Category: Album Releases

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Australian Music Stores Sell Eminem Early

Embargo? What embargo?

That’s the word from Australian music retailers which have put Eminem’s new album Relapse on sale ahead of the official worldwide release on Monday.

The album is now readily available from many of the big name stores around the country, including Sanity, JB Hi-Fi, and Leading Edge.

Universal had kept the album under cloak and dagger, but Eminem himself hasn’t been quite so secretive. He “leaked” several tracks on his official website, YouTube, and various social networking sites.

Image source: Newscom

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Eskimo Joe Announces Aussie Inshalla Tour

The wait is finally over for Eskimo Joe fans. The Western Australian trio has just announced dates for their Inshalla tour to promote their highly-anticipated fourth album.

Eskimo Joe just returned home from a European tour to the news their latest single “Foreign Land” was the most added song to local radio. After two weeks, it’s still sitting pretty in the top 20 Aussie airplay charts. While travelling Europe was exciting, the band can’t wait to get back in front of their local fans.

“Having played shows abroad we are really excited to be getting in front of our home audiences with a new record and new songs to play,” said Joel Quartermain. “We’ve put a lot of thought into this show hoping everyone will have a unique experience.”

This will be Eskimo Joe’s only local tour this year, so expect the shows to sell out first. Make sure you don’t miss out by grabbing your tickets when they go on sale on May 4 from the Eskimo Joe website and the usual outlets. Here are all the dates!

29 July 2009 – Wollongong University
30 July 2009 – Hordern Pavilion, Sydney (All ages)
31 July 2009 – Newcastle Panthers
1 August 2009 – ANU, Canberra
7 August 2009 – The Palace, Melbourne
13 August 2009 – Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide
15 August 2009 – Fremantle Arts Centre
22 Saturday August 2009 – Riverstage, Brisbane
24 August 2009 – Moncrief Theatre, Bundaberg (All ages)
25 August 2009 – Gladstone PCYC (All ages)
26 Aug 2009 – Pilbeam Theatre, Rockhampton (All ages)
27 August 2009 – Mackay Entertainment Centre (All ages)
28 August 2009 – Brothers Leagues Club, Cairns  (15+)
29 August 2009    – Townsville Entertainment Centre (All ages)
2 September 2009 – Hobart City Hall (All ages)
3 September 2009 – Albert Hall, Launceston (All ages)

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

After The Fire Charity CD for Victorian Bushfire Victims

So you picked up Bushfire Aid, saw Sound Relief, but still want to do more to help the victims of Victoria’s horrific bushfires? A new compilation CD can help you do just that.

After the Fire features acoustic performances by some of Australia’s most amazing musicians. Each artist had just an hour to record their track, adding to the CD’s spontaneous and honest feel. Most were captured after just the first or second take.

Many of the songs were penned exclusively for the recording. Others, like Renee Geyer’s “Dedicated (To the One I Love)” are old favourites.

This is an album full of stories. Brian Mannix wrote his song “All I Know” just moments before laying it down. Chocolate Starfish reformed for just one hour to take part. And little known singer-songwriter Ross Buchanan, a survivor of the Kinglake bushfire, contributed “Salty Tears,” a song written just after his ordeal.

All money raised from the sale of After the Fire will go to the St Vincent De Paul Society of Victoria’s Bushfire survivor’s relief fund. You can get your copy from the After the Fire MySpace page.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Boom Crash Opera Dancing in the Storm Again

Boom Crash Opera is the latest band to give their hits the acoustic treatment with a Liberation Blue album.

The stripped-bare Dancing in the Storm will feature the title track, “Onion Skin,” “The Best Thing” and plenty more smash hits from the 80s and 90s. It comes 12 years after the release of their last studio album, Gizmo Mantra.

Dancing in the Storm is due for release on May 1. There’s also playing some acoustic shows with Taxiride and Sean Kelly to celebrate the album’s launch. Here are all the dates!

14 May 2009 – Conrad Treasury Casino “Live Wire Bar,” Brisbane
15 May 2009 – Victoria Point Sharks Club, Brisbane
16 May 2009 – Coolangatta Hotel, Gold Coast
21 May 2009 – The Basement, Sydney
22 May 2009 – Towradgi Beach Hotel, Wollongong
29 May 2009 – Corner Hotel, Melbourne
30 May 2009 – Barwon Heads Hotel
7 June 2009 – Rutherglen Winery, Victoria
12 Jun 2009 – The Governor Hindmarsh, Adelaide

Image source: The Harbour Agency

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Eskimo Joe Ready to Release Album Number 4

This is our first look at the artwork for Inshalla, the much-anticipated fourth album from Eskimo Joe.

The first single “Foreign Land” is all over radio at the moment, coming in as the most added song for the week. And it’s little wonder why. Everything this Western Australian trio touches turns to gold, and this album’s likely to be no different.

But don’t expect more of the same. The group has embraced a fresh new sound for the curiously titled album. Guitarist Joel Quartermain explained the meaning behind the mystical moniker.

“In the very early stage of writing the album, our singer [Kav Temperley] spent five days in Egypt and he heard everyone saying this word ‘inshalla’, which literally translates to ‘god willing’ but can be interpreted a number of ways,” he said.

“For us, it is more about being resigned to fate and accepting what will be will be. It was a turning point for the band when we decided to ease off control and let fate take over. And, of course, it’s a beautiful word which is another reason why we chose it.”

Inshalla hits stores on May 29.

Image used with permission from Warner Music Australia

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Matt Corby Releases Debut EP

Matt Corby sent hearts a-fluttering when he stepped onto the Australian Idol stage in 2007. Now two years on he’s ready to release his debut EP.The disc will be released in May through Scorpio Music, the same label which manages Evermore, Operator Please, and Lisa Mitchell.

“I think people will be kind of surprised by what they hear,” Matt told The Sunday Telegraph.”I’m still developing as an artist, and I want to keep doing this. I guess my music is a reflection of the music I love to listen to: blues and folk.”

It’s thrilling to see this talented teen, who was clearly uncomfortable with the attention he attracted on Idol, coming into his own. He’s done it by stepping away from the spotlight and just being a regular 16-year-old.

“Playing to that many people on a weekly basis is kind of overwhelming. It was really important for me to take the time out to be a regular teenager, hang out with my friends, and keep working on my music,” he explained.

In that downtime he preferred to play intimate gigs at small Sydney venues, and enjoyed travelling to London and New York to write songs.

Matt will return to London in May to work on a full-length album, but for now he’s happy to focus on the EP.

“I just hope a few people buy it and enjoy what they hear,” he said. If his work on Idol was any indication, I’m sure it’s going to be brilliant.

Image source: Timothy Neilen/Wikimedia

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Angus Stone Prepares to Release Lady of the Sunshine Album

Angus Stone, under the moniker Lady of the Sunshine, is poised to release his debut solo effort Smoking Gun.

“I’ve been skipping off in between tours for about a year now to shake my head of these songs” Angus explained in a statement.   “Last year the old man gave me his old telecaster which gave me the chance to move into a heavier sound. I guess the idea of this album was that there would be no idea of how it would come together as a whole. I wanted these songs to have their own style and I enjoyed watching how the songs took on their own ride, most from the simplest of ideas.”

The album sees Angus as a jack of all trades, taking care of writing duties, the vocals, and electric and acoustic guitar. He also co-produced the disc with drummer and bassist, Finn (Govinda Doyle).

The disc was recorded in an old water tank of all places in the hills of North Queensland. It offers a very different sound to the sweet folk music of Angus and Julia Stone, one which embraces the dirty sounds of blues and rock.

Smoking Gun will be released through Angus’ label Desert Harvest Records in Australia, the United States, and United Kingdom on April 3.

Image used with permission from Original Matters

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Shelley Harland Releases Wonder-Ful EP

Singer-songwriter Shelley Harland is definitely one to watch. The well travelled London-born musician spent the last few years in New York, and recently moved to Sydney. Lucky us! She’s wasted no time introducing herself to Aussie audiences, recently earning the support slot on The Fray’s national tour.

“Wonder” is the title track from her new EP, a cool breezy track that sits nicely with the sound she’s discovered here in Oz.

“The music I made changed when I moved to Australia,” Shelley said in a statement. “I wasn’t listening to anything different. My tastes have always been about The Beatles, Motown, The Carpenters, Bjork, Portishead and Fleetwood Mac. But while New York made me feel electric, Sydney was so laid back and beautiful that my music took on that flavour.”

If you love it you’ll be happy to know that there’s more where that came from. Shelley’s debut album Red Leaf is scheduled for release later this year through Albert Music.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Breast Cancer Charity CD is All Woman

Warner Music Australia will think pink in April, releasing a compilation album to support breast cancer research. All Woman will hit shelves on Friday April 17 in partnership with the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

It’s a double-CD packed with girl power anthems from our own Delta Goodrem, Jenny Morris, Natalie Bassingthwaite, Katie Noonan, Tina Arena, Gabriella Cilmi, Olivia Newton-John, and Marcia Hines. Their tracks sit comfortably alongside international feminist icons including Tori Amos, Whitney Houston, Dionne Warwick, and k.d. lang.

“We are very pleased to be partnering with the National Breast Cancer Foundation this Mother’s Day, with the launch of All Woman, a fabulous compilation featuring the very best female artists from around the world. More than 13,600 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed this year in Australia. We hope that by partnering with the NBCF we can raise more money to help fund essential research.” Sarah Rouhan, Vice President Commercial Marketing at Warner said today.

$1 from every CD will benefit the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Warner Music Australia has pledged at least $25, 000 to the cause, regardless of how many CDs are sold. Let’s help them top that! This sounds like a fantastic mother’s day gift, or a present for yourself!

Here’s the complete track listing!

CD 1

  1. Whitney Houston – I’m Every Woman
  2. All Saints – Pure Shores
  3. Joss Stone – Super Duper Love
  4. En Vogue – Don’t Let Go
  5. Delta – In This Life
  6. Estelle – Pretty Please
  7. Alicia Keys – No One
  8. Faith Hill – Breathe
  9. Corrine Bailey Rae – Girls Put Your Records On
  10. Natalie Merchant – Carnival
  11. Colbie Caillat – Bubbly
  12. Des’ree – Feel So High
  13. Dionne Warwick – I Say A Little Prayer For You
  14. Lorraine Ellison – Stay With Me
  15. Rickie Lee Jones – Chuck E’s in Love
  16. k.d. lang – Constant Craving
  17. Jenny Morris – She Has to Be Loved
  18. Randy Crawford – One Day I’ll Fly Away
  19. Laura Branigan – Gloria

CD 2

  1. Gabriella Cilmi – Sweet About Me
  2. Christina Aguilera – Beautiful
  3. Natalie Bassingthwaighte – Alive
  4. Katie Noonan – Time to Begin
  5. Jewel – You Were Meant for Me
  6. Tina Arena – Sorrento Moon
  7. Brandy – Have You Ever
  8. Donna Lewis – I Love You Always Forever
  9. Tori Amos – Cornflake Girl
  10. Sixpence None The Richer – Kiss Me
  11. Alannah Myles – Love Is
  12. Gloria Gaynor – I Will Survive
  13. Aretha Franklin – You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman
  14. Marcia Hines – You
  15. Olivia Newton John – Let Me Be There
  16. Candi Stanton – Young Hearts Run Free
  17. Linda Ronstadt (featuring Aaron Neville) – Don’t Know Much
  18. Sister Sledge – We Are Family
  19. Maria Muldaur – Midnight at the Oasis

Image source: Alice Wycklendt @ Stock.xchng

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Angus Stone is Lady of the Sunshine

Angus Stone is temporarily leaving his sister Julia behind to embark on an edgier solo side project. Known as Lady of the Sunshine, Angus will unleash his first solo album Smoking Gun on April 3. This truly independent endeavour will be released through Angus’ own label Desert Harvest Records, in conjunction with EMI.

But before that, you can hear the first single “White Rose Parade.” Head on over to the Lady of the Sunshine MySpace page to hear this rocking new track!

Image used with permission from Original Matters