KCRW’s Global Beat is a new series highlighting emerging artists from around the world. We’re kicking the series off with our friends in Australia by partnering with The Australian Music Alliance and the Australian Music Radio Airplay Project (Amrap), a uniquely Australian organization designed to support Australian music on public radio.
KCRW DJ Raul Campos hosts along with Amrap Manager Andrew Khedoori for this week’s Aussie artist spotlights on the psychedelic stylings of the Murlocs, Restless Leg, and Suiix. Catch up on all the artists from the series (plus bonus tracks!) with our Global Beat: Australia playlist.
The Murlocs - “Bittersweet Demons”
Hailing from Victoria's surf coast, the Murlocs includes members of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. Photo by Jamie Wdziekonski.
Andrew Khedoori: “The Murlocs share some members with King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, but they're really their own entity. And they've been going around for about a decade now. And in the last couple of years, they’ve gotten their due by hitting the charts here big time.
What I've noticed over the years is that the Murlocs have gotten tighter and tighter as they've continued. ‘Bittersweet Demons’ is well in the feel-good realm, and it's got a really nice ‘80s tilt to it as well. That's pretty new for them. And if you wonder what a murloc is, it's a mythical creature from ‘Tales of the Oracle.’”
Restless Leg - “The Wheel It Turns”
Springing out of a fertile Aussie indie pop scene, Sydney’s Restless Leg offer equal parts glistening melody and bristling energy while also being crafty when it counts. Photo by Joshua Morris Photography.
“Sydney’s Restless Leg is a band that springs up out of a really fertile indie pop scene that loves to tell tales of life in the suburbs of Australia and be very literate at doing so when it comes to getting deep about that everyday life. It's a little bit more rough and tumble, and that's its charm. If you go back to a classic band like the Go Betweens, you see their influence still loom large over a lot of bands in Australia, and Restless Leg is one of them.
They've got a new album called ‘Dream Buffet’ that's equal parts glistening melody and bristling energy, but they also know how to be intricate and crafty when it counts, and they really make it count on this record. If you like bands like Yo La Tengo or Pavement and you're wondering where your next fix of that kind of vibe might come from, this is a really great one to get into.”
Suiix - “The Great Nothing”
From out of Sydney, Suffix delivers a beautifully drifting and dreamy song with big guitar sounds, huge keyboard, and crystalline washes. Photo by Luke Fuller and Brenton Cassidy.
“Suiix out of Sydney has got a live band now, but she still records as a one person setup. And so it is with this great new single. It's a beautifully drifting and dreamy song. We're talking big guitar sounds that sound like ocean waves, huge keyboard washes, and crystalline vocals that take me back to the Cocteau Twins. It's so super cool what you can produce out of your bedroom these days. I love this track. And I love how lost I get in it.”