Australia is another country with massive amounts of music to which I happen to be damn partial, so this has been kinda a challenge to narrow it down with some sort of cohesiveness. Here's my baker's dozen, my imperfect 13. Those bloody Aussies are from down-under after all, everything is upside down, standin' on its collective head. I have enough trouble walking upright & chewing coca leaves, as they say...
When this first came out I bought it on 8-track to play in
my 57 Chevy. I still have the tape (though it no longer plays, even if I had an
8-track player). I’ve own this on vinyl, cassette, & CD. To me this is a
‘classic’ gem of punk rawk. I have so many memories associated with this music…
Radio Birdman was formed by Deniz
Tek & Rob Younger in Sydney,
Australia in
1974. Often considered one of Australia’s
first punk bands, they were really predecessors of punk, much like their
inspirations, Detroit’s
MC5 & The Stooges. Radio Birdman were an influence on the music of many
Australian indie rock bands of the 80s. They are now considered to be one of
the most crucial bands to Australia's
history.
Radios Appear was produced & recorded
by John L. Sayers & Charles Fisher at Trafalgar
Studios in Annandale.
On Trafalgar, the album received little promotion or attention. Many Birdman
fans felt it did not properly reflect the ferocity & immediacy of the bands
true sound. Shortly after its initial release, Trafalgar Records leased the
recordings to WEA (Warner/Elektra/Atlantic) who took on the album & gave it
a wider release. However, sales remained limited. When Sire Records president Seymour
Stein came to Australia
to sign up fellow Australian band The Saints, he saw Radio Birdman play. He immediately
invited them to join his label. Sire released a new version of
Radios Appear
featuring a mixture of re-mixed, re-recorded & new material. The new
release was a more accurate reflection of the band's sound.
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Side One –
What Gives
Non-Stop Girls
Do the Pop
Man with the Golden Helmet
Descent into the Maelstrom
New Race
Side Two –
Aloha Steve & Danno
Anglo Girl Desire
Murder
City Nights
You’re Gonna Miss Me
Hand of Law
Hit Them Again
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Died Pretty are often regarded as one of the great
Australian acts of the late 80s & early 90s.
Died Pretty are an Australian rock & roll band formed in 1983 by veterans
of the Sydney
scene, deranged frontman & vocalist Ronald S. Peno, organist Frank Brunetti,
& guitarist Brett Myers. The group immediately attracted attention around Sydney & drew
comparisons to the Doors.
Died Pretty jumped straight out of the starting block, releasing the wonderful
"Out Of The Unknown" single followed by the impossibly cool
"Mirror Blues", a psychedelic 12-minute epic spread out over both
sides of a 7-inch release.
However, the real critical acclaim arrived in the form of the Next To
Nothing EP that earned the band accolades as a sort of modern day Aussie
Velvet Underground. Next to Nothing established Died Pretty's place in
the music world. Died Pretty are often regarded as one of the great Australian
acts of the late 80s & early 90s.
This has always been a favorite EP of mine, being
Nathan...& all.
On Next to Nothing, Died Pretty are: Ronald S Peno – vocal; Brett Myers – guitar;
Frank Brunetti – keyboards; Mark
Lock – bass; & Chris Welsh – drums with guest Joe Borkowsky – cello.
Side One –
Ambergris
Plaining Days
Side Two –
Desperate Hours
Final Twist
Same Line-up here except guest musicians: Louis Tille - piano
on “Life to Go”; Graham Lee - pedal steel
guitar on “Through Another Door”; John Papanis - mandolin on “Blue Sky Day”;
Julian Watchhorn - violin on “Wig-Out” & “Blue Sky Day”; & Tim Fagan –
saxophone on “Round & Round”, “Next to Nothing” & “Through Another Door”.
Side One -
Life to Go (Landsakes)
Just Skin
The 2000 Year Old Murder
Next to Nothing
Side Two -
Blue Sky Day
Round & Round
Wig-out
Laughing Boy
Through Another Door
Here Died Pretty has a new bass player, Steve Clark &
also Brett Myers picks up some vocal duties.
Blue Mosque K10001, 1990.
7" 1
Side A –
True Fools Fall
Side B –
A Ballad
7" 2
Side A –
Is There Anyone?
Side B –
Kingpin
On Trace, Died Pretty are: Ronald S. Peno – vocals;
Brett Myers – guitar & vocals; John Hoey – organ & piano; Robert Warren
– bass; & Chris Welch – drums & percussion with musical guests Jack
Howard – trumpet; Caroline Lavelle – cello; Sunil De Silva - percussion & Eleanor Rodgers – backing
vocals.
Side One –
Harness Up (Soul’s on Fire)
Caressing Swine
Headaround
‘Til We Get it Right
The Rivers
Side Two -
A State of Graceful Mourning
Just Forever
Through My Heart
110 B.P.M.
Dreamaway
Seize Your Way
Here long-time drummer Chris Welch has been replaced by Simon
Cox.
Tracklist –
Slide Song
She Was
Stay
The Daddy Act
Paint it Black, You Devils
Radio
Gone
Away
Drive
The story of Died Pretty is a tale of endurance & self,
yet buoyed by a simple faith in themselves, they have remained afloat. Using
My Gills as a Roadmap is both startling in approach & exciting in its
musical depth. A release that clearly makes demands on the listener, it
confronts any pre-existing notion about what sort of band they are, or where
their limitations lay.
The most noticeable thing about Using My Gills… is the disparate range of keyboard
experimentation. From the start it is obvious that the distinctive guitar
dominated sound the band has previously relied upon has been dispensed with to
make room for this keyboard driven style. Although there is no lack of guitar,
the keyboards hold sway.
This record is sure to be perceived as a radical departure,
& it should be just the vehicle to open up a new world of possibilities for
one of Australia's
most creative groups.
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Triosk were an
experimental jazz band from Sydney, Australia,
who formed in 2001 & disbanded in 2007. Though coming from a jazz
foundation, their sound has very strong electronica elements as well as
influences from the textures of musique concrete, with their using loops of
hisses & crackles. They released three albums: 1+3+1 in 2003 (a
collaboration with German electronic artist Jan Jelinek on Berlin label ~scape); Moment Returns in
2004, & The Headlight Serenade in 2006 (both released on The Leaf
Label).
Laurence Pike is also a
member of instrumental band Pivot (Warp), Roam the Hello Clouds & has
recorded & toured with Flanger, Savath & Savalas, Jack Ladder, Qua,
& jazz veteran Mike Nock. Pianist Adrian Klumpes released a solo album
titled Be Still on The Leaf Label in late 2006.
Triosk made their
international debut fronting with Jan Jelinek for the superb 1+3+1 album
on Scape. Utilizing a classic Jazz piano trio formation, Triosk employs a
plethora of devices both traditional & modern in their search for the perfect
jazz note, gliding from condensed electronic minimalism to low-end sultriness
overflowing with piano cascades, sweeping whispered percussion & some unforgettable
double-bass lines. Despite being compared to everyone from the Necks to the
Cinematic Orchestra & Thelonius Monk, Triosk's greatest triumph lies with
their natural shape-shifting ability, morphing from one mode of operation to
another with apparent ease, sometimes through delicate transitions as one
hypnotic piece fizzes into another, sometimes within the confines of the same
track.
For those new to
Triosk's world, their sound is a post-modern view on jazz marinated in wisps of
electronica, minimal techno, & lush instrumentation that all unites into
abject clarity. Evidently taking advantage of an extended spell in the studio, The
Headlight Serenade is perhaps their richest release in terms of production,
yet rather than drown the band's charm beneath a deluge of mixing-desk
trickery, it instead seems to have focused them even more than ever.
On The Headlight
Serenade, Triosk are: Adrian Klumpes - piano, Rhodes
electric piano, synthesizer, & sampler;
Ben 'Donny' Waples – acoustic & electric bass; & Laurence Pike –
drums & percussion.
Disc 1 recorded &
mixed at Paradise Studios, Gosford & BIB Studios, Sydney, Australia.
Disc 2 is a live performance by Triosk from 15th June 2006 for ABC (Australian
Broadcasting Corporation) Radio National's Sound Quality & Music Deli
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Tracklist –
CD1
Visions IV
Lost Broadcast
Lost Reprise
Intensives Leben
Lazyboat
Not To Hurt You
Headlights
One, Twenty-Four
Vostok
Moment Returns
Fear Survivor
CD2
$20,000 Handshake
The Great Cities
One, Twenty Four
Lazyboat
Autumn Descends
Past Life Romantic
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The Necks were formed in Sydney, Australia
in 1987. The original line-up of pianist Chris Abrahams, bassist Lloyd Swanton,
& drummer Tony Buck remained stable, even though they all lead busy lives
& highly different careers. Abrahams is an acclaimed session keyboardist
who has released a couple of solo piano albums, has written music for film
& television, has toured the world in 1993 with the rock group Midnight
Oil. Swanton is a much in-demand session jazz bassist, a regular of the jazz
festival circuit. He has played in The Benders & The Catholics, & has
accompanied Stephen Cummings & Sting. Buck spends most of his time in
avant-garde circles, with multiple collaborations & projects. His best
known engagements have include the trio PERIL & the klezmer-punk group
Kletka Red.
The Necks' first album came out in 1989 on their own label,
Fish of Milk. The reviews were enthusiastic, most people praising the group's
ability to blend simplicity and experimentation. They would play whenever the
three musicians were in Australia
at the same time. The next three albums experimented with their format,
integrating occasional guests, electronics, & more. By 1998s Piano Bass
Drums their recipe had been fixed & would remain unchanged.
Typically a live performance will begin very quietly with
one of the musicians playing something very simple. One by one, the other two
will join with their own melodies, all three independent yet intertwined. A
piece of music usually lasts between 45 minutes to an hour, growing in volume,
pace & complexity before fading out.
Featured below is a cross-section of their extensive
discography. Prepare yourself for a space age journey with these releases.
Experimental jazz at it's best.
The Necks second release…
all decryption codes in comments
Tracklist –
Garl's
Nice Policeman Nasty Policeman (guest guitar Dave Brewer)
Pele
Next (guest pedal steel guitar Michel Rose)
Jazz Cancer (guest guitar Dave Brewer)
World at War (guest alto & tenor saxophone Timothy
Hopkins & trumpet Mike Bukovsky)
The Necks fifth release (their first live release recorded
in concert at The Basement in Sydney, Australia on September 25, 1996)…
Track –
Unheard
The Necks thirteenth release (winner of the Best Jazz Album
award in the ARIA Music Awards of 2006)…
Tracklist -
Fatal
Buoyant
Abillera
The Necks fourteenth release (another live set recorded on
February 15, 2007 in concert at the Riverway Arts Centre in Thuringowa City,
Northern Queensland).
Track –
Townsville
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This album from Perth,
Australia
native electronica/doom pop star Abbe May was knocked out in five days with
members of Kill Devil Hills, The Lazy Railway & Abbe’s regular band The
Rockin' Pneumonia. It is brimming with spectral sexual energy, perfect for my
taste in things.
Abbe’s MySpace page says: “Five days, four musicians, three chords, too many
bottles of spliff wine & one Willie Dixon song.”
Abbe isn’t worried about evangelical threats of calling Satan into her life by
using his name; she’s willing to play with the Big Boy if He’s willing to play
with her. Well, are you, Natas, are you?
decryption code in comments
Tracks -
Hoodoo You Do
Call Me Back or I'll Unleash Hell’s Hounds
Oh Sweet Jaysus!
You Gonna Get It
A Wail of Sirens
My Heart, it Struck Sorrow
I’ve Been Thirsty, I Haven't Found Any Yet
The Soul of a Man
Howard Moon
Wang Dang Doodle
The Ballad of Ignatius Elliot Archer
Goodnight Irene
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The Shaolin Afronauts are an Adelaide based instrumental Afrobeat band
started in 2008. They took their inspiration from Fela Kuti's Africa
70 band & the music of Sun Ra. They incorporate elements of avant-garde
jazz & soul with traditional African & Cuban percussive rhythms.
In 2011 they signed to Freestyle Records label & released
their debut album Flight of the Ancients.
On Flight of the Ancients, Shaolin Afronauts are: Lachlan
Ridge, & Kahil Nayton – guitar; Dylan Marshall – guitar & synthesizer;
Chris Soole – alto saxophone; Adam Paige – tenor saxophone; Jon Hunt – baritone
saxophone & bass clarinet; Chris weber – trumpet; Ross McHenry – bass; Tim
Wilsdon – congas; Joel Prime & Tim Bennett – percussion; David van der
Zwaag – shekere & hand percussion; & Kevin van der Zwaag – drums.
decryption code in comments
Side A –
Journey through Time
Rise with the Blind
Flight of the Ancients
Shaolin Theme
Side B –
Kilimanjaro
Shira
The Quiet Lion
The Scarab
Enjoy,
NØ