Posts By Madeleine Laing

LISTEN: Angie – ‘Turning’

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angie

You might know Angie Garrick (or ‘Angie Bermuda’ as she’s better known) for her screen work or her various guises in bands like Circle Pit, Ruined Fortune and Straight Arrows. Angie released her first solo EP Turning recently, where she’s swapped scrappy garage for a moodier sound.

Turning is a record for people who aren’t scared of music that’s a little ‘harsh’. (I’ve been playing it all day and my housemates have never been less chill.)

The highlight of this EP for me was closing track ‘A Certain Friend’. This track is total drowned-out desperation – the percussion here could synch up with the rhythm of a body being dragged down the stairs with Angie’s unrelenting vocals at the fore. There’s a lot to like here though – the heavier ‘Do Yourself Right’ delivers the first of the record’s many soul crunching riffs right out of the gate, while lead single ‘Parallels’ sparks familiar pointers to Angela’s previous ventures.

Turning is a record of pleasure and pain. IT RULES.

Turning is out now via Rice is Nice, and up for purchase here.

 

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INTRODUCING: Rolls Bayce – ‘Arrows’

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Rolls-Bayce

Rolls Bayce are a Brisbane three piece with some serious pop pedigree. The band is a new project for Hungry Kids of Hungary lead Dean McGrath, Neal Apel and James Wright, better known around these parts for drumming for Millions and Emerson Snowe and fostering all types of weird song requests doing DJ stints around Brisbane. While Wright is known for DJ skills, this song is definitely more for putting on at home after the club (alone, or not) than dancing.

The band do a good job of easing you into ‘Arrows’ with a smooth and slinky funk intro. McGrath has such a distinctive voice it’s hard not to immediately hear Hungry Kids of Hungary when his vocal kicks in. The drums and bassline here sounds as fresh and crisp as a brand new suit. The song has a real ‘groove’ to it, so any comparisons to Hungry’s more pop aligned catalogue are quickly shrugged off. It’s a very cool sound, and one we rarely hear done this well.

Get this in your ears.

 

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LISTEN: James X. Boyd – ‘Paul K & The Downtown Specials’

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james-x-boyd

It was a sad day for Brisbane when James X. Boyd moved to Edinburgh earlier in the year, so it’s super exciting to hear new stuff from him coming over the seas.

‘Paul K & The Downtown Specials’ is a low-key slice of the kind of deeply lovely jangle stuff that we expect from Boyd. It makes you feel good but in a sad kind of way that you don’t quite get but you definitely like. The lyrics are simple but striking (‘true romantics always sleep alone’), and you hear another great line every time you listen to the song, which you’ll want to do a lot.

You can download the track for free on James’ Bandcamp. While we’re there, check out this very sweet and weird home-movie style video.

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WATCH: Jae Laffer – ‘Leave A Light On’

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Jae-Laffer

It’s always nerve wracking when the singer of one of your favourite bands goes solo. When Jae Laffer from The Panics announced his solo record, my immediate reaction was – that’s great… Jae (I saw him on the bus once, we’re on a first name basis). Please don’t break up the band.

So far it seems my fears were unfounded, and this first single from Laffer’s record is certainly pretty enough to be worth the worry. The track, ‘Leave A Light On’ is on the poppier side of Laffer’s output, though still with those gorgeous strings that lend a slight sense of weight to the track without ever being overwrought shine best here. Laffer’s vocals and lyrics are still thankfully a focal point, because the guy can sure can turn a any old phrase into something laconic, smart, and poetic.

A video released to co-inside with the single has recently been released, featuring historical footage mixed with images of Laffer wondering around the bush, looking at junk. It’s familiar stuff if you’ve seen any of The Panics’ film clips. Also note, at 2:20 Laffer does the greatest Nana dancing ever committed to tape.

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Jae is releasing his new album When The Iron Glows Red on Sep 27th via Dew Process/Universal. He’ll also be playing a string of dates around the country, details below.

‘WHEN THE IRON GLOWS RED’ TOUR

Saturday Oct 12 – The Toff, Melbourne, VIC

Friday Oct 18 – Alhambra Lounge Brisbane, QLD

Saturday Oct 19 – The Loft Gold Coast QLD

Thursday Oct 24 – Mojo’s, Fremantle WA

Friday Oct 25 – Astor Upstairs, Perth WA

Saturday Oct 26– Jive Bar Bar, Adelaide SA

Friaday Nov 08 – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney NSW

 

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INTRODUCING: The Good Sports

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The Good Sports

The Good Sports are part of a new pack of great young Brisbane bands, also including Johnny and The Fembots (who we’ve previously featured) and Pool Shop who’ve been making it worthwhile to turn up to gigs early for the past six months.

This track from The Good Sports has a very Help-era Thee Oh See’s vibe, deranged reverb laden boy/girl vocals and a couple of manic guitar solos thrown in for good measure. ‘Early Riser’ might be a little reminiscent of a lot of other bands going around right now Brisbane’s strong garage scene, but it’ll be interesting to watch the band as they come into their own a little more.

This is a sure cool track, but make sure you also check out their other single ‘Shootin’ Hoops’ or their crunchy cover of The Troggs’ ‘With A Girl Like You’ too.

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LISTEN: Major Leagues – ‘Endless Drain’

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major-leagues

Brisbane’s Major Leagues sometimes get stuck with that big yellow SLACKER label (after which I assume they’re shuffled into a corner with every other Slacker and forced to smoke weed and watch Adventure Time). However, what strikes me most about their new track ‘Endless Drain’ is how efficient, driven and smart it is.

The verses are made up of the familiar rhymes; “I was looking for the one/right underneath the sun/ sifting through the sand/ tryin’ to find a plan”.
The upbeat façade doesn’t hang around long though, giving in to a droning, swirling chorus.

At just over two minutes, the song doesn’t bother settling. The simplicity of the lead guitar line keeps everything light and fun, while some clever drumming propels the track forward to its open-ended final line, “I was looking for the one…”.

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LISTEN: Tiger Beams – ‘Beat It’

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 Tiger Beams

‘Beat It’ is the first thing we’ve heard from Brisbane duo Tiger Beams since their incredible (and criminally underexposed) debut album In Your Dreams, which came out in 2011. Plenty of other projects have kept singer/drummer Jesse Hawkins and guitarist Jeremy Neale busy, but it’s still massively exciting to see them back and in fighting form. ‘Beat It’ comes strutting out of your speakers, dark and tough (even while referencing Willow Smith), with Jesse Hawkins’s spikey, erratic beats starting out front and centre and staying there throughout the whole track.

The song builds up a great sense of rising suspense, Hawkins’ vocals are cool and snarky in the verse, the choruses exploding with that howling thing that these guys do so well. With ‘Beat It’, Tiger beams have found a sweet spot of music that’s both sparse and dangerous, and supremely danceable and catchy. Here’s hoping another album isn’t too far away…

The video is also very cool, and very creepy – watch it here.

Also, do yourself a favour if you haven’t already and snag a copy of In Your Dreams.

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