Protomartyr delivered one of my favourite guitar-based records of last year in the dark, post-punk rock of No Passion All Technique so I was pretty excited to see they already have a follow-up recorded and just released. Under Color of Official Right takes the key elements of the last album and improves on them exponentially. The vocals are less barked and approach melodic singing in … Continue reading SONG OF THE WEEK: Protomartyr | Maidenhead
The Horrors were a band that first appeared on the music scene in 2007 like a gothic cartoon brought to life. Ridiculed in some quarters for their solemn appearance and Bauhaus/Birthday Party’isms they seemed consigned to the shadowy perimeters of popular culture, flavour of the month at best. Somehow though they clawed their way onwards and upwards through Primary Colours and Skying, bursting through the … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: The Horrors | Luminous
Duo Jason Williamson and Andrew Fearn are starting to make waves with their new album Divide & Exit and they’ve definitely got a great no wave, krautrock/post-punk sound going on with Lydon/Mark E. Smith type rants splattered on top. They describe themselves as electronic munt minimalist punk-hop rants for the working class and under from Nottingham, UK. Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Sleaford Mods | Tied Up In Nottz
The Frowning Clouds played an opening set that would surely have won them a barrel of new fans with a sound rooted in 60s beat and garage rock. They’re only a young band with one album under their belt yet their air of self-assurance and equally self-deprecating nonchalance perfectly suited their melody-rich guitar pop. They were a near-perfect package both visually and sonically with the … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: Sunnyboys @ Enmore Theatre, Sydney (29.03.14)
Take one part The Drones, one part Neil Young and a touch of raw guitar-driven soul and you’re on your way to getting to grips with the sound of this Melbourne band. Their attraction lies in the mellow/intense mood shifts of songs like Darius, the cathartic wailing angst of Dirty Bird and record’s skeletal musical bones. Seven Drummers, named for those who’ve occupied the drum … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: East Brunswick All Girls Choir | Seven Drummers
The curse of the ‘next big thing’ has been the downfall of many a band, particularly those coming out of the UK indie scene over the last few decades. The latest to get the media leg-up are a quintet from Leeds called Eagulls and the immediately refreshing aspect of the band is that they haven’t polished their rough edges to gain acceptance, instead they’ve left … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Eagulls | Eagulls
The Amazing Snakeheads are making waves and garnering great reviews with the debut LP Amphetamine Ballads which was released locally in Australia last week. Coming across like the wayward stepsons of Gun Club, Jesus Lizard and Nick Cave circa Birthday Party and Grinderman, the Scottish trio take rock n roll, blues and swamp punk back to the gutter under the light of a seedy streetlamp. ‘Here It … Continue reading TRACK OF THE WEEK: The Amazing Snakeheads | Here It Comes Again
New Zealand expats now based in the UK, Popstrangers already have a new album in the can and ready for release on May 27th via Carpark Records. Fortuna follows their excellent Antipodes LP, my favourite NZ album of 2013. ‘Country Kills’ is a tad less noisy and chaotic than their debut yet it still possesses their wonderful knack for chorus melodies. By the second chorus … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Popstrangers | Country Kills
After releasing Let the Sunburnt Country Burn in 2013, Sydney band Greta Mob haven’t wasted time in getting new music out on the streets with their new EP Gyspy Town due Friday March 28th. The title track (a re-working of the song that appeared on their debut album) features Spencer P. Jones (The Johnnys, Beasts of Bourbon etc) and it sounds like its been injected with blood-red technicolor. … Continue reading TRACK OF THE WEEK: Greta Mob | Gypsy Town (Revisited) Feat. Spencer P Jones
Savages played an intense set that successfully blended theatricality with impressive musicality. All four musicians were completely in the pocket with their respective instruments. Drum sticks were raised high like axe handles, beating out tribal disco grooves that embraced primitive physicality and literate technical nuance. Bass player Ayse Hassan moved in perfect unison with her guitar and the notes she was drawing from it, whether … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: Savages @ Metro Theatre, Sydney (05/02/14)
NEW RELEASE: On March 14th a Deluxe Edition CD and digital version of Sunnyboys’ debut album will be released. The album has been remastered and includes 24 bonus tracks – the entire album sessions, including later b-sides Stop & Think, Guts Of Iron & Physical Jerk. Also included for the first time on CD and download are the live tracks Thrill and Why Do I … Continue reading NEW RELEASE: Sunnyboys debut to be reissued
Slint were a band whose influence far outweighed their popularity. Their type of post-punk infused post-rock spawned many an imitator over the ensuing decades and now their most important album Spiderland is getting the reissue treatment. The Spiderland (Remastered) Box Set will be released April 15th and includes: Slint’s 1991 album, Spiderland, remastered from the original analog master tapes by Bob Weston and pressed on … Continue reading NEWS: Slint to release remastered Spiderland box set
Doubtful Sounds 