Posts

Saturday Double: Joana Serrat - Jon Meadows

Image
Joana Serrat - Tug Of War. Background promo - Talking about Tug Of War Serrat says; "Tug of War is a song that talks about the people of my generation that once followed all the paths we were told to walk. We did obey, believing in what we've been told. At the end of this road we were supposed to find the good life and all that we end up seeing is a death land. We are going to be the first generation that won't surpass our parents." Cross The Verge, just as its name promises, shows us another side of Joana Serrat, who so enchanted audiences on her 2014 album Dear Great Canyon. On Cross The Verge, her third album, Joana lays bare all the cracks, inconsistencies and fears that come with life, with the album revealing itself to be an especially beautiful tribute to the acknowledgement of loss and the acceptance of the uncertain. To record this album, Joana Serrat travelled from her home in Vic, near Barcelona, to Montreal, Canada to team up with producer Howard ...

Another Genre Wander: Step Rockets - Gris-de-Lin - CeaseTone

Image
Step Rockets - West Coast. Background bio - It didn't take long for Step Rockets to take off. Their self-released single “Kisser”found its way to #1 on the Hype Machine charts just two weeks after its release despite virtually no publicity. The track has since garnered over 5.5 million plays on Spotify and catapulted the band onto the international music scene. With appearances at Firefly Festival, Summerfest, SXSW, CMJ, Canadian Music Week and a slew of other festivals and major venues across North America, Step Rockets have developed a reputation as one of the most exciting new live bands on the scene, seamlessly blending wailing guitar solos and anthemic melodies with infectious dance grooves. Step Rockets continue to push the boundaries of indie pop with unique instrumentation and progressive song writing. The band's music has been featured in TV shows and commercials, including placements in Showtime's Shameless and ABC's Cougartown. Their music exemplifies a ...

Genre Wander: Robert Nix - James Edge And The Mindstep - Missing Sibling - Jake Meadows

Image
Robert Nix - Won't Go With The Flow'. Background promo - Robert Nix is largely recognized as an innovative alternative artist, incorporating alternative, postpunksynth, new wave, pop, classical and progressive rock into his songs and appealing to the 'intelligent alternative music fan'. With his unique songwriting style, musical approach and distinctive haunting voice Nix stands out from the rest of the crowd. "Once in a Blue Moon", Robert's latest release, is his 5th. The album reveals an artist dedicated to recording his own brand of song. Nix handles all aspects of the album's writing, performance and production. OK the album was released back in January, so late to the party again! However it's such a good LP that a quick mention seems only fair. The featured song gives a hint of what's in store, expect a lot more.   -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------...

L Is For An Australian Double Play: Little Coyote - Lama

Image
Little Coyote - Neverending. Background promo - Emerging from the sands of Sydney’s Northern Beaches, alternative-pop-rockers Little Coyote have been playing venues since their first live show at Upstairs Beresford mid-2014. Combining thumping beats (Anto Dinh, drums) and funky resonance (Gareth Bussey, bass), with a vintage-feel 6-string twanging fluidity (Matt Coates, guitar) and powerful, rich poetics by (Judd English, vocals), Little Coyote has ripened into an ability to create quality alt- rock music with an honest lyrical content. Their debut EP Howl was quoted as having “a healthy dose of rock that has just about the perfect amount of attitude" [Ted Rogan, The Equal Ground]. Neverending will be the lead track on Little Coyote’s second EP scheduled for release in early 2016. Written by Judd English and Anto Dinh. Neverending was recorded and mixed by Wade Keighran at Linear Studios in Leichhardt, Sydney and mastered by Steve Fallon at Sterling Studios in NYC. Their r...

Quality Not Quantity: Andy Shauf - Joon Moon - Jenny Gillespie

Image
Andy Shauf - The Magician. Background promo - On May 20th, Anti- is excited to release an immensely imaginative work from acclaimed young singer-songwriter Andy Shauf called The Party. The Saskatchewan-based Shauf recorded his first album at home and toured Western Canada playing DIY punk venues with an acoustic guitar. In 2015 he gained attention with a an album called The Bearer of Bad News that NPR called one of “2015's most breathtaking albums” and “an appropriately titled collection of mostly grim tales about small town drug addicts, murderous lovers and other weary underachievers.” With The Party, Shauf masterfully creates a cast of memorable and unique characters. They show up “Early to the Party,” reveal secrets (“To You”) or try to reveal nothing (“The Magician.”) In “a city the size of a dinner plate,” everyone knew the guy who keeled over after smoking what he promised would be his last pack of cigarettes (“Alexander All Alone.”) There’s the girl dancing by hersel...

Martin Tillman - Superhuman (New Album)

Image
Martin Tillman - Notes Towards The Universe. Background words - More than any other form of art, music transports us from the physical plane to a realm of reflection, dreams and excitement. Yet at the same time, we find ourselves swaying to the melody, if not dancing wildly to its rhythms. Such is the power of listening to Martin Tillman’s “Superhuman” a soundtrack for the composer’s upbeat imagination that rocks with his sense of stylistic and technological exploration, while jetting down to the EDM Earth his tunes encourage us to leap from. Mind and body are one as Tillman elevates body and soul in “Superhuman,” lighting a stylistic path with his distinctive fusion of music and movement.    As a world-renowned cellist whose distinctive playing can be heard on such scores as “Black Hawk Down,” “The Ring” and “Batman Trilogy,” Tillman’s equally distinguished career on the concert stage has drawn a number of renowned players to this ambitious project, among them guitarists...

Genre Wander: Sex on Toast - Laurel - Animal Noise

Image
Sex on Toast - Doubt. Background promo - Following the cult success of recent single 'Oh Loretta!' & a knockout performance at Bigsound 2015, Melbourne 10-piece Sex On Toast are about to drop their new EP 'Ready', heralded by the release of new single & video for 'Doubt'. They'll also be hitting the road soon, with a Sydney show & NZ dates just announced. There really, really isn't anyone quite like the formidably talented, performatively irrepressible 10-piece that is Sex On Toast. They're fervidly dedicated to their craft. They're unconditionally vivacious. They're virtuosos of the tongue-in-cheek. And they're 'Ready' to unleash the goods once more. It's a rare band that has the savvy to successfully combine retro production, tight 70s/60s inspired instrumentation, and lyrical commentary that bites harder than your Aunt's rabid chihuahua. And you'll want to listen again. But Sex On Toast aren't...

Friday Three: Wolfie - Gillian Nicola - Wolf Girl

Image
Wolfie - New Horizons. Background promo -  Wolfie is the artist name for Lisa McNaughton, a Blue Mountains multi-instrumentalist and singer songwriter. Her music can only be described as an eclectic smash up of roots, grunge, folk and African rhythms which has crossed over from her love of African dancing. Wolfie is all about rhythm, big drums and driving guitar, something you can move to as Lisa says. Wolfie started out as a solo artist Lisalive. As Lisalive, Lisa won the blue Mountains singer songwriting competition in 2008, which then led to her releasing her debut EP Roots. She played The Falls Festival in 2009, hit no. 3 on the Triple J Unearthed Roots charts and toured New Zealand and the east coast of NSW and Victoria. Wolfie is her new project and you can listen to one of her dirtier songs “Talking to Myself” on triple j unearthed. Having played shows with the likes of the Jeff Mar/n, Sarah McLeod, Chase the Sun, Lachey Doley and Abbe Dobson amongst other renowned ar...

Genre Mix: Sophie Lowe - Fragile Creatures - Jaggery

Image
Sophie Lowe - Breathe. Background promo - After high triple j rotation of her first single 'Understand' and the seductive follow up 'Pink Flowers', Sophie Lowe returns unveiling her vulnerability in her latest track 'Breathe’. Taken from her 'EP 2', 'Breathe' sees Sophie expose her inner thoughts about life, love and confidence, in turn creating this powerful, provoking electronica jam. Sophie said, "I wrote 'Breathe' at a time in my life when I struggling to feel comfortable within myself and my surroundings. I wanted to talk about anxiety with this song because I feel its not talked about enough." Sophie has launched into 2016; soon to be starring in the film ‘Waiting for the Miracle to Come' co-starring Willie Nelson and Academy Award nominee Charlotte Rampling, starring in Flume’s latest film clip alongside the man himself for 'Never Be Like You ft. Kai’ and she was recently named by Italian Vogue as one of the ‘...

The 2ubeXtra Festival: Taws - Ruby Sky

Image
Liverpool's first and only independent online music festival The 2ubeXtra returns on 13th April 2016. Once again, The 2ube are building up to this year's festival by staging weekly 2ube Live shows every Friday night, but 2016 has brought an exciting new development... For the first time ever, The 2ube Live will be broadcast each week on Liverpool's Bay TV. The weekly show on Bay TV consists of past highlights from 2ube Live events punctuated by live shows, the next of which is scheduled for Friday 18th of March. This event will also be streamed around the world via YouTube. The following artists will be taking to the stage at Liverpool's Paul McCartney Auditorium. Taws - Mama Doesn't Own You. Background promo - Taws are a four-piece progressive/math rock band hailing from UK, Norway and USA who met at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts in 2013 and have grown into a tight and energetic live band. Intricate riffs, heavy grooves and soulful vocals make ...

Alternative Take: Jarbird - Meeka Kates

Image
Jarbird - Such Is The House. Background promo - London outfit Jarbird released their debut EP "Such Is The House" last week on burgeoning French independent label Oskar. The 4-piece found its roots at Leeds University where vocalists Ric and Lara were studying. After recruiting bass virtuoso Jim and returning home to their native London upon graduation, the lineup was rounded out with the addition of drummer Rami. First single from the EP "Such Is The House" surfaced on line in demo form last year, this track is a melting pot of so many brilliant musical perspectives, which could only be channelled by a band with an exuberant, wide-eyed fascination with the possibilities of their music. "Such Is The House" has been championed by the likes of BBC Radio 1 DJ's Annie Mac, Huw Stephens as well as Beats 1, XFM and US radio zeitgeist KCRW where it was hailed their Top Track. "Such Is The House" has also reached #1 on Frances most influential ...

Quality Not Quantity: WE-ARE-Z - Summer Heart - Wolkoff

Image
WE-ARE-Z - Easy. Background promo - WE-ARE-Z produce quirky, rhythmic indie 'wonk-pop' born out of many wine fuelled late night jam sessions in bass player Archie's studio in London. Their idiosyncratic songs are largely observational, yet fully accessible, inspired by weekend booze fuelled culture and the late night chaos found in many British cities and towns, the increasing acceptance of the plastic surgeons knife as the norm, the futility of man's desire for ever increasing material acquisition and madness in its multifarious forms. WE-ARE-Z represents the the culmination of each of the band members' adventures through music. Bass player Archie, through his work as a producer has worked with James Morrison, Pharell Williams and Celtic song writing legends, The Waterboys. Frontman Gabby had weaved his way across the globe in an array of guises, playing and performing in desert festivals in California, working with Brazilian Hip Hop artists in Montreal and N...

Genre Wander: Exploded View - Kate Brown - Rosie Carney - Future Haunts

Image
Exploded View – No More Parties in the Attic. Background promo - At SXSW, Mexico City/Berlin-based, Exploded View will be unveiled by US Label, Sacred Bones, fronted by German/Bristol political- journalist-turned-musician/singer Anika who released her self-titled debut album in collaboration with Geoff Barrow’s Invada imprint and Stones Throw to critical acclaim in 2010. LA Times said “Anika phrases syllables with precise Teutonic reserve, as severe and numbing as a Bavarian winter." This new project was created during the rehearsal sessions for Anika's Mexican live debut back in March 2014.  An unexpected partnership formed between Annika and local producers, Martin Thulin (Crocodiles producer) synth-head Hugo Quezada (Robota) and Riotboy sweetheart Hector Melgarejo (Jessy Bulbo / Nos llamamos) to form Exploded View. The four musicians discovered a new sound, several steps removed from the krautrock-isms of Henderson’s previous work  during their rehearsals and live perfo...