A familiar face on the local alternative scene even before he grew his bushy beard, Robert Pisani is known not only for his extensive knowledge, music collection and reviews, but also his Vindictive Jukebox radio show (bring it back Bob!) and of course his own music project The Suburbanite. Counting up, here are Robert Pisani's Top 5 songs from the local music scene for 2015:
Dolls for Idols – Berlin
Wow!! what happened? Honestly, Dolls For Idols were always great but this is a top slice of crunchy electro. It sounds both retro and futuristic at the same time. I want more.
The Velts – Foreigner
Finally, the potential The Velts have flirted with has come out. Barking vocals, propulsive drumming and that floaty keyboard. I swear that Modern English should change the title of their hit song to I Velt with you, but really it wouldn’t sound as cool as this.
Massacre House Party – The Highway
It looks like with Massacre House Party, Sylvan Borg has finally found his niche. This track is bloody brilliant. It’s one gut-punching riff that makes you want to dance. I feel that when the band drop their album it’s going to cause serious damage to the dancing muscles.
NAANGS – Siesta/Landslide
Sometimes the cosmos realign themselves and you get a band like NAANGS. These two tracks are fast, bratty and loud. But there’s a strong grasp of melody and that’s important (at least for me).
Fuzzhoneys – Doors
One thing which irritates me about local female singers is that they think they are Celine Dion. They screw up their eyes and emit these passionate yowls while gripping the mic. Hopefully these singers will look at Fuzzhoneys in order to see how it’s really done. Francesca Merceica’s husky vocals are refreshing and I also like the fact that musically Fuzzhoneys go off on tangents so their tracks are a bit quirky.
Last but not least, I must mention Dull Eyed Llama's Maori gig as my favourite live event. Sure the sound was bad but don’t knock this band. Given the right circumstances people will warm up to the bouncy tunes that Dull Eyed Llama craft.