Mark Kozelek returns with a new LP Benji early next month after a busy year in 2013 where he released 3 albums – a solo covers LP and releases in collaboration with Desertshore and Jimmy La Valle respectively. Continue reading LISTEN: Sun Kil Moon | Richard Ramirez Died Of Natural Causes
J Walker returns with a new collection of dreamy and inventive songs that simultaneously serenade and gently challenge the listener. Ostensibly the solo project of J Walker, Machine Translations is now eight albums deep in a discography that has proven to be one overflowing with inventiveness, creativity and in many cases unassuming genius. Walker is one of those musicians who flies under the mainstream radar … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Machine Translations | The Bright Door
Returning with their first album in seventeen years, it quickly becomes apparent that time doesn’t equate to change in the world of Mazzy Star. That is of course a good thing if you are fan of their earlier work as here they take those key elements of Hope Sandoval’s breathless, sensual voice and David Roback’s spacious, drifting musical canvases and wrap them around a batch … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Mazzy Star | Seasons of Your Day
On his exceptional new album, Bill Callahan (formerly Smog) has recorded his most peaceful and meditative set of songs. There is a bucolic, contemplative feel to the eight songs on offer as they weave across percussive landscapes, led by flutes and hypnotic guitars. Sonically the album is rooted in pastoral folk, much of it soaked in dub-heavy reverb and delay. The focus though is firmly … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Bill Callahan | Dream River
Luke Russell and his band the Proposition opened the evening with a set of sixties flavoured guitar pop peppered with quirky song titles like My Girl’s Prematurely Grey. The Proposition, who include a Wiggle (Murray Cook) on guitar, show a deft melodic touch when it comes to building a playful musicality to Russell’s songs, shading them in soulful retro-pop colours. The Nature Strip took the … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: Bryan Estepa @ Union Hotel, Sydney (08/08/13)
by Chris Familton Everyone heading to the Sydney Entertainment Centre would have been sure of one thing – that they were about to experience arguably the greatest rock vocalist of the last forty years. For many there would have also been doubts about whether they were going to get a trip down Led Zeppelin memory lane or whether Robert Plant would be exploring his fascination … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: Robert Plant & The Sensational Shape Shifters @ Sydney Entertainment Centre (28/03/13)
Following the swampier sounds of the last Iron & Wine album Sam Beam seems to have head for more soul-infused pastures from what we’ve heard of the new LP Ghost On Ghost. Here is the first video to come from the album for the song Joy. The album is out now via Nonesuch Records. Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Iron & Wine | Joy
by Chris Familton It is always a pleasure to visit the ornate surroundings of Sydney’s State Theatre with its outlandish detailing and proclivity for gold and chandeliers. It creates a certain mood and atmosphere and definitely lends a sense of occasion to whichever band is gracing its stage. UK’s Dark Horses had the opening honours and, with quite a different sound to Beck, they played … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: Beck @ State Theatre, Sydney (14/11/12)
It is great to see Christopher Owens remaining active and releasing his first solo album so soon after the Girls split was announced. His new album Lysandre will be released on January 14th, 2013 via Turnstile Music. According to the press release for the album: Lysandre follows Owens from San Francisco – where he’s filled with excitement after writing his band’s Album – to New York … Continue reading NEWS: Ex-Girls Christopher Owens announces solo album details
Taken from Piers Twomey’s 2012 album Strange Advice comes the gently shuffling The Mountain Song, a wonderfully breezy song that incorporates Sparklehorse/Grandaddy percussion and Twomey’s lilting folk voice that occupies similar territory to Grand Salvo’s Paddy Mann. It is a delightfully simple song with some clever shading and great textural variation. Live Dates Sept 9th – Annandale Hotel, Annandale, Sydney Oct 11th – Green Room Lounge, … Continue reading WATCH: Piers Twomey | The Mountain Song
Cat Power’s first single Ruin was fantastic catchy track and now a second song from her new album Sun has been released. Cherokee features her trademark piano swirl but now fleshed out with additional electronic and string flourishes. Also below you can listen to a remix of the track by Nicolas Jaar. Sun is released August 31st. Cat Power | Cherokee Cat Power | Cherokee … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Listen to Cat Power’s Cherokee.
by C. Familton When Matthew Ward began to gather curious listeners and build his audience with his fourth album Transfiguration of Vincent in 2003 he felt like somewhat of a mysterious figure with that husky, otherworldly voice that conjured up images of dusty country roads, dimly-lit juke joints and back porch sunset strumming. As his profile has grown and he has ventured into side projects … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: M. Ward | A Wasteland Companion
Doubtful Sounds 