by Chris Familton Melodie Nelson’s debut album of 2011, Meditations on the Sun, was a wonderful slice of hazy 60s pop which she has promptly followed up with a record that takes that template and builds on it with an air of confidence in both its songwriting and sound. To The Dollhouse is very much a period piece in that there is little to … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Melodie Nelson | To The Dollhouse
by Chris Familton Jonny Telafone kicked things off with his kid on overload performance that rivals Donny Benet for its tongue in cheek pastiche, kitchen sink electro and synth pop cheesiness. There is no doubt that Telafone is a great performer even if he is just singing over Suicide-tinged backing tracks from his laptop but with song titles like Make Your Pussy Cum and his … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: Twerps @ Goodgod Small Club, Sydney (11/08/12)
by Chris Familton Melbourne’s Pony Face opened the evening and proved to be just as enigmatic and hard to pin down as they sound on record. The trio operate in the realm of dark atmospheric rock and showed they have a great handle on space and dynamics with songs that worked up often gentle and sometimes frantic moods. Their bassist was fascinating to watch as … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: Lee Ranaldo @ OAF, Sydney (20/10/12)
by Chris Familton Musical pairings are a common event for individual songs but two artists collaborating to produce an album’s worth of music doesn’t happen as often as one would expect. David Byrne has always been a songwriter with a strong sense of curiosity and communality, whether it be the polymorphic approach to his work in Talking Heads and their melding of funk, pop, soul … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: David Byrne & St. Vincent | Love This Giant
by Chris Familton Highly touted by the UK press and championed by The Horrors, this London quintet continue the English tradition of exploratory psychedelic rock music with mixed but generally good results. TOY aren’t beholden to a singular sound or style and that makes their debut album feel like a ranging, searching collection of songs. From the indie pop classicism of Reasons Why to the … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: TOY | TOY
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
I’ve dug everything I’ve heard from Bad//Dreems (SA) so far, especially the brilliant Chills and now they’ve released a new track, Tomorrow Mountain as a stream and/or ‘name your price’ (including free) download on their Bandcamp page. It sees them heading into a darker, atmospheric place that feels more spacious but at the same time the lyrics and cavernous, slashing guitar sound conjures up feelings of dread and … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Bad//Dreems release new song Tomorrow Mountain
PRESS RELEASE Before Flying Nun, before any ‘Dunedin Sound’, there was Toy Love. Now more than 30 years later, the five-piece (Chris Knox, Alec Bathgate, Paul Kean, Jane Walker and Mike Dooley) are set to receive both the New Zealand Herald Legacy Award at this year’s New Zealand Music Awards and an induction into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame. To celebrate, Flying Nun … Continue reading NEWS: Flying Nun & Real Groovy Records release new Toy Love compilation LP
Perth’s Mining Boom have just released a new clip for their excellent track Craigie. The clip features crazy tripped out digital distortion over a collection of images. The song is built on a great droning backdrop with some melanbcholic guitar in contrast to the lyrics of bashing and gyms. Craigie comes on the back of the previously released PDA, a killer Interpol meets The Strokes … Continue reading WATCH: Mining Boom | Craigie
Melbourne’s Total Control are releasing their first 7″ single on Sub Pop next week and both Scene From A Marriage and the b-side Contract are exclusive to the release. The release comes on the back of their Henge Beat LP from 2011 that garnered great reviews. After a deceptive acoustic guitar intro the song kicks into gear with the band’s choppy swagger making providing a … Continue reading LISTEN: New single from Total Control on Sub Pop
by Chris Familton Now into their third decade, Redd Kross have delivered their seventh album that has them sounding as vital and visceral a power pop band as ever. Researching The Blues has certainly been a long time coming since the band reconvened in 2006 after a decade long hiatus. The quality of songwriting shows that time was put to good use, allowing them to … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Redd Kross | Researching The Blues
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
Doubtful Sounds 