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.
Danny Barwick has been on my radar for a hot minute. One quarter of his 2017 Distance EP was a song called ‘Flickering’, good enough that I included it in my 2017 Unearthed Staff Picks and juiced it for months afterwards. It had all the elements that I’ve come to understand as part of Danny Barwick’s brilliance. Fizzing synths, his (sorta) deep voice and most notably, perfect piano lines. Every song is built around a gorgeous key section in such a way that I’m a whole bunch of certain that his writing process surely starts with just mister Barwick at a piano. Don’t misunderstand me here, Danny’s records might have some beautiful elements but so often they’re just outright sinister. The production on this newest single ‘Milkolka’ is more threatening than that letter from Allianz I received when I forgot to finalize a third part insurance claim, strings demented and mishapen, synths stabbing wildly like prison shanks in the dark. Seriously though, you gotta make sure you submit the claim or else you will get a sinister letter with the heading ‘Intention To Sue’.
‘Milkolka’ is the first taste from his next EP releasing by the name ‘Tigers’ which I expect we’ll get to hear in 2019.
