October marks Junk's 3rd birthday, and to mark us growing up we've got a fantastic new look and feel to the Junk site. If you haven't yet explored our sections, go on now! (Then tell us what you think!) To make it all that much sweeter, we've got a great big phat Jack Black of a compilation curated for you as we offer some tasty cuts from our Junksounds Awards 2009 nominees.
Listen to them here and then click here to vote for your favourite in each category! *Voting ends on 30 November 2009.
Couple - C'mon Operator
A bunch more affable than the Bradys, Couple have been hailed by every man, woman, beast and child for their latest release, Teenage Disc Fantastic. No wonder: it's power punk to shuffle your feet to
Concave Scream - 7.01
How the young'uns must resent them. Concave Scream go MIA for years, and reclaim the throne of Singaporean indie music like a Chuck Norris with Soundtrack. Go on then, show 'em kids how it's done
www.myspace.com/concavescreamband
Meza Virs - Reborn
Meza Virs dress in black, have a frontman called Cedric, have actual tales of drunken debauchery, have just released the brutal EP From Silences, and drop Latin every now and again. That, friends, is how you do metal
Kill Bill - Wish I Would Die Tonight
Singaporean rapper Kill Bill does hip hop a little differently. On his debut, you'll fins not yarns about everyone else sucking, bling, women or motherf*cking boats, but suicidal ideation! Fitting then that the album's called Therapy
www.myspace.com/killbillrebelyell
Flica - Stair
The soundtrack for a meditative epic of a flick (one that, you'd venture, contains a lot of autumn strolls) that hasn't been made yet. Second album Nocturnal sees Flica meander towards new melancholic-yet-twinkly highs
Dizzy & The - Atom Choke
No, the name's not incomplete. Comprising poetic half Dizzy and musical half The Alia, their latest EP Radiofire, Letter, Keys is as audacious as it is serene: they are, after all, droppin' English (lit) right about now
Bhelliom - At One Fell Swoop
In David Eddings' The Ruby Knight, the Bhelliom is a magical sapphire in the shape of a rose, the cure to Queen Ehlana's afflictions. Death metal quintet Bhelliom isn't quite so dandy: on The Colossal Tragedy, it's more a case of roses being stomped and queens being seduced
Amberhaze - A Certain Affinity
Quaint. One man band Giulliano Gullott follows up on the amazing Newborn EP with the full-length release Then We Saw The Stars Again. It's unsettling ninja mindf*ck electronica, and it puts the navel gaze back into shoegaze
http://www.myspace.com/amberhazemusic
Up dharma Down - All Year Round
The Filipino electronica outfit is (in our opinion at least) as the love child of a tormented three-way between Beth Orton, Stina Nordenstam and Air. So don't be fooled by the title of Bipolar: this is not music you cut your wrists to
Yuna - Backpacking Around Europe
Has the angel-throated one earned the right to be called a music mogul yet? Judging by the fact that everyone's in love with the Yuna EP, and that she's been everything but officially stamped with the Malaysian Songstress-In-Chief label, we'd say yes, yes she is.
www.myspace.com/yunaroomrecords
Zee Avi - Bitter Heart
A Malaysian bedroom + guitar + YouTube sensation not only living out, but being the actual embodiment of the American Dream? Who'd've thunk? Um, anyone who's listened to debut album Zee Avi would've. Props also deserved for making the ukulele sexy
Rashdan Harith - Frozen Bar
Troubadour supreme Rashdan Harith must be getting light-headed: soon after putting out his Revelations And A Cup Of Coffee, he was chosen to represent Malaysia, and send his feelgood vibes southwards to Australia for Malaysia Fest 09. Dizzying
Joe Flizzow - All Around The World
You could call Joe Flizzow Malaysia's Jay-Z. And not just because they sorta look alike. The ex-Too Phat man lords over the Malaysian hip hop scene like a Pablo Escobar (sans contraband). Plus, he's the only dude who could get away with calling his album The President
www.myspace.com/joeflizzowkartel
Jon Chan - Waterline
Yep, you know him from Singaporean punk legends Plainsunset. But his solo acoustic stuff on the Pencil Tracings EP is another kettle of halibut altogether: as you might gather from the title, it's a tender heartstring puller
www.myspace.com/penciltracings
Inch Chua - Rule The World
The Allura frontwoman did a Jon Chan and went solo with The Bedroom EP. Which is literal: the EP takes bedroom music and throws in a dash of foresty electronica, if the forest in question is that one from anime flick Spirited Away.
Amateur Takes Control - Communication Downbreak
They're in KittyWu's stables, so as you might expect, their You, Me And The Tings Unsaid is chock full of pretty spacey stuff skirting the line between post-rock and ambient electronica. It's one thing putting out spacey stuff, but it's another to convey actual passion doing it.
www.myspace.com/amateurtakescontrol
For Better Endings - Fragment Of Wolves
They may look like the nicest, most fresh-faced young people you've ever laid eyes upon, but the hardcore band creates a dense rapid fire thump that could stop pacemakers in the elderly. It's not all noise, however: on Variations they also scale Envy-like orgasmic highs.
Monkey To Millionaire - Strange Is The Song In Our Conversation
Monkey To Millionaire's Lantai Merah is possibly one of the best releases of the year because a) it's got a rad album sleeve design with a gorilla, and b) they actually manage to sound like The Strokes without coming off seeming like they're trying too hard.
www.myspace.com/monkeytomillionaire