5 UNDER 500 August Edition

Photo by Claudia Lewis of Doko

A lot of acts that you read about on music websites - the hot/upcoming/buzz-worthy articles - come from a press release, with the authors sent a lot of awesome new music and having to sift through for the good stuff. With that in mind we thought we'd go on a little hunt through the online realm to try and find a few acts that haven't broken over the 500-Like mark (because like it or not, the number of FB likes you've accrued can play a role in the amount of online love you'll receive). So we hope 5 UNDER 500 will bring to your attention a few emerging acts, who are under 500 likes on Facebook, and whose sounds we are very much digging.

Land Systems - esc (ft. mara)

Land Systems's EP Dualism is a really interesting sonic journey, it merges together samples of delicate soundscapes with a more brutal backbone referencing artists like Arca and Portishead. The focus of this EP is not on vocals, or a sense of order but rather it feels like a soundtrack to a movie. This peaks in the centre but not how'd you expect. The track is called esc and it's probably the most accessible because it sums up what Dualism is about. The EP isn't a dramatic fanfare, indeed there's nothing sudden about the EP but it gradually rolls forward much like the drums do in the background of esc. The vocals of mara provide a refreshing palate change to the rest of the EP and hints at the potential Land Systems could find with future vocalists. At the same time it's the peculiar way that mara's vocals,  their ethereal nature to be precise, merge with the machine-gun like drums and crackles and poignant bells in the final moments of the track that make it. And in the case of Dualism it works perfectly, Dualism is not a pop release, it has no traditional consistency but what it does have is an is a truly immersive soundscape of the likes you don't hear often in Australia. 

Follow Land Systems: FACEBOOK

Makaw - Tell Me Why

This song quite literally came out yesterday, I had another artist lined up for this slot but from the moment I heard Tell Me Why I knew it had to be this month's 5 under 500 column. And I'm sure you won't regret this late addition either, merging delicate vocals reminiscent of Emma Louise with a gentle, throbbing soundscape. It's tranquil beauty in a song. So now you know, go tell a friend or maybe 6, okay? Great. Till next time. 

Follow Makaw: FACEBOOK

Blitzberg - 1a.m

It's like the early 2010s indie scene never died. Blitzberg throw together elements of Last Dinosaurs and Metronomy in a in a care-free way that you can't help but kick back listening to this. Even if it's the middle of the week. And while I can't really decipher the video, a lot of someone moving someone else's chin, you can just close your eyes for this song as the tingling bass line ripples through the dreamy vocals. If anything this track is a perfect example of dream-pop without all the synths, it's stripped back dream pop and I don't mind it. 

Follow Blitzberg: FACEBOOK

DOKO (pictured in header) - Indigo

This song could have gone two ways as Doko is a 21st-century twist on blue-eyed soul filtered through a hedonistic mix of rock. The first result is a bunch of white guys being like, "Cool a trumpet! Lets try sound like Marvin Gaye!" Instead, Doko's debut single Indigo plumbs the depth of what Doko are capable of, in this 5 minute plus single. And what their potential is, well, it seems a fair amount. Now without pigeon-holding them too much Indigo kick-starts with a riff straight out of a Sticky Fingers's song but that's about as much referencing as I can really do. As from about 10 seconds on Doko take it away with delicate horns and smooth as vocals. But the real power comes in at about 1:30 when all the different fizzing elements smash together in a frenzy of licks, pulsating drums and horny horns (is that even a thing?). I think we're going to be hearing a lot more of these chaps especially with an EP in the works. Doko also have a single launch for Indigo this Wednesday at The Brighton Up Bar, you should go. 

Follow Doko: FACEBOOK

Body Type - Ludlow

I think the main reason why I enjoy this is because it's not your typical garage rock song, it doesn't have a big build where someone then hits a fucking fuzz pedal and you sort of have to wonder what just happened. It's scuzzy but also sentimental, emotions you don't really expect in a lo-fi song like this. It's like mid-2000s indie filtered through a pedal that King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard would use and it bloody works. Body Type's Ludlow is a song to fall in love too. I don't often pronounce the acts on this column to go far, I especially don't do it twice in one column, rather I just think they're cool which is why I write about them but I think Body Type could be someone we're going to hear a lot more of. 

Follow Body Type: FACEBOOK