Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Mos Def Announces First Headline Tour of Oz

After watching him in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Be Kind Rewind, and The Italian Job I’d almost forgotten that Mos Def was a musician. Thankfully he’s coming to Australia to remind us all of his rapping talents next year.

This will be Mos Def’s first headlining tour Down Under, but the wait should be worth it. He’s out here to support his new album The Ecstatic, which has been nominated for a Grammy Award and named one of the best albums of the last year by Rolling Stone.

Mos Def will appear at Hobart’s Soundscape festival before travelling around the country to play the following solo dates. Tickets for those shows went on sale today.

8 January 2011 – Soundscape Festival, Hobart
9 January 2011 – The Enmore Theatre, Sydney
13 January 2011 – The Tivoli Theatre, Brisbane
14 January 2011 – The Palace Theatre, Melbourne

Image used with permission from Heapsaflash

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Paper Scissors Release “Lung Sum” Video

I wrote about “Lung Sum,” the new single from The Paper Scissors a couple of weeks ago, but now that the film clip has been released I thought the song was worth another look.

Honestly, I’ve found myself a bit addicted to this song. The first time I heard it I liked it, but with every subsequent listen I’ve found myself falling in love just a little bit more. The music video matches the quality of the song, with some really clever imagery and a very polished look.

“Lung Sum” comes from The Paper Scissors’s forthcoming second album In Loving Memory. Are you digging it as much as I am?

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Tune in to Glenn Richards Radio

How are we all surviving hump day? I don’t know about you, but as the afternoon winds down I start looking for things to distract me. That’s where Glenn Richards Radio comes in, a new web page which gives us a sneak peek at the Augie March frontman’s new album Glimjack.

BYRON BAY, AUSTRALIA - JULY 25: Glenn Richards of Augie March performs on stage during the Splendour in the Grass festival at Belongil Fields on July 25, 2009 in Byron Bay, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)


Just hover around the webpage and you’ll hear snippets of each album track and read the lyrics. The music’s great – that goes without saying – but the format is strangely addictive. As I say, maybe I’m just looking for distraction but I’ve wasted a bit of time playing with this today!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Classical Act Aston Releases “Aston”

Classical pop outfit Aston have become fast favourites here at Sounds of Oz, so I’m thrilled to see the band has moved from the internet to our record store shelves. The band recently released its self-titled debut album.

The nine-track disc features all the cover songs which became viral video sensations, including La Roux’s “Bulletproof,” Lady Gaga’s “Telephone,” and Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida.”

Never one to rest on their laurels, Aston will head back into the studio next month to put their indelible stand on Britney Spears’ “Toxic,” the song voted by the fans as the one they most want to hear next. Something tells me it’s going to blow the original away!

Aston’s debut album is currently available from iTunes, the band’s website, and all good music stores.

Image used with permission from Revolutions

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Lan Party Launch New “Personal Low” Album

If you ask my husband what LAN party is he’d wax lyrical about the good old days of computer gaming, where he’d gather with his pals, play video games, and drink too much Mountain Dew to make it through the night. You’d probably be bored hearing about it; I’m sure you’d much rather know about the Melbourne four-piece also called Lan Party.

“Lan Party is a state of mind, something we’ve built on over the years with various members and eclectic collaborative efforts,” the band explained. “Lan Party is a musical mutt, the amalgam of a lot of different colours, moods and styles. The band has a raw accessible rock side with sporadic outbursts of rhythmic flair and technicality. It’s anti-derivative music with a dynamic and energetic air to it.”

Lan Party have just released their sophomore album Personal Low, which ironically enough marks a bit of a personal high for the band! It features the new single “French Investors,” which is all about partying your way out of a tricky situation. That’s a method I have to try sometime!

Lan Party will take the album on the road next month with launch shows in New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. And according to lead vocalist and guitarist Trent Menassa, we should expect the unexpected.

“Anything can happen at a Lan Party show,” said Trent. “The energy is a high pressure cooker, the banter is ridiculous, the costumes are raw but lavish, and I think by the time the band leaves the stage you’ll feel like you’ve listened to a lot of good music.”

You can join in the fun at the following shows.

7 November 2010 – Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills
20 November 2010 – Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy
27 November 2010 – Jetty Bar, Glenelg

Image used with permission from AAA Entertainment

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

India-Rose Cut From “The X Factor”

After the excitement of last night’s movie theme, The X Factor contestants were promptly brought back to reality with the cold hard knowledge that someone had to go.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 08: X Factor host Natalie Imbruglia (C) and contestants Hayley Teal, India-Rose Madderom and Sally Chatfield arrive for the Australian Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2010 at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on October 8, 2010 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images)


India-Rose Madderom and Mahogany found themselves in the firing line this time around. I couldn’t imagine India-Rose being forgiven after two weeks in the bottom two. While she always gives a good vocal, clearly there’s something about her that’s not resonating with the public.

The judges agreed, and after three weeks in the bottom two the axe finally fell on India-Rose. Did the judges get it right?

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Neil Diamond Brings “Dreams” to Oz

Living legend Neil Diamond will visit our shores next March for his first Aussie tour in six years.

Neil is heading our way to promote Dreams, an album which features covers of songs made famous by The Beatles, Leonard Cohen, The Eagles, and other acts. He might be paying tribute to some of his own musical heroes, but I’m sure we’ll also hear a whole lot of Neil’s own big hits. And goodness knows there are a lot of them!

With the dollar reaching parity, hopefully this is just the start of a steady stream of big international names making their way to Oz. Fingers crossed!

In the mean time, you can get your tickets for the following Neil Diamond’s shows on November 9.

Singer Neil Diamond poses at the Stand Up To Cancer television event, aimed at raising funds to accelerate innovative cancer research, at the Sony Studios Lot in Culver City, California September 10, 2010. The one-hour live commercial-free fundraising event was aired across multiple broadcast and cable channels at the same time. REUTERS/Danny Moloshok (UNITED STATES - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT HEALTH HEADSHOT SOCIETY)


7 March 2011 – Entertainment Centre, Adelaide
11 & 13 March 2011 – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
19 March 2011 – Hope Estate Winery, Hunter Valley
21 & 23 March 2011 – Entertainment Centre, Brisbane
26 March 2011 – Football Stadium, Sydney
29 March 2011 – NIB Stadium, Perth

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The X Factor Goes To the Movies

Tonight The X Factor contestants were taking on one of my favourite themes: songs from the movies. I found myself wishing for some of the classic 80s films tunes I grew up with, but did the singers deliver? Let’s find out!

India-Rose Madderom started the night off as I’d hoped with “Fame,” sort of. She sang it really well, but it missed the bounce and lightness of the original. It just felt a bit laboured for me. The dancers were giving it their everything, but she just didn’t match their enthusiasm. I was surprised when I heard she was singing this, and after hearing her version I wish it was given to someone else.

I really hoped Andrew Lawson would get “Danke Schoen” from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, so I was disappointed from the get go. When I heard that he was doing “Love Is All Around,” I expected it to be insincere and twee. It was. I’m sure his female fans at home probably got something out of it, but to me it felt staged and artificial. The judges seemed to love it though; am I missing something?

Sally Chatfield brought things back on track with her rendition of “All By Myself.” It’s such a big song, and I feel she’s perhaps the only one in the competition up to the challenge. Vocally I couldn’t fault her. If I had to be picky, I’d wish for just a little more connection to the lyrics, but really, this was a hard performance to find fault with.
Continue reading “The X Factor Goes To the Movies” →

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Glenn Richards Releases “Torpor & Spleen” Video

Last month I was waxing lyrical about “Torpor & Spleen,” the first single from Glenn Richards’ first Augie Marchless-album Glimjack. Now with the release of the official music video, you all get a chance to hear it.

The video’s every bit as organic as the song, with live footage shot in a Melbourne warehouse. It’s not very flashy, but music this good doesn’t need bells and whistles.

This is a nice little taster of what’s to come when Glimjack hits record stores on October 29.