Sometimes you fall for a song despite all logic. I know the vocals of “Temporary Living” are a bit rough to say the least, but there’s something about this track by The Sinking Teeth that makes me smile.
It’s got a great energy about it. It’s incredibly catchy. There’s something perfect about its imperfections. It comes from the Victorian band’s debut EP White Water, which they’ll launch on December 6 at Ding Dong Lounge.
I normally get a sense of whether I’ll like a song or not from the first 10 seconds or so. I promise myself that I’ll listen to a whole track before I decide whether to write about it or not, but it’s not often that I change my mind. However, Hayden Calnin managed to do just that with his new single “Coward.”
It started off a very minimalist electronic number which frankly bored me a bit. But it’s a slow burner that rewards any listener that sticks with it. It builds beautifully. It’s so clever the way Hayden’s melded electronic and folk influences. It’s got such a raw emotional core that I couldn’t help but be won over.
“Coward” is our first taste of Hayden’s forthcoming sophomore EP. He’ll launch it with a pair of shows in the major capitals. See him play The Workers Club in Melbourne on December 6 or FBi Social in Sydney on December 13.
Image used with permission from Create Control
Brisbane bluesman Jimi Beavis takes the road less travelled with the quirky new album Gentleman Giant.
The lead single “You’re Much too Young for Me” gives us a taste of what we can expect from this unusual artist. The track has a gorgeous old-timey blues feel, but it’s imbued with a thoroughly modern sense of humour. Jimi says the track came about when he returned to university as a mature age student and found himself surrounded by so many much younger, incredibly attractive women.
Jimi says Gentleman Giant has been in the makings since he was a teen listening to the music of Bob Dylan and his contemporaries, and later the music that inspired their sound. Through this period of keen musical discovery he amassed an insane knowledge of roots music as well as some serious harmonica skills. It comes on the back of Jimi’s two EPs, which gave him the studio experience he needed to tackle this ambitious long-player.
To celebrate Gentleman Giant’s release, Jimi will play a trio of launch shows in the East Coast capitals later this month.
Jimi Beavis will release Gentleman Giant independently on November 29. It’ll be available online from Jimi’s Bandcamp site, at selected Brisbane music stores, and at the following shows.
28 November 2013 – The Public Bar, Melbourne
1 December 2013 – Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane
8 December 2013 – Coogee Diggers, Sydney
Image used with permission from Pricewar Music
The weekend is nearly upon us. Woohoo! What better way to celebrate than with a sneaky peek at Homes’ charming new single “Best Disguise.” Homes is the brainchild of longterm musical collaborators Fin Bradley and Henry Badgery. Their latest project celebrates their mutual love of disco, soul, and good old fashioned rock and roll.
“Best Disguise” is their latest incarnation’s first release, and it’s so damned catchy. Its bold brassy horns and punchy riffs move it along nicely. The much maligned kazoo even makes an appearance. Just see if you’re not “woohooing” along with the twosome by the track’s end.
“Best Disguise” is officially released on November 25.
Sime Nugent and Alive Keath, better known as Sweet Jean, are back with their exquisite new single “Annabelle.”
The single’s film clip sees Sweet Jean collaborating with Australian cinematographer on the rise, Alex Cardy. Alex has previously worked on clips for The Midnight Juggernauts and Oscar Key Sung, and she also played a part in the recent big screen adaptation of The Great Gatsby. That makes her the perfect person to bring to life Sweet Jean’s literary-influenced track, which drew inspiration from the likes of Vladimir Nabokov, Edgar Allan Poe, and William Blake.
Sweet Jean will launch the lovely “Annabelle” with a show alongside The Orbweavers at The Toff in Town on November 14.
You know those times when you hear music and it just floors you? Those times when you’re captivated from the first notes and when the song’s done you’re desperate to tell everyone you can about it? I’m lucky I suppose, because when I’m struck this way I can tell people through my blog. So excuse me while I gush about Melbourne singer-songwriter Ariela Jacobs and her incredible single “The Sound.”
This is special stuff. Ariela’s voice is sent from heaven, and she has an incredible knack for crafting a folk-pop melody. I was entranced all the way through this song which sits somewhere between the vintage stylings of Joni Mitchell and the more modern flair of Regina Spektor. If you love those artists, you have to listen to this. Hell, even if you don’t, you need to take a chance on this. Just press play. Do it!
Ariela’s planning to release her debut EP early next year, and if “The Sound’s” anything to go by, it’s going to be incredible.
Image used with permission from Flew the Coop
Canberra-formed and now Brisbane-based five-piece Fox & Fowl have exploded onto the music scene with a pop of positivity in the form of their first single “Pilot.” I challenge you to listen to this one without a smile on your face. “Pilot” is summery and full of hooks, driven by an effortlessly energetic performance from frontman Lachlan Smart.
Lachlan and his Fox & Fowl buddies all met in early 2011 when they relocated from regional NSW to study in the nation’s capital. After finishing uni, the band were at a crossroads so they decided to head to the fertile creative ground of Brisbane.
The band actually penned “Pilot” way back in those early uni days, but a little massaging from Brisbane producer Yanto Browning has it sounding fresh as a daisy. It’s not just Fox & Fowl’s first single. It’s also our first taste of their debut EP, which is scheduled for a release in early 2014.
Fox & Fowl will play shows supporting Kite Club and High-Tails, as well as a few headlining gigs, to support “Pilot’s” release.
6 November 2013 – Beach Road Hotel, Bondi, Sydney
7 November 2013 – Boney, Melbourne (supporting Kite Club and High-Tails)
9 November 2013 – The Gasometer, Melbourne (supporting Kite Club & High-Tails)
21 November 2013 – Brighton Up Bar, Sydney (supporting Kite Club & High-Tails)
13 December 2013 – MUM World Bar, Sydney
Image used with permission from Recon Music
Sydney four-piece Battleships might be currently supporting Boy & Bear, but if the strength of their new single “Take Your Rest” is any indication they won’t be in the shadows for too long.
This track, which gets an official release today, is absolutely epic, with haunting vocals and stirring, sweeping instrumentation. The grand treatment is perfect for the lyrics which speak so poignantly of longing and sacrifice.
What do you think?
It’s been one hell of a year for Brisbane’s StormChasers. The jazzy seven-piece have been busy touring, recording, releasing, and crowdfunding, all the while honing their signature brassy sound into something truly stellar. They’re capping off 2013 with the release of a brand new single “Figurout,” an irresistible number with a delicious, easy groove.
I love the way the song effortlessly melds jazz, hip-hop, soul, and funk. The track’s the first lifted from their forthcoming EP Hey Girl, which will be released digitally and on vinyl and CD next February.
To celebrate the release, StormChasers have scored a slot at the prestigious Woodford Folk Festival. They’ll also headline their own shows in the East Coast capitals.
“Figurout” will be available digitally on iTunes from November 13, which is not so coincidentally the start of the tour.
13 November 2013 – Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane
22 November 2013 – Brighton Up Bar, Sydney
30 November 2013 – The Grace Darling Basement, Melbourne
31 December 2013 – Bazaar @ Woodford Folk Festival, Woodfordia
2 January 2014 – Bazaar @ Woodford Folk Festival, Woodfordia
Image used with permission from Pricewar Music
New Zealand born, Melbourne-based muso Teeth & Tongue, or Jess Cornelius as she’s known to her mum, has turned my head with her impressive new single “Good Man.” It reminds me a bit of something a younger Tori Amos might have created with its lush sonic layers, ethereal yet gutsy vocals, and dangerous edges.
“I started humming the tune in my head while lurking around Northcote train station last year,” Jess explained. “At the time I was working on a solo show for the US, using only a drum machine and a synth, so I went home and tried to make it into a song that would stand alone without any other instruments. I ended up sampling layers of my voice for the rhythmic part, and then triggering the vocals using a foot switch while playing it live.
This set-up kind of became a prototype for a lot of the songs I have written recently.”
“Good Man” comes from Teeth & Tongue’s forthcoming album, which is slated for an early 2014 release. Luckily we don’t have to wait that long to hear more from this talent, as Teeth & Tongue will play a couple of shows next month. Tasmanians can catch her at the Hobart + Music = Yeah Festival on November 2, before she officially launches the single at Boney in Melbourne on November 23.