Posts By Melissa Tan

MAP May 2013

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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 36-track compilation through Ge.tt here.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Paula y Los Besos – Bailar

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Paula y Los Besos is the new musical adventure of singer, songwriter and poet Paula Trama. The band just released eight songs in the form of two EPs that range from acoustic-punk upbeat tunes to tender folk ballads. Bailar is a cover of T. Rex’s Cosmic Dancer, with Spanish lyrics adapted by Paula herself. You can hear and download both EPs from their Bandcamp page.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Swimming – Triplebrie

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Adelaide’s Swimming are sisters Katie and Angie Schilling and friend Sam Reynolds. Triplebrie is the first single from their new record Yes, Tonight. There are plenty of layered vocals and looped sounds on the album, but Swimming’s simple outlook on acapella really does its best in an acoustic setting. The trio also sell tea towels as merchandise, so we can’t really say anything bad about this band right now.

AUSTRIA: Walzerkönig
Fijuka – Behave (From Now On)

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First a drum machine, then a Billie Jean-style bassline and finally synthscapes that embed the voice of Fijuka’s Ankathie singing one of the weirdest declarations of love we have ever heard. Fijuka stands for DIY pop with an art school touch. Watch the music video for some Rhönrad wheel action.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
FAROFF – Brazilian Star Wars

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Can you imagine the Star Wars troopers having fun in a slum in Rio de Janeiro, listening to funk carioca in the summer and surrounded by girls? This is not a new track, but Brazilian Star Wars shows one of the best moments of DJ FAROFF, the name used by Leo Bursztyn, PHD in economics and former guitarist of Brazilian band Móveis Coloniais de Acaju.

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PREMIERE: Seja – ‘Like Fireflies’

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Australia needs a new pop chanteuse. Preferably one who’s not going to splay jazz hands or bore us with sad folk music. We think Seja is probably a good fit for the title. She’s interesting, mysterious and isn’t really Aussie at all (Seja was born in Germany). After spending years playing synths for Regurgitator and Sekiden, Seja’s been a solo venture and is releasing her second record soon.

‘Like Fireflies’ is the brand new track from Seja’s upcoming record All Our Wires. The track is a burst of sonic-pop, fused with Seja’s trademark breathy vocalesque and heavy synth work. It’s a little bit St Vincent – and dare I say, even Dido in parts. Either way, Seja’s not shy about space oddities or that Korg, and all that makes us think that this is the kind of brassy, dreamy pop we need more of around here.

Some words from Seja about ‘Like Fireflies’:

“I wanted this song musically to have a continuous groove in the drums and bass ala Stereolab and Can. Ben Ely (Regurgitator) leant a hand playing bass and contributed a great running, bouncy bass line that fits in with the upbeat, ‘squelchy’ synth sounds I picked. When we demo-ed this song it had a really bizarre drum loop that really syncopated, so when we were tracking the album it was important for me to have some of this rhythmical strangeness, without alienating the listener too much. Mirko Vogel and I had lots of fun taking turns at making the craziest noises we could on the Korg MS-20 for the intro.

The song is about being madly in love with someone and going through the motions of wooing them, being shy in the courting processes, shouting it off the rooftops, to togetherness, to compromise, to supporting one another in crisis and all the other great things that happen in a relationship with a solid foundation. It is also about the process when you fall in ‘friend-love’ with someone new, then see how your friendship develops with that person in a platonic way…”

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Catch Seja on these dates:

June 23rd – Blackbear Lodge, Qld.

July 5th – Brighton Up Bar, Syd.

July 6th – Grace Darling, Melb.

 

All Our Wires is out in June.

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EXCLUSIVE: Greyjoy – ‘Greyjoy’ EP

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greyjoy

In case the obvious wasn’t apparent enough – yes, Greyjoy is a Game of Thrones reference. These Perth guys aren’t just a bunch of tv-gruffs though. Their sound is a lot more interesting than horsemeat consumption, the plague or the gratuitous bad sex offered by said reference, so you should probably listen up.

A project between Karlin Courtney and Matt Crocket, Greyjoy came around somewhere in between meeting through friends and purchasing a Juno 6 two years ago.

Greyjoy definitely have a ‘Sydney’ sound going on. The interwebs makes the state by state divide a little less divisive these days, but it’s not to say that bands still don’t hop onto scenes and sub-scenes in their own pockets of town. While some people are still set in tunnel vision that everyone from Perth is either pedal-heavy or still frothing over Xavier Rudd, “garden shed” producers making sunny-synth pop like these guys prove otherwise.

Greyjoy’s debut EP is one for late nights and early mornings. Marked by equal parts sunny-side-up pop gems (‘Strangers’, ‘Distance’) and others which live on the slow burning descend (‘Emerald’) this is a great effort for a first release. I find it difficult to digest synths with the same seriousness that I once did in 2007, but for every pastiche going in their description (including the Thrones reference), these guys make it work.

Greyjoy are releasing their self-titled EP on Wednesday, but for now you can stream an exclusive listen below.

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1. Strangers

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2. Idle Thoughts

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3. Distance

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4. Amygdala

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5. Emerald

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PREMIERE: Meg Mac – ‘Known Better’ Video

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Meg Mac

Look at Meg Mac go. Wading in the Murray River with an efficiently taped dress, then having to chase off some dick who thinks he’s the fifth member of Mumford and Sons. Other than picking up some Hypem credits (#8) and serious national radio play along the way, Meg Mac is earning some decent brownie points from the general collective. She has a great vocal too, so here’s hoping jazz hands/horn section makes a cameo at some stage. (Also, if you haven’t already stumbled upon this Beyonce cover - make your move.)

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INTRODUCING: The Sunbirds

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The Sunbirds

Here’s another rimshot of an excellent band who sound like they were made for better days. Adelaide’s The Sunbirds are probably the first ‘rock ‘n’ roll’ band I’ve actually been excited about in what feels like eternity. The word provokes as much dry wrenching as it does enthusiasm. No one wants to be the neo-goth, the barre chord bitch or that band still wearing driver hats shitting lyrics on top of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club chords when clearly, we’ve all moved on.

Leaving the great divide behind though, The Sunbirds are just so fucking great. These guys have only been going for just under two years, but I feel dutifully ashamed that I didn’t really give their first EP Emergency Christmas more love to begin with. 

Post-humous Name Change is the second release from the Adelaide five piece. This record is wayward and gutsy and somewhat generous with distortion levels. The first half of this release sounds like the band locked themselves in a large room with nothing but My Bloody Valentine‘s Loveless and something potent, then sat back to see what would ensue. I really hope warm, fuzzy 90s throwback stays on as flavour of the year. As for many other local bands who do what they do: bless your snark Oz accent, bless putting it on tape. Maybe it’s just me, but I’m really getting bored of everyone whining about how much Australian suburbia really sucks. We get it, hey. These guys have the shoegaze thing going for them, but it’s been a while since apathy has sounded this sincere. Tracks like ‘One’s I’ve Finally Met’ and ‘Car Crash’ are straight up MBV, but the second half verges closer to golden Lucksmiths territory (‘I Will Scream’).

In short, The Sunbirds have made a record that sounds like Thurston+Kim getting rough, the fading memory of your adolescence AND whatever haze headed goodness you’d like this collection of songs to be. Whether you dig this as much as I do, or get fidgety about shoegaze – what a strong record. Someone needs to hear this.

 

 

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PREMIERE: Hollow Everdaze – ‘Ships’ Video

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Hollow-Everdaze-Ships

Glad to present to y’all the first look at the new video from the excellent Hollow Everdaze.

I caught these kids playing a dim, hole-in-the-wall warehouse party a few weeks ago. Cop searches at most parties I’ve been to have ended in drunk guys throwing lemons at police, people leaving and a general deflation of the mood, but props to Hollow Everdaze for playing right through. The guys were as chill as they are in this clip.

If you haven’t heard much material from these guys, this video is a decent introduction. Sitting on an empty wharf at mid night seems to be a fitting place to pen a lazy psych waltz anyway. Hollow Everdaze are releasing a mini album on July 28th which you should definitely get excited about. The guys don’t really look too happy about anything in this clip, but we promise they’re hyped about the album release too.

 

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Film/Editing: Jason Galea

Additional Filming: Michael Avery and James Thomson

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LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR: Joe Blossom

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Love_Thy_Neighbour

Courtney from Under The Radar has selected a track from Wellington based musician Joe Blossom this week.

This guy epitomizes the modern man half of Fitzroy will never be. He writes lyrics about the cosmos, Dylan Thomas and has a strong aversion to vowels. He also sounds like David Byrne on sedatives if you’re vaguely drunk or trying to write about music on 2 hours sleep (wouldn’t advise it). Plus, the origins of that lush, grain-fed moustache can only be traced back to NZ anyway.

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Joe Blossom

 

Sean O’Brien A.K.A Joe Blossom is a Wellington-based musician who released his debut album Nocturnes in 2011 and spent the next two years living out of a suitcase across the United States of America. It was all the things you imagine a trip like that would be: handkerchief rucksacks, cowboy boots on dusty, deserted roads and American muscle cars and derelict trains on endless highways. In actual fact, I have no idea what his travels were like (and have apparently been reading too much Steinbeck) but Blossom’s new single ‘Tyger Tyger’ evokes all of the aforementioned in the loveliest, most intellectual (true story: it’s about the poet William Blake) of ways.

‘Tyger Tyger’ is available as a free download on Joe Blossom’s bandcamp.

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WATCH: Big Scary – ‘Luck Now’

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Screen shot 2013-04-23 at 10.45.50 PM

Big Scary keep going from strength to strength. I vaguely recall the duo playing a friend’s mini music fest at Grumpy’s Green down on Smith St four years ago. Now they’ve got their fine NYC mugshots in Interview mag and are taking stabs at Phil Collins’ repertoire, coz they can.

The pair are ready to drop their new album Not Art in just a little over a month (snippet preview here). It sounds excellent, of course. Not that you’d expect anything less from these guys. Big Scary’s sound has left a big impression on me since those ‘Apple Song’ days. But y’ know, stuff like that never really falls too far from the tree.

I’ve always warmed to these guys; Jo on fun drums + Tom’s fluffy piano pageantry and wavering vocal that kinda always sounds like he’s about to crack. The pair are pretty good at being stoic. Or trying to be. Bets that the new record is going to be just as beautiful and emotionally eye-gauging as the last. And if that doesn’t happen (which it won’t) – you’ll still be guaranteed the audio/visual equivalent of a hug anyway.

Big Scary are playing a sold out show in Sydney at Goodgod tonight and another sold out gig in Melbourne at the Corner this Saturday.
If you’re in Brissie though, there are still tickets to their Friday show at Ahlambra available for purchase here.

Not Art is released June 28th (Pieeater/Inertia)

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LISTEN: Palms – ‘This Last Year’

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Palms_This Last Year

 

‘Love’ ruled, but the chorus in Palms‘ new track is the biggest thing since forever*.

(*Andrew Stockdale still making music/ local bands producing video clips in VHS format only/ DJs in tropical shirts.)

Thankfully, the loose term can be applied to Red Riders’ first album. It’s the one that still exists somewhere in a pit of 2006-2007 nostalgia (Dardanelles, Bit By Bats, The Scare, Young and Restless, Ground Components, Ghostwood, Mercy Arms etc) where I spend time regularly when I feel like hitching the portal to a happy place. I spent the weekend mourning over Red Riders’ back catalogue, so this new tune from half of their former members is a damn timely drop.

Palms’ new track is also a good stab at bleeding heart, so if you need a breakup song, a reason to tell your bf/gf stuff ain’t cool or just a general reason to cry over 2007 – sit up and listen.

Palms are supporting King Tuff for an I OH YOU / VICE party on Anzac Day eve. If you’re in Sydney and can get down to Goodgod on Wednesday – we highly recommend it.

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