Turnstyle - Turnstyle Country

YOURZ

I wanna know what the fuck is in the water in Perth.  For one of the world's most remote cities, it has produced an incredible amount of really good, really cool bands, some of whom we've reviewed here in the past.  Turnstyle is no exception.

I remember when Turnstyle Country came out and particularly the first single Spray Water On The Stereo, I was really excited to hear some of my favourite influences in their music.  Admittedly influenced by Pavement, Gerling, Guided By Voices and The Beach Boys, among others, Turnstyle combine pop sensibilities and melodies with blips and sounds to create truly individual-sounding tracks.  They also utilise the soft/loud dynamic particularly effectively. 

But it is album tracks like Flank Attack, Portamento, Honey and Knuckles that are the real surprises of this album, sounding more like forerunners to British bands like Athlete and Fonda 500.  Given Turnstyle Country came a few years before either of these bands released anything, Turnstyle could well have been an influence.  But who knows.  There is also no denying the similarities to fellow Perth band, Jebediah, who they toured extensively with at times.

I'm just pleased doing this blog has brought Turnstyle back into play.  It's definitely a Forgotten Gem, but not forgotten any longer.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

Casio DJs?  OK, I guess they get points for being the first band I've ever heard to use the sound of an electric razor as a musical instrument, but I found this generally very boring.  And to compare them to Athlete and Fonda 500? No, no and no again.

Indie-by-numbers.

VERDICT: THROW IT OUT

For further information go to: http://www.myspace.com/turnstylecountry

In our colletion we also have Turnstyle Corporation

The Mess Hall - Devils Elbow

YOURZ

I got Devils Elbow after reading about it in local music press.  Even though they are another in the seemingly unending run of two piece bands, I thought I'd give these Sydney boys a turn.  If anything, I was a little cynical, at first.  But then seeing it's produced by Gerling's Burke Reid piqued my interest and now, the more I listen to it, the more I like it.

This is a mix of both old swampy blues and more contemporary influences, both local and international.  I've not seen the band live so I don't know how stripped back their live sound is, but it has been well-captured in this set of raw, dirty tracks.  But there is not doubting these songs were bounced off a concrete wall in a dingy rehearsal space before they ever saw the light of day.  These were born of sweat, spit and the hard yards and are only the better for it.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

Odd.  It seems well done, but the more I listened to Devils Elbow the more it annoyed me.  Yet another in the seemingly-endless round of blues-based rock that YourZ purchases, it's really not badly written, played or produced at all.  But that lead singer?  Can't.

VERDICT: THROW IT OUT

For further information go to: http://www.themesshall.com.au/

Gerling - Bad Blood

MINE

Bangin' tunes.  Made we want to throw my hands in the air, hunt out some glowsticks and take a trip to the nearest nightclub.  BUT (sorry YourZ) I do have a problem with this CD.  Like a perfectly-ripened peach, like a sticky toddler playing on a shag carpet, like a drunk-driver about to make his debut on a Most Wanted reality show - this CD has FUZZ all over it.

Seriously, it's like they found the fuzz button on the effects box and thought "Oh, that'll fit in there - and there- and there..."  Plus there's the not-so-occasional shouty lyric.  And call me conservative, but I like listening to music where people sing.  As I've explained in boring length and detail on many other reviews, right here.  At least it goes to show I'm consistent.  Whether it's hip-hop, rock, metal or dance, Mine says PLEASE DON'T SHOUT.  Or only for effect, not right the way through the song.  Thankyou.

But the tunes are bangin'.  I could probably forgive the "We've Got  A Fuzzbox And We're Gonna Use It" attitude Gerling have if I've had enough to drink and fancy shakin' my ass, but otherwise...

VERDICT: TURN IT DOWN

YOURZ

Gerling are a great indie band from my home town of Sydney.  I've seen these guys around heaps but have only seen them perform live a few times which is truly an experience in itself as these are often organised chaos and a truck-load of crazy.

I really like their DIY ethic too.  They've always operated in their own space, taking very little notice of popular trends or music directions.  They are fearless in their adoption of electronica and were one of the first bands I heard that effectively combined both indie guitars and electronica into something much more interesting than I thought possible.  They were also one of the first bands where I heard the term 'indie-dance' applied to them.  It was this fearlessness that helped inspire me to set up my first home recording studio and start experimenting with digital technology.

Bad Blood, their third full length, is probably the most polished of their albums (although I haven't heard 4, the last album they released before going on an indefinite hiatus).  It certainly sees them expanding on their unique palette of instrumentations.  There is more than a little nod, in respects, to the musical adventurousness of acts such as Sonic Youth, although Gerling has a pop sensibility and a cheekiness not associated with Thurston and co. 

The album jumps from indie-rock to indie-dance and back again.  While this might sound like a confused playlist (and probably would be in the hands of lesser performers), Gerling move seamlessly from one mode to another, proving you can have your dance and rock it too.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP and let's get freaky

For more information: http://www.myspace.com/gerling

In our collection we also have Children Of Telepathic Experiences, Death To The Apple Gerls (EP), A Day Of Research (EP)