OVER DOWN UNDER: Australian Alternative 1979-1997

At the end of this post (below the tracklisting) are all the links to donate to the Australian bushfire relief. As an American I can't begin to properly describe the unfortunate circumstances the citizens there are going through. What I can do is honour the continent's rich musical history in this second mixtape installment.

My first introduction to Australian music was AC/DC, followed by Nick Cave, which I'm sure are most peoples' gateways. Then I heard of The Drones through The Needle Drop. After that, sort of on accident through Spotify and Blogspot, I ended up coming across multiple killer acts from the area. I was tipped off to feedtime via the Sub Pop reissues, which led me to King Snake Roost who appears on track 6. Australian Grunge, as niche as it sounds, is a strong scene.

Perhaps even stronger is Australian power pop, which takes up the first five tracks here. The Sports should be recognized in the same conversation as Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson, and Nick Lowe. The Don't Throw Stones album is, to me, a classic in the genre. The Angels had some appeal in the States under the name Angel City, which was chosen due to a legal dispute. If you're looking for Australia's answer to R.E.M., don't look further than Ups & Downs. Their debut album Sleepless mimics the post-punk-meets-jangle-pop of Murmur perfectly, as showcased here by 'The Living Kind.'

The 90s guitar pop acts of down under would've sat perfectly on any 120 Minutes rotation from the day. My favorite Australian discovery of the last few years is without a doubt Screamfeeder from Melbourne. All of their singles are absolute hits, particularly the standouts from their 1996 album Kitten Licks. The track 'Wrote You Off' that appears here is actually from their second album, 1993's Burn Out Your Name. I went with the earlier cut to get more year variety, but this song is just as strong as anything that followed in the catalogue.

While the band Ghostwriters may not sound familiar immediately, the band's genetics are storied. Rob Hirst & Martin Rotsey from Midnight Oil and Rick Grossman from Hoodoo Gurus teamed up for two excellent rock records in the 90s. The cut here is album one, side one, track one, Someone's Singing New York New York, a brilliant tone setter.

The rest of the selections within are other worthy nuggets from the 80s and 90s Aussie scene, and all together I am hardly scratching the surface. 'No Lies' by Noiseworks sounds like a huge arena rock anthem, which I'd believe it was in their homeland. That alongside The Lime Spiders and The Dugites tracks came from both volumes of the thankfully intensive Glory Days Of Aussie Pub Rock boxed sets. As far as omissions, the biggest one this time around is 'Run To Paradise' by The Choirboys, which I was not able to find a high quality rip of (it does exist but my search engine skills proved unfruitful). I also wanted to touch upon Th'Dudes, but due to their name it seemed impossible to gather any downloads, and they are properly a New Zealand act.

Even today, Australia is booming with acts making their way to the States in a big way. Most notably is King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, but we've also gotten lucky enough to spend time with Camp Cope, The Beths, The Goon Sax, Chela, Rolling Blackouts, and very soon Cable Ties will be making their Merge Records debut. So, enjoy the old music here, support the new music when you can, and appreciate Australian culture in this time.

1. The Sports - Who Listens To The Radio? (1978)
2. The Angels - No Secrets (1980)
3. The Dugites - In Your Car (1980)
4. Happy Hate Me Nots - You're An Angel (1985)
5. Ups & Downs - The Living Kind (1986)
6. King Snake Roost - Godzilla (1987)
7. The Lime Spiders - Weirdo Libido (1987)
8. Noiseworks - No Lies (1987)
9. TISM - Saturday Night Palsy (1989)
10. The Someloves - Melt (1989)
11. Died Pretty - D.C. (1991)
12. Ghostwriters - Someone's Singing New York New York (1991)
13. Screamfeeder - Wrote You Off (1993)
14. Frente! - Accidently Kelly Street (1994)
15. Even - 24 Hour Cynic (1995)
16. Summer Suns - Brighter Than The Sun (1997)

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