Community radio music coordinators often have an encyclopedic knowledge of local music and an insatiable thirst to keep their ears ahead of the curve. So in this Tone Deaf series, the Australian Music Radio Airplay Project (Amrap) invites music coordinators to highlight new Aussie tunes that you might have missed.
In this edition, Chris Cobcroft and Nick Rodwell from 4ZZZ in Brisbane contribute with a selection of tracks currently making their way to community radio through Amrap’s music distribution service ‘AirIt’.
Check out their selections below and if you’re a musician you can apply here to have your music distributed for free to community radio on Amrap’s AirIt.
Michael Beach – ‘Never Had Enough Time With You’
Michael Beach is an intriguing dude. He’s been over in the US and making a record with members of Meercaz and Comets On Fire. The combined sound is something like a quite rocky Neil Young and The Chills, which, well that’d be pretty great – right? The LP’s out in September and this single is a great start. – Chris
Carmouflage Rose – ‘Late Nights’
Brisbane MC, Carmouflage Rose, is known for his high energy. Here with his latest single, Late Nights, he cools it, dissociated from the club, this ode to the party vibe is thick and intoxicating. – Nick
Forevr – ‘Columbus’
I’m always on the lookout for something different in shoegaze and I think this stylish Brizzie band have nailed it here. The slow electro beats contrast neatly with the sassy guitar fuzz and dreamy vox.
There’s a little bit of dabbling with trap, which, well, whatever, but mostly this comes across as a hybrid of shoegaze and triphop, like Portishead hooking up with Slowdive.
So, tripgaze or shoehop? I think those are both pretty good choices, it’s going to be hard to pick. The easy choice, of course, is Forevr, a decision you won’t regret. – Chris
Take Your Time – ‘Love At First Sight’
Never let pride get in the way of enjoying music. This is a Kylie Minogue cover and I think that it’s gorgeous. With elements of deep-house and acid jazz, this duo from Melbourne are a class act. – Nick
Lincoln Le Fevre & the Insiders – ‘Undone’
Heartbreak and heartland rock make a rocket-fuelled anthem for Lincoln Le Fevre. The Melbournite’s second single from his forthcoming album mixes quite a few fist-pumping influences: bits of the Foo Fighters, Bodyjar and The Boss. The muscular guitars and Lincoln’s pleasantly everyman voice make the wrenching melancholy criminally infectious. – Chris
Big Words – ‘Miss Your Mind’
Jazzy Rhodes opens this soulfuly and quietly, but wait for the slap bass and g-funk synths. It really provides some grunt, but never stops this Melbourne crew being slick as anything, especially those two boys doing the vocals, all sensitive like. I’d like to see who’d win in a dance-off with Jordan Rakei. – Chris
Cody Munro Moore – ‘No Matter How Hard’
Cody Munro Moore knows his rock, whether as a member of New Lovers, Big White, as head honcho at his record label Dinosaur City or out on his own. This single from his full-length, which is due imminently, adroitly demonstrates the hallmarks of his style. Key among those is his ability to deliver messy guitar and vocal lines that are -listen again- freaking genius.
I struggle to find an exact reference for what he does: there’s bits of David Byrne, Joe Strummer and, in the sung-shouted declamation of No Matter How Hard, some of the softest moments of Henry Rollins. Add a drum machine and you’ve got a song. Really liking this. – Chris
Great Outdoors – ‘Keep Your Focus’
From concept to execution, Keep Your Focus is a slick slice of kraut-rock’n Australiana. Zach Schneider, of Totally Mild, offers an elegant variation on what indie-rock can accommodate. Don’t stop here, though, the whole album, Fake News, is full of mystery and surprise. – Nick
Deafcult – ‘Summertime’
Another giant slab of guitar hugeness and pop sweetness. It almost feels like Deafcult conquered this hill already, but, y’know, shoegaze and anyway it’s such a darn pleasant little hillock to climb up, why not do it again? Even amongst some fantastic recent releases from some of the giants of the genre this stacks up. – Chris
