Author: Fay Al-Janabi

Album Review: Suede – The Best of Suede (2011 2-Disc Compilation)

Suede emerged in the early nineties wearing leather jackets and lacy ladies shirts, and reeking of an attitude that led them to dominate the British pop music charts for nearly a decade. The band’s music was catchy but complex, and debut single “The Drowners” established Suede as “the best new band in Britain” on the…

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the AU interview: Adalita Srsen of Magic Dirt (Melbourne)

While she was in Sydney to promote her new solo album, Larry Heath sat down with Adalita Srsen – best known as the frontwoman of Magic Dirt. The two have a long chat about the solo record, the Magic Dirt shows at Big Day Out (which doubled as a tribute to Dean Turner), her favourite…

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Live Review: Deerhunter + Tiger Choir – Metro Theatre, Sydney (08.02.11)

Tiger Choir have escaped the untouched serenity of Tasmania’s mountains and set out on an adventure to spread their home grown brand of new wave to the rest of the country. The band casually introduced themselves and the state of Tasmania before launching into their first song with a couple of heavy drum smacks. It…

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Live Review: Interpol + Bridezilla – Enmore Theatre, Sydney (04.01.11)

Interpol are no doubt the most fruitful contribution America has made to the world of modern day rock and roll. Despite the departure of suave bassist Carlos D last year, Interpol have managed to sustain the aesthetic integrity he brought to the band. Following headline positions at Falls Festival, Sunset Sounds, and Southbound, Interpol played…

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Live Review: Oxford Art Factory Christmas Party feat. Reckless Vagina + The Preachers + The Honey Pies – Oxford Arts Factory (17.12.10)

Oxford Arts Factory have addressed the widespread opinion that traditional Christmas parties with the family are really no fun, and for the third year in a row, attempted to host a debaucherous and badass Christmas party for the drunken music fans of Sydney. Five buck entry was surely their idea of a thoughtful Christmas gift,…

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Live Review: Manic Street Preachers + Dead Actors Club – The Metro Theatre (15.11.10)

4:30pm, ears firmly glued to the massive doors in the stinking alley beside Sydney’s Metro theatre. Inside, Manic Street Preachers are running a sound-check, and it seems vital to sit out here and take it all in, guessing each song as it’s played. It’s hard to distinguish the muffled vocals of James Dean Bradfield amongst the buzzing…

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Album Review: Carl Barât – Carl Barât (2010 LP)

It’s not unreasonable to suggest that Carl Barât‘s sole aim in life is to prove himself more successful than ex-bandmate Pete Doherty, and that’s not too difficult a feat to achieve. With an eager following of fans leftover from The Libertines days, Carl Barât’s side projects have always seen steady, though not necessarily well-deserved, success….

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Live Review: Unknown Pleasures: Peter Hook and Friends + The Wreckery – Enmore Theatre (25.08.10)

Unknown Pleasures pioneered late 70s post-punk, it was birthed from the ashes of the decaying musical scene at the time, and became the pinnacle of Joy Division‘s success. Forty years on, co-founder and bassist Peter Hook sought to revisit the melancholic atmosphere that is the Joy Division live experience, with a series of tribute shows…

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Album Review: Manic Street Preachers – Postcards From a Young Man (2010 LP)

Manic Street Preachers have destroyed the derelict foundations of rock and roll and reconstructed them to create a musical form that surpasses the dryness of today’s music. With a history that may devastate the talents of many bands, the Manics have elevated themselves beyond the need for approval, the need to prove themselves. The band’s…

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Sydney Fringe Festival: Starry Comet Night – The Boiler Room, Factory Theatre (19.09.10)

Indulging in life’s superficialities on a week night, with a glass of red wine and company from hopeless house-mates, is a form of dim relaxation taken for granted by Australia’s masses. Being confronted by a pizza delivery man revealing the world’s end to you and the pathetic group of people you live with isn’t really…

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Album Review: Dan Webb – Hyperspace Clearance (2010 EP)

The sophomore album of jazzy Melbournian Dan Webb is Hyperspace Clearance, a four track EP. Hyperspace Clearance carries a sweeping dynamic throughout its four tracks, with each song smoothly introducing the next. Opening track “Way Out”, resonates a strong Beatles-esque sound, with chiming piano riffs and a sharp drum beat. Webb’s vocals pitch to an…

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Live Review: PVT + Seekae – Manning Bar (21.08.10)

PVT (previously Pivot) performed to a room of hot and sweaty fans, eager to witness the band play their latest album, Church With No Magic, for the first time in Sydney. With a new approach to match their new name, PVT’s latest leaves a lot more room for Richard Pike’s crooning vocals, an addition that…

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Live Review: Broken Social Scene + Bearhug – Metro Theatre, Sydney (04.08.10)

Broken Social Scene is a group that masters the art of musical collaboration, a talent which has shaped the constant development and diversity of sound which exists in their music. With the ubiquitous dynamic between its varied and multiple members, and the resulting sentience in their sound, Broken Social Scene have become one of the…

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Live Review: Ash + We Are Scientists + Last Dinosaurs – Metro Theatre, Sydney (03.08.10)

Just two days ago, the Metro Theatre was faced with a dark divide: on one side were the loitering, cigarette smoking hipsters; and the other, groups of chubby middle-aged men joking loudly and drinking VB. It’s moments like these which bring a tear to my eye, proud of music’s role in bringing all sorts of…

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Live Review: RPA & The United Nations of Sound + Katy Steele – Enmore Theatre (31.07.2010)

“No-one told you to come to my concert, and that’s what I appreciate the most. There’s no sheep in this crowd.” -Richard Ashcroft, prior to his embarrassing Splendour fiasco. Ashcroft is the soul of an era once past, one of the few britpop legends managing to survive with the same dignity they once possessed. His…

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Live Review: Violent Soho + Little Lovers + Butcher Birds + Scul Hazzards – Annandale Hotel, Sydney (23.07.10)

It is difficult to imagine, when observing the masses of leather jackets, studs, and dirty beards at the Annandale on Friday night, that these crowds were here to see a band whose most popular song references Jesus in its title. A self-confessed stoner rock band, Violent Soho were here to ignite an explosive release for…

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Album Review: Sia – We Are Born (2010 LP)

The at times mind-blowingly sexy, and at times irritatingly screechy vocals of Sia will surely lure listeners in to the luscious dance-pop that is We Are Born, the fifth album from this Adelaide “pop-sensation”. Comprised completely of heavy loaded pop music designed solely to induce a frenzy of intoxicatingly sweet happiness, this album is the…

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Album Review: The Bedroom Philosopher – Songs From the 86 Tram (2010 LP)

If you’re not yet familiar with Justin Heazlewood’s witty performance persona ‘The Bedroom Philosopher’, then what I feel for you is rather best described as pity. The latest from this genius comedian is Songs From the 86 Tram, an album which follows a Melbourne tram’s journey from Bundoora to Docklands, and on the way manages…

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Album Review: British India – Avalanche (2010 LP)

The latest from Melbourne indie rockers British India is ‘Avalanche’, a ten-track album and the third to grace their discography. It opens with the smashing guitar riffs of ‘Safari’, a quick tempo’d beat designed to infiltrate your mind with the absolute desire to drop everything and dance. This song would be the epitome of a…

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Album Review: Blood Red Shoes – Fire Like This (2010 LP)

It’s been too long since I’ve a) listened to music from this century and b) found myself thoroughly enjoying it. Thankfully, my hunger for exciting new music has finally been satisfied (for now) with the release of Blood Red Shoes’ latest album ‘Fire Like This’. Hailing from Brighton, UK, the two-piece have infused a delicate…

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Album Review: Tunng – … And Then We Saw Land (2010 LP)

Let’s face it, lately we’ve had more than our fair share of folk-indie cutesy type bands than we need to, and it’s become difficult to distinguish between the groups and the songs and the endless quirk that is constantly shoved down our throats by the popular culture media. Tunng are no different. They are by…

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