Melbourne Playlist
Hey Auxdeckers!(Catchy nickname, right?) This week, we’ve decided to start some globetrotting, in light of Bandcamp’s new City Guides series. So we’re bringing you a selection of tracks from cities with music scenes that are worth some exploring. Our first city’s Melbourne, one of the hubs of Australia’s huge community of incredibly prolific musicians. We’ve got synthy alt-rock, punk, some singer-songwriter material, soul, and straight ahead rock’n’roll. Enjoy!
There’s nothing quite like a catchy, blissed out guitar hook that melts right into the background of a great track. If it’s accompanied by a sexy solo outro and an equally catchy chorus, as is the case in Holy Holy’s new single, then just sit back and enjoy the ride.
We couldn’t bring ourselves to post about Melbourne without including the incredibly talented and infamous indie artist Chet Faker. Plush vocals coil their way around a polished beat to produce a finished product that’s, well, golden.
ScotDrakula comes crashing into your eardrums with this hectic single, bursting with a bloated suburban ego that’s just waiting to burst into flames.
Back in the Game- Now let’s head over to the bandshell at the county fair, with The Heartache State’s track “Back in the Game”. The encouraging lyrics and solid beat make it perfect for a hot summer day full of food and fun
Next we have a song from the up-and-coming alternative artist, Courtney Barnett. Known for her witty and wry lyrics, she adds her own twist to the already familiar sound of the softer side of punk rock.
If you’re in the mood for some history and a lot of crying, listen to this heartbreaking song about Laika, the first dog in space. Coincidentally, Wil Wagner sings lead for another band on this playlist, the Smith Street Band.
The Smith Street Band bring us a ear-rattling punk anthem, full of crashing drums, power chords, and a singer who’s attempting to blow his vocal chords out. However, it’s surprisingly nostalgic and joyful.
Inaugural Playlist
Hey listeners! This week(and for the foreseeable future) we’re leaving behind the in-depth reviews and bring you larger collections of songs freshly picked by myself and the rest of the Auxdeck team. We kept this list simple-just a sampling of new music that we love and you’ll love too.-James Sutton
Let’s start things off with this smooth and soulful love song from southern singer-songwriter Sam Burchfield.
Londoner Liz Lawrence will lull you with this acoustic melody Rooftops.
Next we’ll make it a little more cheerful with “Hello Blue Eyes” from Swiss group The Rambling Wheels.
Bringing it back to the Bay Area, here’s the brassy track “On My Own” from Berkely high school rockers The Blondies.
Now we’ll explore the Far North with “Jules”, by the Nova Scotian(somewhere in Canada…I think)punk group COUSINS.
All the way from the other side of the globe, here’s British MC OnlyReal with his smart and savvy alternative single “Punks and Potions”
Aussie outfit Art of Sleeping have got us “crazy” over their seductively catchy single
Heres’s a crowd pleaser with a punny (haha…get it?) title from The Sidekicks.
Catfish and The Bottlemen bring us to our feet with a driving power-pop anthem that has a palpable, angsty energy.
And we’ll end things with a bang, bringing you a knock-down-drag-out-guitar-wailing-roof-shaking tour de force from renowned LA artist Hanni El Khatib.
Spring Ahead
Some globe trotting on Auxdeck – we start this week’s issue with a sweet Greek instrumental TV show theme song. Next up, a folk literary piece from Bath, UK. Then we move back to a Southern California beach, circa 1965. And we end on a high school rock band from here in the San Francisco Bay Area. Pardon us as we move you away from your computer. Come (mini-)tour the world!
Main Theme by Empty Frame paints a picture in your head without using any lyrics. You can hear a story being told and a conversation going on. The layers of instrumental goodness melt together into one theme. The song is oriented around the cello, which enters nicely via a solid path paved by a guitar. After the cello has its part, the violin responds and the conversation builds. The rest of the songs on the album differ from each other, but the ideas, the themes, and the construction techniques are nicely consistent.
-Ruby Lanier
Being a bit of a book nerd, I was instantly drawn to this band. I mean, what could be better than a band who references Ernest Hemingway and names songs after Shakespearean characters (namely Oberon)? But the cherry on top is that this band actually plays in bookstores in the UK. I mean, honestly, what could be better? The album And Other Dystopias is the perfect album for a bookshop, with their soft folk sound, making them a great band to put in the background when reading or working. It starts out with someone plucking on a guitar and then the vocalist comes in sounding like a less psychedelic Mazzy Star. Each one of The Bookshop Band’s song tells a story so just sit back and let And Other Dystopias take you head first into all these new adventures.
-Delia Badger
Some things in life are so deep, profound and intense that it takes all your mental energy just to decipher what’s going on. Gladly, surfer rock isn’t one of those things. It is, however, baffling that a group of record junkies working at Amoeba music in LA were able to get their hands on a time machine and travel back to 1965. Every time one of Allah Las’s songs starts playing, I have to check my phone to make sure the band was formed less than 5 years ago (It took a couple dozen tries until I finally came to terms with it), and their classic American sound shows a deep appreciation for the roots of modern rock’n roll. The band’s personality starts and finishes with the muffled sound of an old phonograph first touching a virgin record, embracing all the intoxicating excitement that comes with it, seemlessly ageless and trapped in the timeless allure of the sixties. Ferus Gallery captures the cool ocean breeze that leaves a biting, salty taste on your tongue during a scorching summer day, as much a part of the experience of the coast as the warming sun itself. Why worship the sun when you could worship these guys?
– Andrew Wilcox
If The Strokes and the Black Keys had a lovechild, and that child got really good at the trumpet, you’d probably have something very much like The Blondies. High schoolers out of Berkeley, California, the group combines a classic blues-rock sensibility with jazzy influences and a fresh, vibrant attitude. Technically proficient (they’re the youngest band to ever receive the Gibson Guitar Artists award), their skills are on full display in the track All I Ever Wanted, from Sweet Nothings. Drums, heavy on the snare and the triangle, the earnest vocals of Simon Lunche in a story of unrequited high school romance. But it’s the horns that really make this track. A bright and brassy trumpet starts right at the first verse and takes the song from standard high-school angst to something more lighthearted and engaging, and the saxophone just absolutely wails about halfway in. Their sound is great, their album is well-crafted, and The Blondies have nowhere to go but up. Keep an eye on this band.
– James Sutton
Blood Sugar Sex Magik
This week on Auxdeck, we’ve brought you a little bit of everything. Bloody, raw, red hot emotion comes gushing out of our greeting song, but the issue then transitions into our next single, deliciously wrapped in a smooth, synthy something that makes it oh-so-sweet. A steamy and stripped-down melody comes next, and it’s all rounded out by some mellow, mid-nineties guitar magic. If you have to ask, we’re sure you’ll love them as much as we do.
-Andrew
Repetitive? Yes.
Brash? Yep.
Wildly talented? Oh, hell yes. Melbourne 5 piece Darts aren’t afraid to lay it all on the line – their raunchy style, turbulent attitude, and ear-splitting execution all smash together to form a prolific formula for some good old garage rock. Their sound feels like a vigorously shaken-up soda can, just waiting to explode onto whoever dares to puncture open their latest single, Westward Bound. A jarring, slapdash electric guitar cracks open the track, setting a rowdy scene for a quick, crashing drumbeat to provide the backbone of the track. Screaming, sonorous vocals give the track the extra shock it was searching for, piecing through the simple melodies and leaving a ragged, scorched earth behind them with every inflection. By the time the three minutes are up, you feel coated in engine exhaust and octane, and you can almost see the blown-out suburban speaker that was cranked up just a lot too high trying to blare out this single. A great track? You bet your life.
-Andrew Wilcox
Unfortunately this era of pop music is factory produced: start with a good looking kid, send to voice lessons, hire a 45 year old in Russia to write the song. Very little popular music on the radio is musicians getting together in a garage and writing rock songs, but Fauna Flora is just that. They are four guys from Lancaster, Pennsylvania getting together and doing something they love. Happy Hour, the featured track on their debut album Fauna Flora, is very rock. It has a definite early Smiths feel, starting with the fade into the song, continuing with the lead’s unique and soothing voice. Later in the song there is the rock songs key lead break. Overall this is a really lovely album that I would recommend to anyone.
-Delia Badger
Driving down open roads, with the the windows down, and your hair blowing in the breeze is the perfect picture this song paints. The vocals in 100 Degrees by Sweet Benfica are echoey and sound separated from instrumentation. The simplicity of the song makes it easy on the ear, so you can listen to it while in any mood. Bon Iver is the name that comes to mind when I hear their music. 100 Degrees is full of clever, sweet lyrics that do a great job of showing off the album’s soft side. Sweet Benfica is a good mix of indie rock and lo-fi slacker folk.
-Ruby Lainer
Engaging and invigorating, Living Zoo is exactly what indie rockers Built to Spill needed to kick-start their first studio album in six years. Bright and catchy twin guitar riffs grab your attention right from the intro, which changes tempo three times, escalating the intensity and capturing energy reminiscent of late 90’s grunge-pop groups like Semisonic and The Strokes. Doug Martsch joins in with grainy, REM-esque vocals, complemented by a driving, snare-heavy drum part. The lyrics are subtly profound, discussing the innate, animalistic side of human nature (complete with a tiger growl), and the trapped sensations we all feel at some point. The human mind is a living zoo, full of energy, emotion, and impulse – exactly what Built to Spill conveys in this superb track.
-James Sutton
The Ides of February
This week on Aux Deck, we’ve paid off ambition’s debt and really dug down for some great listens. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.
A certain sense of grandeur and a narrative lyrical style, augmented by their indie-rock-meets-horns sound, brings this lush track by Great Caesar to the forefront of their eponymous EP. The instrumentals are simple; just horns, bass, drums, and guitars, but masterfully arranged. The song lures you in with muted strumming, a snare, and gently swelling brass. But as the lyrics near their conclusion, the drum quickens to a rat-a-tat-tat marching beat, the horns crescendo to sweeping overtures that pause just long enough to allow the songs great hook (“pack up your bags and fly, we’ve got some dreaming before we die”) to sink in, and the the guitar builds to powerful downward strumming. The innocuous intro and tumultuous, resounding end accomplish the twin goals of first drawing you in and then knocking you out masterfully. And the uncommon, narrative style of the song allows the instruments to do just that. Telling the story of two children on a great journey, who, faced with impossible obstacles, eventually triumph through simple faith in themselves, the clear beginning-middle-ending to the lyrics lend a clear beginning-middle-ending to the music, combining for a layered, abundant song that’s greater than the sum of its parts.
–James Sutton
If last week’s single wasn’t enough, I’ve brought you another velvet-cloaked single with a vintage sound, one that plugs your nose and goes down surprisingly smooth for a fresh and local indie outfit. Everything about this single is seething with daring ingenuity, the originality of the track burning through the late-sixties essence and branding it with a blazing, animated fire that ignites the whole single with a scorching, torrid vibe. SF band The Soft White Sixties have taken the dreaded sophomore slump and spat in its face with their 2013 album Get Right, searing their talent into every single and instilling it with their unique, neon sound. City Lights is the real flashbulb single off of this record, and it truly encapsulates the savvy style of the band. The track is kickstarted by a muted, rythmic bass, but luminous vocals and a clear drum beat soon come in to polish off the track and buff off the hard edges. With the late addition of a whiny, off-tempo guitar, the refined product comes beaming with perfect simplicity and just a touch of authentic genius. The Soft White Sixties may not be reinventing the wheel, but their version of it certainly runs without any semblance of a snag. Who needs anything else?
–Andrew Wilcox
Do you ever have that moment, when you are driving or walking on a sunny day and everything is working out well for you, and you think to yourself that this is like a movie? Well this might just be something I do, but in any case this would be the song in the background. Cicadas by The Wild Maps has a road trip, fun, nostalgic sound. This song has the ability to put you into a great mood so fast. It starts out with a tinny old train station sound, and then in comes the harmonica which adds another element of this train sound. Not long after, comes in the the vocalist with a deep, bluesy voice. The song continues with this rambling sound and incorporates lyrics like “caroline is never sweet unless she shuts her sailor mouth and starts to sing.” And if that hasn’t sold you on the song, how many bands do you know with a: mandolin, tambourine, organ, trombone, harmonica, banjo, and ukulele?
–Delia Badger
Cliché Crashers
What’s up AuxDeck readers? This week, all four of us came to the table with a classic, conventional track- only, each of them has a unique twist. Be it a raucous, energetic high school band that happens to contain a cellist; a surprisingly youthful take on an old, aging classic (while still sticking to its southern roots); a velvet 70’s rock vibe wrapped in shiny, new San Franciscan vellum; or a conventional, laid back American folk track written and performed in a distinctly British manner, each of these tracks have been bent into something special and extraordinary. That’s the reason we love them. We hope that you will too.
– Andrew
Sirkka Miller, the lead singer of Whether the Empty Storm, wants to tell you a story– and she obviously has a lot to sing about. Her voice is like eating a TicTac; it’s sweet and mellow and then suddenly fills in and gets more powerful and raw. Will Moon keeps the drum beat crisp and clean; you’ll hear it come in after the glossy bass entrance by Evan Linsey. Whether the Empty Storm also includes a cellist, Mari Ma. The cello adds richer, fuller sound to the song and is especially powerful during the chorus. Have I mentioned that this band came out with this album while still in high school?? They wrote and produced it themselves. Whether the Empty Storm is what every high school garage rock band aspires to be.
-Ruby Lanier
This one starts off with a bang- the first sound that hits your ears is a deliciously dark, smooth, and irresistibly sexy guitar anthem that stains the track with a grimy, seductive mood and leaves it dripping in a caliginous gloom. Such are the stylings of Hanni El Khatib, an SF native with a knack for spitting out dusky, dirty tracks; one that is put on raucous display in his latest record, Moonlight. The entire album reeks of a rank, rancid grunge steeped in a musty cigarette smoke, taking no prisoners with its deep metal imprints and a Hendrix-esque bleeding guitar that mars each track with a monstrous and unrelenting pressure. It’s this obvious appreciation of old school rock and blues that gives his music its pure and vintage vibe, but it’s suffused with just enough modern angst to emerge from the vintage mist and form a unique aura of its own. The Teeth doesn’t need much describing; it’s just a hot, hard, and heavy rock n’ roll song that’s best played as loud as possible with your eyes closed and your head banging. Inside and out, a solid track.
-Andrew Wilcox
There’s a stigma associated with cover songs. Covers are often written off as simply imitations of another’s work, or as a mere reflection that’s somehow lesser than the original. But Barnstar!’s take on Josh Ritter’s gloomy, methodical tune “Darlin” shows us how covers can simultaneously accentuate what’s best about a song while also taking it to new,inspiring heights. Giving the original song’s slow start a jolt of life with bright guitar chords and a gently rolling banjo, and then building to melodic mandolin riffs and wistful, dark fiddling, the band stays true to the song’s bones while making sure the track is undeniably by Barnstar!. However, the instrumentals by no means overpower the sparse, wistful lyrics,and that’s what makes this song great. Delivering an impassioned plea to the woman spurning him, Mark Erelli begs her to “let me prove myself”. The song builds to its conclusion, the strings fade away, and you hear the loneliness and melancholy in the line, “I’m just out here ringing bells”. Then the whole band comes in for the final chorus, but that’s what stays with you- the moment of calm where old song meets new, where the loneliness of Josh Ritter combines with the depth of Barnstar!, creating a tune that’s not just Barnstar! doing Ritter, but where the best of both worlds combine.
-James Sutton
I must admit, although listening to folk music is not always considered a cool or hip thing, I’ve always had a soft spot for it, and this album is no exception. Bedroom Hero, by Liz Lawrence, a young British singer-songwriter is very folk pop-esque. Her voice is quite beautiful, and this song really shows it off. It starts with just her and a guitar plucking, and as the song progresses a piano comes in to keep a beat a little more. It sounds like Ingrid Michaelson, or Sara Bareilles, with a feel-good nature and simplicity that work well together. Since this album there have been two others, and we can only hope that there will be more down the road.
-Delia Badger
South by Northeast
In this week’s issue of Aux Deck, James and Andrew, first head north to report on a smart, post-punk act based somewhere in NYC, and then cross the East River to Brooklyn, to give a listen to an alt-country-rock-jazz band with a music-school pedigree. Meanwhile Delia and Ruby take the deep dive, way down south, to bring you two fun, indie-pop bands from Tennessee, each with its own approach. Enjoy!
Sometimes, simple is just better. New York City boys Zula seem to have stolen that motto and run with it with their debut 2013 album This Hopeful, which is filled with a seemingly loose array of raw, lucid tracks; but underneath the coarse facade of the album one can dig and find something much more than a grungy riff or catchy hook, something heavier and more profound. It’s this magnetic mixture of youthful energy and a smooth, sophisticated undertone that give this single, Twin Loss, it’s enigmatic appeal. The song stands as a paragon of simple and beautiful songwriting, with a meek, foreshadowing bassline that steps up to dominate the track after teaming up with a loud and sickly sloppy guitar. Powerful, emotional vocals apply the finishing blow to a track that was already in no need of something special, arriving at a finished project that none of us know what to do with, except listen to again. And again. Simple.
–Andrew Wilcox
It’s easy to label Lake Street Dive as a “vintage style” jazz quartet, but an exploration of their latest album, Bad Self Portraits, shows much more depth than that immediate takeaway. Their fifth track, You Go Down Smooth exemplifies what this album does best: using just enough garage rock and R&B/soul influences to complete their refreshing, upbeat sound. Opening with slightly crunchy, rhythmic guitar chords which provide the foundation for the whole song, the virtuoso singing of frontwoman Rachael Price and bright, cheery, backing vocals quickly take over. Making every note and run seem easy, the training and musical acumen gained from Price’s attendance at the prestigious New England Conservatory (where the band met) really shows in her voice. The rest of the band’s education also comes through in the literate, witty lyrics. (The group writes collaboratively.) Rounded out by the energetic drumming of Mike Calabrese and a brassy horn section, this track really gets your hands clapping and your feet tapping. In a genre that often trends toward the overdone and pretentious, you can tell this group simply enjoys the hell out of making their kind of music, making this a great, charming listen!
– James Sutton
Parachute Musical is an indie-pop-rock band from Nashville. Everything Is Working Out Fine In Some Town is the band’s second album (it came out in 2008). This song, Dear Jacksonville, the one cued up, is driven by a simple, compelling piano part. The lyrics are prominent as well. The song starts off with the lead singer and piano, then a drum beat that is steady and keeps the song moving, and once you get farther into the song, you’ll hear the time signature shift into a more swing feeling. Elements of the song will remind you of things you’d hear on the radio, but it has its own, unique sound. The positive vibe makes it easy to jam out to with friends – it’s a good song for a road trip playlist. Have fun rocking out!
– Ruby Lanier
The East Nashville band “and the relatives” released their second album Green Machinery in November 2010, which the song Fourth Rate is featured on. The album has a country meets pop meets rock feel. The beginning of this song sounds a little like the Beatles with a mid-sixties vibe, incorporating kind of a raw sound with very deep forward vocals. And the relatives have a tendency towards funny, witty lyrics, along with the garage band aesthetic. Just a warning – it gets stuck in your head.
– Delia Badger
Meet 20syl
Meet 20syl, a French turntablist who’s been lurking around the Internet trip-hop and techno scene for quite some time now. Following years of mixing and producing, his debut 2014 EP Motifs seems to have slipped through the cracks and under the radar of the mainstream techno scene, but I’m here to tell you that this standout single Kodama is one you can’t let pass you by. The slow, trancelike intro doesn’t last for long, as the song is soon woofed into a high key, synth ridden beat, sliced open with a compulsive, swooping bass to round out the track. Melodic vocal samples catch your attention and come to the foreground of the song, allowing the choppy piano chords and driving synths to work their magic in the background, all combining to form an immersive masterpiece. Seeming moments of serenity are suddenly blasted open by a heavy snare beat, and even after hundreds of listens I’m still giddy and full of anticipation for the drop. In an electronic genre dominated by the overuse of weighty, sluggish subwoofers and ear splitting bass, this single separates itself from the monotonous crowd and provides a clean, clear-cut, and beautiful contrast that will leave you begging for more. C’est parfait!
-Andrew Wilcox
Aux Deck 