Wons Phreely – ‘The World Has a Bank Account’ (mp3)

Perth singer-songwriter Justin Wonsley Snowball aka Wons Phreely seems to have fledged off the radar since the release of his glorious debut The Rules of Nature EP two years ago. He’s back with his first track since signing to Ivy League, ‘The World Has a Bank Account’ which was written and recorded on his globe trotting adventures across Manchester, London, Berlin & New York.

“I was doing a lot of new things and getting right into some classic and current hip-hop and the way those artists observe and react to life around them” he says.

The track was inspired by a girl Wons Phreely met a Patrick Wolf concert.

“(She) proceeded to tell me about her life and took me on a journey that lasted a lot longer than it should have really,” he explains. “It’s about how she told me her plan to settle down with a rich guy so that she could use his money to basically save the world”.

A cleverly crafted track backed up by fun beats, prime melodic fare and witty lyrical banter, ‘The World Has a Bank Account’ is an great demonstration of Won’s buoyant approach to pop.

Channelling casual geek swagger and a mouthful of wit, this is the type of guy I’d take home to meet my mum.

www.myspace.com/wonsphreely

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Here’s the debut video for ‘Blind’ from Magnetic Heads out of Sydney. The clip was directed by Michaela Sanders, whose work includes ‘Keeping It Clean’ for Songs.

Jonathon Miller’s vocals edge on the verge of Morrissey and Ian Mc Culloch, but this track would could have been just as at home on a b-side  on the Go Betweens’ iconic 16 Lovers Lane. There’s a sincerity underlying ‘Blind’ that reminds me a lot of growing up in the suburbs. Commanding percussion, staunch vocal tenor, echoing riffs; I can’t quite put my finger on what characterises that distinct ‘Australian’ sound of these sort of bands (Panics, Triffids, You Am I, Church etc.), but there’s a real touch of nostalgia here I keep drawing back to.

Magnetic Heads are on the verge of releasing their debut EP, recorded and produced by Simon Berkfinger (Philadelphia Grand Jury).

Real gem of a track, looking forward to the release.

www.magneticheads.net

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This is the video to ‘Closer’ by Adelaide act Steering By Stars which Matt blogged last year (read more here). The clip was directed by Nick Matthews, the cinematographer for Beautiful Kate, Look Both Ways & 2:37.

Steering By Stars debut album ‘Cables’ will be released digitally via iTunes & on 12” vinyl (including a free digital download of the album) from www.steeringbystars.com on Thursday 8 July 2010.

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‘Children of the Sun’ (mp3)

‘Into The Wild’ (mp3)

Hailing from the shire of lush rolling hills and farmland greenery that is Bacchus Marsh, Benjamin Dowd, Sam Reale & Jordan Hicks aka The Boo Hoo Hoo’s, have been kicking around the Melbourne scene since 2008. It seems that a long trek into the metropol area, bagging the comp bragging rights of incompetent city bands, then returning back to school the following day with a semi-trailer sized hangover seems to be a rite of passage for most regional bands. I saw these dudes supporting DZ late last year. Children of the Sun is a charismatic feel-good pop number sweet enough to poke  gorging harmonic cavities in your molars. In brief, the track is basically Little Red dubbed over the chord progression of the Strokes’ ‘Someday’. I was wondering why these dudes sounded so much like Hungry Kids of Hungary….and it’s probably because both bands have made very similar songs (see Hungary Kids of Hungary’s Let You Down’).

As much as these chirpy indie-pop numbers get everyone in the room in a mutually happy mood, they tend to plateau. If you’re in band and you want to lend yourself some hype beyond playing tunes to seditious posers battling it out for dancefloor space at streetparty digs, give us something more. There is only so much bopping around I can adhere to, before the act starts to feels reheating stale microwave dinners for the third day in a row.

Comparative nit picking aside, I’m glad the Boo Hoo Hoo’s have shown dynamics on both side of the cards. Into The Wild shows off a more subtle pace compared to the previous track, as well as the band’s proficient songwriting abilities.This one is a definite grower, and after a few listens the full extent off Dowd’s clean tones backed up by a handful of gorgeous riffs proves a maturity that a lot of young bands lack. Into the Wild evokes melancholy without the unnecessary saccharine. The song fuels a wonderful, stripped back feeling of casual remoteness. The track will feature on the band’s debut EP which will be released through Trusty Chords Music later on this year.

Don’t be weeping for the The Boo Hoo Hoos, because if they steer to the right side of the tracks, I’m sure they’ll definitely go on to do great things.

The Boo Hoo Hoos play The National in Geelong on the 24th of June, Cubby Hole in Brisbane on the 24th of July and World Bar in Sydney on the 6th of Aug.

www.myspace/com/theboohoohoo

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Don’t bring up the words ‘owl’ and ‘electronic’ in the same sentence. My sanity has been previously clobbered, throttled and wrenched painfully through a meat processor when my amiable work peers have carelessly thrown that awful Owl City’s Fireflies concoction on repeat. Thankfully, the combination of those words evoke more pleasant associations closer to home.

Above is the debut clip for Melb band Goodnight Owl’s EP single Maps & Compasses. Directed by Hayden Calnin and concept by Eddie Alexander, it was filmed throughout the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria. The track is laced with some sweet electronic reverbs, while Eddie Alexander’s vocals add celestial warmth to the track. The band launch their video at The Workers Club in Melbourne on Saturday July 24th with Sleep Decade (also launching a video) and Hayden Calnin.

Find out more info on the gig at

www.myspace.com/goodnightowl

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I’m quite the fan of subculture parodies. And while it took me a while to warm up to this track by The Bedroom Philosopher (a.k.a Justin Heazlewood) the video completely personifies the song. The song comes from his third album ‘Songs from the 86 Tram’. The clip premiered at the Workers Club recently and features a rad little collection of cameos from Tim Rogers, Angie Hart and Kram to name a few. Keep an eye open for a charming texta tattoo, the band experimenting with abundance of children’s toys and the poor dude getting surgically cut out of his jeans. Irony in that most of the kids requesting this on Triple J are the ones to whom the song is directed.

From the alleyway photos, lead singer syndrome and the incessant hair adjustments, down to the bonding moment in the bathtub over a tattoo, it’s a spot on piss take, and it’ll probably remind you of a few people you know.

Heazlewood’s also done a parody for Metlink which you can see here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39VVG29mscU

www.myspace.com/thebedroomphilosopher

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