New Music

INTRODUCING: The Creases

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Housemates Joe Agius and Jarrod Mahon had only been writing songs as The Creases for a couple of months when they got an email from iconic indie label Rough Trade asking to release their debut single.

A couple of commentators have attributed this early success – basically every slacker’s wet dream – to Triple J presenter/manager extraordinaire Maggie Collins, but personally I’d pin it on the tunes. We hear a lot of lo-fi, low stakes garage pop in Australia, and all too often it’s more style than substance. But the effortless sound of The Creases’ debut single ‘I Won’t Wait’ belies a flair for simple songwriting. The rising chorus with its backing ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ is a charming exercise in tension and release, not to mention harmony.

 

‘I Won’t Wait’, along with b-side ‘Fun to Lose’, will be out digitally and on 7″ vinyl from 11 November, and preorders are now open via the Rough Trade webstore. The Creases have rounded out their line up with bassist Aimon Clark and drummer Bridie McQueenie and, with a few shows now under their belt, they’ll be supporting the Jungle Giants on their national tour, which starts this Thursday in Hobart.

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LISTEN: Martin King – ‘Fitness Vol 1’ EP

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If there’s one thing that’ll keep creative enclaves around Australia up all night, it’ll be this EP. From Northcote to Newtown, rest assured that those dripping in cultural cool will have their ears tuned to this latest offering from indie/art powerhouse, Two Bright Lakes.

If you’re familiar with Oscar + Martin or The Harpoons then there’s no doubt you’re familiar with Martin King. One half of the former, and a staple of the wider community of Two Bright Lakes, King has finally given us something of his own. Renowned for his production skills on a series of releases on top of 2011’s For You, he’s a man that’s well seasoned in the art of production.

So, you’d be excused for assuming that this EP has a lot to answer for. And while that may be a trap, there’s no escaping the lineage that it stems from. On the face of it, you’ve got the elements that TBL’s been renowned for over the past few years: a performer who collaborates with a series of other ‘hip’, ‘up and coming’ acts, on top of an aesthetic that seems to tap into the cultural zeitgeist (or whatever buys cultural capital from TBL’s audiences).

But, trying to place King on a spectrum of sorts, this is something that gets tricky very quickly. The retro-soul of The Harpoons differs greatly in style in comparison to the urban minimalism of Oscar + Martin. Speaking to Melbourne-based photo-editorial website, Grilling Me Softly, King spoke of his admiration for Iggy Azealea. And if you think that’s something that bred consternation for those reading that, then you wouldn’t be the first. But then King went on to say this:

“I’m not really sure why (I like her) because some of the stuff she does is really atrociously bad, and her rapping is not very good, but I just like that she’s representing Australia”

So, looking to what Fitness Vol 1 does for local music is maybe not the right question. Make no mistake, this is a release that’s bound to make an impact – to the right people – but this may not be the definitive release that Oscar + Martin fans might have been hoping for. Be patient.

When describing this EP to Grilling Me Softly, Fitness was designed with 80s synths and Euro-trap in mind and that comes across in parts. ‘I’ll be’ nods to the 80s, but soon descends into a bass line reserved for contemporary RnB. On the whole, there’s no clear single that leaps from the stables, or a ‘banger’ – for a lack of a better term. Intended or not, the EP has this restraint that’s refrains from tying itself to an overt genre. I mean, on face value, and with the lineage that King has, you could easy mistake of pigeon holding this into RnB – which it sometimes steps into, but not entirely. Here, the tracks are short, tight, and sweet, straddling a musical aesthetic that’s eponymous of King’s past work. The only thing that sprung to mind was Collarbones‘ mix for Oyster Magazine, but even then there’s elements to this EP that belong solely to King himself.

And that’s exactly why I for one, prize the impact that TBL’s had on Australian music over the past few years. With Collarbones unabashed avowal of pop, to Brothers Hand Mirror’s re-imagining of Australian hip-hop, it’d be strange to imagine a musical landscape without TBL. And I’m glad it’s the likes of King who’s the next in line to do this.

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LISTEN: Pascal Babare – ‘Heaven Clubs’

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Pascal Babare released his first album, Thunderclap Spring, in 2009. Written in his late teens – he was only 19 by the time it was finished – the songs are surprisingly delicate: warm, acoustic drones fleshed out with warped instruments and slide guitar.

Originally from South Australia,  Babare spent part of his childhood living in ashrams with his parents, a composer and a chorister, and a camel called Jinglebaba. Much of his material was written overseas, in Kyoto, London and Berlin. You can hear these influences creep through in Babare’s eclectic, New Age-y sound.

Thunderclap Spring quickly became an object of the UK music press hype machine, receiving a particularly glowing review from the BBC. The Line of Best Fit even suggested Babare was a budding genius. It was praise well-deserved, but somehow four years elapsed before we heard anything more from this guy.

He’s back now, thank goodness, with ‘Heaven Clubs’, the first track from forthcoming album Sorry, Morning. The song’s a kind of bubbling, organic laptop pop, reminiscent of folktronica acts from the early 2000s like Clue to Kalo and Machine Translations. It’s immediately clear that he’s brushed up on his production chops – which I suppose wouldn’t be hard, given that Thunderclap Spring was recorded on an inbuilt laptop mic. ‘Heaven Clubs’ sounds comparatively crisp and close. There’s a satisfying instrumental chorus featuring one of the sharpest hooks Babare’s written to date, and a wonderful, enveloping coda.

It’s a sprightly sound for a tune with lines like ‘at least the dead leaves can fly / you’ll know no such peace / you strapped yourself to your door / and then prayed for release’. But Babare has a dry sense of humour, moving swiftly from themes of suicide to a wry portrayal of heaven as a country club.

Sorry, Morning will be available soon through blackmaps. For now you can pre-order it on iTunes. I hear an album launch is in the works, where Babare will be backed by Melbourne four-piece Teeth. You can also catch him from 28 September until 27 October at the NGV, recording an EP with impromptu supergroup Batman Park.

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WIN: Budweiser DJ/Producer of The Year Award

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We get music submissions from all kind of genres. For those of you who’ve recently submitted ‘dance’ music in any of its dizzying forms – we don’t ‘h8’ you, we’re just old and cranky and bassdrum makes us feel tender. We haven’t forgotten about you though. If you’re not the bedroom poet type, then here’s your chance.

Maybe you have dreams of being this guy. Or this guy. If you’re a budding DJ, electronic producer or Flerm type –  you’re probably within earshot of winning this competition. Budweiser, our pals from VICE and those guys down at the Australian Independent Music Awards are doing a nationwide sweep – giving one hotshot the chance to win a pretty massive prize – if ‘beer, babes and bass’ are your kinda thing.

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Here’s the deal – you get flown from your shitty bedroom lab in sleepy suburbia to NYC to play at a host of club things and chauffeured around to some ‘industry’ parties. Also gratis for the winner; a shiny new Pioneer DDJ-SX4-channel Serato DJ controller to play with. There are other things too – like a feature mix on Mixcloud, Grooveshark and a feature profile in Resident Advisor, as well as in VICE magazine. Someone told us that the winner would be ‘selected by an independent judging panel of music and entertainment industry experts’. That same source said that the Black Eyed Peas’ producer was on the panel. So, hell with it.

Entries close in less than a week, so get to it. For a shot, you can submit up to 6 tracks in your entry HERE. Winners will be announced on the 7th November at the 2013 Australian Independent Music Awards in Sydney.

Find out more information by clicking through here.

 

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WIN: Nick Lynar @ The Gasometer

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We’ve ousted several producers named Nick in our time (Nick Murphy, obvious). One we’re hoping shares a similar fate is one that Sam brought to our attention last month – local producer Nick Lynar and his track ‘Twisted Angles’. If Lynar’s unique sound, Rob Taylor’s Luke Steele impression or several babes skateboarding down a hill doesn’t impress you, then yeah, you’re probably a happless twat.

For everyone else, we’re presenting Nick’s next show at The Gasometer this Friday. Friendships, EDarcy and Sub Dapper are supporting. Yeah, we know it’s Grand Final Eve or whatever, but if you’re considering giving up a good night of beats for drinking piss and wearing Freo colours with your neighbours, it’s time to reevaluate life (or #lyf, however you roll).

Our pals from new label on the block Leisure House have two doorspots for us to give away. Drop us your name + contact details to editors@whothehell.net by 5PM Wednesday 25th for your Friday night sorted.

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LISTEN: Motion Picture Actress – ‘I Keep Falling Around Here’

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I have heaps of dreams about falling. Dreams about my teeth falling out into my hands. Dreams about people stealing my food. Last night I woke up in a sweat after dreaming a Jewish lady tattooed the words ‘PEARL JAM’ in metalcore font across my abdomen without my consent.

The new track from Motion Picture Actress is a little more soothing. MPA is Brisbane producer Thomas Brydon (who recently played the ‘Cool Party’ gig we presented with Silo Arts up at Bigsound two weeks ago).

‘I Keep Falling Around Here’ is another wavering imprint of MPA’s general sound. The track is more ‘drip-wave’ than some of his previous creations which placed stronger emphasis on more hip-hop leaning beats. My ears sometimes feel a little displaced loitering around in the strange world of sounds (or ‘feels’ as they might have in EDM-land) but there are some rad arpeggiated sounds and lots of dreamy, cascading bleep things that make me feel like bathing in lavender salts and coding HTML at the same time. This track pries up the wormhole to the portal of your dial-up internet dreams. Listen up.

 

 

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LISTEN: Alba – ‘Knokke/Law’

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If you’ve ever had one of those experiences where you’ve liked something on Facebook, forgot about them, and then they’ve suddenly popped up all over your barometers of ‘cool’, then Alba’s my most recent example.

There’s a bit to know about Alba. Being the first imprint for Plastic World, founded by Future Classic and Astral People alumni, Knokke/Law’s a solid release for a label touting itself as a home for ‘forward-thinking Australian music’. Whether Plastic World reaches the same level of ‘forwardness’ that the likes of New Weird Australia has, or if it builds off the success of its founding members is something that’s going to be interesting to watch in 2014.

Alba were once Albatross, off the now-defunct Life Aquatic. They’re a Sydney duo comprised of Thomas McAlister and Sam Weston, who first introduced themselves with Murder/Caspers Theme. It was a debut exploring minimal electronica that you actually should listen to, right now. Occupying a space that typified the reason why festivals like Sequence exist, Murder/Caspers Theme seemed to tap right into the bedroom-producer/beat scene that’s dominated non-Flume electronica over the past few years.

Now, enter Knokke/Law. Detroit House anyone? If you’re hankering for a boogie, then look no further than this release. Moving away from their otherwise ambient predecessors, both ‘Knokke’ and ‘Law’ combine the elements of Detroit that has been appropriated ever since. The 909 hats, arpeggiated crescendos, and the immersive synths grip where other local electronic efforts sink into melodic introspection. This is topped off by remixes from Detroit’s Jimmy Edgar and Rick Wade, that make this release’s lineage just that bit clearer.

And, if you consider the fact that their first signed act has supported Four Tet, Mount Kimbie, and Gold Panda, that’s a trifecta that I don’t think many local acts can put on their CV.

 

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