Seminal garage rock band The Sonics return to Australia this September. Last time they were here they ripped it up at the Dig It Up! festival, showing the young punks how it is done. In 2015 band released their first studio album in nearly 50 years with This Is The Sonics. Led by saxophonist Rob Lind and featuring one time Kingsmen bassist Freddie Dennis and drummer … Continue reading TOUR NEWS: The Sonics Return To Australia
At the forefront of the loose scene of guitar adventurists that include Cian Nugent, Ryley Walker and Chris Forsyth, Steve Gunn is another who has figured out how to expand his sound to a full band and incorporate his lazy psych-rock vocals. The touchstones of Richard Lloyd and Tom Verlaine (Television) are obvious in the sparkling, spiralling guitar phrasings while on tracks such as Nature … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Steve Gunn – Eyes On The Lines
Taken from their new LP I Hear You, out on Sub Pop, here’s Arbor Labor Union‘s clip for the single Volume Peaks. Tough, gritty, rolling guitar dirges that dig in and stretch out. They’re a mangled mess of post punk, post rock, indie rock and freewheeling’ jam band psych grooves. Dig it. Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Arbor Labor Union – Volume Peaks
The Maladies are back! Well, they’ve been back gigging for the last year or so but this is the first new release since the Sydney group’s fine debut album With You Right By My Side, Baby The Deal Just Can’t Go Down came out in 2009. With a new album on the horizon, Something About Your Girlfriend previews their new sound – updating and expanding their swampy gothic blues … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: The Maladies – Something About Your Girlfriend
On The Drones last album, I See Seeweed (2013), there was a sense that the band had reached terminal velocity with their brand of dense, churning rock music and elegiac, snaking balladry. Where could they go from there without repeating the format they’d seemingly mastered? The answer is Feelin Kinda Free – the title alone signalling a breaking of the creative shackles. Between albums they also … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: The Drones – Feelin Kinda Free
Next year it will be 20 years since the vastly talented Buckley left this world at the age of 30. There have been regular posthumous releases of rarities, live shows and outtakes but the focus of You And I is on Buckley the interpreter. Included are covers of Led Zeppelin, The Smiths, Bob Dylan and Sly Stone in his inimitable emotive and ethereal style plus … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Jeff Buckley – You And I
This is the debut album from what is a veritable supergroup of modern psych rock/folk music. Meg Baird (Espers) on vocals & drums, Charlie Sauffley (Assemble Head In Sunburst Sound) and Noel Von Harmonson (Comets On Fire) on guitars, and bassist Ethan Miller (Comets On Fire, Howlin’ Rain) are your tour guides on this journey into tripped-out guitar solos, dreamy bewitching wanderings and plenty … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Heron Oblivion – Heron Oblivion
Here’s a new slice of White Denim wigged-out greatness. Yet again they dive into crazy psych boogie, glam pop glitter rock of the highest order. Their new album Stiff came out last week via Downtown Records/Create Control. Recommended as an antidote to the bloodless beige rock and no-soul electronic pop music poisoning the airwaves. Continue reading NEW MUSIC: White Denim – Holda You (I’m Psycho)
This was a night for the guitars. Loud, textural and visceral six-string magic. Opener Ben Salter had a keyboardist in his live band who added some fine organ and synth sounds but the Gin Club head honcho showed that his solo material leans more towards rhythm-heavy, guitar-led rock songs. Not in a primitive sense though, Salter’s fine way with words and his voice, which only … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: Built To Spill @ Manning Bar, Sydney (10/03/16)
Low Life ambled on stage and lurched into a 30 minute set of songs that swung from Black Flag punk to Bauhaus goth dirges, often within the same song. You got the feeling the songs could fall apart at any time yet the rhythm section was solid – allowing the guitars to dispatch primitive punk bar chords, heavily chorused textures and squalls of feedback. Low … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: METZ, My Disco, Low Life @ OAF, Sydney (10/02/16)
Taken from their excellent new LP Fortean Times, here’s the video clip for The Holy Soul’s single ‘There’s A Hair On The Soap’. Filmed in a shower, it’s a disconcerting concoction of hair, noodles, painted toenails, blood and grinding guitars. Continue reading VIDEO: The Holy Soul – There’s A Hair On The Soap
The Drones are about to unleash their new album Feelin Kinda Free on March 18th and ahead of that they’ve just released the video clip for their new 6 minute single ‘To Think That I Once Loved You’, an epic woozy ballad with dissonance emotionally scattered across it. Continue reading NEW MUSIC: The Drones – To Think That I Once Loved You
Doubtful Sounds 