Melody Pops

The Avalanches leak a drop
Melbourne’s favourite prodigal sons The Avalanches released a new demo track this week, and while it doesn’t give too much away about their looong awaited second album, it is at least evidence that the group are actually still alive.

The follow up to their critically acclaimed debut ‘Since I Left You’ has been over twelve years in the making and finally seems to be taking shape as over a decade’s worth of musical scrap distilled in and filtered through a rickety mid-90s Mac.

The demo gives a brief glance of new music beneath a spoken piece by David Berman of Silver Jews, and can be downloaded free by signing up to the band’s website. While you’re there check out their recently released dreamy mix tape ‘Sleepy Bedtime For Young Ones’.

The new album from The Avalanches is expected to arrive at some point in the next decade.

Refused have a bone to pick with capitalism, and eardrums
After a decade of insisting it would never happen, Swedish post-hardcore legends Refused reformed earlier in the year for the Coachella Festival and announced their maiden Australian tour last Friday.

The overtly political band are most known for their momentous final album ‘The Shape of Punk to Come’, released in 1998 shortly before the band imploded. In the following decade the album became recognised as one of the most important heavy releases of the 90s, inadvertently inspired a generation of shitty screamo bands in the process.

The recording references Ornette Coleman’s 50s album ‘The Shape of Jazz to Come’ in both name and theme; Refused deconstructed what it was to be ‘punk’ before rebuilding it as a blazing mass of hardcore evolution, utilising jazz timing, electronics beats, old recording samples and even strings alongside face-slicing riffs and the genuinely furious scream of vocalist Dennis Lyxzen.

Refused play The Palace on Thursday November 15th. Tickets go on sale tomorrow morning at 9am via Ticketek and Oztix and are likely to sell out very quickly.

Batrider frontwoman flies solo
Batrider frontwoman Sarah Chadwick released her first solo album last week and is embarking on an east coast tour that runs through to mid-September.

‘Eating for Two’ an entirely different beast than Chadwick’s previous grunge-powered works with Batrider; Chadwick has stripped back the distortion and abrasion in favour of raw, minimalist instrumentation that brings her distinctly powerful voice to the fore.

It’s a stark and melancholic album, though not without humour and tune, while Chadwick’s lyrics are at their usual twisted poetic best. ‘Eating for Two” is out now through Bedroom Suck Records.

Look out for our interview with Sarah next week, and listen to some of her stuff at her Bandcamp page.

GIGS OF THE WEEK
Yah Yahs are hosting another Crate Digger’s Record Fair/Hello Sailor vintage clothing and accessory market this Saturday at a hangover-friendly time-slot between 12pm-6pm.

Sci-fi creepsters The Night Terrors bring their synthy, theremin infused brand of Twilight Zone rock to Ding Dong this Saturday night. They’ve got a fantastic new album out and currently on fire. Literally. Bring an extinguisher, please. Supported by The Process, Zanzibar Channel and Whiteside DJs.

The Gasometer are hosting a Pussy Riot benefit show on Sunday from 5pm, in defiance of the aforementioned Russian feminist band’s recent arrest for pissing off Vladimir Putin. All proceeds go towards the women’s needs, legal costs and support for their children. Bands playing include Terrible Truths, Glow, Spitehouse, Wet Lips, Ex Con and Sick Sad World.