Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Beasts of Bourbon Celebrate 30 Years with Live Album & Shows

The Beasts of Bourbon are celebrating three decades in the business with a 3CD live set dubbed 30 Years of Borrowed Time.

The CDs feature sets from All Tomorrow’s Parties, Byron Bay Bluesfest, and a show at Festival Hall.

To celebrate the release, band fixtures Tex Perkins and Spencer P Jones will play their hits and fan favourites with a different Beasts of Bourbon line-up each night in Sydney and Melbourne. Each show promises a different set too, so why not get along to all three? Tickets cost $44 for a single show, $79 for two, and $110 for all three in your nearest capital.

30 Years of Borrowed Time will be available exclusively at the following shows ahead of its digital and in store release in mid-September.

22 Aug 2013 – Factory Theatre, Marrickville (Original line-up)
23 Aug 2013 – Factory Theatre, Marrickville (Low Road line-up)
24 Aug 2013 – Factory Theatre, Marrickville (Current line-up)
29 Aug 2013 – The Memo, St Kilda (Original line-up)
30 Aug 2013 – The Memo, St Kilda (Low Road line-up)
31 Aug 2013 – The Memo, St Kilda (Current line-up)

Image used with permission from Two Fish Out of Water

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Little Wren Impresses with “Red Shoes”


Debut singles shouldn’t sound as polished as “Red Shoes”, the sultry first single from Sydney songstress Little Wren. It’s a flawless piece of electro pop that has me utterly captivated.

Little Wren’s latest batch of music came about after her dad gifted her a 1980s Juno synthesiser late last year. She recorded it with the equally fabulous Adrian Deutsch in his basement, which just goes to show you don’t need a fancy studio to create something wonderful. The twosome have left their mark all the songs; they played all the instruments and programmed all the drums. If it all sounds this good, I’ll be lining up for a copy.

Loving it!

Image used with permission from Little Wren

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Basics Release “So Hard for You”

With their reunion tour a little more than a month away, The Basics are treating us to a cracker new single in the form of “So Hard For You”.

I use the term “new” pretty loosely here, as the track was actually recorded as a demo way back in 2010. It’s been thrust into the spotlight though with the release of this year’s Leftovers compilation.

This ballsy rock number and old-school style video should help us all get in the mood for the following shows.

12 September 2013 – The Spiegeltent, Brisbane
21 September 2013 – Republic Bar, Hobart
26 September 2013 – Theatre Royal, Castlemaine
27 & 28 September 2013 – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne (SOLD OUT)
29 September 2013 – The Corner Hotel, Melbourne
3 October 2013 – Transit Bar, Canberra
4 October 2013 – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
6 October 2013 – Caloundra Music Festival, Caloundra

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Elliott Wheeler Captivates with “Baker Man”

Elliott Wheeler has mesmerised me with his debut single “Baker Man”, the first cut from his debut album The Long Time. The long-player hits stores on August 16, but this beautiful song and accompanying clip should help generate some buzz before the official release.

All I have to say about this song is, give it time. It’s very gentle and understated. It certainly doesn’t smack you in the face. But it builds so beautifully that about three-quarters in I was utterly captivated. That gorgeous music video, featuring the talents of animator Marieka Walsh, doesn’t do it any harm either.

Just like the single, The Long Time is no rush job. It’s been six years in the making, and that attention to detail shows. Elliott worked as composer and engineer on the record which has clearly been a real labour of love.

He’s also the bloke behind the music of Baz Lurhmann’s The Great Gatsby, a project which saw him collaborating with the likes of Jay Z, Jack White, and Lana Del Ray as well as adding his own original contributions. Elliott’s impressive resume also features George Miller’s new Mad Max movie and The Chaser TV series. He was also behind that incredible Ship Song Project for the Sydney Opera House back in 2011. How exciting that the musical talents of such a gifted artist can now come to the fore with this release.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“Roadtrip Confessions” – Buffalo Tales

I must admit, when I heard Wes Carr was performing under the name of Buffalo Tales, I thought it was as wanky as the next person. However, as I listened to his first album under this new moniker, the shift made perfect sense.

Roadtrip Confessions isn’t a Wes Carr album. While I enjoyed the pop-rock material Wes released after winning the Australian Idol title, it’s markedly different from the music he’s making today. There’s a lot more heart and subtlety here. It’s not so radio-friendly, but that doesn’t mean it’s not accessible. It’s just not obvious or formulaic.

This album is beautifully balanced. One moment we’re thigh-slapping along to “Amsterdam”, the next we’re taken to a more tender, poignant place when he duets with Scottish folk songbird Rachel Sermanni on “Crazy Heart”. The shifts could have been jarring, but the gentle strumming of an acoustic guitar serves as an anchor for these beautiful songs.

It’s hard to single out songs on an album of such quality, but the introspective “Puppet Strings” and romantic “Tricks to Magik” are real highlights. The poetic, gorgeous lyrics of these numbers deserve to be listened to.

It’s interesting that Buffalo Tales’ has chosen to cover Leonard Cohen’s “Take This Waltz” and Rihanna’s “Diamonds”. They’re two very different songs, but they’re both interpreted so cleverly. It’s a good reminder that singing covers, as artists do on programs like The X Factor, The Voice, and Buffalo Tales’ big break Australian Idol, isn’t such a bad thing. Perhaps he hasn’t moved so far from his alter ego after all.

It’s unfortunate that the release of Roadtrip Confessions has been overshadowed by the media natterings about Wes Carr’s new name, because this album is one of the best I’ve heard in recent years.

Image used with permission from the Planetary Group

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Karnivool Scores Aussie Number One with “Asymmetry”

It seems the wait was worth it for fans, who’ve sent Karnivool’s long-awaited new album Asymmetry to the top of the albums charts. One week in and it’s already the fourth fastest selling album of the year. It’s also history making for lead singer Ian Kenny, who becomes the first singer to nab two number one albums in the same calendar year with two different bands. Of course he paved the way for this achievement when his other act, Birds of Tokyo, scored a number one with March Fires in March.

Bliss N Eso’s Circus in the Sky jumped a couple of positions to take number three this week. Harrison Craig shows he’s still a force, landing at number four five weeks after the release of More Than a Dream. His fellow Voice competitor Luke Kennedy rounds out the top ten with his debut album A Time for Us.

Vance Joy’s risen two spots to become the only Aussie act in the singles top ten with “Riptide”. It sits at number ten this week.

Click below to see this week’s complete top tens.

Continue reading “Karnivool Scores Aussie Number One with “Asymmetry”” →

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Boy & Bear Take Us to New Zealand with Awesome New Video

Boy & Bear have outdone themselves with the video for their new single “Under a Southern Sun”. The icy clip was filmed in New Zealand, and it contains so much breathtaking footage that I’m tempted to head across the ditch.

The film clip’s release is a timely reminder that Boy & Bear’s sophomore album Harlequin Dream will hit stores on August 16 ahead of the band’s national tour in October.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Darling Downs Reunite for Album Number Three

It’s been many years coming, but superstar duo The Darling Downs has finally graced us with another album, In the Days When the World was Wide.

Now the name The Darling Downs might not mean very much to you, but you’ll certainly know the names of the talent that makes up this very special double act. Kim Salmon was a key member of Scientists, Beasts of Bourbon, The Surrealists, and heaps more. Ron S. Peno made his name with Died Pretty. They’ve been friends for more than three decades, and have been making music for a decade. However, this is their first album together in six years. For the record, they never broke up. “We just had a break”, Ron says.

In the Days When the World was Wide takes its name from a collection of Henry Lawson’s works that Ron loved as a child. The album is striking in its simplicity, with songs that easily blend folk, bluegrass, and indie rock.

“It’s a songwriting cliché to say ‘the songs come from somewhere else’,” Kim says, “and I normally refute that idea. But I cannot explain why writing with Ron works; it’s mysterious. And because it’s mysterious, it seems quite magical.”

In the Days When the World Was Wide hits record stores today.

Image used with permission from Two Fish Out of Water

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Chet Faker & Saskwatch’s Nkechi Anele “Rock On” on RocKwiz

How good is RocKwiz this year? I must admit, the show used to be something I caught now and again. However when Spicks and Specks ended, it became compulsory viewing to satisfy my music trivia cravings. While I love yelling out the answers to the questions at my television set, the highlight for me is always those duets at the end. You just never know quite what you’re going to get, and it’s so often magical. One of my favourites in recent weeks was the coming together of Chet Faker and Saskwatch frontwoman Nkechi Anele for David Essex’s “Rock On”. If this doesn’t get you grooving, nothing will!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Boy & Bear Return to Aussie Stages

With their sophomore album Harlequin Dream slated to hit stores on August 16, Boy & Bear are giving fans another reason to celebrate. After eight months off the road, this esteemed Aussie act will make a welcome return to local stages to support the album’s release.

Following the success of their debut Moonfire, Boy & Bear made a conscious decision to return to their roots and record the follow-up where it all began, in Sydney. The act took a hands-on approach to the album, and earned a co-producing credit along with Wayne Connolly. Seattle’s Phil Ek, who’s worked with Band of Horses and Fleet Foxes, took care of the mix.

Harlequin Dream is available to preorder through iTunes, JB HiFi, Sanity, and other music retailers. But if you’re a hardcore fan you’ll want to visit the band’s website, where you can get the collector’s edition. This includes a deluxe set with vinyl and CD copies, a lyrics booklet, an artwork print, and one-of-a-kind Polaroid photo snapped by the band.

Boy & Bear will bring the music from Harlequin Dream and some old favorites to the following intimate venues later this year.

24 October 2013 – ANU Bar, Canberra
25 October 2013 – Enmore Theatre, Sydney
1 November 2013 – Wool Exchange, Geelong
2 November 2013 – The Forum, Melbourne
7 November 2013 – Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
8 November 2013 – Coolangatta Hotel, Gold Coast
9 November 2013 – The Tivoli, Brisbane
15 November 2013 – Waves Nightclub, Wollongong
16 November 2013 – Wrestpoint Showroom, Hobart
21 November 2013 – HQ, Adelaide
22 November 2013 – Metropolis, Fremantle
23 November 2013 – The Astor Theatre, Perth

Image source: Rene Pot @ Flickr