Triple J Unearthed High 2011 Nominees

The finalists for the 2011 Triple J Unearthed High competition have now been announced. The reward is a gig at the winning bands school with The Living End, but more importantly, Triple J will record the song that wins the competition for the band. Let's take a look at the acts on offer:

The Mcqueens - Fiasco: I think this song is one of the best this year. I love the combination of rock and synths, and The Mcqueens pull it off so well. But the standout comes at the chorus, with the emotion and anger really shining through. These guys are in with a good chance to win!

Danika Smith - Oh Father: This artist wonderfully combines the sounds of Angus and Julia Stone and Boy & Bear, who are coincidentally both cited as influences by this super talented girl. That not to say this song is not original, she has a very good voice, and definitely knows how to create an enjoyable track.

Snakadaktal - Chimera: I must admit, I was expecting big things after seeing that these guys are influenced by Foals and Metronomy (two of my favourite bands at the moment). Luckily for these guys, with a name like Snakadaktal, their music delivers the goods, although I did find the song a little everywhere. I will definitely be watching out for these guys in the future.

Albert Salt - Fear & Loathing: This track is amazing! It grabbed me from the intro, and I loved every single bit of it. With some very unusually melodies and sounds going on, Albert is extremely talented at combining it all together. Fear & Loathing is probably my favorite song out of the lot, and I would love to see him win.

The Guppies - Never Liked Monkeys: This song was the least exciting out of the 6 artists nominated for the Unearthed High 2011 competition. I can't decide whether its the repetitiveness, the very raw sound, or the fact that I just didn't relate to this song; but ultimately, this track was not for me.

The Cactus Channel - Pepper Snake: I love funky music, and this ten piece orchestra definitely have the most funkiest track out of all the finalists. The track is purely instrumental, which really lets the talent of these 17 year olds shine through. I could hardly believe they were all in high school still, they have the sound of a very mature band, and regardless of whether they win or not, they should go very far.

All of these tracks can be viewed at each of the artists Triple J Unearthed pages, or can be easily accessed from here. All the songs are downloadable for free, so check out all the finalists and grab some new great tunes!