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’m a little late on my ARIAs post this year as Australian music’s night of nights coincided with another big night for me: my husband’s birthday. So I’ve spent the morning catching up with all that went down. As these things go, I thought it was pretty average.
It was far from a debacle, polished and professional, but also lacking the wow factor of some of the other ceremonies. Watching the ladies from The Jezabels pay tribute to Chrissy Amphlett so beautifully was a real highlight, as was watching those classy fellows from Air Supply inducted into the Hall of Fame. I was also thrilled to see Matt Corby take home Song of the Year for the stunning “Resolution,” although his “speech” left plenty to be desired. Perhaps he should have taken notes from the eloquent Guy Sebastian.
By and large though, I felt the performances were a bit bland and predictable. Sheppard excited me more from the red carpet than most of the entertainers in the auditorium. I also thought it was odd that Michael Gudinski, as the recipient of the first “icon” award, didn’t take to the stage. Surely he deserved a moment in the spotlight rather than simply waving awkwardly from his seat. The same goes for the winners of the “minor” awards, many of whom weren’t even acknowledged. I miss the days where we at least saw all their names once we returned from commercials, not just the ones the broadcaster thinks we might be interested in. I always sit transfixed to awards shows, but I felt this one dragged. I’m not sure what it was missing, but I was left yawning despite watching the thing when I was well awake.
What was your take on this year’s ARIAs? And what do you think of this year’s winners?
Album of the Year: Lonerism – Tame Impala
Song of the Year: “Resolution” – Matt Corby
Breakthrough Artist (Release): Flume – Flume
Best Male Artist: Flume
Best Female Artist: Jessica Mauboy
Best Group: Tame Impala
Best Independent Release: Push The Sky Away – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Best Adult Contemporary Album: Push The Sky Away – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Best Blues and Roots Album: Sharkmouth – Russell Morris
Best Children’s Album: A Little Day Out with Justine – Justine Clarke
Best Comedy Release: The Bits We’re Least Ashamed Of – Tom & Alex
Best Country Album: Wreck and Ruin – Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson
Best Dance Release: Flume – Flume
Best Pop Release: Armageddon – Guy Sebastian
Best Rock Album: Lonerism – Tame Impala
Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album: Asymmetry – Karnivool
Best Urban Album: Bring it Back – Illy
Best International Artist: One Direction
Best Australian Live Act: Guy Sebastian
Best Video: “Firestarter” – Samantha Jade
Best Cover Art: Dave Homer & Aaron Hayward of Debaser (Ice On The Dune – Empire Of The Sun)
Engineer of the Year: Virginia Read (Sally Whitwell)
Producer of the Year: Harley Streten (Flume)
Best Classical Album: All Imperfect Things: Solo Piano Music of Michael Nyman – Sally Whitwell
ARIAs Best Jazz Album: Smile – The Idea Of North
Best Original Soundtrack/Cast/Show Album: Conversations With Ghosts – Paul Kelly, James Ledger, Genevieve Lacey & ANAM Musicians
Best World Music Album: Chameleons of the White Shadow – Joseph Tawadros
When I watched Katy Perry perform her smash hit single “Roar” on the X Factor finale, I remember thinking that Dami Im sang the song better a couple of weeks prior. So perhaps it’s fitting that Dami’s roared louder on the ARIA Charts this week and beaten Miss Perry to the top spot. The reigning X Factor queen has scored her first Australian number one with “Alive.”
Guy Sebastian’s appearance on the finale appears to have done him some good too. His latest single “Like a Drum,” the first to come from his forthcoming seventh album, is sitting at number four on debut. The song is Guy’s 12th top ten single.
Last year’s X Factor contestant Nathaniel continues to do great business with “You.” It only slipped slightly this week to claim the seventh spot on the charts. It pipped Justice Crew’s newie “Everybody,” which jumped ten spots to sit at number eight.
Last week’s number one album, Triple J’s Like a Version Volume 9, has fallen to number four this week. It beat out Kerser’s S.C.O.T. and Tina Arena’s Reset, which sit at number five and six respectively.
Click below for a closer look at this week’s top tens.
Continue reading “X Factor’s Dami Im Tops ARIA Singles Charts”
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.
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?
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.
When Adelaide was named amongst the top ten cities of the world by Lonely Planet a couple of days ago, the rest of Australia was … shall we say … incredulous. Personally though, I felt the honour was well-deserved. I remember being pleasantly surprised when I visited Adelaide for a wedding a few years ago. My husband and I spent a week and ate some of the best food we’ve ever tasted, drank some amazing wine, and never found ourselves bored.
Another one of the city’s advocates is DJ Minx, the 2011 winner of the She Can DJ competition. In this slick short video she shares her views on Adelaide, the city that gave her her start in the male-dominated DJ industry.
Watching this video, it’s not too hard to see why Lonely Planet recognised Adelaide, is it?
The Creases won’t let a lack of cash put an end to their rock and roll dreams. The Brisbane band recorded this video for their new single “I Won’t Wait” for just $5.50. Now that’s some frugal filmmaking!
The song has a suitably lo-fi feel to it, but it’s got a great melodic centre that will have you humming along by the end. It seems I’m not the only one that’s taken notice. The Creases recently inked deals with UK-based label Rough Trade and Byron Bay-based booking agency Village Sounds.
The Creases will release “I Won’t Wait” in a sexy 7-inch vinyl format tomorrow. You can snare your copy at one of the following shows.
31 October 2013 – Alhambra Lounge, Brisbane
28 November 2013 – The Corner Hotel, Melbourne
29 November 2013 – JIVE, Adelaide
30 November 2013 – Waratah, Hobart
5 December 2013 – The Rev, Brisbane
6 December 2013 – Small Ballroom, Newcastle
7 December 2013 – The Standard, Sydney
4 February 2014 – GoodGod, Sydney
5 February 2014 – The Tote, Melbourne
If the single “Sweetheart” is anything to go by, Melbourne indie act We The People are a band to watch. It seems the public agrees with me, as the song racked up more than 2000 YouTube views in its first week. The infectiously upbeat number is our first taste of their EP The Truth About Fables, which will hit stores on November 8.
The band had me from the first perfectly harmonized notes. This song has such a great energy, and a great mix of electronic layers and classic guitar riffs.
With such vitality on the recording, you can be sure We The People will rock on stage. See them do just that when they launch The Truth About Fables at the following shows.
7 November 2013 – The Worker’s Club, Melbourne
9 November 2013 – The Loft, Warrnambool
21 November 2013 – The Loft, Gold Coast
22 November 2013 – The Tempo Hotel, Brisbane
28 November 2013 – The Cambridge, Newcastle
29 November 2013 – The Lansdowne, Sydney
30 November 2013 – Spin Cycle @ The Wool Exchange, Geelong
6 December 2013 – Republic Bar, Hobart
7 December 2013 – The Iron Horse, Launceston
13 December 2013 – The Grace Emily, Adelaide
Local compilation album Triple J Like a Version 9 has beaten out strong competition from James Blunt and Lorde to claim the spot at the top of the ARIA albums chart this week. This is the best result for a Like a Version compilation, beating out volume 6 which made it to number two in November 2010. The latest edition features local acts San Cisco, Tame Impala, Vance Joy, Chance Waters, and the fabulous Bonjah.
Tina Arena’s recent appearance on X Factor seems to have done her some good. Her new album Reset debuted at number four. Last week we saw Jessica Mauboy sitting there, but this week her latest album Beautiful has dropped down to number eight.
On the singles chart it’s another X Factor success story. Taylor Henderson’s sitting at number two with his awesome cover of Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.” What a shame this show doesn’t work like The Voice and offer voting credits in exchange for downloads! Last year’s finalist Nathaniel is also making his presence felt. His new single “You” slipped to number six this week, down two spots from last week.
Click below to see the rest of this week’s top tens.
Continue reading “Triple J Like a Version 9 Nabs Number One”