The Panics – ‘Not quite a home’

New video from ‘The Panics’ featuring footage from Indonesia, probably shot on a 5DII and very well edited. Catchy tune with some twisted foreign scenes of gambling and cock fights. Warning – indie guy Jae Laffer smoking too many cigarettes.

Check out The Panics at the Laneway Festival and here – http://whothehell.net/vHsz

MAP January 2012

Click the play button icon to listen to individual songs, right-click on the song title to download an mp3, or grab a .zip file of the whole 36-track compilation here.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Nubes En Mi Casa – Aceleremos
Nubes En Mi Casa is an indie-pop band led by singer Josefina Mac Loughlin. Aceleremos is a preview from their upcoming second studio album, Me Suelto y Vuelvo. The song sounds like an instant hit and we’re sure it will become one of our favorite tracks of 2012, so we can’t wait to hear the rest of it.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Sures – The Sun
The Sun is a short burst of sunshine from Sydney duo Sures. It sounds like a Beach Boys outtake, which might sound boring given the number of bands out there paying homage to Wilson and Co. Fortunately, The Sun is just two minutes of harmonising over a dull melody – it’s a catchy tune that will have those of us in the southern hemisphere pressing repeat throughout summer.

AUSTRIA: Walzerkönig
Diver – Illusions
Quiet is the new loud. Diver, a folky trio from various places in Austria and Germany and now based in Vienna, play beautifully melancholic songs with three acoustic guitars and lyrics that go “everyday reality is an illusion of possibilities”. Illusions is the opener of their first full-length album Kites, which will be out later this month. In the meantime you can listen to their self-titled debut EP on Bandcamp.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Bixiga 70 – Balboa Da Silva
Bixiga 70 is what happens when you combine African beats, jazz and Brazilian swing in a city as hectic as São Paulo, where they’re from. Their first CD was released last year and is available to download at the band’s website.

CANADA: I(Heart)Music
Honheehonhee – We Only Go
There’s more than a hint of early Arcade Fire to We Only Go but, as someone who misses early Arcade Fire, I don’t see why that’s a strike against Honheehonhee. Besides, this song (not to mention the rest of their debut, Shouts) is exuberant, unhinged fun, and the world can always use more music like that.

CHILE: Super 45
Los Embajadores – Peso
From all the tips made in the Chilean music scene for this year, Los Embajadores is one of the most interesting. Romantic goth-pop songs reminiscent of Cocteau Twins as well as the darkest hours of Miguel Bosé. Faisanes is the name of their soon-to-come new album, and Peso (“Weight”) is its first single.

CHINA: Wooozy
Elenore – Psycho Man
Beijing-based Elenore formed in late 2009 and have developed a sound influenced by bands such as Oasis, Kasabian and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. The single Psycho Man fuses 60s swing drum loops, fuzzy guitar riffs and a Middle Eastern instrumental chorus which became a hit on China’s popular site Douban. In February, Elenore will release their first EP both on CD and the band’s own digital distribution site.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
Nelson Can – Apple Pie
Danish girl-trio Nelson Can release their eponymous debut EP this month as part of a triple EP release with The Freudian Slip and Echo Me. Punk aesthetics spoon with pop flair and hipster cool on their first single Apple Pie, which reaffirms that apples are indeed a good thing. Like the girls on Facebook and check out the video for Apple Pie on YouTube.

ENGLAND: The Guardian Music Blog
Money – Who’s Going To Love You Now
A four-piece based in Manchester, Money are part of that city’s tradition of earnest young men, “the weight on their shoulder”, as Ian Curtis once sang. They quote Austrian poet Rilke, while their Facebook features a “eulogy for the death of everything”. A recent Guardian New Band of the Day article contended that they “have a similar air of mystery and cerebral intensity to Wu Lyf, with a vocalist who can do enigmatically gruff as well as fervid and angelic”, positing them as the Mancunian Manic Street Preachers, with a shared sense of the sacred and intense.

ESTONIA: Popop
Zebra Island – Falling Through
Mysterious Zebra Island rocketed into blogs and social networks at the very end of 2011 and everyone in Estonia seems to love them, although no-one knows much about the band. Zebra Island is led by Rasmus Lill from Kosmofon (featured in the March 2011 edition of MAP) and beautiful vocals are provided by Helina Risti. Falling Through, their first and only song so far, is a lovely, pulsating electro-pop masterpiece that keeps you wanting for much more Zebra Island.

FINLAND: Glue
Greymouth – The Boy
Singer and songwriter Elisa Husu founded Greymouth in the summer of 2011 to recreate her folky songs with a full band. The Boy is the first taster of this project and highlights Elisa’s beautiful voice on top of epic acoustic sounds with a marked Fleet Foxes influence.

FRANCE: Yet You’re Fired
Concrete Knives – Brand New Start
A perfect title for the first song of the year, Brand New Start is a highly enjoyable pop song, so good it’s featured in a commercial, and so fresh with its choir and upbeat sound, I would name it song of the year. Very good proof that the French indie scene is better than ever.

GERMANY: Blogpartei
Apparat – Ash/Black Veil
This month we’ve got one of the most discussed German artists of last year. Apparat’s 2011 album The Devil’s Walk took the concept of Sascha Ring, the man behind the moniker, further. The soundscapes created feels like a cairn, carefully layered and poised, yet built to last; but Ring has decided to use his falsetto, which has caused controversy with reviewers. Decide for yourself if this concept works well on Ash/Black Veil. I think it does!

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda
Hristos Lainas – H Thlipsi To Brady
Hristos Lainas’ first solo album, I Agapi Tha Lampsi (“Love Will Shine”) is stuffed to the brim with alluring pop melodies, drenched in skittering 12-bit samplers, filtered vocals, warm and luscious analog synths and infused with a pleasant aura of drowsiness. Lainas assembles an array of sounds and textures, adds sporadic splashes of static atmosphere and in the process creates a magnificent listening environment of rose-tinted optimism and disenchantment. H Thlipsi To Brady (“Sadness In The Night”) submerges a sense of intense feeling within its 80s fantasy electronic ether and instantly takes hold of your ears.

ICELAND: Rjóminn
Toggi – Let Them Bleed
This catchy little song, taken from the Iceland king of pop’s second album Wonderful Secrets, should be the anthem for any self-respecting Occupy movement. Feeling a need to protest? Then let Toggi’s tune occupy your mind and fire you up.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
Belkastrelka – Pujian Ekspatriat
Belkastrelka are an eccentric electronic duo who sample sounds from various sources – windows, the library, television, nature and everything else. Combined with the tiny but wild vocals of Asa Rahmana, they create feral dance music.

IRELAND: Nialler9
Collie Collins & Monto – How Does?!?
A collaboration indicative of Ireland’s growing insurgency against genre borders, Keep Her Lit is an EP which was released last year from Dublin rapper Collie Collins. Teaming up with producer Monto for four tracks of electronic-infused rap, the result is something wholly Irish yet globally progressive. It’s a free download too.

ITALY: Polaroid
Esperanza – Aliante Giallo
Three skilled musicians and DJs put together a project devoted to an idea of music with no barriers. The sound ranges from chillwave to house, from trip-hop to psychedelia, and becomes a wide landscape. Featuring a collaboration with Banjo Or Freakout and released on the prestigious German label Gomma, this album works magic when the bpms slow down and the electronics becomes warmer and warmer.

JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies
Praha Depart – Portrait Man
Praha Depart demand attention, the Tokyo band mixing constantly morphing guitar with drum smashes to create mesmerizing tracks that reveal new sonic details with each new listen. All of those elements appear on Portrait Man, but the highlight of the song is lead singer Mai and her jittery voice. Over the course of Portrait Man, her vocals bring to mind Lydia Lunch before zigging towards a style reminiscent of Sue Tompkins of Life Without Buildings.

MALTA: Stagedive Malta
Dolls For Idols – Run
Dolls For Idols are an electronic band underpinned by indie and pop sensibilities. Their music embraces 80s-inspired synthesised sounds and the 90s rave generation, all served up with an attitude that is very much rooted in the here and now.

MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika
Los Mundos – Ni Un Segundo Más Sin Música
Los Mundos is a long-distance collaboration that perfectly speaks about musical memory and desertic solitude. The title of this lush pop-shoegaze song means “Not a second more without music”. Indeed, it’s the urgent need of a music lover: to spend all their time in a record store (how nostalgic), living their days wearing headphones with an obsession for everything that spins – very accurate for a band whose name in Spanish translates as “The Worlds”.

NETHERLANDS: Unfold Amsterdam
Hospital Bombers – Traditional Maori Fight Song #9
This self-proclaimed stadium-folk outfit have been in hiding for too long, sitting on a wealth of new material that they’ve struggled to shape into that ‘difficult second album’. Thankfully, this month they’ll finally release the sequel to 2008’s Footnotes – the grandly titled At Budokan. Their lovingly lo-fi folk-pop is always rougher and rawer in the live setting, but this new collection again shows them up to be masters of careful songcraft, albeit unashamedly quirky songcraft that’s emblazoned with handclaps and violins.

NORWAY: Birds Sometimes Dance
Billie Van – On My Knees
Billie Van’s music makes me reminisce back to the 50s and the 60s, when country music was good and Nancy Sinatra was the one; when rock ‘n’ roll meant four chords and terrific songs; when guitar solos were mandatory and slapback echo came from the amps. Her music is all of this – great pop songs, tearful country ballads and hip-shaking rock ‘n’ roll, but it’s also new and done in a refreshing way.

PERU: SoTB
Chico Unicornio – Triángulo
Once again, it is the independent scene that gives us another interesting musical proposal. Chico Unicornio is a one-man project that combines acoustic folk sounds with a nice Andean instrument called a charango. The music that this young man makes is new to our local sound, giving it a freshness and novelty.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
We Trust – Time (Better Not Stop)
We Trust is André Tentugal’s one-man band. In 2011, Time (Better Not Stop) was one of the most-played tracks by a new independent artist on Portuguese radio. We are proud to have it here, exclusively, for download for MAP readers. You can also find it on We Trust’s debut album, These New Countries, which was released in November.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
Coughy – Precambrian
Coughy are an experimental duo residing in Bucharest, featuring former and current band members of The Amsterdams. Therefore it is regarded as a creative playground where everything is accepted as a form of expression without the self-censorship required when playing in a regular and quite popular indie-rock band.

RUSSIA: Big Echo
M A Y Г L E Y – Farfour
M A Y Г L E Y are getting ready to strike Russia’s cruel winter with an ancient God’s spell, drowned in a wall of sound. Religion, symbolism, adrenaline, isolated genres and the naked language of post-Stalin 60s influence this psychedelic shoegaze project, who have made a great record.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
Make Sparks – Your Heart’s On Fire
Scotland’s rock scene is firmly in the spotlight thanks to the wildly successful exploits of Biffy Clyro and young pretenders Twin Atlantic. For those looking for the next band to follow in their footsteps, two contenders stand out: Make Sparks and LightGuides (featured in the July 2010 edition of MAP). Catchy choruses are fitted as standard on Make Sparks, who are making all the right noises with their relentless touring and recording ethic, slick promo videos and a vivacious pop sensibility.

SINGAPORE: I’m Waking Up To…
Riot !n Magenta – CTRL
Do androids dream of electric sheep? One thinks of such things when the contrast between the organic and inorganic meld together into a primordial blur of passion. Riot !n Magenta gently slip into the stream of your thoughts with Hayashida Ken’s dark, pulsing rhythms and Eugenia Yip’s wispful and forlorn vocal delivery. There’s tension in every stem as the words haze through: “I try to take it slow, you go faster…You need control…”. Definitely hoping to hear more from this special duo.

SOUTH AFRICA: Musical Mover & Shaker!
Jeremy Loops – The Gypsy Opera
Jeremy Loops is not a traditional band. He creates music on the spot with his gamut of loop pedals and impromptu collaborations. With The Gypsy Opera, he brings together his delicate mix of folk, hip-hop, bluegrass funk and blues all by using his guitar, ukelele, harmonica and beatboxing skills. It is something rather magical to behold.

SOUTH KOREA: Korean Indie
Galaxy Express – As Time Passes, Always Been Good
Galaxy Express is one of the best rock bands in Korea and have been for quite some time. During their Wild 30 project in 2010, a 30-day quest during which they recorded a piece of music for their Wild Days album every day, they showed that they put on the best of performances, even just going to karaoke. In late 2011, Galaxy Express released split EP Naughty Boy with Korean punk pioneers Crying Nut, which contained a re-recording of the somewhat atypical but gorgeous and engaging As Time Passes, Always Been Good from those wild days. Look out for more from Galaxy Express in 2012 as they’re heading for a US tour in March and playing SXSW for the second time.

SPAIN: Musikorner
Dolores – Volcán
Dolores are four, they’re from Madrid and they are certainly one of the best hopes for noise-rock made in Spain. Post-punk and shoegaze are two of the genres Dolores mix for achieving their sound (which is also spiced up with a touch of good ol’ pop and loads of energy). A good bit of that power can be heard on Volcán (“Volcano”), whose stunning rhythm will invite you to dance the hell out of yourself. And you won’t be able to refuse.

SWITZERLAND: 78s
Blanket – Hailey Fought The Law
Want to watch a video starring the runner-up of the figure roller-skating world championships dressed as a rabbit? Here you go. Given that Blanket’s accompanying song is a fragile and psychedelic piece of awesomeness, we obviously have a win-win situation.

TURKEY: WEARTBEAT
Haossaa – Holgar Godoni
Last year, Ozan Aktuna, Enis Özbek and Tolga Güldallı, three-pieced avant garde noise band Haossaa, became legends in the indie scene of Istanbul, mostly for their extraordinary live performances. And when their debut LP came out last September, their reputation finally got crowned.

UNITED STATES: I Guess I’m Floating
Fantasy Island – Avenue
One of 2012’s more promising American groups is Fantasy Island, a Los Angeles duo responsible for a pair of intriguing, soulful jams since their formation in late 2011. They’ve got a new single out on UK label Stroll On Records and a debut album on the horizon. With a song like Avenue (and the equally fantastic Breaking A Heart) it’s hard to keep wild expectations in check… guess we’ll just have to wait and see what the rest of the year cooks up.

VENEZUELA: Música y Más
Okills – Nube
Okills is a band that started in mid-2010 and fuses alternative indie-rock with other genres, resulting in some fun music. In September 2011, they released their Iniciando Transmisión EP for free via the web in a pack that includes six songs, illustrations and photos of the band.

Interview w/ Jonti

With the release of his new mixtape album, Sine & Moon, dropping earlier this week, I caught up with Jonti to talk about his signing to Stones Throw, the Australian electronic music scene, and his highlights of the past year and plans for 2012.

Well first up, how was your Christmas and New Year? You played the No Years Festival in Brisbane – how was that?

Yeah, that was awesome. It was really cool – I was in the States and I just came back. I didn’t know what to expect, but yeah, it was pretty wild. We had heaps of fun.

I’m sure this gets brought up all the time, but you’ve had a few name changes over the years. Do you think you’re now settling into Jonti? Do you see yourself as Jonti?

Yeah, I think Jonti will be the base name now. I’ll settle with that.

Things started picking up for you internationally when you got the chance to record with Mark Ronson. How was working with Santigold, Sean Lennon, etc.?

Yeah, that was awesome. You know, it was pretty surreal – just like a small town dude flown to New York. It was really awesome collaborating with those guys, and just seeing the whole process. I was like really thrown in the deep end, collaborating and recording at Electric Lady Lamp – it was a great experience.

Now that you’ve been touring a lot lately, do you now see yourself as more of a producer or a performer?

I never intended to be a performer so it was definitely an uphill struggle to figure out how to do it. But recently, it’s been really fun. I’ve been enjoying it a lot, but it certainly took a few years to get to this stage. I never knew how to do it, because the music wasn’t intended to be live. I tried it with a band, and with all different types of scenarios, but it never really came alive. But yeah, eventually I just started to have more fun with it and I’m now enjoying it a lot.

So you’ve obviously spent a lot of time overseas – with the competition, touring, and then of course with Stones Throw. First, how has living overseas compared to home for you? And secondly, how exactly did the signing to Stones Throw come about?

Being in LA – that’s like a dream come true. You know, just being at the Stones Throw offices and at a little studio there. It’s a Nash neighbourhood – like kind of small Mexican town – and Madlib’s studio is across the street and just seeing him is like incredible. I guess it all came about because I started doing these little songs, and they started getting around. I then thought it’d be cool to get them mastered, and make a little album three years ago. So I sent them to Elysian Mastering and they liked it and passed it onto Peanut Butter Wolf, and he was like “yeah, I’ll release it”. But compared to back home, there’s pros and cons. I mean, when I got back, I stayed with my Mum and Dad and just chilled out in like a forest area and got to work. But, you know, then there’s LA. It’s all pros and cons.

… Continue Reading

Wintercoats – Sketches EP

Some extremely overdue props for Wintercoats’ debut EP. This was uploaded late September and it’s woeful that it took so long to make it onto the site. Definitely worth listening to, if only to alleviate my guilt.

Wintercoats – Sketches by CASCINE

Grinderman – ‘Bellringer Blues’ (Nick Zinner remix)

Grinderman may be gone, but they’ve left us a parting gift in the form of a remix album. Although there are probably only three or four remix albums that are actually worthy of a place in the main artist’s back catalogue, I can’t help but think that there’ll be at least a few gems on here given the source material and the first taste we’ve been given below.

Woollen Kits – ‘Out Of Whack’ (video)

Woollen Kits battle the breeze in a housing estate in the outer-western suburbs. Make a video. Drop their debut LP on Monday 16th of Jan via RIP Society. Launch said LP on Fri 20th at the John Curtain (Carlton) + on Sat 21st at The Roxbury (Glebe) to many happy patrons and thunderous applause. Tour the USA throughout Jan/Feb. The release winds up on a few ‘best of’ prediction polls, gets championed by a certain chicago based music mincer and then flogged by a handful of international blogs or something. WK collectively conclude that forgetting to include ‘Maths’ on the LP was a shit idea. They continue to fight over who’s scribbles get to grace the next cover and go on to make catchy garage pop for eternity. The end.

woollenkits.bandcamp.com

Heinz Reigler – ‘Motion Portrait #1′ (Video)

Motion Portrait #1 (HD/mastered audio version) from Heinz Riegler on Vimeo.

From Heinz Reigler’s forthcoming installation exhibit.

The Maple Trail – ‘The Dinosaur Hunters’ (Video)

The Maple Trail – The Dinosaur Hunters from The Maple Trail on Vimeo.

For those unfamiliar, The Maple Trail is Aiden from Belles Will Ring and this is his latest clip. I’m very excited for new stuff from him.

Espy New Years Eve

Stonefield

New Years Eve is my least favourite night of the year. Past attempts to avoid it have seen me spewing my guts up alone in a cotton field, rostered on to work, playing Xbox with my brother and sleeping.

This year’s plans fell over pretty early in the piece, so I ended up taking photos at the Espy new years gig.

The place was packed and the alcohol was expensive, which is par for the course really. I’m always surprised by Melbourne crowds though – they mightn’t be as obnoxiously drunk as Brisbanites, but they’re much ruder. They also love their iPhones and Holga cameras and believe they have just as much right to the prime shooting spots as those with DSLRs. Ahem.

Stonefield

Anyway, the difference in the crowd composition of each room was astounding. Stonefield played in the front bar to a packed audience of leery older men, girls who looked like they’d stepped out of the pages of Frankie and dudes who were awkwardly dancing/grinding on said Frankie girls.

The band put on a solid performance, with lead vocalist Amy handing drumming duties over to a friend, freeing her up to deliver closers “Drowning” and “Through the Clover” out the front.

Violent Soho

I fought my way through to the Gershwin Room to catch the end of Violent Soho’s set. They were running over time as their drummer took a lengthy spew break, giving their guitarist James a chance to tell the Vegie Bar to fuck itself (the band is on a life ban from the Fitzroy restaurant) and ask the crowd for drugs.

Once their drummer had returned from what must’ve been an impressive power spew, the Brissy boys managed something rarely achieved by even the best touring bands – rousing a Melbourne crowd from their default setting of sullen hipster.
I’ve never been so happy to be covered in beer and fallen on by sweaty boys joyously bellowing “FUUUUUCCCKKK YEEAAAHHH!!” and “ONYA SOHO!”

I also saw River of Snakes, Paul Dempsey, Jebediah and Loon Lake play, but their crowds were generally well-behaved.

Loon Lake

Loon Lake

River of Snakes

Paul Dempsey

WHOTHEHELL BEST OF 2K11

MATT’S FAV ALBUMS

1. Seekae - +Dome

Track: ‘Gnor’

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I probably don’t need to spend too many unlimited digital column inches professing my love for Seekae. These guys are the best band in Australia. Possibly the whole world. +Dome took all of its predecessors strong points and input them into a more mature, cohesive and ambitious album. A truly stunning achievement.

2. Guerre - Darker My Love

Track: ‘Millenium Blues’

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The hardest working bro in Australian music averaging 4.6 gigs per week, Guerre has burst onto the scene in a big way. Last year I was posting the tunes that this faceless dude was dripfeeding to the blogging world, and now he’s put out a truly amazing album (EP?) and has a swelling local profile. Knowing how prolific he is, I’m sure there’ll be more Guerre to look forward to in 2012 – which is great news for everyone who likes any music ever.

3. Ernest Ellis - Kings Canyon

Track: ‘New Blood’

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Ernest Ellis always seemed like an odd fit for Dew Process. I liked his last album, but it didn’t sound like Ernie was being himself. The question, “who is Ernest Ellis” has been resoundingly answered with Kings Canyon and the formation of his tight new band. 10 killer ambitious tunes that have also greatly improved his live show – EE was definitely one of my fav local shows of the year as well.

4. Lawrence English - The Peregrine

[The tracks are too massive to add here in any decent quality, so please accept this Soundcloud promo instead and just got and buy the thing]

Lawrence English – The Peregrine (album preview) by experimedia

I love almost everything Lawrence English puts out. A Colour For Autumn is one of my favourite albums of all time, and the The Peregrine finds him mining territory that mixes the loose “song-ness” of that album with the dense textures of his other work. Stunning, haunting, totally engrossing. It’s not for everyone, but that doesn’t take anything away from this work of art.

5t. Jack Ladder & The Dreamlanders - Hurtsville

Track: ‘Position Vacant’

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I have a photo of Nick Cave in my wallet. In front my licence. I don’t understand Nick Cave fans who don’t like Jack Ladder – but there’s plenty of them. Yes, he sounds pretty damn similar, but seriously… These songs are really special – atmospheric, moving, at times haunting. Despite opening with a comparison to Mr Cave, I’m also for considering this album on its own merits – but even in the shadow of NC it still holds its own. I don’t know anyone else who could make the line “I wanna make like a tree” sound cool. Maybe Britt Daniel, but that’s it.

5t. Royal Headache - Royal Headache

Track: ‘Down The Lane’

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I’d heard great things about this album before I’d even heard the album itself, but the weight of expectations didn’t do it any harm. I was late on the Royal Headache bandwagon, but I’m on it in a big way now. A lot of lo-fi rock has come out of this country lately, but none have done it as well as Royal Headache IMO. It never relies on the aesthetic to give it cred, and the way Shogun makes some fairly plain lyrics sound so emotive is the mark of a standout frontman. Possibly the best frontman in Aus?

Honorable Mentions: Oliver Tank, Thrupence (for these amazing mixtapes), Twerps, Nakagin, Cut Copy, Total Control, Oscar + Martin, Lost Animal, Collarbones

Bonus International List

1. Real Estate - Days
2. Tim Hecker – Ravedeath, 1972
3. Bon Iver - Bon Iver
4. Action Bronson - Dr Lecter
5. Smith Westerns – Dye It Blonde

Honorable Mentions: Jurgen Muller, James Blake, Tycho, Blanck Mass, Clams Casino, Lil B, Coppice Halifax, The Antlers, Panda Bear, Lykke Li, Nicholas Jaar, Gauntlet Hair, Rangers

______________

MEL’S FAV ALBUMS

1. Jack Ladder & The Dreamlanders – ‘Hurtsville’

Track: ‘Beautiful Sound’

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Tall, brooding, baritone kinda guy comes out and themes his third record about the shitfalls of love. People were just going to take jibes at this, but you have to get past the superficial Nick Cave comparisons (music never came out of a vacuum ya know). Sure, it’s lesser a chirpy follow up to ‘Love Is Gone’, but this was never intended to be a charismatic record. From the first swell of ‘Beautiful Sound’, to the Triffids tinged ‘Cold Feet’, there’s so many reasons why this is a brilliant record.

2. Twerps – ‘Twerps’

Track: ‘Dreamin’

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Couldn’t put Real Estate’s ‘Days’ in here for the purposes of sticking to Aus bands, but the Twerps album is probably the next best thing. Lyrics like “we’ll get drunk, we’ll get stoned, we’ll get high, we’ll get drunk” reek of surburban precociousness on paper, but the Twerps subtle delivery makes this an earnest album at best. Matt Frawley’s vocals tend to lazily saunter off track but that’s all part of the appeal. Droney surf track ‘Dreaming’ and the gorgeous treble hooks in ‘Who Are You’ are my faves. Would make friends with this record if I could.

3. Kins – ‘Dancing Back and Forth In Whipped Cream’

Track: ‘Mockasins’

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A great release from one of my favourite Melbourne bands, who’ve recently relocated to the UK. The album is apparently about a guy who ‘spent $2000 at a brothel and was baffled by his wife’s lack of understanding’. Thom Savage’s fragile refrain is hard to shirk away from and Simon Lam drums like a machine. Enjoyed all the tracks on this, but ‘Lake Troposphere’ is a fave.

4. King Gizzard – ‘Willoughby’s Beach’

Track: ‘Lunch Meat’

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Name a song ‘Dustbin Fletcher’ and you’ll probably wind up in this list too. An enthusiastic first LP for the 7 piece who’ve only been jamming since the start of the year. Good things happened when these kids discovered reverb. ‘Willoughby’s Beach’ packs in at a punchy 20 minutes, and with lyrics that don’t span more than a few words for most songs, this revels more in hummability than anything else. Watching these dudes fight over stage space, eat several mics, hump theremins and swing off the roof of the Tote with plenty of reptilian finesse also put them in my gig highlights this year. ‘Lunch Meat’ is my pick. Awesome cover art is also another reason to get this record.

5. Middle East - ‘I Want That You Are Always Happy”

Track: ‘Months’

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On surface listen, this album simmers on the slow burner – but what it lacks for in cohesiveness of ideas, it makes up for as a wonderful collection of separate tracks. There were high expectations for this record, and I’m not sure if those people who were disappointed by this album were looking for more hooks or to be lulled into another emotional malaise like ‘Recordings of The Middle East’ did. Moments of cacophonic jams (‘Mount Morgan End’) against more orchestral flourishes (‘Sydney To Newcastle’) might fight against consistency, but ‘Land of the Bloody Unknown’ and ‘Dan’s Silverleaf’ offer more ground. Narrated by delicate songwriting, the album captures a great sense of warmth and open space present in that distinct ‘Australian’ sound I love. If anything, ‘Months’ is the best song that sums up this record. A fitting send off for The Middle East, this is definitely an album I’ll continue to return to in years to come.

Bonus 6-10 list!

6. Tim Fitz - Beforetime EP
7. Abbe May - Design Desire
8. Big Scary – Vacation
9. Witch Hats - Pleasure Syndrome
10. Snowman - Absence
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DAVE’S FAV SONGS

Catcall - ‘Satellites’

This is taken from Catcall’s debut album which I understand is arriving very soon. The joy I felt pumping Miami Horror’s ‘Sometimes’ the year before has been replaced by the sparkle of this fantastic dance bump. I’ve seen Catcall play a couple of times and her shows are amongst the most fun, emotionally charged and uplifting experiences I’ve ever had at live gigs.

Harmony – ‘Cacophonous Vibes’

If you don’t feel something deep inside your guts when listening to this track you must be fucking dead. Great idea to join such gorgeous backing vocals with the gravel of Tom Lyngcoln’s dark vocals. Try singing this chorus out loud and not feel peace afterwards.

The Jezabels – ‘Endless Summer’

If you listen to JJJ I’d forgive you for being sick of hearing about The Jezabels but thankfully I have community radio so I’m actually sick of the sweet DIY loop pedal hoopla. This band plays a thundering set live and the ‘Endless Summer’ video actually had a narrative which considering all the pointless fluff flooding our blogs is quite refreshing.

Ernest Ellis & The Panamas – ‘Great Sky’

Ernest Ellis & The Panamas played the Toff earlier this year and it was probably my fav local show of the year. I was lost in their sound, transfixed by the presence Ellis has on stage and took some of my better photos of the year.

International: James Blake - ‘Lindisfarne’

The international bump for the year comes from the remarkable self-titled record by James Blake. The only thing better then this record was seeing him perform it live. An achingly beautiful sound and genius movement of experimental beats and vocal distortion.