New Best Kept Secret: The Glimmer (Australia)

Latest pick of cool emerging artist in our ongoing collaboration with Sonicbids.

By Fred Mills

The BLURT staff put our heads (and ears) together and we have the latest pick for our Blurt/Sonicbids "Best Kept Secret": it's The Glimmer, from Newtown, in New South Wales, Australia. This makes our 18^th BKS selection since commencing the program of spotlighting new and under-the-radar artists back in 2008.

The group is described in its bio thusly: "The Glimmer is a 4-piece rock 'n' roll outfit from Newtown, NSW, influenced mainly by the raucous rock & roll bands and sassy girl groups of the 1960s. With a sound that's grittier than Best Coast but prettier than The Dead Weather, ‘The Glimmer are the very model of a certain inner-west indie band. Bluesy, some frayed country around the edges, and for some flavour, add some surf guitar buzz and up-to-four-part boy/girl harmonies. Goes with the requisite rumble and swagger.'"

Pistols at Dawn by TheGlimmer

The Start A Fire album was released this past June. It was cut with Andrew Beck (Amiel, Modular Lounge) and the legendary Kramer (of Bongwater, Galaxie 500, Low, etc. fame) in Australia, and Kramer subsequently mixed it at his studio in Florida. The press immediately latched onto the guy-girl vocal mix, not to mention the deep, primal twang that reverberates through all the songs. And with a pure pop vibe at its core, the group clearly hearkens back to the mid-‘80s Australian golden age of alternative rock, but there's also a distinctive postmodern aesthetic at play too.

The Glimmer: Cassady, on guitar/vocals; Dereck, guitar/vocals; Nikki, bass/vocals; Jules, drums/vocals.

We'll have an interview with the band posted to the site shortly in which we let them fill you in on all this and more. Meanwhile, check out their official website or Facebook page for additional details as well as song samples. They're one of the good ‘uns, trust us.

***

Bands, go to www.sonicbids.com/blurtonline to submit and have us review your materials for feature consideration.

>Our November ‘08 Best Kept Secret: The Handcuffs, from Chicago.

>Our December Best Kept Secret: Black Swan Green, from Brooklyn

>Our January 2009 Best Kept Secret: stephaniesI­d, from Asheville

>Our March Best Kept Secret: Polly Mackey & the Pleasure Principle, from England

>Our June Best Kept Secret: Wiretree, from Austin

>Our August Best Kept Secret: Bulletproof Vests, from Memphis

>Our November Best Kept Secret: The Vivs, from Boston

>Our January 2010 Best Kept Secret: The Public Good, from D.C.

>Our February Best Kept Secret: Dirty Dancing, from Austin

>Our April Best Kept Secret: Jenny Dee & the Deelinquents, from Boston

>Our June Best Kept Secret: The Rebel Set, from Phoenix

 >Our August Best Kept Secret: Alice Austin, from Los Angeles

>Our October 2010 Best Kept Secret: Doug McCurry, from Charlotte

>Our January 2011 Best Kept Secret: Drunken Prayer, from Portland

>Our April 2011 Best Kept Secret: Preachers Son, from Dublin, Ireland

>Our June 2011 Best Kept Secret: Butter, from Durham, NC

>Our August 2011 Best Kept Secret: Dark Circles, from Nashville, TN