Welcome to the brand new weekly series on the AU review – the AU top 5 countdown – as we lead up to the end of year countdowns in late December. This week we take a look at the 5 bands we believe the whole industry is paying attention to. Are they they “next big thing”? Perhaps that’s for you to decide, and for time to tell. But for now, we sure as hell think they are…
05. THE SWISS
With a major disco revival happening internationally in 2010, Adelaide three piece The Swiss have the whole world as their stage. The Modular Records artists have just finished their second European tour, and are continuing to attract the attention of top producers around the world, including Aeroplane and Tensnake. As a live disco act, The Swiss are playing shows in a club scene traditionally made up of DJs and producers. This visual element, along with music that speaks for itself, creates a dancefloor vibe and a sense of energy unlike any other act. Having released their Bubble Bath EP to critical acclaim, in 2011 The Swiss will continue to dominate dancefloors around the world both live and in DJ’s sets. Pretty impressive stuff for a band without a singer. – Adam Monkhouse, Adelaide
http://www.myspace.com/theswisspage
04. JINJA SAFARI
After winning the Triple J Splendour Unearthed competition, the Jinja’s debut EP has spread around the interwebs like wildfire,
receiving
high praise after high praise. And their live show is only getting better with every performance. They make some pretty dreamy music, and even bring out a sitar on the stage – not something you see often enough in music these days (e.g. the willingness to work outside the box). Bring your animal suits, embrace the vine leaves and put your party hat on. You’re going to need it. – Larry Heath, Sydney.
http://www.myspace.com/jinjasafari
03. KYU
Freya Berkout and Alyx Dennison are a magical musical pairing who have released one of the standout albums of 2010. Kyü make emotionally charged avant garde pop seem effortless with their fragile melodies and soaring vocals. Their self-titled debut is a stunning mix of Celtic tunes and tribal rhythms that are both ethereal, unnerving and overwhelmingly beautiful. The Kyü live show is a sublime experience, as the girls master the art of multi-tasking in a bizarre instrumental acrobatic display, swapping between samplers, keyboards, glockenspiel, guitar and percussion whilst delivering flawless harmonies. To put it simply, they’re amazing. Prepare to fall in love with their striking sounds. – Kat Mahina, Melbourne
http://www.myspace.com/kyusounds
02. ALPINE
Melbourne has been jamming out some gems lately, but few have tails wagging quite as much as Ivy Leage’s Alpine. Their debut EP Zurich should be a part of just about every record collection in Australia this Summer. With lead vocals by Louisa James and Phoebe Baker, you feel they’re doing something on record and on stage that no one else is at the moment (naturally debatable).
It’s definitely pop, but it’s far enough removed to remain interesting and dare-I-say: ORIGINAL. They’re destined to be a staple of the national touring circuit! – Larry Heath, Sydney
http://www.myspace.com/alpineband
01. PARADES
Its difficult to find words which are adequate to describe the music of Parades, who flooded the nation’s conciseness earlier this year with the release of their debut LP Foreign Tapes. They have flawlessly pieced together dreamy soundscapes that simultaneously bring to mind the work of Sigur Ros, Fugazi and Radiohead without ever sounding unoriginal or uninspired. The four piece comprised of Daniel Cunningham, Tim Jenkins, Michael Scarpin and Jonathan Boulet of Modular fame, delivered a glorious album that is bold and exciting with the mish-mash of genre’s and startling melodies that are beautiful in their construction. Their live shows are breathtaking, with the band managing to capture the sheer brilliance of their recorded work and magnify the heady atmosphere ten fold, Parades and their unique world of noise is something that must be experienced to be believed. – Kat Mahina, Melbourne.
