Category: Reviews

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“Dirty Soul” – Ms Murphy

Ms Murphy was one of the standouts of season two of the Voice, but she’s been a little quiet in the years since. Apparently she released an EP last year to very little fanfare, but she looks set to get back in the spotlight with the release of her new album Dirty Soul.

Dirty Soul sees Ms Murphy putting her soulful stamp on an eclectic collection of songs. Some of the songs are soul standards delivered faithfully by the Sydney songbird. Others are more unusual choices, like cuts from Rolling Stones and Paul Kelly.

No matter what she’s working with, Ms Murphy gives every song an old school soul treatment, with big horns marrying beautifully with her big husky vocals. There’s a little bit of grittiness in this dirty soul; it would have been recorded at Stax rather than Motown if you catch my drift. But it was actually cut at Sydney’s REC Studios, all live, a treatment which gives the tracks a real spontaneous vibe.

I’m not sure I’ve ever heard “Ninety Nine and a Half Won’t Do,” but her energetic cover of The Wright Specials song is a real album standout. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a woman singing “When a Man Loves a Woman,” but I love the way Ms Murphy’s version flips the song. Her groovy version of “Express Yourself” put a bit smile on my face, as did her take on “Needle in a Haystack.” “I Just Want to Celebrate” is the perfect closer for such a feel good album.

Some might say that delivering an album full of cover songs is a bit safe, and in some ways it is. The familiarity of these songs makes the album instantly accessible, and I’m sure it’ll sell well in the lead-up to Father’s Day. But Ms Murphy is damn good at what she does, and working with songs of such quality is the perfect vehicle for showcasing her talents.

Dirty Soul hits stores on August 28, and it available for pre-order now. Ms Murphy will launch the album with a show at The Basement in Sydney on October 8 and a string of shows on Melbourne’s Chapel off Chapel (October 20-23).

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“Cast of Yesterday” – Tim Wheatley

After waxing lyrical about his single “Valerie” last week, I could wait to dive into Tim Wheatley’s solo album Cast of Yesterday. I was not disappointed.

Just like “Valerie,” the album hooked me instantly with its opening track “The Heathen,” a sultry blues-country number with wailing harmonicas and a driving guitar beat. The second song “78 Benz” shifted gears, but grabbed me with its lyrics about freedom and trying to figure out your place in the world.

These two songs are just some of the highlights in this stellar body of work. I’d be remiss not to mention the modern country feel of the banjo-driven “Burning the Midnight Oil.” I marvelled at the way “Dumb Luck” could floor me in just over a minute, but its quiet stillness did just that. The soulful “The Messenger” is another standout.

But the thing is, there are no filler songs here. Everything is amazing, and I have a feeling my favourites are going to change depending on my mood. Each and every song stands up on its own, but together they create a picture of an artist who’s poised on the edge of greatness. I love the way Tim uses harmonicas and slide guitars and other underutilised instruments to add atmosphere. The way he blends country, folk, and blues is inspired. And there’s Tim’s sexy, husky voice and his incredible way with words. This is an artist who knows himself, who’s come out the other side of alter egos (Crooked Saint) and bands (Rushcutter, The Sparrows) and figured out the kind of music he needs to make. And it’s wonderful.

Cast of Yesterday is available for pre-order ahead of its August 28 release.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Jack Carty & Jordan Millar @ Venue 505, Sydney – 8 August 2015

The closure of Lizotte’s at Kincumber hit me hard. That venue spoiled me, got me used to seeing intimate shows and enjoying great food and wines while artists played. So I was thrilled to discover a similar vibe at Venue 505 in Surry Hills on Saturday night.

It wasn’t quite up to the standard of my beloved Lizotte’s, but this small room with comfy couches and tables for dining has real promise. It’s more about bar food than three-course menus, and my steak was rarer than I asked for. But the wine list was inspired and reasonably priced, especially by Sydney standards. You can’t book tables either, although arriving at 6 when doors opened there was no chance of missing out on a great spot.

As I get older it takes something special to lure me into the city. But I couldn’t resist the promise of Jack Carty and Jordan Millar playing “intimate and by request.” Jordan Millar’s album Cold Lights on Curious Minds was one of my favourite albums of 2013, and I loved Jack Carty’s set warming up for Josh Pyke last year. Having said that, I wouldn’t consider myself particularly familiar with their music. I’ve loved what I heard, but I certainly wasn’t hankering to hear particular tunes like the folks eager to write their favourite songs down and put them in the request box by the stage.

The thing is though, at a gig like this you don’t need to know the songs. It’s not like going to see some band they play on classic rock stations where everyone sings along. Especially in an intimate setting like Venue 505, these songs should be listened to, their lyrics heard. Jordan Miller was up first. I haven’t listened to his album in a while, but his set was a powerful reminder that I need to dig it out. There were a few songs I remembered from that recording, like “Rain on the Ground” and some new favourites to discover like “Advice from Beyonce.”

All of the Jack Carty songs I heard were new to me, but that was exciting. Really a show like this is the perfect introduction to musicians, because you’re going to hear a set that’s made up of the songs that fans love. I adored the solo sets both artists delivered, but true magic was made when Jordan joined Jack for the final tracks of the night. How wonderful to experience two such talented singer-songwriters, stripped back with just acoustic guitars, singing such beautiful songs.

And how wonderful to do it at such a great venue. It takes a lot to lure me to Sydney these days, but this show was well worth braving the cold of winter.

Image source: own photo

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“Bad News” – Josue

Sydney soul singer Josue turned my head with his single “What’s On Your Mind” a couple of months ago. Now that I’ve been able to listen to his EP Bad News, I’m even more impressed.

Back in the ‘90s I remember a wave of exciting soul acts. Artists like Tevin Campbell, Jodeci, and R. Kelly really got me going. We’ve had the occasional act cut from a similar cloth since then. Bruno Mars and Justin Timberlake spring to mind. But they didn’t quite resonate with me. But Josue definitely does.

The single “What’s On Your Mind” reminded me of what got my attention in the first place, and made me hungry for more. The next song “Lex” is totally sexy and smooth. I didn’t mind the title track “Bad News,” but it paled in comparison to the next song, a raw duet “What Would You Say” featuring the vocal stylings of Annelise Johnson. “So Simple” sees Josue skirting the jazz genre, and doing it admirably. He’s back collaborating with the EP’s final track, “Summer Time” featuring Billy Green. It’s not a cover of the classic Gershwin tune, or even the Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff colab. Instead it’s a brand new summer anthem which concludes with an awesome acapella break.

If you’ve hungered for the return of soul music, you won’t be disappointed by Josue’s Bad News.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“These Walls” – Anna Cordell

When I wake up in the morning, I don’t switch on the morning shows like so many Aussies. TV distracts my husband who commutes into the city, so instead I reach for music. Most often it’s too loud or obnoxious for the morning, but I try to persevere. However, this morning I found just the right music to gradually bring me into the Land of the Living. These Walls EP, from Melbourne songstress Anna Cordell.

You might remember me waxing lyrical about Anna’s single “I’ll Wait Here” a month or so ago. I was surprised to see that song’s not on the EP, but also excited because it meant I got to hear five brand new songs. Anna is an artist who really knows who she is. There isn’t a lot of variety in this recording in terms of sound, but each track gets its individuality because of the stories she tells. I love someone who goes beyond the standard tale of boy meet girl or girl loses boy with their music. Getting into specific stories about people and moments in time is the key to really engaging a listener, because they haven’t heard it all before.

I was particularly struck by the opening song “Michael,” which recalled a sweet childhood relationship, and “Blue Rose,” a poignant song about seeing beauty in our differences. The title track “These Walls” is a fitting end to this beautiful collection of songs.

Anna writes incredible folky songs, which are anchored beautifully by her angelic voice, the gentle strumming of a guitar, or the soar of a string line.

Anna Cordell’s These Walls EP is released today via Bandcamp. She’ll launch the EP with the following shows.

29 August 2015 – Little and Olver, Melbourne
3 October 2015 – Beyond Festival, Canberra
15 October 2015 – The Vanguard, Sydney

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“Tales From the Sea” – The Lockhearts

I must admit, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of Tales From the Sea when it arrived in my mail box. The Lockhearts’ new album is spread over two volumes. On both covers there’s an octopus with a menacing glare. I wondered whether I was in for a concept album, or perhaps a collection of sea shanties. What I got what some of the best classic rock music I’ve heard in years.

The first volume opens with “Hope,” an uplifting number with a bluesy Black Crowes feel. I loved its chunky guitars and the story the lyrics told of a young woman struggling to make ends meet but filled with optimism and generosity. The album takes a different turn with “The Way to Thunder Road,” is a big ballsy song about rebellion and yearning for adventure. I loved the next song “The Game,” a breakup number which decides to be brutally scathing rather than curling up in a ball. “If Time Was On My Side” made me smile with its jangly, semi-acoustic feel, harmonica, and fatalistic lyrics.

I settled in for the second installment and was caught off guard. It starts with “Low,” a dark brooding number about being consumed by depression and hate. It’s a great track, but also one that I struggled to listen to after the lightness of part one. “Detonator” is another song which celebrates the darker side, a big loud expression of frustration that my teenage self would have eaten up. However, many years have passed since I felt angsty, and I was wondering whether volume II just wasn’t for me.

“Hush” changed my mind. It’s a companion piece to “If Time Was on My Side,” a love song set against the background of the end of the world. It might just be my favourite song on Tales of the Sea. It reminds me a little of a Van Halen number, with big wailing guitars and vocal harmonies, and these great apocalyptic lyrics. “Meet You There Again” follows on so perfectly from “Hush.” The end might be coming, but in this song The Lockhearts sing of the kind of love that transcends time and space. And when it’s delivered with such finesse, you believe it.

No one’s making music like Sydney band The Lockhearts anymore. The members grew up listening to The Doors, The Rolling Stones, and Led Zep and they proudly wear those influences on their sleeves. Throw in a little ’80s rock and you’re somewhere in the ballpark. But there are reasons why the songs of these classic bands lasted. The Lockhearts might feel like a little bit of a throwback, but creating music influenced by that which has stood the test of time can never be a bad thing.

Tales From The Sea is out now.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“Nothing’s Going On” – William Street Strikers

When I caught up with William Street Strikers’ vocalist and guitarist Andrew Matters earlier this year, he called their latest album “a real hodgepodge.” As I listened to Nothing’s Going On, I realised just how apt that description was. This album goes on a wide variety of musical directions, yet somehow it all works.

By daring to be different, William Street Strikers ensures this album has plenty of highlights. Nothing sounds samey, as it does on so many records, so each song stands up and demands to be appreciated. I love the easy groove of the album’s title track and opening number “Nothing’s Going On.” The single “Wrong Way Home” is one of the album’s strongest cuts. The horns help to balance the menacing lyrics of “Stalker.” The closing track “No Surrender” is good honest Aussie pub rock, defiant and jubilant in its rebellion with big screaming electric guitars and pounding drums.

Before writing this review, I looked back over what I wrote about William Street Strikers’ last few releases. In 2012, I commented that Keep Left was also an eclectic album, but questioned whether the band might have experimented too much. A year later, with the release of the To the Motel EP, I accused the band of playing it safe. Now, with a few more years of experience under their belt, I feel like they’ve got the balance right. Nothing’s Going On is another very diverse offering from the Adelaide band, but it’s one that somehow remains accessible and cohesive. It takes the listener in different directions without alienating them. It’s a very smart release from this up-and-coming Aussie act.

Nothing’s Going On is released on July 31.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“But For All These Shrinking Hearts” – Josh Pyke

There’s something so comfortable about slipping on a Josh Pyke album. He’s an artist who knows himself. He doesn’t need to experiment or reinvent the wheel in his music, because what he does it so good. And it does it again with his latest album, But For All These Shrinking Hearts.

The opening track, “Book of Revelations” is a case in point really. It’s such a low-key start. It eases us into the album, rather than begging us to pay attention. There’s a confidence in that. Josh Pyke doesn’t need to deliver bells and whistles. He just does what he does.

The second track, “Songlines,” reminds me a little of the Beatles with its marching band type orchestration. It’s one of the biggest songs on the album, but it’s delivered with just as much heart as the quieter tunes.

“Late Night Driving” is probably my favourite song on the album. It’s beautifully restrained, with gorgeous lyrics. This is the song I keep coming back to.

I heard “There’s a Line” before the rest of the album, and it’s so wonderful to hear it within this context. Its place within these other songs makes an already wonderful track even stronger.

“Still Some Big Deal” smacks of honesty. It’s so great to hear a love song that isn’t all about rainbows and butterflies. Similarly, the closing song “Someone to Rust With” reminds us of the flaws of real love. There’s beauty in its imperfections.

But For All These Shrinking Hearts is another beautiful collection of songs from Josh Pyke. It’s beautifully low key, but anchored by searingly honest lyrics and a natural melodic sensibility. I love it a little more every time I hear it. By sticking to the tried and true, Josh probably isn’t going to win any new fans with this effort, but I get the feeling he doesn’t care too much. He just does what he does, and he does it so well.

But For All These Shrinking Hearts hits stores on July 31.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“Dark Horses” – The Getaway Plan

Melbourne rock act The Getaway Plan are back with their third album Dark Horses. It comes five years after their last LP, and it seems they’ve channelled all of their time away from the studio beautifully. This is a big album and just what those fans who so generously donated to their crowdfunding campaign wanted to hear.

It opens so strongly with the epic rock of the single “Landscapes.” It’s a danger in a way opening an album up with a single I think. By putting something so strong up front, I always question whether the rest of the album might be filled with weaker filler tracks. We soon get our answer though.

“F(r)iend” kicks in where “Landscapes” left off, with big guitar riffs, emotional pleading vocals, and an epic rock song. There are a lot of big rock songs here. It’s what The Getaway Plan are famous for, and what the fans want to hear. While I enjoy those tracks, it’s the ones that veer off the tried and true path that give Dark Horses balance. I love the bluesy groove that underpins “Castles in the Air” and “Dark Horses.” “Last Words” feels very commercial without being cliched.  “Dreamy Parallels” is the most beautiful ballad, or at least it starts out that way before The Getaway Plan turns it on its head. “Baby Bird Effigy” is another of those songs that takes so many twists and turns. It’s bold and brave, with movements taking us from laidback piano ballad to searing rock song and back again.

Bold and brave are the two adjectives that came to mind when I listened to this album. Crowdfunding an album isn’t new, but there’s a danger that a band’s going to try too hard to please the people who put up the money. In doing so, there’s a real possibility that they won’t take enough risks. I think The Getaway Plan strike the balance beautifully. Dark Horses is a triumph, a credit to the band and just what those generous crowdfunders ordered.

Dark Horses is in stores today. The Getaway Plan will support its release with the following shows later this year.

3 September 2015 – Small Ballroom, Newcastle
4 September 2015 – Baker Street, Gosford
5 September 2015 – Studio Six, Sutherland
10 September 2015 – Wollonong Uni, Wollongong
12 September 2015 – Transit Bar, Canberra
18 September 2015 – The Gapview Hotel, Alice Springs
19 September 2015 – Railway Club, Darwin
23 September 2015 – Dalrymple Hotel, Townsville
24 September 2015 – Magnums, Airline Beach
25 September 2015 – Villa Noosa, Noosaville
26 September 2015 – Parkwood Tavern, Gold Coast
1 October 2015 – Racehorse Hotel, Ipswich
2 October 2015 – Wooly Mammoth, Brisbane
3 October 2015 – Spotted Cow, Toowoomba
16 October 2015 – 170 Russell, Melbourne
17 October 2015 – Riverview Hotel, Tarwin Lower
29 October 2015 – Werribee Plaza Hotel, Werribee
30 October 2015 – Chelsea Heights Hotel, Chelsea Heights
31 October 2015 – Workers Club, Geelong
6 November 2015 – Club 54, Launceston
7 November 2015 – Republic Bar, Hobart
12 November 2015 – Inferno, Traralgon
13 November 2015 – Hallam Hotel, Hallam
14 November 2015 – Commercial Hotel, South Morang
18 November 2015 – Leisure Inn, Rockingham
19 November 2015 – Prince of Wales Hotel, Bunbury
20 November 2015 – Rosemount Hotel, Perth
21 November 2015 – Mojo’s Bar, Fremantle
22 November 2015 – Dunsborough Tavern, Dunsborough
27 November 2015 – Whaler’s Hotel, Warrnambool
28 November 2015 – Fowler’s Live, Adelaide

Image used with permission from Deathproof PR

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“Fur Coat & The Peace Boat” – Burn Antares

As a fan of classic rock, I was instantly captivated by Fur Coat & the Peace Boat, the new EP from Sydney five-piece Burn Antares. The band wears its influences on its sleeve, with songs references the likes of Jefferson Airplane and Curtis Mayfield.

It opens with “Crystal Love” which is just so gutsy and soulful and joyous. It’s a great retro throwback that I instantly warmed to. “Rich Man” has more of a country bent, with a warm electric guitars and pianos. Stevie Nicks could easily have recorded this back in the day. “Knight in Shining” brings more good vibes. I imagine this would have gone down a treat at Woodstock or at some hippie commune. It’s just got such positivity.

The brooding “Discord and the Amity” didn’t strike as much of a chord with me, perhaps because it came off so many songs that felt so good. It’s a quality song, but its darkness feels a little out of place on this EP. “Vangablonde” ends the Fur Coat & the Peace Boat with another country-inspired ditty. It’s coolly mellow, and reminds me of something that might have come from the soundtrack of a Western film.

Fur Coat & the Peace Boat is out now. Burn Antares will support its release with shows along the East Coast later this month.

11 July 2015 – Standard Bowl, Sydney
17 July 2015 – The Grace Darling, Melbourne
18th July 2015 – Yah Yah’s, Melbourne
31 July 2015 – Miami Marketta, Gold Coast
1 August 2015 – The Bearded Lady, Brisbane

Image used with permission from RiSH Publicity