Title: New Weird Australia, The Sound Of Young Canberra
Catalogue Number: NWA007
Released: November 2010

Free Download

Tracklisting:

1. POLLEN TRIO, Paleburst (from 230509, hellosQuare 2009)
2. TEDDY TROUBLE, Southward Migration (from The Great Indoors, Dream Damage 2010)
3. SPARTAK, Nightshift (Version) (previously unreleased)
4. JONNY TELAFONE, Doomed In Love (from The Death Posture, self released 2009)
5. FROM THE SOUTH, Lemon In The Way (previously unreleased, from From The South, hellosQuare 2010)*
6. READYMEN, Save That Baby (previously unreleased)
7. REUBEN INGALL, Webbed (from Don’t Give Up, self released 2010)
8 DANGER BEACH, Apache (from Milky Way, Dream Damage 2010)
9. SHOEB AHMAD, Out Of Breath (previously unreleased)
10. ASSASSINS 88, Scanners (previously unreleased)
11. KASHA, Later (previously unreleased, from It Will Come Back/Dot Dot Dash 7″, hellosQuare 2010)
12. BUM CREEK, Bollywood (from Al, Chapter Music 2010)

Selected by Shoeb Ahmad (hellosQuare) and Tim Guthrie (Dream Damage).
Artwork by Heath Killen.

All music donated by the artists for use in this compilation only, all rights reserved.

Sleeve Notes: November 2010

‘The Sound Of Young Canberra’ represents the fist compilation in the series to be guest curated and the first to have a specific focus – in this case, a 12-track frozen moment of new music from Canberra in late 2010.  In the following sleeve notes, Shoeb Ahmad from hellosQuare Recordings explains how the compilation came together:

Putting together a compilation is always difficult, especially when you want it to stand out from the rest and even more so when you are trying to concentrate on one thing – in our case, the city that is Canberra.

Some people wonder if anything does actually happen here but if you ever make it to our town, you’ll see that there’s bands playing in backyards and parties, electronic music made in bedrooms and improvisors making a racket in gallery spaces. We listen to The Shadows to Refused, New Order to Ornette Coleman, everything and anything in between before spewing it out into our own unique concoctions of popular music.

The more I listened to the tunes that Tim Guthrie from Dream Damage and myself collected for this compilation, I noticed the similarities to the movement that was ‘The Sound of Young Scotland’ and bands like Josef K, Orange Juice, The Fire Engines and Aztec Camera and the way they cross-pollinated their ideas with a cavalier spirit, much like what I see and hear in many of the bands you hear on this collection.

These twelve tracks are together here for you to listen to what’s going on in our minds, with our sheer single-mindedness to do whatever we want, this here is The Sound Of Young Canberra.

Press:

“Canberra: bustling capital of Australia. Gaze at its natural beauty. Immerse yourself in its rich cultural heritage at its unofficial(?) tourism website. But if you want a real idea of what’s going on in Canberra, take a listen to New Weird Australia’s The Sound of Young Canberra compilation. One of Rose Quartz’s Australian contributors tipped us off way back in August with his Danger Beach mention that something’s been stirring in the Down Under, and this comp proves it.”
Altered Zones, November 2010

“Like its predecessors, it shines a light on an area that is not usually in the listener’s mind when thinking of hot music destinations. Yet there’s some intriguing sounds on this 12 track delight starting with Pollen Trio’s Phillip Glass influenced soundscape called “Paleburst” and ending with Bum Creek’s musical hiccup titled “Bollywood”. There are a lot of different sounds in between but I especially enjoyed the metal punk “Assasin88″ by Scanners, the dronishly pretty Goth ballad “Doomed in Love” by Johnny Telefona, and the indescribably ghostly “Out of Breath” by Shoeb Ahmad. Like the preceding compilations, the music on The Sounds of New Canberra is independently non-commercial yet quite accessible to even the most casual listener.”
Free Albums Galore, April 2011

FBi Album Of The Week
FBi 94.5FM Sydney, December 2010

“I’ve been listening to the New Weird Australia’s The Sound Of Young Canberra compilation for the past few days with a smile on my face. This track by Danger Beach is the one I enjoy the most when it comes around. It weaves little guitar hooks in and out of each other and slowly builds up to a fully fledged horse chase.”
Life Aquatic, December 2010

SYNApproved Feature Artist, Best of 2010
SYN FM Melbourne, December 2010

“The Australian music community collectively lost our shit a little while back when the institution that is New Weird Australia unleashed their Sounds Of Young Canberra compilation. Following the release of a NWA comp, I usually post my two or three fav tracks, but since I’m a bit of a Jonny-post-lately this time (and since other blogs have already pointed out that Apache by Danger Beach is one of the songs of the year) I figured Id devote some space just to Spartak. I’ve no idea who Spartak are. Ive never heard of them before. According to Myspace theyre currently booking a European tour,so I gather that this is more than a couple dudes fucking around in a bedroom. All I know is that I heard the above song and was totally hooked. … Nightshift (Version) reminds me a lot of a demo by Spoon or something. Which is a good thing. Amongst a lot great songs, this is the one I flicked back to first on the comp. I highly recommend you download The Sounds of Young Canberra. Its free. And awesome. Spartak are just the beginning. You will definitely find something you totally dig on there.”
Who The Hell Are They, December 2010

“Thanks to New Weird Australia, The Sound of Young Canberra compilation, I have discovered Danger Beach – the solo project from LA Thomas, one half of Assassins 88 (also part of the compilation.) The featured song Apache comes from his recent album Milky Way, a dreamy and exciting little instrumental which rounds off a rather diverse release – from howling 60′s vocals, to the shimmering essence of dream pop and distorted guitars, listening to Danger Beach is never boring. For my first Canberra related post, I’m feeling rather swell.”
East To West, November 2010

“my favourite edition (thus far) in the New Weird Australia repertoire”
Brockpapers, November 2010

Title: New Weird Australia, Volume Three
Catalogue Number: NWA003
Released: November 2009

Free Download

Tracklisting:

1. JEFF BURCH, Untitled 1 (The Western Hour) (3:44), from ‘As I Remember, If I Remember Correctly, I Arrived Sweetly’
2. AFXJIM, Through The Woods (6:08), from ‘POWWOW Eight (Blackout Music)’
3. 48/4, Hlibt (3:39), previously unreleased
4. THE SINGING SKIES, September (2:52), from ‘September Sky’
5. K MASON, Of 2 Evils (7:15), from ’2 (Evils)’
6. ALPS, Goosebeak Whale (2:21), from ‘Alps Of New South Whales’
7. DRIVE WEST TODAY, Anthropology (4:37), previously unreleased
8. ADAM TRAINER, Corrosion Party (4:22), previously unreleased
9. COMATONE, They Fall Freely (6:05), previously unreleased
10. ZEAL, Wasps (2:34), previously unreleased
11. NAMATOKE, A Mountain With A Secret (4:53), from ‘Chiaroscuro’
12. LECTER MACABRE, Granelli (New Version) (2:43), previously unreleased
13. BUM CREEK, Fast Forrest (5:13), from ‘Bum Creek’
14. ANON, Quiver Crura Quaker (13:46), previously unreleased
15. ERASERS, Lost///Found (4:26), from ‘Erasers’
16. POMPEY, Actual Locks (3:20), previously unreleased

Compiled by Stuart Buchanan & Danny Jumpertz
Artwork by Lee Tran Lam, www.leetranlam.com

Click artist title for background information and links.
All music donated by the artists for use in this compilation only, all rights reserved.

Sleeve Notes: November 2009

The old adage still holds true – one man’s meat is indeed another man’s poison. Divert the same philosophy to music and the song remains the same. One woman’s rock is another woman’s roll – or thereabouts.

We make this point to simply note that our definition of ‘weird’ is purely subjective – and we make no claim otherwise. The artists that represent Volume Three of New Weird Australia truly stretch, invert and redefine the notion of ‘weird’. To some, this selection might well be perilously unlistenable, to others we’re toying dangerously with pop at various flash-points throughout the compilation. And therein lies the point.

Our mission is not to meticulously scope and define what is to be ‘weird’ (#FAIL). Our mission rather is to map out a loose terrain – one that skirts around the topological spread mapped by mainstream alternative media, and one that sits both simultaneously in and out of reach. New Weird Australia is designed as a bridge to reach fresh pastures – at some points that journey might feel familiar, at others it might be terrifyingly new.

Given that we’re now on our third volume, we understand that in order to go deep, we also have to go wide – which means fucking with the boundaries at both ends of the spectrum. From Zeal‘s quasi-Anticon hip-pop to Anon‘s 14-min noise excursion, Volume Three does indeed traverse considerable distances – along the way winding via Lecter Macabre‘s pitch-black slow-mo roar to Pompey‘s steel-drum romp that winds the set towards a final, optimistic flourish.  We could obviously go much wider and much deeper yet – there lies new worlds to conquer in future volumes.

For now, for this month, this is our definition of New Weird Australia. Some you’ll adore, some you’ll abhor – and with that very disagreement, we’ll all find common ground.

Press:

Throw Shapes “a meticulously curated exploration of left-field sounds – surreal, sublime atmospherics through to experimental electronic pop through to ten minute noise jams, all seamlessly ordered, and all from our very own shores”

Liz Berg, WFMU (NYC) / Free Music Archive “I’ve been hitting a few compilations pretty hard lately on the FMA, and I must say that a recent favorite has been “New Weird Australia, Volume 3.” …From mellow and woozy songs fit for a dream sequence, to repetitive krautrock jams, to dainty acoustic prances, to experimental electronic hiss, drones, and moments of glitch. This album won’t start any parties, but it does wonders if you’re driving, in a contemplative mood, just waking up, or stuck inside on a grey day.”

Relocated Canberra freakoids Bum Creek have been making amazing musical weirdness since earlier this decade. They now live in Melbourne and turn every live show into a triumphant lurching mess of synth squiggles, kraut percussion and vocal gibberish.

http://www.myspace.com/bumcreek

Bum Creek appears on ‘New Weird Australia, Volume Three’.