Monthly Archives For May 2011

All India Radio Go Viral

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Stop-motion enthusiasts: you deserve a beer and a big fat gold plated horse for your patience to your art.

Melbourne animator Darcy Prendergast and the mega skilled dudes at Oh Yeah Wow are testament to that. The vid for ‘Rippled’ off All India Radio’s ninth record took six months to complete. No digital manipulation, no special effects – just painful frame-by-frame long exposure techniques. Since it was uploaded last week, it’s hit 101,605 (and still climbing).

The video is 2.0 for the OHW/All India Radio collab. The clip for ‘Lucky’ (which uses similar light painting techniques) took out best animated music video at the St Kilda Film Festival last year and was shortlisted for exhibit at the Guggenheim.

Making it to the ninth album is a mean feat, so it’s fitting that this clip is of equal ‘!!!’ proportions.

www.allindiaradio.com.au

www.ohyeahwow.com

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Harmony – ‘Cacophonous Vibes’

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harmony

I picked up Harmony’s 7″ ‘Cacophonous Vibes’ on white vinyl today. It is a really nice track that immediately gets under your skin. The gorgeous slow tempo and ‘bop she bop’ harmony describes another era but then crashing drums and the husky vocals of Tom Lyngcoln come thundering in. Surprisingly the sweetness remains due to the lovely backing vocals. My flat mates have been loving my attempts at screaming these vocals about the house – not pretty.

Formed last year, with a debut album due very soon, Harmony feature Alex Kastaniotis and Jon Chapple with Amanda Roff, Quinn Veldhuis and Maria Kastaniotis forming the layered vocal ensemble. Hopefully these guys will play shows in support of the debut record as I missed the 7″ launch last month.

Listen to the track on bandcamp here.

Thanks to against the wood grain for the image.

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Mind Over Matter @ OAF

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There’s a lot of hip-hop floating around Australia right now – some with an obsession with long hair, others all to eager to invite you into a long winded chase. Then there’s hip hop like Mind Over Matter’s, filled with odes to a city they know, and a culture they’re a part of – yet still laced with ballsy irreverence. Last Thursday night at the OAF, they gave the crowd something standout.
Two pairs of supports – Drakezilla + Vince Vega and Johnny Utah + Coptic Soldier. Drakezilla and Vince-Vega were entertaining and tight, throwing down a surprisingly high-quality set for a warm up act. Personal pick of their set set was “Redhead Redemption”, a reflective deconstruction of Drakezilla’s place in the industry.

Up next were Johnny Utah and Coptic Soldier. Despite juxtaposing high-energy songs such as “Handful of Gravel” with semi-acoustic ballads like “Fight For The Fame”, their set flowed well. The two MCs bounced off each other, belting out a raw set. They left the crowd satisfyingly moist, in more ways than one.

Finally, Mind Over Matter. The rapper duo (Willow and Smiles) were backed by a four piece live band and a multi-talented cast of special guests including Lillian Blue and Drakezilla. The pair were simultaneously self-deprecating and self promoting. In tracks like “Famous”, they almost pass for conceited superstars, but bring themselves (and the crowd) back down with their less self-indulgent tracks, such as “Be A Pirate”.

They closed with “This Wonderful Life”, a celebratory track that exemplified their set as a whole – energetic and engaging, without resorting to over-played hooks to get the audience pumping.

Mind Over Matter are the future of Australian hip-hop that I want to see realised – they combine balls and honesty, depth and hilarity. Definitely worth checking out as they finish their nationwide tour over the next month.


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Kimbra – 'Cameo Lover' (video)

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Director: Guy Franklin
Producer: Elizabeth Sarsfield
Cinematographer: Edward Goldner
Colourist: Christine J. Dobson
Post-Production: John Gavin @The Pixel Kitchen

Just gonna put it out there. This could well be the best pop chorus of 2011. Whether you agree with me or if your plaintive, stoic self begs to differ – 11,092 views in just over five days can’t be wrong… right?

There’s no one formula for a good pop hook, but this lady has it nailed. The verse finds a nice space that ain’t too pizazz, nor too pedestrian, the progression bookmarking the chorus is god damn glorious – and that bridge at 2.23 is the stuff that Spring Valley commercials are made of.

Maybe it’s time pop music had a breath mint. Here’s proof that you don’t need librarian specs and a novelty haircut (perhaps not the novelty haircut) or a reality tv show ‘de-butt’ on your CV to earn some cred.

BTW she’s kiwi. Could be our best export yet.

While I’m on the proposition warpath, I’ll just get to the point. I dig.

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