The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - Say No To Love

With the release of a new single, it’s nice to see The Pains haven’t changed at all. The simple chord progression still remains, as well as the 80s haze and adorable lyrics. It’ll be quite a challenge for any self respecting fuzzpop fan to resist chanting along with the anthemic chorus: “Just say no to love!”. The B side reveals a more sombre side to the pains (relatively, of course) but still retains that innocent sincerity. These songs will never be big, but they’ll be big to some people – sure to be the soundtrack to dozens of new found loves and traumatic breakups.

Flying Scribble - We’re A Chameleon

The balance between experimentation and pop sensibilities can be tricky to master. It’s a tightrope that sees organ and drum duo Louise Terry and Grey Taylor precariously leaning over the experimental side. Often the blend is just right; the vocals soar, the drums waver interestingly, and the organ sounds, well, organic. This is shown no better than the excellent ‘tree to tree’, the most catchy addition on the album. Other times there is far, far too much organ. That, and the frequent lack of melody and rhythm may put off the light hearted.

Endless Boogie - Full House Head

Recommended by Pavement and consisting of Matador employees, the one thing Endless Boogie does have is impressive credentials. Considered more a cool idea than an actual band, Full house head is an hour long demonstration on how to play long, chugging guitar songs, and intermixing them with bluesy guttural grunts. It’s simple, it’s catchy and will be sure to have any southern guitar nut in ecstasy. There’s no build up, no climax, leaving the listener in the same pleasant, but repetitive rut. For everyone else, the continuous chugging of indistinguishable guitars with no discernable structure will make you wish the boogie had an end.

The Seabellies - In Limbo Lake

Spending three years in relative isolation without releasing a single single, Brisbane 6 piece The Seabellies have finally unveiled their long awaited masterpiece after seven weeks of recording. It just so happens it was time well spent – their debut album is a tightly focused, lovingly crafted work of the finest tuneful experimentation. Band members play anything from melodicas to metallophones, creating ethereal musical soundscapes each instilled with a distinctly European feel. The end result is a uniquely rich and layered sound, putting it leagues above the increasing amount of pedestrian indie around today. While their extended hiatus may have pushed them temporarily to the back of fan’s minds, their debut should see them catapulted back up into their supporter’s consciousness.

Yum Cha Experience

This year’s Valley Fiesta will feature the premiere of Yum Cha Sunday, a culinary experience like no other.

If you’re after an affordable and unique dining experience, bring your family and friends this Sunday to the Chinatown mall in fortitude valley for authentic eastern cuisine and enjoyable live entertainment.

All the neighbouring restaurants in Chinatown will be joining forces to provide their tasty services for this special event. Don’t let the name fool you -Yum Cha Sundays will be offering far more than your average garden variety Yum Cha. Tastebuds will be treated to an endless array of ethnic delights, ranging from Vietnamese, Chinese, and spicy Thai cuisine. There really is no better way to satiate your tastebuds than this diverse variety of eastern gastronomic grub.

“All the neighbouring restaurants in China town will be providing the food for the event.” Margaret Nguyen, owner of the Red Lotus restaurant, said. “There’s about six restaurants participating”
This eatery extraordinaire is completely new for Valley Fiesta, with Yum Cha Sunday set to makes its debut a successful one.
“This is the first year that Yum Cha Sundays will occur. We’ll have to see how it goes.” Margaret said. “We’re hoping that it’ll be crowded in China town mall, and this will give us a bit more business in the area.”
Not only will patrons be treated to a delicious and affordable banquet, but this year’s event will feature the spectacular Pyrophone Juggernaught, a cross between a dazzling light show and a tightly choreographed percussion performance. Diners will be able to observe the flame emitting multi octave organ in between bites of Mongolian beef.

After you’ve consumed your delicious meal, take time out to see the many amusements Chinatown has to offer. There are the lively and animated supermarkets, the exotic teahouses and the authentic oriental architecture that is spaced throughout the culturally rich neighbourhood. Upon entering the square you’ll be greeted by a pair of 320 kilogram stone lions, whose purpose is to guard against evil spirits and stands as a symbol of friendship. Once you’ve experienced all that Chinatown has to offer, you’ll be sure to return. So if you’re after cheap yet appetizing chow, make sure you don’t miss this unique event.

Yum Cha Sunday will be held from eleven till three in the Chinatown mall on the twelfth of September.

Super Wild Horses - Fifteen

Often the only means of escaping the unavoidable ‘girl band’ label is to play excellent music. Super wild horses have managed to break free from this lazy gender pigeonholing and craft a distinctive blend of garage pop which sets them apart from your standard basement based bands. Its minimalistic, low fidelity production gives it a certain analogue warmth, and the anthemic garage grunge is laden with sweet harmonized duets which clash brilliantly with the frayed guitar stabs. Songs rarely exceed one or two minutes, and this brevity suits their simple and catchy riffs superbly. From this moment on, the Super Wild Horses will be known as a garage pop band, not a garage pop girl band.

Department of Eagles - Archive 2003-2006

Compilations of B sides and other unfinished leftovers are always a mixed bag. So it was with some degree of apprehension that I went into The Department of Eagles latest release, an eclectic collection of songs dating from the period between the often messy ‘The Cold Nose’ and their more focused ‘In Ear Park’. Never intended for human ears, Archive 2003-2006 offers a glimpse at the transition between these two points, the period where a trifling project became a legitimate band. While various tracks only act as fancy segues, the fully formed songs are masterpieces, which wouldn’t be out of place in a Grizzly Bear album. An essential release for fans, only highly recommended for everyone else.

The Stress of Leisure - Soft Approach

The reasons you’ll like this Brisbane based quartet are the same reasons others will dislike them. On one hand you have trite pop gems filled with corny romantic clichés, and on the other there’s plenty of grating attempts at punk rock. Many songs feel like witty spoofs of various genres, until with creeping unease you realize they might be sincere. This is apparent on the obviously titled ‘All Australian Punk Band 1979’ and the showy ‘At Any Moment This Could Be Massive”. Sadly, it never is, and the album on a whole feels like a massive anti-climax. The Stress of Leisure are enjoyable when they are in their summery pop wheel house, rather than when they are trying vainly to be a punk band. In the end, they are more suited to wearing their heart on their sleeve than an ill-fitting leather jacket.