Posted by Andy Ryan on March 14, 2011
Melbourne’s The Ovals’ new EP Into The Eyes Of Those Who Sleep seems them come cross a bit more ‘Manchester’ than the mystical sounds of their debut EP Innerspace. They still have the swirling keyboard and big prog-rock guitar builds; opening track ‘Refugees’ in particular has a sprawling and wondrously cosmic feel to it. ‘Lost With Bones’ doubles ominous bass looming over drums, screams and a vocal reminiscent of Joy Division’s ‘She’s Lost Control’ to darken the mood somewhat before the sparse and spaced-out hypnotic kraut-jam of ‘Heretic’.
The closing track of this neat four-tracker ‘Persephone’s Groove’ allows a bit of the band’s lyrical muscle to shine through, as their musings of love and the universe such as “he’s a cosmic child skipping through the cobble stones into the wild” are scantily clad in washes of keys and floating guitar and even a sinister laugh sample over six reeling minutes.
Take the trip and take a few laps when The Ovals launch Into The Eyes Of Those That Sleep at Melbourne’s Cherry Bar on Friday the 25th of March supported by Sydney shoegazers The Laurels.
The tour continues in Brisbane (X&Y Bar, April 1) and Sydney (Oxford Arts, April 8)
the ovals, the laurels, cherry bar, x&y bar, oxford arts factory
Posted by Andy Ryan on December 21, 2010
The Inner West copped a dose of Tennessee trouble as Those Darlins and Jeff the Brotherhood stopped in at the Annandale for a Meredith sideshow.
A sparsely populated Annandale Hotel didn’t diminish the raucous noise emanating from the drums and guitar duo of Jeff the Brotherhood. While the minimal set up lends itself to more unsophisticated music, when done well and intently, like here, it really lets you tap into the raw essence of rhythms and noise. Volume becomes an instrument in itself and with just you and your mate up there, fine things happen when attuned musical intuition takes hold.
The guitarist would wander through the crowd and atop the bar and rip all manner of noise out of his peals then, while the drums clanged like a runaway shopping trolley, he’d lock in. They did their best to inspire some spirit and spirits into the crowd, threatening to play a ‘cerebral’ song if we didn’t move closer and urging us to just get wasted and party.More...
those darlins, jeff the brotherhood, annandale hotel, sydney, gigs, reviews
Posted by Andy Ryan on July 20, 2010
Midnight Juggernauts will be letting their ‘Lifeblood Flow’ when they hit the road this August to launch their latest album. After setting hearts and ears aflutter both home and abroad with their distorted, disco-tastic debut Dystopia, the band decamped to a remote coastal NSW house to write their follow up album. Regaining their ‘Vital Signs’ and embracing ‘This New Technology’ Midnight Juggernauts returned with symphony-scaled synth-rock new platter The Crystal Axis. The new album was recorded at Melbourne’s Sing Sing studios with the band self-producing with the assistance of engineer Chris Moore (Liars, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV on the Radio).
The latest single from the album ‘Lifeblood Flow’ is released July 30th as a teaser for the band's imminent tour. After having become firm festival favourites across the globe, The Crystal Axis tour sees the Midnight Juggernauts ably supported by Dappled Cities and Canyons, with Kirin J Callinan joining the joyride for the East Coast Shows.
Dates are:
August 12 - The Gov, Adelaide
August 14 – Capitol, Perth
August 19 – The Forum, Melbourne
August 20 – The Forum, Sydney
August 21 – The Hi-Fi, Brisbane
midnight juggernauts, tours
Posted by Andy Ryan on June 11, 2010
A year ago sixteen shows featuring more than 140 Sydney artists were arranged to help save community radio station FBi. A certain multi-millionaire fly boy had left them in the lurch, so it was up to the poor struggling musos to chip in and play to help raise funds to keep FBi on air. Twelve months down the track and the station is going great guns so they have decided to make an annual mid-winter showcase of this city’s diverse musical talent in the form of Sydney Sounds Like, comprising four special shows this July.
A showcase of the station’s resident DJs will kick off festivities at a late night dance tunes extravaganza Cuddle Puddle, which takes over the whole of the Oxford Art Factory July 9. An embarrassment of riches awaits the next day at the all ages Choose Your Own Adventure mini festival with four rooms of the Factory Theatre brimming with bands, comedians, DJs and artists.
The hot ticket event of last year – The Stolen Records Gala Ball – makes a return visit July 16 with Sydney hip hop’s leading lights Koolism, Thundamentals and Ozi Batla fronting the black tie, big beats gala event. And to ensure things go out with a bang, The Final Fling mooches into the Metro July 17 with The Presets, the Philly Jays, Parades, Purple Sneakers DJs, Pluto Jonze and a whole lotta other bands and DJs not starting with ‘P’. Check out Sydney Sounds Like for all the details.
fbi, Sydney Sounds Like, music, oxford art factory, metro theatre, factory theatre
Posted by Andy Ryan on April 9, 2010
Dubbed the ‘Queen of Detroit’, pop-artist and punk icon Niagara returns to Australia for The St Valentines Massacre tour while solo exhibitions of her work feature in the Outre Gallery in both Melbourne and Sydney.
The musical expression side of things shall see Niagara reprising her role as front woman, stalking the stage leading the revered rock’n’roll soldiers The Hitmen. Niagara spent more than 25 years singing with the underground noise artists Destroy All Monsters and punk supergroup Dark Carnival alongside various members of The Stooges and The Dead Boys.
Niagara’s artistic side will also be on display at exhibitions of her paintings and prints – NIAGARA PHOBIA. Her work features vividly coloured, ballsy and brassy dames shining glamorously through their lowbrow lives of vice and depravity.
Catch the St Valentines Day Massacre:
April 9th Step Inn Brisbane
April 10th Great Northern, Byron Bay
April 11th at Surfers Paradise Beer Garden
April 16th at the Crest Hotel, Sylvania
April 17th Gaelic Theatre, Sydney
NIAGARA PHOBIA will be at the Sydney and Melbourne Outre Galleries until April 21st.
niagara, outre gallery
Posted by Andy Ryan on October 3, 2009
With ‘reality’ being almost the omnipotent prefix of the television industry, it’s also flooding over into other creative pursuits with videos allowing almost unprecedented access to the working lives of numerous artists and musicians.
New York-based Alberta Cross share their studio secrets with glimpses of the band recording in the raw on a video that explores the making of their impending album Broken Side of Time.
alberta cross, dew process, new music
Posted by Andy Ryan on September 25, 2009
Sleeping States - the musical outlet of polished Bristol-based multi-instrumentalist Markland Starkie - has re-awoken to release the new album In the Gardens of the North. The aptly-named album sees the music take on an earthy and natural serenity while the lyrics delve deep into musty pages for inspiration, creating a hypnotic and intriguing sonic garden one can seek solace in.
Here to give you direction into this musical garden of eden is the map-tastic track 'The Catrographer'. In the Gardens of the North is available through Speak & Spell.
'The Catrographer' - Sleeping States
'Gardens of the South' - Sleeping States
'Showers in the Summer' - Sleeping States
sleeping state, speak & spell, in the garden of the north, music
Posted by Andy Ryan on September 11, 2009
LA noise merchants HEALTH have released a tantalising taste of their upcoming album Get Colour. The label with their finger eternally on-the-pulse, Popfrenzy, will be releasing the album locally September 19. The album is a follow up to the band's self-titled album of 2007 which came out through the fabulously named label Lovepump United. Catch the montage-a-riffic video for the single 'Die Slow'.
Check out this clip and more on Popfrenzy's very own online channel.
health, popfrenzy
Posted by Andy Ryan on August 25, 2009
Brisbane boutique indie label Dew Process have bolstered their rocking stocks with the signing of Brooklyn-based quintet Alberta Cross. Appearing and sounding somewhere between My Morning Jacket and that Followill brothers lot – back when they were interesting, not their recent sizzling sex song ubiquitousness – Alberta Cross are on the cusp of some big things as their sound has matured from more folkish beginnings into grittier terrain.
The band are centred around a Swede and a Londoner, who caused an initial stir in the UK with some highly regarded EPs, being the hand-picked support of Oasis and filling slots on the summer festival circuit. They tasted the bright lights and big-time allure of New York City in late 2007 for the CMJ music conference and returned the next year to base themselves in Brooklyn. Their fledgling career further blossomed State-side, with a Neil Young support standing alongside noteworthy sets at Coachella, Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo festivals bolstering their bio.
Spoon and …Trail of Dead producer Mike McCarthy was wrangled in to record their debut album Broken Side of Time which is poised for release September 22. Get a taste of the upcoming album with the video of 'ATX'.
alberta cross, dew process, new music