Tagged By brisbane

INTRODUCING: Doom Mountain

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Doom Mountain

Surf rock has been well represented over last few years in Australia. Bleeding Knees Club, Dune Rats and Step-Panther are all bands that are representative of the success felt when a couple o’ guys can get together and bust out a killer riff.

Right now, there’s another band that is gunning to similar heights. A band with the enthusiasm of a grommet on his first Al Merrick, the reckless endangerment of an average day at Shipsterns. That’s what Brisbane’s Doom Mountain are going for.

Previous singles ‘Thrill Seeker’ and ‘(I’m So) Wiped Out’ point towards the laid back vibes of Melbourne bands that have been infected by a rabid 6-foot swell, like Bachelor Pad and Ross De Chene Hurricanes. However, their new track ‘Lonely Child’ shows a more, brooding post-punk side to the band, with a looming guitar line that I’m sure The Murlocs are kicking themselves for not thinking up first.

 

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PREMIERE: Dark Fair – ‘Poison’

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darkfair

Dark Fair is guitarist Ramona Moore and drummer Ellie Dunn, and they make rock’n’roll music. I mean properly: leather jackets and Chrissie Hynde hairdos. The pair met in Brisbane – where presumably they grew up on a strict regimen of Hole and Magic Dirt – on the live circuit, playing together in Ramona’s band Kate Bradley and the Goodbye Horses.

Via their own circuitous routes, both ended up in Melbourne in 2012 and promptly recorded the debut Dark Fair EP, Penny Universe. Second release, You Shouldn’t Be Mine, is due out in May, and they’ve just dropped the single ‘Poison’.

A driving ballad led by Ramona’s frayed vocal and insistent open strings, ‘Poison’ is punctuated by a sharp bass cameo from pal Adalita – who’s championed the band since catching them live at Yah Yah’s about a year ago. Check out the track below.

Dark Fair are launching the new EP at Old Bar in Melbourne on Saturday, 31 May. You can also catch them playing the final show of their April residency at the Tote tomorrow night, alongside Ohms and tinsmoke.

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PREMIERE: Naked Maja – ‘Out of Mind’

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Naked Maja

Wrap your ears around ‘Out of Mind’, the new single from Brisbane’s Naked Maja.

If the bottled-up, experimental tumult of last year’s brilliant Disillusion EP was a restless savant – then the first taste of the band’s forthcoming EP, The Vagrant, is its calmer, neutral-decision making, Moog toting, younger brother.

We’ve heard Restless Maja (‘Soft Hands’), Dismembered Maja (‘#59’) and Wandering Maja (‘Take’). ‘Out of Mind’ may be a gentle Eno coax over from their other musings, but the band aren’t flailing everything on the line. Naked Maja have always been discerning in their generosity; careful with their sound. That’s rarely a bad thing when experimental pop too often lands overcooked. Even when their angular samples and tense guitars have taken precipice, the band haven’t been quite tipped over the edge.

The synth direction on ‘Out of Mind’ is sustained, the lead vocal never tethers too far from the moonlight. And perhaps in that, this temperance keeps the band’s vision where it needs to be.

naked maja megan cullen

The video for ‘Out of Mind’ (see still above) was directed by Megan Cullen and will also be released in the next few weeks. Naked Maja are playing a number of dates soon, see below for details.

 

Sat 26 April – The Underdog (Brisbane) supporting Gazar Strips w/ The Steady As She Goes

Thurs 22 May – The Underdog (Brisbane) EP Release w/ Keep On Dancin’s + No Sister + Ultra Material

 

The band’s forthcoming EP The Vagrant, is set for an independent release next month.

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INTRODUCING: Tempura Nights

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tempura nights

Tempura Nights are a Brisbane three-piece made up of the power combo of members of Go Violets (who bummed us all out a couple of weeks ago by breaking up), Major Leagues and The Good Sports. They’ve been pretty quiet since the release of first single ‘Cocky’ early last year, but this song shows that they mean srs bsns for 2014.

‘R.I.P. Chix’ is kinda getting pushed under the category of dream pop, but that label doesn’t quite do justice to how likeably tough singer/guitarist Alice Rezende comes across in the verses. Her lyrics about those romantic, over-privileged girls in their own own perfect worlds that we love to hate (and sometimes straight-up hate), are delivered in a downbeat monotone which is nicely dark and understated.

There’s stuff in here that you’ve heard before, from influences like Speedy Ortiz and Joanna Gruesome, but Tempura Nights are approaching the style in a different way, messing with form and structure to make a super cool sound that never seems derivative.

‘R.I.P. Chix’ is the first taste of Tempura Nights’ White Whine EP which will be out in the middle of the year. It’s also available for free download. Woop!

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WATCH: Tape/Off – ‘Pedestal Fan’

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Tape Off

Tape/Off are a Brisbane band who’ve been around for quite a few years making consistently rad, dingy rock music. Maybe part of the reason these guys are so good is that they’ve all got other ‘projects’ and shit to do. Recording, producing, radio announcing and, of course, plenty of other bands keep the members busy enough that they’re free to make music that’s unpretentious and loose. Tape/Off always sound like a mostly fun and recreational band, though they’re still serious as hell about making great songs.

Their latest single ‘Pedestal Fan’ was released ages ago, but the video has just been put out so if you haven’t checked it out yet now’s your chance. The clip is shot in black and white and features a relaxed approach to road rules; band members shredding and singing and smashing drums in an old van (which apparently was put out of its misery by a medium sized hill not long after this shoot). Usually clips that just rely on one idea like this get boring halfway through, but this one is fast and frantic and totally watchable until the last second.

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Tape/Off’s first full length record Chipper comes out in June, but you can check out their two previous EP’s (and also get ‘Pedestal Fan’ as a pay-what-you-like download!) on Bandcamp.

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TRACK BY TRACK: Dollar Bar – Paddington Workers Club

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dollar-bar

It’s been 10 years now since Dollar Bar released their self-titled debut LP. In 2013 the band emerged from a six-year hiatus with the excellent follow up, Paddington Workers Club, named after ‘a shitty old bar room’, long shut down, that was a focal point of Brisbane’s Spring Hill scene.

The album could have been recorded back in the 90s, when Dollar Bar first formed, its sound falling somewhere between early Pavement and GBV. The band hasn’t lost its sense of humour, but these days the tracks (e.g. ‘Hipster Mental Ward’, ‘City Pricks Sitting Pretty’) take aim at the kids inhabiting the stages and the dives that Dollar Bar long left behind.

Dollar Bar sent us a track-by-track account of Paddington Workers Club. Check it out below:

 

‘Diff’rent 4 Gurls’

I’d formed a new band with my brother David, along with John and Cuffy from Dick Nasty. We did this song based on White Town’s ‘Your Woman’. Dollar Bar liked it and gave it a burl. After several attempts at re-recording and overdubs, we agreed that our original take, including guide vocals, was strongest. Basically it’s the poor man’s Strokes. (Dale)

‘Hipster Mental Ward’

This song was inspired by my time working in administration at a mental hospital in Toronto. Opposite the hospital was an arty stretch of Queen Street West – one of the hippest spots in town. I wrote the lyrics on my walks through the lush park grounds to purchase caffeine hits, and there were literally always tattooed girls riding bikes outside. The part about the guy putting his $20 bill in the microwave to sterilise it is a true story too. (Patrick)

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GUEST: Morning Harvey

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guest

Morning Harvey have a new video out today for their single ‘Girl Euphoria (Come Back To Me)’ which in true Brisbane camaraderie, packs in cameos from The Jungle Giants, The Belligerents and The Furrs (who also share a guitarist with Morning Harvey). Nic McKenzie from Deep Sea Arcade directed the video, apparently spending a few hours teaching the guys how to play their songs backwards \m/.

We’re presenting Morning Harvey’s single tour all through April. The first show kicks off in Brisbane this Saturday at Black Bear Lodge with Salvadarlings. The band have also compiled their top 5 bands from the sunny state below, check it out.

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  slug-guts

Slug Guts – ‘Stranglin’ You Too’

‘Stranglin’ You Too’ is a beautiful song in a odd way. It’s got such a great mood to it; the melody is perfect and his voice works so well on top of it all. I have no idea if they are still going, but I’m pretty shitted off that I haven’t seen them play. I first heard this song on a 7″ that Jackson our drummer was sent from Hozac Records in the US.


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The Furrs – ‘Get On Your Horse’

Jimmy, one of two guitarists in Morning Harvey started The Furrs around the end of last year.
I can’t wait for people to hear the rest of this EP, it’s full of extremely catchy tunes and sweet melodies.
Every time he shows me a new song I wonder why I didn’t think of that first. Bless his soul.

salvadarlings

Salvadarlings – ‘Lemon Mirage’


I’m fairly certain these guys are only a relatively new band to come out of Brisbane.
The lead vocalist’s voice is very sweet. Looking forward to seeing them play at our single launch in Brisbane.

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