Metronomic Time Keeping

One of Australia's newest and most intriguing labels is it Records, mining the experimental outliers of electronic pop excess (see: White Hex, A Kenny For Your Thoughts). Now they bring to our attention a newer label, Nice:NOISE (curated by it's Kate Reid, Dual Planet and Jenny Branagan from NUN), which aims to go even further in mining the depths of, to quote the crew, "the best in electronic squelches, squeals, analogue hums and various fodder." This could mean a hodgepodge of avant-garde alchemists, but with the first release it feels like there is a educated stab at bringing missed opportunities into the refracted spotlight. Time Keeping 1979-1985 is a compilation from Melbourne minimal wave trio The Metronomes, and it's an album that showcases both a hazed approach to synth malaise, the end result a languid, vaguely sinister unravelling of synthetic minds and spirits. My pick - 'A Living Person'. Pre-order it here.

Video Vacuum - White Hex, Bremen Town Musician, USA Out Of Vietnam, Flyying Colours, Team Ugly

It certainly doesn't feel like the wisest time to be taking a long haul flight from Brisbane to London. But that is what I am about to do. That's right - from tomorrow the fair brunt of Sonic Masala will be based once more in England! Rest assured that the content will bear witness to a strong Australian confluence of music, because in my opinion it is the most interesting place in the world. But the world of Sonic Masala is a weird and wonderful place, that exists outside of geographical climes... No tears here, just beers. And music - a veritable shit tonne of music. So let's chill with some vids, starting with this Aussie "banger"...

Jimi Kritzler's new incarnation has been White Hex. Alongside Tara Green he has crafted some lush yet dark synth lurkers, and second album Gold Nights is pretty great (see a review I did earlier in the year here). The film clip to one of the best tracks on that album, 'Paradise', sees Kritzler and Green perform a home invasion unlike any other...Funny Games this ain't.

Marisa Allen's project Bremen Town Musician has always been an interesting prospect in the Brisbane music scene. I was lucky to get her to play one of the Campfire Tales sessions I held at The End in West End (that one was alongside Kahl Monticone), and she has contributed a track to a compilation I'm devising. 'In The Harsh Light Of Day' is fairly indicative of BTM's output, and the film clip, a washed out view of Brisbane's highways, fits strongly with the slightly unhinged meltdown quality of the song. Well worth checking out.

I'm loving USA Out Of Vietnam at the moment. They are like a more earnest Helms Alee, maybe crossed with post-rock's most uplifting? It's the big riffs, the somewhat colourful effects that are littered throughout, the heaviness and the light heart entwined. This isn't a film clip, I know, but I love this band and will be listening to this, Helms Alee AND Explosions in the Sky AND Do Make Say Think amongst others on the flight - my blissout flight mixtape...

Now I have to be honest here - I haven't been bowled over by the shoegaze efforts that Melbourne's Flyying Colours have offered thus far. I just think there are bands in Australia let alone the world that are doing it much better and not getting the recognition these guys are on the cusp of. But then this song came out, and the film clip accompanying it - and I'm not entirely redressing my thoughts, but this is a good counterattack. Perfectly calibrated editing mixing 70s space travel with a colour wheel, various elements of block design and faux-innocent TV bites - nice work. Not Today indeed.

And as a added final "bonus" here is a NZ band called Team Ugly. I met one of the guys at a Sonic Masala show, and have intended to mention his band for some time. Here is 'Suck My Dick'. I love the warped idiocy of this film clip - and the song isn't that bad either. I'm ASSUMING they are still together - it's been about eight months since I heard about em. Still - get a load of this.

NOW GET BACK TO WORK! AND SEE YOU SOON AUSTRALIA!

Friday Cover Up - Cohen, Get A Kenny Up Ya

Liam Kenny, he of Bitch Prefect/Peak Twins/The Friendsters et al, is finally going it alone. But as usual, you can't take the guy for granted, for he is soloing on an album of demented covers, brilliantly titled A Kenny For Your Thoughts. First bite is this insane rendition of Leonard Cohen's 'Avalanche' - a sound-squall of siren-strapped guitar swirl, electronic attacks and beat marches that is as relentless in intensity and fever as it is somewhat macabre. It's fantastic, in other words. A Kenny For Your Thoughts will be coming out on the newly minted It Records (White Hex), which was actually started so that this album could come to fruition - I think the gamble's paid off.

Loving The Strange Holiday With White Hex

Jimi Kritzler of Slug Guts fame took off to Berlin not too long ago with Tara Green and whilst getting up to all manner of things they experimented with their own sound, coming up with the "tropical goth" of White Hex. It's got a diamond-edge twinkle on the fringes of downer dirge, courtesy of Green's ragged, depressed vocal delivery. The beauty of White Hex is that it takes much of the smack country drone from Slug Guts and imbues a few extra shades of grey. Those excellent dudes over at AVANT! Records are releasing White Hex's 12" Heat on Wednesday, and I for one cannot wait.



And here is the video for another track of the 12", 'Holiday'.

WHITE HEX - Holiday from PɨK on Vimeo.