We are going full Australian with this extended Video Vacuum, so strap yourselves in...
Good buds
The Ocean Party keep the good times rolling on in soft focus and fun film clips. One of the best tracks of Soft Focus is 'Deluded', and it's great that not only is it their new single, its a great video of interpretive dance from 'new' member Mark Rogers. He actually finishes the song early, after an impressive display of Fitzroy yoga - and then is superseded by a random dude in a station wagon. Accidental brilliance.
Another Melbourne band that I love is
Constant Mongrel, and they have a solid video to go along with 'The Law' that is on their
DCM 7" (out through RIP Society). The video - mime masks and an assort array of inanimate objects (including what looks like my dusty VCR that hasn't left my parents' garage since 2006) in an empty room. Trust me, the minimalism works. If you are digging this (and you bloody well should) and are in Sydney, head down to the Lansdowne NOW - they are playing alongside other excellent acts Woollen Kits and Nathan Roche.
The crazy kids from Newcastle
Gooch Palms are almost outta town, with their relocation to the US of A imminent. And boy will we miss them - as 'Trackside Daze' attests. The Ramones in hyperdrive, on speed and clinically insane, the duo take the film clip and add cheese, uniforms, outlandish glasses, talking gerbils, dancing skeletons, grandparents, aquariums, impaled heads...man it's a schizoid mindfuck, and so so brilliant.
I've made no bones about how pleasantly surprised I was by how much I enjoyed
Spent The Afternoon, the debut album from
Full Ugly last year. After recording a house show and some silly interludes from the band, we now have a quaint little video for 'Oh Daddy', which has me reaching for
Spent The Afternoon all over again. Nice one guys!
One of my favourite albums of the year in 2014 was
Jersey Flegg, the concept album by You Beauty. That band's Will Farrier has another intriguing musical outlet at the moment, as one half of
Home Travel, a minimal synth outfit that is at once camp and sinister (therefore, brilliant). Johann Rashid, the other half, resides in New York - and the film clip for 'Death Threats' underscores the seedy underbelly of that city as seen in 80s and 90s B-grade violent films (
King of New York comes to mind). It's a super slick production, albeit one that is strange, stupid, knowing and fun (the tongue roll over the th in 'threat' is also incredible) - and I can't wait to see what else these two will bring our way.
An underrated musical genius lurking through the streets of Melbourne is
Andre. He slips under the radar in his leather vest and miniscule moustache, his motorcycle purring down these streets. His third album Smooth Move came out in December (I'll have to get to that soon), and here is the (again) slick video for 'Single Town' . It's a great tongue in cheek song about staying single, but the video is brilliant, all slow motion posturing with fans in the bedroom, angle grinders in the garage, steaks on the BBQ, guitars in the bubblebath and a naked Emma Russack. Andre, keep it coming - there isn't enough of this out there.
A couple weeks ago we launched the news of our second Sonic Masala Fest. One of the local bands to make the grade are
Go Go Fish, guitar pop nerds who love their hooks with sugar and bite. New single 'Guest List' is exactly the kind of thing these guys do well - the the clip, of the band wandering around a share house that starts out with just a small jam, blazes into a party (with added beer-induced workouts) with the slightest edge, before twinkling out with a wistful grin.
NOW GET BACK TO WORK!
