Tag Archives: australia

2014, music, songs, Soundcloud

Stream: Eastlink – “Mosquito”

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For the past week or two I kept seeing this band, and this song, pop up and I kept passing it over because I could have sworn that I already posted about this track. But then I finally got un-lazy and actually checked (it took all of 5 seconds, but only because I tried “east link” AND “eastlink”), and realized that I haven’t written about this track yet. I really wish that I had, because this is a rocker that should not go overlooked. Just think of how ahead of the curve I could have been.

Australia’s Eastlink just released their first full-length on In The Red. This band is going strong with four guitars, Diarrhea Planet style. Completely overdriven, out of control and thrashing through this blistering four-minute track. The track is about half-buildup, promptly focusing its attention toward one unrelenting riff and intense vocals. I’m actually having a hard time trying to figure out if I am comfortable going with the “kraut-rock” label. I think that just because of the sheer volume and intensity, that doesn’t even try to hold back or express restraint in any way, that this is certainly not kraut-rock. It’s a whole lot of sound coming out of your speakers, trying its best to completely obliterate them.

The album comes out today, and can be ordered directly from In The Red. While you’re over there, check out the rest that the label has to offer. There are a couple of other new releases that are definitely worth checking out, and you can also hear more at In The Red’s soundcloud page.

2013, albums, music, news

New Release: Sky Needle – “Debased Shapes”

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Sky Needle
Sky Needle
If you’re going to do something, do it all the way. If you are going to make music, and you want to make that music your own, then do it. Sometimes you have to build your own instruments in order to make the music that you need to make; the sounds available to you with the traditional arsenal may not speak to you, or may not be able to speak properly for you.
 
SKY NEEDLE are a band of humans living in Brisbane, Melbourne and Kyogle, Australia. They were founded in 2009 at the foot of the Brisbane ‘sky needle’, a strange architectural extravagance left inexplicably derelict since its construction for world expo 88. In honour of this giant phallic absurdity, Sky Needle vowed to only perform using their own home-made instruments.
 
The idea of using custom instruments reminds me of Buke and Gase, but listening proves to take every shred of that comparison away. Sky Needle are more percussive, more experimental, more jumping off buildings without a net. Basically, Sky Needle is most at home in unfamiliar territory.
 

 
A track like “Stars Rain Outside” recalls bits of Sonic Youth’s “Lee is Free,” with the addition of soulful singing overtop and gamelan sounds underneath. Then there are other tracks that sound like Jandek is making a guest appearance with detuned strings chugging along before the entire thing just falls about only to become reassembled as a completely new idea all together.

Sky Needle still shines in some of their less scattered orchestrations like “A Tourist” with   Sarah Byrne’s voice sliding ably between sweet and soulful one second to shaky and crazed the next.

As I’ve mentioned before: how often is it that you get to hear sounds that you have never heard before? Here is another opportunity to do just that.

The “Debased Shapes” LP, the group’s 2nd, was released about a month ago, on September 11 and is currently available from Bruit Direct Disques. Check out the album in its entirety in the soundcloud embed above.