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Tuesday, February 28, 2012

still single review

Woollen Kits – s/t LP (R.I.P. Society) / “22/09/11” CS (Fan Death)

RECOMMENDED

Whatever was missing with regards to legit/genuine undergrad punk/lo-fi response as provided by Woollen Kits’ first single is remedied here. They’re an Australian trio (two guitars and drums when I saw them, though there seems to be a bass on some of the album tracks), cut and decorated to fit in between the rancorous sentiments of non-mersh Midwestern American rocknroll and the soft, longing side of twee and indie pop. Certainly the band’s lyrics – usually in the “I will love you forever/But you must be true” sort of simple, idealized facsimile of 20th century pop – could raise some eyebrows, as would the foghorn vocals of guitarist Tom (last name unknown), who at best matches the slumber party timbre of Calvin Johnson. Hey, it’s the voice the dude was born with, so I’m cutting him a break. It took a few spins, and seeing this band live, to get it all to click, and I’m happy to say that it now does, their overall blare and the uncomplicated, positive energy they pass around in concert mode (duly represented in Fan Death’s cassette/MP3 download of the Kits’ performance somewhere back home), somewhere in between the Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments and Beat Happening, a rugged sound with a lovable core. They’re two fine releases that further cement Australia’s current land-dominance of quality rock music. (http://ripsocietyrecords.tumblr.com) (http://www.fandeathrecords.com)
(Doug Mosurock)

Saturday, February 25, 2012

pretty good article from everett true

Underground music scene proves punk's not dead

by: Everett True
From: The Australian
February 25, 2012 12:00AM



FOR several years Brisbane musician Matt Kennedy has been a prime mover in a tiny musical scene.

Every few weeks, great bands - ranging from psychedelic dance-trance (Brisbane's Blank Realm) to hardcore punk rock (Sydney's Naked On The Vague) to melodic noise (Adelaide's Bitch Prefect) to early 80s electronic (Hobart's The Native Cats, Brisbane's Primitive Motion) - play shows in unorthodox locations, sold by word-of-mouth and often attended mostly only by other musicians. This world exists far away from the government-funded safety of Triple J and from the commercial radio stations. This world has little to do with careers.

try first link here http://www.google.com.au/#hl=en&output=search&sclient=psy-ab&q=underground+music+proves+punks+not+dead&psj=1&oq=underground+music+proves+punks+not+dead&aq=f&aqi=&aql=1&gs_sm=3&gs_upl=1190l11238l0l11588l39l39l0l5l5l1l474l7249l0.13.19.1.1l34l0&fp=1&biw=1430&bih=714&cad=b&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Thursday, February 16, 2012

terminal boredom

there are some new reviews and year end lists up, here's one i grabbed, for purely self serving reasons

Lower Plenty "Mean" cassette
Acoustic Australian ensemble featuring members of Deaf Wish, UV Race and other less well known acts. Operating on the same emotionally fragile and haunted ground that the the first Dutchess & Duke LP traipsed upon, these ten tracks dissect painful relationships and difficult times for the most part. Compostions are construced very well: multiple acoustic guitars, minimal and creative percussion (slight drums, maracas, wind chimes, bongos, bells and just about anything else...) and some very pretty and very sad vocal harmonies. The vocals themselves are split three ways (two male, one female), I'm assuming whoever wrote the song sings it, and they all resonate rather well. The girl's songs might have a little more hope in their expression, the guys' have a bit more worldbeaten/downtrodden feel. A little K Records at times, a little New Zealandy at others, it's dreary music for recalling grey days done rather skillfully. Look out for vinyl on Easter Bilby records in the '12, you know it's quality if it gets the Saltmarsh seal of approval.. 100 copies.(RK)
(Radio Records // radiorecordsmelbourne.tumblr.com)

http://terminal-boredom.com/blog/

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

'nother new review

Hammering the Cramps – s/t LP (Wormwood Grasshopper)

RECOMMENDED

A fantastic record with no band to back it up. Hammering the Cramps existed from 2005 through 2007 or thereabouts; members are now doing time in the band Drunk Elk. Perhaps this band/this album was a bit ahead of its time, as the kind of people who are now just discovering New Zealand bands will no doubt flock to this effort, whereas it was still a bit of an antiquity back when this oddly-named group was alive and kicking in Hobart, Tasmania, the kind of place that hasn’t been known to let its wayward coordinates stop great bands (Sea Scouts, The Native Cats, Paint Your Golden Face) from surfacing to the rest of the world. Point is, this one shouldn’t have slipped through the cracks, a real rager that combines the room pressure of Trapdoor Fucking Exit-era Dead C. with the sort of frenetic psychedelic heft of any great Wayne and Kate Village band (hearing Crystalized Movements in the crashing percussion, Major Stars in the overall riff-force and keyed-up delivery), and the sun-blinded free spirit that rises into the air anytime someone plays the Plagal Grind 12”. It sounds as if it could have surfaced as some ambitious Xpressway offshoot back in 1988, the presence of four guys with the third dimension flickering on and off, banging on their cages and letting tiny, powerfully-focused beams of light pierce the painted black walls and rip through to a late afternoon blue sky. That’s a feeling I rarely have about any sort of music anymore, so consider this a must-own, and check to see if you white-knuckled at any point during the raucous middle portion of this fine LP like I did. “Seahorse Song” – good god! 300 copies. (http://wormwoodgrasshopper.blogspot.com)
(Doug Mosurock)

some coley reviews



Saturday, February 11, 2012

deaf wish

give them a vote http://www.mtviggy.com/blog-posts/artist-of-the-week-vote-for-your-favorite-54/

Deaf Wish

Australia’s Deaf Wish could be one of the greatest rock bands that almost didn’t happen. They’re a signal that fades in and out. But whenever they are seen or heard from, word spreads quickly. You see, they are the finest blast of well-structured noise to emerge from Australia since Eddy Current Suppression Ring. Like ECSR, they walk that fine line between a drone and groove until your brain starts to shake itself apart. Their second album Reality and Visions is like a slurry of all the best weird punk from the ’80s and ’90s blended with terrifying force. Make sure to tune into their magnificently decaying signal and hope it’s not the last that you hear of them.

Saturday, February 4, 2012

R.I.P. Brendon Annesley





A bad time for deaths within the global music community these past few weeks. There's been Johnny Otis and Etta James, and just this week there was artist/musician Mike Kelley (from Destroy All Monsters), who tragically killed himself, and, closer to home, there was Brendon Annesley. Brendon was mostly known for his music writing and highly prolific fanzine production: he ripped out an astonishing 33 issues of Negative Guest List in the past four years, as well as producing the HC zine, Dirty Alleys, Dirty Minds, penning for other publications, running the NGL label and playing in various bands. He helped my brother out w/ a few gigs and interviewed him for an issue of NGL, too. He was, from all reports, the epicentre of any music worth hearing which eminated from the city of Brisbane. I only knew him via email and fanzine trading. Last year he sent me a pile of back issues of NGL and I was impressed that folks of his age - he died this week at the age of 22 - were still putting words to print and getting it out there. If anything, his efforts made me feel old, lazy and guilty. His 'zines covered many of the greats I'd written about in a prior life - Pere Ubu, Electric Eels, Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments, Vertical Slit, SST cronies, '90s rock & roll from the Dog Meat stable, the giants of first-wave HC - as well as contemporary bands I'm too pathetic to listen to. His writing was smart, succinct and obnoxious, and had he stuck around, he could've given the world a whole lot more of his worthy bile. In other words, another one of the good guys has gone, and that's just a damn fucking shame. But you and I, thankfully, are still here. RIP, Mr. Annesley. http://manwithoutshame.blogspot.com/