The drinking and depravity continued throughout the day, into night, until I could no longer sit still. I was thinking thoughts a man shouldn’t think. The full moon was high and the mist was lurking, draping itself with seductive ease across the beautiful, dim night. I’d been listening to the debut album from Melbourne band The Graveyard Train for hours, possibly days. Who could be sure? I was hypnotised, entranced. I left the safety of home and lurched forward, shuffling down the street, towards the cemetery. All the while the words were ringing in my ears, rattling around my mind in the swirling oblivion of possibility:

I shuffle on down the street.
I can’t help dragging my feet.
Got my two arms leading the way.
And all the people there stop and say…
‘Let’s move like a mummy!’

And so it began; my night in the cemetery, esky of well-stocked beer held tight, howling at the moon about dancing to the devil’s drum, taking witches out dancing and children burning alive. It was tremendous fun, but maybe you had to be there. I was in another world, I was deep in The Graveyard Train and there was no way out. My raised head and out-stretched arms silhouetted against the murky, moon-lit cemetery as I cried out more of their words in wicked delight.

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They say travelling can be life-changing. It awakens you to so many new experiences, showcasing the world in all its infinite wonder. Furthermore, it has been said, travelling abroad can make you appreciate what you’ve left behind. After some time through the looking glass last year, I came to concur wholeheartedly with both points of view. I saw some beautiful, mind-buzzing things. Perspectives changed and confidence grew. Throughout this process though, memories of the land I had left behind remained, lurking in my subconscious, alluring and magnificent, beckoning my return. I made my return just in time, in November 2010: the icy UK winter was beginning to crank and my homesickness was rapidly evolving into desperate, fixated yearning.

Walking through the Brisbane airport on my return, over-indulged in free in-flight liquor, I felt an inescapable, cinematic sense of joy. I was home, draped in beautiful summer warmth, and local band The John Steel Singers were on the radio. Rainbow Kraut, I hazily recall, was the fine summer anthem filling the halls. I didn’t know who was playing it from what radio, but I instantly understood why. It’s a rollicking summer anthem: a thrilling, joyous burst of horn-infused, psychedelic pop. It’s a song I’d heard before, but I’d never heard it like that. In the version I was hearing, the version on their debut album Tangalooma, the drums thump the earth and the vocals kiss the sky. Everything else fits everywhere in between.

‘I’m back!’ I thought. ‘Summer!’

Little else on Tangalooma propels itself with the same intensity, but the inescapable feeling of summer remains throughout. While the album hints at Brit Pop (the querying social commentary of the lyrics suggests someone here is a big fan of early Blur and their English predecessors, The Kinks) with its horns, harmonies and omnipresent jangle, its sound remains uniquely Australian. Maybe it’s the Aussie-accented harmonies, but this album just goes with beers, barbecues and cricket, the perfect Welcome Home for any homesick Aussie.

It is also, in somewhat of an increasing rarity, an album you can listen to from start to finish. I have favourites, but there’s nothing I feel an overwhelming compulsion to skip. It’s all pleasant, clever and musical. Aside from the sweetly blissful summer air that flows throughout, the overwhelming impression one gets from listening to this album is that these guys love music. Having seen them live, I know that they’re multi-instrumentalists, the lot of them, and the charming mood of their free-spirited, instrument-swapping live shows is captured here. There’s layered vocal harmonies and clever guitar flourishes buried throughout the mix. Play it loud, on a good stereo, and you’ll be rewarded.

Rainbow Kraut, as I’ve touched on already, is my favourite track on the album. There is intent in that song that some of the others, particularly early on, seem to lack. But to imply that it is the only pleasure would be wrong. From the clever jangly pop of early tracks such as Your Favourite Perversion (the lyrics for which offer a good example of the band’s balance of humour: I’ll Have You in the Dark/Or in a Misty Park/The Thrill of Getting Caught with emotional sincerity: All I Really Want/Is Someone to Call Mine/By Mutual Design), Overpass and Evolution to the beautiful, lazy, darker psychedelic later tracks (which surround Rainbow Kraut) such as Once I, Dying Tree and classic album closer Sleep, there is much joy to behold.

So if you want my advice, buy this album, then drink a beer, eat a steak, enjoy the weather, and enjoy your friends. The John Steel Singers have provided the soundtrack, the rest is up to you.

Article written by Craig Tuck.

Our competition for Dubmarine’s album ‘Depth of Sound’ has now closed. Thank you to everyone that entered we had an overwhelming response. The winners are listed below and your prizes will be sent this week. Thanks again to Heapsaflash for your generous support!

B.McNeil – Preston VIC
F.Marcino – Kunda Park QLD
G.Samuels – Doonside NSW
G.Paine – Leura NSW
S.Taylor – Athol Park SA
P.Pardini – Glengowrie SA

Two Flat Whites in conjunction with our friends at Heapsaflash are giving six (6) lucky people the chance to win a copy of Dubmarine’s debut album ‘Depth of Sound’ which is in stores now!

Sound the alarm! Australia’s high-powered dub and dancehall sub-bass vessel Dubmarine are taking the wraps off their much-anticipated debut album Depth of Sound! The album’s release comes at the tail end of what’s already been a huge year for Dubmarine. Taking in Germany, Belgium, Netherlands and the Czech Republic, July saw them complete a massive European festival tour before turning in a pair of unforgettable sets at September’s BIGSOUND conference back on their home turf of Brisbane. On stage, led by the vocal gymnastics of indigenous superstar and Darumbal man D-Kazman, the nine piece create a deep dancehall, reggae, dub based musical pandemonium, producing the sound and fury of electronic music, in all of its hip shaking glory – but on live instruments.

For your chance to win this great prize, simply email your name, postal address and the code word to info {at} twoflatwhites(.)com . Remember you need to be signed up on the Two Flat Whites fan page on Facebook to win and also grab the code word.

Competition closes Sunday, 9th January 2011.

Musician Molly Contogeorge is heading to Cuba to represent Australia at the Romerías de Mayo Youths Arts Festival. Music has been Molly’s passion from a very young age. Molly has been to America and played at some of the best clubs in the world and is as ambitious as they come. Getting behind Australian music and in particular independent artists like Molly can be very rewarding. Support her in any way you can. You can hear some of this young ladies singer/ songwriting skills here.

Growing up in the same household as two music teachers and performers meant that most of my youth was spent falling asleep to the twang of Deep Purple’s Smoke on the Water ; or to the sounds of singing students ascending their scales and to those evenings spent wishing I was old enough to attend my mother’s gigs. My family life has always revolved around writing, performing and teaching and this has contributed greatly to my love of music and my desire to build a career from it. I penned my first song at the age of ten and now at twenty, I’ve amassed ten years’ worth of writing, recording and performing experience.

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Our competition for Short Stacks latest Album ‘This Is Bat Country’ has now closed. Thank you to everyone that entered we had an overwhelming response. The winners are listed below and your prizes will be sent this week. Thanks again to Universal Music Australia for your generous support!

M. Donn – Redlynch QLD
N.Marshall – Mill Park VIC
M Williams – Port Macquarie NSW
H.Bradley – Canning Vale WA
C.Lee – Concord NSW
P.Sandars – Box Hill VIC

Paul McQueen presents Songwriters Across Australia on Radio and TV, showcasing independent and unsigned music and often radio firsts, never before performed or heard artists on community radio and TV.

Songwriters from all over the the nation send their CDs to the show, phone in or perform live for broadcast on the segment ‘live on the spot’.

Broadcast nationally on the CBAA’s (Community Broacasting Association of Australia) satellite service, the Community Radio Network, formerly called ComRadSat, the show plays out to between 30 and 50 radio stations weekly.

Songwriters Across Australia is broadcast at 10pm Wednesdays, with about half the stations take the show directly from the satellite and the remainder place show into their own scheduling via the DDN.

Songwriters Across Australia is dedicated to independent Australian music. So if you are an independent artist with something to say get in touch with the show.

Sound the alarm! Australia’s high-powered dub and dancehall sub-bass vessel  are taking the wraps off their much-anticipated debut album Depth of Sound!

Featuring their trademark bass-driven foundations, twin trombone blasts and thunderous synth explosions, Depth of Sound will be available in stores November 9 through Vitamin and online everywhere through SUGARRUSH. The album’s release comes at the tail end of what’s already been a huge year for Dubmarine. Taking in Germany, Belgium, Netherlands and the Czech Republic, July saw them complete a massive European festival tour before turning in a pair of unforgettable sets at September’s BIGSOUND conference back on their home turf of Brisbane.

Live, Dubmarine are nothing short of a phenomenon, and earning themselves a must-see reputation the band has secured a devout following the old fashioned way, by picking up fans one gig at a time. To date, in and amongst their own headline shows they’ve carved up the stage at the Woodford Folk Festival, The Dreaming Festival, Parklife, Island Vibe Festival, Colours of Ostrava (Czech Republic), Amsterdam Roots Festival (Netherlands), Mundial Festival (Netherlands), Trier Alstadfest (Germany), Wereldfest (Netherlands), Afro latio Festival (Belguim), AWME (Melbourne), Reggaetown (Cairns)… and more.

On stage, led by the vocal gymnastics of indigenous superstar and Darumbal man D-Kazman, the nine piece create a deep dancehall, reggae, dub based musical pandemonium, producing the sound and fury of electronic music, in all of its hip shaking glory – but on live instruments. And it is this unmistakable live energy that’s been captured and bottled on Depth Of Sound by local collaborator / producer Andrew Stephens. What’s evident is a band growing in strength and confidence, and more than willing to take some creative risks.

First taste from the record – the track ‘Chip’ – has already paved the way for the full album, earning solid support from key radio nationally including Triple R, PBS, 4ZZZ, FBI and RTR. Depth of Sound will be launched with a run of dates up and down the east coast, followed by a string of festival slots including the Woodford Folk Festival, Subsonic (Barrington Tops, near Sydney), and the Oxford Street Party (Rockhampton).

Two Flat Whites in conjunction with our friends at Universal Music are giving six (6) lucky people the chance to win a copy of Short Stacks latest Album ‘This Is Bat Country’ which is in stores now!

It’s not just their look that’s changed for Central Coast outfit Short Stack. Sporting a new, shorter haircut and none of the eyeliner that became a trademark, lead singer Shaun Diviney says the band have also found new inspiration for the follow-up to their chart-topping debut, Stack Is The New Black. Short Stack have a huge internet following, and are often described as an online group.

For your chance to win this great prize, simply email your name, postal address and the code word to info {at} twoflatwhites(.)com. Remember you need to be signed up on the Two Flat Whites fan page on Facebook to win and also grab the code word.

Competition closes Sunday, 12th December  2010.

The phrase “jack of all, master of all” isn’t exactly one that gets bandied about, but is one that may well apply to the most recently inked player in the Modular clubhouse, Jonathan Boulet. A precociously inspired 21-year-old skate rat from Sydney’s northwest, Boulet makes a brand of ceremoniously uplifting, deeply colourful pop that sounds like something for which you’ve been searching but never thought you’d find.

This December the bedroom boffin that could, Jonathan Boulet returns with a triumphant new single, “You’re A Animal” (sic), and a swift quasi-national tour to boot.

You’re A Animal is a war cry of warrior angels, a lurching, spinning call to arms and the first new material since Boulet’s acclaimed debut late last year. Not content to rest on the reputation of an accomplished, dazzling debut, and not busy enough despite his constant touring with Parades, production for Little Scout and Megastick Fanfare and remixes of The Holidays, Wolf & Cub and more, Boulet didn’t waste any time getting up to his neck in the follow up album and he’s taking a break to hit the road and share the first fruits of his labour.

You’re A Animal marks a scintillating taste of a record due early 2011 that is shaping up to be every bit as thrilling and joyous as Boulet’s debut and then some.

The tour begins in Newcastle on Friday December 3 and goes through Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne.

Come get some.