Last time PD graced the glossy pages of Sound Doc was April 2016, when they unceremoniously made their opening move – a two-tracker featuring a single by the name of ‘The Living Man’. Roundabout a year later and both those songs found their way onto a full length (also called The Living Man). In the time shortly prior to its release and in the months thereafter, they lent their full weight to their anvil-heavy live show and are, in my humble opinion, one of the very few truly essential Australian live performances currently in effect. It’s blistering catharsis, strobing intensity, distorted horn blasts, synth stabs and Jonathan Boulet’s best efforts to lay waste to his kit. They’re a band who’s byproduct is not just light but also heat.
And now, we arrive in the now, with the duo having just releasing their first new music of the year. It’s simply titled ‘Party Dozen’, chosen because the song itself is a fair, holistic reflection of what the duo are all about. The accompanying video parallels that same frenetic anxiety that’s in everything the band do and just like their previous output, this song transcends all efforts made to categorise the sounds. It’s a ven diagram with variously labelled circles like ‘rave’, ‘metal’, ‘jazz’, ‘experimental’ and ‘instrumental’ and the band found squarely within the imbricate space. Noone knows what this business is and scientists have put thousands of hours and 2 million in funding into the issue and we’re none the closer. Apply your ears and eyes to the great mystery below.
The video was shot by Jack Saltmiras who also shot Exhibitionist’s glorious ‘Hands’ video in 2017. Makes sense too, given that Exhibitionist is in fact Kirsty Tickle, saxophonist and one half of Party Dozen. And for one final connection, Jack Saltmiras makes/once made music under the name of Skeleton Jack who turned up on Sound Doc back in 2013.
Here’s a little something I slept on through 2018, discovered in 2019 and even then didn’t have time to write about. A little aggro simmered in swirling guitars and the spat out with an MCs energy? Slop it on my plate please but also, please get at us with the next release. We’re ready.
Jim could be a Lido, or a Grynpyret if the next few years go as they should so cross those fingers and pray for rain cause this dude deserves it. He’s blessed us with a brand new little liquorice twist that goes by the name of ‘When You Love Someone’ and its and colour and candy. Jim builds this one from 16 bit gaming sounds replacing them block by bright block with instrumental elements of Jim’s own two hands. Bass, guitar parts, rolling piano lines and a sax part that’s going to head to head with the new Alex Lahey for the title of Best Unexpected Sax Arrivals of 2019.
It’s just about enough to get me writing a blog post about it, just about?
The 20 Best Australian Songs of 2018
When I first came across this new single by Ryan Fennis, I was listening blind. I didn’t know what was coming through my headphones was but it was immediately something special. My good friend and also person who I harass horribly at work Rhosian once told me that rainbow Paddlepops are actually just caramel paddlepops with a whole bunch of colouring in them and while that may be true, I maintain that on a blind taste-test, i can witness the rainbow. So too with this song, immediately I knew this was rainbow rather than caramel, whatever the artist might be called and wherever they might be from. This song swirls with colour sounding both bedroom produced and professionally made. It’s that “is this a demo? but why doesn’t it also sound so good?” idea that Jai Paul skilled-up in his released-but-actually-leaked-but-actually-released LP (hit me up if you want those mp3s, for real).
The strength of this record seems to be that Ryan Fennis can really play. Evidentially a ruthless guitarist, he also seems to be have production chops beyond his years (I don’t know his age but I’d wager he’s overperforming). He has a woozy, hypnotic vocal and a way of singing that almost sounds like he articulates on the inhale rather than the exhale which offers this really weird, breathy quality. Looks as if he’s been putting in mileage around Canberra these past few years but the other states haven’t yet connected the dots. Perhaps that’s what 2019 is all about for Ryan Fennis, feels like he’s just about ready.
