While waiting for an interview at Canadian Music Week this past March, I was lucky enough to be introduced to an Ontarian duo who showed just how much is possible with two men, a guitar, a drum kit and a wall of beautiful distortion. The kids call it “rock and roll”. Brandyn James Aikins and…
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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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Carus Thompson has been at this music lark for a while now. With good reason too, he is bloody good at it. Recent proof being is his latest album Caravan, a truly wondrous collection of songs written and recorded between Australia and Europe. Reflecting his life on the road split between the two continents. Carus…
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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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Heytesburg perform music which my iTunes wonderfully characterises as Darkwave. Which is clearly one of the best genre names I have come across; it to some extent also serves as a great definition of the band’s sound. Their music is dark, brooding and multi-layered. There are elements of psychedelia and industrial rock drifting through their…
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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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Sufjan Stevens is a storyteller, a bard singing the myths and histories of his land. Much of Stevens’ previous work is usually described best as being born out of the American folk tradition, telling tales of experiences, towns and cities; real places and real people. The narrative of the America as Sufjan Stevens tells it…
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Furry Red Records has put out a compilation album entitled “The Best of RADelaide”. We look now at 8 tracks off the album. We’ll be looking at the rest in the coming weeks… Spencer Jayne – A Woman Scorned “A Woman Scorned” by Spencer Jayne is this delightfully dark song which manages to take an…
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I was lucky enough to see Joan Wasser, aka Joan as Police Woman, live a few years ago and I was enamoured by her captivating performance. I knew only a handful of the songs that night, having listened only briefly to her first album Real Life. However, I was really there because I am a…
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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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You might think you’ve peeped the scene – you haven’t The real one’s far too mean The watered down one The one you know Was made up centuries ago It made it sound all whack and corny Yes, it’s awful, blasted, boring Twisted fiction Sick addiction Well gather round children Zip it, listen. The words…
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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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Ladies and Gentlemen: Cee Lo Green has returned with his third solo record, and first in six years – The Lady Killer. In between drinks, Cee Lo has dabbled in a number of projects – most notably Gnarls Barkley alongside Dangermouse. Together, they produced two killer records, and Cee Lo became a household name. So, after…
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The new self-titled EP from Brisbane based Tim Nelson & the Cub Scouts is a wonderfully delicious collection of songs best served cold, with a side order of fries and a nice summers day at the beach. Trying to label this group is an exercise in futility. Just when you think you have them pegged…
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It’s been a while since their last release, but Goose is back… Bring it on! I remember stumbling onto Goose many years ago at Parklife 2007 and loving the European synth punching electro indie punk geeks. I wasn’t sure how big they were and no one seemed to know about them, but it didn’t take long…
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For the last thirty-five years, Brian Eno has been an indisputably influential and iconic figure in a broad cross-section of musical genres. Small Craft on a Milk Sea is Eno’s 25th solo album; a collaboration with British electronica newcomer Jon Hopkins and guitarist Leo Abrahams, both of whom have previously worked with Eno. Throughout his…
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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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Damon Gough’s alter ego, Badly Drawn Boy released his debut album in 2000, The Hour of Bewilderbeast, and was met with critical acclaim. Following-up with the release of the soundtrack for the film About A Boy, Badly Drawn Boy appeared to be shaping a career around optimistic pop songs with folk sensibilities. The new album,…
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It has been over thirty years since Crowed House first formed and came into their own, after releasing the International hit “Don’t Dream Its Over”. When I listen to this song, it seems to encapsulate my idea of the 1980s so entirely. I am a child of the ’80s, and therefore grew up with Crowded House’s music…
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It’s been a long time coming, but Hungry Kids of Hungary‘s debut album, Escapades, has finally hit record stores around the country to rave reviews and even a feature album spot on Triple J. You really don’t get much better than that. So now that we can call this an album with a succession of…
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Having already released her country-folk sounding debut album Sugar Lights and supporting both Magic Dirt and Mark Lanegan (of Screaming Trees) on recent tours, Amaya Laucirica has definitely come in to her own, and has developed a sound that is unique unto itself with her latest release, Early Summer. The album begins delicately with “Most…
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It’s not unreasonable to suggest that Carl Barât‘s sole aim in life is to prove himself more successful than ex-bandmate Pete Doherty, and that’s not too difficult a feat to achieve. With an eager following of fans leftover from The Libertines days, Carl Barât’s side projects have always seen steady, though not necessarily well-deserved, success….
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Manic Street Preachers have destroyed the derelict foundations of rock and roll and reconstructed them to create a musical form that surpasses the dryness of today’s music. With a history that may devastate the talents of many bands, the Manics have elevated themselves beyond the need for approval, the need to prove themselves. The band’s…
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The sophomore album of jazzy Melbournian Dan Webb is Hyperspace Clearance, a four track EP. Hyperspace Clearance carries a sweeping dynamic throughout its four tracks, with each song smoothly introducing the next. Opening track “Way Out”, resonates a strong Beatles-esque sound, with chiming piano riffs and a sharp drum beat. Webb’s vocals pitch to an…
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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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There is nothing more enjoyable than to put on the headphones at your local music store, listen to a new record and being instantly mesmerized by a tune. Well, this could quite simply describe and summarize British band, Jamiroquai‘s new single. Jay Kay and his band mates return after 5 years since the release of…
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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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When I received the new album Ghosts of The Horizon, from Perth natives The Holy Sea, I first assumed it was a debut. I was so blown away by what I heard that I couldn’t believe I’d never heard of them before. But low and behold, this was their third album (following on from Blessed…
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