Vibrations 13.1
Got a whole slew of bands here, all strange or unique in some way.
Australia is quickly becoming the place for new music. I've mentioned this phenomena previously, so I won't rehash right now ... I'll just point you all in the direction of Wolf and Cub, an exceedingly angular, energetic, and angry band. Man do they thrash up all of their instruments! But it's in this tasteful way -- clear production, thought-out pseudo-solos, and precise drumming -- heavy as it all may be. I like handclaps, too.
Wolf and Cub MySpace page
I should not write off the music of the country in which I currently live, Japan. I cannot but help associate the majority of Japanese music with annoying super-bubblegum-pop, and the "good" aspects of the industry (i.e. Shibuya-kei) with something that is past and that's depressing. But this band, Plamo is -- my god are they out there. At first I mistook them for being like, either from a planet closer to the sun or ... France. Yes -- that's right ... I thought they might have been singing in French. These guys load their music up with long-gone and rare casios, drum machines, vocoders, all other electronic nick knacks that you can imagine, banjo, ukulele, and sitar -- to a name a few of the instruments. Bizarre, dude.
Plamo - Suichokud Douki
Plamo - Mysis Acoustic Song
Plamo - Cicindela
Plamo - Tilt
Do As I Tell You is still, unfortunately, a young band. So young, in fact, that they've only released one 4-song EP, of which 200 were pressed and hand-silkscreened. They're like a male-led power-pop version of Metric. Keyboard-heavy melodies add drastically to their otherwise bland style (sorry -- I am not a big modern power-pop fan). They're vocalist strays too far into emo territory for me, but they do what they do well, and that's always reassuring.
Do As I Tell You - Exposure
Electric President make this pretty neato indie-pop stuff that's heavily coated in laptop effects and out-there singing. The duo is young, exuberant, ADD, yet smart all at once. Laptop pop ain't my forte, but I think these guys are good.
Electric President - Good Morning, Hypocrite, Label My Mind: Blown
Electric President - Insomnia
I am, to say the least, incredibly intriguied by the Other Planets, a self-proclaimed gonzo band, drawing from the style from the likes Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, and other dwellers from a different plane of existence. The Other Planets have chops, theory training, and creative impulses. Their song titles speak ages about them ... a bizarre perception of reality, culture, and society these guys have, indeed. They are just what I need right now, and so I am giving them to you as well.
the Other Planets - How Do I Get Her To Give Me What I Want?
the Other Planets - Will You Adhere?
the Other Planets - We're So Hip
the Other Planets - Hector Detector
the Other Planets - How's McFatter Doing?
the Other Planets - Living In Harmony With Fuel Efficiency Machinery