by Chris Familton Palma Violets fight a gallant fight and show flashes of exciting talent but ultimately this feels like a band trading on raw energy and still finding their songwriting feet. 180 is one of those albums that comes laden with tabloid music press hype so it was always going to be hard to live up to those constructed expectations, especially on one’s debut … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Palma Violets | 180
by Chris Familton Kurt Vile’s last LP Smoke Ring For My Halo made good all the promise he had showed in flashes on his earlier albums and so, with expectation hanging heavy in the air he has gone and taken that template, tightened its sound and expanded its possibilities on the superb 69 minute Wakin On A Pretty Daze. Ten minute opener Wakin On A … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Kurt Vile | Wakin On A Pretty Daze
by Chris Familton PVT have seemingly been a band in transition for their last couple of albums. Primarily that sense of flux has arisen from the necessity of a name change to avoid conflict with another Pivot and also due to the nature of the evolution of their songwriting and the increased focus on the vocals of Richard Pike, one of the defining aspects, for … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: PVT | Homosapien
by Chris Familton Melbourne garage rock renaissance man Mikey Young has his hand in a plethora of projects both as a producer and as guitarist in Eddy Current Suppression Ring and Total Control. Here Ooga Boogas expand on the sound of the last Total Control album by taking a trip into new wave, 70s punk and the type of agitated funk that everyone from Talking … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Ooga Boogas | Ooga Boogas
by Chris Familton John Grant first came to prominence as the singer of The Czars around the turn of the century before returning with his highly regarded solo LP Queen of Denmark in 2010. Fans of that record will find some songs here that fit the same template as his solo debut but they may also be surprised by the heavy streak of retro electronica … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: John Grant | Pale Green Ghosts
by Chris Familton Ducktails is the solo project for Matt Mondanile whose regular music day job is with laid back indie guitar popsters Real Estate. As their profile has grown, so too has the level of attention Ducktails music has received as it has evolved from relatively lo-fi and fragmented beginnings to a fully fledged and comparatively slick form as evidenced by the exceptional new … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Ducktails | The Flower Lane
by Chris Familton The term ‘Flying Nun sound’ gets bandied around a lot but in truth the acts on the New Zealand label’s roster were a diverse bunch. Popstrangers released an early single on the label and have been tagged with Flying Nun references but unlike usual suspects The Bats and The Clean, Popstrangers sit firmly in darker sonic corners where Gordons, JPS Experience and … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Popstrangers | Antipodes
by Chris Familton Matthew Houck (Phosphorescent) has proven to be something of a prolific and mercurial songwriter since his third album Pride caught people’s attention in 2007 with its stark and heartfelt folk songs. Since then he confessed his love for Willie Nelson before further embracing country music on Here’s To Taking It Easy. Muchacho is a shift from the musical themes of those records, … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Phosphorescent | Muchacho
by Chris Familton 26 years after departing what many felt were the most important UK band of the 80s Johnny Marr is finally releasing his debut solo album after collaborations with Bernard Sumner, The The, Modest Mouse, The Cribs and others yet The Messenger defiantly signals a return to those original tumbling notes and familiar sparkling chords. The immediate thing that stands out is the … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Johnny Marr | The Messenger
by Chris Familton Pissed Jeans… how can anyone go past a name like that? As a descriptor of the band that the moniker graces it is a pretty appropriate for these Pennsylvanian miscreants who ooze bodily fluids, sordid themes and many forms of self loathing and disdain. Following on from 2009’s Hope For Men, Honeys sticks to the same template of that and previous records … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Pissed Jeans | Honeys
Sydney songwriter Bryan Estepa has been releasing music for a decade now and on Heart vs Mind he has consolidated those years of songwriting, performing and developing his craft to produce a superb album that excels in effortless, meticulous and timeless songwriting. The predominant feature of the record is how versatile Estepa is as a musical magpie. He dips into all manner of stylistic pools, whether it be the … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Bryan Estepa – Heart vs Mind (2013)
by Chris Familton Psychedelic music in its many forms has experienced a healthy renaissance in recent years. Sure it has never gone away but for a long time it was relegated back to the underground, the place where it first emerged. Now we have everything from wigged-out psych rock at the heavy end of the spectrum down to lightly tarnished psych folk, not too far … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Foxygen | We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace and Magic
Doubtful Sounds 