Tag: "Singing"

dEUS : Keep You Close
0 Comments. 527 Views. Posted 30 Apr 2012 @ 9:17am.
  The name literally means ‘God’. They are not yet so deified but are they bigger than Jesus? In Belgium at least they could well be. They are the biggest band in the land. So big in fact, that other pretenders to the throne such as Dead Man Ray or Zita Swoon feature past or present members of dEUS. On the eve of their first Australian tour, Keep You Close is timely. At least to Australian... Read More
Pond : You Broke My Cool
0 Comments. 528 Views. Posted 25 Apr 2012 @ 7:17pm.
  This awesome tune from the debut Pond album opens with organs and spirals into a psych trip, a loose seventies-flavoured prog excursion with heavy vocal delay and a warped, anthemic chorus.     Read More
Lost & Found @ Revolver
0 Comments. 1,401 Views. Posted 24 Apr 2012 @ 12:48pm.
  Revolver on Chapel St means different things to different people. Colonel Tan’s Thai menu attracts a trendy, mid-week crowd, keen on curries, retro decor and funky tracks from days gone by. Original Banksys dot the walls, dating back to when only ‘cool people’ knew of the antagonist and his emerging form of graffiti. Shepard Fairey’s iconic Obey images paste the hallways to where The... Read More
Ali McGregor's Western Lullabies
0 Comments. 476 Views. Posted 26 Apr 2012 @ 12:37pm.
Lullabies aren't necessarily something you'd associate with stand-up comedy. These songs are for children, not adults, and they’re designed to make them sleep, not laugh. Ali McGregor and her cast of talented friends use the term 'lullaby' loosely. They've chosen a bunch of vaguely soothing songs and thrown in enough banter to remind the audience they're at the comedy festival. Proceeds from the... Read More
Major Tom And The Atoms : The House That Love Built
0 Comments. 607 Views. Posted 4 Apr 2012 @ 11:11am.
  Fronted by ex-Little Red singer ‘Major’ Tom Hartney, Major Tom And The Atoms peddle a dense, energetic kind of soul rock that features a very unapologetic saxophone and some lusty female backing singers. It isn’t bad – Tom has a gritty, whomping vocal style and the song has some neat dynamic shifts – but they are more like a hip wedding band than an exciting new music project. Unlike, for... Read More
Venus Fire : The Sound
0 Comments. 817 Views. Posted 4 Apr 2012 @ 10:40am.
  A lackluster debut from local singer Hayley Clare, who attempts to model herself after Kimbra and Florence Henderson with neither their vocal power nor musical creativity. The instrumental parts on this single have that thin, pre-fab Garage Band quality and while Hayley can probably sing, what she does with her voice here is plodding and dull, in a dead pocket between the atmospheric... Read More
David O'Doherty: Looking Up
0 Comments. 804 Views. Posted 1 Apr 2012 @ 5:45pm.
I don’t know about all of you, but there’s just something about an Irish accent that I can’t resist – especially when they’re cracking a wise-ass joke or two. Hailing from one of the “most depressing parts of the world” (his words, not mine), Irishman, David O’Doherty, returned to Melbourne to present a new series of sung life stories and rants. And believe me, there were plenty. The majority of... Read More
36th Port Fairy Music Festival @ Port Fairy
0 Comments. 2,237 Views. Posted 27 Mar 2012 @ 12:53pm.
  As always the fantastic Port Fairy Folk Festival was jam-packed with so many interesting acts that it was hard work trying to see everything. Our weekend began with the Cat Empire’s Harry James Angus who proved to be an engaging solo performer and Tinpan Orange who nailed some truly amazing vocal harmonies on Bottle of Whiskey. The shuddering life-affirming funk of The Bamboos provided a... Read More
Krystle Warren @ The Toff In Town
0 Comments. 1,076 Views. Posted 20 Mar 2012 @ 8:27am.
  With zero exposure to any of Krystle Warren’s music, I had no idea what to expect when I arrived at The Toff Tuesday evening. After taking a seat, my friend and I both noticed how diverse the crowd was, which interested us. With a colourful mix bag audience, I began creating high expectations about the universality of her music.   Up first, however, was supporting act Piers Twomey. I... Read More
Jeremy Neale : Winter Was The Time
0 Comments. 847 Views. Posted 14 Mar 2012 @ 1:40pm.
  The lead singer of Brisbane 12-piece Velociraptor returns with another brash and brazen output of '60s psychedelic scuzz-pop. Lo-fi melodies are blasted furiously underneath aching vocals which seamlessly drift away in little over two minutes in a livid, enraged but ultimately forgettable release. Read More
Dropbunny
0 Comments. 825 Views. Posted 13 Mar 2012 @ 11:47am.
  The contrast between airy, eerie melodies and the thrash of bent guitars bring Melbourne metal rockers dropbunny up another level with their new album, IO. With the recent addition of three new members, the fresh-look seven-piece give it their all in lacing together sometimes disparate elements, which reflects their varied approach to the themes they’re trying to impart. “Music is... Read More
Sharon Van Etten : Tramp
0 Comments. 1,087 Views. Posted 7 Mar 2012 @ 12:05pm.
  Tramp is the ‘difficult’ third album from Brooklyn-based singer Sharon Van Etten – luckily, she suits being difficult. It has been adorned with sensitive production by The National’s Aaron Brooking Dessner, and the closeness of their collaboration is bookmarked by the sleeve art of them sitting side by side.   Serpents is the scathing highlight. Coming off like a lost Throwing Muses... Read More
The Blanks
0 Comments. 1,153 Views. Posted 6 Mar 2012 @ 12:50pm.
  “Legal. Accounting. Shipping and receiving. Online property management including pest control, night time security and non-arboreal gardening services.” This was the somewhat awkward catch-cry of The Worthless Peons, the a cappella group who roamed the halls of Sacred Heart hospital in the long-running comedy series Scrubs. Led by the hapless lawyer Ted Buckland, the group performed... Read More
Riverboats Music Festival @ Murray River
0 Comments. 1,828 Views. Posted 6 Mar 2012 @ 12:02pm.
The Riverboats Music Festival in Echuca played host to a sterling lineup of top-notch talent in a truly picturesque setting. Vika and Linda Bull, backed by a tight and vibrant band that featured the fretboard wizardry of the ubiquitous Ashley Naylor, impressed the jiving Friday night revelers with their robust vocal presence and assured command of the stage. With the nuclear-strength sunlight... Read More
60 Seconds With... Dallas Fresca
0 Comments. 1,042 Views. Posted 2 Mar 2012 @ 10:00am.
  So then, what’s the band name and what do you ‘do’ in the band? Dallas Frasca .... I sing, I howl at the moon, I play guitar, I save fish, I drive a tour van around the world and I paint sound.   What do you reckon people will say you sound like?  A grannies fart with her ring gear busted (that was my guitarist's first answer) I would say: "Slabs of guitar riffage, mammoth drums... Read More
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy
0 Comments. 1,137 Views. Posted 2 Mar 2012 @ 9:08am.
  While the abundance of collaborations and side-projects he's been involved with over the last twenty years may suggest otherwise, there's a peculiar consistency to the work of Will Oldham.  Usually filed under alt-country (though Southern Gothic would be nearer the mark), Oldham's music – whether recorded as Palace Brothers, Palace Music, Will Oldham or his most enduring moniker,... Read More
SBTRKT @ Prince Bandroom
0 Comments. 756 Views. Posted 28 Feb 2012 @ 8:41am.
  Managing to sell out the Prince Bandroom is no mean feat for a solo producer whose discography barely extends beyond one full-length album, but given the strength and mainstream appeal of SBTRKT’s take on the post-dubstep scene, it was of little surprise. The producer’s self-titled debut was one of the breakout releases of 2011, providing a breath of fresh air.   Given the limited... Read More
Pulled Apart By Horses : Tough Love
0 Comments. 996 Views. Posted 23 Feb 2012 @ 7:11am.
  Fusing together a myriad of styles can be an arduous task for a band, but often (and in this case) one worth attempting. Combining the energetic rock ‘n’ roll infused punk of the Bronx, the jagged guitar lines of Future Of The Left, the best bits of 90s Seattle rock, and even slotting in a pop harmony or two – Pulled Apart By Horses have explored quite the terrain on their sophomore... Read More
Cosmic Gate Return
0 Comments. 698 Views. Posted 13 Feb 2012 @ 1:24pm.
Get ready to launch your consciousness into another world – German production duo Cosmic Gate have just announced a return to Australian shores launching in early April. Forming in 1999, the two are renowned for their driving, uplifting raft of anthems, with five studio albums to their name including last year’s transcendental effort Wake Your Mind, taking many a trance fan into enchanted... Read More
Q&A: Kelly Auty
0 Comments. 832 Views. Posted 8 Feb 2012 @ 1:09pm.
  So then, what do you ‘do’ in the band? I sing, I dance, I entertain the fans – that’s the performance bit. For every gig there is the booking, repertoire and rehearsals, promotion and so on. It’s a busy schedule and well worth the work when the lights go up and the music starts. Feels like herding cats sometimes but I wouldn’t want to spend my life any other way.   What do you think... Read More
Tune-Yards, Sunday January 15, The Corner
0 Comments. 739 Views. Posted 31 Jan 2012 @ 4:15pm.
From the moment Merril Garbus walked out on stage and started things off by warbling, sideways-yodeling and growling a meandering a capella soliloquy in that inimitable deep tribal timbre, before looping said voice over itself in the same vein to kick-start opener You Yes You, it was fairly apparent this wasn’t going to be your typical ‘buzz-band’ show.   For starters, Ms Garbus’ tUnE-... Read More
Mistletone Fright Night, Friday January 13, The Corner
0 Comments. 1,415 Views. Posted 31 Jan 2012 @ 11:29am.
  For a dude that’s done nothing but incredibly cool shit over the past year, Sydney’s Jonti still possesses one hell of a dorky disposition. Performing from the Swan St side of the bandroom (what’s usually The Corner’s DJ booth was transformed into a full-on second stage for the evening), Jonti crafted a fine set of dance jams with his vintage synth-led setup. Signing off, he played the... Read More
Five Finger Death Punch : American Capitalist
0 Comments. 1,003 Views. Posted 30 Jan 2012 @ 9:34am.
  Another album, another lineup change. Surprisingly shedding Matt Snell, aka ‘that dude with the beard’, 5FDP continued recording the follow up to 2009’s War Is The Answer with producer Kevin Churko taking over bass duties. Fortunately, this has not altered the band’s drive or focus and their new effort, American Capitalist, lives up to the standards they have previously set. Their fi rst... Read More
Sunset Blush : Monkeys Taking Over The Zoo
0 Comments. 839 Views. Posted 25 Jan 2012 @ 3:42pm.
  An odd, minimalist, marching rock tune with a heavy strummed guitar line and vocals that sound isolated and troubled, as the guy known as Sunset Blush sings about rats taking over the kitchen, monkeys taking over the zoo, and other signs of long-repressed mutiny. It’s weird, but oddly vulnerable. Read More
Cat & Spoon : In My Pocket
0 Comments. 791 Views. Posted 25 Jan 2012 @ 3:36pm.
  That isn’t the voice I expected. The gentle ripples of acoustic guitar that launch In My Pocket are overly familiar - the light, lilting gestures that usually precede a kittenish female folk singer. Not in this case though. The voice that breathes over these romantic guitar notes is rough and masculine, closer to Tom Waits than Julia Stone. It’s a pleasing kind of dissonance, softened in... Read More
Sol Nation : Every Reason
0 Comments. 977 Views. Posted 25 Jan 2012 @ 3:30pm.
Sol Nation are a Melbourne reggae collective with roots in East Timorese folk and Afro-Beat. They have a self-titled EP behind them and this new single ahead, to be launched at the NSC on February 3. It starts out pleasantly enough – a loping, electric guitar laced reggae tune with buttery vocals, but things get really interesting three minutes in. The tempo ramps up to a heart-starting Cuban... Read More
Van Halen : Tattoo
0 Comments. 791 Views. Posted 18 Jan 2012 @ 2:09pm.
          Next month, Van Halen will release their first album with singer David Lee Roth since their 1984 album,1984. I’m going to say no. No to the humourless Eddie Van Halen guitar solo, and especially no to Dave’s disturbing old man efforts to sing in that shitty, dilapidated head voice, which is the first thing former '80s hair metal singers lose, right before... Read More
Harmony, Saturday December 17, Phoenix Public House
0 Comments. 974 Views. Posted 17 Jan 2012 @ 3:26pm.
    I’ve walked past the Phoenix Public House a million and one times and never so much as had a beer in the cosy front bar, let alone seen a band in the venue. As I stepped in there, I found myself wondering how this could possibly be the case. I nervously propped myself against a questionably structured railing in the corner of the room and was completely smitten with the place. It... Read More
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy : Wolfroy Goes To Town
0 Comments. 1,043 Views. Posted 10 Jan 2012 @ 1:00pm.
Alt country's other other darling, Will Oldham, returns with new album Wolfroy Goes To Town - his eleventh under the Bonnie 'Prince' Billy moniker. Perhaps because of the familiarity of the players, the production has a laid back and easy played-on-the-porch feel, with Oldham's wavering croak front and centre. Sometimes, like on There Will Be Spring, he is accompanied by nothing... Read More
Twin Sister : In Heaven
0 Comments. 1,533 Views. Posted 21 Dec 2011 @ 9:14am.
In Heaven is the debut LP from Long Island's Twin Sister and it's quite a poppy affair. Following on from their 2010 Color Your Life EP - the album has a soft airiness to it which makes the songs seem to drift in and out of one another. There's a similar mood throughout the album, this congruency is effective in part, but the lack of diversity tends to bore me a little. The production is very... Read More
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