Tagged By New Music

LOOK: Distant Tempos – MMW

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Melbourne Music Week and Mess + Noise put together the Berlin-esque event of Distant Tempos. 6 independent artists performed on Tuesday night with Oliver Tank, Mitzi, Lost Animal, NO ZU, Thrupence & Simon Winkler.

If you have been living under a rock, the pop up venue is held in The Argus Building. If you haven’t had the chance to check out an event at Where?House you most certainly should, there are a few more nights left of incredible music this weekend.

Oliver Tank dropped-it-like-it-was-hot but my personal favourite of the evening was NO ZU, “the wild, ‘heat-beat’ sounds of the New Age”. Sadly they won’t be playing again until January 17th where they are supporting ESG at the HI FI.

More pictures after the jump!

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LISTEN: Blackmilk – ‘The Prospector’

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I’d been pluggin Blackmilk in the lead up to the release of their record In Lak’ech and I’m happy to say it’s out and sounds very good. ‘The Prospector’ is their new single and it’s a complete departure to what we have heard earlier. This one is a stripped-back tune with all focus on the vocal and stark narrative accompanied by backing harmony and select violin builds for extra drama. A good range from a very accomplished record by the Perth yocals. In Lak’ech is a deep rocking record with an amazing period sound that combines the best of Australian country story-telling with psychedelia and Tumbleweed like, stoner guitar drifts. Def worth hearing.

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Blackmilk – ‘The Prospector’

 

Website/Bandcamp

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LISTEN: Palms – ‘Love’

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Is ‘Love’ a lame name for a song? Yeah, probs. Is this song, from Sydney two-piece Palms still rad? Double yeah. Even love isn’t so lame when it’s screamed in Al Grigg’s desperate vocal, backed up with the kind of catchy ‘60s garage guitar that wouldn’t seem out of place in a Velociraptor track (whom the band are currently touring with). And you don’t have to just take my word for it, these guys have got some serious underground pedigree behind them, with Owen Penglis (Straight Arrows, Royal Headache) on production duties for this track.

Catch Palms on the road with Velociraptor. Tour dates after the jump.

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Palms – ‘Love’

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LISTEN: Milhowse – Blue Bathmat

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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.

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The Falls – ‘Hollywood’ EP

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The Falls – ‘Home’ (mp3)

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The Falls – ‘Please’

I posted The Falls ‘Home’ video the other week and I’ve now had the pleasure of previewing the full EP Hollywood, which is due out August 3. Somewhere in the back of Surry Hills, Sydney lives the Hotel Hollywood, which became the obvious heart of the pertinently titled EP. It was there that the Falls met, played extensively and wrote these six tracks. One can only guess at the sort of memories the duo made there. They have certainly shaped these songs and have been drawn from a relationship of intense closeness and emotion. The story of break-ups and make-ups is not for me to care for. My interest is in connecting a personal story in their familiar tales of love and loss, written within a beautifully folk, acoustically driven format. Whilst so many contemporary artists are reaching for more synth and pop, The Falls feel complete in a more traditional country structure, which only furthers a long history of talented Australian singer-song writers.

The single ‘Home’ is a stand out track that hopefully ends up on an expensive Australian tourism commercial. Add a few claps to the guitar lead and some sweet backing vocals to complement what is a lovely lead vocal story and you have a contender for capturing the hearts of all those girls needing more Boy and Bear in their life. Guys shouldn’t feel left out though because Hollywood goes on to explore plenty of male heartache, as souls are laid bare. There is a rare honesty to Hollywood that may be hard to sustain in future recordings. Either way it is clear that what so many experienced on those nights at the Hollywood Hotel must’ve been something special.

Hollwood is out Aug 3, keep up with The Falls here – http://www.facebook.com/musicfromthefalls

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