘Impossible Like You’ is easy to like. It’s catchy. Has a great breakdown and a vintage 70’s period sound that doesn’t define the track but rather compliments the vocal and story telling talents of Timothy Carroll. To say that ‘Impossible Like You’ is well constructed would be a gross understatement. This is perfect modern rock and roll for the masses.

Holy Holy are touring with Ainslie Wills:

Sun 11th Aug – Queen Street Mall, Brisbane (daytime show)

Tues 13th of Aug – Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane

Thur 15th Aug – High Tea, Sydney

Fri 16th Aug – News Agency, Sydney

22nd Aug – Workers Club, Melbourne

And supporting The Trouble With Templeton:

Thur 29th Aug – The Spotted Cow, Toowoomba

Fri 30th Aug – The Zoo, Brisbane

 

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WATCH: Beaches – ‘Send Them Away’

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Check out the new Beaches clip for ‘Send Them Away’ created by Ben Montero. The single is taken from She Beats, the new LP from Beaches. We’ll have an in-depth feature on the new record coming up next month. You can get your hands on it May 3rd. Details of the She Beats tour below:

Friday May 31

Hobart – Brisbane Hotel

supports to be announced

tickets $10 on the door

 

Saturday June 1

Melbourne – Northcote Social Club

with Bushwalking + Early Woman

tickets $15+bf from NSC / $18 on the door

 

Friday June 14

Brisbane – Black Bear Lodge

supports to be announced

tickets $10.70+bf from Moshtix / $14 on the door

 

Saturday June 15

Sydney – Goodgod Small Club

supports to be announced

tickets $10.70+bf from Moshtix / $14 on the door

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EXCLUSIVE: North Arm – ‘Quitely Lightly’

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Those of you familiar with Newcastle-based band Firekites (remember that chalk video that Kanye blogged?), will instantly recognise the warm melodies and sensual, soft-hushed breathy sounds of Roderick Smith. Now, if I were to describe a fellow man, in this tender way out loud on the streets of Newcastle, I’d probably meet the pointy end of a cold chisel. But this gentle artist (accomplished painter), musician (what I’m writing about) and humanitarian solicitor (legal guy behind Renew Newcastle .org) continues to thrive on what is beautiful about the working-class novocastrian city; the sunshine and a community that supports most art.

In his first solo release, Rod explores his childhood dreaming, through memories of his families holiday house in North Arm, the capital of Australia that never came to be. ‘Quietly Lightly’ recaptures a flowing motion like that of the sea or undulating forests and scrub as he takes us through a pop-driven journey of regret, love and longing.

Now because this is an exclusive first listen that will be found nowhere else online for at least an hour, let me leave you with a quotable line that can be recycled in the aggregators:

“Smith delved deep into his young heart for ‘Quietly Lightly’, recovering memories that guide his light and soul in music making”.

That’s less than 140 characters too… *wink*. ‘Quietly Lightly’ is the first single from North Arm’s upcoming 4-track EP Thought Lines, set for release on April 27 through Spunk records.

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