This isn’t the first time I’ve raved about Vaudeville Smash in the recent past but with the release of a new single “Don’t Say a Word” I see no reason to stop.
This song has all the nostalgia I embraced when I first heard the band. That sultry sax line, those sugary synths, Marc Lucchesi’s sweet vocals, those hooky melodies, it all adds up to heaven. I haven’t heard a pop band this good in decades.
If you’re flipping out over Vaudeville Smash, don’t you forget about those tour dates to support the release of their debut album Dancing for the Girl. I’ve posted them before, but one more time for good measure, hey?
8 June 2013 – Jive Bar, Adelaide
14 June 2013 – The Corner Hotel, Melbourne
21 June 2013 – UTS Glasshouse Bar, Sydney
22 June 2013 – The Beresford, Sydney
27 June 2013 – The Loft, Chevron Island
28 June 2013 – Sol Bar, Maroochydore
29 June 2013 – The Joynt, Brisbane
30 June 2013 – Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
Image used with permission from Alpha Entertainment
Melbourne electropop duo Private Life are giving us a taste of their self-titled EP with the release of their first single “Mine”.
The track’s melodic synth score and Renee Anderson’s slightly raspy vocals take me right back to the 1980s. It’s so much fun, but there’s also an emotional sincerity that elevates it above your average pop song. Private Life has shared stages with Garbage, Sam Sparrow, and Owl Eyes, but with songs like this in their arsenal it’s only a matter of time before they get their own spotlight.
Private Life’s new EP, which features the fabulous “Mine”, hits stores on May 20.
The Vanturas have knocked my socks off with their debut single “Tightrope”. Talk about making a great first impression!
The song takes me back to the Big Bad Voodoo Daddies with its driving rockabilly beat and deliciously dark lyrics. If you’re not tapping your foot along with this one by the end there’s something wrong.
The Melbourne act has coupled the song with an amazing clip, which is more short film than run-of-the-mill music video.
“It was an amazing experience watching the director Max Miller and director of photography Shelley Farthing-Dawe work through the scenes, creating a sort of ‘mini film’ for the clip,” said The Vanturas. “The concept was planned months before shooting. Producer Kali Bateman and the director story-boarded the whole thing and had a solid idea of what the final result would be.”
“Tightrope” is our first taste of The Vanturas’ debut album, which should hit stores late this year. The band will launch the single at Melbourne’s Cherry Bar on May 31.
The Murlocs make music like few others. It’s gritty, bluesy, ballsy, and honest. All those adjectives hold true for the Melbourne band’s latest single “Rattle The Chain.”
Those raspy vocals, the guttural moan of a harmonica, I’m in heaven. And to think its vocals and overdubs were recorded in bedroom studios. This is the best kind of raw. If you agree, make sure you catch The Murlocs launching the single around the traps late this month.
25 May 2013 – The Northcote Social Club, Melbourne
31 May 2013 – The Velvet Cave, Sydney
7 June 2013 – The Barwon Club, Geelong
When he’s not wowing crowds as one half of Busby Marou, Tom Busby is making beautiful music with his housemates Stephen Ryan and Brett Gibson. Together they are Good Oak, a three-piece creating some of the most gorgeous folk music I’ve heard in some time.
The Queensland band’s just released their debut self-titled EP which includes the beautiful single “The Bear Song”. The harmonies are exquisite, and while it’s gentle it’s definitely a song that stays with you. Songs don’t always need to scream loudly to make an impression, do they?
If you love what you hear, make sure you catch Good Oak supporting their EP’s release on The Big Strong Bear Tour.
23 May 2013 – Gov’s Espresso, Mermaid Beach
24 May 2013 – The Armidale Club, Armidale
25 May 2013 – Brighton Up Bar, Sydney
26 May 2013 – Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour
Brisbane band Pigeon are back with another killer single, “Encounters”. They’ve brought back the sax that I loved in “All That Bad”, and a chorus you’ll find yourself singing along to by the time the video’s done. It’s not quite mellow enough to be chill-out music, but unless your head is really pounding you’ll find this is a perfect Sunday soundtrack.
I started this blog with the aim of celebrating Australian music inclusively. I don’t care what genre it is, if it’s mainstream or alternative; if it’s good it’s good. So I was excited to find a track that seems to celebrate the same ethos: Flume’s remix of Yolanda Be Cool and Gurrumul’s collaborative effort “A Baru in New York.” Gurrumul and Yolanda Be Cool wrote the song about Gurrumul’s totem animal, a baru or saltwater crocodile. Flume’s treatment has taken it to another level.
These are three acts that come from very different areas of the Australian music industry. Most of us wouldn’t expect any joint effort to work. But then you listen, and it does.
“Gurrumul is so impressed with how his song with Yolanda Be Cool was reinterpreted by Flume,” explained Gurrumul’s friend and collaborator Michael Hohnen. “Gurrumul and I listened together to the remix, sitting on the floor, in front of a huge stereo system. He proclaimed at the end of it – “that sounds like a crocodile movie”.
“Gurrumul has embraced this song ever since he created it with the Yolanda boys, and even appeared in the beautiful music video. Flume’s managed to create almost electro-orchestral backing, while retaining the sense of history and dignity which is such a quality of Gurrumul’s music.”
If ever there was a track to bridge the gap between indigenous music and more mainstream fare, this is it. Wow.
Image used with permission from Stephen Green Consulting
All eyes are firmly on the new crop of The Voice contestants, but it’s worth noting that some of last year’s finalists are carving out credible careers away from the glare of the television cameras. One such talent is Brittany Cairns, who’s just released her new single “Behind the Scenes”.
If you’re a Taylor Swift fan, you’re going to love this. There are similar sweet vocals and the diary-style narrative recounting the optimism of young love feels very familiar. It’s pretty inoffensive stuff and it’s not likely to change the world, but that’s not a criticism. It takes real talent to create a song so accessible. Brittany’s had a little help from Rod Conley on that score, but she’s clearly got some songwriting chops. I’m looking forward to hearing more from Brittany when she releases her debut EP later this year.
All good things must come to an end, and it’s almost time to bid Mia Dyson adieu as she returns to her adopted home in the United States. However, she’s not leaving without a proper goodbye.
Mia will play her final Australian show for some time at the Bulli Hotel this Friday, April 26. She’s also leave us with one more single, “Fill Yourself”, an upbeat bluesy number which will launch The Moment in the US.
“Fill Yourself has been a favourite of many people on the record and is the track turning heads in the US,” said Mia. “It is bittersweet to be heading back over there. I have absolutely loved being home, so much so that I extended my stay, but it’s time to continue this journey that The Moment has become.”
The thing I missed most about not being able to log in and update my blog was being unable to share great music with you. So I’m taking this opportunity while everything’s working to tell you about Daniel Champagne.
Daniel’s just a young whippersnapper at 23, but he’s got more musical intuition than many older performers. It’s little wonder really as Daniel picked up the guitar at five and began writing songs at 12. Barely in to his twenties he’s just released his second album The Gypsy Moon (Volume 1), a collection of what he calls road songs which hints at more to come.
“Making The Gypsy Moon … was a really long and drawn out process,” he explained. “I had all these songs with me for ages but no time off the road to do anything with them so they mostly just sat in the back seat gathering dust for a long time.”
Eventually he picked those songs up and took them to Pirate Studios on the south coast of New South Wales, Daniel’s original stomping ground, where he reunited with producer Dave Sparks, who collaborated on Daniel’s EPs and debut album. “Once I got back in the studio with Dave it just felt right and I knew it was going to work. It all fell out pretty quickly from there.”
The Gypsy Moon (Volume 1) features the single “Heart Like This”, which got me excited enough to talk about him in the first place. This is such a gorgeous track, the right combination of emotion and melody with beautiful guest vocals from Mikaela Atkins. The album’s out now, and Daniel’s currently touring it around the country. Here are all the places you can see him playing over the next few months.
26–28 April 2013 – Apollo Bay Festival, Apollo Bay
2 May 2013 – Beav’s Bar, Geelong
3 May 2013 – Caravan Club, Oakleigh
4 May 2013 – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne
10 May 2013 – The Loft, Warrnambool
11 May 2013 – Culburra Beach Festival, Culburra Beach
12 May 2013 – Bottlerocket, Nowra
15 May 2013 – Indi Bar, Perth
16 May 2013 – Mojo’s Bar, Perth
18 May 2013 – Singing Gallery, McLaren Vale
19 May 2013 – Semaphore Workers Club, Adelaide
23 May 2013 – Front Gallery, Canberra
24 May 2013 – Mudgee Brewery, Mudgee
25 May 2013 – Taste Cafe, Canowindra
26 May 2013 – Beyond Q, Canberra
30 May 2013 – Sol Bar, Maroochydore
31 May 2013 – Bangalow Bowling Club, Bangalow
14 June 2013 – Mumbulla School Hall, Bega
15 June 2013 – City Diggers Club, Wollongong
16 June 2013 – Brisbane Jazz Club, Brisbane
20 June 2013 – Townsville Folk Club, Townsville
I started this blog with the aim of celebrating Australian music inclusively. I don’t care what genre it is, if it’s mainstream or alternative; if it’s good it’s good. So I was excited to find a track that seems to celebrate the same ethos: