This just has to be exciting! Right? Right! That genius Spencer Krug, otherwise known as Moonface , has a new record due soon. "With Siinai: Heartbreaking Bravery" is coming out on Jagjaguwar on April 17. It represents a collaboration with Finnish outfit Siinai . They first met in 2009 when Wolf Parade toured Europe. Friendships formed and they decided to record an album together. Siinai have performed the bulk of the music, with Spencer providing the vocals and lyrics. Spencer traveled to Finland in August, 2011 and the rest is history as they say. Track listing [...]
Yes, we loved every single second of it. It was all quite spectacularly superb. From the delightful melodies to the rock out moments. From the times were held our breath to the feeling of being as one. Feist lit up the Enmore Theatre Tuesday night in a way few performers can. She is so engaging, so charming, so talented. Love. For just on two hours Feist proved that she is one extremely talented and unique performer. Such a personable one too, she had us at hello you could most possibly say. As [...]
After a month of pretty ordinary unsummery weather Sydney turned on an absolute cracker of a day for Laneway Festival 2012 . Thankfully the music matched the weather. There were highlights, and clashes, through out the day but I managed to see all acts I really wanted to see. The 2012 edition seemed to have the electronic/chillwave thing going on pretty well. Mostly that's not my cup of tea but I found plenty to keep me entertained through out the day. Austra would prove the great discovery of the day, whilst EMA absolutely killed it [...]
A visceral, emotionally charged night. Strong feelings hung in the air and wrapped themselves around us. Of course there was fun to be had, but Girls at the Oxford Art Factory last night was full of tender and true moments. Super charged feelings of passion and heartbreak. I had previously written off this Californian band as overhyped and lacking substance. I liked a few of the tracks off their highly praised debut but mostly I found their songs to be cloying and just a little too twee. But 2011 changed all of that. "Father, [...]
A few weeks ago I posted a selection of my favourite songs of 2011 . A selection of 15 or so powered by the beauty of You Tube. Since then I have read some excellent lists that went a whole lot further. Up to 100 in fact. Like here , here , here , here and here . So I decided to create a list for myself. No real reason other then that I like to create lists. I see some list makers will limit each artist to only one song. Some go [...]
Eleanor Friedberger was pleasant. Extremely pleasant. And that is not to slight her. I mean that in a nice way. She seems a gentle soul, giving and caring. Amiable. So an hour in her company in the Spiegeltent on a Saturday night on the second last night of the Sydney Festival was something that was totally and thoroughly enjoyable. Melodies and vocals that charmed and graced us all. I have long been a Fiery Furnaces fan, even if recent albums were not quite at the dizzying levels of earlier work. Then last year [...]
Well, then I touched him. There was that. But I will get to that later. It was big. It was brash. It was LOUD. It was fun. We weren't with 'our people'. But we were dazzled, enraptured. We were having fun. Big balls of flaming fun. As they say, haters gotta hate, but Kanye West is a unique and singular talent. As my love for anything hip hoppy had diminished since the days of De La Soul and Public Enemy I honestly never thought I would be at a show like this. At a packed Sydney Entertainment [...]
Five years ago today, Australia Day, I met my beautiful wife. To cut a long story short we had met through my blog. She commented on Modest Mouse and Mountain Goats gigs that we had both been to. Soon we were Last Fming and emailing. Then I had tickets to a great gig. Joanna Newsom, Andrew Bird and Bill Callahan on January 26, 2007. We met. We connected. We became gig buddies. We became friends. We became boy and girl friends. We bought a house together. We got married. So it's now been 5 and a half years [...]
Another night at the Sydney Festival , another enjoyable and rewarding evening. Sam Amidon was compelling, unique and slightly odd, but in a good way. In fact his generous and strange personality was something I will long remember from the night, even more than the music. Which was pretty damn great anyway. Spiegeltent experiences are always great and this was no different. January in Sydney makes you feel good to be alive. You know I should read liner notes more often. I have the last two Sam Amidon albums [...]
Muted tones, rustic texture. Heart. Earnestness. Organic. Honest. Effective. Americana comes to Parramatta. With grace, charm and class. There is no doubt that Friday night in the company of A.A. Bondy exceeded all of my expectations to become what will undoubtedly be one of the shows of 2012. Firstly it was a trip to Prince Alfred Park in Parramatta and a first visit to the Idolize Spiegeltent as part of the Sydney Festival . I think it's great that events like this are brought to the geographical heart of Sydney. May there be [...]
Lights dimmed. Smoke rose. Anticipation was high. A woman of slight stature, but great substance entered the stage. She wore long black flowing robes, feathers in her hair. Three men in Edwardian clothing joined her. She gripped us, she enclosed us. She was PJ Harvey . Thursday night at the ornate State Theatre was a night of perfect moments. Of something all together unreal and special. Of time standing still, all of us knowing that this was indeed something special. You could say I have long been a casual fan of Ms Harvey. I owned [...]
It's been a long while, but the wait is nearly over. Seminal and legendary Australian three piece Dirty Three have a new album coming out. "Toward the Low Sun" will be released on February 28 on Drag City . Their first in seven years and their first on that label. Please listen to a track for preview below. So excited to see them again in February. Toward the Low Sun Track Listing 1 Furnace Skies 2 Sometime I Forget You've Gone 3 Moon on the Land 4 Rising Below 5 The [...]
Wes Anderson! Cinema is back!
This was fun with a capital F. Well, a capital Red F if you know what I mean. It's hard to put into words what a Dan Deacon show is like. The big man from Baltimore is all about community and joy. He is bulging with bodaciousness. He is bigger than life. He is love and happiness and connection and all of disciples are made to feel it. Where to start? Well firstly this is now Dan Deacon and his Ensemble. Four very talented people from Baltimore including producer Chester Gwazda who played synth and keyboard. [...]
Andrew Bird will be releasing a new album on March 6. "Break It Yourself" is the name and it the musician's first on Mom and Pop Records . It was produced at Bird's barn/studio in western Illinois. "We had our front of house engineer Neal Jensen bring his old Tascam 8-track tape machine and Yamaha board (nothing fancy) out to my barn," Bird said about the recording. "We rolled tape as we were learning the songs and to our surprise we started nailing the songs by the second take. I think we got a rough, unfussy honesty [...]
It's the horns. Has to be the horns. We were swamped and drowned in them gloriously last night at the Sydney Opera House . A sublime show by the seriously talented Beirut . There were trumpets, trombones, french horns and a massive tuba. They all combined for a wildly exciting night. A Beirut show is great because the sum is greater than the parts. To be sure, this band has some great songs. But collectively they really matter. The combine for a knockdown effect. Played on their own they have lovely qualities, but in [...]
Iconic setting. Iconic band. Well, pretty much so. For in a few short years the Foxes of the swift variety have dug a hole in our heart and are here to stay. I think it's the voices. The majestic, soaring vocals that elevate us to a different place. A place of space and grace. A glorious summer night in Sydney was spent in the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall . The first of three sold out nights. Those lucky people going to nights two and three are in for an experience and a half. This was faultless. [...]
2011 would seem to me to be a great year in film. Many quality films (Submarine, Take Shelter, Melancholia, etc.) didn't even make my top ten, so I think that pays testament to those that did. It also seemed to be a down year for Australian movies. My favourite local film was Red Dog , which was very enjoyable but hardly revolutionary cinema. Of course Hollywood continued to push out the 'comedies' and sequels, many of which proved to be uninspired and uninspiring. The year started with a poor decision in the shocking win of The King's Speech [...]
As 2011 quietly and quickly comes to a close it is a good time to reflect on the year just past. A year of exploration and discovery, fun and enjoyment. Pain and beauty. Joy and ragged edges. Trends and movements. Disappointment and surprise. Elation. Sometimes. Many albums were purchased, yes I still do that, and some exceeded expectations. Some didn't. One album though met and exceeded all expecations. The cover told a story. Through faces, homes, planes and mountains we peered into the depth of humanity. From within voices glistened and instruments sounded the memory lines [...]
Another year livin' the dream. Another year of coming face to face with my musical heroes. Sometimes I feel very fortunate indeed to be able to have a lifestyle where I can witness first hand on stage the live majesty of so many great artists. For the fact of Australia being seemingly so far away we do all right. Especially living in Sydney, the first port of call for most touring bands. Hey, it's not New York but we do all right. Once again there were many great moments on the live scene. And there were two great [...]
Oceans Never Listen
James Blake – Live Album
Circo Voador anuncia shows de The Kooks, Foster The People, Friendly Fires, Gogol Bordello e mais
The Kills on Letterman (Video)
New single from Gemini Club
