Michael Weybret recut his short film “An Early Autumn’s Hope” into a music video for the song that helped inspire the story. Just so happens to be “Hold Me Closer” by Froglix favourite Small City Calling. Check out the video below.
– DMitch
Category: indie
So far Australia Week has taken us to Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane. And today our tour of Australia takes us to Melbourne. We’ve covered goodbyemotel a couple of times on here already. And they continue to impress. Check out the video for “Graham Calender”. This was the first single released off their latest EP released in September 2012 entitled People.
– DMitch
Projects akin to Sounds Like Brisbane provide an invaluable service to the indie music lover. It gives an opportunity to check out a bunch of pre-vetted bands quickly and at no risk. Who wants to lay down hard cash on some obscure band you’ve never heard before? For me, a similar project in 2005 called the Labrador Summer Sampler from Labrador Records totally opened my ears to a whole new world of music. I found bands I still follow today. SLB has done the same thing.
So, what exactly does Brisbane sound like? If you judge by the electic mix of artists on the Sounds Like Brisbane sampler…well, Brisbane sounds like anything the hell you want it to. Punk, folk, pop, rock, rap, whatever. From SLB Froglix has made mention, reviewed or played DZ Deathrays, I Heart Hiroshima, The Medics, Carry Nation, Texas Tea, Undead Apes, and more.
Today I introduce Regurgitator. This is not my usual cup of tea; but, their difference to what we’ve covered on here before is precisely what showcases the musical diversity of this city. And besides, I find the video for “All Fake Everything” incredibly amusing.
– DMitch
One of my favourite new bands from anywhere right now happens to come from Sydney. So of course I was going to try and include Circle (check out my original review if you are so inclined) in Australia Week if I could. And they make it so easy. It seems they are releasing a “studio demo” every other week now, teasing us with what they’re working on.
The latest creation they’ve let us have a peek in on is “Shake It Off”. It’s interesting hearing the bare bones germ of a song. And this track has me very excited to hear the final product.
– DMitch
artist: Circle
album: The Middle
genre: alternative
label: Monday Records
Fashion Me A Drum (Clip)
Half Race Girls (Clip)
Brothers (Clip)
I usually like to compare a band to other, often better known, bands. Doing so for Circle doesn’t seem fair though. Perhaps you will catch a glimpse of something like Death Cab For Cutie in a track or two, then others are reminiscent of Swedish bands The Legends or Acid House Kings. Sometimes the taste was something a bit like The Cocteau Twins. But Circle isn’t really any of those other bands. What they are is yet another brilliant alternative band from Australia delivering some of the best alternative/electro pop/indie rock (or whatever you want to call it) music I’ve heard in awhile. Seriously, what’s in the water there?
Although the band has been playing in some form since 2005, The Middle is first studio album from Circle. The wait is worth it though because Radi Safi, Dan Shaw, and Rebecca Shave surely have created a masterpiece here. It’s not often I listen to a brand new album on my morning commute and then find myself throughout the day singing to myself multiple tunes off of it. The album really kicks off, for me, with track two’s “Fashion Me a Drum”. The pulsating beating intro, layered a moment later with synth chords, then finally the slightly airy but understated Radi vocals draw you into the song immediately. The sucking in continues when Rebecca joins in on the chorus, but the coup de grâce is when Rebecca’s solo kicks in. When I find myself singing along “I will follow the beat, I will follow the drum, I will follow the sound… the sound that made me love you”, I really really mean it.
Other tracks along the lines of “Fashion Me A Drum” are “Half Race Girls” and “Brothers”. Both are incredibly accessible, having all the hooks you’d ever want and will have you singing along in no time at all. (I hear my 4 year old son singing the melody of the “ooooh ooooh ooooh”s from “Half Race Girls” all the time.) The tracks “Gorgeous”, “All The People”, and “Hold” are what gave me the glimpses of The Sundays and The Cocteau Twins I mentioned earlier. Ephemeral, melodic, hypnotic…brilliant.
– DMitch
P.S. Tell me this video isn’t the most hipster thing you’ve ever seen…
What are you doing this Friday? If you happen to find yourself in Houston, TX then I highly recommend you check out The Wheel Workers Vinyl Release Party. The release 
features two(2) re-imagined and re-mixed tracks off their Unite album. (By the way, you can read my original review of the album if you want.) I have to say, I originally didn’t see “Right Way To Go” and “Spidermazes” as album standouts, but these new remixes are incredible. My previous favorite track from Unite, “Stereomad”, now has a serious competitor with the now more amped up “Spidermazes”. I’m adding both tracks to The Big Mix, so you can check them out here or grab the vinyl (or CD) from the release party. Or find the original album versions on iTunes.
– DMitch
2011 was indeed a good year for Australia’s up and coming indie rockers Goodbyemotel. Not only were they nominated as finalists in this year’s Music Oz Awards…but so was their video (above) for the title track of their 2011 EP [itunes link=”http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/wish-your-way/id456122590?i=456122600&uo=4″ title=”Wish Your Way” text=”Wish Your Way”]. Naturally, this comes as no surprise to your friends here at Froglix as we predicted back in October that big things were expected from these cats and, true to form, it is all coming to fruition. Cheers mates! Job well done…
– Drago
“Sick Of It All”, the title track from Leaving Venus’s most recent EP made me smile right from the get go. You know the moment in the movies when a fledgling band in the late 1950’s excitedly listens to their song on the radio for the first time… and then it quickly cuts mid-stream to them playing it live? Well yeah, that’s the exact vibe you get at the 30 second mark. And the style of music in this track fits the image as well… a rockabilly styled tune, simple chord changes, but catchy and lyrically clever. Then right at the 1:20 mark you get a refreshing 10 second change in tone that brings to mind something you’d hear from The Connells, maybe like from the “All Sinks In” track off of One Simple Word. In fact it’s a glimpse of what the other tracks on the EP are like.
I had a hard time choosing which other track from the EP to add to the broadcast. Ultimately I chose
“Comfortably”, mostly because it had me tapping my foot halfway through my first listen, and had me wanting to sing along by the second. I suppose that’s as good of a test as any. “Comfortably” probably also does the best job in showcasing Michael Miller’s mellifluous voice. Sometimes I do wish he’d do just a bit more vocally, but in this track it feels just right, well “comfortable” actually.
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– DMitch |
I have a penchant for socially conscious bands. Somehow the music and lyrics let us all experience just a bit more of the human condition. From the plight of 20th Century Ireland voiced by U2’s War album and Black 47’s “James Connolly”. To The Housemartins’ “Caravan of Love” becoming an anthem for the striking coal miners of northern England and their railings against the British monarchy in the album The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death. To The Farm’s “All Together Now” heralding the soldiers of World War I who took a break from the trenches of war to play some footie on Christmas Day. And even to Chumbawamba’s anarchist bent. I could keep going, but I want to talk about a new band to add their voice to the amalgam of social ideals.
Froglix is pleased to add to The Big Mix two (2) tracks from The Wheel Workers debut album Unite. The Wheel Workers consist of Steven Higginbothom (vox, guitar, ukelele), Jason Williams (bass), Craig Wilkins (guitar, keyboard), Allison Wilkins McPhail (keyboard, vocals, theremin), and Jason Carmona (drums). Their sound ranges from alternative pop to folk to rock. And their music and lyrics will go from the atmosphere of a ragtime band on Bourbon Street to a fight for the proletariat against Wall Street.
My favorite track from the album is probably “Stereomad”. Steven’s steady and smooth delivery perfectly juxtaposes against the slightly ephemeral quality of Allison’s voice, over the backdrop of masterfully crafted alt-pop tunage. “The MOP” carries the sentiment of all who have a minimum wage job on their résumé typified with the lyric “let’s kick out the bosses and run it our way”. Now I’ve held both minimum wage jobs and “professional” jobs, and I think that desire is universal. I’ve even felt that way when I’ve worked for myself.
There are a bunch of other standout tracks. I’ve had the hardest time trying to pinpoint what “Open Door” sounds most like, maybe something like The Klaxons?? The middle of the album holds tunes perfect for an afternoon daydream in songs like “Spidermazes” and “Soft”. They kick it back up a notch right at the end with the stellar “The Seal and Whale”.
Grab the album for yourself…
And apparently their sophomore album is slated to come out this summer, so look for that on here as well.
– DMitch
Coming to a city relatively near you, my friends…shows are selling out so click here bee-yottches so get yo tix asap.
