VIDEO VACUUM - Kirin J Callinan, Bleached, Charles Howl, Evening Hiss

It's November already?? Wow. No wonder I'm so tired. And lazy. I'm going to stop doing work now (it's 10am) and watch some music videos. You can too if you want, I'm not the boss of you.



Kirin J Callinan certainly ruffled a lot of feathers and beguiled many others with his debut album Embracism. I personally find his music far better in person, with visuals. That's why I tend to look forward to his film clips more than sitting down for just an aural taste. He hasn't disappointed thus far, and this incredible video for that album's 'Landslide' is incredible. Whilst it certainly helps that the song is probably my favourite from the album, the sight of Callinan hanging upside down above an ocean - that's in the sky - is incredible. And for whatever reason, I always get a kick out of seeing a dog swim. So win win, really.



Lots of bands get a kick out of having Halloween-themed songs for this bizarre commercialised holiday in America, whether it be kitschy tweaked originals or covers. Bleached have taken the former with 'Love Spells', a song that isn't really any different from what they do in the daytime, but have a decidedly ghoulish 80s VHS-era video to go with it. It's all incredibly fun, even if there are some evocative images held within (the woman with the severed hand and bloody crucifix in particular stick in the mind...)



Charles Howl is on the prowl, but he promises he will do you no harm. That doesn't appease me though, what with his extensive usage of white and the sleeping girl. He kicks off with his crotch in our face as he does up his fly! There's a glowing orb and smoke! Wait - he's going to smother her! Or is he? What a creep...or is he actually hugely misunderstood? Meh. He plays a mean garage line, and seeing as he has aligned himself to PNKSLM, he can't be all bad... Really looking forward to hearing more of this.


Evening Hiss - Melt from Daniel Ford on Vimeo.

Daniel Ford know no limits. I could be referencing seminal 90s act 2 Unlimited there. Maybe Ford should cover it? Probably not. He is in a gazillion local bands that would do a good job of it though - Black Vacation, Thigh Master, Kids Cryptic, just to name a few. Here is a song from solo project Evening Hiss, that started as a complement to an art exhibition he has coming up. This effort will be put out on limited release, and based on this track you will be sorry if you miss out. Or just pissed that someone has so much bloody talent to burn.

NOW GET BACK TO WORK!

Embrace Kirin on the Internet Right Now

Turn, face, Embrace.

I once read this "guide book" about how to hug dudes properly. It didn't really work. If anything it probably made things a little more awkward - hugging whilst knowing I'd read it, hoping the embracee would never find out.

Kirin J Callinan doesn't seem to care what you find out. He sings and moves and sells framed photos of himself at gigs with a striking nonchalance. What is striking about it is that it doesn't seem put on. Australians, especially, have fairly well-tuned bullshit detectors. When Kirin is putting things out there, the needle stays pretty close to zero. The things coming out are the things that are in there. Inside him as he lurches lopsided and semi-naked around his own apartment  - in the clear view of the neighbours in the next building. He is self-aware but not acting.



There is something deeper running through this as well. Something that touches on the reason Australian males might need a "guide book" for hugging other dudes in the first place. There's a murky anxiety in the lyrics, the way they are delivered (listen for the exhalation) and the just-too-fast heartbeat of the bass line.

It may seem awkward at first, but, if you lean into it, Embracism will warm you.

Find out more on the Siberia Records site here.

Big Sound stuff

And so it begins...The 2012 Brisbane Big Sound conference and live showcase promises to be the biggest yet, and already is touted as the Southern Hemisphere's fledgling answer to SXSW. Big shoes to emulate, but there is credence in such claims. With the likes of Steve Earle and the like taking part in Q&As, panel discussions and masterclasses, it has the potential to be an industry icon - as far as that goes, I suppose. I for one can see why some people consider these kinds of things a bit of a wank, but it gets people interested in all facets of music, which can't be a bad thing.

But the most exciting thing about Big Sound is...the sound! Big Sound Live showcases 120 bands within a two block radius all playing over the next two nights. There are some amazing bands that are playing, some of which I have spoken about at length in previous posts (Violent Soho, Transistors, Kirin J Callinan, Velociraptor), but there is a huge list of great acts doing the rounds. Below is a "hitlist" of artists to try and check out. Have a listen, then if you are on the ground check out where/when they are playing here. Ill be around and about reviewing, taking snaps, and other things I won't dare to mention here. See you on the beach!

Straight Arrows



Super Wild Horses



Step-Panther



King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard



Courtney Barnett



Bearhug



Drunk Mums



Go Violets



Geoffrey O'Connor



Jeremy Neale



Shady Lane



The DC3



The Gooch Palms

Video Vacuum - Royal Headache, Death Grips, Kirin J Callinan, Laurence Pike (PVT)

Another Monday grind at the office. Short of planting a blow-up doll in your boss' bottom drawer, what else is there to do to get out of the doldrums? Watch some ace music videos, that's what! Va va VOOM!

Royal Headache are touring the US, and have brought out this "tour diary" style video to put alongside their 'Girls' track off their excellent eponymous debut.



Death Grips aren't wasting time after the blow-out success of Ex-Military, releasing The Money Store which you can get here (the cover art is rad). They are an incredibly formidable band, and if you get a chance to catch these guys in action, DO IT.



Kirin J Callinan has created an amazing video clip to coincide with new single 'W II W'. Seriously, this is one of my fave videos of the year, and it really helps to up the song's foreboding ante.



Finally, this is not for a particular show, but PVT drummer and all round nice guy Laurence Pike doin his thang in a beautiful location leading up to the 2012 Sydney Vivid festival. This guy's the best.



NOW GET BACK TO WORK!