Australia

All files re-uploaded by request 04/05/2024.

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.

 Radio Birdman – Radios Appear, Sire SRK 6050, 1978. 

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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.

 Died Pretty - Next to Nothing, Citadel Records CITEP 901, 1985.
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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”.

Died Pretty - Free Dirt, Citadel Records CITLP 504, 1986.

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.

 Died Pretty - True Fools Fall/A Ballad/Is There Anyone/Kingpin 2x7", 

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.

Died Pretty – Trace, Columbia Records 659544 2, 1993.

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.

Died Pretty - Using My Gills as a Roadmap, Citadel Records CIT 536, 1998.

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

 Triosk - The Headlight Serenade, Leaf BAY 49CDJ 2 x CD, 2006. 

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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…

 The Necks – Next, Spiral Scratch 004, 1990. 

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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)…

The Necks – Piano Bass Drums, Fish of Milk FOM 0005, 1998.

Track –

Unheard

The Necks thirteenth release (winner of the Best Jazz Album award in the ARIA Music Awards of 2006)…

 The Necks – Chemist, Fish of Milk FOM 0012, 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).

The Necks – Townsville, Fish Of Milk FOM 0013, 2007.

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?

 The Devil & AbbeMay - Hoodoo You Do, Independent, 2009.

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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.

Shaolin Afronauts - Flight of the Ancients, Freestyle Records FSRLP085, 2011. 

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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