I've been to Australia...once.

But who cares when 2011 was the best year to see the best Aussie bands in the flesh, right here in the States? 

Now it's 2012 but I'm still stuck in the land down-under, but I assure you it's good stuff! Just a quick list of personal favorites and recommendations for last year's best releases:  * = seen 'em this many times live to date and I can vouch!


Three Toed Sloth I Didn't Know I Loved You ('til I Saw You Rock 'n Roll) 7" (Negative Guest List) Gary Glitter cover. Remastered material, orig. rec. '93 with Tom from feedtime on drums.
Circle Pit Sewercide 7" (Sweet Rot)
*Deaf Wish self-titled LP (Radio Records Melbourne)
UV Race Homo LP (In The Red)
Total Control Thee Oh Sees/Total Control split 12" (Castle Face) Perth punks posed against San Francisco garage-stompers.
Scraps Classic Shits LP (Bedroom Suck) Melodic minimal synthpop with female vox.
**Royal Headache self-titled LP (R.I.P. Society) Their Eloise 7" from 2010 is pretty stellar as well. Best band to lend your dad's drum kit to.
Woolen Kits Maths/Out of Town 7" (R.I.P. Society) Hooky baritone-voiced garage pop, playing at Bows & Arrows in Sacramento Jan. 31st with the Woolen Men and G. Green!!
*Super Wild Horses Reading Rainbow/Superwild Horses split 7" (Hozac)
*Bed Wettin' Bad Boys Nobody Else 7" (R.I.P. Society)
Bleeding Knees Club Virginity LP (IAMSOUND)
**Kitchen's Floor Look Forward to Nothing LP (Siltbreeze)
Per Purpose Implicating More Than One LP (Bedroom Suck) With drummer Joe Alexander from Kitchen's floor!! Super nice guy if you ever need a record signed.
Eddy Current Suppression Ring So Many Things (Goner) Compiled material from singles and EPs not released on their studio albums.
**Straight Arrows It's Happening LP (Juvenile & Rice Is Nice) Released in late 2010 actually.

Straight Arrows have become one of my favorite bands to kick out the upbeat garage fuzz and I think seeing them live only helped. Some of the most energetic and fun performers to watch -- just wind them up and let 'em loose!  Fortunately I got to see them when they played the Davis Bike Collective here in town AND outside The Buccaneer at Gonerfest 8 (where I also picked up their super low-fi Hits From The Zong tour tape.) Even got to run into them at a pre-Gonerfest backyard barbecue where us American accents were easily outnumbered and Sydney's own Bed Wettin' Bad Boys played a quick outdoor set to kick-off the ozzie invaded festival. (see below)

Bed Wettin' Bad Boys at Bruce's backyard BBQ (photo courtesy of bedwettinbadboys.tumblr.com)

Here's a song by Straight Arrows called "Magic Sceptre"-- "it's about a magic sceptre!"

If the stuck-in-a-rut, slow 'n scuzzy dark groove is more your thing then check out Circle Pit. Angie Bermuda from Straight Arrows makes up half of this Sydney duo. Here's the official video for "Speed Limits" from 2010's Bruise Constellation:

Just gotta slip one more track in from Kitchen's Floor. Look Forward to Nothing has a different version of "Orbit" than the 7" but this short and sweet grungy groove has a special place in my heart. (The video is pretty rad too.)