Album Reviews

Album Review: Fractures – Fractures (2014 EP)

Going by the moniker of Fractures, Mark Zito has released a stunning self titled debut with the Fractures EP. Full of subtle harmonies, gentle brooding and haunting vocals and lyricism, Zito has put together an enlightening experience. Immersing the listener in an ethereal orchestra of soulful sounds Fractures is an introspective compilation following the themes…

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anberlin lowborn album art

Album Review: Anberlin – Lowborn (2014 LP)

I’ve had a hard time starting this album review, maybe because Anberlin are one of my favourite bands and the last thing I want to do is write something that isn’t at all interesting. For all you dedicated Anberlin fans out there, as you know, they will be disbanding towards the end of the year and being…

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imogen heap sparks album art

Album Review: Imogen Heap – Sparks (2014 LP)

It is a true fact that all musicians strive for perfection and when it comes to this nature, it is almost a necessity for all of them to be driven and motivated in order to create exceptional tracks .With her success in Speak For Yourself and Ellipse, Imogen Heap dazzles the world again with her newest album, Sparks. The electro-pop queen…

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Album Review: Alison Wonderland – Calm Down (2014 EP)

Before even reaching the one minute mark of the first track on Alison Wonderland’s debut EP Calm Down you know this is the one you have been waiting for. Wonderland has packed everything that makes her live shows instant sell out’s into five incredible songs. Powerful bass, stunning vocals and exciting samples, if you’ve enjoyed…

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rise against the black market album art

Album Review: Rise Against – The Black Market (2014 LP)

Their first since 2011’s Endgame, Rise Against are back in style with The Black Market, released in Australia earlier this month. Needless to say, the punk rockers of Chicago, Illinois have clearly shown their compatibility towards sheer greatness when it comes to releasing new music and with their consistent efforts as a band, it’s not a surprise that their…

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theory of a deadman savages album art

Album Review: Theory of a Deadman – Savages (2014 LP)

With their upcoming release of Savages, Canadian band, Theory of a Deadman bring to the table a mixture of post-grunge elements with an edgy, alternative rock style in this anticipated album. It’s safe to say that they have become much more creative and have taken a number of musical risks, exploring further into their unique genre of rock….

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d at sea anchors & diamonds ep art

Album Review: D At Sea – Anchors & Diamonds (2014 EP)

D at Sea is a musician with a natural talent. With his clever acoustic covers of various metalcore bands, it’s safe to say that he’s someone that wants to stand out from the crowd with his amazing vocals. When I first came across his cover of a track by Bring Me The Horizon, I immediately fell in…

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Album Review: Swing Noir – Music From The Jazz Clubs of 1930s Europe (2014 Compilation)

This is certainly a swinging album of hot gypsy jazz of the 1930’s. Featuring some of the most influential musicians of the time – Django Reinhardt, Stephane Grappelli, Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday to name but a few. Although title Swing Noir this is certainly more of an example of the hot club jazz style…

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the fault in our stars soundtrack art

Album Review: The Fault In Our Stars: Music From The Motion Picture (2014 LP)

The art of executing a perfect compilation of songs for a film is like making a perfect mixtape for your soulmate. Everything about this soundtrack makes my knees weak and my hopes for this film are soaring so high right now. My gut feeling tells me that it will be as good as the book…

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Album Review: Ray LaMontagne – Supernova (2014 LP)

With his breakthrough track, “Trouble”, off the album of the same name, Ray LaMontagne made a distinctive name for himself in the music industry as a unique, soulful singer/songwriter with an acoustic and raw sound. But it has been more than 10 years since the cult favourite of folk, roots and classic rock fans released…

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Album Review: The Great Conjunction – Wait For Apophis (2014 EP)

Sydney outfit The Great Conjunction are fairly new onto the scene with their cavernous alternative indie-rock sounds. They write music that’s deeply intricate on so many layers, think like Arcade Fire or The New Pornographers or The Dears, that it can take quite a few listens to really appreciate it. I’ll openly admit it took me some proper spins to get the…

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Album Review: Sarah McLachlan – Shine On (2014 LP)

Like stepping in from the cold to find a warm fireplace and your favourite blanket. The new album, Shine On, by Sarah McLachlan is the musical equivalent of getting re-acquainted with an old friend. Filled with her distinctive and glistening vocals that have been off the airways for far too long. In fact this album…

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Album Review: Play It Again – Classic Hollywood (2014 LP)

For any nostalgia driven Hollywood movie buffs, and lovers of the grand music scores from classic movies, this album is a little slice of heaven. Each track transports the listener to another time and place, swept away in magnificent and timeless orchestrations, with the only down-side of leaving you a little jarred upon returning to…

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Album Review: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Soundtrack (2014 Compilation)

Music is honestly the best gift in the entire world and if I had the choice of losing my hearing or eyesight forever, I’d choose my eyesight because without my hearing, music would cease to exist in my life and the thought of that makes me want to cry. If you’re looking for a quick…

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Album Review: Bonjah – Beautiful Wild (2014 LP)

From taking a one way flight to Melbourne eight years ago to touring internationally with headline shows, the Kiwi lads from Bonjah have put a lot of hard work into their sound which is clearly evident in their third studio release, Beautiful Wild. Every track exudes that bluesy rock fuelled confidence, with frontman Glen Mossop’s…

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Album Review: Paolo Nutini "Caustic Love" (2014 LP)

Paolo Nutini got a lucky break when David Sneddon was delayed at the start of a performance in 2003 and Nutini won a spot to sing a few numbers. His ongoing success, however, is not just dumb luck, but is a result of his enduring and ever-growing talent. After five years of touring, writing, collaborating,…

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Album Review: Foster The People – Supermodel (2014 LP)

To be honest, I did judge a book by its cover when it came to listening to Foster the People’s sophomore album. While I loved their catchy hooks and sing-a-long creations in Torches, what led me to pay particular attention to this release was the psychedelic touch on the album art, injected with colour, and…

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Album Review: Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings – Give The People What They Want (2014 LP)

It’s been a rollercoaster year for Sharon Jones, the corrections officer turned soul queen. Her fifth album with the imitable Dap Kings, Give the People What They Want was shelved and touring halted so Jones could turn her attention to battling and ultimately beating cancer which threatened to bring her fairy-tale career to a halt….

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Album Review: Sally Seltmann – Hey Daydreamer (2014 LP)

Ladies and gentlemen, I have some good news for you: Sydney’s Sally Seltmann is back after four years with her latest solo full length album, Hey Daydreamer and boy, is it a treasure, stuffed full of indie pop gems. In all honesty (and without sounding too gushy), I have never before listened to an album…

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Album Review: Katy Perry – Prism Deluxe Edition (2013 LP)

It seems that Katy Perry hasn’t been off our airwaves at all, with consistently timed album releases and perfectly polished pop gems that have made her a mainstay on radio and music video channels. Prism is Perry’s fourth official release and it manages to retain her pop-dance sensibilities whilst feeling somewhat more mature, edgier and texturally more complex.

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Album Review: Eskimo Joe – Wastelands (2013 LP)

It’s been two years since we last heard from Perth lads Eskimo Joe, and they’re back with a brand new crowd-funded album titled Wastelands that takes their sound in a vastly different direction from their previous records.

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Album Review: She Rex – Self-Titled (2013 EP)

It’s no secret that She Rex are one of my favourite up-and-coming Sydney bands. Having been lucky enough to see them live several times in the past year, I was keen to hear the results of their work in the studio. As expected, they didn’t disappoint.

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Album Review: John Mayer – Paradise Valley (2013 LP)

If there’s one thing you can’t accuse John Mayer of, it’s that his music is generic and pigeonholed. As a recording artist, his styles have ranged from radio friendly pop rock to blues, to folk, country and even white-man soul. Examining his sixth studio record Paradise Valley, it’s interesting to see where his musical direction is shifting to…

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Album Review: Various Artists – Melodie Française (2013 Compilation)

We may seem far from a world of heightened suffering and melodramatic love affairs but the Australian reworking of French classics on Melodie Française could be the perfect soundtrack to a wine-heavy dinner party. Francophiles will love it – there is more value upon recognising the originals – but the album speaks to any music…

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Album Review: Jacob Butler – Reason (2013 LP)

Generally for most Australian artists, it’s all about breaking the local market before heading off into the wide world. Singer-songwriter Jacob Butler opted to take his guitar driven pop-rock material OS and managed to ink several licensing deals, get radio airplay and physical release in Europe and South Africa before his LP Reason even saw the light on local…

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Album Review: William Beckett – Genuine and Counterfeit (2013 LP)

It’s only been two years since The Academy Is… announced their disbandment, but William Beckett has accomplished a lot in that time. Three EPs, an album of acoustic sessions, and a fair bit of touring is more than you’d expect from somebody who’d spent the previous nine years creating music with the support of a…

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Album Review: Kodaline – In A Perfect World (2013 LP)

There’s a lot riding on the shoulders of Dublin band Kodaline. With their soft-alternative-indie-rock tendencies their debut EP The Kodaline EP released in September 2012 garnered them a nomination in the BBC Sound of 2013 poll. It’s now about 10 months on since then and the four piece are ready to show the world their long player In A…

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Album Review: Molly Contogeorge – Dames (2013 EP)

Forget Gosling; forget Julia Stone! In fact, forget everything you think you know about female singer songwriters. There’s a new lass on the block and her name is Molly Contogeorge. Molly first grabbed my attention when I went along to see Stone Monks on a somewhat inconvenient, hung-over Sunday night. From memory it was rather…

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Album Review: Deap Vally – Sistrionix (2013 LP)

When Deap Vally were flaring up in the blogosphere over summer as “artists to watch” they much surpassed their poster image as two Californian rockers. They command attention with classic rock ‘n’ roll theatrics. Their debut album Sistrionix lives up to its name – these two troublemakers are making a name for themselves. With essentially…

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Album Review: Goo Goo Dolls – Magnetic (2013 LP)

90’s radio darlings the Goo Goo Dolls are back with their tenth studio album Magnetic, and they are showcasing an unbelievably strong record full of shiny pop rock nuggets of gold.

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