The Aussie Invasion

Gerling and Cut Copy are two of my new favorites, and both hail from the land down under.

Gerling have been around since 1992, and Bad Blood!!! is their 3rd album, but only the first to get a US release. A cool mix of power pop, punk, krautrock and electronica/sampling and beats, they have created a record that jumps all over the place. Get Activated is the more rockin' side of the band - it's a got a bit of the Vines / Jet thing going on - a nice swampy blues-y riff, with screamingly good vocals - dude really does a good scream. Newwave Machine is the post punk disco party side of the band. A bumping beat and funky bass line, lot's of filtered guitar and vocals - still screaming of course, and goofy lyrics about the new wave machine killing itself and spilling blood all over your Gucci hat - all very fun.

Cut Copy have been active since 2001. Originally just Dan Whitford and his guitar and machines, they've now expanded into a four piece touring band. Their debut LP is called Bright Like Neon Love and is another great mash up of styles - filtered French disco produced by Phillipe Zdar from Cassius (the album was also record in Paris), gloomy new wave rock and lush 70's AOR pop all collide. When you open the album sleeve the first two pages are covered with cartoon depictions of some of their inspirations - The KLF, Ray Parker Jr.(!), Giorgio Moroder, GBV, Chic, Fleetwood Mac and ELO are all there. Time Stands Still is a synth pop tune built over the beat from an old Human League record (I think it's The Sound Of The Crowd) - it's got a lovely melody, nice bass and guitars and dreamy plaintive vocals. Bright Neon Payphone represents the rock side of the band - it opens with a bass riff very reminiscent of Devo's Mongoloid and goes on to be the kind of mid tempo electro-rock New Order played in their earliest years - a big tune!

I like to listen to a bit of reggae once in a while, so this week's flashback track comes from late '70s reggae stars Third World. Their 1978 cover of The O'Jays' Now That We Found Love is a great disco-riddim tune - uptempo, funky ass bass line and lot's of nice vocal harmonising. This tune never fails to get my ass grooving!