ALBUM REVIEW: Step-Panther | Step-Panther

written by Chris Familton Noisy guitar pop seems to be everywhere at the moment, whether it is stained with garage rock, shoegaze or 90s indie there is a strong melodic vein running through it – more pop and less rock in the traditional posturing sense. Locals Step-Panther have been impressing on the live circuit and now they’ve successfully translated their songs to the recorded form … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Step-Panther | Step-Panther

LIVE REVIEW: Jack Ladder @ The Dreamlanders @ Manning Bar, Sydney (01/10/11)

written by Chris Familton Teeth & Tongue have evolved their sound over the last couple of years to the point where it now sounds effortlessly natural, devoid of pretense or hopeful indie aspirations. Singer/guitarist Jess Cornelius is the heart and soul of the band – aided and abetted by a guitarist, bassist and pre-recorded drums when she plays live and she left an impressive mark … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: Jack Ladder @ The Dreamlanders @ Manning Bar, Sydney (01/10/11)

ALBUM REVIEW: Zola Jesus | Conatus

written by Chris Familton Zola Jesus is one of a number of female singers with strong rich voices that have emerged in recent years. She shares similar vocal tonalities with the likes of Florence Welch, The Knife’s Karin Dreijer Andersson and Austra’s Katie Stelmanis yet she stands out above those and others as the strongest individual of the bunch. Following on from last year’s Stridulum … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Zola Jesus | Conatus

INTERVIEW: Melodie Nelson

STEPPING OUT ALONE WITH A NEW NAME AND A NEW MUSICAL DIRECTION MELODIE NELSON IS CREATING AUTHENTIC, BLISSED OUT 60S SOUNDS. SHE TELLS CHRIS FAMILTON HOW MEDITATIONS ON THE SUN CAME ABOUT AND WHERE SHE IS GOING NEXT. Melodie Nelson has emerged blinking into the bright lights on her debut album Meditations on the Sun. It is an album that represents her first solo foray into relatively straightforward songs after years spent as one … Continue reading INTERVIEW: Melodie Nelson

ALBUM REVIEW: Male Bonding | Endless Now

written by Chris Familton London’s Male Bonding generated a fair amount of buzz with their 2010 debut Nothing Hurts and it sat well alongside the similar noise pop of other bands like Wavves. The second album dilemma that faced them was whether to bash out another set of short, sharp songs or go for something different. It turns out that familiarity was too much of … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Male Bonding | Endless Now

LIVE REVIEW: Donny Benet @ GoodGod Small Club

written by Chris Familton Kirin J Callinan is one of the more eccentric musicians on the Sydney scene creating dark splashes of guitar as sidekick to Jack Ladder and as a solo artist. Tonight he was the latter, playing a set that was stark, noisy, brooding and caustic and ultimately intriguing. His guitar style was open and highly evocative of everyone from the experimental side … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: Donny Benet @ GoodGod Small Club