We were big fans of the debut METZ album and from the sound of this first single ‘Acetate’ the new album (II) promises to be equally brutal and infectious. These guys play physical music that hits like a sledgehammer and hypnotises like a deviant snake charmer on speed. As their press release says: The guitars are titanic, the drums ill-tempered, the vocals chilling, and the volume … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: METZ – Acetate
The Stones (Wayne Elsey – guitar, vocals, Jeff Batts – bass, vocals, Graeme Anderson – drums, vocals) The band were something of an enigma on the scene that surrounded the iconic Flying Nun Records label in the early 1980s. Wayne Elsey had previously been in Bored Games with Shayne Carter (who went on to forge an illustrious career with Straitjacket Fits and Dimmer) and after The Stones split … Continue reading NEWS: Flying Nun announce The Stones compilation
Dogheart are a trio out of Portland who are about to release their debut full-length What Burns The Best on February 17th. They cut a freewheeling guitar pop swathe through jangling guitars and sometimes distorted melodic vocals. There’s that slacker vibe that makes it all sound slightly DIY and homespun. You feel like you’ve heard it all before and you kind of have but on the evidence of their … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Dogheart – Holding Out
Out of the ashes of the band Women come Canadian quartet Viet Cong. Theirs is a dark and rhythmic post-punk guitar sound. Like a symposium of Interpol, Liars and Bauhaus, fronted by Andrew Eldritch, sweating it out in a dark, claustrophobic basement disco. Their debut self-titled LP is out now via Jagjaguwar. Here’s the clip for the track ‘Silhouettes’. You can watch the video for their first … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Viet Cong – Silhouettes
Courtney Barnett has had a crazy last couple of years since she first started building a fan-base on the back of the ‘History Eraser’ single. The 2 x EP The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas cemented her reputation as a quirky songwriter with the ability to pen deadpan lyrics laced with humour and wry observations on life and she backed up the groundswell of interest … Continue reading NEWS: Courtney Barnett announces debut LP releases new single/video
Experimental electronica, avant garde, instrumental composition, sound art… all these and more were at play when Canadian Tim Hecker and Australian native, now based in Iceland, Ben Frost brought their immersive and extreme synthetic music to the magnificent surrounds of the Sydney Opera House as part of the Sydney Festival. Tim Hecker performed his set in near darkness, the only visible objects were two red … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: Ben Frost, Tim Hecker @ Sydney Opera House (11/01/15)
Twenty years is a good stretch in the music biz but damn it goes fast. It was two decades ago that Jamie Hutchings and Bluebottle Kiss released their debut album Higher Up The Firetrails. To celebrate two decades of fertile musical exploration with BBK, as a solo artist and more recently with Infinity Broke Hutchings is heading out on the aptly titled Careering Through … Continue reading NEWS: Jamie Hutchings retrospective tour
The Clean are one of those bands that possesses a mythical aura about them. Across multiple decades they’ve remained an underground act yet they’re constantly being touted as an influence on a multitude of bands as each indie rock generation emerges. Their own influences – Velvet Underground, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Byrds, Can, 70s punk and post-punk – formed their sound and in the … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: The Clean @ Sydney Festival (19/01/15)
Torche return in 2015 with a new album Restarter and from the sound of this first taste ‘Minions’ they haven’t lost any of their unique blend of metal and melody with its grinding sludge that builds and holds tension for 3 minutes before opening up into a soaring psychedelic sprawl. Out February 24th on Relapse Records Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Torche – Minions
Dinosaur Jr’s J Mascis has announced a full run of dates across Australia and New Zealand next February on the back of his album Tied To A Star. Read our review HERE Tour Dates Melbourne @ Melbourne Recital Centre, Friday 13 February 2015 – Tickets $44.00 + bf Special Guest Adalita www.melbournerecital.com.au, Adelaide @ Garden Of Unearthly Delights, Adelaide Fringe, Saturday 14 February 2015 – Tickets $49.90 www.adelaidefringe.com.au Hobart @ Republic Bar, Sunday 15 February 2015 – Tickets: $35.00 … Continue reading NEWS: J MASCIS ANNOUNCES AUSTRALIA & NZ TOUR
A new Spain album is always cause for celebration. Ever since the classic debut The Blue Moods Of Spain in 1995 they’ve continued to release beautiful albums that showcase their jazz-tinged slowcore songs. Sargent Place was produced by Gus Seyffert (The Black Keys, Beck, Norah Jones) and mixed by Darrell Thorp (Beck, Radiohead, Atoms For Peace, Paul McCartney). It has just been released by Glitterhouse … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Spain release new LP Sargent Place
Doubtful Sounds 