Strength is the key word for Mary J. Blige’s 13th album, Strength Of a Woman, on which the R&B powerhouse returns to showcase exactly what her strengths as an artist are. Throughout these 14 soul baring tracks she is unflinchingly … Continue reading Mary J. Blige – Strength Of A Woman (2017 LP)
Pure Comedy continues Father John Misty’s run of super-chic, highly sarcastic albums based in the 1970’s singer-songwriter mould. While 2012’s Fear Fun was cloaked in self-deprecating LA cool and populated by an array of characters – i.e. Sally Hatchet, the … Continue reading Father John Misty – Pure Comedy (2017 LP)
Talking down the phone Luke Holmes sounds excited. Although he and his band Ocean Grove have been making music for the last seven years, their new album The Rhapsody Tapes is still days away from being released and he listens … Continue reading Interview: Ocean Grove
“I’m going to explain the format, I’d hate to get to the end and find you’d been confused this whole time,” joked Joe Henry. This was because tonight’s performance was not a typical Billy Bragg or Joe Henry show, rather … Continue reading Billy Bragg and Joe Henry – Melbourne Recital Hall, Melbourne (23/04/17)
The amount of thought and attention poured into the four tracks on Songs In Your Name make it clear how dedicated Huntly are to their craft. The Melbourne three-piece make pop music with an electronic basis that is highly melodic … Continue reading Huntly – Songs In Your Name (2017 EP)
Elbow have always felt like something of a guilty pleasure to me – perhaps because their music is so unabashedly romantic and sincere. Too often artists that can be labeled as ‘earnest’ walk a dangerous line of self importance, however … Continue reading Elbow – Little Fictions (2017 LP)
Festival Hall was packed with exactly the sort of crowd you would expect to turn out for a Madness gig in Melbourne – the overall age bracket was decidedly +40, with the dress code consisting of flat tops, novelty hats … Continue reading Madness – Festival Hall, Melbourne (13/04/17)
The Croxton Bandroom was in seated ‘theatre’ mode this evening, arranged thus for the believers who had come to bear witness to a living legend. Roy Ayers holds a unique position in music, having achieved mainstream success in the late … Continue reading Roy Ayers – The Croxton Bandroom, Melbourne (09/04/17)
Three albums in, Chicago punk band Meat Wave have established certain norms in their sound and working methods when it comes to recording. Both their self titled debut in 2012 and 2015’s Delusion Moon, which earned them a degree of … Continue reading Interview: Meat Wave
Once again we descend upon the small town of Meredith seeking entertainment, adventure and spiritual release. We arrived on site at the Nolan’s farm a little later than usual, and our beloved Bush Camp was already closed, but we quickly … Continue reading Golden Plains 2017 – Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre, Victoria
The impact that Booker T. Jones has had over modern popular music as musician, songwriter, arranger and producer would be hard to overstate. At 16 years old he played on the first hit for a nascent recording label called Satellite … Continue reading Interview: Booker T. Jones
There are certain elements that you expect going into a Bruce Springsteen concert; showmanship, musicianship, heart-on-the-sleeve and knees-to-the-floor pleas to your most uncomplicated emotions. Last night’s show at Melbourne’s AAMI Park provided all of the above in a huge, bombastic … Continue reading Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band – AAMI Park, Melbourne (02/02/17)
