Perhaps the most damning criticism I can level at Golden is that I’ve been listening to it intermittently all week and can’t decide how I feel about it because it doesn’t actually make me feel anything. The 14th studio album … Continue reading Kylie Minogue – Golden (2018 LP)
Having evolved naturally out of Erica Dunn’s Palm Springs project, Mod Con’s debut album breathes fresh air into the well-worn familiarity of barebones rock’n’roll. The trio of vocalist and guitarist Dunn, bassist Sara Retallick and drummer Raquel Solier approach each … Continue reading Mod Con – Modern Convenience (2018 LP)
In conversation Kimbra speaks with the sort of neither-here-nor-there accent of someone who has spent her adult life shifting countries. Her sentences are punctuated by phrases that accentuate her Americanisms, often beginning a phrase with ‘It’s like’ and ending with … Continue reading Interview: Kimbra
The aptly named Mostly Sunny does a great job of capturing the jangly, nervous exuberance of Sydney’s Flowertruck. The band have released several of the tracks as singles over the past 12 months, including the excellent ‘Dying To Hear’, which … Continue reading Flowertruck – Mostly Sunny (2018 LP)
Throughout history, music has acted as a mirror to the societies and conditions of the people who create it. It doesn’t even have to explicitly address issues in its lyrical themes to be inherently political, often, like jazz or hip … Continue reading The History of Kwaito — Identity and Revolution
At this stage in his career Big Boi is left to fly the flag for one of the most celebrated hip hop acts of the ‘90s and early 2000s while Andre 3000, his partner in OutKast, rests in semi-retirement. The … Continue reading Big Boi – 170 Russell, Melbourne (13/03/18)
The Supernatural Amphitheatre seemed impossibly lush upon arrival on Saturday. The springy green grass seeming to contradict the already blazing sun and dust that was blowing persistently through the air. The buzz of excitement could be heard and observed across … Continue reading Golden Plains 2018 – Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre, Victoria (10-11/03/2018)
As part of Mixdown Magazine‘s Record Store Day 2017 coverage, I went along and interviewed the owners of three of Melbourne’s leading independent music retailers – Northside Records, Rocksteady Records and Heartland Records. See all three pieces below. The … Continue reading Interview (Video): Record Store Day with Northside Records, Rocksteady Records & Heartland Records
It takes a lot of guts to uproot your life and move across the globe, particularly if, like Mia Dyson, you happen to be an artist that has built up a considerable national profile in your own country. However that’s … Continue reading Interview: Mia Dyson
Here at Words by Watts we spend a lot of time thinking, talking and writing about gear, by default always looking towards the new and exciting. It’s pretty difficult to say when this fascination with music making machines began, but … Continue reading The Origins of the World’s Oldest Instrument: A Brief History of the Flute
As our ability to access and share information becomes easier, many of the physical barriers that once prevented the cross-pollination of cultures and ideas have been removed. Whether you want to know about the dialects spoken in Tobago or translations … Continue reading Interview: Havana Meets Kingston
Annika Schmarsel, known professionally as Alice Ivy, is almost bouncing with enthusiasm on her end of the line. Although she has played in touring bands since high school, the Melbourne artist/producer has only been crafting her brand of electronic pop … Continue reading Interview: Alice Ivy
