Coming perhaps fifteen years too late to feature as the soundtrack to some ‘90s teen rom-dramedy, Best Coast’s Crazy For You is nevertheless a timely reminder of a time when pop was pop. Simple, fun-loving, slightly heartsore yet ever hopeful. Almost surprisingly for such a stereotypically Californian-sounding band (see following paragraph), this band actually comes…
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Rail many may against the state of youth culture today. However, with such music as this to whet our appetites, the situation can surely not be so dire. Low-fi beats embracing dream-trip synth with a liberal sprinkling of piano, Blow is the first offering from Dawn Golden and Rosy Cross, the moniker of 24 year-old…
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It is with great trepidation that here I add to the troubling amount of literature already devoted to the state of female politicians’ attire. Much as I feel the issue is given far more time than it deserves – which is, of course, none – after recently seeing a certain female head of state in…
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After the raw, brilliant energy of Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, the more refined Favourite Worst Nightmare and the darker, cool confidence of Humbug, what can we expect from the Arctic Monkeys? Suck It And See is in many ways a continuation of the style presented in Humbug. It seems that…
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It’s The Horrors, but not quite as you know them. Look at the album cover. It has colour, lots and lots of colour. That should be a hint. Well, not too much of a hint; this is The Horrors after all. Skying fits perfectly into The Horrors’ repertoire, started by Strange House and continued by…
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What can we expect in this, the third album from a band who gave us an stunningly fresh debut album and an impressive follow-up that only managed to get better the more we listened? Not much, unfortunately. All cards unashamedly on the table here: I am a big fan of The Kooks and was absolutely…
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Idle Labor is the kind of album that would be playing in the background as you skip through the Autumn leaves or Spring daisies with that someone special. Yet when the bittersweet end comes – as it always must with young love – Idle Labor will still be there. I would know – introduced to…
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Listening to Orchard, something seemed quite clear: this album cannot be a debut effort. The voice coming out of this lovely lady is far too controlled, confident and wise to be anything else. Indeed, Orchard is the sophomore offering from Vancouver local, Jess Hill. Apparently, since releasing her 2006 record, Road, she has become a…
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When reviewing a piece of work, it’s probably not best to lay all of one’s cards on the table immediately. It’s probably best to leave the readers guessing a little, and then after presenting the pros and cons, come to a conclusion. Well, in the case of Mountain Static’s Research, writerly caution must be thrown…
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A word to the wise: do not attempt to do the readings for your winter school Australian politics course with this album going in the background. You will be forced to stop, jump up, and dance around the room like a right fool if you do. Not that this is any way a problem in…
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Batrider’s Piles of Lies is grungy and raw. And it doesn’t ever deviate from its grungy rawness. So, if that’s not your cup of tea, you’re not going to have a pleasant two hours and twenty minutes (as an aside, the band must be applauded for writing an album that doesn’t end before you realised…
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I recently attended the first meeting of the South Australian Feminist Collective, formed after Adelaide’s ‘Slutwalk’ took place. Just under twenty-five people attended, with four of this number being men (and I say this in the strictly biological sense of the word, as one of the men identified as gender-neutral). Being the first gathering of…
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This year, after much soul-searching, I decided to begin a Bachelor of Science at the University of Adelaide. While the administration’s decision to give all first–year science students an iPad, sans charge, has been better than a kick in the head, I’m not so sure about the other thing they’ve concocted this year: Principles and…
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No, you haven’t heard this one before. It’s the new album by The Paper Scissors, In Loving Memory – another drop in the ocean that is Australia’s present repertoire of indie music. That sounds a bit harsh. Or overly jaded. So let me expand on that by saying that this is a solid album. I…
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