Gigs of the Week - July 23rd

We've been a bit slack lately with reviews etc, so hopefully we'll have a bunch up in the next week or two. I have a decent little pile of local records here that I want to talk about, so hopefully I'll get some time to write about them in the not-too-distant future.

Anyway, here's the local shows for the next few days:

Thursday July 23rd:
Ambitious Lovers, Whyte Lightning, Colossal Head @ Book Nook, West End (7:30pm)
Twist Oliver Twist, Re:Enactment @ Ric's Bar

Friday 24th:
Secret Birds, Blank Realm @ Ric's Bar
The Sunburys - The Powerhouse (6pm, Free, AA)
Spitfireliar, The Quickening, Nectar, Copius, Breakneckspeed @ The Zoo
Bryde, Wipedoubt, Willows, Anonymeye @ The Globe

Saturday 25th:
Subterranean Sounds: Booby Traps (NSW), Screamin' Stevie's Australia, Pineapples From The Dawn of Time, The Hymies, Sulphur Lights, Sweet Dreams, The Modern Convicts @ Step Inn
Heart Flew Like An Arrow, Cured Pink Radio @ Ric's Bar
The Oyster Murders, Dizzy Gotheca, The Scrapes @ The Hangar

Sunday 26th:
Mr Rascal (Album Launch), The Bell Divers @ The Powerhouse (3pm, Free, AA)

Wednesday 29th:
Lion Island, Cold Cold Hills @ Ric's Bar

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Gigs of the Week - July 17th

Friday July 17th:
The Estates (EP Launch), Jake Rush & The Bad Habits, Lion Island @ The Zoo
Kutomo (Finland), Anonymeye @ Blackstar Coffee
Tin Can Radio (Album Launch), Dan Parsons, Last Dinosaurs @ The HiFi
The Pretty Boys, White Mansions, Lords of Wong @ Step Inn (Front Bar)
Ouch! My Face! (Vic), Idles Cranes @ Ric's Bar

Saturday 18th:
The Sips (7" Launch), Blank Realm, Undead Apes, The Heels @ Step Inn (Upstairs)
Tragic/Athletic, Carry Nation @ Ric's Bar
Chloe Turner @ Ric's Bar (4pm)
The Rocketsmiths, Drawn From Bees, Cerebella @ The Hive (Valley PCYC)
Fait Accompli (NSW), Stature:Statue, Idle Cranes, Comic Sans @ Valley Studios
Almost Invisible #2: Kutomo (Finland), Music For Slow Dancing, Dollface @ Browning St Studios, West End - All Ages, BYO.
Laneous & The Family Yah, Pear & The Awkward Orchestra, Banawarun, The Smokestack Orchestra, Re:Enactment, Kristen Haines, Liam Griffin, La Viola Vixen, Stop It! Love It!, Kate McKeague @ The Fort
Fred Negro & The Vaginabillies, The Hymies, The Fred Band, Screamin Stevies Australia @ Clarence Corner Hotel - This is listed in the street press but I'm not sure if it's actually happening.

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Review: Hunz - Thoughts That Move

Hunz' latest record, Thoughts That Move, was created as part of the annual RPM Challenge, where artists are required to create an album within the month of February. Given that pretty heavy restriction and his chosen genre of music (vaguely atmospheric electro-pop), the resulting record is quite impressive. Thoughts That Move falls into a sonic space somewhere between Thom Yorke's Eraser and Bjork's Post; there are moments of intensity ala the former record (and Hunz seems to be quite fond of layered falsetto vocal arrangements much like Yorke), but with a poppier, more uplifting bent that brings it closer to 'Hyperballad' territory. The music is filled with skittering drums beats, thick synth bass and glitchy keyboards, all of which have been sonically polished and meticulously placed - the mix of density and clarity in the recording is pretty remarkable when you consider that the album was entirely conceived and created within four weeks.

The record somehow manages to be simultaneously upbeat, forceful and reflective, emotive. The tempos are uniformly high, the mix dense and the melodies up front, while little sounds darting around the edges and periods of stillness amongst the otherwise inertia-filled music give a much needed emotional ambiguity to proceedings. On initial listen the record might seem fairly uniform in mood and quality, however over subsequent listens some songs seem to stand out more - usually this occurs when the songs mix the two moods in fairly equal measure, such as in the opening combo of 'It's So Light' and 'Soon, Soon'. The former mixes its glossy sound with a bittersweet yet uplifting chord progression, while the latter juxtaposes a driving drumbeat against walls of vocals. Another highlight is closer 'The Commotion'.

The album does drag a fraction by the second half, and not every song hits upon a memorable melody or arrangement, but those complaints feel like nitpicks when considering the circumstances under which the record was made. I certainly can't point out any tracks as being poor as such, and there are definitely a couple that succeed in grabbing my attention. I'd really love to see Hunz get darker, grimier and more analog sounding on his next release, but I think that might just be my personal preferences talking. If he continues to mine this particular electronic pop vein then I imagine he'll still produce some music well worth people's time.

You can get a free digital version of Thoughts That Move from Hunz' website, where you can also buy CD copies for $10.

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Gigs of the Week - July 9th

There are heaps of good gigs on this weekend. Here are some of them:

Thursday 9th:
Incremental Records Launch: Nova Scotia, Mt Augustus (EP Launch), Turnpike, Ambitious Lovers @ The Zoo - the launch of the Incremental Records Online Store, along with Mt Augustus' new EP.
La Dispute (USA), To The North (12" Launch), Marathan, King of Red Lions @ Jubilee Hotel

Friday 10th:
AXXONN, Monster Monster, Heart Flew Like An Arrow, Heil Spirits @ Step Inn (Front Bar)
La Dispute (USA), To The North (12" Launch), Quiet Steps, Arrows, The Surrogates @ Top Floor - All Ages
Daniel Morcombe Foundation Benefit: We All Want To, Kate Bradley & The Goodbye Horses, Crystal Radios @ The Globe
Mum Smokes (Vic), Greg Brady & The Anchors @ Ric's Bar

Saturday 11th:
Upstairs Rumble #2: SixFtHick, Vegas Kings, Sweet Dreams @ Step Inn (upstairs)
+1 Records Showcase: Rollerball (Album Launch), Mexico City, Blackwater Fever, Black Mustang @ The Zoo
Do The Robot, The Rational Academy @ Ric's Bar
Madeleine Paige @ Ric's Bar (4pm Cheeseboard)

Willows, In Sepia, Peel St Band @ Fat Louie's Pool Hall

Tuesday 14th:
XYZ: The Heels, The Narwhals @ X&Y Bar - 4ZZZ benefit at The Valley's newest venue.

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Gigs of the Week - July 3rd

Friday 3rd:
Bachelor of Arts, Deux Garcon @ Ric's Bar
Liquid Architecture @ Brisbane Powerhouse - Room40's annual Liquid Architecture festival.
The Boat People, Texas Tea @ QPAC Cascade Court
Monster Zoku Onsomb!, Black Lung (Vic), Anal Traffic, Dollface, Justus Corrupt @ The Globe

Saturday 4th:
Teleprompter, Teeming With Wildlife, Oh Ye Denver Birds, Grasshopper, Citizen Loud @ The Hangar
The Decline of Modern Civilisation: Curse Ov Dialect (Vic), Purple Duck (Vic), Professional Savage (Vic), Joel Saunders & Crazy Hearse, Bloody Roo, Potato Masta @ Step Inn (Front Bar)
Re:Enactment, Skinny Jean @ Ric's Bar
Liquid Architecture @ Brisbane Powerhouse - Room40's annual Liquid Architecture festival.
Lead Sketch Union (Vic), The Gifthorse, Arrows, Ringpull @ Rosie's
New Jack Rubys, Lords of Wong, Ironside @ Fat Louie's Pool Hall
Washington (Vic), Last Dinosaurs, Buick Six @ The Troubadour

Tuesday 7th:
Chip Sandwich: Dot.AY, Simulcast, Joel Saunders & Crazy Hearse @ Browning St Studios - All Ages, BYO, donation entry.
Brutal Hate Mosh, Scraps @ Ric's Bar

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