The Brunettes – ‘Her Hairagami Set’

The first time I saw these guys they had a toy drum kit and they took turns playing instruments and stage positions. The second time around they were still a four piece, but this time they had a full kit with even more instruments, and stayed at their respective sides of the stage. Now they are a full seven piece band, and this song is the first taken out of their Structure & Cosmetics album. It’s really easy to trivialise a band that banks on retro sounding songs, but I feel that Jonathan Bree and Heather Mansfield could not write these songs any other way. Their genuine take on innocent 50s pop can be compared too their on stage chemistry: it may not be the real thing (they were a couple once) but it’s damn close, and sometimes better.

www.myspace.com/thebrunettes

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Wons Phreely – ‘The Rules of Nature’

Immediately intoxicating, Wons Phreely shares the rich breath of Chris Martin’s voice and the sharply sweet songwriting of Ben Kweller, to whom he is often compared. This is the very first release from the West Australian talent and it spills over with beautiful rhymes and bubbling melodies, with four distinct shades on the four track EP. Another Thing bursts with muscled pop bounce onto the landscape, in the naïve indie bluster of a Ben Lee or a Badly Drawn Boy, unrelenting in its good humour and energy. Wons’ deft, literary lyricism shines on Rules of Nature as a balladry love emerges warmly ironic from his smiling words, and Temper Temper dances lightly half way between The Eels and Bob Evans. Closing with Soldiers, a fitful folk fable of unexpected melodic twists, Phreely puts his voice out front and winds his sunny way through whipping words of beguiling intelligence. A great new talent.

www.myspace.com/wonsphreely

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Proudly made for $200 this clip opened a lot of doors for this independent roots band after being youtubed over 300,000 times.

www.myspace.com/bluekingbrown

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The awesome and hilarious Sydney funk outfit bluejuice offer one of the funnier Aussie videos of this year for their infectious single ‘Vitriol’.  I blogged about it a few weeks ago, and since then it’s been doing the rounds on Triple J and local stations around the country.  And why not, it’s such an upbeat number, with its nasal, Hammond organ and synthesised bass lines.

Submit to the Church of Big Fish with bluejuice.

http://www.myspace.com/bluejuice

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Shooting At Unarmed Men – ‘Sometimes The Best Thing You Can Do Is Die’

We welcome with open arms the rabid punk ranting of Jonathan Chapple, bass player with the dearly departed Mclusky and brand New Australian, who has left the cold climbs of Cardiff for the morbid greys of Melbourne. Unsurprisingly, his music is still pretty grouchy. This single, chock full of piss, vinegar and grinding guitar vengeance, sees Jonathan band together with a few local lads for a third Unarmed Men album. Expect the usual mind-mashing excellence.

www.myspace.com/shootingatunarmedmen

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Mia Dyson – ‘I Meant Something To You Once’

Australia’s very own travelling blues muso have released three albums so far, the latest of which is Struck Down. She’s currently touring the world to promote this release, but I want to blog this particular song because in my recent mulling of past relationships, this one makes a pretty good soundtrack.

I suppose watching Annie Hall for the 20th time will get anyone in this mood, but even though I know what I feel and how to deal with it, blues can always say it better. It doesn’t even have to be exact, I definitely never had anyone similar to the object of loss in the song but that is just minor detail. The important part is always the chorus, the big hook line, when delivered right it will hit straight inside and stir shit up. The flood of images conjured to my head is heavy and slow everything down. Good song.

www.myspace.com/miadyson

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Sherlock’s Daughter – ‘Bang Hotels’ (mp3)

Tanya Horo is one interesting character.  Although she’s best known in Australia for her work in the quirky electronica act Soma For Kinder, she’s basically led a completely different life in another country.

Although she was born in Adelaide in 1978, she moved with her parents to Auckland in New Zealand when she was only a year old.  To say she has a creative upbringing is something for an understatement.  She appeared in a slew of NZ television commericals, was a host on a show called Destination Auckland, appeared in a number of short films, played the character Christine Hastings on a show called Shortland Street and also popped up on a couple of other TV shows such as Spin Doctors and Jackson’s Wharf.

Then there’s her music side, which seemed to kick off when she moved from Auckland to Christchurch.  She fronted an all-girl group called Growler before going solo under the moniker Kapala, before changing it again to Marvey King. 

She became friendly with Pnau when they toured New Zealand and she ended up singing on one of their tracks, and it may be through those guys that she met fellow Soma-rian, Jono Ma.  But now Tanya is residing here, and Sherlock’s Daughter is her electronic side-project that seems to have come together during Soma for Kinder’s downtime.  It’s more upbeat than Soma; more akin to acts like The Hate Game and those synth-infused ’80s revivalist acts. 

If you’re in Sydney, you can catch Sherlock’s Daughter at the Hopetoun Hotel in Surry Hills on Wednesday July 25.

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