Album Reviews

Album Review: Atomic Tom – ERA (2015 LP)

Taking three years to record, mix and produce, alternative rock/pop outfit, Atomic Tom bring a whopper of a release with their latest offering, ERA. Creating a record themselves surely wasn’t easy, however the passion and optimistic tunes that are on this record are sterling. With the band residing from Brooklyn, New York, it’s safe to say they were…

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Album Review: Ocean Carolina – Maudlin Days (2015 LP)

It’s easy to assume that all bands start off with an influence of some sort. Whether it’s from the music they grew up listening to or the people that have influenced them to start their own band, there is no conventional way of making music; you simply do it because you love it. Carrying over…

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Album Review: Miguel – Wildheart (2015 LP)

Miguel has been setting the bar high with his music. For someone that has a striking ability to apply himself, Wildheart is a sophisticated work of art. Since 2012’s Kaleidoscope Dream, his experimentation with rock music has glued together his songs quite nicely, and the music on this record is no exception. The transition from his slick and contemporary…

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Album Review: Brigades – Indefinite (2015 LP)

Pure Noise Records seem to be pulling out some decent bands in their roster and Brigades was one I kept my eye on. With their fusion of pop punk and hardcore elements mixed together, I was drawn by their music as soon as I stumbled upon their EP, Crocodile Tears and damn was it good. But with their latest…

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Album Review: Counterparts – Tragedy Will Find Us (2015 LP)

The Difference Between Hell and Home was a solid album and Canadian melodic-hardcore outfit Counterparts succeed once again with their latest offering of Tragedy Will Find Us. What strikes as impressive from this band is their ability to make their songs intriguing. Instrumentation in each track is different than the last and each lyric pins right to the core…

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Album Review: Art of Sleeping – Shake Shiver (2015 LP)

I remember coming across Art of Sleeping while lurking through YouTube. Songs like “Colourblind” and “Breathe” blew me away with their incredible sound, having a strong focus on their acoustic and alternative rock roots. I had a feeling that this band would go places but unfortunately their debut album, Shake Shiver felt like a step backwards for the them….

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Album Review: Northlane – Node (2015 LP)

Northlane are one of the heaviest bands known to Australia and the rest of the world. After their career as a band finally taking off in 2011 since their release of Discoveries, it’s become clear that they are just thriving with passion and energy. After the departure of original frontman, Adrian Fitipaldes, ex-vocalist of Sound of Seasons, Marcus Bridge has since…

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Album Review: Normie Rowe – Frenzy! The 50th Anniversary Collection (2015 LP)

There’s two ways you can look at an album like Frenzy! The 50th Anniversary Collection when you plan to review it – either as an album for fans of Normie Rowe‘s music or as an opportunity to expand his music base. Whichever way you look at it, he’s music royalty with an amazing career behind…

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Album Review: Jasmine Rae – Heartbeat (2015 LP)

Jasmine Rae has accomplished a lot in her career since taking out the top prize at Telstra Road to Tamworth in 2008. As a fan of the three-time ARIA-nominated and two-time CMC Music Award winner’s previous albums; Look It Up, Listen Here and If I Want To respectfully, I was excited to hear the new…

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this wild life clouded atmosphere edition

Album Review: This Wild Life – Clouded: Atmosphere Edition (2015 LP)

At the beginning of this year, the pop-punk acoustic duo of This Wild Life made an appearance at Soundwave Festival and needless to say – they held a fantastic set! I remember coming across one of their acoustic covers of A Day To Remember’s “If It Means A Lot To You” and the brilliance of the acoustic vibes that resonated in…

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Album Review: Adam Lambert – The Original High (2015 LP)

Adam Lambert, the runner-up for the eighth season of American Idol, returns; following the success for his first two albums For Your Entertainment and Trespassing and now, the commercial success of his latest single “Ghost Town”. I take a listen to his third album The Original High.

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Album Review: The Getaway Plan – Dark Horses (2015 LP)

If there’s one thing I admire about The Getaway Plan, it’s their resilience that has brought them a successful and flourishing music career. Since the crowdfunding of Dark Horses started, it’s pretty amazing to have seen so much support that was brought by their loyal fanbase. The band made a brave decision on leaving their record label because…

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Album Review: Ta-Ku – Songs To Make Up To (2015 EP)

Within the first few seconds, Perth producer/entrepreneurial barber Ta-Ku has put you into a smoothly lush atmosphere. Displaying his power over composition, Songs To Make Up To is a blissful flow of samples and vocals that evolves so naturally that it goes beyond pleasurable listening. Eliciting such a level of emotion where only half the…

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Album Review: Josh Groban – Stages (2015 LP)

Josh Groban has already proven himself as a capable theatre performer, playing Anatoly Sergievsky in Chess at the legendary Royal Albert Hall along with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the West End Chorus. So perhaps it’s of little surprise that Stages, his seventh album, is full of songs from the world of musical theatre. It’s…

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Album Review: Dawes – All Your Favorite Bands (2015 LP)

Winter time is the season where you’re prone to feeling down and uninspired. There’s only so much gloomy weather you can handle and this affects the way you work and your mood. It becomes a groveling chore to even get out of bed because of the unforgiving cold that is felt through your skin. Suffice…

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Album Review: The KVB – Mirror Being (2015 LP)

With a handful of impressive LPs and EPs to their name, London duo The KVB have just released their first full length instrumental album Mirror Being on Invada Records. I remember that they first piqued my interest back in 2013 when they toured Australia with the Brian Jonestown Massacre and was so blown away by…

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Album Review: Young Guns – Ones and Zeros (2015 LP)

UK-based alternative rock band, Young Guns are in my opinion, underrated in the scene of music they are already in. To see them go at great lengths with their last two studio records while maintaining a loyal fanbase is an achievement itself. The last time I saw the band live was back in 2012 when they were…

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Album Review: Pennywise – Yesterdays (2014 LP)

Pennywise have been around for ages and it’s amazing to think that they have been one of the influential bands that have shaped the punk rock scene of today. For their music to still mean something, says a lot about their reputation. Being a band for over twenty years and having eleven studio albums, this is…

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Album Review: From First To Last – Dead Trees (2015 LP)

Lineup change for a band can impact their musicianship and when looking back at the band’s history, Dead Trees isn’t a strong comeback album from post-hardcore outfitters From First To Last. Comebacks normally mean power and success but it’s hard to ignore the weak points this album encompasses. Some tracks capture a strong reunion within the band and…

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Album Review: Zac Brown Band – Jekyll + Hyde (2015 LP)

Before I get to my thoughts on the album I firstly want to say that even though I’ve never found lead singer/guitarist Zac Brown to be a handsome man and I often don’t say this, but I love the cover art and dare I say, he even looks a bit powerful and attractive on the…

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holy pinto stenography

Album Review: Holy Pinto – Stenography (2015 EP)

British band, Holy Pinto provides a varying amount of musical influences. From the quirkiness of Say Anything to the poetic words of Death Cab For Cutie, this two-piece are the game changer of indie music. With their latest offering of Stenography, it is a short and sweet summation of their sharpness and attitude in their musicianship. Many will delight in this…

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Album Review: Too Close To Touch – Nerve Endings (2015 LP)

If there’s one band you should keep on your radar, it’s Too Close To Touch. With their sounds influenced by bands such as Pierce The Veil and Sleeping With Sirens, the Kentucky band are leading the way already with their diverse alternative rock sound. Since the debut of Nerve Endings, they have received such praise among fans and critics that…

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Album Review: All Time Low – Future Hearts (2015 LP)

Since the success in topping the Billboard charts last week, All Time Low have shown once again that they’re champs to the world of pop punk. Following their 2007 breakthrough with So Wrong, It’s Right, it’s been predicted that they were a band destined to ‘fade out’, as contenders of the pop punk scene have a low shelf-life…

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Album Review: Gang of Youths – The Positions (2015 LP)

Already topping the Australian charts since its release, Gang of Youths present a warmth and fiery-edge to the indie scene of music with their debut album, The Positions. Full of raw emotion, an atmosphere of storytelling is played out in each track, with intricate and striking lyrics that you don’t need to relate to to understand. In the…

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Album Review: Fictionist – Fictionist (2014 LP)

There’s something about Fictionist that is promising and to have that potential makes their music something to look forward to. Unfortunately, their self-titled album doesn’t highlight their best work as some songs are of mediocre quality. The band have succeeded on their own terms by being part of the SXSW festival and for them to get that kind of…

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Album Review: Death Cab For Cutie – Kintsugi(2015 LP)

The term Kintsugi is a beautiful one (the Japanese word for the art of mending broken pottery) and as the title of Death Cab For Cutie‘s eighth studio album it’s a good indication of where the band stands in both sadness and heartache. 2011’s Codes and Keys, brought an upbeat indie rock style but now, since the many changes…

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Album Review: Falling In Reverse – Just Like You (2015 LP)

Falling In Reverse have just released their most recent LP Just Like You. Since their controversial single, “Alone”, Ronnie Radke and his fellow band mates have gotten quite a following with their stylish direction in the post-hardcore scene and have been turning heads since their early days with “The Drug in Me is You”. Unfortunately, the band’s image has…

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Album Review: Sleeping with Sirens – Madness (2015 LP)

Sleeping with Sirens have explored their pop rock dimensions on another level with their newest album Madness. Since their last release, the band have further explored something different from their usual scope of music and this will surely have old and new fans divided. It’s hard to move past the heavy sounding, in-your-face back catalogue offered in…

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Album Review: Cedar Boulevard – Cedar Boulevard (2015 EP)

The world of pop punk music is a competitive one and the smartest strategy you can ever have is to fuse it with something else. Cedar Boulevard are no ordinary happy-go-lucky band; they are a band that acquaints post-hardcore elements into their music as well. Balance is always key and it’s safe to say they have achieved…

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Album Review: Damien Leith – Songs From Ireland (2015 LP)

It’s almost been 10 years since Damien Leith won our hearts winning Australian Idol in 2006. Since then, the ARIA award winning artist has released 2 novels and 7 albums, and in March 2015, is set to release Songs From Ireland – a celebratory nod to his musical homeland.

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