With her sophomore album Blastoma, Ngaiire confirms that she’s one of the most exciting female voices in Australian music.
She has a knack of adding gravity to a fairly simple lyric, like in the opening track “Anchor.” In less capable hands the next number “Once” could be a cruisy love song, but I feel the yearning that elevates it. Co-producer Jack Grace’s vocal cameo in “Cruel” works a treat, with their very different voices playing off against one another beautifully. The dynamic rhythms and biblical undertones make “House on a Rock” a real standout. I must confess that the next handful of tracks didn’t grab me quite as much, but I was back on board for “Many Things,” which had me grooving in my seat. And I think anyone who isn’t moved by the gospel grandeur of “Fall Into My Arms” probably needs to check for a pulse.
Blastoma is like nothing I listen to, with an unusual blend of overdubs and effects anchored by more organic sounds. I might not have warmed to every track, but there’s so much soul in what she does. I’m talking real soul. Not the lightweight soul music with a pop bent that dominates the charts. I mean true, raw, sometimes gut-wrenchingly gritty soul music from the very depths of her being. And that is a very compelling thing indeed.
Blastoma is in stores now. Ngaiire is currently touring the album around the country. You can still catch her at the following shows.
24 June 2016 – Karova Lounge, Ballarat
25 June 2016 – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne
2 July 2016 – The Foundry, Brisbane
8 July 2016 – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
9 July 2016 – Transit Bar, Canberra
24 September 2016 – Catani Gardens, St Kilda
1 October 2016 – Centennial Park, Sydney
Image used with permission from Positive Feedback
Melbourne band 
The year’s not yet half over, but Adelaide singer-songwriter Sam Brittain may have recorded my favourite album of 2016 in Signal Lights. 
The music industry moves so quickly. That’s one thing you really notice when you take a little time away. Press releases are sent, EPs are released and launched, and what was once timely quickly becomes yesterday’s news. But the funny thing is, even though there’s such a rapid turnover of new music and we’re always quick to race on to the next best thing, the very best music doesn’t date at all. It’s timeless. And that’s why even though Sydney singer-songwriter 
I’ve been sitting on 
Like so many Australians, I’m not a religious person. I flirted with becoming a Junior Soldier with the Salvation Army when I was a kid, but I think that ambition was driven more from a desire to play the tambourine than any deep-seated faith. Today I only go to church for weddings, christenings, and funerals. I identify as agnostic, not quite prepared to dismiss the idea of a higher power completely but fairly ambivalent about the whole religion thing.
It’s hard to believe that it’s been seven years since I heard my first 
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from 
I love coming across music that sparks something in me, songs that I have an instant connection with. Just one song won’t do. I need to hear more and get a more complete sense of who that artist is. So after listening to “Edge of Nowhere,” I had to fire up the advance stream of Pacific’s self-titled EP. In just five tracks I learned that these guys are certainly the real deal.
In this world of digital downloads and shuffle modes, I’ve heard many people say that the concept album is dead. But it seems they forgot to tell