Soul swelling, blues peddling, swagger surfer rock (whew!) pretty much sums up Australia's The Rubens. Composed of 3 brothers and their friend, this band excels with their extremely hook ridden songs. Many will compare these guys to The Black Keys, but I think they actually have more of a Depeche Mode vibe. Lead singer Sam Margin has a laid back vocal delivery but can bring the songs home when he needs to. The song "My Gun" has a slinky James Bond-style groove about a girl who has done some serious emotional damage. (I gave her the means, she had the will/ I kept on pushin’ for the kill/ I never thought she’d finish me/ As she shot me down and left me to bleed.) Trust me you will be singing this one for days. Their EP My Gun is on iTunes while their full length is only available in Australia...for now. The Rubens- Facebook My Gun-
Australia just keeps on feeding me great music. Let's add another one shall we? Birds of Tokyo formed 5 years ago from well-known Australian bands Karnivool and Tragic Delicate (umm, ok.) They released a couple of EPs and two full lengths in a few short years and all without being signed to a major label. Birds of Tokyo remind me a lot of the band Tonic with soaring vocal melodies, which I think makes or break a band. They have strong guitar driven songs with great hooks to wrap your ears around. Their latest release, Universes, finds the band really figuring out who they are. They have delivered some of their strongest songs yet. Among them are Broken Bones and Wild Eyed Boy. The latter is urgent, soaring track about the constant feeling of not being satisfied. (Wild eyed boy you're heart won't settle/ How much can you take?) The band really shines on the rocking, tempo changing White Witch. Leadsinger Ian Kennymixes up his vocal delivery to hit the power notes when he needs to. Another killer track is the ultra catchy Head in My Hands, it will have you humming the hook for days on end. Birds of Tokyo is a throw back to '90s rock and is refreshing to hear that there are some bands who still believe is making solid melodic rock.
File this under "Big In Australia." Powderfinger formed in 1989! But I have never heard one of their songs until I heard it playing in band breaker, Grey's Anatomy. Their sound is very melodic with Train type quality, but way better. They are on their sixth album, Dream Days at the Hotel Existence, and it has a few great tracks. Among the better ones to check out is the song featured in Grey's called Drifting Further Away. It's sparse arrangements during the verses allows you to really hear what lead singer Bernard Fanning is saying; Don't shut me out/don't hold it all in/you're drifting further away.
Another great track to hear is Nobody Sees. Powderfinger may not be the newest band, but upon discovering them you will wonder why. They have a definite soft side but with catchy melodies and a rock edge.
