I recently had a chat with Tim Derricourt of Dappled Cities. We talked ‘Zounds’, Chihuahuas, Beyonce and entertaining small children…

Well Tim – it’s no doubt that you guys have had a stellar year, with the release of your third album ‘Zounds’, two AIR nominations and an ARIA nomination for Best Independent Release – how are you feeling?

Pretty ecstatic!

Overwhelmed at all?

I guess so! But I suppose it’s not the be all and end all, even though everything is all up so close together. It’s just a patch of life where you go to an awards ceremony and dress up – and you might not win anything, so you can either get collectively disappointed or collectively excited at the one moment in time.

There’s a real maturity about this album. What was it like working with Chris Coady?

Well it wasn’t exactly easy! We wanted to make an album that was very different in each part – different drum sounds, different guitar sounds, nothing really the sounding the same. What you get when you do something like that is a pretty chaotic recording process.

You can really hear that coming through on the album, seperately – each song’s so different but ties so well together in a narrative sort of way.

Yeah, we wanted it to feel like a kind of cinematic story with every album we release, where you can follow a journey from the start to the end. I think we did a pretty accurate job with this one – it starts in a sort of underground, cavernous lair and ends up on the western plains at sunset.

What comes first in the song writing process – the lyrics or the music?

Usually sexual drive. Followed by days of mourning. Then a song usually pops out of your brain.

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Kyu – ‘Sunny in Splodges’

Kyu are a female duo from Sydney who are creating some pretty mind blowing sounds. “Sunny in Splodges” has a bit of everything – the whole song is just a constantly evolving layerfest of instrumentation that weaves in and out unexpectedly, but always purposefully.

The freeform vocal parts and the drum crescendo is reminiscent of Bjork’s tribal tendencies, but overall this has a much smokier, jazzier quality to it than Iceland’s favourite daughter. Outside the box, but accesible. Word is they kill it live as well.

www.myspace.com/kyusounds

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Zeal – ‘Wasps’ (mp3)

According to the press release, Zeal makes both indietronica music and also animated videos of cats in space in his bedroom. I want to see that bedroom.

‘Wasps’ is his latest single and it’s a lot like the rad stuff flowing out of the Anticon stable. Like Anticon flagship acts WHY? and Themselves, Zeal starts with a hip hop frame work and injects it with experimental pop and uncoventional beats. There’s also the enthralling, idiosyncratic lyrics (“wasps sent for our enemies / to save us from the commies and their left-handed past”), layered vocals, and nasal delivery.

I really don’t mean to chalk this up as a merely derivative work. For one, LA-based label Anticon is one of my favourite labels in the world so I totally welcome anything from those guys, or anything that sounds like it could be from them. Also, this track doesn’t just aggregate their stylistic tropes – it’s catchy and effective, with a playful arrangement and obscure rhymes to match with the Doseone and co. I really like this track – you shall be seeing more from this guy on whothehell.net

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Deep Sea Arcade – ‘Lonely In Your Arms’ (mp3)

Deep Sea Arcade made quite a splash with their last single ‘Don’t Be Sorry,’ a retro-pop outing that sounded a lot like The Zombies mixed with more recent Blue Mountain troupe Belles Will Ring. ‘Lonely In Your Arms’ is a return to the ’60s aesthetic they evidently love, but is less dreamy and washed out – the guitars are set to treble-y surf-rock over the shimmering chime that characterised other material. The bare, melodic, and almost naive chorus is most reminiscent of early Beatles (sans glorious backing harmonies). It’s definitely one to get stuck in your head for the rest of the day.

These guys aren’t bringing anything new to the pop canon, but they are exploring a specific and fruitful part of it and doing a pretty great job. To my ears, this track betters their previous stuff and so should generate more well-earned attention.

www.myspace.com/deepseaarcade

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Brain Slaves – ‘Ethereal Sunrise’ (mp3)

Brain Slaves – ‘Sash and Jack’ (mp3)

Brain Slaves are a nifty Auckland five-piece who’ve landed the support for Miami Horror at the Oxford Arts Factory on the 13th of this month. From the demos we received, the only umbrella statement I can make about their output is that it’s incredibly varied but generally includes intensely modulated guitars. As if to illustrate the point, I’ve included two different but rad jams.

‘Ethereal Sunrise’ is a more krautrock-via-Screamadelica inspired dirge for two thirds of its running time, and then the lock-groove beat and bassline give way for jangly guitars and a synth pop denouement. ‘Sash and Jack,’ on the other hand, sounds like an Australian pop-rock single from the ’80s, with the catchy if not slightly camp vocal melody obscured by just enough reverb to keep things from sounding too clean.

www.myspace.com/brainslaves

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The Sophisticants – ‘Roughness’ (mp3)

My first impression of The Sophisticants came when I stumbled into a Melbourne club and looked up at the stage to see four rough looking (possibly alcoholic) dudes wailing like there was no tomorrow and about 30 punters who had rushed the stage dancing and trampling all over their equipment.

If you’re looking for a ‘tight’ band or even a well recorded band, then perhaps these guys aren’t for you. But if you’re looking for a band who plays some pretty great straight up rock and roll and who throws all they have into their live show and is above entertaining as all hell – check them out!

The Sophisticants are playing a Wednesday night residency at the Old Bar in Melbourne this month, get down and take your drinking hat.

www.myspace.com/thesophisticants

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TST – ‘Halfhand’ (mp3)

Recently saw Melbourne lads TST perform an impressive support slot at Neon Love’s EP launch a few weeks ago. TST disperse a myriad of cavernous sounds onto a enigmatic canvas which lingers in the brooding shadow between pop and post punk.  Although this sort of sound isn’t anything overly new to bands sprouting up across town, TST still run command over tiers of angular guitar frames, stark bass lines and reverberating drums – all which each shift between seperate power plays and moments of accord. Without a doubt, you can hear layers of Dardanelles and Sugar Army echoing through TST’s musical Jenga block.

While TST comprise a milder, more restrained sound than erratic counterparts Bachelor of Arts (TST Frontman Kevin Mc Dowell does vocals/bass for BOA),  there is still evidence of the same distinct jabs of acute guitar riffs synonymous in both. There’s an assurance of brilliant ideas resonating from the Melbourne four piece, but still scope for the promising musicians to broaden their sound even further.

TST support Sugar Army on the 3^rd of December in Melbourne at the Evelyn.

www.myspace.com/tst

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