by Chris Familton Matthew Houck (Phosphorescent) has proven to be something of a prolific and mercurial songwriter since his third album Pride caught people’s attention in 2007 with its stark and heartfelt folk songs. Since then he confessed his love for Willie Nelson before further embracing country music on Here’s To Taking It Easy. Muchacho is a shift from the musical themes of those records, … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Phosphorescent | Muchacho
by Chris Familton The previous night at the Bimbagden Estate winery in the Hunter Valley was a superb 2 hour show from Neil Young & Crazy Horse with only one thing missing – his full stage setup. Of course musically it didn’t matter, everything still sounded as widescreen and epic as usual but it certainly felt comforting to arrive at the Sydney Entertainment Centre to … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: Neil Young & Crazy Horse @ Sydney Entertainment Centre (10/03/13)
Sydney songwriter Bryan Estepa has been releasing music for a decade now and on Heart vs Mind he has consolidated those years of songwriting, performing and developing his craft to produce a superb album that excels in effortless, meticulous and timeless songwriting. The predominant feature of the record is how versatile Estepa is as a musical magpie. He dips into all manner of stylistic pools, whether it be the … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Bryan Estepa – Heart vs Mind (2013)
by Chris Familton These are prolific times for Neil Young, even more so than usual with the release of two Crazy Horse albums, a memoir, continued work on next volume of Archives and the development of a new high-end digital music format. Add in touring to promote all of the above and it is something of a landmark year for the 67 year old. Psychedelic … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Neil Young & Crazy Horse | Psychedelic Pill
by Chris Familton Featuring Charlie Horse bassist Craig Beck on guitar and vocals, Rushing Dolls have a big strong sound that relies on 90s rock dynamics and impassioned vocals from the school of Placebo but they lacked a stage presence that might otherwise make their songs more believable and enjoyable. They build melody into their rock and there were some flashes of where they might … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: Charlie Horse @ The Factory Floor, Sydney (03/11/12)
Charlie Horse are currently playing East Coast shows to celebrate their well-received debut album, I Hope I’m Not A Monster, even though the recording of their next one is already underway. We discussed the creative process, the music industry and more with guitarist Paul McDonald and singer Crystal Rose. How have the rehearsals been going for this run of album release shows? PM – We’ve tried … Continue reading INTERVIEW: Charlie Horse
Jen Cloher has a new album In Blood Memory due out early in 2013 and here’s the first taste of how it will sound. Mount Beauty shifts from tender folk tinged pop beginnings to a swinging, swagger of a rock song with a bunch of country flavours added into the mix. You can download a free MP3 of Mount Beauty here Jen Cloher and Courtney … Continue reading WATCH: Jen Cloher | Mount Beauty
NEW RELEASES This week sees a handful of noteworthy album releases with the most prominent being the new Tame Impala LP Lonerism. The hype has been building for this one for a while now and on early listens it doesn’t disappoint. There is a huge widescreen sound happening with Kevin Parker’s trademark psych signature all over the guitars, drums and increasingly – synths. San Diego’s … Continue reading New Releases | October 6th 2012
Calexico have just this week released their new album Algiers and here is the video for the first single from it, Splitter. Algiers is their 8th album including 2010’s soundtrack to the film Circo. The album title comes from the neighbourhood where they worked on the album in New Orleans. Their record label ANTI- has posted an insight into the making of the record on their … Continue reading WATCH: Calexico | Splitter [Video]
Sydney band Charlie Horse recently released the excellent LP I Hope I’m Not A Monster which is still sitting pretty in our list of favourite releases in 2012. Now they’ve released a video clip for one of the album highlights Dead Roses. Charlie Horse are playing a show to officially celebrate their album at The Factory Theatre’s The Factory Floor on November 3rd supported by The … Continue reading WATCH: Charlie Horse | Dead Roses
by C. Familton Pennsylvania native Daughn Gibson is a new artist who has seemingly appeared fully formed out of nowhere. The most unique thing about his debut album is the way it morphs between different styles, often quite different realms such as country and soulful electronica but it somehow all hangs together wonderfully and as a result Gibson paints himself as a fascinating chameleon-like musician. … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Daughn Gibson | All Hell
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 