If you’re a fan of The Necks you already know what you’re in for – long improvised instrumental pieces of music that explore drone, repetition and texture. The trio deliver just that but this time the point of difference is the dark, unsettling mood and the subsequent feelings of tension and unease that it conjures up; across the shimmering drone of the first piece and … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: The Necks – Vertigo
Gold Class came out of nowhere for me with their recent single ‘Life As A Gun’. Possessing a perfectly disaffected post-punk holler and tightly-wound dynamics it set the scene for a new promising act on the local Australian scene to right the balance and provide an antidote to the indie electro soul and generic radio-friendly indie pop and rock that has been polluting the airwaves … Continue reading NEWS: Gold Class Announce Tour And Preview Stream Debut Album
Axel Willner aka The Field is heading our way for a run of shows this October courtesy of Mistletone. One of our favourite electronic artists who has released a run of superb albums (Cupid’s Head, Looping State of Mind, From Here We Go Sublime and Yesterday And Today), EPs and remixes all with his signature mix of drone and hypnotic loops. Melancholic euphoria! THE FIELD TOUR … Continue reading TOUR NEWS: The Field Announces 2015 Australian Tour
Melbourne trio My Disco have been fairly quiet of late but now they’re about to unleash their new album and going on the sound of first single ‘King Sound’ they’ve stripped things back even further to a dark, minimal and stealth-like piece of musical machinery. Brutal, brooding and clinical it captures the airspace between post-rock and dark electronica perfectly. The new LP Severe has been … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: My Disco Return With New Single And Album
The Auckland quartet have made an auspicious start to their recording career, signing to Spunk who are releasing their debut album across Australia and New Zealand. They’re one of many acts currently making waves with a 90s flavoured sound yet theirs is a blend of influences that makes it hard to pin them down as recyclers of any one band’s sound. That is of course … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: New Gum Sarn – New Gold Mountain
Martin Phillipps has had his battles over the years, both with bandmates, his health and drugs, but the good news is that a new album by The Chills is being released on October 30th via Fire Records. Silver Bullets is the band’s first full-length since Sunburnt back in 1996. Check out the first single ‘America Says Hello’ featuring that characteristic propulsion of guitar and keyboards … Continue reading NEWS: The Chills announce new album Silver Bullets
Fresh off the internet superhighway, here’s the brand new single from New Order and straight off the bat it sounds better than anything they’ve done for years. That melancholic pop streak is there. Bernard Sumner’s trademark guitar riff is intact and he’s singing within the music instead of trying to be a rock singer. Nice stuff. The new album Music Complete is out September 25th on Mute. Continue reading NEW MUSIC: New Order – Restless
One of my favourite bands over the last few years has been Protomartyr, a quartet out of Detroit who combine post-punk dynamics, a nihilist howl, jagged edges and intelligent espousals. The good news is they have a new album called The Agent Intellect (their 3rd in as many years) coming out on August 8th via Hardly Art /Inertia. Below you can hear the first single ‘Why … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Protomartyr announce new single and album
I was pretty disappointed with Bloom, the last Beach House album. Something didn’t click for me, it felt too dissipated and bloodless. The good news for anyone who may have felt the same is that the first track to appear from the new album finds them back to mining woozy, droning psychedelic qualities to excellent effect. They sound ethereal and off kilter like a ghostly … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Beach House – Sparks
Wellingtonians The Phoenix Foundation have released a second single, the title track from their forthcoming new album Give Up You Dreams. It’s a pulsing Krautrock slice of pop psychedelia with a nagging melancholic chorus. The new album is out August 7th. Preorder HERE. Continue reading NEW MUSIC: The Phoenix Foundation – Give Up Your Dreams
Blank Realm have a new record on the way, their first proper studio recorded effort, produced by Lawrence English. Illegals In Heaven is due out on September 4th via Bedroom Suck/Fire Records. Here’s the first taste of it in the single ‘River Of Longing’ – all tangled guitars, meshed and spaghetti’ing across the stereo spectrum over a frantic drumbeat. Gloriously messy and vibrant brilliance as … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Blank Realm – River Of Longing
Finally those Adelaide reprobates Bad//Dreems have gone and announced their album Dogs At Bay is complete and ready to do the business from August 21st. Produced by Mark Opitz (AC/DC, The Angels, INXS, Cold Chisel) it’s been a long time coming but it will no doubt be worth the wait given the superb singles ‘Dumb Ideas’/’My Only Friend’ and ‘Cuffed and Collared’ that have already been released from … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Bad//Dreems announce Album, Single and Tour
Doubtful Sounds 