Nu Raveonettes

The Raveonettes @ The Forum

Danish duo The Raveonettes just rolled through Melbourne with the Brian Jonestown Massacre roadshow. The wall-of-hum produced at their Forum gig paid homage to their Lee & Nancy Chain influences. They flitted between playful fuzz'n'roll and intense squalling jams. The set climaxing with Sharin Foo shredding one of the many basses she swapped between during the night.
In April a new EP appeared from band on their own Raveonettes LTD label. The five-track Into The Night set found them back in the studio with Richard Gottehrer. It's the perfect union as Gottehrer gained popularity co-writing '60s hits ('I Want Candy', 'My Boyfriend's Back'). And, he later meddled with US punk, producing Blondie's classic garage pop album Plastic Letters as well as recording with Richard Hell And The Voidoids and The Bongos. Most recently, Gottehrer produced Dum Dum Girls.
A new LA-recorded album is expected from The Raveonettes by year's end.
Buy Into The Night here.

'Too Close To Heartbreak' - The Raveonettes


'I Want Candy' - The Strangeloves


'I Didn't Have The Nerve To Say No/Bermuda Triangle Blues' - Blondie

2012 - The Story Some More

South Side Hustle - Sun 8th April

It's a House Party!
Sunday 8th April.
7pm - 3am.

Now: The Hit Comps Of 2012

SMOKEY

Two strong compilations have landed within a matter of weeks of each other: Strong Love (Chapter Music) and Metal Dance (Strut/Fuse). 

Strong Love is a collection of Gay Liberation anthems that spans the '70s. While it leans heavily on post-hippy folk, there are also funky protestations (Buena Vista, International Gay Society), soul statements (Blackberri) and soft cock rock (Chris Robison). But the highlight. and reason alone to purchase this set, is from LA sleazoid Smokey. His track here, 'Strong Love' is dark, almost proto-house. From 1976, it could just easily have come out a decade later and been given a slight retweak to masquerade as something Frankie Knuckles and Jamie Principle were getting up to. The liner notes tell us that Smokey worked with members of Quiet Riot, Tin Machine and The Motels at different stages of his career. It makes sense. It also makes sense that Chapter tease us with the promise of an entire Smokey reissue disc soon.

Metal Dance is a collection of post-punk industrial electronic "rarities and classics" from the '80s. Compiled by UK producer Trevor Jackson (Playgroup), there is not one dud cut on this 27-track set. There are the big names in synth punk, new wavery: Cabaret Voltaire, Nitzer Ebb, DAF, Yello and, film director/composer John Carpenter. Aus electro icons are remembered too, with Severed Heads and SPK (whose selection here gave this comp its name).  Best is that Jackson includes those less remembered for being a part of this exciting moment in music history: Pete Shelley (usually cast aside as a one-hit wonder in solo mode, while being lauded as a member of punk band The Buzzcocks), Honey Bane (she spent most of the '80s as an erotic model and is often derided as a poor man's Toyah) and Alien Sex Fiend (mainly lambasted for their role in the first wave of goth). There's also acts who were critically-acclaimed at the time but who are rarely rated for their importance in the evolution of electronica: one-time PiL bassist Jah Wobble, 400 Blows, Mark Stewart (of seminal disco punks The Pop Group) and Fini Tribe (singer Chris Connelly later joined Revolting Cocks). At its best though, Metal Dance uncovers acts that may have escaped your notice previously: Diseno Corbusier, The Bubblemen and Analysis.

Neighbourhood Watch - The Cactus Channel

The Cactus Channel is a Melbourne ensemble of musicians making some of the funkiest tunes in Australia right now. And they've only just finished school - in fact, their new single was recorded while finishing their final months of study at high school. The two new tracks 'Emanuel Ciccolini' and 'Budokan' are getting release on 7" vinyl through Hope Street Recordings - also home to The Public Opinion Afro Orchestra and The Bombay Royale. While 'Ciccolini' is lean superfunk, 'Budokan' is a lights-down/pimp-out soundtrack. An album is promised mid-year.

2012 - The Story So Far

Neighbourhood Watch - Congo Tardis #1

Melb-based nouveau tropicale outfit Congo Tardis #1 have materialised into 2012 with a three-track release, led by the jittering and bugged out 'Wild 'N' Ready'. Way ahead of the local club curve (those mainrooms are all about the wub wub), 'Wild 'N' Ready' features some crazed toasting from Damajah - so good not to hear another feeble pop rap flow. But that's not enough for this crew, there's also the calypso-dub 'Sweet Lime', which is worthy alone for its inclusion of a featured guest with the name Marawa The Amazing. It nods to Harry Nilsson's 'Coconut', utilising his famed refrain, "Put de lime in de coconut and drink em both up". ['Coconut' was also covered by Dannii Minogue in 1998.] It concludes with an accelerated Faux Pas remix of 'Doala'. Available to buy on vinyl or download.




Sweet Lime by Congo Tardis#1 from jeanpoole on Vimeo.