top six local albums

i thought i should post a new blog finally. and then i thought i should make it music related. and then i thought i should make it local music related. and then i remembered how i was listening to uisce last night, and how much i enjoyed it. and how it reminded me how i always think it's a shame that not enough local bands in musical styles i'm interested in really try to make their own style and make an impact rather than just sounding like international bands. this may also have been influenced by reviewing the new butterfly effect single the other day, and my growing feeling that most of the well known bands in these fields are given support because they're considered the best aus bands we have, but when you put them in an international field, they're not that far up the list at all.

so here are my seven favourite australian albums. albums that i think have done something original and have found really enjoyable, and most importantly, exciting:

the grand silent system - gift or a weapon
silverchair - neon balroom
theredsunband - peapod
non-intentional lifeform - uisce (ish-ka)
architecture in helsinki - in case we die
regurgitator - tu-plang

disclaimer:
why six? because i limited it to one per band, full length albums and tried to make it only stuff that is fairly readily available - cutting off a lot of bands like twitch, tirany, behind crimson eyes,
pyramid, sydonia, young love, a ghost devotion and many others who have all put on a great live show/released a great ep/self-released a great recording/all of the above. if anyone wants to make any criticisms of this list, just know that i wont respond to anything that concerns the following issues: first and most importantly, it has to be something i've HEARD (and preferably have in my possession). second it has to be something i ENJOYED and got a response from ME. this list is completely subjective, and i make no apologies for that. you make think X album belongs on there, but if i haven't heard it, or if i have and it wasn't my thing, i'm not gonna put it on MY list. plain and simple. also i know they're all albums from the last 10 years (or less), but remember, i'm still in my early 20's. i'll readily admit that i'm far more excited by music that i grew up with or is emerging now than by things that happened before my time. i'm not trying to make a definitive all time most important and influential list. just things i think are really fucking cool. ok? good. any other suggestions, i'll listen to, as i'm always extra excited when a local
band excites me.

Evermore, theredsunband, The Panda Band, The Vasco Era @ The Hi-Fi

Turning up, it was pretty obvious we were out of place. Doors had been open for ten minutes, and already the line to get in to The Hi-Fi stretched for at least 15 metres. Out of everyone there, it was us the man asking for change approached, because he thought we may have been old enough to actually have some money. Conversations around us consisted of The OC, and how many drinks the young girls had consumed before heading into the city.

We made it inside just in time to miss The Panda Band, which is a shame, because we’d made an effort to arrive early in the hopes of catching them. What we did see though, was not your usual rock crowd. And worse, they were all sitting down. This gig featured three bands I’ve never seen before, one of my favourite bands, two bands I had heard a lot about and wanted to check out, and one band I had no real desire to see, but obviously my priorities were not shared with the majority of the crowd.

Fortunately The Vasco Era managed to get people on their feet. One of the bands I was hoping to check out, like many others I was vastly impressed with their set. A madman for a drummer, gravely but tuneful vocals and strong rhythms saw a lot of people dancing. Guitarist Sid O’neil likes the occasional solo twiddle, but also seems happy to just join in rhythmic pounding with bass player Ted O’neil. The highlight of the set came when Sid ditched the guitar altogether and joined drummer Micheal Fitzgerald on percussion. The size of the smiles on all members’ faces during this breakdown is one of the outstanding memories of this night. Not only are they doing what they love, it was great to see them enjoying themselves so much. A typical conversation following the band consisted of “Who WAS that band?”, and no doubt they won many fans tonight.

theredsunband were placed in a difficult position following such a set. This is not at all a slight on their value as a band, but where The Vasco Era are a raucous Friday night out, theredsunband’s biggest strength is their ability to evoke a lazy Sunday afternoon in bed. They also suffered from bad sound mixing, especially during their signature tune Devil Song, during which the guitar was all but inaudible much of the time. As well as usual highlights such as Sleep Forever and Astrovisionary, there were a few new songs sprinkled through the set. Whatever the track they opened with is called, it had better be on their next album because every time I hear it live, I sing the chorus for days. Conversation overheard during theredsunband: “Who’s this?” “I don’t know, I didn’t know they were playing. She’s gorgeous though.” It’s a shame their music wasn’t loud enough to make a full impression.

Whether the bad sound during rsb was a deliberate sabotaging to ensure the headliners were not completely eclipsed by the support bands I can’t be sure, but when Evermore came on stage, they sounded perfect. The production was crystal clear, the playing was flawless and the video screen behind the band provided a nice ethereal touch. There were no conversations during the start of Evermore’s set, just some screaming. But aside from the singles For One Day and It’s Too Late, nothing in their set seemed to stand out. Drummer Dann Hume was by far the most energetic and interesting member of the group to watch, but while the songs are competent and easy to listen to, they all merge together a little too easily. Keyboardist Peter Hume spent the entire set doing the same head-flopping/making-passionate-love-to-his-keyboard dance. Near the end of the set some of the audience members had even resumed their seats, and it was only the chorus of It’s Too Late which got them standing again, and the majority of the crowd finally bopping along. Some audience reactions were in the other extreme though, with one girl behind me dancing with her arm extended, eyes closed and swaying slowly for the whole show. Whatever mystical sounds Evermore were giving her, I just didn’t hear it. The skill is clearly there, but the song writing has a long way to go before it becomes worthy of an astral experience.

poor

Mudvayne
+ 2 x NIN
+ Billy Corgan
+ Team Sleep
+ theredsunband
+ Blood Brothers (which I may not even be able to go to)

---

= OMG... where the POOP am i gonna get this money from?

(or perhaps more importantly, once i spend this money, where am i gonna get more from so i can still do other things?)

anyone wanna come to team sleep or billy corgan with me?

also, if anyone in melbourne knows a drummer who can commit to rehearsing to make a band which draws pretty strongly from all those above artists (and respective other bands they all might be involved in), can they let me know? ta. ;)

theredsunband, Souls on Board @ Northcote Social Club

I have a feeling I’ve seen Souls on Board somewhere before. The name sounds familiar, but I can’t say I recognised the band once I saw them. What I did recognise was a crowd who didn’t understand what they were watching. We arrived at the Northcote Social Club to catch an energetic and enjoyable end to the set, being watched by a lazy crowd sitting on the floor. Now, this is my first trip to this relatively new venue, and maybe such behaviour is common in this laid back room, but it certainly did no justice to the performance on stage.

Fortunately the room filled up a bit more and people decided to stand by the time theredsunband came on stage. I’ve often felt that theredsunband belong in Melbourne, yet tonight that connection doesn’t seem quite there. Perhaps it’s the room again (if you’ve never been to NSC either, they do have a rather unique bandroom), but having seen them play shows at The Tote and The Evelyn where it seemed like they were “home”, tonight’s show just didn’t have the same impact. Despite the stage being lower than in either of those venues, the sound wasn’t as loud, and there was not the same connection between band and crowd. Where the last shows had seen punters up against the stage, tonight saw a (perhaps unhealthy) distance between the crowd and the band.

That being said, the band played well, as always, and proclaimed their happiness to be visiting us again. In recent months the band has been working on their second album, and the set included five or six new songs, which it was great to hear. Particularly the opening song stood out, with it’s soft extended intro eventually leading into a louder part around the time most people thought it was finished. Other highlights included Astrovisionary, with a feedback solo which always pleases, singles Sleep Forever and Pavement, and a rockier version of Farewelling. The biggest crowd response was kept for Devil Song, but once again the sound let the band down, with the driving guitar consistently drowned out by the organ. In fact all night, every time Sarah’s distortion came in – loud, as it should be – the guitar seemed to get turned down in the mix.

The vocals still shone through though. On album Sarah’s voice is soft and sweet. While live she still retains this, slips and creaks in the voice during the highpoints of songs certainly add an extra edge to them. And the interplay between her voice and those of drummer John and Organ/Tambourinist Liz are the true strength of theredsunband’s music. Three part vocal harmonies over a wash of distortion and organ is such a wonderful sound to hear.

There was no encore unfortunately, but since half the crowd left as soon as they first stepped off the stage, the band can hardly be blamed for this. The fact that the other half of us hung around hoping on the off chance anyway says something about how good this band is. While I still believe theredsunband belong in Melbourne, perhaps they are not so suited to Northcote.

theredsunband @ The Tote