Features
New Noise: James X Boyd, Sex Noises, Coloured Clocks, Shima
By Mess+Noise
Canberra, Brisbane and Melbourne mingle in this week’s roundup of new music, with stops in Berlin and Edinburgh.
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– The slacker king of Brisbane, James X Boyd has made a cult name for himself as both a member of Running Gun Sound and frontman of James X Boyd & The Boydoids. The latter self-released the second album Super Low last November, following last March’s self-titled debut. Described simply as “about things that happened to me and my buds,” it was recorded partly in Berlin by Simon Berckelman (Feelings, Philadelphia Grand Jury) and partly at Edinburgh College of Art in Scotland, thanks to some world travel on Boyd’s part. It’s a fascinating listen, regaling us with Boyd’s humble, half-spoken narratives against ultra-minimal guitar-pop backing. Check out the equally homemade video for ‘Paul K & The Downtown Specials’, the best song to start with.
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– Canberra quartet Sex Noises make an anxious racket somewhere between punk, garage and pop on their four-song Birds of Paradise 7”, newly out through Cinnamon. It follows a 2012 demo and absolutely brims with potential. ‘Liberal Man’ flashes back to early Eddy Current gems, thanks to drummer/singer Jordan Rodger, while singer/guitarist Anja Loughhead summons Super Wild Horses on the closing ‘Grim Reefer’. File under “band to watch” for sure, and catch them on a mini-tour this month to launch the EP.
Sat, Jan 11 – The Tote, Melbourne, VIC [w/Zone Out + Mornings]
Thurs, Jan 16 – Transit Bar, Canberra, ACT [w/TV Colours]
Fri, Jan 24 – Black Wire Records, Sydney, NSW [w/Nervous Trend, Yard Duty + Mornings]
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– The self-produced and Beatles-y solo project of Melbourne’s James Wallace, Coloured Clocks caught our attention recently with ‘Brick’, a highlight of Peking Tapes’ Summer Lovin’ compilation. Checking in with Coloured Clocks yields last January’s free album Nectarine as well as five newer songs from the past few months. The very latest is ‘Killing Time’, a sleepy little tune with something of Galaxie 500 to it. Savour the sprawling guitar solo tucked away in there, and keep an eye out for the upcoming third release All is Round.
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– The electronic outlet of Angus Bell from The Galaxy Folk, Shima released the single ‘I Feel Fucked’ last month as a taste of a coming album. Up for $1 download, it’s moistly textured and distinctly downtrodden, which may have something to do with its bitter subtext; as Bell writes on Soundcloud, the track is “dedicated to all the shit people in the world, to the music industry, to all the junkies, to all the dogs. Fuck you.” That said, there are pretty friendly melodies lurking alongside the more ominous cues.
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