As the Australian music scene continues to gradually return to its pre-COVID glory, community radio Music Directors and presenters from around the country shine a light on the finest local talent doing the rounds today.
While many of us are adjusting to a new sense of normality after 2020, Australian musicians are still facing enormous limitations in working opportunities to support and sustain their careers. Exposure is more important than ever and ironically harder to come by in today’s media landscape.
The Australian Music Radio Airplay Project – best known as Amrap – offers Australian musicians a pathway to airplay to the many community stations who have long championed Australian music of all stripes. Providing exposure often before anyone else, community radio is a strong and unique network immune to passing trends.
In this Tone Deaf series, we’ll turn to the Music Directors and presenters at some of the amazing community stations from around the country and get their latest favourite Australian music discoveries from Amrap.
“After reading Jaime Brooks’ recent tweet on music reviews I’ve been left interrogating the purpose of the media’s articulation of music and the personal.”
Dana Scully, Music Co-Ordinator of 4ZZZ FM in Brisbane, continues this series with Australian music available on Amrap to help compile a playlist of the best homegrown tunes doing the rounds on community radio for you to sink your teeth into. As Dana explains:
“Last time around, I vaguely mentioned the difference between media and personal interaction within the music. Recently, after reading Jaime Brooks’ recent tweet on music reviews I’ve been left interrogating the purpose of the media’s articulation of music and the personal.”
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the barriers preventing artists who don't fit that description from getting written about are numerous. music that publicists and editors and writers don't personally relate to is much harder to pitch, so you see less of it. language barriers can be a massive issue
— jaime brooks ☭ (@elite_gz) June 13, 2021
“Who gives the artist more agency? An academically-bred reviewer, the underage fan who purchases a physical record when it’s not on sale, or the brief stereo interaction between the young sibling and the older’s cathartic playlist? Can we meet in the middle? I think so, and we definitely have, but at this time and spot it’s not my right to sit there.
“As I interrogate what recommendations mean and what their purpose is to me, it is compulsory to interrogate my actions and if it bridges boundaries and the reasons for creating art in the first place. I don’t want to share to heighten my pedestal. I much prefer to share the same way I did while being paid under minimum wage and serving food to a table; a child showing interest in the piano – so I wrote on their takeaway box for them to check out Fiona Apple.”
Check out ‘I Can’t Wait ‘Till This Doesn’t Matter’ by Pomaa:
Pomaa – ‘I Can’t Wait ‘Till This Doesn’t Matter’
Artwork that’ll have you stopping by the Best New Arrivals in a record store (let me romanticise what we’ve lost), the debut track from Pomaa is Aldous Harding from the era of Cocteau Twins. And while, for me, “leaving” has always been upheld in a rosy manner, the aforementioned four minutes play out in a cyclical sonic matter of dream post-pop. You don’t have to give Pomaa permission to reign, she’s taken it already whether you’re aware of it or not.
Similar to Vanessa Van Ness, local act synth-rave-post-punk Skybelly’s resume is singer, songwriter, producer. And as the industry navigates the consequences of relying on others to further our vision, (not always but, well, you know) I admire everyone who redefines who holds control. For: raves, or people who run, or for everyone else admiring self-production.
Think of 2000s indie rock (LCD Soundsystem, TV On The Radio, Arcade Fire) muddled with Steve Lacy. While ‘Dance With Me Today’ has already thrown Yb. into the stratosphere of industry recognition – I don’t think it’s reached the heights it can and should receive. So, play this song for the person across the room! Let Yb.’s cheeky mood booster take you on a fairytale journey.
Check out ‘Depend On Me’ by Loulou:
What’s a playlist without a song about love? Garage-infused ‘Depend On Me’ is for the Parquet Courts’ side, also low-key the Modern Baseball side, and if you’re from Meanjin ~ the Elder’s drummer is now Loulou’s drummer side. Beware, you’ll either be romanticising co-dependency or come to face the inevitable blue. I’m not sure which side I recommend but I do love a song that happily glides you into an inner retrospection. (Look to: a mental breakdown.)
Maurial Spearim – ‘Sardine Baby’
Released ahead of National Sorry Day, Maurial Spearim honours members of the Stolen Generation and Aunty Sharyn Egan in the ’60s inspired ‘Sardine Baby’. The debut shares the harmonic intricacies of ABBA’s earlier ballads, The Mamas and Papas and Archie Roach all while a guitar supports Spearim’s gut-wrenching act of solidarity.
Check out ‘The Raid’ by Shrapnel:
Sounds like… Grandaddy? In a haze of post-punk noise that is of course distributed through no other label than Tenth Court. Shrapnel’s latest album, Alasitas, plays on multiple instruments (one that would be recognisable for Neutral Milk Hotel Fans) but is first and foremost an introduction to slacker-rock. To be played in bars, or in-between “jams” or on an Elliott Smith day.
’90s R’n’B melodies, and electro-jazz-pop production – I never knew I needed you. Squidgenini’s SQUID has rapidly become a favourite around the station and it’s no surprise why. Closing track ‘Trust’ says it all in my opinion – a collateral pop-driven breeze that collapses into vulnerable tranquility.
Check out our playlist of community radio’s Australian music picks:
