New. Australian. Music.    

So this is the final wrap up and final post for the year. When we sent out this poll, we asked for the top five aussie releases and they could be albums, eps, singles, downloads, or streams. But it’s obvious the majority of the industry still relate releases as traditional albums. I like listening to albums as entire work of art, how each song relates to a unifying theme and mood. But producing such a body of work requires experience that only comes after a few albums’ work. Out of the top ten, three are sophomore albums and only one is a third album release (Augie March’s). One EP made it and that is Midnight Juggernauts’. I wouldn’t want to see the end of albums as the music listening world changes, but if we’re still around by end of next year I’m hoping that we’ll get a good mix of albums, eps and singles in the top 10. I hope that as broadband usage spreads people will actually make more of an effort to listen to music beyond what publicists, media writers and both major and independent labels put out.
Thanks for reading, we’re taking a bit of a break so see you in mid-January.

Top 10 Releases of 2006

1. Dappled Cities Fly - Granddance

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2. Gotye - Like Drawing Blood

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3. Macromantics - Moments In Movement

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3. Sleepy Jackson - Personality (One Was A Spider, One Was A Bird)

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5. Augie March – Moo, You Bloody Choir

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5. Snowman – Snowman

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7. Wolf & Cub - Vessels

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8. The Grates - Gravity Won’t Get You High

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10. Ground Components - An Eye For A Brow. A Tooth For A Pick

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10. Midnight Juggernauts – Secrets Of The Universe EP

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In the fifth and final part of Who The Bloody Hell Are They’s wrap-up, not only am I running out of summary opening paragraph ideas, but we the people of Who The Hell are bringing you Top 5’s from those in the know - the men and women who are the backbone of the music industry… in fact, they are the industry. Here’s a vast array of individuals from all sections of the music industry, giving you their expert picks on what Aussie releases rocked their worlds in 2006.

In a couple of days we’ll collate all the selections and compile them into the ultimate Top 10 Aussie Releases of 2006 post.  Definitely some interesting results…

Brent Quincy Buchanan (Warner Music Australia)
Sarah Blasko - What The Sea Wants, The Sea Will Have
Children Collide - Glass Mountain Liars
Darren Hanlon - Fingertips and Mountaintops
Gotye - Like Drawing Blood
Shane Nicholson - Faith & Science

Claire Collins (Black Yak Records)
Dappled Cities – Granddance
Snowman – Snowman
Young & Restless - Satan
Gotye – Like Drawing Blood
Red Riders – Replica Replica

David Benge (Speak N Spell Music)
Dappled Cities – Granddance
Shaky Hands – Cut Off Your Hands
Die Die Die – Locust Weeks
The Instant – Notes and Erratta
Snowman – Snowman

David Sayer (Premier Artists)
Wolf and Cub - Vessels
Dukes of Windsor - self titled
Subaudible Hum - In Time For Spring,On Came The Snow
Mary Trembles - ps…situation
Sugar Army - demo

Harvey Saward (Remote Control)
Home Team
Wolf & Cub - Vessels
Snowman – Snowman
Ned Collette – Jokes and Trials
Deloris – Ten Lives
Macromantics – Moments in Movement

Away Team
No Through Road – Too Much or Not Enough
Mountains in the Sky – Accipio
The Drones – Gala Mill
Augie March – Moo, You Bloody Choir
Dan Kelly - Drowning in the Fountain of Youth

Hugh Waters (Streetparty)
Young and Restless
Scientists of Modern Music
British India
Little Red
Saint james

Jason Spiller (Artist manager - Rizzo & Pizzo, Toydeath)
Ground Components - A Eye For A Brow, A Tooth For A Pick
The Drones - Gala Mill
Damn Arms - Patterns
Gotye - Like Drawing Blood
The Tongue - Bad Education

John Mullen (Dew Process)
The Sleepy Jackson - ‘God Lead Your Soul’
The Grates - Gravity Won’t Get You High
Gotye - Like Drawing Blood
Clare Bowditch and the Feeding Set - ‘I Thought You Were God’
Expatriate - ‘Only Wanna Love Ya’

Julian Marshall (Speak N Spell Music)
Snowman - Snowman
Dappled Cities Fly - Granddance
The Temper Trap - The Temper Trap
My Disco - Cancer
The Sleepy Jackson - Personality (One Was A Spider, One Was A Bird)

Mark Bulgin (Select Music)
Paper Scissors – We Don’t Walk
Augie March – Moo, You Bloody Choir
Laura – Radio Swan Is Down
Macromantics – Moments In Movement
Midnight Juggernauts – Shadows

Myles Williams (Liberation Records)
Red Riders – Replica Replica
The Church – Uninvited Like The Clouds
Midnight Juggernauts – Secrets Of The Universe
The Crayon Fields – Animal Bells
The Temper Trap – The Temper Trap

Rob G (Select Music)
Midnight Juggernauts - Shadows
Dappled Cities Fly - Granddance
The Valentinos – Nightmoves
Macromantics – Scorch
Belles Will Ring – Mad Love
Young and Restless – Dirty Kicks

Sonia Esposito (Inertia Music)
Black Cub - Jesus East
Expatriate - The Spaces Between
The Cops - 80 In The Shade
Art of Fighting
The Presets - Beams

Steve Pavlovich (Modular)
Bumblebeez - Black Dirt 7”
Jack Ladder – Album
Wolfmother - Woman 12 “ MSTKRFT remix
Presets – down down down 12 “ digitalism remix
Wolfmother – Woman cd single avalanches remix

Tim Bull (Bootleg)
Children Collide - Glass Mountain Liars
Wolf & Cub - Vessels
British India - Black and White Radio
Teenager - Thirteen
Snowman – Snowman

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, the music media are an essential part of music life.  They tell us what’s on, when’s on, and are the voice of the people, even if we don’t always agree with them 100% of the time.  But with their lives entrenched in music, it’s only fair that we give them a voice on the blog as well.  So here’s some Top fives from Australia’s top editors, radio DJs, VJ’s and journo’s.

Asha Kuerton (CD Live)
The Butterfly Effect - Imago
Kisschasy - United Paper People
Shane Nicholson - Faith & Science
Bernard Fanning - Tea & Sympathy
Eskimo Joe - Black Fingernails, Red Wine

Bomber (Bombshellzine)
Huntsman - It’s Just Four Songs
Frenzal Rhomb - Forever Malcolm Young
A Death In The Family - This Microscopic War
Forgetting Yesterday - Reds, Blues, Greens & Yellows
Horsell Common - Satellite Wonderland

Caroline Tran (Triple J)
Sarah Blasko - What The Sea Wants, The Sea Will Have
Snowman - Snowman
Muph & Plutonic - Silence The Sirens
Dan Kelly & The Alpha Males - Drowning In The Fountain Of Youth
Laura Jean - Our Swan Song

Chris Wirashina (Pedestrian)
Muscles - One Inch Badge Pin
Dappled Cities Fly - Granddance
Red Riders - Replica Replica
Midnight Juggernauts - Shadows
Young & Restless - Dirty Kicks

Claire Stuchbery (PBS Radio)
Gotye - Like Drawing Blood
Tobias Cummings - Join The Dots
Bushido - Bushido
Lindsay Phillips - When The Spirit Dies Young
Popolice - Forceback

Danny Clayton (Channel [V])
The Presets - Beams
The Butterfly Effect - Imago
Wolf and Cub - Vessels
The Veronicas - The Secret Life Of…
Wolfmother - Wolfmother

Dave Regos (FBi Radio)
Julian Nation - We Are All Writers
Macromantics - Moments in Movement
C W Stoneking - King Hokum
The Grates - Gravity Won’t Get You High
Dappled Cities - Granddance

Dan Zilber (FBi Radio)
Macromantics - Moments in Movement
Dappled Cities - Granddance
Crayon Fields - Animal Bells
Faux Pas - Entropy Begins at Home
Architecture in Helsinki - We Died They Remixed

Eliza Sarlos (FBi Radio)
Crayon Fields - Animal Bells
Macromantics - Moments In Movement
My Disco - Cancer
The Motifs - Untitled
CW Stoneking - King Hokum

Katie Owen (Inpress)
Pharoahs - Medicines
Batrider - They Said you’re Hideous
A Death in the Family - This Microscopic War
Eddy Current Suppression Ring
Flesh Vs Venom - Tales of the Parrot House

Kirsty Brown (The Brag)
Wolf & Cub - Vessels
The Instant - Notes and Errata
Gotye - Like Drawing Blood
Sarah Blasko - What The Sea Wants, The Sea Will Have
Howling Bells - Howling Bells

Kristy Bradley (Yen Magazine)
Teenager - Thirteen
Wolf & Cub - Vessels
Expatriate - The Spaces Between
Midnight Juggernauts - Secrets Of The Universe
Mercy Arms - Shot Right Down

Marnie Neck (Pagesonline)
Sleepy Jackson – Personality (One Was A Spider, One Was A Bird)
Sneaky Sound System – Sneaky Sound System
Starky - Starky
Coda – Calling Mission Mu
Bernard Fanning – Tea and Sympathy

Sarah Norris (Drum Media)
Gotye – Like Drawing Blood
The Grates – Gravity Won’t Get You High
Angus & Julia Stone – Chocolates & Cigarettes
Young & Restless – everything.
Special Patrol – Handy Hints From The Undertaker

Todd James (PBS Radio)
The Sleepy Jackson - Personality (One Was A Spider, One Was A Bird)
The Instant - Notes and Errata
Gotye - Like Drawing Blood
Wolf & Cub - Vessels
The Black Seeds - Into The Dojo

Woody McDonald (RRR Radio)
Ground Components - An Eye For A Brow, A Tooth For A Pick
The Crayon Fields - Animal Bells
Macromantics - Moments In Movements
The Drones - Gala Mill
Ned Collette - Joes & Trials

Zan Rowe (Triple J)
Crayon Fields - Animal Bells
Ground Components - An Eye For A Brow, A Tooth For A Pick
Macromantics - Moments In Movement
CW Stoneking - King Hokum
Dappled Cities Fly - Granddance

We’d be nothing without these guys and girls.  They’re the ones who make all the amazing music that allows us to keep updating this blog.  So a select bunch of Aussie muso’s have gratiously taken some time out to tell us and you what they thought were the best Australian releases of 2006.  If you like their choices, make sure to check out their own music as well!

Alex Grigg (Red Riders)
Dappled Cities Fly - Granddance
Macromantics - Moments In Movement
Children Collide - Glass Mountain Liars
The Sleepy Jackson - Personality (One Was A Spider, One Was A Bird)
Snowman - Snowman

Ash St. Ives (Young and Restless)
My Sister The Cop – Animal Traps
Damn Arms - Patterns
Magic Dirt – Magic Dirt
Mint Chicks – Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No!

Bob Evans
Sleepy Jackson - Personality (One Was A Spider, One Was A Bird)
You Am I - Convicts
Gotye - Like Drawing Blood
The Audreys - Between Last Night and Us

Deepchild
Stick Figures - Low Self Esteem
Gotye - Like Drawing Blood
The Bamboos - Step it Up
CODA - Calling Mission Mu
Jamie Lloyd - Trouble Within

Grant Spencer (Paper Champion)
The Butterfly Effect - Imago
Gotye - LIke Drawing Blood
Ground Components - An Eye For A Brow, A Tooth For A Pick
The Grates - Gravity Won’t Get You High
Augie March - Moo, You Bloody Choir

Hau (Koolism)
N’fa - Cause An Effect
Hilltop Hoods - The Hard Road
Blue King Brown - Stand Up
Astronomy Class - Exit Strategy
The Valentinos - Damn & Damn Again

Johnny (Children Collide)
Midnight Juggernauts - Secrets Of The Universe
Pharaohs - Medicines
Teen God - Seventeen
Muscles - Popular Music Is A Joke
Damn Arms - Patterns

Josh Pyke
Augie March - Moo, You Bloody Choir
Sarah Blasko - What The Sea Wants, The Sea Will Have
Red Riders - Replica Replica
Holly Throsby - Underneath The Town
Bob Evans - Suburban Songbook

Laura Imbruglia
Dappled Cities Fly - Granddance
Darren Hanlon - Fingertips and Mountaintops
The Hard-Ons - Most People Are A Waste Of Time
Gallucci - You-Wrecker
The Sleepy Jackson - Personality (One Was A Spider, One Was A Bird)

Lucius Borich (Cog)
The Fumes - Guns Of Gold
The Butterfly Effect - Imago
Mammal - Mammal
Carla Werner - Pure Things in Wild Places
The Living End - State of Emergency

Macromantics
The Ground Components - An Eye For A Brow, A Tooth For A Pick
Crayon Fields - Animal Bells
My Disco - Cancer
Eddie Current Suppression Ring - Eddie Current Suppression Ring
True Radical Miracle - Cockroaches
Architecture in Helsinki - We Died, They Remixed

Maya Jupiter
Hilltop Hoods - The Hard Road
Def Wish Cast - The Legacy Continues
N’fa - Cause An Effect
Macromantics - Momments In Movement
Art Of War - Chapter 2: Waging War

Nikos Andronicos (Pomomofo)
Midnight Juggernauts - Secrets Of The Universe
Pinky Tuscadero - Look Your Best
Rizzo & Pizzo - Sherbert Balls
The Presets - Beams
The Valentinos - Damn & Damn Again

Stacey Gray (Trial Kennedy)
Sarah Blasko - What The Sea Wants, The Sea Will Have
Bertie Blackman - Black
Gotye - Like Drawing Blood
The Butterfly Effect - Imago
Horsell Common - Satellite Wonderland

Tim Hoey (Cut Copy)
The Sleepy Jackson - Personality (One Was A Spider, One Was A Bird)
Gerling - 4
Wolf and Cub - Vessels
My Disco - Cancer
JP Shilo - As Happy As Sad Is Blue

The second part in our 2006 wrap-up turns the microscope upon other bloggers.  There’s a tonne of great Aussie blogs and they’ve become essential viewing to keep up-to-date with what’s new and exciting in the world of music, both in Australia and overseas.  So we thought we’d give them the chance to tell you what they thought were 2006’s best Aussie releases. 

Daniel Boud (Boudist)
Sleepy Jackson - Personality (One Was A Spider, One Was A Bird)
Dappled Cities Fly - Granddance
Howling Bells - Self titled
Bob Evans - Suburban Songbook
The Valentinos - Damn and Damn Again 

Dave Slutzkin (Sympathetic Stupid)
Sodastream - Reservations
Faux Pas - Entropy Begins at Home
Because of Ghosts - The Tomorrow We Were Promised Yesterday
Augie March - Moo, You Bloody Choir
Dallas Crane - Factory Girls

Charles Magnus -a.k.a. Chucky (The Sandwich Club)
Gotye - Like Drawing Blood
Dappled Cities Fly - Granddance
Panda Band - The Vital Chapter
Phoenix Foundation - Pegasus
Augie March - Moo, You Bloody Choir

Geoff Kim (Get Big Little Kid)
The Panda Band - This Vital Chapter
Ground Components - An Eye For A Brow. A Tooth For A Pick
Dappled Cities Fly - Granddance
Wolf & Cub - Vessels
Starky - Starky

Graham Preston (Regulate The Voice)
Bliss-N-Eso - Day of the Dog
Gotye - Like Drawing Blood
The Grates - Gravity Won’t Get You High
Wolf & Cub - Vessels
Love of Diagrams - Love of Diagrams

Jonathan Nail (Brown Cardigan / Polaroids of Androids)
The Pharaohs - Medicines
Ground Components - An Eye For A Brow, A Tooth For A Pick
Snowman - Snowman
My Disco - Cancer
Dappled Cities Fly - Granddance

Matt Levinson (Fortune Grey)
The Crayon Fields - Animal Bells
Astronomy Class - Exit Strategy
Adrian Klumpes - Be Still
Seaworthy - Distant Hills Burn Bright
Amanda Handel/GL Seiler - Ghosts and Angels

Sean Beling (One Hundred Scenes)
Augie March - Moo, You Bloody Choir
Dappled Cities Fly - Granddance
The Drones - Gala Mill
Snowman - Snowman
The Sleepy Jacskon - Personality (One Was A Spider, One Was A Bird)

Sean Owen (A Reminder)
The Drones - Gala Mill
Dappled Cities Fly - Granddance
Gotye - Like Drawing Blood
The Grates - Gravity Won’t Get You High
Faux Pas - Entropy Begins At Home

Steve Tibbets (Invasion Of The Reverb Snatchers)
The Sleepy Jackson – Personality (One Was A Spider, One Was A Bird)
You Am I – Convicts
Dappled Cities Fly – Granddance
The Vines – Vision Valley
Augie March – Moo, You Bloody Choir

Wayne Massingham (Oceans Never Listen)
Dappled Cities Fly - Granddance
Youth Group - Casino Twilight Dogs
The Grates - Gravity Won’t Get You High
Crayon Fields - Animal Bells
Augie March - Moo, You Bloody Choir

Yvette (Y-Bother?)
Dappled Cities Fly - Granddance
Deloris - Ten Lives
CW Stoneking - King Hokum
Augie March - Moo, You Bloody Choir
Gotye - Like Drawing Blood 

Hello and welcome to Who The Bloody Hell Are They’s 2006 Wrap-Up. It’s been a big year for all of us here at the blog - some have got cool new jobs, some have started bands, some have started managing acts, but above all we started the only all-Australian (and sometimes New Zealand) blog on the internet. So we’d like to thank you for coming to the blog and reading our rants about Aussie acts that we like, and about our drunken advertures at various events during 2006. This is going to be the last post for the year while we go on holiday, but we’ll be back, better than ever, in 2007.

So to leave, we’ve contacted bands, bloggers and people in the media to see what their Top 5 Aussie Albums of 2006 were. It’s our little present to you for visiting us for all this time. Over the next five days, we’ll be presenting all of the Top 5 lists. Seasons Greetings and have a great New Year.

And here’s our list:

Dom Alessio
Gotye - Like Drawing Blood
Switchkicker - Method 2
The Butterfly Effect - Imago
Triosk - The Headlight Serenade
Laura - Radio Swan Is Down

Jerry Soer
Macromantics - Moments In Movement
Snowman - Snowman
Gotye - Like Drawing Blood
Dappled Cities Fly - Granddance
Young & Restless - everything

Jonno Seidler
The Inches - The Inches
Children Collide - Glass Mountain Liars
The Cops - 80 In The Shade
Midnight Juggernauts - Secrets Of The Universe
I Heart Hiroshima - A Three Letter Word For Candy

Zoe White
Children Collide - Glass Mountain Liars
The Grates - Gravity Won’t Get You High
Dappled Cities Fly - Granddance
Love of Diagrams - Love Of Diagrams

Jackson Jackson - Intelligent, Evolved and Insane

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Jackson Jackson are Harry James Angus, vocalist and trumpeter of Cat Empire fame and producer and composer Jan Skubiszewski. They met and recorded this odd, out of this world song about a race of subterrenean people hell bent on destroying the world - or something to that effect - according to the rather ambiguous press release. I’m not really sure how to classify this, it’s not really hip hop or beats. It sounds a lot like what my ex-housemates used to come up with their MPCs and home recording gear. The vocals does have a very distinct Australian flavour to it, and I’m curious to hear more material from their album. Jackson Jackson play their very first gig on January 20th at the Evelyn Hotel in Melbourne, check it out.

http://www.myspace.com/jacksonjacksonmusic

Children Collide - ‘We Are Amphibious’ (taken from Glass Mountain Liars)

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One of the very first bands that we blogged when we started out, Children Collide has since picked up a new drummer, new management, new label and put out a new EP titled Glass Mountain Liars. The lead track is a newly recorded ‘We Are Amphibious’ which has been released as a B-Side to their independently released We Three, Brave and True, tho I’m not sure which three they were referring to when they came up with that title.

I’m always interested in reworkings of old tracks for the purposes of a new release. It doesn’t always work out but they’ve got it right this time, with the more prominent guitar overdubs giving the song the right groove and does reflect how exciting they can be live. To show you what I meant, I’ve put the old version up below. Let me know what you think.

Children Collide - ‘We Are Amphibious’ (taken from We Three Brave and True)

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myspace.com/childrencollide

Shaky Hands - ‘You and I’

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I’ve only seen these guys once but they definitely leave an impression, just like fellow frantic Kiwi rockers Die!Die!Die! and The Mint Chicks. It was at Purple Sneakers in Abercrombie Hotel and the friday night indie club night doesn’t usualy put bands on but made an exception for them. It was packed and took me almost an hour to get through, and once inside it was so crowded I could not really see the stage or the band. Phil the vocalist of the group is known for his wild stage antics and this night he decided to climb the rafters onto the rooftop next to the stage and yelled out some of his songs from there. Reminds me a lot of that guy from Les Savy Fav.

The Death Set - ‘Intermission’

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You really only need to know two things about Sydney’s The Death Set, that is they are two guys, one part insanity the other part profanity. Beau Velasco and Johnny Siera are the two members, with the third arguably an electronic accompanist that plays some disco beat while the two main men sing abrasive half coherent ludicrousies into two vintage microphone stands. I saw them for the first time at the AM Eyewear party at Sydney’s Gaelic Theatre in Surry Hills, armed with guitars and without inhibition they had the crowd in a psychotic state, and were systematically stripped, abused and close to molested by a number of the audience members throughout the high energy set. Not only did they enjoy it, but they provoked it!

It’s an abrasive strand of dance pop they play, and definitely one of the most entertaining local live acts I’ve seen this year. Though with much of their time being favoured to shows in the US, they prove a rare act to catch locally, and don’t really have a huge name for themselves at least amongst scenesters in Sydney, however their EP To is out in Australia with a full length release rumored to be due out sometime in early 2008. It will be interesting to see how they attempt to capture blood, near death and two tattooed tortured bodies on record, but one thing’s for sure, The Death Set are armed with a musical recipe for mayhem.

www.myspace.com/thedeathset

teenagersintokyo - ‘End It Tonight’

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“One word, all lowercase”, that’s how Sam of teenagersintokyo instructed me to spell out her band name. Actually I wasn’t sure if they were a band back then, more like really hot team DJing action that frequented cool underground indie clubs, Modular parties and advertising functions. Of course being the local Sydney radio identities that they were, getting involved in the live music scene was inevitable and all that interviews and gig going soon led them to morph into a band. They started out with five but soon lost their drummer to a wrist injury, and I was told they now perform with a drum machine instead.

They get a lot of comparisons with Brazillians Cansei De Ser Sexy, but those are usually based on their image rather than music. Both have crazy indie disco fashion sense and hot looking girls, but CSS has a much more clubbier feel to their music while these girls lean towards the no/nu wave revival popular of late in the Sydney scene. I’ve only seen them once and I believe it was one of their very first gigs at Brighton Up Bar in Darlinghurst, a tiny space of maybe 80 people capacity with no stage. Coincidentally it was also the same place where I saw Young & Restless for the first time. And now these three bands will have another connection, CSS is touring Australia early January and teenagersintokyo is supporting them in Sydney while Y+R is the support for Melbourne. All of them have very hot Asian girls leading so check them out yo!

www.myspace.com/teenagersintokyo

This one shot clip of Snowman’s Andy Citawarman gives a hint of indication of his manic stage demeanor. My favourite cut from one my top 5 albums this year.

www.myspace.com/thesnowmanempire

Other Snowman Posts

Nina May - ‘Monsters In The Dark’ (mp3)

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OK, so I have a bit of a confession to make.  I’m quite impartial to bands with female singers - hey I was in one myself - and yes, that does mean that I’m sometimes caught enjoying the odd tune by The Veronicas (they write catchy pop tunes, you gotta give them props for that).  But The Veronicas segue quite nicely into Nina May, because just like the Origliasso twins, Nina May are from Brisbane and they play pop music with distorted guitars as well.  Is it emo?  That’s one for you to argue amongst yourselves about..

But Nina May seem to align themselves more with the metal and alternative side of music, and it comes out in their riffs and song structures.  They remind me a lot of an unsigned band out of the States called Estrela, although I’m sure Nina May have never heard of them.  Nina May are just about to complete their debut EP and ‘Monsters In The Dark’ is the first taste of what’s to come.  It’s an extremely catchy tune, and if their popularity on MySpace is anything to go by, it seems as though a lot of people are digging this track.  I like vocalist Erinn Swan’s voice, although her lyrics leave a lot to be desired - you’ll find no deep and meaningful messages in here.  Aside from said track, the rest of the stuff on MySpace is poorly recorded demos and the songs don’t live up to the standard of ‘Monsters In The Dark’.  But it’s a solid start from a band who I think will appeal to a large audience looking for pop music with a bit of an edge to it.

http://www.myspace.com/ninamaymusic

Plug-In City - ‘Broke On A Wheel’ (mp3)

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Plug-In City have all the characterists to become the new darlings of the sometimes fickle indie music scene.  They’ve got “cool” written all over them - be it in their promo photos, their influences and especially in their music.  It’s minimal, with enough keys and bleach-clean guitar to keep those eighties lovers happy.  Yeah, it’s one of those bands.

It’s getting to the stage where we can see over the hill of the indie scene.  Bands are all starting to sound the same and in my opinion, the beginning of the end is near for the minimalist electro/indie scene.  But amongst the tonne of mediocrity and clones, some gems do appear.  I don’t think this Melbourne group is doing anything extraordinary - in fact, I don’t really like most of what I’ve heard of these guys .  So why am I blogging about them? Well, I quite like their track ‘Broke On A Wheel’.  The limited-range vocals leave a fair bit to be desired, but they’re better on this track than the others.  But the music is catchy, and I can easily picture the indie guys and gals packed like sardines in Sydney’s fave indie spots like Candy’s Apartment and all the 34 Oxford St clubs going off to this track. 

Hey, it’s fun and we might as well enjoy it now before the scene implodes upon itself and all we’re left with is nü-rave.  And you don’t want that, do you?

http://www.plug-incity.com
http://www.myspace.com/plugincity

Yen - ‘Emily’ (mp3)

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We hardly blog enough on pop music so here’s a piece from Sydney outfit Yen. Not much is known about these guys except that they’ve entered Triple J’s Unearthed competition which is how I found out about them. I do like a good laid back pop number every now and then and these guys do it well. They are playing the end of year Peats Ridge Festival in New South Wales. This is a ‘sustainable’ festival, where part of the shtick is that the performing musicians get paid in free tickets for their friends and family. Not my kind of thing personally but lots of people dig it.

www.myspace.com/yenband