by Chris Familton Julia Holter inhabits a fascinating world as a modern composer. Her music doesn’t sit comfortably in any one genre – indie, electronic, ambient or pop – but rather it straddles multiple styles, drifting between them and merely hinting at the musical references that inform her music. Ekstasis is Ancient Greek for ecstasy and specifically being ‘outside of oneself’ and in the context … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Julia Holter | Ekstasis
I’ve been on a bit of a shoe gaze vibe of late, what with the My Bloody Valentine reissues, an interview with Ride’s Mark Gardener and the excellent gig from The Horrors earlier in the year. The influence of that sound from the late 80s / early 90s is still resonating in the music of a ton of new bands and one that I’ve come … Continue reading Song Of The Week: Toy | Left Myself Behind
Light Asylum duo Shannon Funchess and Bruno Coviello tell Chris Familton about their formation and the philosophy behind their industrial and primitive synth based music. If you’ve heard Light Asylum’s first single Dark Allies and thought you were hearing a new song from The Sisters of Mercy you wouldn’t be alone. The deep foreboding intonations strongly resemble those of Andrew Eldritch and combined with the similarly shadowy … Continue reading INTERVIEW: Light Asylum
by Chris Familton Definitions of the word bloom include ‘the time or period of greatest beauty or artistry’ and the flowering of a plant. Both feel appropriate in terms of the title of the new album from Baltimore’s Beach House with the songs roaming through themes of living in the moment, self determination and the fleeting temporality of beauty. On Bloom, Victoria Legrand and Alex … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Beach House | Bloom
by Chris Familton Nick Cave and co aren’t known for sending out their songs for remixes but in light of the band’s recent dissolution this is perhaps a loosening of the reins, an opening of arms to collaboration and reinterpretation of songs from their 2010 swansong LP Grinderman 2. The first thing that catches the eye is the list of other artists that have contributed … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Grinderman | Grinderman 2 RMX
Sydney duo Valar have been making a name for themselves with their dreamy, hypnotic indietronica. If you are in Sydney you can catch them at the Paddington Uniting Church this Thursday but in the meantime check out a live in studio video of them performing Anoesis and listen/buy last year’s The Belly of the Whale and other releases over at Bandcamp. Continue reading ds recommends: Valar
by Chris Familton My Morning Jacket did the early attendees a great service in bringing Dawes down to Australia with them and it was a real shame more people weren’t there to get a taste of their straightforward Americana that caught the ear with its plentiful use of space and some nice power pop dynamics. Fronted by Taylor Goldsmith, the band is definitely more than … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: My Morning Jacket @ Enmore Theatre, Sydney (03/04/12)
UK label Fierce Panda are set to release a double album celebrating the work of UK band Talk Talk this May. The compilation will be comprised of covers by a huge list of artists such as King Creosote, Alan Wilder, Jason Lytle, Zero 7, Crispin Hunt, Linton Kwesi Johnson, White Belt Yellow Tag, Electric Soft Parade, Joan As Policewoman, White Lies, Goldheart Assembly and many, many … Continue reading NEWS: Talk Talk tribute album and book due in May
written by Chris Familton Newcomers DCM (Wolfmother’s Chris Ross and Daniel Stricker of the Midnight Juggernauts) set up their keyboards and effect units on the dancefloor in front of the stage and opened the evening with some glorious kraut-tinged electronica that was the perfect sonic calm before the storm to come. They showed a nice balance between pseudo ambient washes of sounds and some harder … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: WOODEN SHJIPS @ OAF, SYDNEY (24/03/12)
written by Chris Familton Melbourne’s Baptism of Uzi opened the night with their heavily krautrock influenced take on instrumental rock. With busy and propulsive drumming and wonderfully swirling psych synths they took the music into a decidedly human realm rather than the robotic nature of much of the music of that genre. Guitarist Bojan Stojanov kept the sound riding high and melodic with his … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: Michael Rother @ OAF, Sydney (17/03/12)
written by Chris Familton Never one to shy from displaying his emotions, Xiu Xiu’s Jamie Stewart returns with his eighth LP Always. The album title suitably sums up his continued obsessions with damaged emotions, the human body and oppression. He wraps it all up in what has become a trademark sound of dark electronica full of swoon and suffocating catharsis. The reference points of 80s … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Xiu Xiu | Always
This year the Sydney Opera House based festival Vivid LIVE has done away with a guest curator, in the past using Lou Reed & Laurie Anderson, Brian Eno and others. From 2012 onward the festival will be overseen by the Sydney Opera House’s programming team, led by Head of Contemporary Music, Fergus Linehan as Festival Director. The full line-up for this year has been announced today … Continue reading NEWS: 2012 Vivid LIVE Festival Program Announced…
Doubtful Sounds 