Check it out everyone, a post that's not about Lana Del Rey! I like her stuff but man, let's stop the press for a second and listen to something a bit different. Smith & Frank are a relatively unknown duo from Brisbane (Toby Phillip Meadows and Taija Marie Davis). Their music is a soft, dreamy, unique and whimsical style. The song Charlie is actually pretty sweet. It's got a fairly simple guitar line and lovely vocals but it also has some nice peaks throughout, what with the keys and probable computer play going on. It's very fitting [...]
It's still the stupid season (or "silly season" if you're a purist). This means lots of parties and EVENTS, and exhaustion because you are getting old. And you can't party too much anyway because your nosy neighbour wants your tree trimmed but you still feel like you are too busy having FUN! And in the end your idea of fun is settling for marathons of Revenge and Parenthood because there's not much hard hitting drama lately. And while you haphazardly try to clutch at the crumbling remains of your youth, all of the female musos are modelling. Lana Del [...]
A lot of people said 2011 was a terrible year. Myself included. And sure, in some ways it was, and in some ways it wasn't, and 2011 is as subject to perspective and the theory of relativity as any other year. But it seemed tough for a lot of people. Europe began sinking into critical debt, natural disasters seemed particularly rife with 2011 kicking off in Australia with devastating floods in Queensland... And of course as the people of multiple countries stood up to their dickhead dictators and said 'enough', they were (among other things) used as human shields. It [...]
Upon hearing Active Child 's debut album, You are All I See , listeners have immediately detected something distinctly spiritual behind the harp and choir-skilled falsetto vocals. While the sound is arguably more heavenly than say, Joanna Newsom's sound, there is a noticeable air of presage and remorse. "Sometimes I'm scared to admit it," the man behind Active Child, Pat Grossi, concedes. This is his response when I propose that, much like Sparkadia's album The Great Impression , You are All I See is as much about questioning the consignment to a religion as it [...]
triple j's Unearthed has produced quite the monumental music pool. Some artists flounder and defect. Others, however, really come into the fore. When HUSKY won the triple j Unearthed award they didn't brag or preen, they were grateful. "It's helped us in a big way," lead-man Husky Gawenda attests. "It's difficult to get your music out there. You could have great songs or a great album but if no one is hearing it there's not much you can do with it." The attention motivated Husky to move forward, recording the album Forever So. While they seemed eager to [...]
Eariler tonight, courtesy of my friend Sarah Cake, I saw the documentary on New York photographer Bill Cunningham, which is only just showing now in cinemas in Australia. What an accomplished and focussed man he is! The end of 2011 approaches and I'm quietly pleased. It has been a busy year and looking at the amount of annual leave I've racked up, not a very fun year. So bring on 2012 I say! The suppose end of days year should be a blast! And who knows, I might even USE some leave and have a bloody break. [...]
Jack Colwell's sound is similar to Patrick Wolf's but more organic and thankfully less dramatic. With Glee songs playing in shops and whatnot all the time I really need a little less drama in my songs lately. Colwell has been classically trained and his control over the music makes it a rewarding listen! Colwell was recently interview by mutual friend, Josh Brown (aka, Music is my Boyfriend ). You can read the interview here . Jack Colwell & the Owls - Hopechest Colwell is touring regionally at the [...]
Jack Colwell's sound is similar to Patrick Wolf's but more organic and thankfully less dramatic. With Glee songs playing in shops and whatnot all the time I really need a little less drama in my songs lately. Colwell has been classically trained and his control over the music makes it a rewarding listen! Colwell was recently interview by mutual friend, Josh Brown (aka, Music is my Boyfriend ). You can read the interview here . Jack Colwell & the Owls - Hopechest Colwell is touring regionally at the [...]
After years of deejaying (live and on radio), remixing, making mixes and releasing a debut album, THE ASTON SHUFFLE have timed their recent independent status well. With a strong following and a solid reputation it makes sense that the local duo would experience a surge of motivation to write. This is perhaps why, only months after the release of their debut album Seventeen Past Midnight, a new single, Won't Get Lost, has already been released. "The new single is a way of doing our own thing, independently," says a self-assured Vance Musgrove. "We're just putting things in the water and [...]
Unless you are Canadian many of you may not have heard HEY ROSETTA! before, yet they have been receiving high acclaim in their part of the world, winning awards and being short-listed recently for the prestigious Polaris award (alongside heavyweights like Arcade Fire and Austra). Much like The Jezabels (whom Hey Rosetta! will be supporting as part of their upcoming tour) the band has made a solid reputation locally, but an ever-increasing listenership reveals a global ripple effect. Guitarist Adam Hogan explains that they saw The Jezabels when touring with City And Colour in Australia earlier this year. "We caught [...]
What a difference a warm day makes in Canberra. I emerged yesterday to find people walking all over Canberra, happily chirping away to each other as they waited outside for their coffee (usually in winter waiting outside means angry faces). People are undeterred by the explosive fire that happened on Friday in the industrialised suburb Mitchell, and they're relaxed. And just quickly on the subject of fires, there have been a lot in Canberra lately! Another recent fire incident was when the part of the beautiful New Acton precinct burnt down (pictured above). Weird... Sadly I'm a [...]
With a voice like Julia Stone, sass like Goldfrapp and a slow beat like Morcheeba, what sets Anomie Belle apart from the rest is the seemless ease with which she writes compelling melodies and wraps them in evocative illustrious tones. It seems she's gained some attention from her cover of Bill Withers' Ain't No Sunshine but if you ask me, her strength lies in her own material. It's always exciting to find a promising artist, and the soul with which she delivers tells me that she won't be going away anytime soon. Amongst the sweet and empassioned sounds [...]
With a voice like Julia Stone, sass like Goldfrapp and a slow beat like Morcheeba, what sets Anomie Belle apart from the rest is the seemless ease with which she writes compelling melodies and wraps them in evocative illustrious tones. It seems she's gained some attention from her cover of Bill Withers' Ain't No Sunshine but if you ask me, her strength lies in her own material. It's always exciting to find a promising artist, and the soul with which she delivers tells me that she won't be going away anytime soon. Amongst the sweet and empassioned sounds [...]
Oliver Tank has been getting a bit of Triple J airplay lately and man, is he deserving of the attention! Surfacing via the industrious Unearthed project Tank's a cut above the majority; he smoothly combines warped James Blake-like vocals, strings and electronic sounds. His sound is demonstrated well with a rendition of Snoop Dogg's Beautiful but he also reveals an art for writing with Last Night I Heard Everything in Slow Motion. This is a very promising start and I implore you to keep an eye out for this guy! Oliver Tank - [...]
Oliver Tank has been getting a bit of Triple J airplay lately and man, is he deserving of the attention! Surfacing via the industrious Unearthed project Tank's a cut above the majority; he smoothly combines warped James Blake-like vocals, strings and electronic sounds. His sound is demonstrated well with a rendition of Snoop Dogg's Beautiful but he also reveals an art for writing with Last Night I Heard Everything in Slow Motion. This is a very promising start and I implore you to keep an eye out for this guy! Oliver Tank - [...]
League comprises of two guys who are both Los Angeles and London based. Lucky them! They are college school drop-outs who had been studying architecture and journalism... Again: jealousy. They lived in a tent for a while to feel inspired... WHATEVER. I don't know what it takes anymore to write good music. If living without blow dryers for a while worked for them, great. Just don't ask me to go there! The point is it worked! There's a bit of a rusty edge to their songs at the moment, and better production would reveal just how talented they [...]
League comprises of two guys who are both Los Angeles and London based. Lucky them! They are college school drop-outs who had been studying architecture and journalism... Again: jealousy. They lived in a tent for a while to feel inspired... WHATEVER. I don't know what it takes anymore to write good music. If living without blow dryers for a while worked for them, great. Just don't ask me to go there! The point is it worked! There's a bit of a rusty edge to their songs at the moment, and better production would reveal just how talented they [...]
Hurrah! Big Boi of Outkast fame, who also worked with Janelle Monae last year, is gracing Australia with Theophilus London and Fundamentals. Most of you will know Big Boi's song Shutterbug (which has recently been doing the Triple J rounds). But this guy has a pretty interesting depth to his sound. It's all pretty sublime. Theophilus London is a new favourite of mine. He's a little bit Kanye, a little bit Kid Cudi, but on his debut album he doesn't sample (though he has a cool Lauryn Hill-esque mix "tape" from 2009). Check em [...]
Hurrah! Big Boi of Outkast fame, who also worked with Janelle Monae last year, is gracing Australia with Theophilus London and Fundamentals. Most of you will know Big Boi's song Shutterbug (which has recently been doing the Triple J rounds). But this guy has a pretty interesting depth to his sound. It's all pretty sublime. Theophilus London is a new favourite of mine. He's a little bit Kanye, a little bit Kid Cudi, but on his debut album he doesn't sample (though he has a cool Lauryn Hill-esque mix "tape" from 2009). Check em [...]
Ismail "Isi" Tüfekçi of established electro Hamburgers, Digitalism, doesn't mind if you don't like their new album, I Love You Dude . "You know, what I think we did is, we took our songs a little bit further," Isi starts, in his winsome German accent. "And it's really good that people have different opinions. First of all, some people don't like it, some people like it. And this is a good sign because for us... We don't care about this, to be honest." Isi doesn't mean this in an off-hand way. Digitalism's approach was to create [...]
A Has Been That Never Was
First Aid Kit – Emmylou
Childish Gambino - "Heartbeat" (Official Music Video)
James Blake – Live Album
Mux Mool
