BRYAN FERRY’S NEW STUDIO ALBUM ‘OLYMPIA’ WILL BE RELEASED ON VIRGIN RECORDS ON OCTOBER 22, PRECEDED BY THE SINGLE “YOU CAN DANCE” ON AUGUST 6.
THE ALBUM FEATURES MUSICAL CONTRIBUTIONS FROM NILE RODGERS, DAVID GILMOUR, GROOVE ARMADA, SCISSOR SISTERS, MARCUS MILLER, FLEA, MANI AND JONNY GREENWOOD. IT ALSO SEES BRYAN FERRY REUNITED ON RECORD WITH MEMBERS OF ROXY MUSIC, INCLUDING BRIAN ENO. Continue reading Bryan Ferry Announces New Studio Album ‘Olympia’
Review: Ben Hosking
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Being a huge Steve Vai fan, it’s hard to confess that we reckon the Great One’s latest CD falls a little flat. A live CD, recorded at the State Theatre in Minneapolis, the vibe of the whole album leaves you feeling a little unsatisfied.
As usual, the performances are perfect – Vai’s choice of backing musician is always spot on. The set list was well paced; including classics like ‘The Audience is Listening’, ‘Liberty’ and ‘For the Love of God’ from his groundbreaking 1990 album ‘Passion and Warfare’. But for the most part, it all just feels a little dead. |
Continue reading Steve Vai “Where the Other Wild Things Are” CD Review
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Midnight Juggernauts return with their next single ’Lifeblood Flow’ from their highly acclaimed second album, The Crystal Axis. A dazzling lesson in how electronic-pop should be made, ’Lifeblood Flow’ is like something out of a 70s sci-fi epic – walls of sound and all. With a chorus so immediately affecting, it’s the track that will shape 2010 as Midnight Juggernauts’ biggest year yet.
In just a few week’s time, audiences can catch Midnight Juggernauts at venues across the country supported by Dappled Cities, Canyons and Kirin J Callinan. They’ll play Thursday 12 August at The Gov in Adelaide, Saturday 14 August at The Capitol in Perth, Thursday 19 August at The Forum in Melbourne, Friday 20 August at The Forum in Sydney, and Saturday 21 August at the Hi Fi in Brisbane. |
Continue reading Midnight Juggernauts make their Lifeblood Flow
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Sydney dance DJ Triky has released two new albums, Electric and Filtered.
Electric is the much anticipated third full length album from Triky. The 12 track album carries a high energy sound and is similar to the previous two releases, Tweaked and Permanent Damage, yet goes further with a thumpin’ new set of bass lines and is packed full of FX. With a wide range of tracks, there’s something on here for every dance lover. Filtered is an exploration in BPM with tracks ranging from 140 to 150 BPM. It’s an innovative 13-track album which takes Triky in a whole new direction. |
Continue reading Sydney DJ Triky Releases Two New Studio Albums
Review: Lana Harris
  – Matriarch
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Based in Melbourne, Five Star Prison Cell began destroying young people’s hearing in 2005. They’ve since completed an impressive array of tours including supporting Bloodduster in Oz and Dillinger Escape Plan in the US. Matriarch represents the third album for the four piece line up which includes vocalist Adam Glynn, guitarist Mark Holain, bassist Cameron MacDonald and drummer Marc Whitworth.
Their sound is often described as ‘math metal’ (which refers to the group’s use of complex rhythmic structures and structuring songs using unusual time signatures), and the tracks contain a lot of syncopated sounds. But beneath these labyrinthine twists and turns in the songs is enough |
good, strong riffage to impress upon those of less technically inclined the fact that Five Star Prison Cell also makes tracks you can bang your head to easily.
As soon as the album starts, you are hit on all sides by the power of drummer Marc Whitworth. He drills the sounds into your mind from every direction simultaneously, forceful, but more layered and interesting than just a wall of sound. The momentum he starts during opening track ‘I Curse This Vessel’ just keeps building until ‘Modus Operandi’, which appears just before mid way on the album. This was the stand out track, a mountain of sound, a blistering explosion that would crack apart even five star cell walls. As it finishes, its hard not to wonder where it could go from there, how the pace could be maintained. Then ‘Paramountain’ begins, and the band takes a step back, providing a space in which to rebuild and change direction, a space whose intro is narrated in Greek.
Having made some room, the second half of the album provides for more appreciation of other band members. This is particularly evident on ‘Loss of Gravitas’ which is a tremendous display of the power of Glynn’s vocals, an exploration in low range growls amidst strong screaming, and also on ‘Forlorn’, which brings MacDonald into the spotlight and strange as it sounds, provided some groove elements to the track, demonstrating the band’s commitment to creating interesting music by doing things differently. Although lyrics throughout are not easily distinguishable, an exception is found in the final track ‘Lamia’ on which the amusing sentiments can easily be deciphered (but they’re not really suitable for printing!). Matriarch was an enjoyable album and one which those not versed in the sub genres of metal can still enjoy as a good dose of satisfyingly heavy music.
– Matriarch – Five Star Prison Cell
Related:
Dillinger Escape Plan + Maylene and the Sons of Disaster @ The Hi Fi, Brisbane 25 May 2010 [Live Review]
Review: Dillinger Escape Plan @ The Metro Theatre – Friday May 21, 2010
Interview: Ben Weinman – The Dillinger Escape Plan
Audio Interview: Ben Weinman – The Dillinger Escape Plan *The Audio version*
The Dillinger Escape Plan – Australian Tour – May 2010 (TOUR DETAILS)
– Buy: The Dillinger Escape Plan from iTunes
A good 10 years since disbanding, Sydney’s iconic rock band CROW has … hallelujah … reformed!
Fronted by dual vocalists/guitarists/songwriters, Peter Fenton and Peter Archer … and backed by the fine talents of drummer John Fenton and bassist Jim Woff, CROW makes a long-awaited return with its ORIGINAL line-up.
For those who need a reminder, throughout the 90’s, CROW released three critically acclaimed albums – the Aria nominated ‘My Kind Of Pain’ plus the much respected ‘Li-Lo-ing’ and ‘Play With Love’. A favourite to many on the live circuit, a CROW performance could be a “shambolic affair” one minute, and then utterly breathtaking the next… an audience’s interest was never left wanting at a CROW show. They toured with the likes of Jeff Buckley, Nirvana, Sebadoh, Pavement and Sonic Youth amongst others, and were touted as the ‘best band in Australia since The Birthday Party’ (Juice Magazine 1998). After a number of band member replacements, in 1998 they parted ways…much to the disappointment of their legion of fans and the industry alike.
Fast track to 2009, CROW were asked to play as part of the ‘That Was Then, This Is Now’ series at Sydney’s Factory Theatre with HOSS. Re-igniting the fire in their belly, and re-kindling a passion for the CROW sound, the band played a couple more shows before going onto record a new album, their fourth, at Sydney’s Cad Factory in Marrickville. Mixed by Jim Moginie (Midnight Oil), ‘Arcane’ sees the band back in truly excellent form…some will argue “Best form”. In the immortal words of Mr Moginie, “Arcane by Crow is a bloody good record…Bands that retire early or fade off into the glorious Australian sunset prematurely can return with a vengeance, in this case a song led recovery and not a once round the block cash in/ hypefest. Dark and soulful music such as this, intelligently done and strongly and imaginatively delivered will always win the hearts and minds.”
In Peter V Fenton’s words, “We are immensely proud of this record. It feels more a culmination to us than a mere return to the service of rock! The songs are alongside some of the best that we have ever released and personally, we feel, as a band, stronger and more in tune with each other than ever.”
CROW – ARCANE is out June 18 through Nonzero/Shock Records.
Stay tuned for tour news…
Review: Ben Hosking
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With the seemingly never-ending list of 1980’s bands reuniting over the last 10 years or so, all trying to recapture some of their former glory; it’d be easy to dismiss Canadian thrash legends Annihilator as just another in the line. However, founder member Jeff Waters and company never actually left and have been producing quality metal the entire time; unlike many of their fallen brethren.
That said, this – their 13th studio album to date – easily qualifies as their finest effort in the last 20 years or so. A self-titled album, ‘Annihilator’ is brimming with speedy, precise riffage that |
effortlessly melds old-school thrash with more modern technical metal that will surely have you damaging neck muscles in the bedroom, car or public transport.
Continue reading Annihilator – “Annihilator” [CD Review]
Napoli, June 2010 – Frontiers Records will release on August 27th in Europe and September 14th in the USA “Diamond Blue”, the anticipated second solo album from the gifted singer Terry Brock. Best known as current vocalist in the Melodic Rock titans Giant, Terry has also recently announced to rejoin Strangeways, the legendary British AOR band that launched his name in the spotlight in the late 80’s, for the recording of a brand new album. Continue reading TERRY BROCK 2nd solo album “Diamond Blue”
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Mead is your quintessential musical journeyman, travelling the country from the east to the west coast and everywhere else in between, gigging at pubs, clubs, venues and festivals. Another gig, another town – such has been the troubadour life of Jez Mead for the past 10 years. Playing his own brand of blues folk fusion with an acute pop sensibility, Mead clocks up the clicks (50,000 last year alone), listens to endless old school cassettes and has amassed life experiences that all have been translated into an album of ingenious purity and startling beauty. |
Dean Carroll – who performs under the guise of Earth Worker – launches his new single titled ‘Who’s Coming Along’ which is taken from his debut album due out towards the end of the year. The single will be available for free download via his official website www.earthworker.com.au and Dean will hit the road to launch it supporting ASH GRUNWALD on his New South Wales dates.
Dean Carroll was born December 23rd in Windsor, Sydney. Dean spent his infant years under the strict seven year schedule of classical piano directed and influenced by his Mother and older sister. From here Dean rocked his way through high schoolon guitar and bass guitar writing classic alternative hard rock and Metal. It was here Dean started teaching himself to sing and play anything he wanted. Years past and Dean found himself in five years of service singing for Sydney four piece Metal Core outfit. This gave Dean all his songwriting, singing and industry experience which finally led him to the writing of Seeds of Light his debut solo album due out Summer 2011.
Dean spent the best part of six months travelling Australia busking and writing the album – which is still blessed with riffs and melodies he’s held onto since 2007.
Originally beginning his journey down in southern NSW Perisher Valley, dean ventured back up the east coast of Australia all the way to Cairns and then across the desert and north to Darwin. With nothing but his guitar and Didge Dean survived and lit the way he envisioned his song writing to become.
Dean has now independently recorded and produced his debut Full Length Album ‘Seeds of Light’ which will be released and distributed by New Justice Records Summer 2011.
Dean will also be touring Australia this coming year and in to the next backing his album and single release sometimes
TOUR DATES:
Saturday June 19: Winter Magic Festival, Katoomba, NSW
Wednesday June 30: Baroque Bar, Katoomba, NSW
Thursday July 1: Steel Mantra body mod & piercing, Windsor, NSW
Friday July 2: Fitzroy Hotel, Windsor, NSW
Thursday July 15: Happy Yess, Darwin, NT
Saturday July 24: Happy Yess, Darwin, NT
After numerous side projects, family obligations and working holidays, Melbourne’s much loved Custom Kings have returned to the studio to record their long awaited second album, which will be called Great Escape. Reuniting with long-time collaborator, Steven Schram (Little Birdy, Ground Components) , they booked two weeks at the famed Sing Sing Studios in Melbourne and brought to life a series of songs penned in the couple of years since the release of their acclaimed debut album At Sea. Continue reading CUSTOM KINGS Album Release & Tour – June/July 2010
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Melbourne scuzz-punks Reptiles are set to launch their latest EP Come Get Me in Melbourne and Sydney this month.
Catch Reptiles launch at Revolver in Melbourne on Sunday 13 June (Queens Birthday Eve) and at Oxford Arts Factory side stage in Sydney on Wednesday 30 June. |
Continue reading Reptiles “Come Get Me” EP Launch and Shows – June 2010
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The release of one of 2010’s most anticipated albums can now be announced with Birds Of Tokyo unleashing their self-titled new album on Friday July 23; along with the album artwork revealed above.
As fans come out in droves to see the band perform new material on their current national single tour, Birds Of Tokyo today also announce the release of their first 3D music video for the bands new single ’The Saddest Thing I Know’. |
Using two DSLR cameras (7Ds) side by side, the boys of Birds Of Tokyo discovered a group of creative and innovative film makers who found their own way to create a 3D image, resulting in this unique 3D music video. Continue reading Birds Of Tokyo Announce Self-Titled New Album & 3D Video!
Review: Ben Hosking
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Escape the Fate (ETF) just doesn’t know what they want to be. The Las Vegas quartet plays a very American, largely accessible rock/metal blend for the most part. Their tunes switch back and forth between swaggering mid-tempo rockers, unconvincing ballads and even more surprising and bewildering blasts of deep growled passages over menacing riffage.
So just what is it that ETF are trying to achieve? Their vocalist Craig Mabbitt is reminiscent of most of the emasculated faux-metal front men currently in circulation. |
You know the kind: a little nasal and still awaiting puberty. This means that they’ll never be fully accepted by the metal or hardcore scenes. Their big choruses and pop sensibilities have helped them to win over 20 million MySpace page views and 400,000 friends; yet they’re far beyond the realms of Australian radio. Continue reading CD Review: Escape The Fate – “This War Is Ours”
Do you want a double pass to the The Optimen – Official Brisbane Album Launch @ The Step Inn, Brisbane 28 May 2010? See below for details!!
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It’s been some-time between drinks for fans, but even with the AA meetings and late night phone calls to their sponsors, the Opee’s just can’t control their thirst any longer. For this reason, and also to bring the new album to the live stage, The OPees have announced that their official Brisbane “The Out Of Money Experience” album launch will be Friday, May 28 2010 @ The Step Inn. |
Continue reading The Optimen – Official Brisbane Album Launch @ The Step Inn, Brisbane 28 May 2010