Despite not releasing an album this year, Regurgitator have been far from complacent. Duel vocalists/song-writers
Ben Ely and
Quan Yeomans
have both released side-project/solo albums respectively in the past
few months whilst also managing to tour the UK with their mother band
for the first time in over five years.
Over the last fifteen years, these two have managed to cover most
musical genres and so it’s not hard to spot reflections of their
stylistically disparate side-projects in Regurgitator’s back catalogue.
What is common between all is the energy and sense of fun that has
united Regurgitator’s output beyond generic delineations.
But enough about that band - these new albums deserve attention on their own merits.
Ben Ely’s Radio 5 - ‘I’m Psyched’
Starting firstly with Ben Ely’s Radio 5, which,
like Ben Folds’s initial band, is actually a three piece. I’m Psyched
distills dueling, distorted power chords and a relentless drum beat and
into three minutes of unassuming hard pop. The arrangement is tight and
simple but manages to sound as loose and loud as a house party at 3am.
With stuttering expression in the verses and a chorus consisting merely
of “Oh Yeah,” the song exhibits the effectiveness of simple vocal hooks
that will serve pop music well until the form finally collapses on
itself. The fun atmosphere and lyrical playfulness heighten the
directness of the song whilst intentionally obscuring the thought in
both composition and production.
www.myspace.com/benelysradio
Quan - 'And This Is What She Said…'
Quan’s solo album certainly highlights the origins
of Regurgitator’s hip hop digressions. Greeted by electronic squeals,
the listener is soon taken to a looped guitar stomp and drum line
beneath vocals “about a girl who broke my heart in seven places,”
replete with rhythmic doubling. The song is misleadingly simple until a
bridge of chopped up vocals, synth string stabs and percussive
punctuations extends the sonic palette considerably. Though the song
contains scattered beeps and noises throughout it is certainly one of
the more simple, stripped-backed offerings from his album. The
production, though minimal, is nonetheless intelligent - particularly
in the aforementioned bridge - and the beats Quan constructs are as
strong as anything he’s done before. And This Is What She Said… stands
with conviction alongside tracks by other Australian artists more
notable for their hip hop output.
www.quantheamateur.com
Matt Hickey