#Ashley Bundang

[bestreasonstowriterecordreviews]

Ashley Bundang drummed on that Totally Mild long player from 2015, and that record was stunning…here she is with Zac Denton from the Ocean Party (who we’ve yet to hear) and apparently they both play in a band called Ciggie Witch, who nobody told me about, thanks a lot, people. Anyway, PREGNANCY seem keen on that early 8Ts slink that elevates Au Pairs above Rat At Rat R in the ears of today’s behearers, and while that ain’t FRR’s particular choice of heaven up here, this duo are so awash with distinctive songwriting personality and thoughtful fills that we are won over, entirely.  

PREGNANCY Urgency (Emotional Response/Lost And Lonesome, Australia - 2017)

BEST REASONS TO WRITE FUCKIN’ RECORD REVIEWS IN 2017 presents…

PUSH 5: Mama, let me pump your gas, Mama, let me do it all

TRAMPLED UNDER FOOT: A SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR THESE TIMES

PUSH 1: Greasy slicked-down, groovy leather trim (RYAN GARBES)

PUSH 2: I like the way ya hold the road, mama, it ain't no sin (TRAMPOLINE TEAM)

PUSH 3: Talking 'bout love, I'm talking 'bout love, I'm talking 'bout... (CODY YANTIS)

PUSH 4: Ooh, trouble-free transmission, helps your oils flow (MARY LATTIMORE)

Previously on Fuckin’ Record Reviews:

...our Fall 2016 diversion: Best Reason To Write Fuckin’ Record Reviews in 2017 presents…ELECTED!

…our Summer 2016 diversion…Best Reasons To Write Fuckin’ Record Reviews In 2016 presents…THIS AIN’T THE SUMMER OF LOVE

[bandcampsnoop]

5/7/17.

Slow and steady wins the race.  Lost and Lonesome will win the race because they release only the best of Australia’s music scene.  Aside from being one of Earth’s truly nice guys, Mark Monnone knows music - especially in Australia.

So, he’s releasing a cassingle from Melbourne band Pregnancy.  Zac Denton and Ashley Bundang collaborate on a homage of sorts to late 70s and early 80s pop.  The Bandcamp page mentions their professed love for Talking Heads (specifically the Tina Weymouth/Chris Frantz percussion section).  While there is a definite groove here - the songwriting still reminds me of The Ocean Party and Totally Mild - which should be expected since Zac Denton is a member of Ocean Party and Ashley Bundang is the principle singer from Totally Mild.

[egganddartgallery]

Christopher Zanko | SWEET MISGIVINGS from Egg & Dart on Vimeo.

Filming + production by: Silversalt Photography Audio track by: Ashley Bundang + Alec Marshall

In Sweet Misgivings, Christopher Zanko elevates the carved intricacy of his work with increasing surface complexity. He continues with a focus on the mid-20th century home where fibro or brick veneer geometry becomes an armature for all sorts of decorative features. In his paintings we first see the cubic structure neatly placed on the block. From there we may enjoy (as the artist does) all the textural shifts across roof tiling, stairs and gates, the formal gardens, the sculptures and paving stones. Each painting represents a cultural world. Cast concrete planters, conifers positioned like pillars on either side of an entrance, baroque and neo-classical sculptural additions. Ornament gives expression to stories of migration and cultural difference, in some cases also demonstrating the technical skill of an owner-builder (like the Terrazzo brought from southern Europe).

An array of stylistic expressions established a sense of home in a new country while recrafting a house plan to fit the needs of its residents. Zanko mirrors these construction techniques via his own set of tools and skills, carving surfaces or precisely masking up an area to lay out a texture, like formwork is used to frame up a driveway.

In her recent study of mid-20th century migrant housing in Melbourne, Mirjana Lozanovska notes the diaspora aesthetics of the period, describing “a distinct architecture evolving from the interaction between the dwelling habits of migrants that were transported and the material order and form of the detached house.” The modifications to these catalogue homes tell a story of the residents, their habits and their needs. This narrative detail was already evident in Zanko’s work but he has more recently made links with his own family’s history of migration. The paintings in the current show emerged in parallel to conversations with his father about the family’s arrival in Australia, via the United Kingdingom, as refugees from eastern Europe.

Sweet Misgivings sees a progression in the artist’s work from nostalgic taxonomy to a deeper study of character. Zanko enjoys “the way these houses built from a plan offer so much variation in character and story 60 or 70 years on.” The house and its block is a stage on which elements are all organised to suit the habits and relationships within the household. The paintings in this show are then another kind of stage that honours the varied cultural expressions this built form allowed for.

Christopher Zanko was a finalist in the 2020 Brett Whiteley prize and, significantly, the 2019 Wynne Prize. In 2020 he was part of a commissioning exhibition organised by Hazelhurst Arts Centre, “The Home”, that celebrated art deco residential design in Australia. Another great opportunity has been the recent 70th anniversary commission to paint Rose Seidler House for the Sydney Living Museum Collection. Zanko’s work can also be found in the Wollongong Art Gallery and University of Wollongong collections. - Melody Willis

Prof. Mirjana Lozanovska presentation, “Migrant Housing. Architecture, Dwelling and Migration”, 21 Dec 2020 youtu.be/jVdzX0Y_kyA (accessed 16 October 2021)

Lozanovska, Mirjana 2019 Migrant Housing: Architecture, Dwelling, Migration, Routledge

[soundaslanguage]

Blue Divers - Blue Divers (Bedroom Suck)

released October 16, 2020

Private Eyes is a new series of releases from the great Australian label, Bedroom Suck, that documents Australian music in isolation over the course of the pandemic. The first release is the captivating self-titled debut album from Blue Divers. The instrumental group is helmed by Alec Marshall with a rotating cast of players and the album was recorded remotely during quarantine. Yet Blue Divers still feels incredibly intimate and warm. While there might be ten “songs” here the album plays as one. Each piece fits perfectly together slowly drifting into one another. Lush and meditative, the album delicately floats by with gentle guitars, soft synth and piano. Blue Divers have put forth a quietly stunning work of art that takes solace in newfound solitude.  

https://bluedivers.bandcamp.com/album/blue-divers

[desertislandcloud]

wizard oz - your side feat. Ashley Bundang by beko disques new exerpt from the upcoming beko_400 wizard oz _ st lp cassette pré -orders start soon ! thx Richie_Sam_Ashley

[noloveforned]

recommended digital releases, september 1st

a large majority of the music i listen to these days is done at work through a premium spotify subscription. the hardest part seems to be trying to remember when an album i’ve been anticipating finally comes out on whatever random friday.

i figure i’m not the only one so every friday i’m aiming to post five new releases from the past week (or so) as well as five recent releases from the past couple months that are available through spotify (and presumably the other streaming platforms).

new releases from the past week (or so):

baby island "break the lease" on hello [spotify, bandcamp] eli moore of lake drops the second cassette from his side-project baby island. it reminds me of some of the older lake albums full of gentle, twee takes on a.m. radio. ashley (also of lake) once again shows up for plenty of backing/guest vocals.

billie the vision and the dancers "what's the matter with you boy?" on love will pay the bills [spotify] billie the vision and the dancers are one of the most twee (tweeest?) bands in sweden and remind me of the hidden cameras and jens lekman. their seventh album just came out after a five year break and it all sounds fresh to me again.

sneaky feelings "progress junction" on flying nun [spotify, bandcamp] the flying nun records resurgence gets 'more real' every year. sneaky feelings are back with their fourth album of tender, college rock jangle after almost thirty years away. it reminds me of richard davies/cardinal who was undoubtedly influenced by their run of eighties albums.

the surfing magazines "the surfing magazines" on moshi moshi [spotify, bandcamp] the surfing magazines are a moshi moshi records 'supergroup' that draw members from the wave pictures and slow club. the album aligns a little more closely with the wave pictures side of the equation (although i find it more immediate than their most recent albums). outside of a few garage-y surf instrumentals (thus the name?) it fits into the midtempo, rambling of the antifolk scene for the most part.

weather weapon "weather weapon ii" (self-released) [spotify, bandcamp] weather weapon is the new band of gilmore tamny who in the late nineties made up half of the yips from columbus, ohio. the second weather weapon album (and first to appear digitally outside bandcamp) is full of urgent, wordy pop songs that blend garage and post-punk.

slightly older stuff:

ella fitzgerald "the complete decca singles volume one, 1935-1939" on verve [spotify] ella fitzgerald "the complete decca singles volume two, 1939-1941" on verve [spotify] ella fitzgerald "the complete decca singles volume three, 1942-1949" on verve [spotify] ella fitzgerald "the complete decca singles volume four, 1950-1955" on verve [spotify] the ella fitzgerald centennial celebration continues with a reissue of all three hundred sides that she recorded for the decca label during the first twenty years of her career. for whatever reason these recordings aren't as widely celebrated as her verve years that followed (i do have a whole list of potential explanations that i'll leave aside). these recordings shaped a lot of popular music (particularly white popular music) like dinah shore and frank sinatra that would ultimately dominate the pop charts from the 1940 until the early 1960's.

ross goldstein "inverted jenny" on northern spy [spotify, bandcamp] ross goldstein's second album is full of slightly off-kilter, soft seventies a.m. radio pop like a cross between fruit bats and grandaddy.

gorgeous bully "great blue" (self-released) [spotify, bandcamp] gorgeous bully are a manchester band led by thomas crang that fall into the 'prolific underground bandcamp artist' catagory that has led to major record deals for frankie cosmos (sub pop) and car seat headrest (matador). for the time being he's still doing it all by himself with pop songs full of heartache, overdriven vocals and fuzzed out guitar.

pregnancy "urgency" on emotional response [spotify, bandcamp] remember how last week i mentioned the ocean party have a million other related bands? pregnancy is yet another one of them that i hadn't even mentioned and they dropped their debut album (mistakenly listed as s/t on spotify/amazon/etc) this summer. led by vocalists zac denton and ashley bundang the album is indie disco halfway between the spareness of esg and the more heavily arranged electro-pop belle and sebastian have practiced the past few years.

v/a "transparent days- west coast nuggets" on rhino [spotify] the nuggets anthologies started way back in 1972 when lenny kaye assembled 27 psychedelic singles from 1965–1968 into a 2xlp. since then there have been over twenty more nuggets releases, including several box sets. the nuggets series is ground zero for our current crop of crate-digging compilations from numero group, soundway and strut. the latest nuggets anthology focuses on the late sixties west coast scene in the us and doesn't seem to have much (possibly any?) overlap with either of the two previous nuggets 4xcd sets that explicitly focused on san francisco and los angeles.

more 'recommended releases' posts from no love for ned

[murderincrp]

PROFILE LOADED... 「KIM TAEHYUNG」「BLACK LOTUS」「TWENTY-ONE」

“Twenty-one-year-old MEDIC that goes by the alias ‘ASHLEY’. His allegiance lies with BLACK LOTUS.”

✘ THREAT LEVEL LOW. NO PRECAUTIONS NECESSARY...

WARNING: CHRONIC PAINS, VASCULAR DISEASE, MEDICINE

[ BACKGROUND... ]

A genius. A genius with a great smile and broken wings. That was what Taehyung was.

He didn’t like to be thought as someone above everyone else, he thought he just understood things better than most the kids his age.

Taehyung grew up in the city he was born in, the capital of Korea. He went to a normal school, had a lot of friends, a perfect student with a pretty bratty mouth and a lot of general knowledge. He was a happy kid, very cheerful even if his father was pretty much away all of the time, he still had his mother and grandparents to look after him. However, at the age of 12, he really could had wished for a better future.

He was a big basketball fan, he played a lot, watched a lot, got a lot of bruises and wounds whenever he played in the school yard, but after a while, his mum noticed how wounds wouldn’t heal. She had asked him, if he had done anything to them, but Taehyung hadn’t even touched them, they just refused to heal  no matter what his mother tried. Eventually he got taken to a doctor, only to be discovered to have Vascular Disease. It explained  a lot of the things his mother refused to admit to herself or anyone from the family. But he was only 12, what did he knew about diseases that could end up most of his career. Soon after the conclusion and agreement of other doctors, Taehyung was put under medications and regular check ups, just to make sure nothing had gone wrong, that everything was under control and he could leave a pretty close to a normal lifestyle. His mum on the other hand, was too worried about the fact that her own son was having to go through this, but the boy was probably not bothered as much as he should have been. As long as he could still go to school, play basketball and make his family proud with his grades and achievements, he didn’t care about how much medication he had to take a day.

When he turned 16, another life twist began for him. He was waiting for his name to be called out, to go and take his document for graduating high school, he was excited, he had been accepted in Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, as a doctor. Both his father and mother were there, somewhere, in the crowd of proud parents. Taehyung refused to believe how everything could have ended so fast, it felt ridiculous. He was 16, he wasn’t even an adult, he wasn’t ready for anything that was yet to come. He them heard his name and stood up, only to be sat back down by a sharp pain in his lower back. Did he stab himself on something? Swallowing thickly, he reached for the back of the chair and pushed himself up. He saw the worried faces of some of his classmates, a few whispers here and there, but he pushed himself to go and get that piece of paper with his grades on. He reached the top of the few stairs and nearly tripped over them, a frustrated growl leaving him. With the help of a teacher, Taehyung ended at the microphone stand, reaching for the document and received it with a handshake and a broken smile. He said his waited speech, smiling every so often as he said encouraging words to everyone at the gathering, claps following soon after. Were they only because of his status at the school? The head master excused him for his entrance and Taehyung couldn’t help but smile at the nice gesture, head bowing politely before heading quickly back to his seat, because the pain was moving through his whole body and he needed to sit back down. When he did, he felt a small relieve a few pats on the back, the usual people, his classmates. He was going to miss those people so much.

Taehyung’s first day at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, he remembered was hell. He didn’t take a gap year like everyone else did, and his already big age gap, he was pretty much alone, with the pain that was in his backbone and right arm. He had been following the guides all day long, writing notes, remembering things, speaking with his new teachers. He got around fairly easy, getting to know the teacher and other staff member. Too bad the pain had increased the first week of his stay there, he couldn’t get out of bed without a few punches and begging for help. Eventually, his roommates found out about his problems and he got taken to the nearest hospital. After a few hours of laying on the waiting chairs, his father entered the waiting room, more alarmed than Taehyung had ever seen him. With a few quiet arguments and his dad’s stern word and position, they got in a lot quicker than Taehyung had ever thought they would be able to inside to get checked. The next diagnosis he got told in his life, was Chronic pains. No cure, just painkillers. He refused to take medications, but his father insisted, and he couldn’t say no. He was prescribed the painkillers and sent back to university. Taehyung never wanted to step in a hospital, because every time he did, nothing good happened. The irony of it all, he studied in one.

However, he graduated as a Trauma Surgeon. It wouldn’t be hard to find a job, and he had applied for a few, his main goal was to work in the same place he graduated from. A week and some days later, Taehyung received the long awaited call. He got it. He didn’t know if he was crying or laughing by the time he had thanked the person on the other side of the phone probably a million times before he finally hung up. His life couldn’t have been so bad right? Yes, he had medical issues, and more were probably to happen if he didn’t take care of himself but for now, he had everything that he wanted and needed.  

Two years and eight months later, Taehyung holds his head high in the Hospital as a Trauma Surgern. He still needed to get stronger bonds with the other staff members in the hospital, which he was getting to. Every now and then, there was a new face to join, or an old one left, but eventually, everyone was going to leave.

His time came not long after he understood that. He was smart, good with his hands, and could possibly do anything any doctor would like to be able to do. Being young had its advantages, so when people outside of the hospital and his clients starter approaching him, he waited for the best one.

He did not expect to get threatened into joining a gang. Taehyung was aware that Seoul was not a safe place, and that its possible for his name to float around the streets. However, on a dark and cold winter night, he was dragged like a rag doll into a rather pretty lit building. It was expensive from what he knew, but the other thing he was aware, was that the cut on his cheek and arm were not closing anytime soon. He needed to get out.

He was thrown on his knees by the men dragging him around throughout the night, and with a cough, wiping his bleeding lip he looked up, only to be met by a gun. This was going to be a fun night according to him.

Making him drop his job at the hospital, to join Black Lotus was easy enough. They only needed to threatened him about killing his parents. Taehyung knew that people who would go so low, wouldn’t be lying about such things. He gave him, with tears in his eyes and fists clenched, he wasn’t given an option was he? Family was more important than what the job at the hospital could mean to him.

[ BEHAVIOR... ]

There are a few sides of Taehyung - at work, out of work and alone.

While out of the doctor’s cloak and mask, he is a really quiet and collected person. You know those cool kids that sit at the back of your class and are really good looking and smart? Yes, that’s him. He doesn’t speak much and usually, when he does, he tends to be either passive aggressive or just not in the mood for a conversation. He tends to be very logical when communicating and has problems with understanding people, unless it is black or white. No greys are allowed, unless misunderstandings are wanted to happen. Taehyung dislikes showing his emotions much, it makes him feel weak and an easy target for a lot of people.

However, whenever he is working, whether it would be an usual small examination, or asked to help with something bigger, he tends to smile and laugh a lot. It became like habit after he understood how much a bright smile could do. A smile could change a person’s whole day, that is the only reason why he does it. Because he is selfless for others, caring more about them than himself, he can’t take care of himself properly, outside of taking his medicine, but he refuses to admit it or show it even when people know about it, he will deny. For a handful of people at work, he is willing to go a long way out of his path to know that they are safe and sound, changing the topic every time it comes to him.

The last side is when he is alone. Like mentioned before, he is unable to take care of himself properly. When left alone in his apartment, only the cat around, he rarely tends to get out of bed, staying in for hours and hours even after awake. He doesn’t do much, not because he is lazy or has pains /however, that is part of it/, but because he doesn’t have the needed motivation when there isn’t anything to do outside of work. He becomes like a zombie on auto pilot, moving around the apartment without much thought, doing simple things to let the day pass as fast as possible.

[bandcampsnoop]

1/12/18.

I’m ready for this Totally Mild release.  Lachlan from The Ocean Party first turned me on to Totally Mild about 3 years ago.  I can’t say I fought the recommendation, but I can say I didn’t embrace it.  Then I took the time to actually listen to Ashley Bundang (drummer) and her dreamy vocals.  I was instantly mesmerized, and immediately threw down the money to buy the album directly from Chapter Music.

Now comes “Her”.  I can’t deny that this is a bit more polished, but frankly, Totally Mild was always polished - so we’re talking degrees here.  The Ocean Party, Pregnancy, Snail Mail, Squirrel Flower and Dreamin’ Wild are all bands that might recall the sounds you’ll hear here.

Totally Mild are a Melbourne, Australia band.  This is another amazing Chapter Music release (there is a limited edition vinyl version...I’ve never seen Chapter Music do this).  Of the two songs available on Bandcamp “Lucky Stars” is the most distinct and memorable.