The story of Tommy Boy Records is marked by both fame and obscurity. Thanks in part to being the first record label to produce their own merchandising, and the fact that when they began as a 12” singles-only label the … Continue reading The Story of Tommy Boy Records: from the clubs to the charts
2018 was a big year for Ravyn Lenae; in January she celebrated her 19th birthday and two weeks later released her third EP, Crush, a laid back collection of funky R&B and modern soul. The EP’s first single ‘Sticky’ had … Continue reading Ravyn Lenae – Howler, Melbourne (6/2/19)
Neneh Cherry has had an interesting career; having emerged with 1989’s Raw Like Sushi, with its new jack swing production and hit rap single ‘Buffalo Stance’, the Swedish born singer has continued to take left turns over the last 30 … Continue reading Neneh Cherry – Melbourne Recital Centre (22/1/19)
We’re gathered here today to pay tribute to an Australian classic. On October 22 Kylie Minogue’s Impossible Princess turned 21 years old. Although a popular album that spawned the moderately successful singles ‘Some Kind of Bliss’, ‘Did it Again’ and … Continue reading Musicology: Revisiting Impossible Princess on its 21st Birthday
The summer sunlight made our arrival time of 6:30pm seem even earlier, but there were a lot of acts to get through before the Sidney Myer Music Bowl’s 11pm cut off time. The woman behind the counter flipped through some … Continue reading The Jacksons, Kool and the Gang, The Pointer Sisters, The Village People, Sister Sledge – Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne (16/1/19)
It was a 30 degree day and the kids who were strutting about excitedly were all wearing variations of the same wardrobe: the girls in as little as possible + dashes of glitter paint, and the boys dressed as either … Continue reading FOMO – Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne (13/1/19)
Is there a bolder, more dramatic move in pop music than the key change? When done wrong it can make a weak song even cheesier, and it’s pretty obvious when songwriters or producers are merely trying to stretch an underwritten … Continue reading The Top 11 Key Changes in Pop History
Here’s some food for thought: Australia is rich in natural resources, with over 90% of fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, eggs and milk sold in supermarkets being domestically produced. We make so much that we’re able to export more than half … Continue reading From pies to polony, it’s time to talk about Australians’ love of mystery meats
Maybe we left later than planned or perhaps many more sensible minds had taken note of the oncoming 38 degree heat and made sure to arrive while the sun was still a distant threat. For a brief moment we feared … Continue reading Meredith Music Festival 2018
Music doesn’t and should not stand still; instead it follows a continual arc, complete with sidesteps, repetitions and leaps, pushed forward by a combination of innovations and happy accidents. The early 1950s saw the emergence of a new style of … Continue reading Musicology: The History of ‘The Nashville Sound’
Chicago rapper Noname’s excellent album Room 25 — technically her debut following the critically acclaimed 2016 mixtape Telefone — was released exactly a week before tonight’s sold out show at The Forum. That she barely touched on the new material … Continue reading Noname – The Forum, Melbourne (21/09/2018)
The Art of Pretending to Swim, the fifth album by Dublin quintet Villagers, is a focused affair that places singer-songwriter Conor O’Brien’s gentle voice, unnerving poetry and acoustic guitar in a carefully sculpted soundscape of digital bleeps, orchestral swells and … Continue reading Villagers – The Art of Pretending to Swim (2018 LP)
