Blues Arcadia hit the Amrap Regional Chart summit
Community radio shows a huge amount of support for Australian music, with almost 40% of music played coming from local artists. Taste-making presenters excel at giving airtime to an incredible spread of what Aussie artists have to offer. The Amrap Metro and Amrap Regional Charts provide insight into what’s getting airplay and attention on community radio each week. Here’s the lowdown on some tunes charting this week.
Sandy Hsu – #9 Amrap Metro
Multidisciplinary Melbourne artist Sandy Hsu returns in 2019 with her latest offering of expansive, ambient pop on ‘Limbo’. The track invites us all to move beyond our personal boundaries and embrace the infinite possibilities of life. Hsu masterfully creates intimacy through her articulate and honest songwriting that contrasts with the vast feel of the track’s production. Her melodies and layered vocals build around sharp electronic percussion blending in with lovely acoustic strings. It’s ethereal and otherworldly, like some distant nebula and feels almost intrusive to listen to due to its raw sentimentality. Community radio is already feeling the vibe with ‘Limbo’ gaining airplay from the likes of Brisbane’s 4ZZZ, RTR FM in Perth and Radio Adelaide in SA.
Kate Hindle – #4 Amrap Regional
Coming out of Collie in Western Australia, Kate Hindle has already made a name for herself in the Australian country music scene with her gorgeous storytelling and emotive melodies. Having spent a load of hospital time in chronic pain learning to walk again from degenerative disc disease, its clear Kate is a strong willed woman and her resilience is clear in her music. ‘Heart Bleed’ is her latest single and if it’s anything to go by, 2019 will be a great year for the singer-songwriter. The track itself is honest, catchy and sassy – a heartbreak ballad for old school and contemporary country fans alike. Hear what all the fuss is about on Fraser Community Radio in Queensland, Radio MAMA in the Mid-West region of WA and Lismore’s Triple Z in NSW.
Noah Dillon – #8 Amrap Metro
Noah Dillon and his five-piece band have recently made a name for themselves on the West Australian music circuit with their lyric-driven music and genre-bending style, seamlessly colliding everyday existence and the darkest depths of life with real poignancy. ‘Holding On’ is an incredibly heartfelt exploration of grief written about the recent death of a close friend. The perfect showcase of Dillon’s vocal range, the guitar driven track builds from a quiet sense of emptiness to a triumphant crescendo of hope. There’s a journey here, a light at the end of a tunnel and an acceptance for the things we can’t change. As a song, it’s powerful and resonant and though a coping mechanism for Dillon, it proves cathartic and reassuring for us all. Check it out on Perth’s RTR FM, 3MDR FM in Victoria’s Dandenong Ranges and Brisbane’s 4ZZZZ.
Blues Arcadia – #1 Amrap Regional (pictured above)
Blues Arcadia don’t shy away from their artistic influences. In fact, they happily and skilfully combine elements of Motown soul, funk and Memphis blues to deliver an inhibited soul-stomp revival. ‘Seven Days A Week’ is the perfect get-up-and-move song, boosted by an eclectic mix of southern rock and Stax Records vibes in the vein of Otis Redding’s ‘Hard To Handle’. This is the kind of tune the band’s live shows are built on – catchy, heavy on the horn lines and packed with rhythmic punch. Blues Arcadia are bouncing into the new year with a no holds barred attitude towards their craft, pushing the boundaries of their dirty-soul sound with their new album Carnival Of Fools. If you don’t get a chance to see one of their live shows, be sure to check them out on Mount Gambier’s 5GTR FM in SA, 3Way FM Warrnambool’s 3Way FM in Victoria and Eurobodalla’s 2EAR FM in NSW.
Great Gable – #5 Amrap Regional
Great Gable follow up their huge year in 2018 with the release of ‘Cool Mind Blue’ and plans for their biggest national tour to date. The track is as wistful and mellow as its title might suggest with a wavy nod to psychedelic rock and underplayed elements of jazz. The West Australian indie-rockers have uncovered something graceful with their sound, steering away from genre conventions by tying their cruisy jam style together on ‘Cool Mind Blue’ with some slick lounge-sax sounds. It’s a summer afternoon in a song – the kind of thing perfectly coupled with a cheeky beer and cool, salty breeze. Chill out with Great Gable on Harvey Community Radio in WA, The Barossa Valley’s BBB FM in SA and Melbourne’s Inner FM.
See the full Amrap Charts at www.airit.org.au