BASEBALL – Soft Boy Factory

(Independent)

Holy flipping heck. Soft Boy Factory might be Baseball’s first single from their first album, but there’s no first-day-at-school nerves on show in this intensely pleasing two and a half minutes of guitar noise. This aural self-assuredness might have come about thanks to the group’s relatively long history – formed in Scotland as a duo in 2002, the years since have seen Baseball grow to a four-piece and migrate to Melbourne, with a list of global shows alongside some of the indie world’s most revered names. And in fact, Soft Boy Factory itself takes a similar journey, starting quietly with an Eastern-tinged guitar and drums, before bass and then, importantly, violin sign up for an art-punk thrash, quickly building to an exhilarating giant fuck-off of a scream. That’s a bit of a wordy way of explaining what really has to be heard, but if a cracking song about a secret outback factory where they turn tough guys into cardigan-wearing soft boys sounds like it might appeal, having a listen to www.myspace.com/baseballtheband will please.

MOBIN MASTER feat. KARINA CHAVEZ – Show Me Love

(ONELOVE / Sony BMG)

Imagine the sound of about a dozen hollow cylinders, kind of like those ones at the Sciencentre you hit with a thong to make steel-drum-like dull reverberations, but higher pitched, toppling over each other down some stairs. It’s a fast-paced and pleasant cavalcade of melody, and the synthesised riff is about the only way to differentiate this house track with guest female vocals from, say, every other house track with guest female vocals of the past fifteen years. Mobin Master might be the hottest new Australian producer around, but the evidence here just points to another faceless dude who’s snuck into Paul Mac’s garage and played lucky dip in one of the big boxes labelled “Indiscernible House Songs About Love Feat. Inconsequential Female Singers – Open When Sweet Silverchair Gig Dries Up”. If you wanna do nothing but throw some chems down the hatch and dance all night, here’s one of 20 songs around right now that sounds just like this, but take advantage before your brain regains the ability to discern fun party music from pedestrian drivel.

NGAIIRE – Song For No One

(Ya Mum’s House Records)

There’s a well-known adage about people who walk down the middle of the road, warning that they’ll predictably get run over. In most cases it’s a fair assumption, and given the increasingly dismal strike rate of Australian Idol contestants who try to continue a formulaic pop career after the cameras are off, it’s a road safety metaphor that should hold particular credence for those poor saps. However, for the analogy to withstand critique, it stands to reason that the middle of the road is not simply littered with the carcasses of forgettable whatstheirnames, but there are also a few performers cruising down the middle of the road successfully, doing the running over. Apparently she was an almost-finalist on the second season of Idol, but years later on her debut independent release, Sydney singer Ngaiire sounds more like a student of smooth but smart artists like Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill or Norah Jones. Yes, the girl has an amazing voice, but like the great singers, Ngaiire infuses these self-penned songs with more than technical prowess or octaval reach. She makes you feel them, no matter which side of the road you’re listening from. Refreshing.

DANNII MINOGUE Vs JASON NEVINS – Touch Me Like That

(Central Station)

This is an historical review for Mine’s On The 45, folks, for several reasons. First of all, Jason Nevins is here to prove for once and for all that he doesn’t give a toss what song he Vs someone on, so long as the title ends with the words Like That. But of more significance is that after years of reviewing dance single after dance single boasting 6, 7, 8 and 9 remixes, someone’s FINALLY had the nous to bust into double figures! And how! Not 10, not 11, not 14, but THIRTEEN mixes of Dannii’s new single! One hour and seventeen minutes! But is it enough? Let’s see, as we examine each track, club mix by dirty dub radio edit! (1) Radio Edit – Funky, semi-promiscuous, sub-standard disco. Dannii fans won’t be disappointed! (2) Space Cowboy Radio Edit – Not much of a departure yet, but there’s possibly a little more bang in the beat. (3) Stonebridge Club Mix – 8 minute remix. Without this one, you’d only have 1hr and 9mins all up. (4) Jason Nevins Remix – Unsure what he was doing for the first 3 songs. He gives this one a pretty cool Chic-like guitar. (5) Soul Seekerz Club Mix –Good mix for clubs, but sounds nothing like either soul or The Seekerz. (6) Soul Seekerz Feel Me Dirty Dub – Heavy industrial nightmare Aphex Twin stylee. (7) Jack Rokka Remix – The words all echo! (8) Jack Rokka Dub – Imagine the collective club letdown when the DJ’s 5 minute intro builds into a Dannii Minogue remix. (9) LMC Remix – She whispers in this one. That’s a bit saucy. (10) Fugitive’s Touched Up Mix – Fast. Catering to the dinner-plate-pupils, developing-facial-tics part of the night. (11) Extended Mix – Oddly, this one only clocks in as 7th longest. (12) Space Cowboy Dub – A sombre reflective muffled-underwater feel, as we realise it’s all coming to an end. (13) Stonebridge Dub – A fitting all-out rave-up hoe-down party jam, and as your Touch Me Like That marathon finishes, you can contemplate what sort of mental world we live in, when a single clocks in longer than its album.

Be first to comment on this article

Write Comment
Comments are submitted for possible publication on the condition that they may be edited. Poster's IP addresses are logged.
Name:
Comment:
Code:*