1 2 3 4 5 Written by Chris Familton, reviewed for FasterLouder Over their five albums Liars seem to firmly believe in Neil Young’s famous quote about mainstream success, “Traveling there soon became a bore so I headed for the ditch.” Their debut firmly placed them in the post punk recycling camp of scratchy funk and dance punk stylings. Their desire to create something more … Continue reading REVIEW: LIARS – Sisterworld
1 2 3 4 5 Folk music often gets written off as being uncool or irrelevant, such is the media frenzy to discover new bands and new genres. The truth of the matter is that without folk and all of its historical touchstones many of today’s musicians wouldn’t exist or at least would be playing a very different tune. Sisters Rachel and Becky Unthank are … Continue reading REVIEW: THE UNTHANKS – Here’s The Tender Coming
1 2 3 4 5 written by Chris Familton Jamie Stewart has been rolling with the Xiu Xiu moniker and variations of it for a decade now and the complex fusing of disparate sounds and styles has become his trademark. Dear God, I Hate Myself is one of his more accessible albums, probably closest in spirit to 2004’s Fabulous Muscles. It swings masochistically between indie … Continue reading REVIEW: XIU XIU – Dear God, I Hate Myself
1 2 3 4 5 reviewed for The Dwarf Messrs. Albarn and Hewlett have returned to add another layer of detail to the ever expanding world of Gorillaz. With a template firmly established with their prior albums Demon Days and Gorillaz, Albarn has called on another all-star lineup to add colour, grit and personality to what shapes up as his most animated attempt at a … Continue reading REVIEW: GORILLAZ – Plastic Beach
1 2 3 4 5 reviewed for FasterLouder American guitar music in the 1990s was a split personality that represented the two sides of an American youth that wanted out from the mass commercialization of MTV and Top 40 radio. On one hand the rise of grunge and nu-metal provided a testosterone outlet for anger and pent up frustration and that suited many perfectly. For … Continue reading REVIEW: PAVEMENT | Quarantine The Past…
1 2 3 4 5 reviewed for FasterLouder The Ruby Suns return with their third album Fight Softly and the overriding sense you get from the record is that main man Ryan McPhun is a restless soul when it comes to concocting his magical sounding music. 2008’s Sea Lion was full of tribal chants, indie folk percussion and electronic details that finely balanced the organic … Continue reading REVIEW: THE RUBY SUNS – Fight Softly
TUNNG – … AND THEN WE SAW LAND Tunng have shifted their line-up around a bit with singer Becky Jacobs taking a more prominent role. The new album is rich with folk and electronic elements and they aren’t afraid to push along the rhythms and take the music to less song based places. A varied and lush album that yield new discoveries upon each new … Continue reading WEEKLY ROUND UP
written by Chris Familton The cyclical nature of guitar music is such that the recycling of genres is happening at a quicker pace with every turn. As soon as you read that grunge is back there is another garage rock explosion on the horizon or prog rock is the flavour of the month. Thankfully the bands that rise above the hype are the ones that … Continue reading REVIEW: The Soft Pack | The Soft Pack
Each week we’ll take a quick look at 5 new releases, the good, the bad and the ugly in an effort to keep you up to date with the crazy amount of music that is coming out… 1. Due for release on March 20, The Sleeper is the debut album from England’s Leisure Society who have been garnering some some plaudits from the likes of … Continue reading Weekly Round Up…
1 2 3 4 5 reviewed for FasterLouder One of life’s great tragedies is that sense of anticipation you have for a new album from a band that has previously delivered a brilliant piece of work – and they always fail to live up to your expectations. The cruel part is that you keep holding out hope with each new album that comes along, thinking … Continue reading REVIEW: TINDERSTICKS – Falling Down A Mountain
1 2 3 4 5 reviewed for FasterLouder Midlake caught a lot of people by surprise and acquired new fans with their 2006 album The Trials Of Van Occupanther, a record that in part captured the freewheeling spirit of the 70s and west coast America. Lurking beneath the big breezy melodies was a more fragile and folk based sound that hinted at where the band’s … Continue reading REVIEW: MIDLAKE – The Courage Of Others
Sydney’s Mark Moldre has followed up the Troubled Genius EP with another track from his forthcoming album The Waiting Room (out March 10). In This Life is a gorgeous slice of sunny Americana pop in the vein of The Flaming Lips and with a subtle dash of Sparklehorse added to the mix. Moldre clearly relishes the challenge of where he can take his voice. On … Continue reading NEWS: MARK MOLDRE releases second single…
Doubtful Sounds 