Aleks and the Ramps, ShadyLane @ Spectrum, Sydney(13/10/10)

Fri 15th Oct, 2010 in Gig Reviews

Where once our venues were crammed with pub rock, and the crowd wore wifebeaters, Australian music has turned from hyper-masculine to the arty femininity of indie-pop with aplomb. From the fey Crayon Fields to the more boisterous Cloud Control, to Kyu’s icy tribalism, there’s a broad spectrum of young folk taking pop apart and rebuilding it into something skewed and quite distinct. Forget the quest for the ‘next Powderfinger’; there’s something altogether more interesting brewing.

The pop heart of Sydney’s Shady Lane seems to have been subsumed by a growing experimental urge. Galileo had developed a harder rock edge than the languid version on Here We Go Down The Black Hole would’ve suggested, no doubt a natural progression as this former solo project continues to expand into a fully fledged band.

Indeed, much of the new material on display hinted at a growing dynamism, with Sarah Jullienne ’s keyboards playing a more obvious melodic role. The set’s climax, a loosely structured psych wash, tied together the band’s experimental threads neatly. If this is an indication of Shady Lane’s future path, their hazier side promises to be as appealing as their more direct pop past.

‘Experimental’ is also a key word in describing Melbournians Aleks and the Ramps. Though the vitality of their music has a distinct air of pop, the odd song construction and the tendency to swerve from idea to idea result in something much stranger and more idiosyncratic. It helps that the members of the band all attack each song with such energy and enthusiasm – in the midst of frequent instrument-swapping and such giddy jumping about, it’s hard not to take the switches and twists of the songs as totally natural.

Of course, more than sheer exuberance, Aleks and the Ramps have plenty of great little ideas, and the musical chops to link them together in a weird kind of coherence unique to them. To swing from Skeleton -era Abe Vigoda tropicalia to wordless howls to glockenspiel chiming within a song is one thing; to make it work is another, and Aleks and the Ramps have a knack for making it all stick.

Delivered with self-effacing humour and an unmistakable joie de vivre, Aleks and the Ramps overcame a series of niggling tech hassles to thrill the small crowd gathered at Spectrum. If this is a just world (and I guess we know it often isn’t), they’ll be back to play before bigger crowds very soon. You should go. Trust me.