From the archives, and as an addition to the Retrospective #1 post, here’s the filmclip for ‘Champion’ from my personal faves The Grand Silent System from their last release Everyone Lies Alone.

Previous posts: Retrospective #1

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Welcome to the first in what may be (depending on how we feel) the first of many retrospective posts for Who The Bloody Hell Are They. Basically, the premise behind these posts are to highlight amazing Aussie acts that have now split up but didn’t reach the heights they should have. The idea is that if these bands were still together today, we’d have blogged about them.

Courtesy of FasterLouder.com.au

The Grand Silent System – ‘Seems’ (mp3)

Hands down, The Grand Silent System were, and still are, my favourite Aussie band. Though they only came to NSW on three occasions while I was of the legal gig-watching age, I managed to see them seven times.. or maybe it was more? Their music appeals to everything I like about music – variety, experimentation, complexity, melody and rhythm. Live they were phenominal; they possessed a massive wall of sound courtesy of their six-piece lineup. Vocalist Sean ‘Jova’ Albers also doubled as a percussionist, and he would play live surrounded by a mammoth percussive setup. Couresty of a huge internet buzz, many American sites would often lauder TGSS.

The band released two EPs – the difficult to find One and the amazing They Who Built. Their debut LP Gift or a Weapon is one of the best albums I own, and the follow up Everyone Lies Alone was solid but didn’t live up to its predecessor.

http://www.myspace.com/thegrandsilentsystem

Clann Zú – ‘Five Thousand More’ (mp3)

Like The Grand Silent System, Clann Zú is another brillant Melbourne act who sadly aren’t around anymore. I never got to see these guys live, which I’m still kicking myself about. They were an odd group who found a lot of success overseas, especially in Europe and I think Canada as well. Their music was predominantely rock, but it had a strong Irish influence, thanks to the background of vocalist Declan de Barra and the instruments used. They were another band who rebelled against the commercial standards of music and created their own unique art.

They released a couple of albums, the best being Rua which was their debut. They also released a fantastic self-titled EP, and Black Coats and Bandages, the follow-up LP to Rua, was a solid effort but I never quite got into it. Maybe I need to listen to it more… Anyway, two members of this amazing band have formed a post-rock three piece called My Disco and Declan de Barra is now performing as a solo artist.

http://www.clannzu.com/
http://www.myspace.com/clannzu

Courtesy of FasterLouder.com.au

Switchkicker – ‘A Kiss Becomes A Coma’

Switchkicker is the pseudonym for Many Machines on Nine frontman Dan Sutherland and his solo project. Started before joining MM9, Switchkicker had a couple of radio hits on Triple J including ‘Drown’ and ‘We’re Not Apart’ off the album 17102. The songs were catchy but not in the commerical pop sense – they had a dark industrial feel to them, but they weren’t heavy nor alienating. 17102 was heavily influenced by Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails, but it was really Switchkicker’s second release, Method 2, that showcased Sutherland’s abilities as a songwriter and as a vocalist. The album was a far more mature effort, taking in influence from the 80s new-wave movement but still maintaining an industrial feel, garnishing the album with strong rhymths behind a layer of melody.

Despite having a massive amount of potential and being signed to an independent label, Switchkicker was never pushed as much as Many Machines on Nine and as such the project has sadly fallen by the way-side. There are rumours of a final show at Sydney venue The Basement, so one can only hope we get to see this fine music performed live for one last time.

http://www.switchkicker.com
http://www.myspace.com/switchkicker

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Josh Pyke – ‘Middle Of The Hill’

There was a time when you couldn’t turn on a non-commerical radio station and not hear ‘Middle Of The Hill’ by Josh Pyke. But it’s not like you cared, because the song was so gorgeous in all its simplicity; the honesty of the lyrics combined with Josh’s great vocals made the song an instant winner and it ended up at number 19 on Triple J’s Hottest 100 of 2005 (a listener-voted countdown of the 100 favourite tracks of that year).

Seemingly Josh Pyke apparaited onto radio waves, but in fact he had been kicking around for a numer of years under the Night Hour moniker. Once he dropped the pseudonym and assumed his real name, Josh catipulted onto radio playlists and into the hearts of many Sydney-siders, and it wasn’t long until his name spread around the country. I caught him live for the first time on tour with WA’s Bob Evans and both performers were fantastic – I really hope they tour together again because they compliment each other so well. They performed a bunch of songs together and it was amazing how well their vocals suited each other.

Josh released the EP Feeding The Wolves this year which was produced by renowned producer Wayne Connolly (You Am I, Youth Group), and that’s where ‘Middle of the Hill’ came from. There’s a new album Memories & Dust in the works…

For those in the UK, these are the final tour dates for Josh’s UK tour, but hurry because they’re this week:

September 25 – Cardiff Point, Cardiff, 8pm (w/ The Walkmen & Soundteam)
September 26 – Enterprise, London, 8pm (w/ The Mike Rosenburg Band)
September 27 – Koko, London, 8pm (w/ The Walkmen & Soundteam)

http://www.joshpyke.com
http://www.myspace.com/joshpyke

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Quarter Acre – ‘Casual vs Fulltimer’ (mp3)

That promo photo should tell you everything – Quarter Acre are an odd three-piece. Try to find info on them and it can prove an arduous task. Here’s what I know: the band formed back in 2000 and realised their first EP Live From The Traffic Islands in 2003, which you can actually download from the Wash Records website. They then released their debut full-length album this year which is called Bored So I… Kicked The Shit Out Of Him (though the cute cover with coloured pencils has it listed only as Bored So I…) Singer/drummer Andrew Burgess is/was a member of a band called The Drugs who, to be completely honest, I know pretty much nothing about.

Bored So I… is an album that I loved the first time I heard it, and basically haven’t listened to it since. Which is odd. I think I loved it so much the first time that I’m scared I’m not going to love it as much the second time. It’s a short record that clocks in at just over 36 minutes, but has such a fantastic musical diversity. It’s constantly shifting, always keeping you interested. It ranges from Pixies-esque rock numbers to alt-country and cute pop numbers. It’s a rough record, with Andrew’s vocals being slightly lower in the mix compared with many other albums – plus he doesn’t have a great voice, but it has a vulnerability to it that makes it endearing. His lyrics are of the same nature – his tales of suburbia are innocent and honest. I’ve never seen these guys live, and they seem to run under the radar of most music media outlets in Australia, which is a surprise because I would of thought that there’d be a lot of fans of Bored So I…

http://www.quarteracre.info
http://www.myspace.com/quarteracrekids

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photo by Josh Logue

Howling Bells – ‘Setting Sun’

I don’t like the name Howling Bells (sounds like a bad 80’s glam-metal act, possibly fronted by Bret Michaels), and for a while I didn’t like their music either. It took me quite a while to warm to their shoegaze/dark indie rock – plus I’m always wary of ‘hype’ bands ’cause quite often they’re shit, it’s just that the ‘right’ people think they’re cool. OK, enough of my tirade against the fickle music industry. Also, it helps when shit TV shows passed off as “drama” like The OC play one of your tunes (oh yeah, I hate The OC too – I watched half an hour of it once and had to turn it off. Come on, the acting is so bad, the script is full of cringe-worthy lines and the plot… well, who are we kidding, there is none! Oh, and people think I look like Seth!)

So, who are Howling Bells? Well most people only care about sexy frontwoman Juanita Stein (there was a rather obsessive-like tone to a certain Howling Bells article in Sydney street press music mag Drum Media a couple of months ago) – but the band consists of three former members of Waikiki who found a small amount of success in Australia with their pop/rock tunes. One minute they were there, and then they disappeared! And then, just as magically, Howling Bells appeared in Waikiki’s place.

Juanita Stein, live at the Annandale Hotel – photo by boudist.com

Howling Bells recorded their self-titled debut album with Coldplay producer Ken Nelson (interesting note – Juanita recorded her vocals in the dark), and there’s a definite Coldplay-esque sound to the recording, especially in the tone of the instruments and the mix. The album has been criticised for lacking variety throughout, and while they’re not a band I’d actively seek to see live, there are a couple of really solid tracks on the album which helped me to enjoy it more. At the end of the day, it’s nothing spectacular, but it’s not offensive, nobody’s gonna be pissed off ’cause it’s on, and it’s got a handful of solid tracks. Everyone’s gonna have a different opinion on this band… mine is that I like them, but I don’t love them. Listen and judge for yourself. The band are touring round Australia at the moment supporting Placebo before they embark on their own headlining tour of Australia and the UK.

http://www.howlingbells.com
http://www.myspace.com/howlingbells

P.S. Big shoutout to Daniel Boud (boudist.com) and the bloggers from whiteboydancefloor and The Sandwich Club who I met for the first time on Thursday at Candy’s Apartment for the launch of The Knife Factory. Excellent guys who run excellent blogs – we’re looking now towards a meeting of all Aussie blogs… kind of like a Blogapalooza or Blogacon…

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photo by Glen Wilke

Adrian Klumpes – ‘Weave In and Out’

Thanks to the lovely folks at The Leaf Label, we’ve been given an exclusive track off Be Still, the debut solo record by Adrian Klumpes, who you may know as the keyboardist from Triosk who I blogged about a little while ago. ‘Weave In and Out’ further explores similar territory to Triosk, with Boards of Canada-esque beats and rhymths beneath sparse, ambient piano melodies. If you check out Adrian’s MySpace page, there’s another track off the album that’s more piano-based, whereas ‘Weave In and Out’ demostrates Adrian’s more experimental edge. Can’t wait to hear the album – I was a big fan of Triosk’s LP and I’m sure Be Still will be just as good!

http://www.adrianklumpes.com
http://www.myspace.com/adrianklumpes

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photo by boudist.com

N’fa – ‘Universal King (Left Right Left)’

It’s a momentous day for Who The Bloody Hell Are They – our first hip-hop blog! Though you overseas folk may not know, there is actually a booming Aussie hip-hop scene, and I’m sure many of the acts will be blogged about in the near future.

N’fa started his career in a hip-hop outfit called 1200 Techniques, who released two LPs – Choose One & Consistency Theory – before “going on hiatus” in 2005 after 5 years together.  1200 Techniques’ breakthrough hit was the track ‘Karma’ which entered the Top 40 charts in Australia, and had a great film clip which won Best Video at the 2002 ARIA Awards (the Australian equivalent of the Grammys).

So while 1200 are on “hiatus”, N’fa gathered some of his mates together including Roots Manuva, Mr Yoshiaki from the Black Eyed Peas, DJ Peril and the Deceptikonz and made his debut solo record, Cause An Effect.  While 1200 Techniques were more of a live hip-hop act, incorporating guitars and (I think) sometimes drums (someone will correct me if I’m wrong), Cause An Effect is more of a straight-up hip-hop release.  In typical Aussie hip-hop fashion, it contains a lot of solid grooves and the Australian lyrical flavour.  Some of this album I really dig, other tracks I’m not so sold on – it’s probably a bit long and can get a tad repetitive, but then again I’m not the world’s biggest hip-hop fan.  However, I love ‘Universal King (Left Right Left)’ – it’s got that great groove and you’ll be singing “left, right, left” for hours.

http://www.nfamusic.net
http://www.myspace.com/nfamusic

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