Starting out with a honky-tonk meets the Talking Heads-type of sound, Shortstack push alt-country to the side for a more old-school style of popular country. The wide-open guitars of "Jealous Man" break out of the compressed mastering that the disc finds itself. The first exciting happening in the CD occurs during the walking bass line [...]
30. Short Stack - Heartbreak Made Me A Killer An album highlight and one of their best singles. It's like all of their best sounds thrown together into one song. 29. Olly Murs - Heart Skips A Beat (ft. Rizzle Kicks) Represents his shift from X-Factor runner-up to proper popstar. This was inescapable this Summer, and [...]
"Lips like a vampire" When I first started this blog, I'd spend the entire month of October sharing Halloween songs. I want to revisit that a little this year and post a few here and there for the next few weeks. Short Stack's 2010 album, Welcome To Bat Country , is a great listen all the way through for Halloween, and this is one of the many highlights. It's an enormous song with one hell of a punchy chorus. Plus, the middle eight with its stabbing strings and processed, Nightmare Before Christmas -esque vocals, [...]
Short Stack are a trio out of Sydney, Australia
"Meet me on the dancefloor" I can't believe I didn't know about this song before this weekend. Short Stack reinvented themselves last year and released one of my absolute favorite albums of 2010. Now they've released a new single as a stopgap between albums, and it's more of the same (ie: excellent). They're continuing in their modern-day billy Idol sound, though this time it's even poppier with a definite dance funk edge. Shaun's voice remains one of the most charismatic rock snarls in the current music landscape. It's his delivery that takes this song up a [...]
This is bound to be one of my favorite singles of 2011. It was already one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite albums of last year (that's a lot of favorites). I can't overstate how much I've grown to love this band. I think the video's an odd match with the song (and wish they would have stuck to the sci-fi/action story they had going with the previous ones), but I am so happy this was chosen as a single. If there's any justice in the world, it'll be a huge hit for them. And I'm loving [...]
Before I get into these final albums, I've got to note that the top four this year were the closest they've ever been. I switched the order around several times before settling on this. Each, in their own right, is pretty perfect. 4. Short Stack - This Is Bat Country In a year where many of my favorites disappointed, this upstart Aussie band, previously known for [...]
10. Darin - Lovekiller The top ten kicks off with the biggest, cheesiest pop moment of 2010. There is no resisting the overblown goodness of this track. Darin hit it out of the park with this one. The video's wonderfully over-the-top, too. 9. Kylie Minogue - All The Lovers The comeback single she's been searching for for years. It was so [...]
25. Gravitonas - Kites Alexander Bard's new band's first single proved to be their best--a slowly building electro-rock grind that becomes more immense with each passing second. 24. Ola Svensson - All Over The World He came back this year with two tracks worthy of standing beside his best work. This easily could have been the Summer's anthem had it been released [...]
I get the impression from reviews and editorial coverage that Short Stack are one of the planet's most critically hated bands. I'm not sure what they did to deserve this, other than being an easy target for bitter listeners. Sure, their debut, for the most part, was nothing special and completely derivative (aka: the exact type of emo-rock I moaned about when Fall Out Boy popularized it a few years ago), but every band deserves a second chance. And I'm here to make an audacious (and possibly unpopular?) announcement. Short Stack have released one of the best albums of 2010. [...]
"Never was a fun boy" Yes!! I have been waiting quite impatiently for this album for the past month or so and it's finally been released (and doesn't disappoint). Short Stack have transformed themselves from bratty emo threesome to something far more interesting. Their three singles already released from this album have been uniformly fantastic (and bound to feature on my top singles of the year list). They've got a sleazy disco-rock-punk hybrid going on that reminds me a little of Billy Idol's 80's music. While frontman Shaun Diviney may not always be the strongest [...]
"The station played our favorite songs" I know I posted a track from these guys just last week, and I usually don't like to harp on a specific band too many times in a short period, but as I've combed through Short Stack's discography I've realized that I missed an awesome single from late last year. Sweet December is the kind of song that started this blog in the first place. It reminds me of the Scandinavian synth/glam/rock that first inspired my interest in music from overseas. I knew from the stomping [...]
"I'm killing romance in the name of love" While Mcfly have been working on their new sci-fi oriented sound, another youthful pop/punk band may have beaten them to it. This band is Australia's Short Stack, and they are now officially amazing. They weren't amazing on their debut album (well, maybe a couple of songs were...), but they've shifted from trendy radio rock to something more symphonic. Grander, bigger . their new single Planets (first from the upcoming album) is a fantastic jump in quality, and well worth checking out. [...]
So, remember Sal? She wrote for TVD about a year ago then went M.I.A. But now she's back. And we couldn't be happier. —Ed. Sal Go here. The last year was crazy, and I only remember half of it. My editor is currently hungover and craving pancakes out in the ruins of Detroit, but I'm back in the mix now. I start my contributions to The Vinyl District with a short interview featuring Burleigh Seaver . Seaver is in [...]
This Sunday, the Roofwalkers set out to swell the Galaxy Hut with their sublime atmospheric rock. Led by Ben Licciardi, and featuring members of Shortstack , Aloha & Mary Tim0ny's Soft Power , the six-piece band comes together to invoke dreamy elements of Yo La Tengo and American Analog Set. A few months ago, the band released their debut record under the Roofwalkers name, incorporating textured psych swirls and drones combined with layered, intricate melodies. Check out a sample, "Chin Music," below from their self titled record available now from [...]
AON's Bite Sized series features exclusive performances and clips of live sets shot at Comet Ping Pong. Featuring a combination of touring bands and local talent, our hope is that this series helps to give you a taste of what goes on at a venue on the rise in the District. DC is probably still most [...]
Like a lot of DC artists, Sean McArdle has musical roots in a more aggressive post-punk sound. But his solo effort is a decidely more melifluous affair. With a classic folk sound that recalls Nick Drake at times and the gritty Americana of Towns Van Zandt, his warm voice and finger picking guitar style drive these [...]
I've been wanting to start a new installment on DigiDreams for a while but all my ideas are either lame or have been taken. Let's give this a try. I present to you - Short Stack - a small list of new mp3's creeping their way through the blogosphere that need to be listened to and will ultimately make you go out and buy the LP/EP. Here we go... The opening to Japandroids new song "Young Hearts Spark Fire" reminds me of good old solid 90's alt rock. Fuzzy, fast, [...]
The Ting Tings (via band's myspace) Guess it doesn't matter that half of the regional artists are in Texas or slowly making their way back home, because there are some absolutely stellar shows this weekend to check out. Loads of huge names, plus quite a few locals that you don't see much of. Friday The Ting Tings are at 9:30 Club for a sold out show (seems to be a lot of them recently). Along for the ride is [...]
mp3: captain beefheart - her eyes are a blue million miles ...... [buy clear spot ] mp3: shortstack - her eyes are a blue million miles ...... [buy covers ep ] i came across this cover while checking gypsy eyes records' site for info on vandaveer's forthcoming second album, divide & conquer ... of which there is none. so not wanting to leave empty handed, i checked out some of the other artists on [...]
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