A trio of Aussie Reviews

I know it seems like its been a quiet month here at the Eclectik Electrik but that is far from true. I've been working on some stunning articles that will hopefully see the light of day at some point and looking to expand the focus of this blog. 

July has been fairly decent for new releases. In the line-up for this month I noticed that there were three high-profile new album released by Australian artists. What are the chances? Rather than bungle them in with a larger monthly wrap-up (which is coming by the way) I decided that my neighbours across the Tasman Sea deserved their own segment. Let's hear it for Kirin J Callinan, Ash Grunwald, and Karnivool!

- Prof Ric.

Kirin J Callinan – Embracism

Kirin J Callinan is a young Australian auteur who occupies the lunatic fringe of their music scene. He comes armed with his bizarre debut album, Embracism, and it is one of 2013's most challenging listening experiences so far. From front to back this is an album about confounding expectations. You are immediately struck by Callinan's unusual vocal style on 'Halo'; like an industrialized Bowie cyborg circling the Downwards Spiral. This nightmarish manifesto of dissonance and wounded machismo carries on through the confrontational title track and 'Come On USA' (which I suspect is a double entendre). If the opening trio of songs were so placed to introduce you to Callinan's primal scream. Then the next set will make you lower your defenses as you veer from the abrasive to the uplifting and romantic. These tracks are laced with pop and melody in the same way that Socrates' last call was laced with hemlock. The clarity of rock traditionalism pierces 'Chardonnay Sean' like a volley of arrows just before it gives way to visceral howlers like 'Way II War'. If by the end of Embracism you feel lost, isolated, and confused then I doubt you are alone - Callinan has made one hell of a debut album, one that defies all categorization and conventional logic. But having listened to it a few time now, if I was being perfectly honest, I'm still not sure whether I liked it or not. Must need a few more spins then, eh?

Rating: B

Recommended tracks: Way II War, Come On USA (although I would strongly recommend against listening to any of these songs out of context)

Ash Grunwald – Gargantua

One of the strongest retro revival genres in the South Pacific these days is that of dirty old blues rock. New Zealand and Australia are riddled with throwback guitar slingers with gruff voices and a Stevie Ray Vaughan complex. Ash Grunwald of Melbourne, Australia is one of the more prominent voices in this style and for a good reason. Over the past decade he has released no less than ten albums and has shown no signs of slowing down. His latest record goes by the weighty title of Gargantua and he has brought a couple of kindred spirits along for the ride. His usual rhythm section has been usurped by fellow Aussies Scott Owen (upright bass) and Andy Strachan (drums) from psychobilly act The Living End. The rock is chunky and gnarled and downright nastier than many who try their hand at it. Grunwald even has a go at outdoing himself by re-recording his own 2010 single 'Walking'. Amidst the set are some poignant covers including Gnarls Barkley's ever-popular 'Crazy'. These guys might not bring much new to the song but it feels like the sort of number that they have busted out in pubs for years at the crowd's request. This album is lean, mean, and focused as can be as the songs pile up thick and fast. Gargantua is an easy recommendation for fans of Clutch and The Black Keys.

Rating: B+

Recommended tracks: The Last Stand, Crazy

Karnivool – Asymmetry

Karnivool are a successful heavy metal band from Perth, Australia. They have supported major music acts both at home and overseas and have developed an intense following on the back of their small handful of albums and their numerous live performances. One interesting faculties of these songs is how disjointed they are. Practically nothing on Asymmetry follows a chorus/verse structure as rock albums have made us come to expect. Instead the tracks ramble restlessly from one idea to the next, a sonic fingerprint of their prog rock proclivities. It is disorienting but in a good way and it gives the album a relentless sense of momentum. After the intro track things start in earnest with the beat-tastic 'Nachash'. This segues and slithers into bull-in-the-china-shop rockers ('AM War'), notes of throat-shredding hardcore ('The Refusal'), and twinkling balladry ('Float') with no difficulty. Unfortunately I found that around the track-ten mark a kind of fatigue sets in. Asymmetry might have a good number of tricks up its sleeve but it barrels through them at such a rate that they lose much of their shock value and luster too early. This is still energetic and engaging music it is just lacking a little in the originality department. The record could perhaps have used a little more editing. This album, more so than their previous ones, is an earnest attempt to establish a formidable identity of their own. While I appreciate the effort made to stand out, singer Ian Kenny still sounds undeniably like Tool's Maynard James Keenan which hampers that effort somewhat. Karnivool clearly have passion to spare and they are on the cusp of greater things with Asymmetry.

Rating: B

Recommended tracks: AM War, Alpha Omega

Which Handsome Devil?: A love letter to my favourite band

“I don't mind the sun in my eyes
The smell of the sweat / The buzz of the flies
Death comes alive / Death coming to life”

- Tree Food

Back in 2006 I, like many others, was enamored with a little game called Guitar Hero. As many of my friends and flatmates of that time can probably attest it got played a lot in my flat. As a lifelong music fan who never learned to play a real guitar it was the perfect game for me. I was never foolish enough to believe that being good at a Playstation game was a substitute for the real thing but I saw it as a new way of enjoying music. It forced you to listen to songs you might otherwise avoid and it helped you get more familiar with songs you already liked. All was well and good with the world. When Guitar Hero 2 came out I was no less infatuated with the franchise. This game boasted more tracks from a more diverse array of artists. One particular track stood out to me and left a lasting impression. It was called 'Elephant Bones' by a band I had never heard of, a That Handsome Devil from Boston. Perhaps they only made it in by being from the same city as Harmonix who made Guitar Hero. At any rate there was little to no information about this band so I continued with my life.

Fast forward to 2009 and I got my grubby mitts on Rock Band 2, a later iteration of the genre. This game also featured That Handsome Devil with a fun wee song called 'Rob the Prez-o-dent'. I spotted it on the track list and a bolt of realization struck me. “I know that band name” I thought. I jumped onto iTunes and to my delight they had an album and an EP available for purchase and I was all too happy to oblige (seriously, I bought them). That album was A City Dressed In Dynamite. Not only has it become one of the most played albums in my home but it helped elevate That Handsome Devil to being one of my favourite bands. Since then it became my personal goal to push the music of THD onto anybody who would listen to me. I've always had the reputation for being an over-enthusiastic music nut but this was different: I felt that it was my duty to spread the good word. My enthusiasm was bolstered by the release of another album and two more EPs since then and I have consumed each of the ravenously. One of those EPs was a free release and features covers of songs from Disney's The Jungle Book. Weird huh?

So what is it about THD that does it for me? Evasive as it might sound, its not just one thing. Being a fan of Faith No More, Primus, Tom Waits, Nick Cave, Gorillaz, Reverend Horton Heat, and alternative hip hop certainly helped as these are all musical touchstones for the band. They bounce from rock, to rap, to blues, to funk, to jazz, to rockabilly so quick your head will spin. What is better though is that THD make unabashed party music. It is just plain fun to listen to at your local house party, family reunion, or church sermon. Godforbid, singer and chief raconteur, has a brilliant and intangible quality to his vocals and a cynicism to his lyrics that really strikes a chord with me. The world is not a kind and friendly place. It is filled with egotists, warmongers, liars, and assholes at the top and the rest of us – from whores and drug addicts to those simply down on their luck and needing a break – get crammed in down the bottom of the pile. So when I hear a lyric that proclaims “I always thought that I'd die young / Make some money, be someone / They all love you when you're gone / But who knew life would be so long?” it feels as though my own world view was being validated. One of my mottos is that we all have dirt on us, it just takes a special kind of person to act like it. In That Handsome Devil we finally have a band who not only acts like it, they thrive on it.

As much as I can blather on about this band's merits (and there are plenty of those, trust me) the sad truth of the matter is that they are not a globe trotting world famous act. They all work regular jobs like you and I and tour around their corner of the US when they can manage it. This band has had a such a profound effect on my life in the last few years it is downright depressing to think that they will probably never be able to afford to play in my home country of New Zealand. Even still I will continue to bang a drum on their behalf on the other side of the world and eagerly await a new album.

Wake the fuck up people! That Handsome Devil are out there somewhere, sleazing away in a dive bar somewhere for spare change and beer money. The least you could do is buy all their albums and share their brilliance with a like-minded friend or two. Try here for starters.

Essential albums: That Handsome Devil EP, A City Dressed in Dynamite, Enlightenment's for Suckers EP, The Heart Goes to Heaven the Head Goes to Hell, The Jungle Book EP … just get fucking all of it!