The Saturns - ‘I Could Be The One’

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Something new from Sydney rockers The Saturns. ‘I Could Be The One’, with its ’60s rhythm and blues aesthetic, comes from their debut EP mixed by Wayne Connelly, who’s worked with a slew of top Aussie acts like Josh Pyke, The Vines, You Am I and Youth Group.

There’s nothing too complex to this song - just good ol’ fashioned rock swagger. It’s toe-tapping fun.

http://www.myspace.com/heresthesaturns

Briztronix - ‘Incentive’

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Sometimes I wish I was in a hip-hop band, just so I could give myself a cool moniker like Shazam or DJ  Bacon - like the dudes in Briztronix. Dominic Alessio sounds too much like a soccer player to ever have any cred. Plus I can’t rap. Or DJ.

But to call Briztronix - who, unsurprisingly, are originally from Brisbane - hip-hop would be doing this duo a grand disservice, because they’re more than just a throwaway tag. Briztronix is part DJ Shadow, part RJD2, part abstract jazz, part electronica and of course, hip-hop. It’s a complex musical recipe that unashamedly recalls early ’90s turntable music on labels like Ninja Tune and Mo Wax.

‘Incentive’ comes from their third record Structures of Canyons and its a record that takes some time to get into - there’s a myriad of good ideas but sometimes the execution is a tad labourious and the songs, at times, tend to run in circles, and not much ends up happening. But pick out individual songs and you’ll see why they’ve been getting attention from Triple J, as well as winning awards.

http://www.myspace.com/briztronix

Karoshi - ‘Slowdown’

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Despite the trio in the photo, Karoshi is the brainchild of one Sydneysider, Beres Jackson. Before I unveil a blog full of flamboyant musical adjectives, I’ll take a quick snippet from the Karoshi MySpace:

“The name Karoshi comes from the Japanese word for ‘working oneself to an early death’. This social commentary is the idea behind the songs on Karoshi’s debut EP, but there is also a feeling of hope and beauty behind the darkness.”

There’s something almost Barbra Streisand about the introductory keyboard on ‘Slowdown’; a tone that harks back to the synthesised pop of the 1980s. But that’s a moot point considering there’s nothing pop, nor ’80s, about ‘Slowdown’ or in fact any of the songs found on the debut Karoshi EP. Psapp, Decoder Ring and Boards of Canada are reference points for Karoshi’s brand of instrumental, downbeat electronica. Scattered drum beats, softly-spoken keyboards, beeps that twist and turn and ambient beds of soundscape all overlap to create something rather beautiful.

Tracks on the rest of the EP include some other instruments, as well as vocals on one track. While Karoshi live shows have been limited, Beres is currently traipsing across the globe, so there’s no shows for a while. In that case, you should grab yourself an EP for those peaceful late nights.

http://www.myspace.com/karoshimusic

We don’t do outright promotions of CD releases very often, but this one perfectly suits our purpose: an all Australian (ok a bit of NZ) Indie mixtape. Brought to you by Mr. Purple Sneakers himself Martin Novosel aka PhDJ. I’m sure many of you have spent many nights at Purple Sneakers. Who hasn’t gone through that 3am music debate next to the pokies? Or have spilled beer/have beer spilled in the ‘beer garden’? Or waited too long in the queue wondering why you’re willing to pay $15 to get into a pub? Like it or not, Purple Sneakers are responsible for bringing a lot of Indie music into the mainstream clubbing crowd that frequent it now.

Click here to listen to a review copy of Purple Sneakers Mixtape of Indie Joy. And so to celebrate this release, PhDJ is touring across the country doing club nights across the five states. Try catching him he’s good.

TOUR DATES

Sat 24 Nov @ Abercrombie Hotel - SYDNEY *Official Launch Party
Sat 01 Dec @ Inferno - TRARALGON
Sat 08 Dec @ Kink/Valve - MELBOURNE
Fri 14 Dec @ Empire - BRISBANE
Fri 21 Dec @ Berlin Lounge - GOLD COAST

www.myspace.com/welovephdj

Van She - ‘Cat and the Eye’

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So we finally have some new material from Van She after over a year. I’m not sure why they waited so long to follow up on an EP that got pretty good exposure. Maybe there were some band troubles? Record company complications? Or maybe the strategy was to do as many Van She Tech remixes as they could to get some blog attention, build up the myspace audience, whilst using that same time to write some good material for a second EP. Or is it album? There’s no mention. This song is instantly memorable thanks to the liberal use of flange-swoosh-effect hook.

www.myspace.com/vanshe

http://www.myspace.com/hingemusic

Like Woah! - ‘Oh I Like’

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Aptly named for a Friday night post, this Sydney duo made themselves heard on the clubbing blogosphere a few months ago with their track ‘Oh I Like’. Better late than never eh. This single is out on those ravers Bang Gang 12″.

www.myspace.com/likewoahofficial

The Galvatrons - ‘Cassandra’

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Saw this band at Third Class, a trashy night club off Flinders Lane in Melbourne, just before I left for my overseas trip. I was tipped off by a few industry types to see this band so I had my bullshit detector on when I saw them. A friend of mine summed it up perfectly: “they were a great band with no great songs. Yet.” The lead singer Johnny is definitely a natural performer and quite entertaining to watch. Their whole “we’re a band from outta space” routine works well too with the 80s Van Halen riffs. There’s a lot of Wolfmother or Airbourne-ish retro novelty to it, which can always work as long as they’re the first ones to capitalise on it.

We’ll probably a lot more from them in the near future as they are rumoured to wrap up an Australian deal anytime now and the international labels offers are coming in. Once a year there are buzz bands like this who pick up worldwide deals before their 20th gig. Always interesting to watch how they handle all the sudden attention.

www.myspace.com/thegalvatrons

The Presets - ‘My People’

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Owwww…new Presets track check it out.

www.myspace.com/thepresets

artwork by Charles Dennington 

Tybalt - ‘Closed Eyes’ (Cut Off Your Hands remix)

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Sydney based DJ Tybalt gives us a first look of his production work remixing NZ’s Cut Off Your Hands. This will be released along with Cut Copy’s remix of Mercy Arms’ ‘Kept Low’ on a 12″ released as a promo vinyl on both bands’ label Levity Records, to coincide with their upcoming short tour of Australia.

www.myspace.com/tybaltdjs

I’ve been away for a month overseas and I was fortunate enough to attend the College Music Journal Music Marathon buzzfest in mid October in New York. It was a new and exhausting experience for me. Calling it a marathon is fitting because unlike the bunched up South By Southwest, the CMJ showcases was spread over the a large number of venues in Manhattan and Brooklyn, so to catch all thosed buzzed up bands everyone had to see, I got to know the subway system real well. I spent most of my time in the lower east side of NY where the fashionable showcases of Fader, Vice magazines were, as well as hipster venues such as The Annex, Pianos, Arlene’s Grocery, Mercury Lounge and Bowery Ballroom. The CMJ pass allowed me to walk in and out of most showcases unless they were sold out. In hindsight I don’t think it was worth the price tag because even with my ambitious schedule it would have been cheaper just to pre buy each individual showcase’s tickets. If you were to go I recommend scoring some sort of press pass or just plan ahead and buy tickets and get onto guestlists and rsvp lists because most of the cool bands are playing small shows anyway.

I saw about sixty bands through out the week, everyday the showcases start at 11am and go on all the way to 1am, and this goes on for 5 days. Two more days of sideshows and extra shows makes it a full week of exhausting gig chasing. Of course most of the bands I caught are out of the scope of this blog, but just a quick mention the three best bands I saw were Holy Fuck, Vampire Weekend and Foals. I recommend you check out those bands further.

The Australian contigent for this CMJ was quite weak in numbers and buzz, less than 15 bands (maybe even less than 10) made an appearance. Three standouts out of this lot are:

Muscles

Muscles - ‘Lauren From Glebe’

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Yes, the Ice Cream man himself is making in roads to the US clubbing conciousness via the Modular brand. I spent my birthday with Chris Muscles and Sydney’s DJ Sista Brockman drinking the band riders dry at the Modular party in Studio B, Brooklyn. We were also celebrating ‘Ice Cream’ being added to the Nova radio network in Australia so it was all good times for everyone. The crowd weren’t very familiar with Muscles’ songs, and I have to stay Modular parties in New York (and London) were a lot less Modular-like (read: fluro) than the Australian versions. Still everyone had a great night all around, other bands also on that night were New Young Pony Club and The Cool Kids.

Midnight Juggernauts

Midnight Juggernauts - ‘So Many Frequencies’

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Unlike Natasha I think these guys are pretty good live. I’ve seen them over 10 times so I do admit a bit of sentimentalism when reviewing their shows, but no doubt everyone has lots of fun when these guys go off. I caught them at the last show of their Justice support dates in New York, playing a two night stand to a packed Terminal 5 of 3200 people each night. The venue was so new they haven’t sorted all the plumbing out and it broke over the mixing desk, pouring over $300,000 equipment while the Juggies sound guy Matt struggled in vain to dry it with his shirt. The pouring turned to flooding as the show went on, and eventually they had to abandon the set unfinished. It was quite a sight seeing security personel erect a makeshift tent indoors to the ward off the rain. Nevertheless everyone had a great time and the boys took me out on their end of tour partying across a few bars and then into Susie’s their publicist apartment which was a beautiful converted church building. Highlight of the party goes to the exclusive French bistro Beatrice Inn we were n when the DJ dropped ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ and the Justice and Juggies proceeded to a slam dance pile up, knocking down all the tables and the drinks in the tiny West Village joint.

Cut Off Your Hands

Cut Off Your Hands - ‘Still Fond’

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No doubt the one of the highlight bands of the whole CMJ festival, the Kiwi boys have done really well everywhere they’ve gone in the world. Well deserved break for the boys who haven’t stopped touring since we first blog them here. They are one of the few bands that generated real buzz in the marathon and with a strong live show that wins over any cynic blogger type, and they did this aplenty in New York. This is how hardworking they were, they did seven shows in 3 days, four of them in one days two hours apart. And if you would just google them it’s clear that this strategy worked for them as the media love keeps on coming. They even got written on the New York Times for doing a record number of showcases in one CMJ week. Well done boys!

photo by Treve Droomgol

So what do you want to know about Aussie bands in the UK? I might be half way across the world but I’m still sleazing around live venues as frequently as Pete Doherty does crack dens. Indeed, there is an absolute explosion of uber-cool bottom spanking talent in London. It’s an absolute health hazard as every night of the week, guaranteed you can be out dancing like Mick Jagger to quality rock’n’roll. I could easily go on a silly rant about the best new bands the UK has to offer, but I’ve been equally curious to check out the Aussie acts hitting and heating up the cool kids of London.

First off the mark isn’t even Australian but with the amount of shows they’ve been hocking up over the last month, it seem no one more deserves a mention on whothehell.net than kiwi preppy-punkers Cut Off your Hands. These boys are so unbelievably hot; it’s like the moment they found the electric clippers and gave every member an under-cut, they were simultaneously given an injection of cool and the grit to perform such entertaining live shows. I’m looking forward to full-length debut (there have been a few BIG BIG names at these gigs). Stay tuned.

Next up I saw the Sparkadia lads (plus belle) one night at Dublin Castle in Camden. The band was a little tired from a relentless tour with Irish indie-popper’s The Thrills. Rightfully so, the road is long and riders can be hazardly bountiful. I haven’t had a chance to hear the record but unfortunately, it’s going to be an even harder road for Sparkadia to make it in the UK. Tight, cool songs, great image but the market is literally flooded in similar acts. At least they have ARK Records.
Good to see you guys.

photo by boudist.com

All you Juggernauts junkies maybe skip to the next paragraph because I have a rather sharp bone to pick from my filthy whiskey-dry throat. I’ve never been overly kind to these kids but I will clear up everything now. The recordings are wild; just as dark as they are catchy. Wonderful changes, and hypnotic beats, but live they just bore me! They played a show at one of London’s most notorious night spots, Fabric and all I heard was ‘voomp voomp voomp’. I gave them a second chance just this week when they supported !!! (chk, chk, chk) and again all I heard was ‘voomp voomp voomp’. Their catchy hooks drown in floods of bass and I can’t understand a word the boys sing. Vincent and Andy never once looked like they were having fun while, Dan Stricker remains as solid as ever.

My final word goes out to easily the most buzzing Aussie band in the UK at the moment; Operator Please. Polished, not one bit shy of the crowd (they played to easily 3000 people at Carling Weekend Festival) and have the support and affection of some of the biggest names in the UK music industry. Operator Please are the rightful sweethearts of NME, display unnaturally mature song writing, and are tighter than Farris Rotters jeans. They have found an untapped market and are deservingly acquired an already adoring UK fan base. One of the shows I saw was at the new East London Rough Trade Record Store, which boasted the coolest audiences imaginable, and have played shows with EVERYONE from Bloc Party and The Go-Team to The Cribs. I can’t help but accuse a great deal of people in Australia of tall poppy syndrome when it comes to recognising their achievement, particularly a number of music industry urchins. Grow up, and give Operator Please the time of day; and they’ll willingly give you the time of your life.

Good song with not a particularly good clip…

http://www.cog.com.au
http://www.myspace.com/cogrockmusic

From the poor man’s version of Spicks & Specks - the oft-cringeworthy RocKwiz - comes a rather awkward cover of the George Michael song ‘Careless Whisper’ - a secret favourite of mine. I’m always excited when it comes up on my iPod.

This cover features the tallest man in rock and frontman for Something for Kate, Paul Dempsey, and Kate Bush cover artist Kate Miller-Heidke, who looks like she’s just popped out of a jewellery box.

http://www.somethingforkate.com/
http://www.myspace.com/somethingforkate

http://www.katemillerheidke.com
http://www.myspace.com/katemillerheidke

Oh crap, I missed a day… Jerry’s going to beat me… we have a Penn & Teller-type relationship.

Sydney wunderkids Bridezilla are in some ways comparable to Brisbane’s latest export, and recent ARIA winners, Operator Please: they’re both predominantly made up of kids who can’t watch movies rated R, and they’ve both got a violin player. Then in other ways, they’re different - most notably, Bridezilla have better songs, more substance, and their members are far more attractive.

They’ve just inked a record deal with the cool cats at Ivy League and are set to take over the world. Watch out high school bands everywhere!

http://www.bridezillamusic.com
http://www.myspace.com/bridezillaa

Quiet Child - ‘Underage and Well Behaved’ (mp3)

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Out of all the major cities in Australia, when it comes to a reputation for music, Adelaide is one of the last you think of. So sometimes it’s harder to find the gems lurking in the city of churches. Quiet Child is one such jewel of a band who are one of a growing scene of bands embracing the melodic side of progressive / alternative rock.

They’ve been quickly building a fan base in their home town thanks to the release of a well-received self-titled debut EP earlier this year. They’re looking to take their show around the country next year so keep an eye out for them.

http://www.myspace.com/quietchildtheband

Krill - ‘See Me Cry’ (mp3)

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Some guys get all the luck, like being in a band with four girls. Wait, I have a feeling all of them are related… well, maybe its not all that lucky…

So five-piece electro/pop/rock outfit Krill, originally from the backwater town of Yeppoon in Queensland but now residing in Sydney, are the inaugural winners of this year’s Uncharted band competition. What’s that mean? Well, they’ve scored themselves a record deal with an indie imprint label on Sony/BMG and a spot of next year’s Big Day Out tour which heads around Australia as well as Auckland, NZ.

That’s a pretty good prize in anyone’s books really. Krill have been getting a fair bit of attention lately - maybe it’s the music, maybe it’s their secret weapon: hot girls (wins every time). But their mish-mash of Blondie, The Cars and more modern acts like Razorlight, Gwen Stefani and Franz Ferdinand, is strangely infectious. It’s been popular enough to send them to Germany in 2006 and get them on festivals lineups and major shows around Australia.

http://www.krill.com.au
http://www.myspace.com/littlekrill

Adrian Deutsch  - ‘Oh My God (demo)’

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I love those Red Riders kids. Seriously, you couldn’t meet a nicer bunch of guys. Now, one quarter of Red Riders, Adrian Deutsch - who, along with Alex Grigg, takes care of the guitar and vocal duties - has unveiled the fruits of his bedroom musical adventures.

Where the band leans more to the new-wave, Adrian’s solo material harks more to 70s folk and artists like Dylan, Elvis Costello and the Travelling Wilburys. Adrian was nice enough to supply us with his track ‘Oh My God’ recorded at his own little studio with him playing every instrument. I love the ending where it turns into this almost Zero 7/Decoder Ring trip-hop breakdown after cruising through more than 2 minutes of guitar-driven folk rock.

He’s doing some proper recordings at the moment and this is just a teaser of what’s to come.

http://www.myspace.com/adriandeutschmusic

I can’t work out whether I like Kate Miller-Heidke or not. Thoughts?

http://www.katemillerheidke.com
http://www.myspace.com/katemillerheidke

We’re going back in time a bit for this one, but it’s by far my favourite Pnau song. It comes from their 1999 release Sambanova.

http://www.myspace.com/pnaupnau