Midlake - The Courage of Others : CD
Midlake’s third album, the Courage of Others, is both similar and yet evolved from their previous, the Trials of Van Occupanther. It is similar in the way the songs have been written, with the main vocal and lush harmonies taking the centre stage of each track, as well as in the lyrics themselves. It is different because they have done away w...
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Hot Chip - One Life Stand : CD
Santa Clause isn’t real, old people smell funny and Hot Chip’s new album isn’t as good as the last one. In my non-certified and non-internationally recognized position as guy who thinks he knows things about music, it’s my opinion that this album will pass by without anyone even noticing it. The first three tracks are so...
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A Mountain of One - Institute of Joy : CD
If Kevin Spacey and the drug dealing kid from next door were looking for something else to smoke to other than Pink Floyd in American Beauty, A Mountain of One would have been a pretty good choice. But much like Pink Floyd, there’s a line where the music goes from a stoner’s delight, to just way too much like your Dad’s daggy CD...
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CD: Echo & The Bunnymen - The Fountain
Echo & The Bunnymen is a strange choice to headline Laneway. Theirs is not a recent reunion (like Pavement or The Pixies); they’ve been active since frontman Ian McCullough returned in 1997. Their 21st century claim to fame is to have ‘The Killing Moon’ adorn the opening sequences of cult film Donnie Darko, but then, it wasn&r...
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DJ Sanchez - Back in the Mix : CD
Saying that Hip Hop’s dead, means a lot of things to a lot of different people. But when you’ve got a DJ who almost exclusively mixes and remixes ‘golden-era’ tracks, you kinda realise just how shit a lot of the genre is today. With notable exceptions like Mos Def’s The Ecstatic, 2009 was a pretty run-of-the-mill year ...
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CD: Alice Russell - A Pot of Gold Remixes
There have been some great remixes released in the last six months. A-Trak’s remix of Yeah Yeah Yeah’s ‘Heads Will Roll’, Classixxx’s version of ‘Lisztomania’ by Phoenix, and my favourite, The XX’s reworked ‘You’ve Got The Love’ by Florence and the Machine. The great thing about all ...
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CD: Brian Jonestown Massacre - Who Killed Sergeant Pepper?
Anyone who knows any history about BJM knows they have had their fair damn share of sensationalized “ups and downs.” Most of us have seen the DVD “Dig” which documents the developing careers and friendships between BJM and The Dandy Warhols. (And if you haven’ t seen it, stop reading this and go watch it. NOW!) You&rsq...
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CD | Vampire Weekend | CONTRA
Two years since their self-titled debut album went, well, ape shit, those indie prepsters Vampire Weekend are back with Contra. Whereas their self titled release was all about college life and the inevitable pooing in the pants that comes from entering the real world, Contra is a much more relaxed affair with the band suggesting “these songs ...
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CD | Flight of the Concords | I TOLD YOU I WAS FREAKY
This is easily one of the most stylistically weird albums I’ve ever heard; comedic parodies of rock, folk, rap, polka and disco and doing them in a way that sounds like they could be a song in the said genre. Flight of the Conchords are definitely the sort of band some people will not quite “get” though. As an avid fan of the TV s...
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CD | Julian Casablancas | PHRAZES FOR THE YOUNG
Oh, that tragic New York scene which dazzled us ever so briefly in a time that feels like ages ago now. And even though people stopped listening as abruptly as the movement began, no one bothered to tell the Strokes. They’ve been banging out similar sounding music for nearly a decade, and they believe in it so much that the lead singer decide...
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