Total Control // 7”s LP

Now this I really like. Like really really. Featuring members of prominent Melbourne rock bands like The UV Race and Eddy Current Suppression RIng, garge punk rockers Total Control have concocted something really snappy. I initially looked into them because I heard that they would appeal to fans of Merchandise, but as listening would show, that comparison isn’t exactly the most apt. While they do get a bit morose on some of these tracks, the 7”s LP is a much more energetic, firecracker sort of affair.

Much like OFF! did for their debut LP, Total Control has gathered all of their previous EPs and 7”s and released the collection as their proper debut. Looking to 1970’s and 1980’s punk weirdo characters like Devo, The Screamers, and Gary Numan’s various projects, Total Control has   assembled a collection of tracks that bleeds personality from every orifice. I don’t know if the tracks play out in the chronological order of release, but there definitely seems to be a metamorphosis going on from the front of this album to the back. The first half or so wallows in fast, gritty garage punk numbers with a vibrant youthful energy, but as the album churns its way to the back it incorporates a lot more experimentation with dark synth and post-punk weirdness. Needless to say it’s an interesting spate of songs from a band keen to show off their diversity. 

So far the album is only available as a digital download on their Bandcamp, but the cover artwork is basically a j-card just waiting to be printed so… come on, now. Give the people what they want. 

(via The Elementary Revolt)

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BANDCAMP | SOUNDCLOUD 

 

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Loss of Self // Demo 2012

I saw this demo from Melbourne-based metal band Loss of Self mentioned on Forever Cursed but for whatever reason failed to pay attention. Then earlier this week I saw it mentioned again by San Fran-based metal label The Flenser (Wreck and Reference, Bosse-de-Nage) but this time I took the demo a little more seriously. And it’s a good thing I did too, because though it’s only three short tracks, it’s a really interesting release. Let me tell you why.

Fusing together aspects of black metal and post-punk, Loss of Self has spit out a nifty little demo here. Sticking to the lo-fi, home-recorded roots of the black metal genre, these guys strut their stuff with your standard tortured vocals and blast beats. But instead of just lifelessly going through the motions of the genre, they stretch themselves by incorporating elements of post-punk music. Rather than employing a usual wall of sound created by furious tremolo picking, the guitar work here is almost melodic and catchy with heaps of crunching distortion. It’s a combo that while not necessarily inspired is still one that works and has me amped for what the band’s next movie might be (a larger release for The Flenser? who knows).

Oh, and while you’re checking out the demo (which you can download for free), do yourself a favor and peep the artwork of band member Jacob O. Rolfe. PS, he designed that naked, stretchy-faced cover image.

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BANDCAMP | FACEBOOK

 

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Bored Nothing // Bored Nothing III

It’s totally cool if you want to emulate older styles and trends. Heck you can even ape another artist’s vibe and I’d be fine with it. People do it all the time. You just gotta find a way to make it your own, put your stamp on it somehow. So many bands now lifelessly go through the motions without heart and earn best new whatevers while doing so. So frustrating! 

Anyways, I think you’ll agree that Melbourne band Bored Nothing are not really anything new, and yet the band still finds a way to stand out. Their gentle take on fuzzy post-punk is pretty meek in its execution and it is definitely more mature than what the somewhat childish cover artwork would suggest. I think the band’s major strength is that they are more than the some of their parts. Simple guitar lines trace back and forth while the feathery, almost whispered vocal scrawl a melancholy picture. And while these elements are relatively unassuming on their own they add up to something pretty great. When it comes down to it, I enjoy this band because I feel something when I listen to it. Doesn’t get any simpler than that.

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BANDCAMP | TUMBLR

 

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Islands // ISLANDS

And here I already had my posting schedule set for the week. Whatever, I heard this album today and realized that it was way too powerful and beautiful a release not to share it. And so here we are at 9:30 pm and I’m sharing this gorgeous metal album. I hope you guys enjoy it.

Though the band is called Islands, I assure you that they have nothing to do with Nick Diamond or The Unicorns or anything like that. No, this name snafu is purely coincidental. Plus I’m pretty sure that what this Australian outfit is doing would pretty much scare away any average other-Islands fan. You see they play this pummeling metal which scorches the ground before shooting straight up into the blue sky. At their heaviest, the band is a doom-leaning monster with ridiculously heavy guitars, thunderous percussion, and primal vocal screams. And just when you think they are about to let the guillotine drop they pull and 180 and transition into some rather beautiful post-rock interludes. Now while I think that the post-rock ship has more or less sailed (feel free to disagree with me on this), these five guys pull the sound off in convincing fashion. It’s a great balance between the brutal and gentle and it makes for a dynamic listen. Highly recommended.

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BANDCAMP | FACEBOOK

 

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mnttaB // Rocky 4,2 and 3 EP

Take a look at the cover artwork for mnttaB’s latest EP Rocky 4,2 and 3. I mean take a really good look at it. Now try your best to compress all of that information down into a musical representation of what you are seeing. Chances are that whatever you are dreaming up in your mind is pretty close to what this Australian band actually sounds like.

The band displays an impressive knack for chaos with an industrial edge that will have people citing Suicide before you even have a chance to blink. Riffing on math and noise rock in a way that would make Lightning Bolt proud, mnttaB emits a jarring punk rock energy that will leave shards of metal and broken glass strewn across the common area. Suffice it to say, you had best watch your step.

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BANDCAMP | MYSPACE | FACEBOOK

 

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Secret Birds // Peace Forest

Dan Lewis from Bon Voyage Records just sent me this incredible release. It’s the label’s most recent cassette by an Australian band called Secret Birds. If you’re into spacey, world-music-influencedpsych rock then this should be right up your alley.

If you’re going to commit to making 10-minute long experimental pieces then you have to have something there in the music that commands the listeners attention. Secret Birds have created such a texturally rich cassette with Peace Forest. Layers of trailing wobbly psych music snakes its way across the jungle floor, absorbing anything and everything that falls under its belly. It grows fat and bulbous and on the verge of exploding with life. There is so much to be discovered here. Fans of High Wolf and Sun Araw should find this to be easy listening.

Peace Forest is a stunning listen. You can still buy the cassette from the label’s store.

listen to: “Mandala / Peace Forest”

 

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