The Goon Sax — Up To Anything
From my RS review: "Weighted by personal insecurities, the Brisbane teenage trio examine the edges of adulthood – responsibilities, relationships et al – with remarkable self-awareness, yet smirk away the self-deprecating pity tempting them into depressive territory." [Bandcamp]
Summer Flake — Hello Friends
Great to hear this finally out in the wild. The best work yet from one of this country's mose treasured songwriters, continuing to split the difference between brutal and fragile like no other. [Bandcamp]
Violent Soho — WACO
Yep, loaded with grunge nostalgia and more 'sounds likes' than most are normally comfortable with, but at its core this is true-blue hard-sleeved Aussie rock. Brutal, loud, a total guilty pleasure, and every bit as big as it was expected given the (albeit slow-burning) success of their previous album, Hungry Ghost. [iTunes]
Tim Hecker — Love Streams
Finding bliss within head-numbing noise and the disfigured corpse of electronic conformity. [iTunes]
Frightened Rabbit — Painting Of A Panic Attack
From my RS review: "Fifth time around, the parameters stretch further with the band injecting electronic-based experimentations, with surprising success. Drum loop monotony serves as equal sparring partner to poetic bluntness, while subtle field-recording samples and walls of distorted noise slip between the usual flirts of celebratory rock grandeur." [iTunes]