ALBUM REVIEW: Zola Jesus | Conatus

written by Chris Familton Zola Jesus is one of a number of female singers with strong rich voices that have emerged in recent years. She shares similar vocal tonalities with the likes of Florence Welch, The Knife’s Karin Dreijer Andersson and Austra’s Katie Stelmanis yet she stands out above those and others as the strongest individual of the bunch. Following on from last year’s Stridulum … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Zola Jesus | Conatus

NEWS: Classic Talk Talk/Mark Hollis albums reissued on vinyl…

Mark Hollis and Talk Talk underwent a fascinating transformation from the synth pop of It’s A Shame and Dum Dum Girl to their exploratory and sparse sound on albums like Laughing Stock and Spirit Of Eden. Now labe Ba Da Bing are reissuing Laughing Stock and Mark Hollis’ subsequent solo record. Here is what Boomkat have to say about Talk Talk’s Laughing Stock: One of … Continue reading NEWS: Classic Talk Talk/Mark Hollis albums reissued on vinyl…

LIVE REVIEW: The Adults @ OAF, Sydney (01/09/11)

written by Chris Familton The Scientists of Modern Music is a fairly pretentious name at best but once you see/hear this Tasmanian duo it kind of makes sense. They don’t do anything by halves and delivered a strong set that was high on 80s electro pop anthems, a barrel of fun and an infectious stage presence. There were seemingly no boundaries to their healthy embrace … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: The Adults @ OAF, Sydney (01/09/11)

LISTEN: To Seekir from the new Zola Jesus album…

Zola Jesus has followed up last year’s Stridulum II pretty quickly with the upcoming Conatus, out October 4th via Sacred Bones. Stridulum II was a dark and lush trip through pop electronica and goth with Nika Roza Danilova’s voice a commanding presence throughout. Conatus sounds like it will continue that vibe but perhaps with a little less bombastic mood more finely tuned song construction. Head … Continue reading LISTEN: To Seekir from the new Zola Jesus album…

LIVE REVIEW: Donny Benet @ GoodGod Small Club

written by Chris Familton Kirin J Callinan is one of the more eccentric musicians on the Sydney scene creating dark splashes of guitar as sidekick to Jack Ladder and as a solo artist. Tonight he was the latter, playing a set that was stark, noisy, brooding and caustic and ultimately intriguing. His guitar style was open and highly evocative of everyone from the experimental side … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: Donny Benet @ GoodGod Small Club

ALBUM REVIEW: Joy Division/New Order | TOTAL

written by Chris Familton The story of Joy Division’s journey from post punk pioneers through the tragic suicide of frontman Ian Curtis and the subsequent and unexpected reincarnation as New Order is one that has been told many times over the decades. As far as legends go theirs is a classic tale of innocence, disaster and resurrection and though it has been romanticised to some … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Joy Division/New Order | TOTAL