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Aboriginal music
Aboriginal song was and remains an integral part of Aboriginal
culture since time immemorial. The most famous feature of
their music is the didgeridoo. This wooden instrument, used
amongst the Aboriginal clans of northern Australia, makes
a distinctive droning sound and its use has been adopted by
a wide variety of non-Aboriginal performers.
Aboriginal musicians have turned their hand to Western popular
musical forms, often to considerable commercial success. Some
notable examples include Archie Roach, the Warumpi Band, NoKTuRNL
and Yothu Yindi.
The 1980s
In the 1980s, numerous innovative Australian rock bands arose.
These included Hunters & Collectors, perhaps best known
for their hit "Throw Your Arms Around Me", The Church
("Under the Milky Way"), Divinyls, Hoodoo Gurus,
John Farnham, The Sunnyboys, Men at Work, The Go-Betweens
and The Triffids. During this period a number of Australian
bands began to reflect their urban environment in songs dealing
with day to day experiences of inner-city life eg Paul Kelly
& the Coloured Girls perhaps best exemplified in his songs
"From St. Kilda to Kings Cross" and "Leaps
& Bounds", John Kennedy's Love Gone Wrong in songs
such us "King Street" and The Mexican Spitfires
in tracks like "Sydney Town" and "Town Hall
Steps." This decade also saw the rise of world music
groups like Dead Can Dance; of special importance is Yothu
Yindi, who helped found the field of Aboriginal rock.
John Farnham
The first annual ARIA Music Awards were held in 1987. John
Farnham and Crowded House were the most successful artists
of the event.
1990s: indie rock
In the 1990s, the excesses of the 80s provided a bleak backdrop
for commercial music, with only bands like AC/DC and INXS
able to break into the US and European markets. On the home
front, the indie scene that sprouted power pop bands like
RatCat and Falling Joys began to become popular. There was
also success for songwriters like Tom Morgan from Sydney band
Smudge who collaborated with popular US band The Lemonheads.
Morgan was affiliated with the Half A Cow record label which
was one of many label/records stores that existed during the
90s. Half A Cow owner Nic Dalton also played in The Lemonheads
and had his own bands such as Godstar and Sneeze.
Regurgitator
American and British alternative music, especially genres
such as grunge and Britpop became popular toward the mid 90s,
leading to the rise of Australian alternative rock bands which
included Regurgitator, You Am I, Powderfinger, Silverchair,
Something for Kate, the Clouds and later, Killing Heidi. With
the 90s came the centralization of many of the independent
labels that saw the passing of labels such as Red Eye and
Waterfront after the failed attempt by Polydor Records to
provide a commercial outlet for these independent labels.
Silverchair
Industrial and electronic music also saw some fame in the
1990s, especially with bands such as Itch-E and Scratch-E,
Severed Heads and Snog. The most internationally popular Australian
band of the decade, however, was undoubtedly the electropop
duo Savage Garden.
2000s and later
Later in the 1990s, and into the new millennium, garage rock
saw a resurgence in Australia, alongside the US and UK. Bands
such as Jet and The Vines rose to prominence. During this
time Australian roots music came to some prominence with artists
such as John Butler (leading the John Butler Trio), and The
Waifs. Even more popular were singers-songwriters such as
Missy Higgins, Delta Goodrem (famous from Neighbours), and
Ben Lee.
Delta Goodrem
The Dance scene in Australia (especially in Sydney) is growing,
with the success of Australian acts overseas such as Kylie
Minogue, Rogue Traders and Slinkee Minx. Minogue's early success
helped catapult Australian Dance music into the US, UK and
Europe.
Kylie Minogue
Somewhat belatedly, Australian hip hop artists began to receive
commercial attention through artists like Hilltop Hoods, MC
Trey, Maya Jupiter, 1200 Techniques and The Herd.
There is also a small, but vibrant underground hardcore punk
and straight edge music scene with bands such as Embodiment
12:14, I Killed the Prom Queen and Parkway Drive.
In the Rock music scene, indie rock bands like Powderfinger,
Spiderbait, Grinspoon, Killing Heidi, Something for Kate and
The Whitlams continue to be powerful forces, both on the charts
and in the live circuit. In recent years, bands such as Jet,
Wolfmother, Tourist,A Perfect Day (band) have seen wide acclaim
in Australia and have often gone on to achieve widespread
success in other countries, including the US, Europe and Japan.
Alt-Rock bands like Architecture in Helsinki, Augie March,
The Avalanches, Because of Ghosts, Lucius Hunt, Expatriate,
Sleep Parade and Snowman have also begun to spring up and
feature in the annual Triple J Hottest 100.
Music artists such as The Veronicas, Rogue Traders, Youth
Group and TV Rock have begun to top the charts.
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