La Musique Nouveau. The New Music. A bold statement of intent. Particularly so, given The Dunes’ chosen genre. The often potentially confining sand-box of dream pop / dream gaze has historically allowed little in the way of innovation or experimentation. So does the Adelaide band’s third EP live up to the promise of its title? Opening track…
Read more
Aphir’s debut release, Invirtue, opens with a looped vocal hook coupled with a sample of the static generated by a vinyl record stylus – the only non-human, non-sung element the listener hears until the E.P.’s closing track. It’s clear at the outset that the focus of these songs are the layers upon layers of rich,…
Read more
Enigmatic. Mysterious. At times exuding such warmth that the listener cannot help but melt. Haunting. Evocative. Beautiful. Brighter Later’s The Wolves is all of these things. Casual listeners beware, this record demands attention. The Wolves is the debut LP from the Melbourne-based collective (primarily the musical outlet of writer, radio producer and songwriter Jaye Kranz)….
Read more
To admit to a certain degree of bias at the outset of a review is the honourable course of action, correct? With that in mind, I’ve enjoyed a very contented relationship with dream pop since first hearing Mazzy Star’s ‘Fade Into You’ (1994), This Mortal Coil’s cover of Tim Buckley’s ‘Song to the Siren’ (1983)…
Read more
For a debut single, ‘Shoestring’ is quite an introduction; it’s sprawling, epic and very exciting. Its ambitiousness in many ways mirrors that of the artist. Dune is the new musical brainchild of Jade MacRae, who many will remember had much success as a solo artist a number of years ago, in addition to working with…
Read more
Make the effort to scratch beneath the surface and sometimes you can be pleasantly surprised. And so it is with Electra Heart, the second album from Marina and the Diamonds, the solo musical project of Marina Diamandis. It’s a concept album of sorts, in which Diamandis assumes the titular character in a U.S.A. rife with…
Read more
Three years on from a platinum-selling debut album which attained top ten status here in Australia, Lisa Mitchell has returned with her third EP, Spiritus. The five tracks that comprise this release are all very brief – the EP in its entirety drifts by in what feels like moments. But despite its brevity there are…
Read more
Virginia “Gin” Wigmore, Queen of the Wild Frontier. Record number two from this New Zealand native, Gravel & Wine, has already topped the album charts in her homeland. It’s an album full of unique energy; distinctive in the sense that it’s rare for an album to exude such excitable danger alongside its pop friendliness. Should…
Read more
The debut EP from Melbourne’s Eliza Hull is precisely certain of what it is and what it should sound like. Dawn rarely deviates from its intent, but why should it? As a work crafted over three years from an artist new to solo musicianship, it’s a strong message. A love note of sorts; to tenderness,…
Read more
Bass player with The Milkman’s Union by day, solo artist by night – Jeff Beam of Portland, Maine, is a busy man. Having released a plethora of solo material over the past few years (check out his Bandcamp page for evidence of just how prolific he is), 2012 brings another new album. Be Your Own…
Read more
Facts closes with the lyrics “This is what I call fun”; it’s a perfect way to describe the experience of listening to these 10 songs. The third album from Melbourne five-piece, Aleks and the Ramps, was recorded over a period of roughly 18 months. It’s plain to hear the time and effort put into its…
Read more
Listening to Alison Avron‘s debut EP, Wrong Notes & Anecdotes, one senses the overwhelming positive energy alive within these tracks. It’s this joyfulness which makes it such an addictive listening experience. Hailing from Glencoe in rural South Australia, Avron moved to Sydney’s inner-west to establish her own creative space called The Newsagency: a venue which…
Read more
Howler‘s debut LP, America Give Up, has its roots firmly planted in the late 50s and early 60s – a time of surf rock and songs that sound like summer. Formed by 19 year-old lead-singer, Jordan Gatesmith, and hailing from Minneapolis, the five-piece band has crafted a noisy yet insanely melodic collection of tracks –…
Read more
