Video Disturbeo: Nurse With Wound.

Nurse With Wound, the brainchild of Londoner Steven Stapleton, has, in its 30+ year long existence, released an astonishingly prodigious amount of music – over forty long-players so far, and still counting. Stapleton isn't one to shuffle off and rest on his laurels ... He not only writes, performs, and releases his own music; he also designs the dust covers himself under the nom d'artiste Babs Santini!


I don't even know how to begin describing Nurse With Wound's music to you, if you haven't heard them before. I like to liken the sound of NWW to what a madman might hear back in the dark days of Victorian asylums – huge, dimly-lit and crumbling institutions with dark corners and shifting shadows, piercing shrieks emanating from locked doors, mysterious colourless liquids running in rivulets down the mouldy wallpaper, and heavyset orderlies tying one to a chair, preparing a massive syringe with a "medicine" unknown. Equal parts loopy drones, sampled and distorted dialogues from long-forgotten horror flicks, industrial soundscapes, demented cabaret, and fucked-up mish-mashes of disturbing sound effects – all bound together with a humourous sensibility, mind you – are just a smidgeon of the NWW "sound". Want to check out some Nurse With Wound? For starters, you couldn't go wrong with 2009's compilation "album" Paranoia In HiFi. Essentially, it's a one hour-eighteen minute, single-track mixing together of several previously released NWW tracks. Look it up, download it, whatever – it's an amazing ride.


Here, from 2008's limited edition vinyl-only EP The Bacteria Magnet, is a great track called "The Bottom Feeder." The video from it, taken from two short Jiri Barta films (The Last Theft and The Club of the Laid Off), makes me want to scratch myself – there's something about creepy marionettes doing creepy shit that makes me incredibly uncomfortable. You can watch some clips from Barta's weird puppet-flicks here. Eesh. There's something about that little girl putting back together a smashed watermelon that really, really gives me the heebie-jeebies. Enjoy!

New Music: Grafton Primary.

Sydney-sider brothers Josh and Benjamin Garden, AKA Grafton Primary, have been very busy, busy bees this last year, putting together their sophomore album, tentatively entitled Sophomore and preparing for their new tour, which hits Melbourne tomorrow evening in St Kilda's wild Prince Bandroom. Should be a whole hell of a lotta fun, so Second Drawer Up highly recommends heading down there if you've wondered what's worth doing this weekend!

Having been formed in 2006, and with two EPs and their first album Eon under their belts, Grafton Primary (who tour with a live drummer and bass player) are willing and ready to unveil their new(ish) sound to the masses. "This tour's not so much a dusting as an absolute renovation," Josh told Inpress Magazine - and to my ears, it sounds like it's going to be a veritable shitload of fun. I love the sounds that burst from my speakers when I play Eon or the Relativity EP (which I'm listening to right now as I type this) - they're quirky, noir-ish, and clever. Take what's best from Jan Hammer and Harold Faltermeyer's 80's synth-soundtracks, Australia's "2nd wave of nu-rave" (whatever the hell that means), and indie-pop, throw them in a blender, and you might have something similar to the sound made by the brothers Garden. Keep an ear out for the new single, "The Eagle." Josh seems particularly buzzed about it, so I can only reckon it's going to kick ass.

So get your ass to the Prince Bandroom, already! Grafton Primary are going to be supported by Wollongong electronic pioneers Infusion; so it's going to be twice as fun as you thought. Serious!

Here's "Relativity" by Grafton Primary for ya - cheers!

grafton primary

"relativity"

relativity ep

Are You Gonna Leave Me Now? Can't You Be Believing Now?

A long time ago (2006), in a galaxy far, far away (to pinpoint it, look toward the cities of Perth and Sydney, Australia), two musical spaceships collided and combined their genre-stretching powers for a brief and magical moment - creating a veritable powerhouse of psychedelic awesomeness.

Luke Steele from Perth, West Australia-based The Sleepy Jackson and Nick Littlemore of PNAU from across the continent in Sydney, New South Wales had been introduced to each other by mutual A&R peeps in a Sydney bar in 2000. After having exchanged ideas back and forth for a while, they decided to join forces and create something that was larger (in this writer's humble opinion) than themselves.

Thus, Empire of the Sun. (Though it was generally assumed that they named themselves after the novel by the one and only JG Ballard, Mr Littlemore explained to RTE (out of Ireland) that the name comes from "... all the empires of the civilisation where the sun has been a theme of worship.")

Empire of the Sun. In late 2008, they released their debut (and, to date, only) album, Walking On A Dream, and I gotta tell you - it's a corker! It's safe to say that as far as debuts go, this has just about everything one could require in a must-listen experience: Adventure, romance, loss, science fiction, tigers, swordfish, lush electronica, fascinating beats, emotive lyrics, and "Emperor" Steele's dulcet voice, which frankly must be heard to be believed. (Littlemore, who is unfortunately not with the band anymore after heading back to his PNAU camp, was referred to as "Lord" Littlemore.)

It's no secret that "We Are The People" stands as not only my favorite song on the album, but pretty much my favorite song, period. Full stop. Not only does this track exhibit an unrelenting freshness and beauty that fully engages and immerses the listener in its myriad charms, but the video filmed for it relays those attributes and creates what is, for me, a genuine multi-media piece of fine art.

Directed by Josh Logue, who has worked with Empire of the Sun on their other singles "Walking On A Dream," "Standing On The Shore," and "Without You," "We Are The People" takes the Mexican holiday Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) as its inspiration. Filmed entirely in Mexico (locations include Monterrey, García, and the incredibly lush and surreal Sir Edward James Gardens in Las Pazas), the video follows our heroes as they search for ... well, God, it seems. "Es este el camino a la diosa?" they ask a fellow on a bicycle in the desert toward the beginning of the film. Then they come across a man digging a hole. "Es para usted," he says to them. "It's to stop you." Enough of the transcribing! Here's the video for your own viewing pleasure. Enjoy! It really is a fresh and exciting work. And, I have to say, I'm a huge fan of Luke Steele's fashion sense. The headdress itself is just plain awesome.

And, as a bonus, I thought I'd throw this number at you. On the 22nd of July, 2009, the world experienced the longest total eclipse of the sun (six minutes and thirty-nine seconds to be exact). Empire of the Sun decided to do a broadcast that lasted as long as the eclipse did, and I gotta say, it's pretty bonkers (in a good way). Featuring characters from the "Standing on the Shore" video (Swordfish Girls! Black and Shiny Box Men!) and mixing together re-worked bits of the rest of Walking on A Dream, it really is a sight to behold. Once again, enjoy!

Review: Apocalypso.

Hailing from beautiful Sydney, Australia, The Presets consist of Julian Hamilton and Kim Moyes, a daring duo of electronic maestros who are more than willing (and able) to shake their groove sticks and get participating asses out on that dance floor to do their bidding. If you like your dance music with a bit of a darker flair and in possession of both outspoken ferocity and an impish sense of humor, then by all means include The Presets' 2008 sophomore album Apocalypso in your collection.

Allow me to proselytize.

The Presets first came on the scene in 2003, after classically-trained university chums Hamilton and Moyes grew tired of playing earnest instrumental compositions in their previous band, Prop. According to Moyes in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, "We kind of just went, 'Fuck this shit, let's do some good stuff about life and partying and drugs and girls.'"

And how.

After releasing two EPs, 2003's Blow Up and its 2004 follow-up The Girl and the Sea, The Presets saw fit to unleash upon the world 2005's Beams. It was immediately apparent to the record-buying public that this duo was a force to be reckoned with. But don't take my word for it. Just listen to the record itself - it doesn't (and please, pardon my French) fuck around; it really doesn't.

Take Apocalypto's opening track, "Kicking and Screaming." (Please. Ha ha, I've always wanted to say that. Ahem.) It really sets things off in the right direction, what with its multi-layered assault of crunchy drumbeats and a hard, focused trance-like melody that basically orders you to dance your ass off whilst Hamilton intones:

Never can believe how much fun we're having

Can't believe how much fun we're having

Never can believe how much fun we're having.

And then from there it's just gem after gem, as we slide merrily along into the tribalistic anthem "My People" and the flexed-muscle magic of "A New Sky." There's genuine emotion and lovely lyrics in the poignant "This Boy's In Love," a brilliant and fast-paced love song that showcases a clever and touching lyricism. And we're talking about the first four tracks on the album! Seriously, tune for tune Apocalypto does not disappoint. Designed for optimum listenability, it's a roller coaster of an aural feast. Go and get it now; you will thank me later.

Like I stated previously, don't take my word for it. Have a listen and a look-see for yourself. From the aforementioned album, here is Julian Hamilton and Kim Moyes in the video for "My People." Enjoy!