More new songs here than I have failed romances. Hell yeah for trying! On a serious side-note, I’ve been trying to get this article published for ages, so there’s quite a few more ‘new’ songs than there usually would be. They’re all mad sweet awesome though!
Community Radio-Wildflower (free download)
Straight off the bat, and we’ve got something new from a band that has a name that’s damn impossible to find on Facebook. Community Radio are from Surry Hills (yay!), and they make the most melancholy of dream-pop (yay!). In the same vein as The Ocean Party and Ciggie Witch, ‘Wildflower’ comes off Community Radio’s new EP, also called ‘Wildflower’. Now, although my only association with flowers is that its the shit I have to buy when I fuck up, Community Radio make it sound a little more expansive and cool, especially with that delectable bass line. Awesome shit, especially because its straight outta Sydney, sounds great, and its free!
Bonus Fun Fact: Cameron Emerson-Elliot, the guy who’s responsible for this little bit of magic, is also in Songs (wow!) and plays in Youth Group.
The Harry Heart Chrysalis-You Are Not A Rarity
At first glance, ‘You Are Not A Rarity’ comes off as a lovely, even quaint track. It bumbles along like a stream in the forest, as anyone who comes across it is pleasantly charmed. But once you really listen to the lyrics, the track reveals itself to be more cynical than the usual acoustic number usually is. Lyrics like “If I could take you anywhere, I’d take you off my mind…there’ll never be a next time”, the embittered nature of the track appeals itself a fuck load more than the average folk-y track does. It has the same poignancy of ‘Little Lion Man’, a quietly ferocious track that hides itself amongst some beautiful guitar. Let’s just hope that The Harry Heart Chrysalis keeps pumping out the good tunes, and doesn’t go the Mumford way of embodying the douchey frat guy who plays ‘Wonderwall’ at every party.
Melt Yourself Down-Fix My Life (Ribongia Remix) (free download)
And, as soon as I lowered your heart beat, I’ll raise it right the fuck up again. I’m like some sort of cruel God, aren’t I? My tool of power comes in the form of a recent remix by Sydney bass maestro Ribongia. The song in question is a bit of an older one, one of the first singles from UK based acid-jazz-funk freaks Melt Yourself Down. Whilst the original track was enough to pour acid into the crevices of one’s brain, the remix adds a tension and heaviness that is rare nowadays. Without getting carried away, the track still sways with a jungle fever, like a track that would be played right before an ancient tribe removed the bones from your body in cannibalistic sacrifice.
Bunny’s A Swine-Hot Water
Swinging into the usual contingent of new garage rock, its Northampton band Bunny’s A Swine. Unlike NOBUNNY, the only other bunny related garage band I know of, Bunny’s A Swine are like a Canadian version of the usual ferocity associated with amateur rock. They slide around in a polite but direct manner, and it makes for some great slacker vibes, a la Built to Spill. Hell, ‘Hot Water’ could come on at any college radio station and have half the staff immediately bopping their heads along. A great treat!
Pop. 1280-Machine Trauma
Pop. 1280 have a name inspired by a Jim Thompson crime novelWith just that bit of information, you can already tell that the band will either be really awesome, or a gem of pretentiousness. It seems like a bit of a case of hypocrisy, coming from the most pretentious man-boy on the planet, but hey, I’m the one writing. Anyway, I trust Sacred Bones Records to only sign the best bands, and once again, they prove to be one of the most forward thinking labels in the world. ‘Machine Trauma’ is a third-The Men, circa ‘Leave Home’ era, a third-Golden Era Dischord, and a third space punl. Powered by a drum machine, swirling reverb and absolutely zero fucks given, ‘Machine Trauma’ makes you want more Pop. 1280 like I want more people to pay attention to me (a hypocrite and a narcissist, I’m a psychologist’s wet dream).
Purling Hiss-Lolita (free download)
Purling Hiss once again show that with a great name, comes great responsibility to kick ass. Featuring one of the most powerful, Black Sabbath-y riffs since ‘Paranoid’, Purling Hiss also manage to add some power-pop to their usual brand of noise-metal. Yes, ‘Lolita’ is unusually cleaner than their previous output, but truth be told, I’m digging a Purling Hiss song where I can hear the instruments intertwine with each other like the badass cobras they are. Actually, they’re more badass than that, the sound is more like cobras that wield twin-machine guns. Yeah, that’s how badass they are. Anywho, there’s guitar solo’s abound on this track, and the deep bass groove remains awesome as ever.
https://soundcloud.com/carparkrecords/speedy-ortiz-everythings
Speedy Ortiz-Everything’s Bigger
Although fresh from a debut album that was put out last year (have to keep reminding myself that we’re in a new year), Speedy Ortiz are going at it again with a new EP. ‘Everything’s Bigger’ is the first single from the EP, and it shows that they’re moving into a Sleater-Kinney pattern more so now than ever. There’s still The Breeders on there, and the Pavement twang, but now there’s a slight snarl in the chords and the quiet-loud formula is so very grunge. And we all know how fucking great grunge was. Love this track, can’t wait for the EP to show its pleasant face.
Astro Children-Eden (free download)
More female-led rock that makes you want to get up and start a band a fraction as good as the one you’re listening to. This one comes via a mate Ian, who runs Fishrider Records over in New Zealand. One listen to this, and you’ll realise why I’m always going on about how New Zealand may or may not have a better pop scene than Australia. Far-away, shoegaze dream-pop that smacks you upside your pleasure centre, it reminds of Opposite Sex mixed with Beach House. Under the flowing breezes, there’s some anger there, and I fucking like that. If you had any sense in your brain, you’d like it to.
International Karate-Survive (free download)
International Karate are a band from Minneapolis, and they play straight up and down indie rock music. There’s not that much more than can be said about them, and their brand new track ‘Survive’. Oh wait, fuck, yes there is! It’s a brilliant rock track, a catchy hook fest ripped right from the Teenage Fanclub handbook. If you can’t get into the groove and headbanging potential that this track is offering in abundance, there is something actually wrong with you. Its the kind of thing that indie bands used to play, before the Yeah Yeah Yeahs became really popular, and every hipster in New York who owned a guitar decided to write bad poetry and add mandolins to whatever song they were working on at the time. The basic nature works well with the whispered vocals, and allows the guitars to do their job to an extreme. Awesome shit.
