The best of Myspace - March 2006

Arms - A delightfully charming looking lad, pictured looking with keyboard on a bed (which perhaps hasn’t seen all that much recent action), takes his shine from the more lyrically potent songwriter end of town, think Steven Merrit, or Morrissey, but brighter and bouncier songs.
http://www.myspace/armsongs

Harlem Shakes
Four piece from Brooklyn NY who my initial though was they are a bit like I Am Kloot in terms of a distinctively voiced singer -although with a less ‘proper’, more nasal sort of voice. The songs sort of buzz along, with a few goods and trinkets thrown in to zazz them up a xylophone beat or two, and even a whoo hoo hoo and other vocal melody mischief - plaintive + catchy = great. Currently with a 4 song demo and an older 2 song demo available for download at their site www.harlemshakes.com. The band are looking to play a heap of shows and record and release some tunes in the coming year.
http://www.myspace.com/harlemshakes

The Hong Kong
Once described as the ‘mystery band from New Orleans’ but now settling in Brooklyn, they are an at times stomping 5 piece, with chiming girl group walls of sound, an ominous blonde chanteuse up front and thumping rhythm propelling the songs along whilst keys and samples play back seat driver. Picking up prominent supports and opening slots in New York for the likes of Ric Oasek, the Raveonettes and Stellarstar a bit of press attention (a full pare write up in rolling stone no less from the strength of their live show) has come their way and could be poised for, as one site put it ‘crossover success’. An EP and full length album is out on Etherdrag . With regards to Catherine the singer ... I saw her first.
http://www.myspace.com/thehongkong
www.etherdrag.com/thehongkong/

Vanessa and the O’s

Their first friend is Scott Walker (their singer guests on his latest album), they feature an ex Smashing Pumpkin (but we wont hold that against them). The aforementioned singer is a sultry blonde French singing vixen with alluring inflection, with two previous drum&bass and electro type albums and who had also recorded a duet of ‘Sunday Morning’ with Lou Reed. Their music is infectious chamber pop type affair, treading between sophisticated and cute, it almost makes me want to reach for a phrase book for the French lyrics - but even if the lyrics are of the banal boy/girl variety, it just sounds so seemly it wouldn’t matter, its probably best not to know.

www.myspace.com/vanessaandtheos
www.vanessaandtheos.com

The Stabs
Angry, angry band from Melbourne, the type of album (which I was inspired to rush out and buy from the two songs featured herein) that you put on when you have reached an absolute exasperated state from the annoyance of others - so it gets played at around 9:03 am every work day for me - assuming I get in on time that is...
Screaming, wailing, gnashing both voice and guitars, its just inescapable, the sound coming through the headphones bolt themselves to your ears, grab you by the shirt and pulling you in to some strange dark place to be sonically berated, thrown out a back door into some strange dank alley wondering if you’ll ever walk the same again... or maybe not, it does get very boring here. Having just completed a brief east coast tour - the band are headed off to tour America, with shows supporting Mudhoney in Seattle and Portland before setting off to no doubt bigger and better things.

http://www.myspace.com/thestabs

My Best Friend
Down a notch or two is the comparatively balmy My Best Friend. Spacious songs, with slight electronic and psych flourishes, claiming Spiritualizes as one of their influences and its probably best to run with that. The voice reminds of Woods Themselves - and isn’t that just the height of music journalist wankery, comparing one obscure band with an equally-or more obscure one - but you really should have heard the Woods by now anyway... in that not in a hurry to get anywhere - soft but gruff feel - the songs just leisurely unroll rather than come out at you, would be the perfect soundtrack to a back yard tinnie and toke gathering.
http://www.myspace.com/mybestfiend

The Split Lips
Aptly named local punchy three piece. Making a bit of a name with shows in Sydney and a recent trip to Melbourne with more due for April. Sleazy, abrasive and sex crazed they choose to tag themselves. Their song ‘Got the Shakes’ is a corker - its optimum setting would be excessively late at a dingy club with sunrise imminent, benders ending, come downs and the ugly lights about to kick in - the urgent manic song feeding the last gasp attempts to not go home to an empty bed.
http://www.myspace.com/thesplitlips

Budge McGraw
Well this spiffingly splendid fellow invited me along to his page, and many others too by the look of the comments, and I’m jolly well glad he did. A man particularly imbibed with civic pride for his current home-town of London. A dip into doo-wap splits the landmark referenced ditties – one of which reminded me of that late show take off of ‘oh no we’ve just run out of Melbourne cliches’ err but in London. A rollicking country number to boot (scoot)- we have here a chap who seems to have an abundance of songs and talent at his disposal (as evidenced by two decades of being a session muso for a wide array of acts) and looks to be standing quite comfortably on his own two feet thank you very much – just a shame he’s a gunners fan.
http://www.myspace.com/budgemagraw