Few bands know when to call it quits, the good ones calling time when they are still a potent musical entity, still at the top of their game. Sleater-Kinney never put a foot wrong in the first decade of their existence, churning out eight excellent albums that were immediately recognisable as the work of Corin Tucker, Carrie Brownstein and Janet Weiss. In 2005 they stepped … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Sleater-Kinney – No Cities To Love
Twenty-six years into the long and winding career of the Smashing Pumpkins Billy Corgan has traveled far enough down the road from that magnificent and defining opening triumvirate of albums, subsequent lineup changes and mild controversies that he’s due, nay overdue, a return to form. Every new album has drawn claims of such from hopeful fans and media yet it was only 2012’s Oceania where … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Smashing Pumpkins – Monuments To An Elegy
This self-titled debut finds Auckland-based Thee Rum Coves continuing the strong lineage of garage rock from ‘60s originators like The Sonics, through the UK beat and punk scenes, the power pop of Sunnyboys and onto its modern manifestation in bands such as The Hives and The Datsuns. Two members (singer/guitarist English Jake and bassist Jimmy Christmas) were founding members of New Zealand’s The D4 and … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Thee Rum Coves – Thee Rum Coves
Another bumper year of music eases to a close with pretty much all the year’s albums now released. This year we’ve collated our 40 favourite LPs that we heard over the last 12 months. Of course there are bound to be a few gems that we didn’t get round to hearing that we’ll discover in the months to come but as of now these are … Continue reading DS 40 Favourite Albums of 2014
Over a couple of solo albums Jamie Hutchings has been ploughing fertile ground with more introspective and quieter material than that of Bluebottle Kiss, his band from 1993-2007. Now he’s convened a new band featuring ex-BBK drummer Jared Harrison and headed back into dense, noisy, exploratory and discordant rock music. River Mirrors takes many twists and turns such as the meditative Necks-ish mood on Termites (a … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Infinity Broke – River Mirrors
For a couple of years now there’s been talk of a 90s revival in music from the slacker tones of Yuck to the many vying for the title of the new Dinosaur Jr (J is still the king). Locally here in Australia there doesn’t seem to be quite the same desire to slavishly replicate the heroics of past compatriots from that era but those doing … Continue reading EP REVIEW: Hope Springs – Sooner Or Later
It’s quite surprising that this is Jeff Tweedy’s first solo album given the extent of his career as frontman and principle songwriter with Wilco. Most would have expected him to develop a solo career on the side. He’s always shown an openness to collaborate (Loose Fur, Neil Finn) and he’s played plenty of solo shows yet this is his first foray under his own name … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Tweedy – Sukierae
Writing and recording widescreen and cinematic music, where mood and atmosphere is paramount, and conveying it with minimal instrumentation shows both great restraint and ambition. That is exactly the musical world that Jessica Cassar and Darren Cross (Gerling) have created on their debut album Word Got Out. The cover image of the pair stepping out of darkness and into an unknown light sums up the … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Jep and Dep – Word Got Out
If you exclude his solo live album and those with The Fog it took until 2011 for Dinosaur Jr’s J Mascis to release his debut solo album (Several Shades of Why) so it’s a pleasant surprise that the followup is already upon us. He follows a similar template with Tied to a Star, eschewing drums for the most part and using a more organic sonic … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: J Mascis – Tied To A Star
The Datsuns first hit the hard rock scene like like a lit firecracker back in 2002 and now on their sixth time around they’ve released one of their strongest albums. Deep Sleep takes in all the usual elements that make up the band’s DNA – glam, stoner and garage rock with some MC5 ramalama and an endless supply of riffs and yelps and big choruses … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: The Datsuns – Deep Sleep
Johnny Marr certainly hasn’t wasted time with his second solo album. When he toured Australia in January it was the end of touring for The Messenger (2013) and he was hoping to get back into the studio as quickly as possible. With Playland he’s made good on his word, continuing to mine big indie guitar sounds, anthemic vocals and now some electronic undercurrents, with mixed … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Johnny Marr – Playland
On her fourth album Melbourne’s Laura Jean decamped to Bristol, UK to work with producer John Parish (PJ Harvey) and the pair have created a sparse, lilting world of bare-boned, yet emotionally ornate folk music. With her unassuming voice and songs about everyday struggles and successes this is the most direct Jean has been with her songwriting to date. The music and both her and … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Laura Jean – Laura Jean
Doubtful Sounds 