Dead Letter Chorus – Wiggle Bay

I went along to the Rewiggled party with a healthy dose of skepticism tucked firmly into my pocket. I mean, it’s a Wiggles cover album – those songs were cool when I was in diapers, but there’s no way they can transcend genre boundaries (as well as a couple of decades) – and the live performance wasn’t going to be any better. Boo to me, it turns out. Dead Letter Chorus pulled out one hell of a cover, and delivered their own track Run Wild with their usual style – and the album, well shit. It’s fantastic.

Rewiggled has only just gone into final production, but the gentlemen and women at the ABC were kind enough to provide a preview CD, and I can assure you, it’s damn delightful. At points it’s bittersweet – listening to your reimagined childhood is an odd experience – but one full of grins and these ridiculously warm moments. It jumps across all kinds of musical boundaries – rolling folk from Dead Letter Chorus, hard-style rawk from Frenzal Rhomb, softly spoken awesome from Oh Mercy and almost heart-breaking stillness from Paul Greene (among so many others) – and really captures the heart of The Wiggles, as well as showcasing some of Australias best music.

I really can’t wait for you all to listen to this, ‘coz it’s one hell of an experience. To say that The Wiggles have had an impact on Australian culture is a massive understatement – and Rewiggled truly does them justice. Stay tuned for more of this goodness – or head along to the ABC store and get your pre-order on. There’s also a Facebook page, where you can check out a few previews, and revel (wriggle?) in the musicy goodness. You can pick it up on November 4.

Oh, and check out Dead Letter Chorus. They’re real good. By the way, that guy at the top – that’s Murray. He’s a Wiggle.

Do you like to have fun? Do you like to dance and Roll in good times? Drink merrily with your stylish friends while bathing in some of Australia’s finest music at one of Sydney’s greatest venues?

The answer is probably yes, ‘coz you’re here. The Lonely Kids Club are doing us all a favour and putting on a show at the Oxford Art Factory, featuring Rufus, Collarbones, Fishing and Albatross (alongside many others), launching their summer lineup.

October 16 is the date, Oxford Art is the place. I’ll be there, and I’m a charmer, so you should be there too. While you’re waiting, listen to/watch this stunning clip from Rüfüs. I’m in love.

You should check out Lonely Kids Club as well – their clothes are pretty and their attitude balling.

We’re talking darling indie-pop here – darling as in your first girlfriend, holding-hands-on-a-summer-day-but-never-kissing sweetness with a dash of hipster charm and a surprisingly mature style & implementation. They’re called Polar Knights, they’re punny & witty and also delightfully virginal for all their top-shelf presentation. Looking forward to their EP whilst tapping to this free-as-balls track, Burst at the Seams.

Their set wasn’t perfect, but it was honest and heartfelt, with real moments of (seemingly) emotional purity. One particular standout was City Fail, an ode to the spectacular failings of Sydney’s rail system – something I think we can all identify with. The venue itself was awesome – many thanks go out to the Verge Festival. I love a sneaky gazebo.

More photos after the break

Click here to view the embedded video.

Let’s get one thing straight – post rock isn’t elevator music. Sure, some of it’s a little winding & pretentious and there are usually far too many words in post-rock band names (as well as grammatical confusion), but as a style it’s enthralling, interesting and often confronting – when done well.

Thankfully for the Australian post-rock scene, sleepmakeswaves do it well (and in less than 140 characters). (hello) cloud mountain is off their new album, and comes pre-packaged in a beautiful film clip, laden with tidy visual metaphors. It was directed/filmed/edited by Frederick Lloyd, a 20 year old Brit doing amazing things with a camera.  The track itself manages to pull off the epic feel of post-rock without the epic lengths – at just over three minutes, it’s a long step from some other opus’. If I was going to dive into clichés, I’d use words like “sweeping sound-scapes”, “delicate” and “multi-instrumental aural experience, filled with dreams of home and lost love” – but since it’s Tuesday, I’m not going to do that. Instead you get one of the best pieces of post-rock that I’ve ever heard come out of Australia.

If you haven’t listened to much (or any) post-rock, sleepmakeswaves are a great starting point. If you listen to a lot, their new album …and so we destroyed everything is available right now on bandcamp, and well worth the $12-something.

Check out their FB for more details on their (very fast approaching) shows. I know I’ll be there.

Oh and also, if you haven’t already – make the video huge, crank your speakers, and chill. It’s worth it.

Last night I went down to the Kings Cross Hotel for FBi social and caught Tigertown, Tin Sparrow and Founds – or more should I say, they caught me. Fanboy Alex is on the prowl, again…

Openers Tigertown were totally harmless, rolling out some of the smoothest indie-folk around. The seven piece bask in a couple of  indie cliches – mandolin, extraneous floor toms, pan-pipey keys – but executed them with class & aplomb.  At points I felt like I was floating in and out of an indie dream, nursed by these sweet, rolling tunes. Therein lies the fault of Tigertown – instead of occasionally challenging the audience, they stay firmly within a (albiet, very comfortable) formula. The set seemed to melt into itself at points and lacked discernable climax as a whole. While each song was a catchy piece of indie-folk sweetness, there was no release, and very little development of emotional tone.

Maybe I’m just afraid of things that are pretty, but I don’t want this to happen again. Watch the space, either way.

Tin Sparrow were up next. They’re one of Sydney’s best folk-acts and are really in their prime right now, playing an exceptionally tight, dynamically gorgeous set. Spinning in off the back of their latest EP (and tour), they delivered a whirlwind set. Their performance is laced with emotion and energy, pushing out a sound much bigger than the shape of the band. They also prove that, contrary to popuar belief, drummers can write AND sing songs, following Mark Piccles (the drummer) belting out an amazingly powerful track. Great band, great set.

Now to Founds. They were recently announced triple j unearthed winners of the Bigsound opening spot – and their set proved they deserve it. They’re unique in the Australian music scene, combining indie-folk with soaring Scando-ambiance and subtle post-rock, merging many styles into something unbelievably solid. In some ways, they remind me of Melbournians Alpine – but with balls, and a better drummer. That said, they resist classification so strongly that I’m loathe to compare them to anyone.

Combine all that mystery with a fantastic live show and you’ve got something special. Their opener was a brief and chaotic instrumental piece, really setting the “epic” tone that permeates their set. Their latest single, Holograms, is an absolute killer live – it’s not pop or folk or rock – it’s just a sparkling piece of music, absorbable no matter how you cut your cloth. There wasn’t a single track they played I didn’t love.

Founds are amazing for what they’ve done in such a short time. After twelve months together they’re producing and performing music that is unmatched – and perhaps unmatchable – in Australian music. I’d love to see what happens as they grow as a band and as performers. This is a space that I’m watching, so you should as well.

More photos after the break.

Tigertown on FB
Tin Sparrow on FB
Founds on FB and Tumblr

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

Storm in a Teacup rolled a blanket of glorious folk over the Factory Theatre, flowing between sweet, simple acoustic pieces and tempestuous full-band numbers.

The lineup featured Tinpan Orange, Jordie Lane, Jen Cloher, Harry Angus, Liz Martin and Husky, individually incredible and collectively amazing.

Let’s hope SiaT comes around again – it finishes tonight in Mullimbimby.

More photos after the break.

It’s winter and it’s bloody cold, a bastard with a biting chill thats left me and everyone I know curled up inside, fighting off the cold. Dead Letter Chorus are back with Yellow House, bringing warmth and youthful romanticism back to this bitter winter.

The video is super honest in it’s delivery – singers Gabby Huber and Cameron Potts are almost painfully cute as they ride across pastel golden fields with the sun on their backs. This is a song of sweet love & warm living rooms, and a clip to match.

It says good things of their new album, Yearlings, due out mid June.

Video after the break.

Dead Letter chorus on FB

‘Home-town boys made good’ is one damn accurate cliché if you’re in Boy & Bear. Supported by Emma Louise, a Queensland export with infinite potential ( and almost as infinite charm ) and Jinja Safari, Boy & Bear played The Metro last Thursday, sold to capacity. Their tour’s over for now, so here’s some photos  to keep you folk-pop’d up until next time.

Elizabeth Rose – ‘Throw me to the Stars’ (mp3)

Something really fresh here. Elizabeth Rose is a one lady show hailing from Sydney town. More balls than a sports store & charming to boot – coupled with the irresistable jazz charms of ‘Throw me to the Stars’ and you have one damn fine new artist.

I dig the vibe of this track – it feels innocent and raw, but with production belying Elizabeth Rose’s youth. It’s dark and rough but still bright and ridiculously listenable (unlike this).

She’s headlining a show at The Gaelic in Sydney on the 25th of May (that’s next week) so make your way on down.

Elizabeth Rose on FB.

Photo: Yvette Worboys

You love food fights, right? And you love your Grandparents too, yeah? Well, if you dig food and oldies, you’ll dig this video clip from piano-crooner-fantasm Brendan Maclean. You’ll probably like it for reasons other than the clip, too – Cold and Happy is driving & addictive, pulling off something rarely seen in Australian music. Love your piano pop, lest it abandon you.

Brendan is playing June 7 at The Basement. Tickets for The Basement Presents: Brendan Maclean are available here.

Video after the break

Brendan Maclean on FB.

Sometimes, you really regret having commitments outside of music. Tonight was one of those nights, where life meant missing out on two fantastic electronic acts, Kilter and Galapagoose at Eastern Aquarium’s Night of Fun. Still, the cosmic gods did allow for me to see Fishing, Albatross and Elizabeth Rose, three fantastic electronica acts.

Elizabeth Rose was thrilling, mixing rumbling piano & synth with airy, soaring vocals brilliantly. The result was mesmerising electronica full of charm and charisma. Of the acts I caught, Elizabeth Rose was probably the standout, playing with real balls and adding something different to the night. Laced with James Blake-esque vibes and a dash of Bjork-y stylings, Elizabeth Rose is definitely an act worth watching out for.

Albatross dove deep into chillwave, throwing around ambient ebbs & flows almost haphazardly. While the two-piece were incredibly strong, they closed a bit emptily, leaving an unpleasant emptiness in the room. That said, their set was smooth and dynamic, with a lot of fantastic character.

Many of you will know that most Sydney crowds are at best flaccid and uninspiring, and at worst, completely disconnected and nonchalant. Fishing transformed those slow shufflers into a wild pack of tune-hungry animals, proving that under the right circumstances even Sydneysiders love to dance. Highlight was probably Sydney looper-extraordinaire Guerre jumping up for a couple of tracks, adding a little bit of vocal momentum to Fishing’s set. Fishing are amongst the best of their kind, producing balls-out electronica and having almost too much fun. It’s a shame Sydney won’t be seeing them for a while.

Elizabeth Rose here
Albatross here
Fishing here

Photos:
1 – Fishing
2 – Elizabeth Rose
3 – Albatross
4 – Guerre during Fishing

Post Paint – ‘Cultural Capital’ (mp3)

Baked in summer and fresh out of the oven, Post Paint are sweet indie-pop darlings ready to explode into your hearts and minds. Cultural Capital is a charming track, sweeping us all into winter with a dash of sunshine mixed amongst jumping guitars and rolling drums. Can’t wait to hear more from these guys.

Post Paint on Facebook

The Holidays – ‘Golden Sky’ (mp3)

The Holidays have been kicking about for a couple of years and I really liked an old self titled ep of theirs. Lately we have had a couple of singles released in anticipation of their debut LP, due in September. I was curious how the sound would translate live and I am glad to say they did a good job. It was a fairly packed John Curtain and there was a good energy in the crowd, despite the set consisting mostly of new and unheard material. Take a look through more pictures after the continue reading jump.

Keep an eye on these guys here – http://whothehell.net/8J

Sydney band Parades played the East Brunswick Club in Melbourne on Friday night and it was a pretty effin great show.
Parades are currently touring their debut LP ‘Foreign Tapes’ details here – http://whothehell.net/Pm

Live pictures after the continue reading jump.

Art Rush – ‘The Reasons I’ve Decided To Die’ (mp3)

I don’t think anybody is really expecting Sydney’s Art Rush to ever complete his ambitious (and blatantly Sufjan-cribbing) ‘50 albums inspired by 50 suburban shopping centres’ project. Yet it’s this same ambition that creates some intensely interesting music.

Take ‘The Reasons I’ve Decided To Die’, from his latest epic in this fifty-ilogy, Castle Towers. ‘The Reasons…’ is a surprisingly funky slice of stream-of-consciousness lo-fi R n’ B… except that usually in R n’ B, panting “I need some company” means “I want to fuck”, rather than “I’m feeling increasingly uneasy about the characters hanging out outside Castle Towers shopping centre as I make my way home from work, and some company would help me feel less of a target.”

http://whothehell.net/v8