Album Reviews
News: The Lovetones surprise with a compilation album ‘The Song Is My Friend’, filled with luscious jingle jangle pop.
The glorious The Lovetones have take everyone by surprise by issuing a shimmering compilation album entitled ‘The Song Is My Friend’. Songwriter Matthew J. Tow describes the compilation as a very personal collection: You’ll find some familiar tracks, along with some rare and deep cuts in there too. Curated in a way that gives those …
Album Review: Indie rock royalty the Snarski brothers join forces in Snarski vs Snarski for the exquisite album ‘Waiting For The Bell’ and announce tour dates.
The Snarski brothers are indie rock royalty here in Australia. Forming the iconic Chad’s Tree in the eighties, both brothers have continued to make a major contribution to the music scene down under. Rob Snarski is possibly better known as the singer of The Blackeyed Susans and more recently SnarskiCircusLindyBand (with The Go-Betweens’ drummer Lindy …
Album Review: Être Ensemble – ‘Sans Toi’: Joni Void’s leftfield collective take a looping, twitchy, journey of despair and beauty
Jean Néant aka Joni Void, sonic collagist, producer and beat-maker may be most visible as the persona responsible for three singular Constellation albums (‘Selfless‘, ‘Miss En Abyme’ and 2023’s ‘Everyday Is The Song’), but running parallel is their enablement of collective musical invention around Montreal and beyond. Être Ensemble is one of those partner projects. …
Album Review: Lophae – ‘Perfect Strangers’: thrilling, fine-tuned jazz with subtle powers.
There’s a playful irony in both the band and album names chosen by this new London jazz quartet led by guitarist/composer Greg Sanders. For a start this lush, intricately woven set of tunes played with finesse, vibrancy and uncanny sensitivity is anything but ‘lo-fi’. Perhaps the ‘Lophae’ just hints at Sanders’ move away from the …
EP Review: Joshu Shines On Intimate New EP ‘Way Back Home’
After a life-altering journey across the Atlantic Ocean, indie-folk artist Joshu is ready to share the fruits of his introspective voyage with the release of his third EP, Way Back Home. A beautiful and intimate collection of indie-folk tracks which are delicate, personal and reflective, the EP is a brilliant collection of heartfelt songwriting. The …
Album Review: Re-release of nineties underground band Sex Industrie’s album ‘Sex’ll Sell Anything’ reveals a thrilling gem
In a year when one of Sydney’s more iconic underground eighties band, The Crystal Set, is reforming with a series of gigs with fellow jingle jangle exponents Ups & Downs (see news piece here) as well as a series of headlining gigs later in the year, it is fitting that a rather obscure related band …
Album Review: Weathership – Splendid Beast
A tortured start, ‘Golden Age’ has a gilded, fragile guitar-led edge to it. It is dominated by singer J.P Riggall’s laid-back vocals and lyrics that say so much with so little—flowing sonic landscape rolls like a sea mist slowly developing into a raging storm of white-tipped cymbals and picked strings. This album is about vast, …
Album review: The Halo Effect – The March Of The Undead
It doesn’t feel like two minutes since this super group blew up my speakers with their album ‘Days Of The Lost’—a superb debut from some of the finest voices/fingers in the melodic metal scene. Now the band have regrouped for the second album ‘The March Of The Undead’ The band bring more of the same …
Album Review: The Lambrini Girls – Who Let The Dogs Out; much anticipated debut lives up to the hype and makes early play for album of the year
“Who Let the Dogs Out”, the debut album from Lambrini Girls has landed, and it’s everything fans could have hoped for—ferocious, unapologetic, and full of life. The Brighton duo, comprised of Phoebe Lunny and Lily Macieira, has long been celebrated for their unfiltered approach to music and performance, and this record captures their spirit perfectly. …
Album Review: Glenn Bennie (Underground Lovers) unveils luminescent instrumental album ‘Juno Low’ ahead of launch gig.
The new year sets of off with a veritable sparkle as Glenn Bennie, understated and undisputed genius guitar player for Underground Lovers and GB3, releases an album of luminescent instrumentals collected over the last four years. It’s a collection inspired by his love for a mixture of ambience and krautrock, elements that can always be …