Album Reviews

It’s been nine years since international troubadour Carus Thompson released the career defining double live album Acoustic at the Norfolk. Plenty has changed in those nine years, there have been albums recorded, tours completed and Thompson has found himself become both a husband and a father. Nine years on, Thompson found himself back at the…

Static on the Airwaves is the tenth album from British folk punks The Levellers and marks their first release since 2008. Traditionally there has always been an element of sedition and the political to folk music, most recently the British far right tried unsuccessfully to commandeer the genre for its own purpose. The Levellers are…

If you live outside of Perth you may have had a slight excuse for having not caught on to the magnificence that is Shimmergloom, but that excuse exists no longer. Read no further (well do read further) and rush out now and buy a copy of their debut EP Unfamiliar Nights, before your ears leave…

Orbital’s 2004 album Blue Album was supposed to be the British duo’s final legacy, leaving fans to mourn the loss of one of the 90s most heralded and unique electronica acts. But after a few years apart, Phil and Paul Hartnoll regrouped for what turned out to be a successful reunion world tour. Wanting to…

Charlotte Gainsbourg is perhaps better known for her recent successful acting career, having starred in the award winning Antichrist and Lars von Trier’s latest, Melancholia. But Stage Whisper reminds us that she is also an acclaimed singer too. A stop-gap album of sorts, Gainsbourg’s fourth full length release features unreleased tracks from her 2009 IRM…

PÝR is the latest EP from Perth rockers Heytesburg, and is only the band’s second ever release. I feel the need to point that out only because they don’t really sound like a band in the early years of their career. As with their first EP, the ambitious and atmospheric From The River I Come,…

The Carolina Chocolate Drops have released Leaving Eden, the follow up to the critically acclaimed Genuine Negro Jig. It’s fairly clear from the outset that this record isn’t going to be for everyone. You’re not going to be seeing singles from this record racing up the charts. What you do get however is the chance…

Sometimes I just love my job. Last week I received a copy of Basick Records new 2012 sampler, which has combined some of the best independant progressive metal bands in the world and placed them all on one album. This album is absolute magic, its brutal and intense, its laid back and moody, it’ll bring…

As part of a larger reissue campaign, Pink Floyd have released a remastered edition of Wish You Were Here with an additional second disc containing several tracks from live performances at Wembley in 1974 and some alternative studio versions of “Have a Cigar” and “Wish You Were Here” Not much needs to be said about…

The Necks are known for their sprawling, long, simply hypnotic tones that melds itself into one soundtrack of noise which really isn’t noise. More a sporadic burst of improvisation that goes for more than forty to fifty minutes. An amazing aspect of this kind of performance is a powerful idea in the live sense. On…

Before I start this review, I would like to preface it by admitting that I am not a guru on all things metal, so the technical side of this review will sadly be restricted to the standard clichés of using adjectives such as ‘brutal’ and ‘vicious’, etc. I do, however, think that part of the…

Sunderland quintet Frankie and The Heartstrings’ debut album Hunger, is a shout back to doo-wop from decades back. It oozes poppy, milkshake-in-a-diner type melodies mixed with the type of innocent romanticisms that make holding hands seem like you’ve hit a home run. Opening track “Photograph” contains jangling, summer guitar, strolling bass, complete with a thickened…

The Impossible Girl is the debut full-length solo album from Canadian-born singer/songwriter Kim Boekbinder, produced by Sean Slade(Radiohead, Hole and The Dresden Dolls). Boekbinder began her career performing with her sister Zoe Boekbinder as the colourful circus-cabaret indie outfit Vermillion Lies. Stepping out solo appears to have allowed Kim Boekbinder to flourish, and produce an…

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…

You may not have heard of Kordan, but something tells me they will soon be topping ‘next big thing’ lists. After all, this is the band who were handpicked by Australia’s Cut Copy in 2008 as opening act for their North American tour on the strength of their debut EP. Emerging from Puerto Rico’s burgeoning…

While waiting for an interview at Canadian Music Week this past March, I was lucky enough to be introduced to an Ontarian duo who showed just how much is possible with two men, a guitar, a drum kit and a wall of beautiful distortion. The kids call it “rock and roll”. Brandyn James Aikins and…

There’s a general conception that everything James Lavelle touches turns to gold, and this idea still stands, even this many years into his career. The Mo Wax labelhead, celebrated DJ and electronic musician’s main project has always been UNKLE, an electronic/rock act that have now cemented their status as one of modern music’s genuinely eclectic…

Carus Thompson has been at this music lark for a while now. With good reason too, he is bloody good at it. Recent proof being is his latest album Caravan, a truly wondrous collection of songs written and recorded between Australia and Europe. Reflecting his life on the road split between the two continents. Carus…

The Middle East blew everyone away – in their own subtle, quiet manner – when they released a collection of songs in 2009 known as The Recordings of the Middle East. Since then, some noteworthy festival inclusions and well placed support slots (Doves, The National) has created a lot of buzz around the band. But…

Heytesburg perform music which my iTunes wonderfully characterises as Darkwave. Which is clearly one of the best genre names I have come across; it to some extent also serves as a great definition of the band’s sound. Their music is dark, brooding and multi-layered. There are elements of psychedelia and industrial rock drifting through their…

Boasting one of the finest roster of acts in Australia’s indie pop scene is Melbourne based label Popboomerang. One of Australia’s most delightful quiet achievers in the music scene, for almost a decade now the indie label has been providing Australia with some of the country’s finest pop acts, thanks to the dedicated hand of…

Sufjan Stevens is a storyteller, a bard singing the myths and histories of his land. Much of Stevens’ previous work is usually described best as being born out of the American folk tradition, telling tales of experiences, towns and cities; real places and real people. The narrative of the America as Sufjan Stevens tells it…

Furry Red Records has put out a compilation album entitled “The Best of RADelaide”. We look now at 8 tracks off the album. We’ll be looking at the rest in the coming weeks… Spencer Jayne – A Woman Scorned “A Woman Scorned” by Spencer Jayne is this delightfully dark song which manages to take an…

I was lucky enough to see Joan Wasser, aka Joan as Police Woman, live a few years ago and I was enamoured by her captivating performance. I knew only a handful of the songs that night, having listened only briefly to her first album Real Life. However, I was really there because I am a…

One of electronic music’s most eclectic artists, Sascha Ring (aka Apparat), has been DJing and producing for more than a decade. Aside from his own productions, the Berlin-based musician has worked on albums with Modeselektor, Ellen Allien, and even a rock opera with Gianna Nannini. Experimental by nature, his style is notoriously difficult to pinpoint,…

Landing just in time for summer is A Strawberry Situation, the warm and catchy EP from Newcastle band Love Parade. The band have already been earning kudos thanks to Triple J Unearthed, but despite positive reviews and a growing fan base, Love Parade remain somewhat elusive. What we do know about them (thanks to their…

You might think you’ve peeped the scene – you haven’t The real one’s far too mean The watered down one The one you know Was made up centuries ago It made it sound all whack and corny Yes, it’s awful, blasted, boring Twisted fiction Sick addiction Well gather round children Zip it, listen. The words…

Local Natives has been one of the most talked about bands of the year, with Gorilla Manor spawning no less than six singles as well as countless praise from overwhelmingly positive reviews. And when you listen to this impressive album from start to finish, it’s not difficult to understand why. Local Natives’ music is effortlessly…

Ladies and Gentlemen: Cee Lo Green has returned with his third solo record, and first in six years – The Lady Killer.  In between drinks, Cee Lo has dabbled in a number of projects – most notably Gnarls Barkley alongside Dangermouse. Together, they produced two killer records, and Cee Lo became a household name. So, after…

The new self-titled EP from Brisbane based Tim Nelson & the Cub Scouts is a wonderfully delicious collection of songs best served cold, with a side order of fries and a nice summers day at the beach. Trying to label this group is an exercise in futility. Just when you think you have them pegged…