Buy Some Music: Picks From Your Local Record Store
Welcome to Buy Some Music, the first of a few new regular reads brought to you by the financial support of the SydneyMusic.net community. In the usual SM style it's pretty straightforward: we think most people need to actually buy more of the music they listen to, so we get some cool people with great taste to tell you about some music you should buy.
And who better to smash a bottle of cheap beer on the stern of the S.S. BSM (no D) than the honourable crew who help keep the dream alive? The friendly staff at your local record store are treasuries of taste, repositories of rare lore, the frontline workers helping out everyone from shy teenagers in Deftones shirts to local old-timers just in for a chat. Consider buying one of these sublime recordings from one of these fine establishments. – Caitlin Welsh, Editorial Director
The staff picks of Sydney's best albums:
Red Eye Records recommend Skeleten – Mentalized
Crosstalk Records and Prop Records both recommend The Lewers – 518A
Beatdisc Records recommend Party Dozen – Crime in Australia
The Recordstore recommend a.s.o. – a.s.o.
Repressed Records recommend Shrapnel – Sedan Crater
19th Nervous Breakdown recommend Loose Fit – Social Graces
VERSE Records recommend O Sluggard – COLD… DEAD… DARK…
Resist Records recommend Secret World – Guilt Is Good
Red Eye Records (Sydney CBD)
Their pick: Skeleten – Mentalized
The sales pitch:
Would recommend to fans of moody 90s trip-hop/house with vocals & nice pop hooks.
If you like artists Mount Kimbie or Nicholas Jaar, this is right up your alley!
To explore further:
Crosstalk Records (Leichhardt)
Their pick: The Lewers – 518A
The sales pitch:
Crosstalk staff and co basically had to have a full blown sit-down debate to come to a consensus on just one single local record that could be recommended to pretty much anyone walking through the door. We individually have our favs, and supporting artists is kinda baked into the bread here with the artists4artists no-commission-for-local-artists thing; so highlighting one over another is a difficult task.
In saying that, there is a stand-out amongst the bunch that we can all agree on: The Lewers. Not a word of embellishment, 99% of the time when we have that record spinning and there are customers in the store we’ll get a “Who is this band!?” question (or “Damn, is this The Lewers?” or “Hey I just came in to validate my parking but overheard this music and need to immediately buy The Lewers”).
Just ask Randall Shrubb, close Crosstalk Associate, who says "That record fucking rules".
To explore further:
Editor's note: We specifically tried to avoid double-ups, but the above pick and the below landed almost simultaneously in our inbox with such palpable, heartfelt passion from two very different stores that we couldn't bring ourselves to ask either of them to pick another. Take it as a sign to go and buy it from one of them.
Prop Records (Ashfield)
Their pick: The Lewers – 518A
The sales pitch:
If someone walked in and asked for something local I would say you've come to the right place because among a whole selection of underground classics we stock The Lewers' 518A LP (LSD Club).
Multiple legends from Orion, Diat, and Rapid Dye lore put it together. It is an anytime of day record, especially if you're not a morning person. Put it on, have a wash and leave the dishes out another day. You will g up.
DX had a good analogy for them, something along the lines of "listening to The Lewers is like eating an ice cream while smoking a cigarette."
It is one of the best records out of Sydney in a long time. The best things in life are worth waiting for.
To explore further:
Beatdisc Records (Parramatta)
Their pick: Party Dozen – Crime In Australia
The sales pitch:
A cracking 2024 release from this Sydney duo with strong ties to Western Sydney and Beatdisc Records. Jono and Kirsty have been involved in a multitude of local bands (Parades, ARSE, Exhibitionist, Pleasure, Light Giant, Little Scout, Top People, Jonathan Boulet, Snakeface...), many of whom have played in-store gigs at Beatdisc over the past 15 years.
Their latest LP (quite possibly their best) showcases the eclectic and uncategorisable blend of genres that make Party Dozen such a unique outfit. Noisy psych-punk jams, sax-laden no-wave grooves and everything in between. Just buy it!
To explore further:
The Recordstore (Surry Hills)
Their pick: a.s.o. (Tornado Wallace & Alia Seror-O’Neill) – self-titled
The sales pitch:
This is kind of a trick question because there is so much good local music.
If you were looking for something on the jazz-adjacent front, we would recommend the shit out of GodTet or the Mad Habitat label.
But The Recordstore’s owner is an old school raver with a soft spot for trip hop and it just so happens that an Australian group has absolutely hit the trip hop nail on the head with their self-titled album A.S.O.
Sydney-born singer Alia Seror-O’Neill and Melbourne’s Tornado Wallace have brought home a fitting capstone to this genre. With influences ranging from Leftfield to William Orbit, Portishead, Massive Attack and many more, this is an absolutely stunning tour de force.
In particular the track "Rain Down" is a hauntingly beautiful Julee Cruise-esque adventure into the sublime.
To explore further:
Repressed Records (Newtown)
Their pick: Shrapnel – Sedan Crater
The sales pitch:
Shrapnel, a band with 5 or so releases under their belt, have just made another one called Sedan Crater for the esteemed Tenth Court record label.
Starting off as the solo home recording project of Sam Wilkinson (previously of Day Ravies, Mope City), Shrapnel has blossomed to become a real-deal guitar band where all members contribute songs and personality. You could probably allocate a boy band member archetype to each of them (the mysterious one, the bad boy, sideburns etc). I'd hope members would be flattered by us comparing them to The Moles, 3Ds and The Pretty Things. Psych? Prog? Jingle? Jangle?
To explore further:
19th Nervous Breakdown (Forest Lodge)
Their pick: Loose Fit – Social Graces
The sales pitch:
Nailing the Sydney-Sound™ by virtue of residing mostly in the Illawarra. Rated enough to be referenceable, underrated enough to feel like tapping a vein.
To explore further:
VERSE Records (Dee Why)
Their pick: O Sluggard – COLD… DEAD… DARK…
The sales pitch:
I hear the Northern Beaches I knew growing up, and what is still here, in O Sluggards' new album, COLD…DEAD…DARK… The album spans across the best of metal, punk and rock. The album is a blend of doom, heavy grooves, tonnes of thrash riffage – but it all fits into the way overdue credit where credit is due sub-genres of sludge, stoner rock and drone metal nicely.
The album's beauty is in its simplicity. I feel the flow of creativity.
Over the years of having the pleasure to hold so many great bands from the area, from outside the area, and abroad, it's undeniable that punk, thrash, rock and metal are what the area is about now, and really, what it was always about.
Growing up on the Beaches in the 1980s, the beaches were lined with old brick buildings full of surfers and musicians but are now lined with luxury apartments and cafes, as the manufactured connection between beachside living, status and wealth fatally collided. Naturally, we were hit hard.
Deciding to hold DIY shows in-store with only elbow grease and a shoestring budget (with nobody looking over my shoulder) was one of the best decisions I made. It was a relief to see that the spirit and enthusiasm is still alive here.
The bands here still carry the spirit of what was once an important location of Sydney's music culture. Local bands like Radio Birdman, Hellmen (😉 Ray), and Rose Tattoo, as well as bands like Midnight Oil, INXS, and so many other great bands all cut their teeth here and were born and raised here.
It's easy to forget, but the Northern Beaches are a significant part of what continues to inspire Australian music. O Sluggard are just one of the many bands from the area who still push the collective engine with everyone across Sydney keeping the music chugging along.
To explore further:
Resist Records (Marrickville)
Their pick: Secret World - Guilt Is Good
The sales pitch:
Secret World do an incredible job of blurring the lines of alt-rock and hardcore. They’re the kind of band that can easily fit in both worlds and get everybody moving regardless where you’re from. Heartfelt and creative lyrics embedded in simple and very memorable melodies make this record one of my favourite local releases in a very long time. For fans of Militarie Gun, Built To Spill and Drug Church.
To explore further:
- by
- Jess Lord
- Published
- 21 Feb 2025
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