REVIEW: WILLIAM ELLIOTT WHITMORE – Animals In The Dark

William Elliott Whitmore has been been releasing music since 2002 and this, his fifth album, could well be the one to elevate his status in the Americana, blues and folk community. Animals In The Dark takes a defiant stance against authority and the people in power such as Johnny Law, The Captain and other characters that inhabit his tales. Though addressing current social and political … Continue reading REVIEW: WILLIAM ELLIOTT WHITMORE – Animals In The Dark

Doubtful SoundsFebruary 18, 2009June 18, 2009Leave a comment

Album Reviews

REVIEW: VETIVER – Tight Knit

written by Chris Familton Vetiver is a native grass of India that is unique in that its roots grow down rather than spreading horizontally. Vetiver is a perfume created in 1956 by Gerlain. Vetiver is a folk group that invokes images of both nature and beauty. On this, his first release on the Sub Pop label, Vetiver’s Andy Cabic has taken no great risks but … Continue reading REVIEW: VETIVER – Tight Knit

Doubtful SoundsFebruary 16, 2009January 13, 20111 Comment

Album Reviews

REVIEW: HEARTLESS BASTARDS – The Mountain

Hailing from Dayton, Ohio, Heartless Bastards are ostensibly the vehicle for the songwriting and voice of Erika Wennerstrom. On this, their third album, she relocated to Austin, Texas and with the guiding production hand of Mike McCarthy (Spoon, Trail Of Dead) and a new rhythm section she put together The Mountain. Caught between genres is both a dilemma and an interesting position to be in … Continue reading REVIEW: HEARTLESS BASTARDS – The Mountain

Doubtful SoundsFebruary 16, 2009June 18, 2009Leave a comment

Album Reviews

REVIEW: PHOSPHORESCENT – To Willie

Cover albums are a strange beast. They can either be a hit or miss collection of an artist’s favourite songwriters like Patti Smith’s recent Twelve, or an album of different bands paying tribute to one particular musician such as The Late Great Daniel Johnston. Phosphorescent has taken a different angle by releasing To Willie, a collection of lesser known gems from Willie Nelson’s back catalogue. … Continue reading REVIEW: PHOSPHORESCENT – To Willie

Doubtful SoundsFebruary 16, 2009June 18, 2009Leave a comment

Album Reviews

REVIEW: J TILLMAN – Vacilando Territory Blues

Modern music is littered with musicians from successful groups releasing solo albums and the drummer in particular often seems to get the short end of the critical straw when it comes to their efforts. Insert here – Phil Collins, Taylor Hawkins, Ringo Starr and Keith Moon. Occasionally a drummer gets it right and in the case of Joshua Tillman he has produced a gem. The … Continue reading REVIEW: J TILLMAN – Vacilando Territory Blues

Doubtful SoundsFebruary 16, 2009June 18, 20091 Comment

Album Reviews

REVIEW: LACK OF EOINS – Echo Group

Label: Seksound Year: 2008 Indie music doesn’t produce many European bands of note, Iceland being the main exception. Whether it is the language barrier that prevents them gaining a wider audience or the record company and media stranglehold of the USA and the UK, it seems inevitable that there are bands out there in every city, writing and recording their music. Listening to the debut … Continue reading REVIEW: LACK OF EOINS – Echo Group

Doubtful SoundsJanuary 22, 2009August 18, 20093 Comments

Album Reviews

REVIEW: THE WELCOME WAGON – Welcome To The Welcome Wagon

We may as well get the obvious comparison out of the way early with the debut album from New York’s The Welcome Wagon. Almost as a mentor, Sufjan Stevens plays the role of producer, engineer and arranger on this selection of songs recorded over a number of years. His style of orchestral indie pop music is stamped all over the album with familiar female vocal … Continue reading REVIEW: THE WELCOME WAGON – Welcome To The Welcome Wagon

Doubtful SoundsDecember 23, 2008June 18, 2009Leave a comment

Album Reviews

REVIEW: VOLCANO! – Paperwork

Chicago’s volcano! are back with their second full length release and they continue their exploration of melody and noise with both success and on occasion, failure on Paperwork. With their smug lower case ‘v’ and the increasingly popular exclamation point (see Die! Die! Die, !!! and You Say Party! We Say Die!) it is obvious from the outset that there is going to be some … Continue reading REVIEW: VOLCANO! – Paperwork

Doubtful SoundsDecember 23, 2008June 18, 2009Leave a comment

Album Reviews

REVIEW: JACK LADDER – Love is Gone

Jack Ladder is one of those artists that has been ‘bubbling under’ for a few years now. His first album Not Worth Waiting For came and went with little fanfare and he seemed to be a perennial support artist around Sydney, performing with visitors such as Jason Molina, Bill Callahan and Okkervil River. Love is Gone arrives with an underlying sense of expectation. In the … Continue reading REVIEW: JACK LADDER – Love is Gone

Doubtful SoundsDecember 23, 2008June 18, 2009Leave a comment

Album Reviews

REVIEW: JAY REATARD – Matador Singles ’08

Jay Reatard is an interesting character. His image and reputation is one of a non sophisticated garage rocker, thrashing out punk ditties on a flying v. This perception is not a million miles from the truth but going from his output in 2008 it appears that there is more happening musically than many (myself included) gave him credit for. Matador Singles ’08 gathers the releases … Continue reading REVIEW: JAY REATARD – Matador Singles ’08

Doubtful SoundsNovember 27, 2008June 18, 2009Leave a comment

Album Reviews

REVIEW: RYAN ADAMS & THE CARDINALS – Cardinology

The ever prolific Ryan Adams has another record for us, the fourth with his band The Cardinals and his tenth since Heartbreaker back in 2000. Apart from 2006, Adams has released one album per year since the turn of the century and in fact released three in 2005 (Cold Roses, Jacksonville City Nights and 29) and he also produced Willie Nelson’s Songbird with backing from … Continue reading REVIEW: RYAN ADAMS & THE CARDINALS – Cardinology

Doubtful SoundsNovember 13, 2008June 18, 2009Leave a comment

Album Reviews

REVIEW: EARTH vs BRIGHTBLACK MORNING LIGHT

Listening to both these records over the weekend I sensed a real connection and some common threads running between the two of them. Made from two different environments and perspectives but sharing some of the same sonic aesthetics, they are disparate personalites travelling on opposite sides of the same road, with the same destination. Earth is a band that revolves around Dylan Carlson, the one … Continue reading REVIEW: EARTH vs BRIGHTBLACK MORNING LIGHT

Doubtful SoundsNovember 10, 2008June 18, 20092 Comments