Heirs -‘Cabal’

I missed Heirs’ first single. Apparently I’m not as ‘hip’ to the post-rock/metal scene as I like to think. Truth be told I personally have little-to-no interest in metal (local or otherwise) and so I think  intially the cover art (which, in hindsight, actually kinda resembles something from the latest Department of Eagles film clip) and scary thrash bands these guys share a German distributor with sent me running away.

They’ve just released ‘Cabal,’ the second single off their debut album and despite all the signifiers, Heirs aren’t nearly as ‘metal’ as they’d have you think – or, at least, ‘Cabal’ isn’t (I haven’t extensively scoured their back-catalogue yet). It sounds much more like Mogwai circa ‘Young Team’ (such a typical point of reference, I know) in that it’s a much more down-tempo, haptic and considered composition; more brood than fury. Hell, there’s even some acoustic guitar on there. The song meanders but isn’t aimless, and if you’re a sucker for crescendos like I am then the aural journey will be worth the payoff.

www.myspace.com/heirsmusic

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Hunz – ‘Soon, Soon’

Hunz is an electronic musician from Brisbane who recently recorded his second album in unusual circumstances – he took part in the RPM Challenge that asked over 2200 international artists to write, record, perform and produce an entire album during the month of February 2009. The fruits of that challenge have recently been made available to download for free and there’s some killer tracks on there. My favourite is ‘Soon, Soon,’ which combines industrial-inspired beats with a soaring falsetto reminiscent of Radiohead’s ‘Nude’ and harmonies that recall parts of Gotye’s last effort. Like Gotye, Hunz releases music under a one-word psuedonym (crazy, huh?) and combines elements of schizophrenic production with earnest singer-songwriter tendancies. I prefer the songs where the former wins over and enjoy the way his sweet, high voice rubs against the harsher elements of the arrangement but for those who prefer their music less glitchy and full of ‘beeps’ there’s some fairly straight-up compositions.

‘Soon, Soon’ is rad – especially impressive given the contracted gestation period. Kudos to Hunz.

www.myspace.com/hunz

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No Through Road – ‘Party To Survive’

With a record called ‘Winners.’ (yes, the full stop apparently part of the title – thanks for the trend, ‘Dear Science,’) and a press release stating that the band could play at a birthday party, wedding or wake, I wasn’t expecting to be blown away by No Through Road. Seriously, when was the last time you actually enjoyed listening to the band playing at a wedding? Fortunately, it turns out that these guys aren’t MOR exponents of foyer muzak – the only weddings and parties to which these guys could provide an appropriate soundtrack would be those held in grungy basements or sheds.

‘Party To Survive’ is a fantastic song that absorbs its simple, perhaps deliberately lo-fi qualities into an endearing aesthetc. Singer Matt Banham growls with the nonchalant energy of an early-90s slacker king through the distortion piled on top of his already-creaky voice. And don’t let the oddly-included electro into fool you, this song is all about the guitars. ‘We need to feel alright…/I need a party to survive’ are prominent lines from the chorus and, while the band certainly seem to be espousing hedonistic abandon, there’s a hint of desperation and sadness in Banham’s voice that adds an affecting depth to the refrain. This attention to delivery adds gravitas that is missing from many other superficial ‘party anthems’ and shows that a bit of intelligence behind even the simplest music can exponentially elevate proceedings.

www.myspace.com/nothroughroad

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