Album Reviews, Audio Stream, Garage Rock, Guitar Rock, Indie Rock, Post-Punk, Psych

ALBUM REVIEW: Primal Scream | More Light

by Chris Familton Now into their third decade Primal Scream have carved out a varied eclectic career that has taken in punk, pop, electronic, psychedelic, krautrock, rock n roll and americana influences, sometimes playing them straight and other times twisting and mutating combinations of them into new and exciting forms. More Light is their most cohesive attempt at bringing all the facets of their music … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Primal Scream | More Light

Doubtful SoundsJune 6, 2013Leave a comment

Album Covers, Album Reviews, Guitar Rock, Post-Punk

ALBUM REVIEW: Savages | Silence Yourself

by Chris Familton London quartet Savages have been the subject of much anticipation and critical discourse regarding their debut album Silence Yourself and the good news is that they live up to much of the hype. The band don’t trade in anything new or mine any hitherto unknown musical ideas but they show an astute understanding of minimal input/maximum effect when it comes to song … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Savages | Silence Yourself

Doubtful SoundsJune 5, 2013August 27, 20131 Comment

Electronica, Funk, Interviews, Pop

INTERVIEW: The Black Seeds

THE BLACK SEEDS ARE CELEBRATING FIFTEEN YEARS TOGETHER AND ON THE EVE OF ANOTHER AUSTRALIAN VISIT VOCALIST DANIEL WEETMAN SPOKE WITH CHRIS FAMILTON ABOUT THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF THE BAND. Maintaining and indeed growing an international profile can be a tricky exercise for bands from the Southern Hemisphere. The costs of touring and missed opportunities from not being on the ground in Europe … Continue reading INTERVIEW: The Black Seeds

Doubtful SoundsMay 30, 2013Leave a comment

Album Covers, Album Reviews, Guitar Rock, Metal/Hard Rock, Video

ALBUM REVIEW: Beastwars | Blood Becomes Fire

by Chris Familton Beastwars are something of a musical anomaly in that a group of men in their late thirties arrived seemingly fully formed on the Wellington scene before releasing their debut self-titled LP and rapidly building a strong, nationwide fanbase. The musical allegiance of their fans in the metal scene isn’t a surprise as devotees of the hard, fast and heavy dictum are notoriously … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Beastwars | Blood Becomes Fire

Doubtful SoundsMay 30, 20131 Comment

Funk, Live Reviews, Soul

LIVE REVIEW: Bobby Womack @ The Civic Theatre, Auckland, New Zealand (18/05/13)

words by Charles Hemmingson / photo courtesy of Veronica McLaughlin (13th Floor) Soul is when you take a song and make it a part of you — a part that’s so true, so real, people think it must have happened to you. … It’s like electricity — we don’t really know what it is, do we? But it’s a force that can light a room. … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: Bobby Womack @ The Civic Theatre, Auckland, New Zealand (18/05/13)

Doubtful SoundsMay 23, 2013May 24, 2013Leave a comment

Garage Rock, Guitar Rock, New Release, Video

NEW MUSIC: Greta Mob | The Petite Bourgeois Blues

Slowly but surely it feels like rock n roll of the good kind is seeping back into the Sydney scene. Greta Mob are set to be one of the key players if the rest of their songs are as good as this bleeding, drunken stagger of a song. It conjures up images of Finn Andrews of The Veils jamming with The Drones. Good stuff then… … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Greta Mob | The Petite Bourgeois Blues

Doubtful SoundsMay 21, 2013May 23, 20131 Comment

Album Covers, Album Reviews, Audio Stream, Guitar Rock

ALBUM REVIEW: Milk Music | Cruise Your Illusion

by Chris Familton The brilliantly titled Cruise Your Illusion is the most realised of Milk Music’s albums to date with its ramshackle and parched slacker rock vibes that finds just the right balance of buzzing drive and a laid back stoner aesthetic. The Olympia, Washington band show a strong allegiance to the kind of damaged punk and classic rock that the likes of Dinosaur Jr … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Milk Music | Cruise Your Illusion

Doubtful SoundsMay 21, 2013Leave a comment

Album Covers, Album Reviews, Electronica, Pop, Post-Punk, Video

ALBUM REVIEW: Depeche Mode | Delta Machine

by Chris Familton Depeche Mode have had a wonderful evolution and trajectory from their early lightweight disposable pop through the departure of Vince Clarke and Martin Gore’s rapid mastery of the fast changing technology in 80s music, to their peak as masters of psycho-sexual electronic pop music that finely balanced raw emotion and a self-constructed paradigm of art pop and futuristic rock n roll. Post … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Depeche Mode | Delta Machine

Doubtful SoundsMay 15, 2013Leave a comment

Audio Stream, New Release, Post-Punk, Post-Rock / Instrumental

NEW MUSIC: Loomer | Bolt

Brisbane’s Loomer will shortly release their debut LP Ceiling which will be out on vinyl at the end of May via Lost Race Records. It is a limited release of 100 copies so if you favour records over digital and you like what you hear below then get in quick. The track Bolt staggers and swoons with fair dollops of noise, drone and shoegaze textures. It … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Loomer | Bolt

Doubtful SoundsMay 14, 2013May 14, 2013Leave a comment

Album Covers, Album Reviews, Garage Rock, Guitar Rock, Indie Rock, Video

ALBUM REVIEW: Palma Violets | 180

by Chris Familton Palma Violets fight a gallant fight and show flashes of exciting talent but ultimately this feels like a band trading on raw energy and still finding their songwriting feet. 180 is one of those albums that comes laden with tabloid music press hype so it was always going to be hard to live up to those constructed expectations, especially on one’s debut … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Palma Violets | 180

Doubtful SoundsMay 8, 2013Leave a comment

Album Covers, Album Reviews, Audio Stream, Indie Rock, Psych

ALBUM REVIEW: Kurt Vile | Wakin On A Pretty Daze

by Chris Familton Kurt Vile’s last LP Smoke Ring For My Halo made good all the promise he had showed in flashes on his earlier albums and so, with expectation hanging heavy in the air he has gone and taken that template, tightened its sound and expanded its possibilities on the superb 69 minute Wakin On A Pretty Daze. Ten minute opener Wakin On A … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Kurt Vile | Wakin On A Pretty Daze

Doubtful SoundsMay 3, 2013May 3, 20131 Comment

Live Reviews, Post-Punk

LIVE REVIEW: Public Image Ltd @ The Enmore Theatre, Sydney (10/04/13)

by Chris Familton With a sound comprised of vocals, guitar, bass and two keyboards Death Mattel swung wildly between urgent 90s electro pop and punk with impassioned, earnest vocals to a closing track that was easily the pick of the bunch. Its subtle snaking keyboard melody showed that an understated approach suits them best but they failed to ignite much response from the arriving crowd. … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: Public Image Ltd @ The Enmore Theatre, Sydney (10/04/13)

Doubtful SoundsMay 3, 2013Leave a comment