This is fine.
For the 8 or so people who read this blog on the regular, you’ll likely be aware of my affection for all things Oceanic, primarily New Zealand and Australia. So, with year end lists in mind, I thought I’d offer up my personal takes on the best tunes to come out of the area in 2017. There’s no particular order, just my sixteen favorites of the year.
There’s even a fun little playlist at the bottom for you to enjoy!
The sounds from this new single released by Bed Wettin’ Bad Boys might sound fairly familiar, especially if you read this here site. The group is the new project of Joe from Royal Headache, and it rides along the same lines; it uses these great gritty guitar chords that ring through your speakers while the vocals are delivered in a very matter of fact manner…those fans of the Replacements will want to keep an eye on this for sure! The group will be releasing their new record, Rot, on What’s Your Rupture/RIP Society come November 10th. I give this jam an A plus.
I had no idea the Woollen Kits were even working on new music; they’ve been relatively quiet since their last album, Four Girls. That being said, there’s never a bad time for these guys to put out new tracks, as their relaxed pop fits right into the modern indie rocker playlist. There’s some deeper vocal tones on their songs, which always makes me feel like your favorite Aussie jangle pop band is covering Beat Happening…and that’s a compliment of the highest form. You can grab the below tune on a brand new 7″ from RIP Society, but hurry, good stuff never lasts.
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Sorta was feeling the folk stylings this week, so I wanted to make sure you had a nice dosage of rock n’ roll before the week came to an end. I’ve really been jamming to this Dead Farmers LP, Wasteland as of late. They’ve got these really emphatic chord structures and this boisterous blast of vocals that seems more like a call to arms than anything else. It makes for an adrenaline filled sing-a-long, making the band one to keep on your radar as 2015 moves forward. The LP is available from the trustworthy RIP Society, bringing you rock n’ roll from Oceania and beyond.
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I haven’t written about Rat Columns in quite some time, but stalking the great Sydney label RIP Society proved fruitful last week when I found that they are soon to release the next record from the RC, Leaf. This is the first single, and while the wash of keyboards might heavily influence your decision to love or hate this track, I suggest you digest the great guitar work going on within the tune. There’s an urgency in the playing that’s really hard to ignore, and while it holds a certain sense of edginess, it’s wrapped in this sensible pop overcoat. You can find a video for the track HERE.
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I feel like I’ve been taking it easy on you this week, giving you mostly soft hits to soothe the soul. But, I wanted to wrap up Friday with a heavy-hand, giving you some post punk from Melbourne’s Constant Mongrel. Originally the group was set up as a duo, but have expanded to accommodate their live set…and possibly their recorded material. This tune comes from the group’s Heavy Breathing LP, which is being released by RIP Society, who I consider a reliable choice for the darker side of my musical collection. When the discordant noise starts ringing at the end of this track, I consider it a hit; hope you feel the same.
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It’s about time for Woollen Kits to take over the US, completely. After releasing their self-titled album on RIP Society, the band is back with a fresh new 7″, this time on the great American label, Trouble In Mind Records. The A-Side is titled “Shelley and it encompasses everything I love about the band. There’s an effortless bit of swagger that has me imagining the band swinging their guitars about the stage; the usage of gang vocals gives the track a raucous feel—and then a sharp-edged guitar solo cuts through. One listen to this jam and you’ll be stomping your feet, begging for the release to come your way. You won’t have to wait too long, as the single hits streets (with B-Side “Down Your Street”) on August 7th..so hold your horses; good things come to those who wait.
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