Category Archives: New Music

New Music

Listen: Power – Serpent City

Power are a relatively new three-piece to arise from Melbourne, a city decreasingly home to solid rock bands. Power’s members have a pedigree comprised of some of the better punk outfits of the last few years – Soma Coma, Dribble, Gutter Gods and Kromosom among ‘em. They play a kinda stomp that calls to mind the intuitive riffage of the Young brothers all while maintaining a steady boogie stomp not unlike Coloured Balls, who they all obviously have spent some time with. ‘Serpent City’ opens with a deranged mess of feedback before picking up steam as Nathan Williams’ caterwauling vocals are introduced.

I played a show with these guys the other day and can honestly say they are the best live band I’ve seen in an age, revealing a more psych-fucked edge than the two tracks on their promo cassette betray. A 7” and LP are in the works, also on Cool Death, for later this year/the next. Lobby would be proud.

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‘Serpent City’ is one part of a two-track promo cassette available through Cool Death Recordings.

(Featured Photo: Sigourney Ormston)

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New Music

Listen: Leafy Suburbs – Magic Eye

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Perth’s Lyndon Blue is a prolific contributor to the surprisingly busy Perth electronic scene via his involvement in acts as varied as Spirit Level, Seams, Solar Barge and Heathcote Blue. Leafy Suburbs is his solo electronic project, led by beats and clipping explorations that fade out much more quickly than what the genre’s staples usually warrant.

‘Magic Eye’ is a preview from an upcoming cassette on Perth’s Pouring Dream, the label who also hosts Leaving, who we featured last week. ‘Magic Eye’ lives in a similar realm to the recordings that appears on his LP ‘Slow Lights’, clashing aspects of house and techno with more ambient and exploratory passages.

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You can listen to Leafy Suburbs’ most recent LP ‘Slow Lights’ on bandcamp.

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New Music

Watch: Thhomas – Heat Wave

There are few facts on the ground re: who Thhomas is, though I gather he’s from somewhere in North Melbourne and he also plays in a group called 30/70. His debut solo cassette is now available from Canberra-bassed cassette label Moontown Tapes label, which has also issued recordings by Enderie Nuatal (of Cured Pink fame) and Sewer Side.

This self-titled cassette is quite diverse, ranging occasionally bluesy instrumental hip-hop laden with samples, through to ‘Heat Wave’, which for mine is the highlight. It starts off in early Aphex Twin ambient territory before picking up pace, gaining a swing, and blossoming with some sad Satie-esque piano and synth melodies. The full tape can be streamed and purchased here.

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New Music

Listen: Leaving – Modern Version

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Leaving is the solo project of Perth’s Rupert Thomas, a sparse counterpoint to the more directly expressive forms of music he has contributed to as a part of Erasers and Split Level. ‘Modern Version’ was recorded on a four-track tape recorder earlier this year, and while it doesn’t retain the ragged shapes that often follow the four-track, it seems to have been an influential medium. There’s a sparsity here that’s surprisingly gripping.

Like most good ambient music, ‘Modern Version’ is unlikely to remind anyone of anything in particular. It recalls little more than whatever lies in the most absent recess of your mind at the time of listening. Listening to ‘Modern Version’ gave me a fleeting taste of what having an appreciable attention span must feel like – it was pretty comforting.

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‘Modern Version’ appears ahead of an LP to be released at the end of this year on Perth label Pouring Dream.

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New Music

Listen: Velvet Whip – Bronze Medallion

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Velvet Whip exist in a realm of excitable catharsis and distorted reference points. Fronted by the shrieks and flaying hair of NUN‘s Hugh Young, the Melbourne four-piece are one of many recent punk and hardcore acts increasingly embracing the psychedelic realms in their otherwise direct shots of bitterness and distaste. It’s space-punk for the common nihilist.

‘Bronze Medallion’ appears on Velvet Whip’s second cassette on Cool Death Records. Young sounds like an unethically programmed android here, and his fierce backing gives way on multiple occasions to stretched passages of flanging nonsense. It’s a rush that matches their previous cassette on the same label and resulted in one of the more chaotic sets at last year’s Maggotfest.

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Velvet Whip’s Bronze Medallion tape can be purchased from Repressed or your favourite online distro.

(Photos: Sigourney Ormston)

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