Those darn Aussies

Okay, so I don’t know who told anyone down in Australia to make music that fit so well to my ears, but between the bands Dream On, Dreamer and The Dream The Chase, it’s hard for me not to fall in love.

These bands from the land of stereotyped kangaroos and heavy accents, cuppled with our American stigmas of Outback Steakhouse, are just my cup of tea on about any given day.

But why you ask? Because the bands have serious talent, and coincidentally both have the word “dream” in the name. Possibly a plan on their part, because it would be quite a dream to see each together live.

Dream On, Dreamer can be best described as an electronic-influenced post-hardcore band with a lot of melodic guitars and subwoofer pounding breakdowns. See the end of “Persist the Voice” for a perfect example, as lead screamer Marcel Gadacz confesses “I’m standing on the edge of my own. Will you come and save me?/I’m standing on the edge on my own. You will come when I am gone.” This band has some serious talent and seeing them with a band like In Fear and Faith, Attack Attack!, or We Came as Romans would just make my head spin in joy.

The Dream The Chase are lead by lead vocalist Zach Britt and have a sound comparable to a mix of Circa Survive influenced guitars overlapped with music that sounds reminiscent to Saosin and Holiday Unheard Of. Their lyrics are heartfelt and “Who Is Alone” bolsters a video that can bring anyone goosebumps and possibly a realization on what’s most important. The lyrics “Why are you holding onto something you’re faking? Get hold of something real and you keep it” just show the forewarning of not believing in something just to continue to help oneself survive when it may only be a lie in your head.

These two bands topped off with House vs. Hurricane, Parkway Drive, Sienna Skies and others just show the scene Australia has to offer. Sure, it’s a big area. Hell, it’s its own continent, but hearing many of my favorite bands out of one region is still impressive. Look out for Sienna Skies cover of Owl City’s popular song “Fireflies” and check out Parkway Drive’s new album “Deep Blue” at your local record store. I’m sure they have it.

For now, thank the Aussies for their musical tastes. It’s bands like these that give me hope that originality still exists in post-hardcore, metalcore, and any other genre you can use to describe these bands. Check them out. They may not all be available in a concert venue near you, but they sure can be in a pair of headphones.