7 Australian bands you should know about
Back in 2008 I wrote a piece called 'New bands you should know about in the Australian scene'. Since then, that piece has consistently been one of our highest traffic drivers. So, I've resolved to update my list to tell you a little bit about the Australian bands that are rocking my world now in 2012.
Hydromedusa
These Adelaide-based stoner/doom merchants and quite simply one of the fastest rising stars in Australia's underground. They Combine incredibly classy, high-energy blues-based rock with thc-drenched, psychedelic sensabilities, and an apprenticeship from our nation's greatest doom band, Space Bong, these guys are one hell of a dynamic and versatile
unit. They can make you tap your does, wallow in drugged-out bliss, or drop you into a pit of droning despair - like a magicial amalgammation of Church of Misery, Bongzilla, and Space Bong.
Go download their debut album for free. Word is they've been working on a new one; and I'm hoping they're a staple for this years Doomsday Festival.
The Reverend Jesse Custer
These Canberra grindpals are awesome, awesome, AWESOME. Seriously, I struggle to think of a more exciting Australian live band at this point in time. Every single time I've seen these guys play, I've been blown away -- and they just keep getting better.
The Reverend Jesse Custer mix up seething metallic hardcore, with gritty sludge, frenetic grind, feedback, fury and groove. As a band they're never sitting still. Their compositions are as intelligent as they are enjoyable. A single-tempo genre band these guys definitely are not.
Just fucking awesome. I don't feel like their recording fully does them justice, but you should check it out regardless. A new one has apparently already been put to tape.
IDYLLS
Man, has these been a buzz about these guys! I'm writing this a few days before IDYLLS hit Sydney as part of their 2-week tour of Australia. Their new album "Farewell All Joy" has been kicking peoples asses for the last few months, and I simply cannot wait to see them unleash their bizarre form of aural carnage live.
These guys play unique, furious metallic hardcore here in the vein of Dillinger Escape Plan, Agents of Abhorrence and early Converge. Awesome. Go get it.
In Trenches
In Trenches play seething metallic hardcore from Melbourne. These veterans have been instrumental in leading Australia's new brand of hardcore - focused on infusing complex rhythms, post-metal, sludge and even psychedelic and blackened elements.
Their recent album Sol Obscura is a cracker. Check it out.
Killsong
And now for something completely different. These guys remind me of the multi-headed beastfuck spawn of a smokey, seedy jazz band, a rock opera, a group of sketchy gypsy circus toughs, a brilliant improvised spoken-word poet descending into madness, and a degenerate that is forced to clown for meth. Essentially they're indescribably brilliant. Their music / performance is theatric, musically impressive, comedic, and generally just mind-blowing. Absolute insanity.
Features members of Squat Club, Darth Vegas, Gauche, The Bznzz, Slimey Things, Rica Tetas and other awesome things. They've got some live bootlegs up on their Soundcloud, but their debut album should be out through Art As Catharsis a little later in the year.
Jesus Christ Posse
Sydney old school hardcore punk rock executed brilliantly, and with a hilarious militant Christian schtick. Apparently at their last show they begun by reenacting the crucifixtion of Jesus on a giant cross, then raised their front man from the dead to start the first song.
Another one thats more of a live band, but check out the album.
Space Bong
Still the best droning doom band on the planet. Definitely up there with Yob, Iron Monkey, Eyehategod, Sunn O))), Earth and the like. They've got a new album coming out a bit
later in the year, but for now you can enjoy 2010's The Death of Utopia (though I'm not sure if 'enjoy' is the right word if we're talking one of the darkest and most depressive bands on earth).
Grindpalz Festival – Beatdsic Records – Parramatta – Sunday
Beatdisc Records in Parramatta is reluctantly hosting a Michael Crafter-curated mini-festival celebrating some of NSW & ACT's finest grind/hc/punk outfits. This show is also known as Blastdisc or Beatdisc Blast Beats. This is the last Sydney show for Crafter for a while as the older of the 2 members is slowly dying from old age, with death looming within the next 30-40 years he is running from the truth down to Melbourne. To find out for himself if the grass is really and truly greener. So come give me a hug and a big thumbs up before I leave you all in my dust.
Beatdisc Records
Shop 11/181 Church Street, Parramatta
From 2.30pm, Sunday the 5th of February. 10 bands, 10 min sets.
MICHAEL CRAFTER
THE REVEREND JESSE CUSTER
GHOSTS
FAT GUY WEARS MYSTIC WOLF SHIRT
NO SUCH LUCK
THEDOWNGOING
YO, PUT THAT BAG BACK ON (first show!)
EVEREST (reunion show!)
DRILLBIT
THE HOLIDAY PROJECT
https://www.facebook.com/events/365407156819836/
Grindpal merch made by grindpalz for grindpalz
Celebrating the bond between one grindcore lover and another.
These grindcore t-shirts were made with a love and commitment to grindcore. Primarily inspired by this blog as well as the general boozing that occurs when long distance grindpalz get together, I thought I would post the links to purchase them up here in case you had an itch to also proclaim your love for your grind fiend friends. This is available as a very limited run of raglan/baseball style t-shirts. A split release between the interstate grindpalz The Reverend Jesse Custer (ACT) and Michael Crafter (Syd), who love nothing more than hanging out, drinking beer and blasting grindcore.
Available from the Michael Crafter bandcamp or Reverend Jesse Custer Bigcartel
Matt’s best of 2011
Being inspired by Lachlan's comprehensive list of his favourite 2011 hits I though I would put together a small list of my own. Personally I thought while trying to filter through the sheer volume of stuff coming out to find albums you actually enjoy, there was quite a few goodies to come from 2011, although often over hyped and just generally over saturated these days its hard to tell whats a hit and whats shit. I would like to read more about different music and original new releases but everyone gets the same press releases, the same promo CD's and writes the same shit about the same overworked bullcrap. My list might not be that surprising for those who know me, but hey, I can't help like what I like. That being said here's my lists.
Top 5 releases of 2011
- Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Unknown Mortal Orchestra: After seeing them live this month I couldn't go past including this album. Just some great fuzzed out pop.
- Tyler, The Creator - Goblin: Possibly over-hyped yes, but on first listen I fell in love, it gave me hope for the future of music.
- The Middle East - I Want That You Are Always Happy: Great album full stop.
- Adalita - Adalita: Sad chick music, sounds awesome and gives me goosebumps.
- Anchors - Bad Juju: Aussie melodic punk, I listen to this HEAPS and it never gets old.
The best extreme music of 2011
- The Kill - Shower of Bricks: Noone says no to The Kill
- The Reverend Jesse Custer - S/T: Great grindcore from Canberra, straight up awesome.
- Totally Unicorn - Horse Hugger EP: Party dudes, party metal, and are even better live.
- Raein - Sulla linea d'orizzonte tra questa mia vita e quella di tutti: To help you get heaps excited for the Jan tour!
- Ironhide - Create/Collapse/Repeat: Good album! I like listening this to psyche myself up.
Best gigs of 2011
- Defiance, Ohio - Secret Show @ Sham Haus (January)
Defiance should only ever be seen in a house show circumstance, where their music most makes sense, support by the Smith Street band and a whole bunch of acoustic locals. Heaps sweaty and awesome.
- Iron Lung - Dirty Shirlows (January)
Finally I got to see Iron Lung, as powerful as predicted. They need to play for longer, I don't care, I loved it.
- Bluesfest - Byron Bay (April)
Fishbone and The Aggrolites, need i say more?
- Yo Gabba Gabba - Opera House (June)
Front row brilliance and DJ Vance getting those toddlers screaming for more
- Family Man, Atomgevitter - Bandung, Indonesia (July)
I chose this show because it was a true underground Indonesian venue, sweaty, full of punks getting stoked on all things Kontrasosial and raging D-beat. A great show.
- Artless Armchair 7 (December)
Grindcore, folk, party rock and DJ's playing music on a remote farm for a whole weekend. My favourite weekend of the year... every year.
What I would like to see come out of 2012
- More Weezer
- White Male Dumbinance playing more shows
- The new Agents of Abhorrence album
I get a little hard every time I think about this new album finally coming to fruition.
- More people finding great albums and sharing them.
So more great music is heard.
Australian Grind Hero of the Year
Tom Scott for his tireless effort letting us play in his shopfront every weekend, feeding us veg pies and putting on great shows week in week out.
Lachlan’s best of 2011
Well, 2011 was yet another year dominated by souless, watered down music in the mainstream music industry. Bland garage/indie and horrid R&B-pop were, once again, the order of the day. Perhaps more disturbingly, some styles previously associated with underground music continued to be watered-down and repackaged into acceptable pop culture products - namely hardcore and metalcore, who have now seemingly completed their transition into music forms completely devoid of any human emotion or feeling. The post-rock scene similarly provided an endless supply of bands that sound exactly the same.
In spite of my general misanthropy towards the wider music scene, there were still some more unique gems to be had if you dug deep enough. What's more, I really felt like this was a great year for the various underground music scenes in Australia. I feel like there are more bands of more diverse styles going the DIY path, putting on great shows and releasing original, soulful music.
What more, Sydney was lucky enough to have Black Wire Records to actually support underground punk, hardcore, crust, powerviolence and grind.
Here's what I dug in 2011.
Top 5 releases of 2011
- The Devin Townsend Band - Deconstruction: Brilliant. Possible Devin Townsend's very best.
- YOB - Atma: If anything just for Before We Dreamed of Two and Adrift in the Ocean. An incredible doom record.
- Bjork - Biophilia: The best Bjork release since Homogenic.
- Graveyard - Hisingen Blues: I struggle to think of a better rock album released in the last decade.
- La Dispute - Wildlife: An honest and genuine emotional catharsis. Honest and genuine.
Top 5 grind(ish) releases of 2011
The Kill - Shower of Bricks: the perfect distillation of intense grindcore.- The Reverend Jesse Custer - The Reverend Jesse Custer: sludgy, raging metallic grind and hardcore.
- Fat Guy Wears Mystic Wolf Shirt - Counter Transference: techy polyrhythmic, sporadic math/grind bliss.
- IDYLLS - Amps for God / Plague Hell: furious fucking grinding metallic hardcore.
- Wormrot - Noise: blistering and intense.
The 10 albums I couldn't stop playing all year
- Emily Haines and the Soft Skeleton - Knives Don't Have Your Back
- Roots Manuva - Brand New Second Hand
- YOB - Atma
- Bohren & Der Club of Gore - Black Earth
- Bohren & Der Club of Gore - Sunset Mission
- Dax Riggs - Angel in the Dopesmoke (live bootleg)
- Neil Young - Dead Man soundtrack
- Neurosis - The Eye of Every Storm
- Worlds End Girlfriend - Hurtbreak Wonderland
- The Cinematic Orchestra - Every Day
The 10 Australian releases you really should have heard
Hydromedusa - Self-titled: Adelaide stoner rock that just oozes bluesy class. (It's FREE! Get it!)- sleepmakeswaves - And So We Destroyed Everything: An interesting post-rock record? Well I never!
- Pirate - Left of Mind: Fantastic Sydney instrumental prog.
- An Emerald City - The Fourth: Technically Kiwi, but a great, cinematic album.
- Tangled Throughts of Leaving - Deaden the Fields: These guys came outta nowhere (Perth)! Incredible progressive, piano-driven music mixed with progressive and post music.
- Mother Mars - Fossil Fuel Blues: Perhaps Sydney's greatest stoner/desert rock band.
- Arrowhead - Atomsmasher: Or perhaps these guys are?
- Serious Beak - Huxwhukw: Okay it's my band, fuck you.
- Squat Club - Corvus (remixed, remastered and re-released): Now with even more mind-bending polyrhythmic clarity!
- Fat Guy Wears Mystic Wolf Shirt Counter - Transference
My favourite live shows of 2011
- Portishead at Sydney Harvest Festival
- Eagle Twin at Manning Bar
- Gotye at Angel Place City Recital Hall
- Kyuss at The Big Top
- The Reverend Jesse Custer at Town Hall Hotel
- Captain Cleanoff and Death-Cult Jock at Black Wire Records
- Ruins, Darth Vegas, Slimey Things (Featherfest 2011) at TONE
- Clagg and Agonhymn at The Pony
- Space Bong, Looking Glass and Hydromedusa at The Sando
Australian grind hero of the year
- Jack of Die Pigeon Die. Just an all around good bloke who never relents in his selfless passion to support Australian grindcore.
You disagree? Oh what a surprise! What did you guys dig this year? Was it a good year? A shit year?
DOWNLOAD: AusGrind’s Hits of the Summer (Australian grind compilation)
The grind hit mix of summer, turn those summer blues around with some real party tunes!
Free download. Get it now. Australian blastbeat! Will! Warm! Your! Heart!
At AusGrind's recent annual shareholders conference (read: a messy drunken grindparty for two) the AusGrind board move to initiate a new social welfare initiative aimed at increasing the grindparty of our fellow Australians over this summer period.
It is in this spirit of charity that we are proud to present AusGrind's Hits of the Summer 2011 - a FREE digital compilation featuring 21 tracks of premium grindparty tunes from some of Australia's greatest grindcore, powerviolence and crossover bands - not to mention some awesome underground gems you might not yet know.
AusGrind's Hits of the Summer is great gift for your grind loving mother on Christmas Day. Please burn this mix to a CD, to place in your shitty car stereo, boost the Treble to 11 and let those buff Gaga-loving circle jerks know who's boss.
Featuring 21 'blastering' tracks from the best underground grindcore boybands Australia has to offer, including The Kill (VIC), Ether Rag (NSW), Death-Cult Jock (SA), Captain Cleanoff, NowyourefuckeD (TAS), Michael Crafter (NSW), IDYLLS (QLD), Night Hag (SA), Fat Guy Wears Mystic Wolf Shirt (NSW) and The Reverend Jesse Custer (ACT).
Track-listing:
- Ether Rag - Mortal Combat of Light and Shadow
- Captain Cleanoff - Your Fate
- thedowngoing - hurtnone
- Serious Beak - Lähendama
- Death-Cult Jock - War Through Other Means
- IDYLLS - Tooth and Claw
- Michael Crafter - Tea O Ais
- The Kill - Shower of Bricks
- Nice Guys - Van Damnation
- Night Hag - Coolidge, Kansas
- Battle Pope - Heroin Jesus
- Jesus Christ Posse - Thou Shalt Not Spill
- The Reverend Jesse Custer - Outside of Everything
- ARSEHOLOCAUST - Japanese Nuclear Hero Brigade
- Machinoir - Song Written on a Scrap of Paper
- Fat Guy Wears Mystic Wolf Shirt - Breath Left Breathing
- Dyke Destroyer - Smooth Crotchless Operation
- Frank Rizzo - Left at the Door
- McLovin - White Livers
- NowyourefuckeD - Spasticated Milkman
- Michael Jackson's Doctor - Heil Oettinger
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