Tune-Yards (or tUnE-yArDs if you want to go with the stylised way of writing it) pretty much exploded onto the scene last year, gaining quite a bit of attention with the release of their second album w h o k i l l. The brainchild of frontwoman Merrill Garbus, she started the project alone utilising looping pedals to create drum beats and combining elements of R&B and afro-beat. The live lineup nowadays includes bass player Nate Brenner (who often assists with percussion and synths as well) and two saxophone players, which really helps to fill out the sound and add a lot of funk and energy to Garbus’ live performances.

It was amazing to watch Garbus create the live drum and vocal loops so effortlessly on stage, never once seeming to misstep. Right from the opening, the four-piece displayed a high level of energy and excitement which was helped greatly by the enthusiastic crowd who cheered, danced and shouted lyrics. They played most songs from their latest effort w h o k i l l, with the standouts being ‘Es-So’, ‘Gangsta’ and ‘My Country’. However, the real highlight (unsurprisingly) was ‘Bizness’, which is easily one of Garbus’ most impressive vocal performances where she changes between registers and between a soft whimper to a bellowing howl with such ease. The softly spoken frontwoman politely thanked the crowd for coming out on a Sunday night, but it seemed all too appropriate to thank her back for coming out to play such a marvelous show in the first place. It was refreshing to see this calibre of performer who approaches music in such a unique way. The entire band gave a downright flawless performance in all respects and was easily one of the best shows I’ve seen in a long time.

So I haven’t particularly been doing a lot of music reviews lately, but instead making music of my own. I’m in a band called Chase Scenes and we’ve been ‘together’ in some way, shape or form for a few years now but only really started to buckle down in the last 6-12 months.We’ll be putting on our first ever gig on January 14 at the Waiting Room in West End with The LoveBuckles and Go Go Go Go!. So if you enjoy some listening to some fuzzy rock come along and see us all play. Entry is from 8pm and is $7 – but the best part of all, BYO alcohol. For any more info, hit me up or come have a look at our Facebook Event. Hope to see you all there!

St. Vincent – Strange Mercy

If I had to pick a favorite of the year, I’m sure this would be it. I love the way Annie Clark contrasts Disney-like strings with dark lyrics, not to mention her voice is amazing.

Standout Track: Surgeon

Wild Beasts – Smother

The sweet combination of Tom Flemming and Hayden Thorpe’s vocals –  breaths and sighs – over dreamy, layered music is pretty much heaven.

Standout Track: Bed of Nails

James Blake – James Blake

Apparently classified as post-dubstep, I really recommend just listening to it instead of trying to categorise it. Blake’s voice is simply amazing and the combination of electronic elements was fascinating to watch when I saw him at Splendour in the Grass earlier this year.

Standout Track: The Wilhelm Scream

Battles – Gloss Drop

I was initially a little disappointed with this album, especially after how much I loved Mirrored, but it ended up growing on me. I still think the lead single ‘Ice Cream’ is a bit tacky and it is certainly a bit less showy than Mirrored but I eventually became thankful that they didn’t just try to recreate the same sound.

Standout Track: My Machines (feat. Gary Numan)

Destroyer – Kaputt

I’ll be honest, the first I had heard of this album (and Destroyer for that matter) was only a few months ago, this album hit me pretty much immediately though and I’ve listened to it almost every day since.

Standout Track: Chinatown

Bon Iver – Bon Iver

Well it’s no surprise this is on my list really, or anyone else’s list. And I think I’ll just leave that at that.

Standout Track: Holocene

Yuck – Yuck

Mmmm…fuzzy. The problem with having an album released so early in the year is that by the time the end of the year rolls around, most people have forgotten about it. Some could argue that it means the album doesn’t have staying power, but they’re just so catchy and fun.

Standout Track: Georgia

Mogwai – Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will

There really isn’t anything about this Mogwai album that makes it stand out from the rest, but the Scottish band have crafted what they do so well by now that it doesn’t really matter.

Standout Track: Mexican Grand Prix

The Antlers – Burst Apart

I caught a glimpse of these guys at Laneway at the start of the year and made a mental note to research further after the lead singer’s voice absolutely blew me away. Lucky for me an album came shortly after…

Standout Track: Corsicana

Explosions in the Sky – Take Care, Take Care, Take Care

Similar to the Mogwai album, there isn’t a lot new happening here but it shows Explosions doing the things that they do well.

Standout Track: Last Known Surroundings

HIS MERRY MEN – Super Secret Spies EP

Monday, 12 December 2011

(Independent)

Brisbane’s own funktastic nine-piece release debut EP

In a city that seems to be revolving around indie-pop lately, His Merry Men are a breath of fresh air on the scene. Combining elements of funk and jazz, featuring strong vocals from frontwoman Megan Crocombe, the nine-piece are bursting with energy. The title track opens with a ‘50s-inspired surf guitar lick and horn accents in just the right places, while Crocombe advises us to “Just get out and enjoy yourself” over a languid chromatic riff in Njoy. Energy remains high throughout the EP, even during the slower Motown-influenced Bobby Got, thanks to thick textures and a beautifully layered brass section. The band have quickly made a name for themselves because of their vivacious live performances, and thankfully they’ve managed to capture this perfectly on record.”

Acts Seen:

Imaginary Cities, Boy in a Box, Emma Louise, World’s End Press, Evil Eddie, The Jungle Giants, Little Scout, DZ Deathrays, Jonathan Boulet, San Cisco, Oscar and Martin, The Adults, Eagle and the Worm, Seals

I went into Big Sound Live with one goal – to only see bands I had never seen live before. The thing with this showcase is that it can be so easy to go see the acts you know will be good (Ball Park Music, Velociraptor, The Cairos, The Paper Scissors, Inland Sea etc etc) but for me that seems to kind of defeat the whole purpose. Isn’t the whole idea to help punters discover new local bands and showcase local emerging artists? I mostly succeeded, I had seen a bit of Little Scout earlier this year at Belle and Sebastian and I heard a bit of World’s End Press at Splendour in the Grass but for the most part I saw a lot of acts I had never seen before, or even heard of before.

Highlights:

World’s End Press – I stayed around to catch their whole set and it was well worth it. A genre I can only describe as retro electro, they’re very 80s complete with the loud shirts and bad awesome dancing. Lots of synths and grooving basslines. I compared them to a more subdued !!! (Chk Chk Chk) – well worth seeing again.

Oscar and Martin – I’m still trying to work out how I would describe these guys, because pop or RnB simply don’t cover it. They had two of the most amazing voices I’ve heard in a while and a really unique approach to their music.

Lowlights:

While there weren’t exactly any acts that I would say that I would never see ago, I felt a little let down by Emma Louise. With the amount of hype she’s had over the last couple of months, perhaps I had just set my standards too high. Or maybe it was an off night or a bad venue to see her in or the crowd was just too loud. It could have been anything, but I wasn’t blown away and I’m struggling to even remember anything about her set.

The Venues:

I managed to make it to every venue available for the event – Electric Playground, Bakery Lane, Black Bear Lodge, Ric’s, Tempo Hotel, Woodland, The Aviary and the Zoo.

It was actually my first time to Black Bear Lodge and I was quite impressed! I never thought the atmosphere of the Troubadour (RIP) could be matched, but Black Bear Lodge could even be an improvement. Lots of seating at the back and just generally a more open feel, I’m excited to return to this venue at some point.

Electric Playground was certainly an interesting choice of venue, but it seemed to work out okay. The sound was okay, the stage set up was okay, the scantily clad girls taking drink orders on the floor was a bit out of place but overall it’s an okay small venue. I don’t see it turning into a live music venue full time but it would be interesting to have the odd show here and there.

The only venue I was disappointed in was The Aviary. Absolutely no airflow, and beyond packed both times I went. I swear it was over capacity for Jonathan Boulet judging by the amount of people crammed into the stairwell between The Aviary and Birdees.

The Verdict:

It’s one of those ‘the more acts you see, the more you’ll enjoy it’ kind of events. It’s nice to be able to move around between different venues, and it’s nice to see members of local bands wandering around seeing other acts as well. I felt like I probably enjoyed last year a little bit more, but for the most part this year was very enjoyable and it was great to be able to see some bands I probably wouldn’t have seen otherwise.

Well, the song isn’t all that new but if I’m not mistaken this is the band’s first video! If you’re still yet to hear Brisbane’s 12-piece retro sounding garage rock band Velociraptor, familiarise yourself now – they’re only going to get bigger.

‘Twin Rays’ is the latest release from Brisbane three-piece Gung Ho. The first single from their upcoming EP, it comes some lo-fi and surfy qualities with a general laid back indie feel. A nice cruisey track to bring us into the warmer months.

‘Hologram’ is the latest release from Brisbane’s own sextet Founds. The first taste of their upcoming EP, ‘Hologram’ is built around luscious layers, creating a beautiful atmosphere. Gently plucked guitars grow against with a steady pounding drumbeat into a hypnotic breakdown to the end of the song. Be sure to check out ‘Gypsy Horse’ as well, both tracks are available for free download from the band’s Bandcamp page. I absolutely love the vocals in both of these tracks, as well as the way that they’ve managed to stay upbeat and catchy but laid back and relaxed at the same time.

It had never occurred to me before that Brisbane artist Hunz had never realised a music video. Always one known for his interest in animation, Hunz has managed to created a pretty damn fine debut music video for his song “I Get Chills”. The track is a bit heavier than previous stuff we’ve heard from him, but the style suits quite well.

Locals lads (and lady) Velociraptor have been attracting a lot of attention of late. With their energetic live shows, and notoriety for barely being able to fit everyone onstage, coupled with recent Triple J attention things are certainly looking bright for the band. I spoke to frontman Jeremy Neale about an upcoming tour, a new EP and getting all of the ‘raptors’ organised.

First and foremost, what is your stance on velociraptors?

They are they only breed of dinosaurs that can open doors. This makes them the most threatening species of Dinosaur present in today’s door obsessed society.

You’re about to embark on an east coast tour. How does such a large band go about organising themselves?

Well, fortunately this time around we have a top-notch management team. Other than that, everybody will have a piece of paper with the venue and time we’ll be playing and with any luck at least 7 of us will show up.

Velociraptor are listed officially as a 12 piece but you rarely seem to play as such – what determines the size of the band on any given night?

The rider. If we get word that there’s not enough to go around we draw straws to see who has to stay home and drink home beers. Also a few raptors play in other touring bands and live/ work outside of Brisbane.

I hear there will be a new EP coming out soon; can you tell us a little about it?

A small collection of upbeat pop gems that are suitable for singing and dancing along to. It’s been a good chance for us to get some of our/ audiences’ live favourites recorded.

What is the song writing process like a band with so many members?

A lot of the time I’ll just write something at home or in the car and then bring it to practice and the raptors will work their magic on it. Other raptors also write songs and bring it to the raptor table in the same fashion.

I’ve seen you guys likened to ‘gritty garage sex’ and a ‘vintage street gang’. How would you describe yourselves?

A real neato gang of super bros with good values and a penchant for truffles and fine wine.

How do you feel about the attention the band has received so far?

Besides the odd comment of  “I don’t understand why there’s 7 guitarists” it’s been really positive and I couldn’t be happier with it. We’ve had some solid support from Triple J for our track ‘In The Springtime’ and there seems to be a really rad buzz for the tour.

What is your favourite thing about playing in Brisbane?

It’s an awesome city, easy to source enough amps, we get to play with our friend’s bands and also at the end of the night we can get a limo home to the raptor mansion that comes complete with 12 beds, all of which are race car themed

What can the uninitiated expect from a live show?

It is pretty chaotic. I’ve always been a firm believer in that if you wanted to hear the song exactly how it was recorded, then you should have stayed home and listened to the record. It’s louder than the recordings and more aggressive but it’s a visual spectacle and even if I wasn’t in the band I’d still wanna go and see it.

What does the future hold for Velociraptor?

Godzilla and Monster X have been threatening to destroy Brisbane. We are training every day so that we may have the strength to defeat these gigantic angry monsters. Also, although it has been delayed many times, we do have a film clip on the way. An album will be most triumphant once we can get the necessary 900 dollaridoos.

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