ALBUM REVIEW: The Afghan Whigs – In Spades
Greg Dulli and band return with their second album since reconvening in 2012. That first resurrection was very good but it still felt like they were feeling their way back. This time they’ve found a stronger creative line into the dark heart and soul of what made their music so compelling the first time around. In Spades is a heady concoction that takes repeat listens … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: The Afghan Whigs – In Spades
SONIC KICKS: The Singing Skies
On the eve of the Vivid launch show for the new LP from The Singing Skies, the main creative figure behind the band, Kell Derrig-Hall, takes us on a tour of his record collection and a few of the albums that shaped his musical life. Head In The Trees, Heart On The Ground (via Preservation Records) is Derrig-Hall’s second album and it’s quite the immersive, mesmerising and atmospheric … Continue reading SONIC KICKS: The Singing Skies
ALBUM REVIEW: Thurston Moore – Rock N Roll Consciousness
The Sonic Youth guitar slinger and solo artist returns with a new album, his second with his current group which includes My Bloody Valentine’s Debbie Googe, Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley and guitarist James Sedwards. Familiarity with those players on-stage and in-studio pays off in spades with this confident, relaxed and expansive new record. Moore has always vacillated between skewed punk/art-pop and experimental soundscapes and … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Thurston Moore – Rock N Roll Consciousness
ALBUM REVIEW: British Sea Power – Let The Dancers Inherit The Party
Mercurial art-pop and post-punk auteurs British Sea Power return after a four year break (excluding soundtrack work) and they sound wholly refreshed and focused on their sixth album. There’s a cohesive sound to the rousing guitars and propulsive drumming as they take stock of the world around them and the role of the individual in it all. It’s steeped in their trademark melancholy, yet framed … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: British Sea Power – Let The Dancers Inherit The Party
LIVE REVIEW: Underground Lovers
Underground Lovers, Simon Holmes @ Leadbelly, Newtown, May 18th, 2017 With an excellent new album in tow, Underground Lovers finally made it back up the highway to Sydney after a few years absence. They’ve clearly retained and widened their audience too, with two sold out shows to celebrate the release of the new record. Simon Holmes of The Hummingbirds had to battle the restless and chatty … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: Underground Lovers
INTERVIEW: Underground Lovers
THE JOY OF HUMAN IMPERFECTION Underground Lovers return with their second post-hiatus album Staring At You Staring At Me and a run of live shows. The band’s Vincent Giarrusso talks with Chris Familton about the theme of the album and harnessing the human element in machines. As is their trademark, Underground Lovers have created a new album that draws from a wide range of styles … Continue reading INTERVIEW: Underground Lovers
ALBUM REVIEW: Bad//Dreems – Gutful
There’s an inauspicious start with the BD-by numbers Johnny Irony but any doubts of a sophomore slump are quickly quashed by first single Mob Rule which utilises gang chants and pub rock bar chords to rail against the narrow-minded, pack mentality sub-cultures in Australian society. That sentiment permeates much of the album, blatantly and subtly. It’s their statement of sorts and it comes at a timely … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Bad//Dreems – Gutful
LIVE REVIEW: The Tall Grass, Adam Gibson & The Ark-Ark Birds, Christine Jane
The Tall Grass, Adam Gibson & The Ark-Ark Birds, Christine Jane Leadbelly, Newtown (May 6th, 2017) This was a double album launch for The Tall Grass and Adam Gibson and they chose well to celebrate their new albums together. The songs and music of both bands deal in rich poetics and tangled and exultant musicality. Mood and emotion are strong components of their respective works. … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: The Tall Grass, Adam Gibson & The Ark-Ark Birds, Christine Jane
NEW MUSIC: Suzie Stapleton – You Were There
Suzie Stapleton has been based in London for the last two years, playing shows, recording and collaborating with like-minded artists. Now we get to hear the fruits of her labour with the exquisite new single ‘You Were There’, a slow, swaying, atmospheric wander of a song. There’s dark intent at play, a sense of past events just outside the perimeter of one’s memory. The rhythm section … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Suzie Stapleton – You Were There
NEW MUSIC: Jep and Dep – Cruel Moon (video)
Jep and Dep are back with ‘Cruel Moon’, the first single from their forthcoming second LP, due out this August. Over the last couple of years they’ve developed a cohesive and atmospheric style, built on strong monochromatic imagery in their photos and videos – the perfect marriage to their sparse, sometimes lush, always compelling folk-noir sound. Jessica Cassar and Darren Cross take a strong conceptual approach to … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Jep and Dep – Cruel Moon (video)
VIDEO: Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – Sick Bug
Here’s another track off Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever’s consistently excellent French Press EP, out now on Sub Pop. Tumbling, jangly guitars and that incessant drum beat are the backdrop for young lust… “I want you, I want you, I want you, I want you, I wanna see you smiling on a blue afternoon dreaming of the ceiling and the smell of your room cuz I want … Continue reading VIDEO: Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – Sick Bug
INTERVIEW: Rickie Lee Jones
RICKIE’S STILL IN LOVE WITH MUSIC Rickie Lee Jones, she of the long and diverse career that began back in the late 70s with that single Chuck E’s In Love, is still passionate about music and her achievements, as she explains to Chris Familton. Beginning at the start of her career in Hollywood, odd jobs, a chance encounter with Tom Waits and her demo tape … Continue reading INTERVIEW: Rickie Lee Jones
Doubtful Sounds 