Album Reviews

It’s been a while since their last release, but Goose is back… Bring it on! I remember stumbling onto Goose many years ago at Parklife 2007 and loving the European synth punching electro indie punk geeks. I wasn’t sure how big they were and no one seemed to know about them, but it didn’t take long…

For the last thirty-five years, Brian Eno has been an indisputably influential and iconic figure in a broad cross-section of musical genres. Small Craft on a Milk Sea is Eno’s 25th solo album; a collaboration with British electronica newcomer Jon Hopkins and guitarist Leo Abrahams, both of whom have previously worked with Eno. Throughout his…

Dance stalwarts Faithless are set to touch down in Australia in the coming months, so it seems appropriate that they’re paving the way with the re-release of their album – The Dance (released in May) – in a special two disc effort called The Dance Never Ends . It’s a significant record for Sister Bliss,…

  Damon Gough’s alter ego, Badly Drawn Boy released his debut album in 2000, The Hour of Bewilderbeast, and was met with critical acclaim. Following-up with the release of the soundtrack for the film About A Boy, Badly Drawn Boy appeared to be shaping a career around optimistic pop songs with folk sensibilities. The new album,…

It has been over thirty years since Crowed House first formed and came into their own, after releasing the International hit “Don’t Dream Its Over”. When I listen to this song, it seems to encapsulate my idea of the 1980s so entirely. I am a child of the ’80s, and therefore grew up with Crowded House’s music…

It’s been a long time coming, but Hungry Kids of Hungary‘s debut album, Escapades, has finally hit record stores around the country to rave reviews and even a feature album spot on Triple J. You really don’t get much better than that. So now that we can call this an album with a succession of…

Having already released her country-folk sounding debut album Sugar Lights and supporting both Magic Dirt and Mark Lanegan (of Screaming Trees) on recent tours, Amaya Laucirica has definitely come in to her own, and has developed a sound that is unique unto itself with her latest release, Early Summer. The album begins delicately with “Most…

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….

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…

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…

Back in 2001, Lazy Susan burst onto the scene with their debut album Long Lost, touting the catchy-as-all-heck singles “Bobby Fischer” and “Canada”, and quickly earning props for their classic-sounding pop songs. Nearly ten years, and another two albums later, the Sydney band is still quietly flying the pop music flag. Places That Made Us…

There is nothing more enjoyable than to put on the headphones at your local music store, listen to a new record and being instantly mesmerized by a tune. Well, this could quite simply describe and summarize British band, Jamiroquai‘s new single. Jay Kay and his band mates return after 5 years since the release of…

When Tiesto released Kaleidoscope in 2009, it was met with mixed reactions. Although it was clearly a commercial success, a lot of critics and fans were divided, with some panning it and others declaring it the most adventurous record the trance producer/DJ had ever done. He certainly earned a lot of respect for pushing the…

Sydney indie darlings Smudge may never have been a commercial success, but they were definitely quiet achievers. During the ’90s, they were regular fixtures in local live music venues, and their plethora of singles, EPs and albums have since become staples in any Sydney music punter’s record collection. In 2006 one of those albums, Manilow,…

When I received the new album Ghosts of The Horizon, from Perth natives The Holy Sea, I first assumed it was a debut. I was so blown away by what I heard that I couldn’t believe I’d never heard of them before. But low and behold, this was their third album (following on from Blessed…

It’s a little overdue, but now is as good a time as any to take a look-see at Tame Impala’s debut album InnerSpeaker. Given the belated nature of this review there is a good chance that you have probably heard most of the LP, or even acquired its goodness for your own enjoyment. Nevertheless, there…

Dear Ball Park Music, “I don’t really know you but I like to have imaginary conversations in my head… Where I tell you off and you go home with your tail between your legs” (Sea Strangers)… Well… I don’t really plan to tell you off, but that has been my stuck rolling around my head…

Adelaide has laid claim to some exceptional Australian bands over the years, and now it can proudly add young locals Steering By Stars to its credit. One of the more intriguing bands to come from the city of churches, the five piece are also one of the city’s most interesting live acts, a label that’s…

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…

Creative workaholics to the core, Brisbane psych-pop quartet Drawn From Bees have churned out an amazing three EPs in just twelve months – 2008’s The Boy And The Ocean and 2009’s back-to-back And The Blind Shall Lead The Naked / The Sky Is Falling. The band’s debut LP Fear Not The Footsteps Of The Departed…

Remember Crystal Castles? While they made a few catchy songs, to be completely honest, it got a bit tiresome after listening to 3 or 4 songs in a row. I don’t think I’ve ever been able to listen to the album from start to finish, yet at the same time I would still consider myself…

Pendulum‘s first two albums are legacies of a shifting dance scene, one which has seen once once-underground genres like drum and bass becoming increasingly more mainstream. Never content with a uniform sound, their debut Hold Your Colour melded energetic dnb with a aggressive rock; then band took their sound further – into almost rock stadium…

Coming out of pretty much nowhere, Sydney five piece The Preachers have already made a substantial splash in the local scene – something which I’m sure comes as much of a surprise to them as the rest of us. And off the back of this momentum comes their debut self-titled EP – a stunning five…

Like local late 90s/early 00s acts Sound Like Sunset, Gersey and Swirl, new Melbourne band The Sirens of Venice continue the tradition of creating dreamy, shoegaze-influenced pop. Although they are a touring/recording eight-piece, the group’s core comprises Craig Jackson from Gersey and his wife Camilla, and the husband-and-wife team have written a compelling debut album….

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…

As part of a global “Smirnoff Experience” event in South Africa, the company is about to release an exclusive track, “Dreaming”, which shows DJ/Producer Tiësto merging his unique sound with BLK JKS – an emerging prog rock band from South Africa, and recent SAMA winners for “Best Alternative Music Album” (South African Music Awards, the…

There has been a lot of buzz about young indie band Cloud Control over the past few years, and with their debut album Bliss Release, they have well and truly lived up to the hype. Hailing from the Blue Mountains, Cloud Control first began to create a stir following the release of their debut EP…

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…

They are the latest to jump on the recent supergroup trend, but Gayngs are a band with a difference. For one, its members hail from a wide and diverse range of acts, and for another, they’re more like a ‘super-music-community’. More than 25 musicians contributed to the making of Relayted, led by Gayngs’ founding members…

In recent years, the Danes have been showing us that their small European country has a lot of big musical potential. Already, bands like The Raveonettes, Mew and The Elephant s are gaining recognition across the waters; now, Denmark’s most recent export to come to our attention is The Kissaway Trail. Hype began to form…