Album Reviews

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.

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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.

Sometime last year, whilst wandering through the Rocks in Sydney I had the pleasure of witnessing a charming acoustic performance by Sydney local Patrick James. With his endearing folk rock and charismatic presence, James had easily captured the attention of the market goers. With an awkward ‘Hello, gosh you’re good, may I please buy a…

Trigger Jackets. The name alone screams indie rock, perhaps with a tinge of surfer rock, maybe a couple of jaunty riffs similar to Ball Park Music? Skinny boys in their skinny jeans and ironic glasses. Thankfully, in reality, Trigger Jackets bucks the indie trend. Their latest release, debut full length, Skinny, is all things great…

Ever since Queens of the Stone Age released their acclaimed record Songs For The Deaf in 2002, which took the underground band to the attention of the world, it would be fair to say the band have struggled to reach similar levels of acclaim. Lullabies to Paralyze, released in 2005, showed that the band were…

Misty Miller has come along way since 2011. Back then, she was strumming her ukulele and singing sweetly about boys. Now, at eighteen, she’s got an electric guitar, a stronger voice, and a helluva lot more to say. Next To You is her second EP release this year — and if you read the title…

If you’ve been anywhere near a radio or TV in the last couple of months you would have no doubt heard a catchy tune with an infectious shout along chorus about a certain John Wayne. If, like me, you’ve had that delicious track stuck in your head since the moment you heard it and have…

Leaving the suburbs behind, Bob Evans’ Familiar Stranger hits a lush, layered note. Cannily on-trend, in touch with all the latest tropes of nostalgic pop, it’s a departure from the acoustic guitar-driven sounds of his so-called suburban trilogy. Like any album, it’s marked by derivation, with many a nod to alumni like The Beatles (as…

For someone who is regularly possessed by the rhythm and spirit of Reggae and Ska, Melbourne Ska Orchestra instantly becomes an obsession. Even the simple concept of a vast orchestra with an 18-piece horn section playing a style I find it difficult not to move to is orgasmic, let alone when they actually start playing….

On the seventh day, God was having a beer and thought you know what, it would be nice to have some tunes to listen to, so he clicked his fingers and out popped The Shallows. Step Into: The Shallows is the 3rd offering from Perth indi-popsters following on from their debut EP Nostalgia Ain’t What…

It may be hard to believe that Tales From The Thames Delta is actually the debut album from The Milk. The album can mistake you into thinking it came from a band who have been releasing music for years. Opening track ‘Broke Up The Family’ has hints of The Black Keys about it, then follows…

Part ¡Dos! in Green Day’s trilogy of rock albums could easily be seen as nothing more than a sequel to the drunken debut by their short-lived side-project, The Foxboro Hot Tubs. This, however, would be the wrong way to look at it. While the album is most certainly soaked with the hedonism of Stop, Drop,…

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If that’s the case, Macy Gray’s Talking Book– a full-length cover of one of Stevie Wonder’s most famous albums of the same name- is surely the highest form of praise. In fact, rather than imitating, Macy has aimed to put her own spin on the 70s…

If dark, distinctly-Aussie rock sounds appealing, you need to know Bec and Ben. The first song crawls up on you. Twenty seconds in, there’s a change; an echoing riff, speeding up gradually until the one minute mark. Another change. This riff is shorter. Sharper. Then Bec starts to sing, and they’re not the words you…

For anybody who has ever seen Delta Goodrem in concert / in interviews / in person, it appears easy to understand why her new record is titled Child of the Universe. She’s bubbly, kind, and never stops smiling — But if you want an accurate tip-off as to what this record sounds like, you need…

It’s been just over two years since their last record, but Anberlin are back, sticking to their tried and true formula: aggressive sounds and sentimental meanings. They might have left the ‘darker’ elements out, but there’s just as much angst as ever.

Stone Parade have been around the Sydney music scene for a fairly long time and have undergone several changes in their musical style in that timeframe. The Mulgoa Sessions is a 3-track EP that suggests yet another change in musical direction for this band.

The term “supergroup” can be used to include everything from The Traveling Wilburys to +44 , with the theory being that when already-successful musicians come together, they can make music even greater than that of their earlier projects. This is rarely the case. Though both of the above acts achieved commercial and critical acclaim, it…

Mojo Juju is one of those acts that you’ll find extremely difficult to pin into a genre. You’re guaranteed one thing though, the self-titled album from this unique songstress is quite the raunchy seduction for your ears.

Former Idol winner Wes Carr has returned with Blood & Bone the debut EP from his new project Buffalo Tales. Anyone tuning in to hear a collection of pleasant radio friendly pop rock songs are going to be sorely disappointed. Blood & Bone is a completely different beast from Carr previous output, a return to…

A Year At Sea is the debut album from Sydney’s Winter People. Released on the 21st September the album is a real delight; a sophisticated synergy of the styles, with a rich modern approach rubbing shoulders with more traditional folk sensibilities. For a debut album it’s really quite ambitious, with moody atmospherics and swirling instrumentation….

Metric have always balanced the rock and synth-based pop sound impeccably, and no album showcases this better than their 2009 breakthrough Fantasies. And now that the band is enjoying more exposure and success (in part thanks to appearances on soundtracks like Scott Pilgrim vs the World and Twilight: Eclipse) the anticipation for their follow-up was…

Hearing one lone voice sing of heartbreak and sorrow often seems more intensely honest than the sound of several. Perhaps that’s why the debut solo album from Boy & Bear’s Tim Hart is so beautifully melancholy and enthralling from one minute to the next. The drummer and vocalist has decided to step out from behind…