Kind Habitat – Imported Crude
Genre: Grunge
Similar artists: Nirvana, Pixies
One of the most alluring things about the artistic success of Nirvana and Pixies is that their sound always seemed to exist. With a flick of the wrist and a loud yelp, they uncovered what the world was waiting for, but could not unearth for themselves.
Many of the greatest are able to do that. They point towards the obvious. It leaves many other musicians calling attention to their music school degrees, their five-octave range, or to the fact that they have to tune up guitars with more strings than a cat’s whiskers.
Kind Habitat are kings of the obvious and for good reason. Imported Crude is a great sound! It’s rock delivered with the maniacal glee of someone that has received a book of Beatles chords and a fuzz pedal on the same Christmas morning. Kind Habitat make music for those that believe that if you can make a guitar amp squeal, there’s no excuse not to.
AUS!Funkt – She’s Right Behind
Genre: Post-Punk, Indietronica, Garage Rock
Similar artists: Joy Division, Boy Harsher, A Place To Bury Strangers, Viagra Boys, Rowland S. Howard, The Kills
There’s less and less for rock bands to explore before they start sounding like Frank Zappa. Can you believe that the original punk groups’ mission to stick to three chords and a message seemed revolutionary only a few decades ago?
There are still stories to tell, albeit the ones about booze, girls, and cars have been, likely, been told as well as they ever will. The darkest corners of the psyche remain fertile ground for exploration. And, pop sounds broken into shards and reassembled make up the perfect backdrop
AUS!Funkt take their post-punk and goth collection and reevaluates its importance on She’s Right Behind. Where were those serious-looking people wearing shades at night really hoping to get? Stamp this under “punk-rock meditation” material, call the world’s best psychiatrist and let me know how it works out. AUS!Funkt might be in line for some rewards from a medical institute.
