Our Man In Berlin is a tricky name indeed. It’s an odd moniker to adopt if you’re, let’s say, five separate humans from any place that’s not Berlin. It’s also a really special sort of brain melt to think that the name of the people singing the song you’re about to listen to actually, in itself, implies ownership of… itself. They are the man in Berlin while they simultaneously have some sort of supervisory relationship with this Berliner. After a while it sort of starts to get to you if you think too deeply on it and leads to more dangerous questions like how much does the internet weigh and is that too much? What does the D.D in D.D Dumbo stand for? What even are birds?

Their third and newest single ‘Cirrhosis’ offers immediate life answers in the form of Total Life Forever era Foals guitar rhythms and a heavily affected vocal. “Just a little more time. Just a bit of control” runs the chorus. Golly, wouldn’t that be nice. A bleaker concept still in light of the track’s title, a late stage liver disease that’s most often the result of a life of heavy drinking or hep-C. Not a lot of good cause or effect in that bundle but there’s a light-footed fleetness about the track that isn’t mired down in the sludge of the disease. I suspect the outfit are using it as a placeholder for a less bodily form of degeneration. The careful strictures of the song’s more sonic aspects tell me that this probably isn’t a band that just jam a thing out and call it finished so I’d imagine the conceptual side would follow a similar process. Whatever the case, we’re here now with this new one and I’ll be damned if it isn’t a four minutes of beautifully articulated precision.

Firstly, as a pre-emptive strike against possible format criticism, I know it’s bizarre to make a list that compares EPs to albums. The old apples and oranges argument, and so forth, but you’re forgetting that sometimes apples and oranges can come together to make a beverage both wholesome and nutritious providing a fantastic source of concentrated vitamin C. It’s just science bro. Sure, I could’ve separated my lists into Australian EP Of The Year and a more general Album Of The Year but I’d already started making these lists and it was too late when I thought of that so let’s just make do with what we’ve got, alright?

Secondly, the records that didn’t make it in. Electric Sea Spider’s Supercash was the most difficult omission. I’ve listen to that thing so many times that to see it cut from the ten was a sad and confusing moment for my gentle pink brain. I’m going to do a writeup on that record sometime in the next week or so just so that this world can make any sort of sense. Secondly, Courtney Barnett. If I’d have cottoned on to her EP earlier in the piece then it very likely would have seen itself in the ten. Look at me, “In the ten”. Sometimes it’s hard to extricate my head from the depths of my own anus thanks to the uppity industryspeak that finds it’s way onto my tongue every now and then. What else am I missing in here? Oh oh, records from Grand Salvo and Francolin were both mighty fine this year and deserved a showing but if I’ve learned anything over the past week or so, it’s that 15 does not fit into 10. Lastly, Boomgates. And Lower Plenty, and Love Migrate. In short, it was tough culling it down but here we are.

1. D.D Dumbo
D.D Dumbo

No surprises here for those who’ve been along for the ride this year. I’ve made no secret of the high regard in which I hold this release. The hardest choice for me this year wasn’t which release was going to top my list of Australia artists but which song by that artist I was going to choose to best represent them. In the end I’ve chosen one that isn’t actually a good representation of the rest of the EP but in my mind it may be the best stand-alone single. Additionally, it shows a side to Oliver Perry’s vocals you won’t hear on the rest of the EP – A smoother, sweeter perspective. I honestly don’t have a clue about how to describe the sound of this record. The best thing I can come up with is the beat scene discovering 70s blues rock and then padding it out with a wurlitzer. D.D don’t appear to be connected to any scene at the moment and I like that. They sound akin to anything that anyone else in Australia is putting out presently and that’s no mean feat.

2. Dirty Three
Toward The Low Sun

Dirty Three, or as I like to called them, the band that ended Wu Lyf. Don’t get me wrong, I actually didn’t mind Wu Lyf but it speaks volumes that it was a Dirty Three live set that made Wu Lyf realise it was probably time to call it quits. Taking lyves left right and center. Their most recent record is the eighth of their career and benefits from the highest production values they’ve had to date. It’s a literal safari (“Literally” used as per Dr Khalifa) of emotive instrumentation throughout which you’ll have your attention pointed to what you’ll soon discover to be an entirely false simplicity. The arrangements are not, in fact, just the three piece wankery of a violin, guitar and drums (sorry for making it sound like anyone’s ever suggest it is) but they’re brilliantly envisaged dramas packed with absurd time signatures/changes and a violin line that performs a similar function to a traditional vocal part. No simple “instrumental” band at all and the last record you want to dismiss lightly. This might also be the record that made me realise that I don’t really know anything about music.

3. Brothers Hand Mirror
Muddy Now

This has been my go to recommendation for most of 2012. They’ve been the answer to ‘What are you listening to lately?’ more times than I can remember and they’ve been the artist that I’ve shared with people who suggested Australian music was currently lacking innovation. Noones actually tried to make that argument but if they had, BHM would be go-to dudes. They dropped a brace of EPs this year, both of which were exceptional. I don’t feel like I need to reintroduce you to these cats since they’ve been stalwarts of the Sound Doctrine experience for the most of their existence. So much so that anything I say about them may simply be a repeat of this. Or this. Or this. Their second EP is what I’ve chosen to sit right up here though I know some small part of my subconscious is rating this on the strength of their combined releases. As far as I’m concerned it’s this sort of artist that Triple J should be including in their next crop; experimental, talented and on the cusp of breaking through into the greater consciousness. Oscar’s beats are by far and away the best possible base upon which anyone could hope to flow and HTMLflowers makes real use of that. There’s a relationship between MC and beat that is often forgone by many an MC leaving an uneasy disconnect – but not on these beats. This isn’t an MC who had some loops emailed through, this is a collaborative process that sees beat and lyric grow atop each other like vine and trellis. If I felt I could spare two spaces in my Australian top ten and retain a conscience this squeaky clean then you can bet BHM would have both EPs in here. Watch this space.

 
4. snakeface
Oberon

Ha! They said I couldn’t do it but I did it! I included a heavy act in the Sound Doc end of year top 10. Some major bigwigs will be talking about this round the watercooler tomorrow, yes they will! I guess it’s not that heavy, but even if it was, it doesn’t really subscribe to the same frame of reference as most other ‘heavy music’ in our over-metalcored Australian scene. It’s a semi-supergroup made up of western sydney legends of the fall and their collective technical ability doesn’t actually have much bearing on it’s high ranking in this year’s SD Championships. The technicality lies mostly latent as the conceptual strength of Oberon legups this release into the top five. It’s a record about the outskirts of suburbia, farmhands, rusty hinges etc. Sure, old man Liddiard might pull over for you to hitch a ride to the next town but for the most part it’s empty, dirty, old and you can hear that in the most visceral way across Oberon. There are also tracks like Occupy which have a few fistfuls of groove but the larger portions of the record are just callused hands and declining profits. A must listen if you’ve ever been into Converge or if you’re sick and tired of the state of heavy music right now (“aka THAT’S NOT TRUE METAL”)

 
5. Tame Impala
Lonerism

Does anything need to be said? They’ve backed up a first album that had the nation’s hearts a flutter with the perfect follow up. Someone who knows a whole lot more about music than myself argued that the strength of Innerspeaker lay in it’s ability to look backward and forward simultaneously. Does Lonerism then, simply revert to reversion? Does it regress to regression? It doesn’t. At least I don’t think it does anyway, and I know a thing or two by virtue of an Encarta filled upbringing. Yes, there’s obviously abundant finger pointing at the early 70s but it’s also wildly modern in it’s electronic/psychadelic (damnit, I was trying not say it) fusion. Also, on the absolute base level, it features what might be the biggest live tune of the year in ‘Feels Like We Only Go Backwards’. The thing starts with a chorus! Name just one other song in history that has done this. You can’t, because mathematically speaking, there are none. Sure, you can play me songs that sound like they begin with a chorus but I think you’ll find that these are just sonic illusions and that there are actually minor differences between this first “false chorus”™ and the later, true chorii. Like Innerspeaker, the whole record stays within the same recording spectrum but contains a variety of melody/song structure so that one wouldn’t dare complain of repetitiveness. Also, I found out just recently that Big Kev recorded this entire record on his Lonerismsome. That’s pretty astounding. Good one Kevbot.

 
6. Bearhug
Bill, Dance, Shiner

I love these dudes. Their no frills what-you-see-is-what-you-get attitude probably won’t see packing out the Enmore but it’s crazy endearing. This one came out pretty early on in the piece but it’s garnered a fair few listens over the course of the year. The music video for Over The Hill was one of the highlights, and obviously, the jam itself was a banger. Lead single Angeline was stuck in my head for the entirety of February and it wasn’t until Call Me Maybe finally dropped that I managed to bid it adieu. Also, no matter how many times I told her, every time Angeline came on in the car Bek would ask me “Who is this again?” – I mean, there’s not much to take from that story but it’s 100% true and that’s gotta count something. Just a really solid record that’ll provide me with a sound track to the next roadtrip or three. Winners.

 
7. Phobiac
All Boys

There’s something so thunderously enigmatic about this EP that it’s omission from this list was a complete impossibility as of the moment I first plumbed its depths. If Foals got crazy drunk/did a whole bunch of blow then recorded a single take EP, this is what I reckon would happen. It’s irrepressibly manic to the point of frustration but the cleanliness of guitar tone makes from a surprisingly easy listen. The tracks don’t exactly get bigger, rather they become harder and faster across their two and a half minutes-ish durations, building to breaking point. Also, it’s my understanding that they’re also excellent dudes which is unofficially a criteria for inclusion in this list.

 
8. Oscar Key Sung
Tape Voice EP

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again right now; Oscar Key Sung is the next big thing. Forget Triple J’s next crop (don’t actually forget them, there’s some good artists in there), you don’t need to look any farther than your boy Key Sung (actual name Oscar Slorach Thorn). The dude has more talent in his little finger than most little fingers have in their entire talent, you know what I mean? You probably don’t. Dude has talent, that’s the crux of it. He’s also one half of Brothers Hand Mirror (see above) and if you thought my BHM fanboy behaviour ran deep then you’ve yet to see me at my worst (here, here, here, here). His beats are sharp, angular and perfectly tasty and his falsetto is absolutely on point. The two in tandem is something of an etherial experience, the likes of which we were flattered with when Brothers Hand Mirror brought their show to FBi Social a few months back and Oscar dropped a couple of solo tracks. I’m willing to take bets on OKS vs BHM, to see which blows up first. With a full length on the way early (please) next year, my money is on this cat but both projects are anything if not predictable.

 
9. Mansion, Alaska
Mansion, Alaska

I think part of the reason I dig this record so much is because Simon Lam’s production is totally on point. Every howl of static or distortion is perfectly pitched and levelled allowing for the perfect harmony between cohesive and unsettling. Not to take away from the band itself though, as this really is a most excellent five tracker. ‘Small World’ and ‘Steps’ both have sufficient oomph so that this doesn’t suffer from the same ambient malnutrition that leaves many a record a touch gaunt for my liking, this year. ‘Us City Boys’ says to me that someone in the group has listened to more than their share of The National which I’m probably ok with. This is another to watch in 2013.

 
10. Thomas William
Deccan Technicolour

I’ve included Thomas William because he was the gateway drug that led me to experiment with the full force opiate that is the Aussie beat scene. The record staggers in and out of motion applying the brakes as liberally as the accelerator but it’s the refusal to acknowledge accessible time signatures that makes it worth listening to. I can usually verify the integrity of a record by playing it over the loudspeakers at my office. If I receive more than three ‘this is terrible’ emails then you can bank on it being a keeper, as was the case with T Willy. It was backed up by a remix record that just wouldn’t quit so this is in some ways a double entry. Take a second to hit play on the absurdly good track below and I swear to you, I SWEAR TO YOU, you’ll understand why this record is in here.

As promised, here are some words on Electric Sea Spider. Dude has got to be my one of my favourite electronic acts kicking about at the moment. His most recent effort Supercash was no. 11 on my list of the 10 best records of 2012 which you should probably have a read of before osmosifying my opinions and regurgitating them next to the Xerox tomorrow afternoon. “D.D Dumbo over Tame Impala!? WHAT WAS HE THINKING!”

Anyway, yep, banger record and likely a record that could never have been if not for the tropicaso electricano (really sorry about that) work done by the short dude and the tall dude that make up Sydney’s Fishing. Would this record have come to be if this track had never dropped? The answer still ‘probably’, but WE JUST DON’T KNOW. Admittedly there’s only a couple of tracks that bid me cast my mind/rod/reel into FISHING territory and immediately below you’ll hear one of them.

Don’t let me fool you into thinking that ESS has stepped into the game riding coattails though, the dude had cut his teeth in 2010 on his Mohican Beats record that featured some beat/sample combos crunchier than a noodle salad. But like, a dry noodle salad, not the kind with too much dressing. You know what gets my blood up though? A live drum track within a hip-hop jam a la Free The Robots from the recently deceased Capital Steez. Failing that, just fool me. I’m willing to be duped by a drum track sample so long as it closely resembles a kit sound and so ‘Laker’ is just fine with me.

If Flume can blow up then surely there’s room for Electric Sea Spider out there somewhere? One would hope so. If I get enough IRL friends to throw a grown up people’s house party then this is the first jam you’ll be hearing on the night. Of course, you won’t actually hear it as I’ll be dropping it right on 730 to get the party jumping but it’ll be just me and my special lady slow dancing in the absence of any early-arriving patrons. Please try to be punctual in future.

Firstly, as a pre-emptive strike against possible format criticism, I know it’s bizarre to make a list that compares EPs to albums. The old apples and oranges argument, and so forth, but you’re forgetting that sometimes apples and oranges can come together to make a beverage both wholesome and nutritious providing a fantastic source of concentrated vitamin C. It’s just science bro. Sure, I could’ve separated my lists into Australian EP Of The Year and a more general Album Of The Year but I’d already started making these lists and it was too late when I thought of that so let’s just make do with what we’ve got, alright?

Secondly, the records that didn’t make it in. Electric Sea Spider’s Supercash was the most difficult omission. I’ve listen to that thing so many times that to see it cut from the ten was a sad and confusing moment for my gentle pink brain. I’m going to do a writeup on that record sometime in the next week or so just so that this world can make any sort of sense. Secondly, Courtney Barnett. If I’d have cottoned on to her EP earlier in the piece then it very likely would have seen itself in the ten. Look at me, “In the ten”. Sometimes it’s hard to extricate my head from the depths of my own anus thanks to the uppity industryspeak that finds it’s way onto my tongue every now and then. What else am I missing in here? Oh oh, records from Grand Salvo and Francolin were both mighty fine this year and deserved a showing but if I’ve learned anything over the past week or so, it’s that 15 does not fit into 10. Lastly, Boomgates. And Lower Plenty, and Love Migrate. In short, it was tough culling it down but here we are.

1. D.D Dumbo
D.D Dumbo

No surprises here for those who’ve been along for the ride this year. I’ve made no secret of the high regard in which I hold this release. The hardest choice for me this year wasn’t which release was going to top my list of Australia artists but which song by that artist I was going to choose to best represent them. In the end I’ve chosen one that isn’t actually a good representation of the rest of the EP but in my mind it may be the best stand-alone single. Additionally, it shows a side to Oliver Perry’s vocals you won’t hear on the rest of the EP – A smoother, sweeter perspective. I honestly don’t have a clue about how to describe the sound of this record. The best thing I can come up with is the beat scene discovering 70s blues rock and then padding it out with a wurlitzer. D.D don’t appear to be connected to any scene at the moment and I like that. They sound akin to anything that anyone else in Australia is putting out presently and that’s no mean feat.

2. Dirty Three
Toward The Low Sun

Dirty Three, or as I like to called them, the band that ended Wu Lyf. Don’t get me wrong, I actually didn’t mind Wu Lyf but it speaks volumes that it was a Dirty Three live set that made Wu Lyf realise it was probably time to call it quits. Taking lyves left right and center. Their most recent record is the eighth of their career and benefits from the highest production values they’ve had to date. It’s a literal safari (“Literally” used as per Dr Khalifa) of emotive instrumentation throughout which you’ll have your attention pointed to what you’ll soon discover to be an entirely false simplicity. The arrangements are not, in fact, just the three piece wankery of a violin, guitar and drums (sorry for making it sound like anyone’s ever suggest it is) but they’re brilliantly envisaged dramas packed with absurd time signatures/changes and a violin line that performs a similar function to a traditional vocal part. No simple “instrumental” band at all and the last record you want to dismiss lightly. This might also be the record that made me realise that I don’t really know anything about music.

3. Brothers Hand Mirror
Muddy Now

This has been my go to recommendation for most of 2012. They’ve been the answer to ‘What are you listening to lately?’ more times than I can remember and they’ve been the artist that I’ve shared with people who suggested Australian music was currently lacking innovation. Noones actually tried to make that argument but if they had, BHM would be go-to dudes. They dropped a brace of EPs this year, both of which were exceptional. I don’t feel like I need to reintroduce you to these cats since they’ve been stalwarts of the Sound Doctrine experience for the most of their existence. So much so that anything I say about them may simply be a repeat of this. Or this. Or this. Their second EP is what I’ve chosen to sit right up here though I know some small part of my subconscious is rating this on the strength of their combined releases. As far as I’m concerned it’s this sort of artist that Triple J should be including in their next crop; experimental, talented and on the cusp of breaking through into the greater consciousness. Oscar’s beats are by far and away the best possible base upon which anyone could hope to flow and HTMLflowers makes real use of that. There’s a relationship between MC and beat that is often forgone by many an MC leaving an uneasy disconnect – but not on these beats. This isn’t an MC who had some loops emailed through, this is a collaborative process that sees beat and lyric grow atop each other like vine and trellis. If I felt I could spare two spaces in my Australian top ten and retain a conscience this squeaky clean then you can bet BHM would have both EPs in here. Watch this space.

 
4. snakeface
Oberon

Ha! They said I couldn’t do it but I did it! I included a heavy act in the Sound Doc end of year top 10. Some major bigwigs will be talking about this round the watercooler tomorrow, yes they will! I guess it’s not that heavy, but even if it was, it doesn’t really subscribe to the same frame of reference as most other ‘heavy music’ in our over-metalcored Australian scene. It’s a semi-supergroup made up of western sydney legends of the fall and their collective technical ability doesn’t actually have much bearing on it’s high ranking in this year’s SD Championships. The technicality lies mostly latent as the conceptual strength of Oberon legups this release into the top five. It’s a record about the outskirts of suburbia, farmhands, rusty hinges etc. Sure, old man Liddiard might pull over for you to hitch a ride to the next town but for the most part it’s empty, dirty, old and you can hear that in the most visceral way across Oberon. There are also tracks like Occupy which have a few fistfuls of groove but the larger portions of the record are just callused hands and declining profits. A must listen if you’ve ever been into Converge or if you’re sick and tired of the state of heavy music right now (“aka THAT’S NOT TRUE METAL”)

 
5. Tame Impala
Lonerism

Does anything need to be said? They’ve backed up a first album that had the nation’s hearts a flutter with the perfect follow up. Someone who knows a whole lot more about music than myself argued that the strength of Innerspeaker lay in it’s ability to look backward and forward simultaneously. Does Lonerism then, simply revert to reversion? Does it regress to regression? It doesn’t. At least I don’t think it does anyway, and I know a thing or two by virtue of an Encarta filled upbringing. Yes, there’s obviously abundant finger pointing at the early 70s but it’s also wildly modern in it’s electronic/psychadelic (damnit, I was trying not say it) fusion. Also, on the absolute base level, it features what might be the biggest live tune of the year in ‘Feels Like We Only Go Backwards’. The thing starts with a chorus! Name just one other song in history that has done this. You can’t, because mathematically speaking, there are none. Sure, you can play me songs that sound like they begin with a chorus but I think you’ll find that these are just sonic illusions and that there are actually minor differences between this first “false chorus”™ and the later, true chorii. Like Innerspeaker, the whole record stays within the same recording spectrum but contains a variety of melody/song structure so that one wouldn’t dare complain of repetitiveness. Also, I found out just recently that Big Kev recorded this entire record on his Lonerismsome. That’s pretty astounding. Good one Kevbot.

 
6. Bearhug
Bill, Dance, Shiner

I love these dudes. Their no frills what-you-see-is-what-you-get attitude probably won’t see packing out the Enmore but it’s crazy endearing. This one came out pretty early on in the piece but it’s garnered a fair few listens over the course of the year. The music video for Over The Hill was one of the highlights, and obviously, the jam itself was a banger. Lead single Angeline was stuck in my head for the entirety of February and it wasn’t until Call Me Maybe finally dropped that I managed to bid it adieu. Also, no matter how many times I told her, every time Angeline came on in the car Bek would ask me “Who is this again?” – I mean, there’s not much to take from that story but it’s 100% true and that’s gotta count something. Just a really solid record that’ll provide me with a sound track to the next roadtrip or three. Winners.

 
7. Phobiac
All Boys

There’s something so thunderously enigmatic about this EP that it’s omission from this list was a complete impossibility as of the moment I first plumbed its depths. If Foals got crazy drunk/did a whole bunch of blow then recorded a single take EP, this is what I reckon would happen. It’s irrepressibly manic to the point of frustration but the cleanliness of guitar tone makes from a surprisingly easy listen. The tracks don’t exactly get bigger, rather they become harder and faster across their two and a half minutes-ish durations, building to breaking point. Also, it’s my understanding that they’re also excellent dudes which is unofficially a criteria for inclusion in this list.

 
8. Oscar Key Sung
Tape Voice EP

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again right now; Oscar Key Sung is the next big thing. Forget Triple J’s next crop (don’t actually forget them, there’s some good artists in there), you don’t need to look any farther than your boy Key Sung (actual name Oscar Slorach Thorn). The dude has more talent in his little finger than most little fingers have in their entire talent, you know what I mean? You probably don’t. Dude has talent, that’s the crux of it. He’s also one half of Brothers Hand Mirror (see above) and if you thought my BHM fanboy behaviour ran deep then you’ve yet to see me at my worst (here, here, here, here). His beats are sharp, angular and perfectly tasty and his falsetto is absolutely on point. The two in tandem is something of an etherial experience, the likes of which we were flattered with when Brothers Hand Mirror brought their show to FBi Social a few months back and Oscar dropped a couple of solo tracks. I’m willing to take bets on OKS vs BHM, to see which blows up first. With a full length on the way early (please) next year, my money is on this cat but both projects are anything if not predictable.

 
9. Mansion, Alaska
Mansion, Alaska

I think part of the reason I dig this record so much is because Simon Lam’s production is totally on point. Every howl of static or distortion is perfectly pitched and levelled allowing for the perfect harmony between cohesive and unsettling. Not to take away from the band itself though, as this really is a most excellent five tracker. ‘Small World’ and ‘Steps’ both have sufficient oomph so that this doesn’t suffer from the same ambient malnutrition that leaves many a record a touch gaunt for my liking, this year. ‘Us City Boys’ says to me that someone in the group has listened to more than their share of The National which I’m probably ok with. This is another to watch in 2013.

 
10. Thomas William
Deccan Technicolour

I’ve included Thomas William because he was the gateway drug that led me to experiment with the full force opiate that is the Aussie beat scene. The record staggers in and out of motion applying the brakes as liberally as the accelerator but it’s the refusal to acknowledge accessible time signatures that makes it worth listening to. I can usually verify the integrity of a record by playing it over the loudspeakers at my office. If I receive more than three ‘this is terrible’ emails then you can bank on it being a keeper, as was the case with T Willy. It was backed up by a remix record that just wouldn’t quit so this is in some ways a double entry. Take a second to hit play on the absurdly good track below and I swear to you, I SWEAR TO YOU, you’ll understand why this record is in here.

In what I believe is the absence of a strong list of Australian Music Blogs, I present to you my short but glorious listing of Australian Music Blogs. These are the creme of the crop but the list is by no means exhaustive. These are just the jewels that I’ve come across in my short few years of trawling. Most of them are worth sending your demo to, all of them are worth reading. If you think your blog is worthy of a place in this hallowed list, send an email with your bank details to [email protected]. Seriously though, probably don’t email me.

All I Do Is Listen

http://www.allidoislisten.com/
Location: Melbourne
Established: November, 2010
Author(s): Thomas
Genres: Electronic, Indie Rock, Garage Rock

I’ve got a lot of time for All I Do Is Listen. I can’t rightly express why I like it so much but I just do. It could be because founder Thomas Lukaitis has impeccable taste or it could be because he introduced me to one of my favourite Australian EPs in D.D. Dumbo. Whatever the case, this is a pretty cracking blog. The sheer amount of work that’s invested to be posting almost daily across a number of features such as news, videos, interviews and mixtapes is more than I’m willing to invest in anything, ever, including both my dayjob and my marriage. I joke, I joke. But seriously, what about that work ethic, AMIRIGHT!? It’s a Melbourne based outfit and if you wanna stay hip to the game then I recommend you invest right here where the standard fare is garage rock and electrindie. Maybe don’t hit ‘like’ on facebook though, he’s smoking me on social media and I don’t like that one bit, NO SIR.

And Pluck Your Strings (RIP)

http://andpluckyourstrings.com/
Location: Melbourne
Established: October, 2009
Author(s): Lachlan
Genres: Folk, Indie Rock

And Pluck Your Strings is named for the same lyric from The Middle East’s Blood so I don’t think there was ever a point where I didn’t think there might be future gold in the mix. Strong folk sensibilities resonated quite well with me at the time of discovery and I think above all things, I’ve appreciated that author Lachy didn’t change his focus just because “indie-folk” became “uncool”. He’s still sharing features on the gentler of Australia’s musicians that we all secretly crush on while publicly banging on about Royal Headache et al. It doesn’t hurt that he’s studying journalism (surprisingly rare within the world of music blogs) and produces some strong writing, notably in his live reviews.

Ben Madden

https://www.benmadden.net/
Location: Sydney
Established: May, 2020
Author(s): Ben
Genres: All

Few bloggers can lay claim to having authored posts here on Sound Doctrine (and even fewer have ever expressed an interest in doing so) but Ben Madden is one such higher being. That’s the footnote on his CV and to be fair, I’m surprised he even bothered including it given how much juice he can squeeze in. He’s a music journalist who’s perpetually writing, penning on about multiple artists on his lonesome each week and trying to do some with a breadth of self-discovery most other blogs can’t boast. There’s a self-reflective wisdom to his twitter that’s worth and eyeball too.

Circular Key

http://www.circularkey.net/
Location: Sydney
Established: June, 2012
Author(s): Tim
Genres: All

Circular Key is the home of music by artists and bands exclusively from Sydney. This kind of makes sense as the blog is run by Tim Sharp who hosts The Bridge two nights a week on FBi Radio, a show dedicated exclusively to Sydney music. Want to book a band for your show at GoodGod? This one’s for you. Even more so if you’ve got extreme attention deficit disorder and couldn’t possible tolerate a sonic description any greater than fifty words. Circular Key is short, sharp and rather well curated across almost any and every genre. Additionally, all streaming audio is channeled directly through the soundcloud… cloud so that’s something, or whatever.

Cool Accidents

http://coolaccidents.com
Location: Sydney
Established: July 2011
Author(s): Mike, Tommy + Contributors
Genres: Hip Hop, Indie Rock, Culture

Cool Accidents probably stands alone among these blogs, for a number of reasons. It’s not exclusively a ‘new music’ blog and only dips lightly into the great lakes of Australian unsigned talent. Cool Accidents features a whole bunch international material, including major label talent but we’re cool with that. Gotta get paid right? Gotta get paid. There’s some major league connections behind it and they also generate their own content like their Under The Bridge Sessions or their bi-monthly zine. There’s a whole lot of ‘The first time I heard this artist…’ that you can largely skim through, but amongst that there is some true gold. International talent relative to Australia.

East to West (RIP)

http://www.easttowestblog.net/
Location: Sydney
Established: March, 2010
Author(s): Holly
Genres: Ambientstep, Elusiveness, Magic; Electronica

East to West opened its doors on the same day that Sound Doctrine and Life:Aquatic did and has since become one the two premier Australian blogs for independent electronica. It deals exclusively in Australian electronic music which has meant it’s basically the first port of call for any budding “producers” from the Australias. Together with Jared from Life:Aquatic, Holly puts on an irregular show night called Easter Aquarium. She’s also linked with a few smaller print medias and writes a monthly wrap up of Australian music on Berlin blog No Fear of Pop. Finally, East to West is also part of the international blog collective PORTALS so there is much to be gained from making this contact if you’re geographically appropriate. Each post on E2W features a little emotive prose and a sentence or two about the streaming track so if you’re looking for editorial content then this is not for you. If you’re looking for new Australian electronica and genre mashups like ambientstep or dubwave then this is your home.

Life: Aquatic (RIP)

http://lifeaquaticblog.com/
Location: Sydney
Established: March, 2010
Author(s): Jared
Genres: Electronic, Minimal

I don’t really know what to say about Life: Aquatic since admittedly I’m not a regular reader. I read E2W and in my uninformed way I’ve pigeonholed the two of them together, despite the likelihood that they’re writing about very different artists. Maybe. I don’t know, read them both, play spot the difference, maybe they’re wildly dissimilar. Yep, look, I’ve just listened to the last few tracks that Life:Aquatic posted and I’m wrong, it’s a different sound, though probably still the same market. I’d love to see a zen diagram of their respective readerships because it would be interesting and because zen diagrams remind me of mastercard and mastercard reminds me of money and I love money. Jared runs a record label through Life:Aquatic the specifics of which I won’t pretend to know, but alongside Holly at E2W he has his finger in many of Sydney’s pies, putting on shows under Easter Aquarium moniker. Life Aquatic Blog has sadly shutdown which is a damn shame.

Me And All My Friends

meandallmyfriends.wordpress.com/
Location: Melbourne
Established: February 2009
Author(s): Miks
Genres: Indie Rock, Rock, Electronic

There’s a real need for blogs that post exclusively Australian content. There’s a real need for blogs such as Me And All My Friends. While not writing exclusively Australian artists, it’s about as close to it as one can be be before it becomes so. Me And All My Friends delivers some domestic gems and is really consistently identifies strong Australian outfits before they’ve ‘made it’. There’s no overarching genre, no recurrent theme other than Australian, so if you’ve got a hankering for good local talent of all sorts and orders, look no further. This blog has it down.

Oceans Never Listen

oceansneverlisten.blogspot.com.au/
Location: Sydney
Established: October, 2006
Author(s): Wayne
Genres: Folk, Indie Rock,

Oceans Never Listen is one of the oldest dogs in the yard (admittedly it’s a yard populated mostly by puppies) and for me that commands some degree of respect, even if it’s creator Wayne were a terrible writer (he’s not). It’s very, very limited in the way it addresses domestic artists so it’s probably a dead end if you’re ready to kick your musical career into motion. The big thing, the real big thing about Oceans Never Listen is that the dude goes to a stupid amount of live shows, and reviews them every one. If you’re wondering what other folks thought of that show at the Enmore, the Opera House, the Metro, wherever, Oceans Never Listen. There’s reviews of so, so many international artists’ Sydney shows on this long lived site and there’s probably plenty more to come.

Pilerats

http://pilerats.com/
Location: Perth
Established: 2011
Author(s): Troy + a bunch of writers
Genres: Electronic, Hip-Hop, Young People

This online store is my favourite source of sweaters. Sure, there’s not a lot to choose from (the line only runs two deep) but they’re BOTH great sweaters. One of them is black with a picture on it and the other one is black with a picture on it but it’s a different picture. Also the editor is a DJ I think.

Polaroids of Androids

http://polaroidsofandroids.com/
Location: Sydney
Established: September (?), 2006
Author(s): Jonny and Mike
Genres: Indie Rock, Rock, Lo-Fi, Lots

Some say snarky, I call it incisive. Actually sometimes I call it snarky but Polaroids of Androids is a dangerous combination of informed and aggressive so unless you want to be put in your place you best accept their reviews verbatim. It’s not even the authors themselves that will step forward with responses but their readership who like that of M&N, are highly active and engage heavily with the often controversial content that POA puts forward. If you’re sick of saccharine, glowing reviews of every single rubbish EP released by an Australian artist then you will love POA. Probably the most brutal review I’ve ever read was their succinct deconstruction of Silverchair’s Young Modern. Though the rewards are great, submit your music for their perusal at your own risk, it’s a perilous thing. Superbly written reviews though. Not too flowery, not too wordsy, just witty and opinionated. It’s impressive what they’ve built given that there only appears to be a pair of contributers (officially listed, anyway) in Mike and Johnny (more so since Johnny also puts work into the time sink that is Brown Cardigan)

Purple Sneakers

https://www.purplesneakers.com.au/
Location: Aus
Established: May, 2008
Author(s): Parry,
Genres: Electronic, Rap

Purple Sneakers is an interesting one because it’s passed through multiple sets of hands, now landing as a part of the SGC media group based out of Brisbane. Funnily, Purple Sneakers itself began as a club night in Sydney, the spot for indie kids in stove pipes and brogues to get hammered dancing to Klaxons in the mid 2000s. What a time that was. A lot of things passed through multiple sets of hands at the Abercrombie too so the spirit of those nights evidently lives on. This site’s whole thing is that they’re ‘trusted for taste’ and to be fair, the curation is generally pretty right on. New editor in Parry, let’s see where he goes with it why don’t we.

The Ripe

http://theripe.tv/
Location: Melbourne
Established: February, 2012
Author(s): Tom & Huw + many writers
Genres: All

At the pointy end of The Ripe you’ll Tom and Huw who are each direct relations to semi/very successful Australian musicians and lovely dudes to boot.Their credentials don’t end nor even start there however, with The Ripe pulling its own substantial weight as a stand alone entity. There are Plenty of writers underneath the two bigwigs and amongst that contingent they find the man hours to throw well curated parties, make excellent playlists, film their own sessions (skydiving, even!?) and have their own Ripe Mixes. They’re an interesting space in that there’s a clear onus on the sites expansion and growth and to their credit they’ve been very successful being probably the fastest growing online music platforms in the country right now. Put it down to good writing, good curation, good content or good shows but more likely it’s success by connection. Connection to who? Come on fellas, you know who
 

Rose Quartz (RIP)

http://rosequartz.blogspot.com.au/
Location: Aus/NZ
Established: May, 2008
Author(s): NZ: Richard, Shea, Tim – SYD: Max, Gervin
Genres: Electronic, “Rap”, Indie Rock

This one is strictly not just an Australian blog but I wouldn’t want quality excluded on the basis of a technicality, so here it is. Rose Quartz has contributors from Auckland as well as Sydney, with Triple J’s Max Lavergne among the Sydney chaps. Their readership is sizeable and they’re almost exclusively a features blog so if the world needs to hear your music, send it here. Way cooler dudes than me out there fist pumping to this thing so you need not just take my word on it.

Sound Doctrine

http://sounddoc.net
Location: Sydney
Established: March, 2010
Author(s): Tommy
Genres: Folk, Indie-Pop, Garage

Referred to by many as “the anus of the music industry” Sound Doctrine is more than just an important part of an analogy involving the human body, it’s an online music blog. There are no interviews, because noone reads interviews unless the interviewee is ready to dish dirty on another artist, or they themselves are the interviewee. Obviously this isn’t exactly true, but it’s the thought process behind my decisions so at some point in the future I’ll be interviewing myself and you’ll gobble it up because I’ll know the perfect questions to elicit just the right answers. Otherwise we’re talking about a pretty straight down the line music blog with not too many frills outside of a cliched “theme”. That’s not to say that the design isn’t pretty as hell though, because look at it. I mean just look at it. It’s very heavily Sydney focused but the amount of Australian content that’s generated could be improved upon. It’s almost exclusively artist features which, due to the author’s fine taste, tend to be pretty on the money. For the uninformed and the simple, you are currently reading Sound Doctrine. RIGHT. NOW.

Soundly Sounds

http://ryansaar.com/
Location: Sydney
Established: July, 2012
Author(s): Ryan
Genres: Garage Rock + Punk + Mixed

Run by lone wolf Ryan Saar, SoundlySounds is one of the more readable Australian music blogs which, in this sea of misspelt, semi illiterate, typo heavy playlisting, is an absolute life raft. Punk / garage rock / jangly stuff seems to be the bread and butter but there’re producers and oddities that prevent the blog from becoming themed around one sound. The strength of SoundlySounds is that the dude just writes about tunes. No live reviews, no mixtapes, live sessions or interviews- just jams. My kinda guy. There are no attempts to overreach, he’s just good at what he does, and what he does is write about tunes in a chillbro way. There’s no social media drive or aggressive fanbase pushes unlike some other blogs I know / run. All that said there’re minus points for being a part of the Vice blogging network but then if I judged everyone thus we’d probably be waving goodbye to half this list. I guess another issue is that despite putting down some fullblown legal paperwork I haven’t yet been able to trademark the word ‘Sound’ in reference to anything within the music industry. When that day comes, Sound Alliance, Soundly Sounds, Soundcloud, Sound Lab, Sound Summit, Sound Australia, Sound Lounge, Sneaky Sound System and Ministry of Sound… watch your backs.

Timber & Steel

http://timberandsteel.wordpress.com/
Location: National
Established May, 2010
Author(s): 10+
Genres: Folk, Acoustic, Singer-songwriter

Timber & Steel have become Australia’s premier information hub for all things folk or acoustic in Australia in a pretty short space of time. One of the obvious reasons for this is that they have so many contributers. Through sheer weight of numbers they’re able to cover everything that happens in the Australian folk scene. There’s international features as well as domestic, tour announcements, interviews, album reviews and so forth, so if you want a comprehensive wrap up you’ll have it. The only criticism that I have is that the bar for entry may be a little too low with some occasionally sub-par artists sneaking in but in the end it probably does more good than harm, providing the platform and so on. Scrap what I said before, one more criticism, the design needs a total rework, but really, as long as the content stays strong they’ll keep growing in stature. In conclusion, regular posts, lots of folk, good value.

Who The Bloody Hell Are They?

http://whothehell.net/
Location: Brisbane/Melbourne
Established: 2006
Author(s): Matt, Melissa + Contributors
Genres: Various

Co-created by Home & Hosed guy Dom Alessio is 2006, Who The Hell (I think) is the number one Australian blog for artists to hit up if they want pure exposure. There’s quite a large readership and the reviews are generally pretty positive, though maybe not as blindly glowing as some of the other blogs out and about. I did once see an amazingly scathing review of Tigertown but when I returned the next day it had been removed, probably under editorial advisement. Luckily I took a screenshot while in my reader so you can still read Alex Watts’ nicely worded summation. Where Polaroids of Androids and Mess & Noise might have larger readerships, Who The Hell is a straight-down-the-line blog. It doesn’t have music news stories, fashion tips, forums or any frills, it’s just artist after artist. Sadly Who The Hell have slowed down a little in recent days but then maybe that has something to do with the time of year. There’s good coverage from multiple cities and good opportunity to discover new talent.