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,…
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‘WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHYAAABBAAAAAHHHHHYAAAAAA MOOOBOOBEEECHEEMAHHBAHHHHhh’ If the above jumble doesn’t conjure in your mind the image of red and orange bursting through the day break to light the Pride Lands of the African Savannah, there are only two possible explanations. 1. You haven’t seen Disney classic, The Lion King (what?), or (much more likely), 2. my written rendition…
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Jessica Paige’s recently released album, Don’t Trust Me, has the opposite effect of its title. Listen to it once, and you trust Jessica completely, as her observations about life and love ring so true. Jessica found her musical legs by busking on the streets of Melbourne, and this has clearly kept her grounded, with…
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Robin Thicke has defended his much-criticised hit, ‘Blurred Lines’, in an interview with BBC Radio 1 on Wednesday. He claimed, among other things, that the lyrics are anything but misogynistic, and could even be empowering to women. ‘For me, [the lyrics are] about blurring the lines between two things. One, men and women and how…
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Yesterday marked the 49th birthday of the not-a-woman-but-a-force-of-nature that is Courtney Love. I think that in her fiftieth year, this birthday calls for something of a celebration of her life. Ms Love has always been an inspiration to me, and has been one of my heroes for many years now. It seems an unlikely match…
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Through popular culture we create and reiterate our notions of gender and sexuality in society. Sorry to get all Sociology 101 on you, but when I saw the hit ‘Blurred Lines’ by Robin Thicke soar to number one, I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of messages are being sent here in terms of gender…
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In June 2013, Sigur Rós released their seventh studio album, Kveikur. I’ll spare you the history lesson, but essentially, Sigur Rós and especially the band’s lead singer, Jónsi Birgisson, are producing some of the most creative music today. In my mind, I equate what both Sigur Rós and Jónsi in his solo career are doing as…
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As part of The Morals, a Canadian indie-folk group, female vocalist, Hollie Hobby sings with an emotional intensity rarely seen in today’s music. Her vocal style is best described as Florence and the Machine-like in intensity, yet still containing all of the beautiful nuances of Feist. However, make no mistake; Hollie Hobby is still her…
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Helena Vestergaard: sometimes actress, sometimes musician and always really, really ridiculously good-looking. The Melbourne-born artist has managed to squeeze a hell of a life into 19 years, from working with filmmaker Kai Neville in Dear Suburbia to acting in obscure Korean commercials. What initially drew you to acting? Ever since I was a child…
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Jessica Paige’s Don’t Trust Me opens with the arresting Garden. Well placed instrumentals, and sparse, deliberate drum-work combine with a raw vocal quality to create a track that defines good first impression. The second album from this young artist, Don’t Trust Me cements Jessica’s status as an exciting, emerging artist. Praise from industry heavyweights such…
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If, like me, you were a girl who grew up in the ’90s, pop groups were where it was at. Not to say that if you were a boy growing up in the ’90s you also weren’t into pop groups, but I don’t really want to speak to something that I have no experience in….
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I saw Cutting Room Floor for the first time in a co-op basement in rural Ohio. That night I held hands with three different people, sat in the dark in a dried food cellar thinking sad thoughts, gave a gift, and had a giggly walk into the humid night. I arrived home with three new…
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‘Love is a virtue’, croons Matt Berninger on Trouble Will Find Me, the title track from The National’s sixth studio album. It is that virtue that guides the narrative of the album, with Berninger offering up his heart and soul for our consumption. What was alluded to on 2010’s High Violet is laid bare, and…
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There was a time before the Internet, when personal mythology was the accumulative result of a life lived thoroughly. Nowadays, legends are created through Twitter feuds, terrible SNL performances and viral YouTube clips. But there’s something a little bit old school about Laura Marling, the English folk-darling who has just released her fourth studio album,…
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