In praise of HTRK (words and illustrations by me)

I think it was 2011 when HTRK (pron. Hate Rock) first came to my attention, headlining Good God Small Club in my native Sydney, supported by Lost Animal and Kirin J Callinan. Despite being buried to my neck in study at the time (ultimately costing my attendance at the show) I still recall the intense hype surrounding HTRK's presence in town. I had never heard their music, their name had possibly passed me before but l had nothing else to work with but my startled impression of their Sydney popularity, and judging from the show's support acts, a good hunch on their creative direction.. One year later l still had not investigated the matter further. Reports and spottings of their name continued however, so one fateful overcast day l made my initial purchase with their first two releases; Nostalgia (2007) and Marry Me Tonight (2009) and have never looked back .. for a good while, not even to much else in my music collection. 

Today, the group, originally titled Hate Rock Trio (formed in 2003) comprises of two members; vocalist and percussionist Jonnine Standish and guitarist/sequencer Nigel Yang. Previous to March 2010, bassist Sean Stewart completed the former three-piece.

Focusing on their early recording, a few points underpinning HTRK's brillance could firstly be attributed to their originality and innovation in the use of specific vintage audio equipment (notably 80's Roland TR and TB sequencers). Also, while admittedly unique to me as an Australian listener, is the incredible sense of separation and creative disfigurement the group accurately create as an Australian band operating in a global context. While nodding to No Wave, early Electronic and Post-Punk influences; to me, their early work especially Nostalgia also captures Australia's isolation scars and uneasy relationship with the greater developed world so far from it's shores.. By 2006, HTRK in fact made the move to Europe, settling initially in Berlin with fellow-band The Devastations, shifting away from what would have then musically been the aftermath of the Garage revival in Australia.  

HTRK's handling of what was at least, for their earlier years, a near-Spartan set-up; consisting of Standish's vocals and single floor tom drumming, Yang's effect-driven guitar and Roland TR-808 programming, and Stewart's raw bass playing; it felt to be collectively ruled by the dynamics of the 808, providing the group's exciting (while morbid) sonic attractions. The 808 (their longest-standing drum machine) in the group's contemporary standing, is enveloped in an unusual redefinition of those classic sounds and sequencing styles into a new and starkly different creative vision. Armed with their signature and even early provided-title 'nostalgia' HTRK reflect on a unique melancholia. The 808, seemingly once characterised by Rap, RnB and Electro of the 1980's and beyond, HTRK's drastic down-tempo and unusual compositions on the device, filled for the larger term by Sean Stewart's sludgy bass-anchoring, presented a rhythm section that not only provides the group's expected No Wave dread but also in it's minimal and open workings, seems to spell the sense of time between the 80's hey-day of the equipment used and the far future they operate in now. 

No where else is this more evident than on Nostalgia (originally recorded merely as a demo) that retains the impression as well of being recorded in a filthy vacant warehouse, see 'Look What's Been Done'  YouTube link below. Largely in reviews, the group's musical intentions have been pointed towards invoking desire; however with their rumbling analog workings allowed to decay into the distance; the burden of time l would rather say, is absolute.




After their extended stay in Europe and the UK from 2006 until approximately 2011/12 during which included the tragic death of Stewart in 2010, the group have naturally altered musical course, seemingly taking different impressions and greater perspective and refinement of their ongoing aesthetics with each album. Following Nostalgia, this includes; Marry Me Tonight (originally recorded 2006 in Melbourne under the production of Rowland S Howard, released in 2009) and most recently Work (work work) (2011) both through UK label BLAST First (petite). I have hope for a new album in 2013, which appeared to be recorded in Mexico last year; their first full effort minus Stewart's contribution. 

Infused by the more wintery tones of Europe, the most-recent Work in it's four-year span documents that residency in the group's career. The more simple set-up has now been replaced with what appears to be a large-table worth of electronics at Yang's disposal, consisting of the irreplaceable 808, now as well as the Roland TR-707 and what appears to be the legendary TB-303 Bassline, assumingly (all though quite a different sound) in replacement of Sean Stewart's former bass duties. In this sense, the juxtaposition between HTRK's established line of equipment and the generally opposing finished musical result has expanded again in recent years and can only be expected to morph and refine again in time to come. 

While initially, HTRK's manipulation of the 808 was a stand-out feature to their sound, they now literally use a whole group of equipment, once better known as the foundation stones to Acid House in the 1980s, to otherwise produce their radically different compositions. In later times, and in anticipation to what their new release will sound like, Work inherited something closer to more Trip Hop qualities as well as what has been seen as a contemporary leaning towards more colourful genres like Witch House. Improved production and a distance from Australia (until very recently, where it appears the group are at least temporarily residing) have warped their initial searchings to a more European and otherwise audibly refined investigation in recent times.   

Perhaps serving as an introduction to some readers, the focus here remains on their early work especially Nostalgia; an especially raw and atmospheric treat on vinyl if you can find it. HTRK's unique sound in it's Australian context feels much like an important and artistically successful example to bring to light. Using a very dark and uneasy 'nostalgic' wandering, l believe HTRK create a startling and true impression of Australia and/or response to our isolation and uneasy international placement. Essential listening.            

HTRK are playing next in Sydney at Carriage Works, At First Sight: Saturday July 20 2013
http://www.carriageworks.com.au/?page=Event&event=At-First-Sight


-Jim Shirlaw   


Early work:

More recent: 

Trivia: 

It was a recent surprise to accidently create one of HTRK's recognisable sounds, the indescribable frayed percussion sound that punctuates the movements from start-to-end on third album track, Slo Glo off Work. This sound was created by applying a Chorus effect (Moog Cluster Flux) on the TR-808 Handclap, at least if that wasn't how they generated the sound themselves, it produced what l could say was the exact same effect..

Park Wars

Shoal Bay Holiday March 13'

 

Robertson NSW, 16-17.03.13

Royal National Park 03.02.13

Correctional Facility

As part of and on the opening of 

Performance Month 2013

attend and enjoy,

Correctional Facility

Jim Shirlaw

Skipping through the sombre schooling week, Correctional Facility jumps straight to the volatile, heat-damaged final class of Friday afternoon. A tale of sworn foes battling for the failure of one another in the eyes of the report card, spoken with three mouths through one head. In various roles, Jim Shirlaw takes on the subject of eternal-detention, his young inexperienced law-bearer as well as the enigmatic assessor and narrator, sent from an anonymous educational body. It's career vs candor for a one and a half hour battle between generations, authority and a spotlight on the subjective freefall between two opposites arguing on what makes good art and who makes bad art.

Firstdraft Depot
05.04.13 6:00-7:30pm
13-17 Riley St Woolloomooloo 

be happy: stop stressing about the Archibald Prize

Stop stressing about the Archibald Prize!

                                                                      hugo (detail) image: heraldsun.com.au

Another year of Archibald Prize anticipation has come and gone in the last seven days after now-sophomore winner Del Kathryn Barton took the title with 'hugo' a suitably large-sized Archibald entry executed in watercolour, gouache and acrylic (image above) of Australian actor Hugo Weaving. In the hours following the winner's announcement at the Art Gallery of NSW (AGNSW) late last week, l noticed ripples of protest firstly on social media sites and then later televised with attention being drawn to Victorian artist Jeffrey Kelson's 'one man' demonstration on the front steps of the gallery. ABC's coverage of Kelson's opinions drew attention to the prize's exclusive and un-representational performance as a showcase for common artists attempting to be hung on the balance of their talent rather than their art world-standing and own notoriety and of their subjects (often the same thing). Otherwise on the social media front, blunter inquiries (from a generally younger audience) were stirring as to why the precious money and title needed to be handed to a name of already existing high-stature.        

I think some significant factors about the modern-day Archibald Prize are being overlooked, which i'd like to point out for those artists feeling sore over rejection yet again. To it's credit, in it's singularly promenant position, the Archibald Prize is forced to be a premium showcase (for l dare say) those currently hot and upcoming in the local art world, as well as being a platform to pay respect to celebrated senior Australian artists (Olsen, Storrier in recent years). The fact is for many Australians who are only going to visit AGNSW once or few more times a year, due to it's exciting and common controversies, stellar career-pumping and lucrative giveaways, good chance is they're going to see the Archibald Prize, and what they see in that hour or more of visitation needs to itself portray who and what is making up the current Australian art world. Otherwise what other high-profile showcase does the industry have? 

For better or worse, it is imperative that the exhibition succeeds as an overblown showcase to indicate the annual direction and new stars of an otherwise largely shadowed community in the mind of the common Australian. I'm sure the AGNSW trustees would love room for you and your precious talents, but there's little space. In truth, the reality of the show is actually very different to the sensitive considered delicacy of your work that you're so driven to have exhibited. Quietly and respectively tottering through the exhibition halls during high season, you'll overhear all the sickening giveaways; 'my five year old son could have painted that' in response to a vision too minimal or expressionistic, next an admirable 'that's a real portrait' from the burly characteristically-Australian father nodding to the technical class of an entry suitable during the winning-streak of William Dargie, and lastly my very favourite and crowning ironic jewel; 'what an amazing painting, it looks just like a photograph!'. 

Pondering the space overlooked by great undeniable stares and enormous heads (squint and it commonly looks like Easter Island on a misty day) what l think is imperative for unsuccessful Archibald entrants to remember is that they're not necessarily dealing with a talent contest so much as a highly condensed and yes agreeably tall and exclusive temporary show for the public. Fundamentally if you're work is not needed in order to complete the composition of an Australian art world snapshot as it stands in the year of that running, then (as l'm sure you know deep down) you have a minuscule chance of being selected so don't bother and quit complaining. Naturally the trustees allow newcomers into the wolfden on an almost yearly basis in the crucial display that anyone can be exhibited, but with perhaps only one slot available versus eight hundred entries, it's going to be important for many not to become bitter about rejection.    

Firstly for those wishing to be exhibited, try your luck first sweeping under the wing of a gallery of some stature and follow the advice given. Based on your success as an artist, if your gallery or those surrounding your practice that sit in a comfortable cultural position suggest you enter a prize, perhaps even the Archibald prize then that's a good reason to enter, and l would say only in such similar scenarios should you enter. If there hasn't been much whispering in your studio this year, save your $50 (or current Archibald entry fee) and pour it back into your practice or should you feel so inclined, add it to your savings for a good night out after an opening in Paddington or Woollahra, and get those contacts going to assist your ambitions :)

Advertised in bus shelters across the Sydney CBD, the tagline for the Archibald Prize states 'The Face That Stops The Nation' . While it is obvious the AGNSW trustees do relish a little in the hype and sadistic curating enjoyment of handing the prize (sometimes repeatedly) to artists not exactly in dire need of it's rewards, if you have a major problem try other options than handing out flyers on the gallery steps. Immediately l would recommend entering in the Doug Moran prize, or if your mission extends beyond the easel, perhaps guide your efforts towards setting up other art prizes and help ease the exclusive pressures of what exists nationally as almost the only major Australian art prize gaining major attention.  

Jim Shirlaw.    

Why MBV are an unbelievably overrated pile of crap: an earwitness account

                                                   photo by me (18.02.13 Enmore Theatre, Sydney)

LOVELESS OR LIFELESS?

Entering through the doors of the Enmore Theatre on Monday night, l was very mindful to leave my negative thinking about My Bloody Valentine (MBV) at that doorway. Seemingly never finding an end to their praises, l was prepared to confront the beast, open to the prospect of maybe enjoying the performance, in fact that was my hope 'to finally get it' perhaps; l had paid $80 to see a band l didn't like (never have done this before) purely clinging on the blind faith that we might at last click. Having grown up heavily embraced by the Sydney live music community's fanatical interest in the band, what l've found progressively tiring was how so many bands l've known personally here in my home city have adopted their sound and championed them as an influence only to use the walls of static white wash to basically mask the fact no one has any great idea what they're playing or singing, or how to sing. This cop out has reached epidemic proportions and it was repeated on Monday night with perfect precision by the idol pieces of this lazy disease in music, however while l won't go so far as to say they didn't know what they were doing, it just seemed they didn't really care.

The theatre was packed of course, and having fought through the MBV legions l found an excellent position in the centre of the audience that also allowed me to clearly see the musicianship that was soon to follow.  As soon as the show started and until the end some serious problems persisted; firstly, during a whole chunk of their material off Loveless, including 'When You Sleep' and 'Only Shallow' the two guitarists won't actually even playing the music!! Aside from samples or backing track that must have been doing all the work I noticed about two chord changes making up both those songs (l would say about three changes through out the entire concert) as well as the fact it was synth bars doing a lot of the melody and there were no synths on stage. 

Now l know at this stage fans are going to tell me it's all about the pedals making the songs so hence they don't actually need to play but as a pedal fanatic myself (and fan of actual constructive and good use of noise) completely aware and understanding of what ground-level hardware the band use, this was not was guiding the songs to what we as an audience were hearing. Naturally the band used a lot of pedals yes but all this was used for from start to finish was to put up a largely monotonous wall of bland white noise that resembled little more than scraping metal, three chord changes over and over was the technical climax here. Admittedly at times when the sheets of turbulance were dismantled between songs there were a few nice moments of tremolo work on Shield's part but that was the interest tide point. 

An uncomfortable thing about MBV on record, mainly on Loveless is the blandness and non-identity of the drum work. Without ever seeming to push beyond the skill set of a drummer's first week of lessons it always seemed to stick out horribly in the mix against the walls and walls of guitar work. it's as though the band had put so much time into crafting the guitars that they forgot to add in drums entirelly and at the last minute turned on a primitive drum preset, set it to tempo and seemingly thought 'Oh shit, the recordings are due tomorrow let's just slap this on' or the like. The live experience was no exception! Undoubtedly the musician behind the kit is surely a talented man to be sitting in on gigs of that notoriety but the poor guy must have the most boring nights of his life for at least 50% of the material played. The drummer was allowed a little more length on his leash as time passed and more free-flowing noise moments occured which l was personally grateful for as well as for the drummer's sake.

As i've heard over and over again from many a MBV zealot, each of the band's concerts also come with a titanic 10-15 minute avalanche of noise generally at some later stage in the production. We weren't deprived of this as a Sydney audience on Monday night, as one of the later tracks in the set speared off into their famous noise dive. This apparently spectacular display that l've been told by seasoned musicians even brings them to tears, was the blandest display of the night; one chord held and strummed, a mountain of effects naturally providing a wall of sound at extreme high volume, but that was it, that's actually all it was; in actual fact one chord strummed at a casual speed for as long as was needed until when? My wrist is sore, let's finish up? Which is what happened in the minutes afterward, the drummer got a bit of a work out though; good for him.

MBV had no rapport on stage with one another and aside from a single staunch 'Hi' to the audience from Shields at the beginning nothing else was said or gestured until the audience was again addressed with a courteous message that the last song they played would be the last for the evening. Having the venue lights brightened and the house music introduced the moment they laid their last dribble of noise to rest was a good way of keeping down any expectations of an encore, fans who had calmly waited twenty years since their last visit touring Loveless must have felt especially treasured. 

Watching the audience during this cascade sequence, trying to simulate some kind of ecstatic state with their mouths hanging open, eyes closed and arms wobbling about made me feel especially disappointed for them. l couldn't help but scoff at their stupidity and their obvious willingness to believe the hype and identify with the antics of a lazy band as though it were the hand of God.

If l had seen the same band at a local pub playing their first show, l would have praised their interest in noise but would have equally bought up the same points, and if l saw them relying on samples to do the work despite their set up and technical capabilities on offer as a four-piece band, l would have doused them in what l was drinking even at their grass-roots level. An appalling, uninteresting performance by an unbelievably overrated band.

Yours truely,

Jim S