“Until Then” – Gossling

Like so many other Australians, I recently sat home applauding Angus and Julia Stone as they took home award after award at the recent ARIAS for their sophomore effort Down the Way. Listening to Gossling’s new EP Until Then I wondered whether she’ll need as many long players under her belt before the awards start to flow.

The comparisons to Julia Stone are unavoidable; the artists sound uncannily similar with their breathy, ethereal voices. But Gossling brings more dynamics to her intimate tunes. She isn’t afraid to let that voice of hers soar, matching the lush instrumentals she favors. Her sound is big and full, with strings and pianos joining her voice as the songs reach emotional and musical crescendos.

While her sound is bigger, Gossling is careful to never lose the organic nature of her music with overproduction. Listening to the songs you get the sense that they could have been recorded during a jam session in someone’s living room. There’s that sense of immediacy and truth, as if the tunes were captured in one take.

The EP has just five tracks, mostly tales of love convincingly painted by the lyrics that never stoop to cliches. The epic “Oh Darling” may be one of the most beautiful and stirring songs I’ve heard all year. But I was thrilled to see her experiment a little in “I Was Young,” a tune which steers dangerously close to bluegrass in the rollicking choruses. I hope to see her play a little more with genres and sounds when the inevitable long player is released.

And it is inevitable, because Gossling is that good. We have a glut of talented female singer-songwriters in this country, but I expect to see her standing out from the pack in the coming years.

Image used with permission from Repertoire Publicity

The X Factor Contestants Take on Chart Topppers

Tonight The X Factor finalists looked set to show some star quality with the theme of “chart toppers.” I must admit, I was a little nervous about this theme as so often my favourite tunes never win any popularity polls. However with Robin Gibb acting as guest mentor I hoped our final four could pull something worth watching out of the bag.

Andrew Lawson made all of my fears come true with his rendition of “Uptown Girl.” I love the Billy Joel version, but this felt more like that lacklustre Westlife take, with an added dose of awkward. It was totally cheesy and there was a real lack of dynamics or connection. You just can’t count on the dancers to win it for you.

I was pretty thrilled to see Mahogany was taking on one of my favourite guilty pleasures, Bryan Adam’s “Heaven.” Throw in a key change, those magnificent harmonies, and a stripped back performance free of those distracting dancers and pyrotechnics and you’ve got something magical. This is a classic example of the old adage “less is more.”

Sally Chatfield gave another strong performance this week with Pink’s “Just Like a Pill.” Vocally I can’t fault her but I’m starting to feel a gloss that undermines the connection to the songs. I couldn’t help casting my mind back to Nathan from Australian Idol a few years ago, the way he delivered it with such rawness and intensity. While she was high fiving the audience and fist pumping that message, that truth about the song was just a bit lost.

After lamenting the lack of connection shown by other acts, Altiyan Childs delivered what I was after. “The Living Years” is one of those songs I have a deep personal connection to. I was released just after my grandfather’s death, and it really painted the picture of the relationship he had with my own dad. I wasn’t sure he could do it justice considering all of the meaning I have invested in it, but he did. Altiyan is starting to become the heart of the show, and honestly I think that’s more important than a pretty voice.
Continue reading “The X Factor Contestants Take on Chart Topppers”

Ruby Noir Funk and Soul Nights at Ruby’s Lounge

You don’t need to head to New Orleans to experience big brass sounds and the best soulful funk around. Ruby’s Lounge is bringing these feel-good sounds to Melbourne with their monthly big band nights.

Known as Ruby Noir, the evenings look to transport patrons back to the prohibition era with its underground speak-easies, all with a fun modern twist. It kicks off on November 20 with the 10-piece Lowdown Street Orchestra. DJ Paper will also spin vintage tunes in between the sets.

It sounds like a lot of fun, so don your best glad rags and check out the action!

Image source: Thilini Mahaliyana @ Flickr

How to Make Gravy? There’s an App for That

They say there’s an app for everything, so perhaps it was only a matter of time before Paul Kelly made one for his memoir How To Make Gravy.

The app for the iPhone and iPad brings Paul’s words and music to life in a cool interactive format. You can read the unabridged ebook, watch a little video introduction recorded by Paul himself, and hear extracts of six songs referred to in the memoir.

“The app is the format closest to my original conception of the book which is as much for the ears as the eyes,” Paul explained.

There are so many rubbish apps out there, but this sounds like something worth spending your $19.99 on. If you’ve got more cash to spare though, remember that Paul is about to start touring the country with his A to Z Recordings Live tour. These unique shows will see Paul performing his A to Z of songs in alphabetical order over four nights in each city.

Tickets are available in 4, 3, 2, and 1 night packages, and the more tickets you buy the more you’ll save. However with Melbourne shows selling out rapidly, folks there can only get 2-night packages until the 19th, and 1-night packages after that.

Here are all the dates!

Paul Kelly

30 November – 3 December 2010 – Powerhouse, Brisbane
8–11 December 2010 – Astor Theatre, Perth
20 –23 January 2011 – City Recital Hall, Angel Place, Sydney
27-30 January December 2011 – The Playhouse, Canberra
7-10 February 2011 – Theatre Royal, Hobart
16-19 February 2011 – Studio Theatre @ Darwin Entertainment Centre, Darwin
2-5 March 2011 – Athenaeum Theatre, Melbourne
4-7 April 2011 – Space Theatre @ Festival Centre, Adelaide
13-16 April 2011 – Araluen Theatre, Alice Springs

Image source: Andrew Braithwaite @ Flickr

Q & A with The Dead Love’s Clint Ossington

From the ashes of several Sydney underground acts comes The Dead Love, a band who’s already selling out shows a month after their inception. They’re currently touring around the country with MM9, but guitarist Clint Ossington still found time to talk about life on the road, in the studio, and how it all got started.

The Dead Love

You’ve only been together since April, but are already selling out local shows. Has that taken you by surprise?
We have all come from other bands that did OK in Sydney’s underground; that and being fortunate enough to have our first shows with great bands has been the formula in achieving it. We could all feel this was something special from our first jam and the reaction from people so far has been fantastic; sell out bills has been a huge bonus we’re thankful for.

How did the band come together?
Stevie K [singer/guitarist] had a few tunes he had been working on for a side project. He knew both Gene and I from around the traps and had seen us play. We were the first two on his list to contact. We all met up for a beer and a listen. One drink and a listen turned into many and we all agreed that night to get together and see what happens. The concept was simple: we all loved to drink and play rock music. That’s what we have been doing since and things have naturally moved fast.

I believe you’ve nearly finished recording your debut album. What can you tell me about it?
We are nine songs down but not 100% sure if we will drop an album or EP. We have our next two singles ready for release and they will be dropping early 2011 alongside the music videos. Everything we are releasing has been self recorded and produced. It’s cool to do things exactly the way we want them and on our own schedule.

You’re about to release your debut single “She Ate Me Alive.” Are you looking forward to unleashing that?
Absolutely we can’t wait to get the single out. Were really exciting to see how people react to what we are doing recorded.

You’re out on the road with MM9 supporting them on their New South Wales tour. Are you fans of their music?
We all have a huge respect for MM9 both personally and musically. They have to be one of the biggest sounding live acts in the country, things are going to get loose.
Continue reading “Q & A with The Dead Love’s Clint Ossington”

Inland Sea are Something Special

When you bring together ten musicians that are serious about their craft and good music, magic is sure to happen. And there’s magic indeed in Inland Sea, a folk-influenced band from Brisbane.

Their debut EP Traitor was only released around a week ago, and already it’s earning rave reviews and some serious airplay from Triple J. And it’s little wonder, with its gorgeous five-part harmonies and lush sound featuring the mandolin, ukulele, cello, violin, and heaps more. This is the kind of music I can really get excited about.

If you can too, make sure you see the band doing their thing in the flesh at the following shows. The first two shows are free, so there are really no excuses!

28 November 2010 – Brisbane Powerhouse, Brisbane (from 3:30 pm)
4 December 2010 – Rics, Fortitude Valley (from 8 pm)
15 December 2010 – The Zoo, Brisbane

Sarah McLeod Does “Dancing in the Dark”

Sarah McLeod has put her unmistakable stamp on a Bruce Springsteen classic with her new single “Dancing in the Dark.” The track comes from her forthcoming album Madness, which is part one of an ambitious trilogy.

I’m still not sure how I feel about Australia’s rock girl experimenting with so many dance and electro sounds of late, so I was thrilled to see this song takes things back to basics. It’s a very different treatment to be sure, but there’s also a lovely organic quality to it that I’m really warming to.

Given the nostalgia attached to the original I’m expecting this cover to polarise audiences. What do you think of it?

Q & A with Gun Street Girls’ Dave Larkin

Gun Street Girls are nothing if not hardworking. Less than a year after their debut album dropped, they’re giving birth to another one tomorrow. I caught up with the band’s vocalist and guitarist Dave Larkin to chat about the album Adult Loose, cool band names, and the band’s upcoming tour.

It’s not even been a year since you released your debut album, yet you’re already about to release album number two. How did it come together so quickly?
Well, we’re always working on new songs, and we kind of figured it’s best to have new material out there in the public stratosphere as opposed to sitting dormant in a hard drive or tape machine. We had a really good bunch of songs and just thought, “right, this rocks – let’s do it!”

What can you tell me about the new album, Adult Loose?
It’s definitely more of a refined collaboration between three guys than album number one. I think the songs are stronger and more considered production wise. You can hear a band coming together a lot more on this one, and finding their own thing.

How do you think you’ve developed as a band from one year to the next?
We definitely have a crystallized understanding of what Gun Street Girls is now. We’ve spent a bit of time on the road, and a lot of time discoursing about what’s important in music and what’s not. We don’t really give a stuff about trends, and being considered one of the “in” bands, because we know that’s all vacuous crap that means nothing in the long run. Rock’n roll music doesn’t go in and out of fashion for us because it’s always been cool. It’s like Levis jeans Coca-Cola and Converse sneakers – one of those things that transcends the ages.

You worked with Wayne Connolly, who’s been behind so many great albums from You Am I to Josh Pyke. What did he bring to your sound?
Wayne’s a really great engineer for nailing performances in their purest form. He’s all about the right mic, and the right amp, and is a bit of an ambassador for all things vintage. He’s got an acute understanding of the recording process and brings a raw honesty to the final product.

Your band has got such a distinctive name. Where did the Gun Street Girls come from?
It’s named after a Tom Waits song from the Raindogs album. It was no particular homage or anything like that, we were just on the search for a cool name and started out by trawling our iTunes playlists to trigger an idea. Turns out though this song just came on the radio and Dave B called me to see what I thought. When I scribbled it down on the page it looked cool. A band name’s always gotta look cool when you write it!
Continue reading “Q & A with Gun Street Girls’ Dave Larkin”

Caulfield Tours Debut Album

Sydney alternative punksters Caulfield are taking their debut album Clarity In A Sea Of Confusion on the road with a tour taking in Australia’s east and west. Guitarist Ned Jankovic describes the disc as the “perfect introduction” to this exciting new band.

“It’s about being lost emotionally and mentally and finding ways to get back to where you want to be and mixes all the elements we love,” he explained.

The album features the new single “Bring Sunday,” a moving track about learning to let go of the past and move on from mistakes made.

“It relates to how sometimes you can feel like a stranger even around the people you know best and overcoming this so you can move on with life,” added Jankovic.

Look out for Caulfield when they bring their show to your town!

27 November 2010 – Spectrum, Sydney
3 December 2010 – Caringbah Bizzos, Caringbah
4 December 2010 – Bridge 54, Picton
9 December 2010 – Oh Snap, Perth
10 December 2010 – YMCA HQ, Leederville (All Ages)
11 December 2010 – Elliot St Bar, Bunbury
17 December 2010 – Old Gaol, Mt Gambier
18 December 2010 – Black Market, Adelaide
23 December 2010 – Bull and Bush, Baulkham Hills
6 January 2011 – Rosies, Brisbane
7 January 2011 – The Fort, Brisbane (All Ages)
8 January 2011 – Miami Shark Bar, Gold Coast
13 January 2011 – Hot Damn, Sydney
15 January 2011 – Crest Hotel, Sylvania
16 January 2011 – The Wall, Sydney (All Ages)

Image used with permission from AAA Entertainment

British India’s New Single and Website

British India may be swanning about the UK, but that doesn’t mean they’ve forgotten their local fans. They’ve just released a brand new single, which ups Paul Simon’s efforts and offers “90 Ways to Leave Your Lover,” and launched a brand new website to boot.

In conjunction with the website launch you can receive a free demo of a new song “It Happens All The Time” when you sign up to the new British India mailing list. The tune gives us a sneak peek at the band’s forthcoming album, which will hit stores in 2011.

Head to www.britishindia.com.au to check out everything else that’s brand spanking new, including the upcoming United Kingdom and New Zealand tour dates!