Out of the ashes of Horsell Common comes Jonesez, the new solo endeavour for singer and guitarist Mark Stewart.
Jonesez spent this summer recording a debut album with the help of Kisschasy’s Darren Cordeux. It was a bit of a milestone for both acts; Mark had never written an entire album on his own, and Darren had never produced one.
The first song to come from the release is “The Money Will Roll Right In,” a cover of Fang’s underground hit. Just like the album, this video was filmed in Mark’s basement. He takes on the roles of four different characters, which sees costume and hairstyle changes aplenty!
The Jonesez album will hit stores in the middle of the year, but we’re promised a sneak peek at shows along the East Coast to be announced shortly.
Happy Easter Sounds of Oz readers! To celebrate the big day I thought I’d post the only Aussie Easter related song I could think of, Kylie Minogue’s “Chocolate.” She’s singing about the Cadbury egg variety, right?
At any rate, I hope you all have a wonderful Easter!
As a one-time disenchanted checkout chick, the new video forAngus & Julia Stone’s song “Big Jet Plane” struck a bit of a chord with me. Emily Barclay stars in this poignant music video shot by Kiku Ohe. What stunning work. And the song’s not bad either!
After my musings about whether Lisa Mitchell and other female singer-songwriters sang like little girls, many readers might have thought I was being a bit mean. I’m determined to make amends, so I wanted to share with you Lisa’s latest film clip.
“Oh! Hark!” was one of my favourite cuts from Wonder. It felt like it had stepped out of a vintage album with its jangling instrumentation and rollicking chorus. This music video doesn’t exactly fit the song’s retro vibe, but I’ve learned by now that Lisa is never predictable. Case in point; here we get to see Lisa bust a move! This is a lot kookier than any choreographed routine I’ve seen of late, which is exactly why I love it!
I know there are plenty of Damien Leith fans out there so I figured I’d give you all a look behind the scenes of his latest video shoot for “Forgive Forget.”
Damien sounded especially proud of this song, which he co-wrote with Stuart Crichton (Pet Shop Boys, Kylie Minogue), when he spoke to me last September, and from what we hear of it here it’s easy to understand why. I also figure if you’ve got to make a film clip, doing it lying down is the way to go! That’s great work if you can get it.
“Forgive Forget” was released today, so you should hear it in full soon!
Oh Gabriella Cilmi, we have missed you! Her new single “On a Mission” is a bit of a departure from the easy soul of “Sweet About Me,” but the feisty attitude is unmistakeably Gabriella. Soundswise, it reminds me of early 1980s disco. I could easily imagine The Pointer Sisters releasing this one.
Apparently there’s more where this came from, with Gabriella citing retro influences like Giorgio Moroder, Blondie, and Donna Summer on album number two, Ten. We can expect it in stores on March 19.
Take a squizz at the new film clip and tell me what you think. Personally I figure you can never go wrong with space-age imagery and girls in bikinis, and I’m sure many of my male readers agree!
The Black Ryder has released a stunning video for “Sweet Come Down.” The haunting song comes from the band’s highly anticipated debut, Buy The Ticket, Take the Ride, which hits stores on November 6.
The song is a fan favourite, with Aimee Nash and Scott Ryper sharing vocal duties and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s Peter Hayes on harmonica.
The accompanying clip is more short film than traditional music video, with acclaimed director Michael Spiccia and cinematographer Stefan Duscio at the helm. The wilds of south west New South Wales become a beautiful and foreboding landscape for the scene, which takes place after a mysterious tragedy.
The Black Ryder fans should look out for Aimee moonlighting on the new Black Rebel Motorcycle track, “Done All Wrong.” The song, which features Aimee’s ethereal vocals, is featured on the recently released Twilight – New Moon soundtrack.
The Black Ryder will celebrate the release of Buy The Ticket, Take the Ride with a show at The Tote Bar in Melbourne on November 19. The band will play alongside Killed Two Birds, Slight of Build, and Dreaming of Ghosts. It’s their very last show this year, so make sure you don’t miss it!
This week the Australian Idol contestants were allowed to sing the songs they felt represented them best. The open-ended theme was designed to showcase the best in them, but it also gave the contestants just enough rope to hang themselves.
But before all that, it was time to send one hopeful home. This week Kate Cook, Stan Walker, and James Johnston found themselves in the bottom three, but it was Kate’s turn to go. It was a close call, but I saw this one coming. It hurts to see her go, but we’re at that point where we have to lose people that we love. I just hope this isn’t the last we see of her.
James Johnston opened the show with Duffy’s “Mercy.” As always, he sang this well, but James didn’t do enough with it to make it really special. My biggest complaint was with the delivery. It seems he didn’t connect with the lyrics at all. Begging for mercy? With all that smiling and bounce, it didn’t seem like James was begging for anything!
Toby Moulton returned to his Brit Pop love with Oasis’ “Don’t Look Back in Anger.” I love Toby, but I hated this. It felt like karaoke, and bad karaoke at that. It didn’t showcase his voice, or deliver any emotional punch at all. I could have picked a million better songs for him.
Nathan Brake took on Maroon 5’s” Makes Me Wonder” and completely nailed it. I wasn’t sure about the song choice at first, but he really pulled it off. He’s got that lovely pop sensibility combined with such an incredible voice. He’s really hitting his stride right now, and I’m thrilled.
Shannon Noll has teamed up with indigenous hip hoppers Street Warriors to revamp an Australian classic, the Goanna hit “Solid Rock.”
The combination of hip hop beats and rock guitars breathes new life into the 1982 anthem which sang of the displacement of Aboriginal tribes during Australia’s white settlement. The themes made the song particularly poignant for the Street Warriors.
“If everyone practices respect – for land, for country, for each other, most of our problems would disappear,” said one half of the group, Abie Wright.
The video saw Shannon and the band headed to the Gommeroi Land around Gunnedah. The song pays homage to the Street Warriors’ ancestor, Red Chief Kangaroo, and they shot part of the video in the Red Chief Cave in his honour. Check it out below!
I don’t mind admitting that I’ve anticipated tonight’s episode of Australian Idol like none other this season. I’ve been bemoaning the lack of showtunes for seasons, and now we got to do it with Liza Minnelli. She opened the show with “Cabaret” and was brilliant. It just simply doesn’t get any better.
The men escaped the bottom three, leaving Kate Cook, Kim Cooper, and Hayley Warner in the bottom three. Kim’s been a perpetual member of the bottom three, so it wasn’t a great surprise that she left us. I’ll miss her though!
Toby Moulton opened the show with “Somebody To Love.” Taking on a Queen song is always a tall order, because quite frankly you’re never going to be Freddie Mercury. But despite that, I think he did really well. He didn’t let the song scare him, and that confidence really made it.
Stan Walker was right in the pocket for “Circle of Life.” It was the perfect song for him, and he didn’t put a foot wrong. I was wowed. This is why he hasn’t been in the bottom three; he’s just that good.
Kate Cook did a little Dusty with “Son of a Preacher Man,” but honestly she looked a little lost. She got lost in the lyrics and fell off them all over the place. There was no sex here, and with a song like this there should be. It was a big disappointment for me, because I really like Kate.
Hayley Warner took on Powderfinger’s “These Days.” I couldn’t fault the way she sang it, but it didn’t jump off the page. It’s a little scary considering she was in the bottom three last week. She needed to do better.