Brighter Gods Carve Out A Mathematical Future

One of the most intimate and exciting venues to rise up in Brisbane over the last decade, The Waiting Room, sadly closed its doors last year. In a city renowned for closing venues before they really get a chance to flourish, the three years it had been open is something of a miracle – a glorified house party a few nights a week in West End, albeit with a good sound system and PA, a caring and passionate management and staff, BYO sensibilities and communal goodwill permeated every show. And there were some stellar shows – from Mt. Eerie making a pleasantly unexpected visit to many great local and interstate acts getting in on the love. Two of my favourite shows ever that took place in that 80-person venue involved Auckland three-piece God Bows To Math, one of the most underrated bands in the Southern Hemisphere. Their serrated buzzsaw of a self-titled album blew the membranes out of the inner linings of my mind back in 2011 - the engine room of Thomas Morrison (drums) and Sam Cussen (bass) pounding incessantly and Martin Phillips’ barked, acerbic lyrics and dessicated guitar melts.

I have been extremely lucky to have a penultimate master of their follow up Brighter Futures on my laptop for the past few months, and FINALLY I have the final version and the album is hitting the world with a sledgehammer subtlety and cathartic charm. The thing is, it is when there is a measured stasis, a crawl, a breath taken, that the atmosphere and intensity is ratcheted up tenfold – the sample and two minute intro to ‘1999 Doomsday’ and the tempered vocals and skeletal instrumentation that eats its own tail in ‘Moral Prophylaxis’ are anxiety eaters, so that when the impending doom and destruction finally hit it is gargantuan in scope and precision. Even the brutally succinct ‘Munchausen’, which barely cracks a minute in length, opens with a quarter minute of near silence. The Sonic Youth and Shellac comparison I initially held with the trio still holds some weight, but Brighter Futures showcases a rougher hewn angularity, emotional expulsion and exorcism. ‘High Strings’ for some reason reminded me of My Disco, Jakob and a more unwound Unwound simultaneously – the insidious bass, the gravelly vocals that bleed into something more ephemeral, the instrumental groove, pummelling drums… All of which comes to an end on ‘Oil of Vitriol’, a strange track that brings back all these through lines and balls them up into a compacted whole.

Grab Brighter Futures (out through Muzai Records) here. Support these guys, stat.

Fighting The Curlew Urges

Mark Zian has one of the most unique voices in Brisbane today. He was (is?) an integral part of the intricate machine that was (is?) Knee Chin, but finds his voice (literally) in the likes of solo outfit I Am Not A Nihilist and his “rock” band, Curlew. Not that many people know it – Curlew (Zian on guitar and vocals; Callum Wheeler on drums) have been something of a hermit/recluse for the entirety of their conception. I have had the pleasure of seeing Curlew three times in twelve months (nigh on a record), two times this year (both of which were Sonic Masala shows – hey, if you want to watch bands you really like, best put them on yourself). The duo have just released Animal Urges, and it’s an album of exquisite, and exquisitely painful, beauty – a sparse malaise of contemplation, rumination and ruin, all spun in a instrumental narrative that is both spare and dense, an exercise in steely tension and gallows humour, an extraordinary existence borne from the sweatboxes of suburban Brisbane, spat under hooded eyes and a sly yet weary grin. Zian has a cracked vocal delivery somewhere suspended between The Drones’ Gareth Liddiard and another of Brisbane’s hidden lyrical geniuses, Amateur Childbirth (their kinship came to fruition when Curlew played the launch of AC’s second album, PRIPYAT, back in February).

Animal Urges is a somewhat different beast from Curlew’s other major releases. Firstly the songs are much looser and longer in length – only three of the nine tracks on offer stay under five minutes, and three surpass the ten minute mark. Take as example the title track. Essentially a suite of songs, the tracks has a spluttering rhythm that suits the primal questions, assumptions and experiences that Zian explores. Whether it be a conversation in a café that circles the nostalgic mores that remembering the highs of narcotic highs can bring, the adolescent realisation of the strengths of being a male yet the pull towards the female, or the internal conflicts that such primal mores can cause, Zian’s presence is magnetic, drawing you into his esoteric, conflicted world. From the soft jangle accompanying soft-focus childhood memories to the harsher preamble to a venting diatribe, the instrumentation mirrors the ever-shifting narrative tangle. Curlew is a band that inhabits a singular worldview, drawing you inexorably into the swirling mental philosophising, and never have I felt more in tune to a person’s unchecked experiences and explorations of what the fuck this life might mean before. And for that you should all be eternally grateful. And the story outlaid on ‘Fitness First’ is brilliant – it gets me every time.

You can grab Animal Urges here. One of the best Brisbane releases of 2014, yet its verbosity, obtuseness and bared-vein honesty will scare some away. Be brave; step inside; close the door behind you; and listen to someone who isn’t afraid to breathe life into the confused world they live in. Amazing stuff. Their next show is at Trainspotters this Saturday July 26 alongside Black Vacation, Ciggie Witch, Blonde Tongues and Pare Ohm - an incredible line up for free.

Corralled Together On This Pale Earth

(Photo by Ian Rogers - taken @ Sonic Masala Presents Campfire Tales #3 - Sept 12 2013)

Celestial beat explorer Pale Earth is bringing Christmas early with a burbling miasma of sounds in the plastic 3D rectangle that is a cassette. Coral Corral is its name, and its three tracks that showcase how far out of the comfort zone he is  nowadays; in fact, the glass ceiling has been well and truly shattered. 'Skip Peg Marker' is a three minute excursion into the nether regions of a neon-streaked night, all inky shadows and silhouettes, simultaneously sensually inebriated and sated - these lethargic grooves hitting a submerged dancefloor near you. 'Coral Skulls' starts briefly like a night ride into the mainframe, before the trumpet takes us deep into the downward spiral of Mooged chagrin. The B-side track 'Bare Mountain Picnic' offers a prismatic high, sun motes floating through refracted light, yet imbued with a fluidity that hits like languid waves of weightlessness - floating on a hypnagogic Dead Sea.

I'm babbling, I know, but I'm truly floored by these tracks - I cant stop listening. Bypass that cassette prejudice and buy Coral Corral here - its incredible. The inserts are handprinted by 7th Disaster (AKA Matt Deasy of Do The Robot/Ultra Material - he does quite a few of Sonic Masala's gig posters), so it's all quality. Pale Earth is playing a night of chilled greatness this Saturday at The Waiting Room called Melody Beat, alongside Andrew Tuttle, Cedie Jansen, White Palms and Hether.

A Spinning Room Complicates Things

I can't talk about Batpiss without talking about The Spinning Rooms, now, can I? The Melbourne miscreants are headlining Sonic Masala's 2nd anniversary of putting on shows tomorrow night (alongside Big Richard Insect, Turnpike and Landing In The Presence Of The Enemy, Jaguars Advanced - that's the poster above) as well as an instore at Tyms Guitars on Saturday October 5.

Personal plugging aside, the four-piece have their sophomore album Complicating Things in the wings, and are starting their album launch with us! So, how is the album then?


It's bloody good. The band called it a strong tangent from their debut self-titled album released last year - but this to me is more than a natural progression. Sure, in many ways the queasy unsettled nature of the beast that lay at the core of The Spinning Rooms isn't as much in evidence here - yet the band has become a tightly coiled beast, meaning the moments they crawl out of their hidey-hole to bite you on the face is all the more effective. You have the hedonistic squall of 'Julia', the bluesy, unhinged dirge of 'Blues For Jas H. Duke', the riotous gnashing of 'Kids In The Car'... Pete Dickinson sees both albums as concepts - the first about a couple who move to the country and everything turns to shit, then Complicating Things is them returning to the city. But by the sounds of things, nothing has improved from their urban retreat - at all. The B-Side of the album dives into despair and chagrin once more, the lonely plinking piano a distinct highlight, before the ten minute closer 'I've Found A Place I Can Sleep (Parts 1 & 2) takes on a staggered ballad, which is either a glimmer of hope, or the howl of abject despair, a breaking, a surrender. This ambiguity is just another reason why The Spinning Rooms is one of the most electrifying, exciting bands on the continent right now, and Complicated Things only cements this notion.

Big Richard Idjits

This Friday marks two years of putting on eclectic shows of some of the best bands this country has to offer (with a couple of Kiwi brethren thrown in for good measure). We've put together a stellar lineup - The Spinning Rooms, Turnpike, Landing In The Presence Of The Enemy Jaguars Advanced (what a fucking mouthful) - and these guys, Adelaide shitkickers Big Richard Insect. They released a self-titled 7" a couple months ago through the excellent Major Crimes label (responsible for equally strong releases from SM faves Multiple Man and Old Mate), and it's four wiry tracks of seething hiss and spit, albeit in a drunken, borderline innocent way. 'Cop Out' is the only song-song here (and the only track to break a sweat over two minutes), a swaggering king hit to the back of the head, all grime and hazed sunshine. It's a great track. The other three are steaming pustules of slavering, slobbering punk mayhem, kicking walls in with garish, oblivious abandon. Good, concise, arsenic capsule shit.


As I said the trio will be palming off this puppy this Friday at The Waiting Room (who also turns 2 this weekend), a tenner on the door, BYO, beginning of the long weekend, let's get loose.

SONIC MASALA PRESENTS - Yes I'm Leaving/Thomas Covenant/Roku Music - TONIGHT!!!

That's right, it's time for another Sonic Masala Presents. At the Waiting Room we have Sydney rabble and one of the best live acts in the country Yes I'm Leaving finally bringing their excellent sophomore record Mission Bulb to your ears, in a set that CANNOT BE MISSED. They are dragging party boys Thomas Covenant up here with them, whilst the other support slot is being locked down by Brisbane shoegaze alchemists (and 2013 Australian Arts Council poster children) Roku Music. As always cover is a tenner, it's Bring Your Own alcoholic beverage/s, and kick off is at 8pm. Double thanks to Jacinta Sutton for the hand-drawn technicolour yawn dog poster! COME!

No Anchoring The Dead

Not so local noisemongers No Anchor (Ian is being all literary-y and full of disdain in Melbourne these days) haven't been overly active in the live sense in 2013 (hence the electricity of their shows that have rolled around - the Sonic Masala show in May, the show they did only last week), but they do have some new wares courtesy of a split 7" they've put out with fellow maniacs DEAD. Perfect marriage this one - two bands blatantly fucking off the guitar and brutalising the bass. So far, so angry. Would you expect anything less? The NA trio feel 'Bogan Ash' is the poppiest thing they've ever done. They aren't reaching for the mascara and microphone headsets (yet), but as far as No Anchor goes, it is a much more straight down the line number. Sorry lads, but whilst this song really rips, it makes DEAD's whorling bloody maelstrom 'Scratching My Arts' look even better. Backhanded compliment? I can keep em comin all day. Its the kind of lurking leering head explosion that I absolutely love; Jem absolutely kills it on drums; my skin is flayed without notice. Well done, lads, well done.


No Anchor have one more show up their sleeve at the end of November at Crowbar. They will have the crazy up-and-comers Clowns in support - they eat Juggalos for breakfast. If you still need your NA fix in any form (and let's face it, who doesn't) Donnie's band Roku Music is supporting the sublime Sydneysiders Yes I'm Leaving this Friday at the Waiting Room - it's another Sonic Masala Presents show, so you should all be there. Finally, Roku Music and Greig (Alex's new band) are the other supports for what could very well be the best show of the year - The Nation Blue and Batpiss, also at Crowbar, on Saturday October 5. I have a wedding that day, so Ill be the dude in the suit. Pete from The Spinning Rooms has promised to spew on me too, so I should be pretty recognisable. No Anchor, in whatever form, rule hard.

I'd Sleepwalk Into A Dry Gulch For A Kingdom (WORLD EXCLUSIVE)

(sorry about the cut-off, Kev)

Tomorrow night we have yet another Sonic Masala showcase at the Waiting Room happening, with pop quirk masters The Stress Of Leisure, doom soothsayers Barge With An Antenna On It and spoken word impresario Mr Ocean making it an eclectrifying night. Smack in the middle of the melee will be the instigators of the mayhem, local agitated rockers Sleepwalks, whose debut LP The Milk Has Gone Sour (recorded by Steve Albini in his Chicago studio) was the epitome of angst-ridden maladies. They have been pretty reclusive thus far this year, so it's been a bit of a coup to get the trio on board for Friday's show. That alone should have you camping in the carpark with a goon bladder for this show...

But wait, there's more! The boys have finished recording what will end up as Kingdom, their sophomore record and first under their own label Breev Records (an excellent and possibly illegal rip on the excellently warped comedy series Delocated). Recorded under guitarist/vocalist Kev's house, the nine tracks promise more variety (yet still a lot of brevity - Sleepwalks aren't about to noodle off into the sunset with a Godspeed cover - yet...) yet the same lackadaisical drive. And today we have a world exclusive taster of what is to come in 'Dry Gulch'. Wonky yet more melodic, its a little pared back from what we are used to - and it promises to be one of a few curveballs. But where they have bled out the flayed aggression, we have the sense that this is a watershed moment here - the discovery that there is unparallelled horizons opened up at the shift of speed, the altering of perceptions.

It (and Kingdom) aren't likely to be out until next year though, so come down and check this shit out live.

Leaving Is Ignorants

One of the best releases of 2013 is undoubtedly Mission Bulb, the second album from Sydney's Yes I'm Leaving (see what we thought of it in more depth here). One of the most unrelenting acts in the country right now, Sonic Masala is blessed to have them gracing a Sonic Masala showcase in September. And to celebrate here is a slice of angular nihilism (who'da thunk it?) from those same sessions, 'Ignorants'. If you aren't excited about the prospect of these guys wiping the walls of the Waiting Room with their spit-flecked fury, you have been lobotomised.

Sliding Down The Honey Flowers

Once again stupid life has gotten in the way of a good time - doubly so, seeing as I haven't been able to write about good shit for about three days (believe me, that is a looooooong time). Back in June I was offered tickets to go to London trio Honeyslide's 10" launch (put on by Critical Heights) at Stoke Newington's The Waiting Room. This sounded serendipitous seeing as the vast majority of Sonic Masala shows have been held at Brisbane's own Waiting Room. Yet I declined, and although I didn't waste my evening - I went and saw William Basinski and Fennesz play in a Hackney church - I felt I was letting the SM side down a little. It was a little more painful when I found out that the supports included personal fave Scott & Charlene's Wedding, pencilled in as a "special Guest". Seeing as I missed their own album launch the following week because I was flying back to Oz, it smarted. Nevertheless, I can't complain - at least I have Drippin/Deep Architecture to listen to. The 10" offers a seven minute sloping squall in the form of 'Drippin'' which bleeds into an untitled miasma of swirling ephemera. It reminds me of Gaslight Radio, one of the most underrated Aussie bands of the late 1990s/early 2000s, albeit without the tongue-in-cheek lyricism. The back side offers more bite-sized versions of the same - 'Deep Architecture' holds sway, whilst 'Sugar Routine' saunters along jauntily, a bouncy, languid ride into the sunset. You can grab the EP here.

The reason I came back to Honeyslide was because of the minimalist yet showy fuzz of another London trio, Flowers. Their Until You're Dead 7" (out on Fortuna Pop - you can grab it here) has been the one link I have had to the world of sanity in the past few days, which bled into the things I found most enjoyable about the Honeyslide release. Admittedly Flowers are a little more saccharine and overtly shoegaze (which makes sense seeing the label they are aligned with), but there is an effervescent yet gritty sheen to their sonorous noise pop that sees them drift markedly further from the twee vortex than others that court this terrain. The titular track is the perfect example of this - a crunching guitar, high, breathy vocals, and a steely mesh of noise underneath that propels everything forward at a bracing pace. 'Clover' follows a similar mode, then 'Stuck' offers a stripped, stark, bare counterpoint. It is all done with flair and aplomb - and with the presser boasting that many Flowers tracks are written within an hour, fully formed, we should hear a hell of a lot more soon.

Feline Fine Under The Soda Eaves

Here are a couple of small Aussie releases that are deserved of everyone's attention, from members of a number of other bands - isn't that the way these days?

First up we have Soda Eaves, the project from Hot Palms guitarist Jake Core (he also has some tomes of poetry out there). Like Drapes Either Side will be his debut release in his solo venture, and 'Doll' is the first taste. It's a more raucous affair than the studied emotions that Hot Palms plumb, but that isn't to say that this rocks. It hulks, sulks and saunters into the fast approaching twilight, sucking furiously on a tailor-made cigarette, collar up against the wind, eyes stormy. Core clearly has a way with words, and with his distinctive Aussie drawl, blown-out fuzz and cheap production, he sidesteps the suburban slacker rock revolution by being resolutely maudlin and obtuse - and therefore, ironically, a genuine article. I cannot wait to hear more - and will get a chance to, when Soda Eaves plays the Waiting Room Saturday September 7 with McKisko.


Another band from the Osborne Again label (of Velcro and other Ocean Party offshoot Shark Alarm, mainly because these bands all come from the same house in Osborne Street in Melbourne's Brunswick) is Feline Fine, made up of members of The Ocean Party and Beef Jerk. Sunny twang, cat puns, boozy ramblings, vocals everything and nothing, existence meaningful and meaningless. When ARE you coming back?

Buddy's Art Makes Me Green

Charles Buddy Daaboul is probably better known as the guy who bashes things for No Art, the Sydney-based minimal noiseniks. Or maybe not - but if you need educating, No Art just brought out the Forest/Dead Arm 7" and did this little thing with members of Unity Floors and Making for Mess & Noise which was quite interesting.

But we aren't here to talk about Daaboul's band - just Daaboul himself. He has his own niche musical melange of sounds to air and ware, and his latest sonic installation is the Three Colours Green EP 7" which is coming out next month. Stepping to the forefront, lo-fi guitar pop jams all a-jangle and fandangle, Daaboul is a beguiling presence, an amusing figure who nonetheless commands express attention. The four tracks on the EP show a continued growth as songwriter and wordsmith, yet with an acute handle on the quirky and surreal. It doesn't break a sweat, nor does it veer into the mundane without staring at the sky in childlike wonder. And he loves his cricket, having a previous track devoted to the backyard variety, and expressing his desire to be on the top of the world and never to worry about losing, "just like the 90s Australian cricket team." How things change, Charles - did you SEE that Khawaja dismissal? We have much to console - at least you have your music to soothe your troubled soul...

You can pre-order Three Colours Green here. Charles Buddy Daaboul is hitting the streets to drop this into your laps live, and Sonic Masala is proud to include his 7" launch as part of our next Waiting Room event on Friday August 23. Daaboul will be joining atmosphere-fearing psych journeymen Silver Screens (who are also launching their album), magnetic doppelgangers Multiple Man and squalling scion Kigo. Check out the event here, and make sure you come along - fun fun fun.

Foreign Thieves

I thought I'd end off  Chicago's Daylight Robbery, who I caught playing a no-frills rocking set at The Waiting Room on Friday night (alongside others such as Roku Music and Screaming Match). The trio are no nonsense, clearly doing it for the love of it, and there was something disarming about their throwback garage punk that is often missing from others of their ilk.

I'm closing down for the weekend. I'm a little bit sore from last night's stellar Trainspotters gig (thanks for coming out, by the way), I'm dreading my first day at two of my jobs in three weeks tomorrow, I've done a mountain of washing, and I'm looking at the final day of the Ashes Test with a queasy sense of trepidation. I need to medicate. And their latest release, the EP Distant Shores, is the ticket. Apparently created specifically with this tour in mind (they only released their Ecstatic Vision LP last year, but wanted something "new" to bring with them), the three tracks electrify; fast paced and urgent, with a mirthful glint in the eye, feeling more in sync with MC5, the Jam and X than more recent punk luminaries (which also speaks to their final show being a support of Straitjacket Nation).

You can pick up Distant Shores (in white 7" vinyl), and indeed any of Daylight Robbery's back catalogue, from here. They are halfway through an extensive Australian tour, have been playing with the likes of Deep Heat, White Walls, Cuntz and Native Cats of recent times, and they have tapped another show tonight at the Crowbar alongside the ever-excellent Blank Realm (Yoghurt Blood are also playing a rare set).

Daylight Robbery - Distant Shores

Campfire Tales w/ Tutts, Ceeds and Uncle Sonic

Last weekend was incredible for Sonic Masala Presents. It was the first time we have (officially) gone back to back with SM Presents... shows, plus the first time we had (officially) moved away from the hallowed ground of The Waiting Room - and it was a huge success! A sellout crowd came to see No Anchor smash out yet another stellar set, ably backed by the brutality of O and Vassals, and the proceeds went into funding NA's trip down to Sydney the following night. I would have booked a ticket with them (seeing as I was partially responsible for the windfall) but instead I handed over all the dough and moved on to Saturday night, where the first official SM curated Trainspotters night took place at The Grand Central Hotel. Dreamtime's first show since their triumphant return from playing the Austin Psych Fest was incredible, with Multiple Man killing it (despite, or maybe because of, Chris' disdain in proceedings ha) and Gazar Strips ripping apart the place with new songs. The venue was packed, easily the biggest SM show to date, so thanks to all who came.

But this week is still rollin', and I have one more surprise in store. This Thursday we travel back to West End, this time the intimate surrounds of The End on Vulture St, for what I'm tentatively calling Campfire Tales, a night of two solo artists doin their thang. It's Sonic Masala though, so it isn't straightforward. The first show is the EP launch for Andrew Tuttle (the artist formerly known as Anonymeye). He will be assisted in the wings by the dulcet tones of Naked Maja frontman Cedie Janson. I'm really looking forward to this one, and you should be too. It kicks off at 8.30 and is free entry, so come have a boutique beer and turn this 3-day weekend into 4.

Hitting Up The Dollar Bar

One of the most underrated Brisbane bands of the past decade, Dollar Bar, have been struggling along with getting a new set of songs recorded and ready to put out - well, the time is now! And they aren't letting geographical constraints hold them back, reconvening at The Waiting Room tonight to belt out some glistening guitar pop rad times. Support comes from the excellent Tiny Spiders, troubadour Matt Banham and Dollar Bar's very own Dale Peachey in solo mode. All for a tenner, and being BYO and all, this is a great night sewn up in a bow! See you there! And to spice things with the sugar coat - here is a new track!



And just because I am really looking forward to this - here is a Matt Banham song too!

$10 Trip To Scandinavia!!!

So Melbourne-based ambient tricksters No-Way Sweden would have you believe. The duo (playing as a trio tonight) are headlining tonight's Sonic Masala Presents at The Waiting Room after the release of their excellent Iceland/England LP. They are being supported by FEET TEETH (who have a new record under their belt also), and the first show ever from Blank Realm offshoot Financiers. It all kicks off at 8pm, check out more here. Come and be wigged out for a tenner, bring your own liquor.

Ladies Night

Poster by Joanne Thies

Tonight Sonic Masala combines with Ladyfest to celebrate the girls - in particular, some female-oriented acts that I think are truly stretching the boundaries of music and the Brisbane music scene. Only three acts tonight...

Shooga, a (currently) five-piece that conjure sonic palpitations of multi-coloured noise, fits and bursts of rayon craziness, and a wash of effervescent grotesquerie...

Ultra Material, an amalgam of Do The Robot and Sunshine State, who offer glacial pop hidden amidst shimmering guitar, an experiment in studied unease held in check...

X In O, a pagan goddess who uses electric eccentricity to communicate across dimensions, warped circuitry to warp your circuits...

All tied together by tunes from DJ Neko. $10 entry, BYO. Doors open at 8pm, with X In O kicking things off at 8.30. This is going to be a true exploration of what some of Brisbane's finest are blissing out on - you'd be a fool to miss this.

Poster by Matt Deasy

Bow Down To God Bows To Math

Last year Sonic Masala put on a last-minute show for excellent Auckland noise rock trio God Bows To Math. It was underattended (due to time constraints and it being a Sunday), yet with blistering supports from Tiny Spiders and Quiet Steps was one of the best shows I saw in 2012. This Saturday April 28 they return, supported again by Tiny Spiders but also joined by Undead Apes and Roku Music (Innez Tulloch pulling double duties on the night). This will be the final stop on a whirlwind tour which begins in Newcastle on Thursday and also includes Sydney and Melbourne shows. Head over to their Facebook for full details. The band will be doing some recording in Brisbane with Donnie Miller (No Anchor/Roku Music) in preparation for their next album - killer. Go here to read what I thought of their electric self-titled album (one of my favourite albums of 2011), grab said album from here, and get damned excited. 

God Bows To Math - The Only Good Fnord Is A Dead Fnord

Jazz = Eating With Your Feet Teeth

It's great to see such a vibrant experimental scene in Brisbane, and one of the bands that rove on the farther uncharted plains is FEET TEETH. The trio - Joel Saunders on trumpet, electronics; Paul Young on drums and "objects"; Kate Thomas on marimba and Commodore 64 (for real) - take free form jazz "structure" to a different, stop-motion-as-noise level, especially as one of their premiere instruments is a reconfigured Commodore 64. Their shows are understandably heavy on the improvisation, which makes for continual cerebral discoveries.

The band have an album in the wings called Aphtae Epizooticae (out through HelloSquare), and you can sample the single 'Hinschu' below, and you can pick it up, alongside remixes by Sydney's Brain Drain and Subsea and a non-album recording, right here. FEET TEETH are also playing a Sonic Masala show on Friday May 3 at The Waiting Room alongside Melbourne's No-Way Sweden and the first-ever airing of Financiers, a side project for Dan Spencer and Luke Walsh of the ever-excellent Blank Realm. Head here to check out more about that show.

FEET TEETH - Hinschu

...Primitive Motion...

There are some bands that surprise you with their sudden rise in popularity. I'm excited to say that one act that has had light shone in their general direction has been the off-kilter experimental synth pop of Primitive Motion. Made up of ex-Deadnotes members Sandra Selig and Leighton Craig, the duo, much like another underground explorer from Brisbane, Scraps, delve into ethereal melodies and sonic manipulations, loops and echoes, repetitions and monotones, all within some semblance of a traditional song format. Selig's musical dexterity - she often swaps between saxophone, flute, tuba and keys, as well as singing - is the drawcard, whilst Craig's flat vocals are often discordant notes in themselves, all the while the ephemeral oscillations swirl around the elegantly wasted chaos. It is something that teeters on the precipice of destruction, such is its fragility and awkwardness, and it sometimes does. But when listening to the excellent Two Ellipses, their latest cassette (out through Room40 offshoot A Guide To Saints), the magic is indelibly strewn throughout the seven songs' DNA. Admittedly more ambient and drone-oriented than a lot of their stuff, the fact that it sees the duo truly take flight speaks volumes of Primitive Motion's promise. They have enthralled many, and in the past few weeks have picked up support slots for Deerhoof and (most importantly) the coveted opening for Godspeed You! Black Emperor.

You can get Two Ellipses here. Primitive Motion are the headliners in local collective Lofly Records' monthly Hangar showcase this Saturday March 9. Supports are Melbourne's Faspeedelay and locals Ghost Notes. Its at the Waiting Room, $10, BYO. BE THERE.

Primitive Motion - Two Ellipses
Primitive Motion - Unchanging Light