Scotch Of St. James – ‘The Happy Peacock’ (mp3)

The Scotch are possibly one of the most underrated bands to be poking their heads above the battlements of the WA music scene right now.

With each successive release their brand of Black Rebel-esque rock ‘n’ roll has slowly grown and matured. Starting as a bit of a mish mash of influences and gradually maturing into a well-honed sharp pointy stick of stoner-cool-as-fuck-rock.

I’ve seen them play at my local a couple of times and they can back up all the tight rock licks in their recordings with enough swagger to make Vince Noir self conscious.

The Scotch Of St. James have just finished the tracking for their debut album with Dave Parkin (Snowman/Sugar Army/Red Jezebel). I daresay it’s one release we should all be saving the change from our beer money for.

www.myspace.com/thescotchofstjames

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Eleventh He Reaches London – ‘Hollow Be My Name’ (mp3)

A few times a year, Perth band Eleventh He Reaches London fly from their home in the most isolated city in the world to play to handfuls of people in dingy rooms all over the country. It’s hard to imagine their style of post-metal appealing to crowds of thousands, but it is a shame to see it enjoyed by so few.

Their latest album Hollow Be My Name is admirably well-executed and one of the best heavy Aussie releases this year. Lead vocalist Ian Lenton screams and croons the story of an ex-convict in the early days of free settlement, combining the emotional punch of folk with the brawn of death metal.

Like U.S. band Between The Buried and Me, Eleventh He Reaches London manage to lurch between dozens of genres in a single song without sounding disjointed or attention-seeking. More please!

www.myspace.com/eleventhhereacheslondon

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Umpire – ‘Streamers’ (mp3)

Umpire were one of those bands that everyone seemed to be talking about but no-one had heard. Now however, it seems the secret is slowly leaking out into everyone’s consciousness. They’ve been copping plenty of attention from the boffins at Triple J and the national street press seem to be quietly singing their praises as well.

Their single ‘Streamers’ is a controlled exercise in less is more. They’ve got these lovely jangly guitars and odd timings that are all wrapped up in this great current of melody that flows through the whole song. Think bands like Tortoise but with a little less of the experimental edge and more of an accessible ‘that chorus is stuck in my head’ kind of slant.

Umpire will be touring with the Tucker B’s through June:
Friday June 12th – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney.
Saturday June 13th – The Tote, Melbourne.
Saturday June 20th – The Amplifier, Perth.

www.myspace.com/umpiretheband

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whothehell.net presents… UPSTARTS at Spectrum, 34 Oxford St, Darlinghurst, Sydney

To win tickets, join our mailing list!

WED 10 JUNE – $8

Bang Bang Eche – ‘4 To The Floor’ (mp3)

Already a lot of buzz in this band, BBE have played CMJ, SXSW, Big Day Out and The Great Escape festivals.

www.myspace.com/bangbangeche

Traps – ‘Standard Life’ (mp3)

Sydney four piece Traps released this single on vinyl on Rice is Nice records. They’ve played with acts such as These New Puritans, Children Collide and Pivot as well as the Playground Weekender, Essential Festival and My Sydney Riot.
www.myspace.com/killthetraps

Bridgemary Kiss – ‘Frankly My Dear’ (mp3)

There four boys from the Northern beaches of Sydney formed the band in school, entered, and eventually won the Hopetoun Homebake incentive in 2007, subsequently playing the festival.

www.myspace.com/bridgemarykiss

+ ABBRONZATURA DJ’s

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Hungry Kids of Hungary – ‘Scattered Diamonds’ (No Devices remix) (mp3)

Sydney’s Erase.Release have broken up. Two of the members have formed a remix duo called No Devices and their first output is Hungry Kids of Hungary’s Scattered Diamonds.

www.myspace.com/nodeviceband

www.myspace.com/hungrykidsofhungary

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Toy Balloon – ‘Balloon Force’ (mp3)

Toy Balloon – ‘You’re Feeling Trapped’

Toy Balloon are a Brisbane four-piece who explore the gaps between electronic music, pop and shoegaze. Much like the latter genre, single chords and notes are held for long periods, bleeding into the next and creating droning pads that combine with drum machines to form textured beds for the rest of the arrangement. It’s not all atmospherics – far from it. These guys are far more Daft Punk than Aphex Twin when it comes to the electronic side of things and, seemingly untainted by avante-rock ambitions, TB allow the cheesey beats to build to house-like climaxes and the vocodered vocals to cut through the mix and become and extra rhythmic element. There’s hooks, too – guitars aren’t used just for floating reverbed chords but play riffs as well. It’s fun but also dense, not something that you’ll slave over to enjoy but also not something that you’ll completely absorb after one listen.

Also, their album is called ‘Toy Division’ – what’s not to love?

www.myspace.com/toyballoon

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