FEATURE: Signposts in Modern Music
We look at six songs that stand out as important moments in modern music, changing the playing field and inspiring legions of other musicians… JEFF BUCKLEY – GRACE (1994) With alternative music (as it was known at the time) in the grip of grunge and hard rock it took a sensitive young man with an angelic voice, good looks and a mesmerizing guitar style to … Continue reading FEATURE: Signposts in Modern Music
LIST: DS Top Albums of 2012
2012 felt like somewhat of a mixed bag of musical lollies with our favourites encompassing americana, power pop, 80s synth, indie and many shades of psychedelia. The only thing that tied them all together was the strong streak of melody that each was built on. Even in the case of someone like Neil Young & Crazy Horse it was Young’s incredible weaving of musical notes … Continue reading LIST: DS Top Albums of 2012
ALBUM REVIEW: Dinosaur Jr. | I Bet On Sky
by Chris Familton Of the recent spate of reunions, Dinosaur Jr’s was one of the most unlikely, but over three albums it’s proven to be one of the most successful. From the cyclical soloing and piano on opener Don’t Pretend You Didn’t Know to the sleepy sway of Stick A Toe In and the rapid-fire riffs of Pierce The Morning Rain, the quota of simple ideas executed … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Dinosaur Jr. | I Bet On Sky
ALBUM REVIEW: METZ | METZ
by Chris Familton Since the days when bands like Fugazi, Nirvana and Jesus Lizard ruled the underground of American rock, before death and hiatus cut them short, there’s been a relative sparsity of sonically like-minded bands taking up the mantle set by those and many other acts. Melvins are still carving a unique path and bands like Harvey Milk and Pissed Jeans are promising inheritors … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: METZ | METZ
LIST: Top Songs of 2012
These are the songs that didn’t just drift by in the chaos and digital clutter. They caught my ear, took up residence in my brain and refused to let go without stirring some form of emotional response – physical or emotional. Which songs in 2012 made you stop and think to yourself ‘damn that is a good song’? In no particular order: Continue reading LIST: Top Songs of 2012
ALBUM REVIEW: The Jim Jones Revue | The Savage Heart
by Chris Familton With a reputation born mainly from their sweat and swagger live shows, The Jim Jones Revue have finally captured some of that frantic magic on their third and best album The Savage Heart. Breathing new life into purist rock n roll isn’t an easy task when you consider the originators of the genre and the huge number of the bands over the … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: The Jim Jones Revue | The Savage Heart
ALBUM REVIEW: The Soft Pack | Strapped
by Chris Familton The LA quartet return with their sophomore album that finds them throwing more influences into the mix while still maintaining their highly melodic indie rock sound. Strapped feels like a step up for a band that specialized in efficient garage rock dispatches and even though they have softened their rawer edges they have compensated by dialing in more expansive textures and song … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: The Soft Pack | Strapped
LIVE REVIEW: Beck @ State Theatre, Sydney (14/11/12)
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)
LISTEN: Popstrangers | Heaven – from their new album ‘Antipodes’
New Zealand trio Popstrangers have a new album Antipodes coming out late Feb/early March (depending where you are) and they’ve done the decent thing and released the first song from it, Heaven on Soundcloud. It’s a super hooky piece of guitar pop/rock that gets gloriously woozy in the chorus and choppy in the verses. The band released some singles on Flying Nun before signing with Carpark … Continue reading LISTEN: Popstrangers | Heaven – from their new album ‘Antipodes’
INSIDE SLEEVE: The Cure | Standing On A Beach – The Singles
This is the first instalment of an ongoing feature that will look at the inside of vinyl album sleeves. So many album covers have become iconic, instantly recognisable images and they are often the first thing that comes to mind when a record is mentioned. They create the mood, aesthetic and feel of the music presented within. In this day and age of digital immediacy … Continue reading INSIDE SLEEVE: The Cure | Standing On A Beach – The Singles
SONIC KICKS: The City Lights
The City Lights have been around the Sydney scene releasing albums in a few different incarnations since 2004 but it was only recently that I first caught them live, as a power pop trio and they blew me away. On the back of their recently released album I Just Got To Believe they played a tight propulsive set which led me claim in my review … Continue reading SONIC KICKS: The City Lights
LIVE REVIEW: Charlie Horse @ The Factory Floor, Sydney (03/11/12)
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)
Doubtful Sounds 