FEKI.
Ok fair cop – we’ve not been writing heaps.
At least for my part it’s NOT busyness, that old gen-y copout. I’m just hating all Aussie music. All of it. Loathing every single morsel of sound from this oversized island continent.
Well, maybe not EVERY morsel. Maybe there are are a FEW tracks queued up for a writeup. Maybe even a few more than a few. Alright, I can disclose that there are a lot. But stop harping on about the damn queue and besides, my busyness is foundational to my identity. You can handle it, you’re nothing if not resilient.
NOW MUSIC.
Circumnavigating completely around that queue metaphor is Feki with this ‘Remember‘.
Just because wow.
In truth I damn near posted his Paces Remix last week anyway – my point being it’s ALL strong.
The guy has got ears. Classy, heavy, feelsy ears.
Everything he touches carries a kind of classic freshness, now including this (previously manic) post.
In this critical time, with classic freshness more precious than ever, I for one am glad to have this chill brisvegnite churning it out by the truckload.
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Adam
COBWEBBS.
There’s a strange progression us music listeners go through. From beginning out with a love for all things guttural, punky, and messy, I moved towards an appreciation of a much cleaner, produced sound. Of course we change over time; listening to the same sort of stuff all the time would mean that our existence as music listeners would be pretty dire, and dare i say, after a while, obsolete.
But it’s when you move back towards the sounds and ideas you appreciated when you were younger that you begin to realise that music taste, what whets our whistle, what bars us up, is to some extent some sort of representation of where we’re at. I now go back to the darker sounding, messier stuff with a different sort of understanding, having exposed myself to a whole range of different stuff over the years.
Cobwebbs are a Brissie four piece, signed to Sonic Masala Records. It’s this stuff that I’m finding myself listening much more to. It’s noisy, reverby, and sludgy. There’s an obvious vocal melody line that is so intertwined in the mix of those guitars that it’s easy to forget that there’s a melody line at all. But that doesn’t actually matter. What Cobwebbs achieves is a version of drone filled psych that digs so far underneath the surface that the surface becomes unimportant. This is big, expansive and dredgy psych rock and I’m fucking liking it. The track below as well as the clip above is ‘Easy’, the second single off the band’s second LP WORLD WIDE WEBBS released a coupla months ago.
You can stream the full album over here.
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Miks.
WORKSHOP.
Sometimes you sit back, let that inbox number slowly (or actually pretty quickly) increase and just realise how popular you really are. Then you realise that the majority of the stuff is useless promo advertising some club night in London and you think ‘fuck. i’m not popular at all.’
The tides they turn though, what with those little bits of gold that sparsely pepper the inbox. The lead track from WORKSHOP‘s new EP Luxury, right from the get go, made me sit up in the chair. It’s expansive, what with those big drum machine triggers. It’s big in those wide ranging reverby synths. ‘Repeat After Me’ gets you to do just that. It’s not merely the refrain that is, as the name would suggest, repeated and played with. But it’s the feeling afterwards. That strange nostalgic sense of confidence, grandness and everything that makes you sit up in your chair, click back on that soundcloud tab and press the play button again.
The full EP stands up to what ‘Repeat After Me’ suggests. It’s pulsating, dark and moody synth disco music. It sounds incredibly focussed and direct. The opener ‘Purity Exhibition’ for instance builds upon the darkness of ‘Repeat After Me’, takes it more upbeat TRON style. It’s driving, and unrelenting in it’s instrumentation. There doesn’t feel like there’s time to breath in ‘Purity Exhibition’, even though you never really lose your breath.
I definitely recommend you get your little earholes around this EP. As a debut is stands incredibly strong. It’s a project full of style and has a real strong aesthetic, but none of this is lost in the music. Grab it here.
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Miks.
YOU.
Really tempted just to leave this with ‘no, you are’.
But I won’t. I will keep this brief though. You are a band from Brisbane (I really trust that y’all are intelligent enough that I don’t need to make some shitty cringeworthy joke here quashing your musical aspirations). Starting off as a solo project for Michael Whitney, You has evolved to become a collaborative project between four Brisvegans.
Their lead single ‘Caprice’ is equal parts warm, vulnerable, confident and affirming – the sax compliments, the reverby sound sits as this constant embellisher. ‘Caprice’ feels familiar and makes a lot of sense to me. You can get ‘Caprice’ as well as the b-side – the incredibly beautiful ‘Old Man’ – over on Brissie label Lost Race’s bandcamp.
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Miks
5THS.
Oh man. Sometimes all you need is some smooth nu-soul production stuff to just wash over you and take you in in it’s 90s throwbacks, beaut falsetto, and just that groove.
Damn.
5ths is the new collaborative project from Pip Norman, who also goes by the Count Bounce moniker. ‘Sell It To Me’ features Jarryd Klapper, a fella from Bissie. It’s the first taste of what 5ths will be doing, and I like it heaps.
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Miks
BLAQ CARRIE.
Man, this song is one of my faves of the year so far. The production nails it – HAMLEY, you sir are doing some freakin’ ace things. And the vocal…man. This flows so beuatifully – the way Blaq Carrie manages to carry her vocal – there’s so much energy in there without sounding manic and over the top and crazy and all the other things that make you feel all jittery and stuff. It’s also her take on the Australian music industry, and cutting a break in the local hip-hop world that seems to also ring true. Full props to her for owning that.
And the clip sits really well with all of this.
I bet you this track will still be in your head in a couple of hours. It’s got a way like that.
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Miks
THE FURRS.
Brisbane based two-piece The Furrs have been causing a bit of a stir with their bluesy rock’n’roll of late.
Gabriella and Jimmy make self-directed blues infused swagger that seems to propel itself forward like you wouldn’t believe. The guys have already garnered a bit of love with support slots (they’ve supported Cults recently and are supporting DMA’s next weekend at BlackBear Lodge up in Brisbane). The two-piece become four live – a dude called White Stag on drums and Moonfaced Hendrix on bass fill it out.
We got the new single ‘Little Boy’ taken from the bands’ debut self-titled EP released a couple of weeks ago. It’s pretty nuts and has just enough ‘don’t-give-a-fuck’ attitude for your Sunday afternoon.
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Miks
DUNE RATS.
Ohhh mate. ‘Funny Guy’ is the new track from Brissie stoners Dune Rats and it’s really really ace. Think feel-good indie garage punk [enter another genre that does not help explain how bloody catchy this tune is] done at its best.
The track is taken off the boys’ self-titled debut full length due out on “Dune 1” (gosh pr people are so humorous when they crack jokes in their press release emails). They’re also doing a pretty massive world tour in support of it (deets here). Should be a goodun.
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Miks
DZ DEATHRAYS.
Ohhhh mate. So good to know that the DZ Deathrays aren’t completely going in that pop direction of their earlier single, ‘Northern Lights’.
The newy ‘Gina Works At Hearts’ basically sounds like a more polished version of their first album, and for that, I’m fucking grateful. The track comes from the band’s 2nd album, Black Rat due out May 2nd through those rad dudes I OH YOU. Pre-order here.
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Miks
TINCTURE.
Ohhhh mate. I fucking love it when a guy you wrote about a while ago comes back with a follow up that takes what he did well and kinda nails it even more. Brisbane’s Tincture has done that. The producer has just released the follow up to last year’s ‘Tryst’ which featured Hazel Brown.
The new track ‘Similar Circles’ takes the soulful vocals, but still keeps a real delicate style production. This is a real relief if we consider the aggressive stuff that’s coming out of a lot of the Australian beats scene at the moment, and it immediately sets Tincture apart from the rest. ‘Similar Circles’ manages to harness that delicate soulful sound into this sense of uneasy urgency. But it doesn’t go where you expect it to. It holds back – there isn’t that culmination of energy resulting in one big climax. It nearly does, but it leaves you in the lurch. As he has shown in his earlier work, Tincture masters restraint in his production, something all too rare in the current Australian beats landscape.
This is good.
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Miks
THIGH MASTER.
I don’t know what it is about Brisbane but it would seem as though nearly all of the good garage pop bands are from there. There are definitely a couple here in Sydney (maybe less in Melbourne), but mate, it seems that Brissie is where it’s at.
Thigh Master‘s latest track ‘Goon Punch’ has this crazy pop sensibility – those vocals lines are simple but catchy, the intro actually introduces the track. It’s all pretty simple stuff but executed by a trio of fucking legends who know their way around song craft. The dudes are also heading out on a mini east coast tour starting tonight in Brissie. Details here.
This new single comes out as a split cassette with fellow locals Martyr Privatesa through new Brisbane label Tenth Court (you know that thing I was saying about Brissie before?)
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Miks
GAZAR STRIPS.
In a week where (again) there’s been a quiet uproar about the roll of triple j and the homogenisation of the Australian music landscape, it’s great to know that there is a thriving and diverse independent music scene in this country.
After a stint over in London, Gazar Strips have returned to their hometown of Brisbane with their feverish garage stylings. Their new single, ‘Oversight’ manages to capture this jolty, dark atmosphere, and with that extended 1 minute 15 intro, it forces you to be taken in, even before any direct lyrical engagement happens. Also, make sure you keep an eye out for the bands second EP, Sparkling, which is due out soon.
Also exciting is the fact that those rad guys up at Sonic Masala are putting out the EP. These guys are doing what I think a lot of other music blogs want to do but don’t have the balls/belief/hopefulness to do so. They’ve started their own label. Make sure you give them a lot of love. No mean feat moving from a blog and a couple of parties to a full blown indie label.
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Miks
BLANK REALM.
A quick post as I slowly ease my way back into some sort of regularity.
Blank Realm are from Brisbane and tight but shambolic are probably the two best words you could use to describe them. Their latest track, ‘Falling Down The Stairs’ sounds just as the title suggests, but a really structured fall. Arms are still flying everywhere and you’re still struggling to hold the fuck on for dear life, but somehow, there’s still a level of control.
The track is taken from the band’s fourth album Grassed Inn, which is due out Jan 14 next year. Should be a goodun if this is anything to go by.
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Miks
TINCTURE.
Tincture is the work of Luke Dalton, a dude based out of Brissie. His new track ‘Tryst’ features the vocals of Melbourne’s Hazel Brown of Otouto. You may have heard some of Tincture’s other work – he’s popped out a couple of remixes and mixtapes over the past year or two.
I think what sets this track apart from the other soul-driven electronic music coming out at the moment is that balance between delicate (those claps and those set back vocals) and pretty darn confident (the vocal cut ups, the synth in the chorus and that guitar that hits you in the breakdown bit). And those are just some of the more obvious moments of that delicate/confident dichotomy that seems to pervade this track.
Check out the track below, and if you dig, you can grab a copy over on the Silo Arts bandcamp. Sydney’s Nagakin is also on the remix duties. Gonna be schweet!
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Miks
MT.
So occasionally, I like to profile some of the stuff from Australian’s currently located os. High High‘s were one of those bands. Sink Ships another. And hell, I’d even lump the recently relocated Gang Of Youths into that list too.
Well, now we got MT (or Many Things in longform), now based over in London.
As soon as this started to play, it reminded me of a couple of years back. I think everyone and their dog loved the band that was Yves Klein Blue. The Brissie outfit only had one album, but it was much played and much loved. They had a fucking great knack for a killer pop song.
Well, MT is the work Michael Tomlinson, the lead singer of YKB. The new single, ‘Alpha Romeo’ is a little bit more POP than the YKB work, but man, it still kills. Straight up hooks galore pop here.
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Miks
THE KITE STRING TANGLE.
With this cover of Lorde‘s pretty massive track ‘Tennis Court’ added to his already rather impressive arsenal, Brisbane’s The Kite String Tangle is set to become pretty darn large. As front man of live electro outfit Pigeon, he’s showcased his pipes and, as a band, they made tidy work of some really nicely produced live dance music.
Solo though, TKST, or Danny to his mates, really manages to harness an incredible intricacy in his songwriting. And it’s not all so intricate that it sounds fragile or even weak. Pulling him through, I think, are the pop sensibilities that Danny brings to the table.
There’s a few comments floating online that this cover is better than the original, and, although I must say I haven’t familiarised myself that much with the original, this cover is pop, like big pop, but with the subtlety and consideration that helps him to still cut through and not lose any artistry.
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Miks
VIOLENT SOHO.
Some bloggers tend to not favour particular bands and instead choose to only post about new stuff from new bands that they haven’t featured before, or have only featured once or twice.
For those of you that have followed maamf for a while, you’ll notice that whilst I do try and post as much new stuff from bands that perhaps haven’t had much promo in the past, I still do play favourites. Violent Soho are getting up there on the post count (6 in the past 12 months). Their 90’s grunge vibe just gets me though. The dudes have a new track and new clip, the album opener ‘Dope Calypso’. It’s pretty darn impressive, and perhaps is one of the more pop sounding tracks from the album (from what I’ve heard of it).
The clip features the dudes drinking, driving, playing, walking, eating, hanging from bball rings, sitting, smoking and chillin’. Perhaps the least impressive aspect of it all is that it’s not all at the same time, but hey, you can’t win ’em all right?
Clip is pretty dope though. Makes me feel like an icecream?
(yeah, even I didn’t laugh at that one, and I cracked the fucking thing).
The dudes’ new album Hungry Ghost is out next week (Sep 6). You can preorder it on their site, and whilst you’re there why not score yourself some tix to their 7-date east coast tour in support?
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Miks
BOY GERMS.
Boy Germs is the one-man project of Brissie based dude Rob Steel. Latest track, ‘Ghoulish’ is catchy bedroom punk. Loving the slowed down lazy verses that kind of mill about ahead of that straight up singalong throwaway chorus.
Stream it below, and if you dig, you can grab the EP it’s taken from (Butter//Demo) over on his bandcamp.
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Miks
THE KITE STRING TANGLE.
From Brissie, Danny Harley is doing some pretty amazing things at the moment. Perhaps better known as The Kite String Tangle, he is one of the few artists in Australia successfully melding the world of glitchtronica and good singer songwriter music.
You may have heard Danny’s name kicking around before – he’s the frontman of great live electronica band Pigeon, who we’ve recently featured. The Kite String Tangle is very different though, and first single ‘Given The Chance’ is testament to that.
Stream the single below and grab it on iTunes if you dig.
PIGEON.
Babes with regrets. That’s essentially what Pigeon‘s new clip for their tune ‘Curtain Call’ is all about.
Pretty much.
If you have regrets then probably best you check out these guys as they do a massive tour (sahhhh mahny dayyytttes). More details on that here.
And, if you haven’t seen it already, then check out their 9min Daft Punk medley. Pretty fahckin imprhessive!
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Miks
TYLER TOUCHÉ.
This is a track I can only post on a Friday (hence the late uptake on my behalf).
And whilst the above sentence is a pretty good excuse/lie (instead of me telling you of how many gems are still sitting in an inbox that is still 172 unread because I am crazy busy with PhD lyfe), the newy, ‘Heart in Motion’, from Tyler Touché is actually pretty suitable for a Friday night, heck, even a Friday afternoon.
Big 70’s nu-disco vibe on this track, something that this kid (he’s fucking young) is known for. And that vocal take draws you right in, especially sitting high against that mean ass deep bass line.
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Miks
VIOLENT SOHO.
I wrote about this track a little while ago and whilst I am eagerly awaiting the boys new album, this vid for ‘In The Aisle’ from Brisbane four piece Violent Soho is smile inducing. And no, I’m not some weirdo. A larger gentlemen riding the streets of Brisbane naked whilst handing out flyers to a naked bike ride is pretty beut. So are the people’s reactions.
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Miks
JEREMY NEALE.
Bangin’ little 60’s vibe number from that rapscallion from Brisvegas, Jeremy Neale. Comes with added feel goods from fellow Brisvegas babes Go Violets.
Catch Mr Neale as he tours the latest single on a mini east coast 3 dater. Details here.
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Miks
RINSE.
And repeat.
Listening to RINSE on a pretty wet and rainy Sydney afternoon kinda really works. These four dudes from Brissie create this 80’s inspired indie that is built around these really distinct melody lines. The track below for instance, ‘Point’ has this guitar/synth line that really is the backbone to the track. That line is the reason this track is catchy as all hell.
You can download ‘Point’ below, and make sure you check out the bands bandcamp page for two other tracks. Their soundcloud has a couple of ace covers too. All that and a brand new EP to drop soon. KEEN!
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Miks
MAAMF: an australian music blog 