Sunday, May 16, 2010

In Keeping With Our Weekend Tradition

Given the melancholy nature of my last post, I had been planning on posting a video for a song which fit the mood. Listening to "The Big Al Show" on my favorite local college radio station has changed my tune, so to speak. In the "Platter Hour" feature of his show, he has been playing the Mitch Easter-produced album loveBUZZ by Australian band The Hummingbirds. Wow! I don't recall ever hearing anything by this band, which is a vexing lacuna in my musical knowledge. The music is bright pop, featuring a harmonious interplay between male and female vocalists (somewhat reminiscent of U.S. indie-pop darlings Velocity Girl). Well, Big Al is spinning the whole record, and it's a good example of "All Killer, No Filler". These folks should have been huge in the States- apparently they were extremely successful in their native, antipodean home, but damnit, I'd never heard of them until now (and I pride myself on an uncharacteristicly (for a 'Murkin) thorough familiarity with Australian rock bands.

So, for a woefully obscure bit of pure pop bliss, here's a little something from "new to the Bastard" songsters The Hummingbirds:





Oh, and, so as not to be accused of giving undue recognition to bands from the Drouthy Antipodes, I am also a big fan of numerous bands from the Not-so-Drouthy Antipodes. The last thing I would want is to face the wrath of patriotic Kiwis, armed with trebuchets, and commanding an army of hypnostags.

6 comments:

  1. I like a couple of those The Clean videos. Hanx, BBBB, I posted the AC/DC (shirley the biggest band ever to come from the Antipodes) last night.

    I think I'll try some from the NZD gangs.
    ~

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  2. hummingbirds? don't they know the words?

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  3. The Bats are good (as you might expect with a 1/3 overlap with The Clean).

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  4. Ya know, "Vexing Lacuna" would be a great name for a band, come to think of it!

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  5. Also the first line of a 'Waltzing Matilda' parody.

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  6. Nice, Triple B, I've never heard of The Hummingbirds.

    A NZ friend of mind turned me on to a few groups I like, in particular: The Mutton Birds and Dave Dobbyn. Also have a fantastic live album of Dobbyn, Tim Finn, and Bic Runga performing together.

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