Sound Emissions

I’m not sure if I’m supposed to clarify this anymore, but for those who don’t know, fbi is a Sydney radio station. The basic premise they have going is that they play 50% Australian music, with 50% of that being from Sydney. This works out pretty perfectly because not only do you get exposed to a healthy serving of local music, but this is balanced by the best from across the world.

For me radio is like a reserve. Most of the time I’ll listen to my own music, but occasionally when this gets boring or I’m just feeling lazy, I’ll flick on the radio. However it’s important to actually have a good radio station to turn to and if it wasn’t for fbi, this wouldn’t be the case. Triple J is ok at times, but it seems to have been overrun by punk music. It may be what the people want, but it’s not what I want. As for commercial radio, let’s just say that the one time I was forced to listen to it, I was evaluating the pros and cons of ending my life.

For this reason it’s vitally important that fbi remains afloat. Currently they’re doing a ‘Dump Toxic Radio’ promotion, which I can definitely sympathise with. They do one of these supporter drives every six months or so and I must admit, it’s probably the worst part about the station. There’s nothing worse then having them continually asking people to sign up, especially when you already have. But when you consider that the station is run by volunteers, has barely any ads and plays great music then hey, I’m willing to forgive them.

It’s funny how they manage to time these supporter drives. For the whole of the last year I barely listened to radio and yet in the last month, just when my subscription is about to end, I’ve been listening to them near constantly. As they talk of all their financial woes, I can’t help feel a little guilty and will no doubt end up forking the money out again.

It feels like some sort of scam, but at least you do get something out it. The amount of prizes they’re giving is simply ridiculous and many of these are worth 100s of dollars. I can’t be bothered going into detail but you can find it all here. The best part is that everyone who signs up stills gets something. This is great news for people like me who never seem to win competitions. This loser package includes all sorts of goodies such as free downloads, environmental light bulbs (yay) and best of all, a Sound Emissions CD.

I was intrigued by this CD from the first time they mentioned it. Nothing like a free (well kind of) mix tape. To anyone who is looking to get a taste for local Sydney music, this is a pretty great way. Everyone who signs up gets one so not only will your money be going to a good cause, but you’ll also get a nice dose of Sydney music in return. It’s probably what will tip the balance towards me renewing my supportership. Damn you fbi! Here’s what you get:

1. Holy Chord - Dappled Cities 4:23
2. Morning Light - Sparkadia 3:21
3. Number One - Stick Figures 4:31
4. Hazy Elevator - Telemetry Orchestra 3:45
5. Leonard's Lesson 3 (edit) - Comatone 5:15
6. Song We Don't Spreak Of - The Seabellies 4:59
7. Alone Again - Teenager 4:23
8. Night Is Only Young - Rand And Holland 3:09
9. Arks - The Small Hours 4:00
10. Trust (Clue To Kalo Remix) - Fourplay 4:08
11. Little Tapioca (Part Timer Remix) - Underlapper 4:19
12. Everywhere Nowhere - Ollo 4:09
13. Cash - Ghosts Of Television 4:53
14. Line Up The Happiness - Jordy Lane 3:43
15. Baguette En Potage Francais D'Oignon - Caviar 2:32
16. Untitled 3 - Robert Luke 3:32
17. Eight Hr Valentine - The Instant 4:06
18. Mad Love - Belles Will Ring 4:34
19. Bear In The Big City - Warhorse 4:49

Mmmm, pretty tasty.