Aural States

Julian Hamilton (lead vox, keys) is one-half of the Sydney, AU duo the Presets. His pedigree is rather impressive, including a formal education in classical and even having a 2-year stint with acclaimed Aussie rock band Silverchair.

A few weeks ago Julian was kind enough to get on the horn and chat with Aural States, all the way from his home in Sydney. The Presets launch their tour tonight in LA supporting their latest LP Apocalypso. Be sure to enter our giveaway here.

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The winner nets this swag:

• A Presets-autographed poster
• A copy of Apocalypso (CD)
• KIM 12” vinyl
• Assorted stickers

Just send off an email to auralstates@gmail.com with your name, address and preferred contact method. We will notify a winner on June 2 and you will get a prize pack mailed straight to you from Modular HQ. And be sure to check out part 1 of our 2-part interview with Julian of the Presets.

Stay tuned for a Presets prize pack giveaway later this week as well as part 1 of our 2-part exclusive interview!

Sydney’s most notable electro-export in recent years is undoubtedly the Presets. Their debut LP Beams in 2005 is still one of the most convincing testaments to the infinite power of fusing the essence of electronic-driven genres like techno, electro and house with more traditional song structures and pop flavoring to make digestible dance tracks that aim to, and often succeed at, bringing the roof down.

On Apocalypso, Julian Hamilton and Kim Moyes take their sound to a much darker realm. The entire album bears more European influence, consisting of much deeper techno and house grooves along with a more distant, synthetic and cold feel but tones down the oversexualized aspects present in many tracks off their 2005 debut Beams. As a whole, Apocalypso is much more cohesive than Beams, yet suffers from a certain bit of monotony with style and sound.

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Small Sur is yet another testament to the talent that resides in our fair charmed city. Beyond the bizarre and the novelty, there is a massive well of traditional folk/Americana that rarely gets the attention it deserves (thanks to the focus on the more spastic and brightly-colored portions of our music scene).

Bob Keal, Small Sur’s front-man and driving creative force, creates just this type of music. He was kind enough to share with us some tracks off Small Sur’s upcoming full-length We Live in Houses Made of Wood, out in August on Portland-based label Tender Loving Empire.

Small Sur - Ohhhhh Pt. 1

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So, this was an insanely hyped show. Cut Copy touring on the heels of their latest, quite fantastic LP. Black Kids riding the blog-o-sphere hype wave. Ponytail just rocking it the fuck out and keeping it Bmore. But my foot is fucked, so I am only here for Black Kids and Ponytail.

Photos: Black Kids from Josh Sisk, Ponytail from Ryan Detter

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Black Cab Sessions knock it out of the park again. And where I was on the fence about Lykke Li before this video (though I really liked “Dance dance dance”), I am squarely in the happy, grassy knoll on one side of the fence where you support the artist now. She’s just grand and Swedish. You know how good those Swedes are with the pop. She goes places with her voice and music that I think Kate Nash should have gone after to make a more compelling musical vehicle for her.

Check after the jump for the video.

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“That’s the way it is all through the States,” says Duffy Driediger, vocalist/guitarist of Ladyhawk, his irritation only slightly tempered by resignation after playing to an audience of around a dozen at Washington’s DC9 on May 11.

Dutifully, the four-piece had gone in front of the nearly empty room and laid down a rock solid barrage of gritty yet hook-filled numbers from their second full-length on Jagjaguwar, Shots, capped with the anthemic “The Dugout” from their self-titled debut, which the band (and they’re right) seems to hold out as a striking gem inexplicably languishing in the gravel bed of modern rock. A lot like Ladyhawk itself.
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Oh man, so that’s why I was feeling so off-balance at Ft Reno last summer.  Apparently, it’s due to ARSENIC IN THE SOIL.

BYT reports here.

NBC4 reports here.

WaPo blog reports here.

I hope this shit gets cleared up.  Soon.

This intrepid writer busted his foot while at this show. Jeff the Taper nearly killed himself by a bludgeoning to the head.

But you know what? Totally worth it. Monday night, Bmore again proved its mettle.

This show was a veritable who’s who of Baltimore (and even some DC) regional booty-movers-and-floor-shakers: Emily Rabbit, Dave Nada, Cullen Stalin, Scottie B, Blaqstarr, Rye Rye, it just goes on and on. Check after the jump for full review, more pics, and an Old Haunts track.

All photos: Josh Sisk

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Everyone give a warm welcome to James Rodd, our newest contributor. This is his first piece, on what he believes drives pop music and culture. It is also our first staff op-ed article, falling under the series State of Mind. Enjoy, and feel free to comment in agreement or disagreement.

All my life I have heard people, whether it be the media or someone else, say that popular culture is cyclic and repetitive. Basically this means, things that were once “in” and fashionable will come back full circle at some point and be “in” and fashionable once again.

I don’t agree with this at all. In fact, I sincerely hope it is a fallacy because I am not looking forward to seeing my pre-middle aged ass in spandex or leather pants again, reliving my metal head days ca. 1987 – 1995.

Here’s how I see it: pop-culture is an amorphous shape.

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