With the vast expanse of the National Gallery of Victoria’s Great Hall transformed into a live music venue, the gems of Melbourne’s indie scene came out to play with the Gallery’s priceless collection. Featured as part of the Labels Series for Melbourne Music Week, the night showcased the best of the labels’ respective talent. With the neo-90s penchant of Two Bright Lakes, to the innovative electronica from Cutters Records, this was one hell of a variety night.
Complete with cracking cover art and replete with cues to the impending Australian summer, here comes the debut self-titled EP from Brisbane lads Yale. Anything but the stuffy George W-producing University of the same name, their sound harks back to that golden period of disco-pop of the early-2000s where producers like Paul Mac were running the Australian dance scene. Vocals sashay between duo, Stefan Emslie and Mark Maxwell, riding over layered synths and those ‘whup-whup’ bass lines that seemed to pervade early 2000s dance releases (Madison Avenue anyone?)
Self described as an exploration of “being young”, the EP presents a dance-ready release teetering between the Chillout Sessions and the more traditional dance-pop that catapulted PNAU and Cut Copy to the fore. Tracks like ‘Private School Girl’ reach the EP’s conceptual pinnacle, dissecting the moors of upper-middle class privilege, opening with lyrics “always went to the most expensive school” and “Channel and Louis Vuitton” for starters.
The EP picks up in stature by ‘The One That Got Away’, a track that probably veers towards stronger elements of house, rather than pure dance-pop. Here you’ll find flurries of synths validating this EP’s calls of being ‘euphoric’. Towards the chorus you’ll find yourself immersed in the type of woozy synths which TEED seem to have conquered. Accompanying Yale’s EP is a remix package of ‘The One That Got Away’ featuring cameos from YesYou, The Kite String Tangle, and Meare.
The closer, ‘Lost in the Crowd’ sums up EP with smooth, breezy vocals that begs for this to become part of your summer mixtape. For a debut, the boys from Yale have given us a refined release that says a lot about the duo’s musicianship. With melodic sensibilities and a penchant for making great dance-pop, this is definitely a sleek release from this Brisbane duo.
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For one night only, over 40 acts came together to perform for Melbourne Music Week’s Live Music Safari.
From the Toff to Prince’s own Bennetts Lane a slew of artists from the local Melbourne took centre stage, all for free.
Big ups to the team behind MMW for setting this up, not to mention giving Melbourne’s local music scene the spotlight it deserves.
I don’t think I can distill the sound of Melbourne’s Milhowse into something readily identifiable. I hear elements of trip-hop, and general bits of lo-fi, but they’re not relatively straightforward definitions either. But one thing’s for sure, I’d keep tabs on this guy. While sampling/drum machines/beat making seems to be in vogue thanks to that one xx member, it’ll be good to watch to whether it’ll be just another passing musical fad or something definitive in its own right. Acts like Milhowse are right at the forefront of this. This relatively elusive artist springs Chet Faker, Galapagoose, and Collarbones to mind, it’s just that it’s hard to know why I thought of them in the first place. There’s just something that I haven’t pinned down yet, anyway, decide for yourself.
Galapagoose – ‘Rhizome’ (mp3)
Taken from the recently released album Commitments, ‘Rhizome’ is a gorgeous track from Galapagoose. I really dig the way he swallows up the vocals in a soaring wall of sound. The organ break beats and Portishead like machine-gun blips are killer. His work is everywhere at the moment. Remixing Young Magic with Wooshie, making videos and playing plenty of shows.
Check out the Commitments full release on his BandCamp here – http://galapagoose.bandcamp.com/album/commitments
Tank – ‘Last Night I Heard Everything In Slow Motion’
‘Last Night I Heard Everything In Slow Motion’ by Tank is an in exercise super sweet ambience, strung together with violin & heavy reverb (as well as a tasteful dash of autotune). Tank’s new to the scene but already producing reliably listenable music. Some of the best up-and-coming chillwave in Sydney.
He’s currently working on an EP, so keep an ear to the ground – or just the computer screen, if you want to keep your ears clean.
Tank on FB / Soundcloud
Layering lazily half yelled group vocals above rolling, satisfyingly punchy live drums and surrounding the lot with loose guitars and electronics, Tiger Choir’s Unicycles is another consistently solid step into dreamy, cotton wool pop.
Backing up last years’ debut EP, the Hobart trio’s first full length is a larger, fleshed out realisation of their summery (actually, more Autumn-y) carefree tunes.
Often spearing off on unhinged experimental electronic tangents, a quirky drumstick lead in the literally titled Wordless or unhinged watery guitars, giving the organised noise, well, a little bit of swagger.
More so, the warm tones and experimental tangents streaming out of the thick, healthy beats are varied enough to allow each track something fresh, yet remain consistent across each of the 10 tracks.
In other words the package on a whole feels like an album, not just a collection of varied indulgences.
They’re currently filling the national support slot for The Drums, touring now.
Check it here http://tigerchoir.bandcamp.com/
Latest Comments
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Still trying to purchase!!!ANTHONY J LANGFORD
Cool track. Congrats Joshua. Hope the release is a success.Tristan
Man I love these guys. I can't believe they are not releasing any new music. I've been to so many…sophie
^^ I love Grimes! Banoffee is one of my new favorite music artists! :) I love With Her, Reign Down,…Ace
Read your review then listened to the EP. Fantastic ! Different to most hardcore punk I listen to. Somewhat more…