Metric have always balanced the rock and synth-based pop sound impeccably, and no album showcases this better than their 2009 breakthrough Fantasies. And now that the band is enjoying more exposure and success (in part thanks to appearances on soundtracks like Scott Pilgrim vs the World and Twilight: Eclipse) the anticipation for their follow-up was…
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Orbital’s 2004 album Blue Album was supposed to be the British duo’s final legacy, leaving fans to mourn the loss of one of the 90s most heralded and unique electronica acts. But after a few years apart, Phil and Paul Hartnoll regrouped for what turned out to be a successful reunion world tour. Wanting to…
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Charlotte Gainsbourg is perhaps better known for her recent successful acting career, having starred in the award winning Antichrist and Lars von Trier’s latest, Melancholia. But Stage Whisper reminds us that she is also an acclaimed singer too. A stop-gap album of sorts, Gainsbourg’s fourth full length release features unreleased tracks from her 2009 IRM…
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You may not have heard of Kordan, but something tells me they will soon be topping ‘next big thing’ lists. After all, this is the band who were handpicked by Australia’s Cut Copy in 2008 as opening act for their North American tour on the strength of their debut EP. Emerging from Puerto Rico’s burgeoning…
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There’s a general conception that everything James Lavelle touches turns to gold, and this idea still stands, even this many years into his career. The Mo Wax labelhead, celebrated DJ and electronic musician’s main project has always been UNKLE, an electronic/rock act that have now cemented their status as one of modern music’s genuinely eclectic…
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The Middle East blew everyone away – in their own subtle, quiet manner – when they released a collection of songs in 2009 known as The Recordings of the Middle East. Since then, some noteworthy festival inclusions and well placed support slots (Doves, The National) has created a lot of buzz around the band. But…
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Boasting one of the finest roster of acts in Australia’s indie pop scene is Melbourne based label Popboomerang. One of Australia’s most delightful quiet achievers in the music scene, for almost a decade now the indie label has been providing Australia with some of the country’s finest pop acts, thanks to the dedicated hand of…
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One of electronic music’s most eclectic artists, Sascha Ring (aka Apparat), has been DJing and producing for more than a decade. Aside from his own productions, the Berlin-based musician has worked on albums with Modeselektor, Ellen Allien, and even a rock opera with Gianna Nannini. Experimental by nature, his style is notoriously difficult to pinpoint,…
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Landing just in time for summer is A Strawberry Situation, the warm and catchy EP from Newcastle band Love Parade. The band have already been earning kudos thanks to Triple J Unearthed, but despite positive reviews and a growing fan base, Love Parade remain somewhat elusive. What we do know about them (thanks to their…
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Local Natives has been one of the most talked about bands of the year, with Gorilla Manor spawning no less than six singles as well as countless praise from overwhelmingly positive reviews. And when you listen to this impressive album from start to finish, it’s not difficult to understand why. Local Natives’ music is effortlessly…
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Dance stalwarts Faithless are set to touch down in Australia in the coming months, so it seems appropriate that they’re paving the way with the re-release of their album – The Dance (released in May) – in a special two disc effort called The Dance Never Ends . It’s a significant record for Sister Bliss,…
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The very quaint and intimate Raval was the perfect venue for an evening of acoustic tunes. Opening act, Sydney singer/songwriter Vanessa Jade (pictured below), looked right at home among the antique lounges and red curtained stage. Her folk and country-tinged music bore an honest, vintage pop quality and her sweet, pitch-perfect vocals were reminiscent of…
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Back in 2001, Lazy Susan burst onto the scene with their debut album Long Lost, touting the catchy-as-all-heck singles “Bobby Fischer” and “Canada”, and quickly earning props for their classic-sounding pop songs. Nearly ten years, and another two albums later, the Sydney band is still quietly flying the pop music flag. Places That Made Us…
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When Tiesto released Kaleidoscope in 2009, it was met with mixed reactions. Although it was clearly a commercial success, a lot of critics and fans were divided, with some panning it and others declaring it the most adventurous record the trance producer/DJ had ever done. He certainly earned a lot of respect for pushing the…
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Sydney indie darlings Smudge may never have been a commercial success, but they were definitely quiet achievers. During the ’90s, they were regular fixtures in local live music venues, and their plethora of singles, EPs and albums have since become staples in any Sydney music punter’s record collection. In 2006 one of those albums, Manilow,…
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Adelaide has laid claim to some exceptional Australian bands over the years, and now it can proudly add young locals Steering By Stars to its credit. One of the more intriguing bands to come from the city of churches, the five piece are also one of the city’s most interesting live acts, a label that’s…
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Pendulum‘s first two albums are legacies of a shifting dance scene, one which has seen once once-underground genres like drum and bass becoming increasingly more mainstream. Never content with a uniform sound, their debut Hold Your Colour melded energetic dnb with a aggressive rock; then band took their sound further – into almost rock stadium…
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Like local late 90s/early 00s acts Sound Like Sunset, Gersey and Swirl, new Melbourne band The Sirens of Venice continue the tradition of creating dreamy, shoegaze-influenced pop. Although they are a touring/recording eight-piece, the group’s core comprises Craig Jackson from Gersey and his wife Camilla, and the husband-and-wife team have written a compelling debut album….
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There has been a lot of buzz about young indie band Cloud Control over the past few years, and with their debut album Bliss Release, they have well and truly lived up to the hype. Hailing from the Blue Mountains, Cloud Control first began to create a stir following the release of their debut EP…
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They are the latest to jump on the recent supergroup trend, but Gayngs are a band with a difference. For one, its members hail from a wide and diverse range of acts, and for another, they’re more like a ‘super-music-community’. More than 25 musicians contributed to the making of Relayted, led by Gayngs’ founding members…
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In recent years, the Danes have been showing us that their small European country has a lot of big musical potential. Already, bands like The Raveonettes, Mew and The Elephant s are gaining recognition across the waters; now, Denmark’s most recent export to come to our attention is The Kissaway Trail. Hype began to form…
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Experimental bands can often be, to put it bluntly, a pretty boring spectacle to watch. But when you hear about the jaw-dropping, improvisational live shows that Nice Nice are renowned for, it’s not hard to believe that they could be an exception to that rule. Guitarist Jason Buehler and percussionist Mark Shirazi are self-described ‘musical…
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Once one half of Lamb, Lou Rhodes has now taken a bold step forward since the group’s dissolution in 2004. Her debut album, 2006’s “Beloved One”, probably surprised many Lamb fans. Gone were the dance beats and signature trip-hop ambience; in their place was a much more organic, acoustic-based and folk-ish sound. The new musical…
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The four years since the release of Midlake‘s sophomore record has seen an interesting shift in the broader spectrum of ‘alternative’ music, with a massive rise in a more hybridized, synthesised and crossover sound championed by groups like The Presets, MGMT and Crystal Castles. In these electro-driven times, it’s a real pleasure to find a…
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