Frank Ocean seems to be feeling quite generous. The usually elusive artist only gifted the world the potent, Texas-sounding single in “DHL” a few weeks ago, now he has given us another exciting cut. “In My Room” has Ocean cruising over a highly ornate, melodic production and flipping through a number of flows, tackling violence,…
Read MoreBetween vinyl markets, conceptual performances, video installations, and almost 40 of Helsinki’s top restaurants, Flow Festival played host to some incredible live music across three days, the result of an intelligent and wide-reaching music program that spanned everything from world-dominating pop and Finnish indie rock to obscure classical music homages, era-focused vinyl DJ sets, sweaty…
Read MoreWhile all eyes and ears were on Frank Ocean for the sunlit final day of Flow Festival 2017, there was plenty of quality live performances, from artists both renowned and obscure, to cap the annual event in the best way possible. The atmosphere was electric all through the day, and unlike Saturday there wasn’t a…
Read MoreHelsinki’s Flow Festival has been drawing huge numbers to the Finnish site, with the likes of Aphex Twin, Lana Del Rey, London Grammar and more all taking to the stage over the weekend. One of the major feature artists we had particularly been interested in seeing perform was, of course, Frank Ocean. His recent festival sets through America and in…
Read MoreThis week, we have recommendations stretching back to 2014 with Moses Gunn Collective‘s Morning Shakes, through to this year with Poolside‘s Heat. Reminisce and find something new! POOLSIDE – Heat (2017) by Dani Marsland Can you get sunstroke in the middle of winter? Asking for a friend whose had the sun-soaked sounds of Heat, the new full-length from LA duo Poolside…
Read MoreIn one week it will be time for Helsinki’s highly regarded Flow Festival to once again fill the historic Suvilahti Power Plant (a disused power plant, that is) with an entire weekend of international and local artists spanning music, food, drink and the arts. This year’s headliners include none other than Frank Ocean, the xx,…
Read MoreFrom its humble beginnings as a one-night showcase at LA club The Echo, FYF Fest has evolved both in venue and scope with a diverse lineup spanning 3 days at Downtown’s Exposition Park. Day One’s Friday afternoon began with the punch of Sydney’s own Royal Headache, followed by the soothing touch of Canadian outfit BADBADNOTGOOD, whose…
Read MoreThis weekend in Los Angeles, one of 2017’s best line ups descends on Exposition Park – FYF Festival. The festival has grown considerably since its debut in 2006, the then branded F*CK YEAH FEST. From hosting the likes of The Bronx and The Black Lips in that first year, to expanding to take in more genres in showcasing…
Read MoreEarlier this week, we unveiled our list of the 20 Best Albums of 2017 so far – as voted by our team – with The Smith Street Band reigning supreme with their acclaimed album, More Scared of You Than You Are of Me. Breaking things down even further, today we throw the spotlight on some of the…
Read MoreEurope is packed with bucket list festivals all-year round, regularly attracting those from around the world who are itching to explore all sorts of uniquely formed, expertly curated music and arts events, from the most acclaimed to the most obscure. Teetering between both categories is Helsinki’s Flow Festival, a three-day boutique festival worshiping contemporary music…
Read MoreYou may have been keeping up with our recent ‘Best of 2016’ series over the last week and as we get stuck into a year of new music, we take a final look back at the songs that made our year. Throwing voting open to our contributors, we’ve compiled 40 of the best songs that…
Read MoreTop 20’s are always hard to pull together. As we saw with the first part of our Best Albums of 2016 countdown, the list was looking to be a varied one, with records from bands including Descendents, The Hotelier, Julia Jacklin and NO ZU all making the cut. As we look to the Top 20 records (as voted by our…
Read MoreFrank Ocean has brought fans to a new level of a hype today, with his live stream kicking off once again, indicating new music was coming. And it has. But not in the way we were expecting. Ahead of the release of Boys Don’t Cry (money on it dropping this weekend), Ocean has released a 45 minute…
Read MoreNew James Blake music is here and ready to make you feel all the feels once more. Originally slated to drop at midnight (US time), Blake’s third album The Colour in Anything is currently sitting pretty on Spotify and iTunes right now. The 17-track album features some notable names, with Rick Rubin as co-producer, a contribution by Bon Iver on the haunting “I Need a…
Read MoreFirst off, who is this Pablo to whom Kanye West refers with his album title, The Life of Pablo? Picasso? Neruda? Escobar? Is he inexplicably trying to revive Petey Pablo’s career? Referencing Radiohead’s classic debut? Maybe he is likening himself San Pablo (St. Paul), another biblical reference following the religious megalomania of Yeezus. Most likely…
Read MoreIt’s that time of the year again; we’ve already rounded up the full AU crew’s Top 40 Songs of 2015, but here’s something a bit different. The AU’s Chris Singh looks at the best hip-hop and R&B tracks of 2015 after countless hours (probably days; who knows) of picking apart the year’s best releases and…
Read MoreIf there’s one thing you can’t accuse John Mayer of, it’s that his music is generic and pigeonholed. As a recording artist, his styles have ranged from radio friendly pop rock to blues, to folk, country and even white-man soul. Examining his sixth studio record Paradise Valley, it’s interesting to see where his musical direction is shifting to…
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