Calexico @ Hamer Hall, Melbourne 2 March 2016 and Meeniyan Town Hall 4 March 2016
by Venita Munir Firm Melbourne favourites, Calexico, have toured Australia four times over the last twelve years and this year they bring a seven-piece outfit from Tucson, Arizona to promote their eighth album, 2015’s Edge of the Sun. Their first concert is at Melbourne’s Hamer Hall, with the crowd a dichotomy of die-hard fans and Arts […]
The Goon Sax – Up To Anything (Chapter Music)
By Nick Kennedy “I want people to think about me” admits Louis Forster on the opening track of The Goon Sax’s exquisitely understated debut album Up To Anything. It’s an encapsulation for a lot of innocently arrogant feelings bubbling away within the songs that make up the album’s run time, a statement about the inherently […]
In Photos: Sufjan Stevens @ QPAC, 04.04.2016
Sufjan Stevens makes a welcome return to Brisbane for a show at QPAC.
In Photos: Clutch + Cosmic Psychos @ Triffid, 03.03.2016
Clutch bring their Psychic Warfare tour to Brisbane’s Triffid, with support from Cosmic Psychos.
DMA’s – Hills End (I Oh You)
Sigh. Sometimes I do wonder. Here we are, 2016. A rallying cry for black power and girl power stole the show at the Super Bowl. Strong women front bands and speak their minds (case in point – our last album review, our last SOTD). An ace LP from Brood Ma echoes the dystopian reality of […]
Poliça – United Crushers (Mom and Pop)
By Megan Beard An article in The Guardian recently posited the question “where are all the protest songs?” with the inevitable lamentation of an apathetic generation of music makers following suit. Whenever this statement-in-a-question is posed (because, really, it’s a thinly disguised criticism of modern music), it is a puzzling thing to contemplate. Especially considering […]
“Rock n’ Roll Soldiers”: An interview with Carlotta Cosails of Hinds
It is Wednesday morning and I am in the same country as Hinds. From Oxford I am skyping with Carlotta, who is in a non-specific hotel in Birmingham. A small room with white walls. Carlotta looks tired, but happy nonetheless, ready for the next gig in Bristol. I tell Carlotta I’ve already missed two of […]
The Best New Music, 29.02.2016
Later than expected, the week’s Best New Music. Cutting the list down to a sensible number was a tricky task, with so many songs worth sharing but that will hopefully be able to be posted as album release dates approach. LUCIUS – Good Grief (Play It Again Sam) – Release Date: 11 March There’s something […]
TEEN – Love Yes (Carpark)
Transformation’s a tricky business. How do you move forward without sacrificing that essential charm or genius that propelled you to the limelight in the first place? Prog rock bands like Genesis and the Moody Blues traded in their mysticism for cultural cache, and crumpled into commoners with synths. Tame Impala followed their example, and traded […]
Good Morning – Glory EP (Solitaire)
By Nick Kennedy To hear Good Morning tell it, Glory – their second EP from Solitaire Records – is about desperation. Not just any desperation though – the kind of desperation so vividly portrayed by the pathetic form of eternal downtrodden failure that is Kirk Van Houten from The Simpsons. Truth be told, I’m not […]
