New. Australian. Music.    

1-2-3 Amazing - ‘Tender Is’

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It’s always great to see a new local band, and even better if they show the potential of Sydney’s 1-2-3 Amazing. Their natural presence onstage gives them the appearance of a much more established band, and with only a handful of songs to their name to date we expect big things to come. Sadly they’ve had to cancel their next gig due to injury, so how about a spin of ‘Tender Is’ to tide you over until they’re back on their feet again?

www.myspace.com/onetwothreeamazing

Gin Wigmore - ‘Hallelujah’

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Upon further googling, Gin Wigmore turns out to be a more experienced songwriter than I originally thought. In 2004 at just the age of 18 she won the Grand Prize in the International Songwriting Competition with this song. It was written for her father who died of cancer, and it is pretty amazing for a then-18 year old to be able to capture her grief in such remarkably simple but mature goodbye.

www.myspace.com/ginwigmore

Wellyn - ‘The White House’

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This band isn’t exactly new though I just found out about them, Wellyn has been around for six years. In that time they’ve recorded a debut album full of collaborations of Melbourne indie identities such as Dan Kelly, Ollie Brown (Art of Fighting), Andrew Coates (Black Cab), Danny Griffith (SubAudible Hum), Ned Collette, and Chris Altmann (The Vandas). This choir-like singalong starts of slowly and builds into a big jam of multiple guitar harmonies and rhythms that eventually overlap the singing to a climatic end, a good way to be introduced to their music.

www.myspace.com/wellynwellyn

Philadelphia Grand Jury - ‘Going To The Casino’

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With an impending EP release on the cards, this might be a good time to get acquainted, if you haven’t already had the pleasure, with Philadelphia Grand Jury. The band, that is. Not the investigation about abusive priests that shares the same name.

Although the group itself has just recently appeared on the radar, the band members are no strangers to the music industry. You might have known them in previous lives as one part Berkfinger, two parts The Sweats. Combined, they channel an updated retro rock style that somehow manages to both pay homage to Elvis and sound incredibly cool. Not an easy feat, so respect where it is due.

www.myspace.com/philadelphiagrandjury

Lauren Horton - ‘Silence In a Can’

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One of those rare direct submissions which I thoroughly enjoy. Lauren Horton posses a beautiful classic voice that would please fans of Holly Throsby and Jack Ladder. Her songs are perfect for those rainy solitary nights when you’re just happy with the company of yourself. She’s recorded an album over the last 18 months and is trying to get it released by end of year. Go check out her gig at the Hopetoun on the 20th of June.

www.myspace.com/laurenmhorton

Gin Wigmore - ‘These Roses’

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One of my random discoveries while trawling through the internet, 22 year old Gin Wigmore has the very enviable combination of a unique voice and songwriting experience that so many singer-songwriters crucially lack. This New Zealand born young artist is signed to a rather big major label, so I hope that she is marketed the way that she is personally comfortable with, and not another nu-soul angle. Not that anything is wrong with that, I am a fan of Amy Winehouse and Adele, but if Gin were to take the same positioning she could be in danger of missing the whole soul revival and be dismissed unfairly by the listening public. But I’m sure the powers that be know this already.

www.myspace.com/ginwigmore

photo by Boudist

Pnau - ‘With You Forever’

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Yes yet another post of Pnau. Why? Cos they’re GOOD. This time Nick Littlemore collaborated with Sleepy Jackson’s Luke Steele. As weird as Luke’s singing style is, I’m quite the fan. And the good news here is that turns out this collaboration went further than just one song: Steele and Littlemore, along with Pete Mayes have started their own project entited Empire of the Sun, and I am privileged enough to have listen to snippets of the new album even though it was over the long distance phone line. Can’t wait to hear more.

www.myspace.com/pnaupnau

Tame Impala - ‘Remember Me’

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Since we’re on the topic of psych bands I thought I should mention that I heard some certain people in the industry are trying to pick on the next trend and they’ve decided that psychedelic bands could-just-be the next big retro revival. And that this Tame Impala band is the one they’ve picked on to capitalise on that could-just-be true trend return. When I got to their MySpace, the first song that came on was a cover of Blue Boy’s 1999 ‘Remember Me’, which uses a sample of an obscure 1970s song called Woman of the Ghetto sung by Marlena Shaw. In all it’s fuzzy demo glory, this cover is pretty enjoyable.

www.myspace.com/tameimpala

Wolf & Cub - ‘One To The Other’

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Adelaide psych rockers have come back with a new song that is actually better than what I thought it was gonna be. I had reservations when I was told that Christopher Colonna of the Bumblebeez was recording their next album. I mean no disrespect to the man but since he took so long to finished his own debut album I didn’t really think much of his production skills then, but seems like he’s pulled it off here. This song is unexpectedly more approachable and probably somewhat more Triple J / community radio / blog friendly. I’m quite interested to hear the new album now.

www.myspace.com/wolfandcub

Beaufort - ‘I Don’t Wanna Die’

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A couple of shy and elusive kids who I am yet to catch live, Beaufort nonetheless have produced some killer tracks best suited to early evening dancefloors, coming of age movies and the start of an epic road trip. Music, if you like, for anticipating things. Good things.

Distinguishable by sharp, musing lyrics and a penchant for dirty French accents, they’ve also thrown out a couple of excellent remixes and directed the latest Bag Raiders film clip in their short life together. Let’s hope they can’t dance too, or we’ll have to call them a triple threat and regard them with ill-disguised bitter jealousy. Kidding.

www.myspace.com/bombsbeaufort

CHAINGANG - ‘Holiday’

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The perpetually-evolving and prolific recording CHAINGANG have kindly offered us something new from a weekend holed up in Sydney’s Big Jesus Burger Studios (hanging out with Daniel Johns… so the story goes).

Wearing their ’80s influences proudly on their sleeves on ‘Holiday’, this may be as pop as CHAINGANG ever get, but still with a self-assured punk aesthetic and frantic energy that bubbles out from Hayley’s dry, wordy vocal acrobatics. Just when you think you’ve got this band figured out - BAM, they’ve got another trick up their sleeve.

http://www.myspace.com/chaingangpower

Dean Michael Smith - ’Lady’

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Australia has seen a boom in acoustic acts in recent years taking lead from 1960s folk troubadors. There’s a similar situation occuring in the States as well, though it’s a trend spearheaded by bands like Alexisonfire: heavier acts moving away to more subdued tunes.

Sydney’s Dean Michael Smith fits more comfortably into the latter category. Like Dallas Green’s side project City & Colour, Dean borrows heavily from alternative and heavier styles of music to create his vocal-driven, emotional acoustic songs, rather than becoming an aping Dylan or Donovan artist. Flirting with distortion earlier on, Dean seems to have found his comfort zone with simply an acoustic guitar. It takes a brave soul to get up and strip everything back, leaving nothing to hide behind, but Dean pulls it off confidently. And not just that, his live shows are humble, disarmingly funny and engaging.

PLUS - he does a killer cover of Seal’s ‘Crazy’ live. If for no other reason, check him out just to watch him belt out that tune.

http://www.myspace.com/deanmichaelsmith