Music - Album of the week - Page - 3
6th Feb 12
Woollen Kits - Woollen Kits
R.I.P. Society/Fuse
The debut album from Melbourne trio Woollen Kits successfully weaves elements of punk, lo-fi garage rock and pop into a beautifully unique sonic patchwork. The record's nine songs impress with their memorable melodies and dynamic, stripped back arrangements.
Past Albums of the Week
5th Dec 10
Crocodiles - Sleep Forever
Fat Possum/Inertia
The second full-length release from San Diego's Crocodiles extends upon the post-punk/noise pop of their earlier Summer Of Hate to create an immersive album of textured rock music. With the involvement of James Ford of Simian Mobile Disco behind the mixing board, the album offers a clearer, more focused, and propulsive sound, that references the band's evident interest in the music of Spacemen 3 and Jesus And Mary Chain, whilst also exploring krautrock and punk styles. The Australian edition of the album includes brilliant cover versions of Jet Boy Jet Girl, and Groove Is In The Heart/California Girl.
28th Nov 10
Lotek - International Rudeboy
Just Isn't Music/Vitamin Records
The solo debut album from London-born, Melbourne-based, MC and producer Lotek is a dub and ska influenced hip hop odyssey. Following from production and engineering work for artists such as Roots Manuva and Speech Debelle, Lotek's own debut features work with numerous local luminaries including Ru C.L., Dialectrix, and Ozi Batla.
21st Nov 10
Frank Yamma - Countryman
Wantok/The Planet Company/MGM
Frank Yamma's 'Countryman' is an album of heartfelt songwriting and exceptional storytelling. A traditional Pitjantjatjara man from Australia's central desert, Frank expresses a wealth of experience and insight through beautifully arranged and performed songs. Countryman was recorded over two weeks at an isolated country house near Goulburn with production by Not Drowning Waving's Tim Cole and David Bridie, and is The first album to be released on the newly launched Wantok Records label.
14th Nov 10
Twin Shadow - Forget
Terrible Records/4AD/Remote Control
Indebted to the emotive yet upbeat synth-pop explorations of numerous early eighties artists, Twin Shadow's album 'Forget' prompts a nostalgia for lost and neglected cassette albums and VHS recordings of the era. Twin Shadow is the project of George Lewis Jr, currently based in Brooklyn, who's organic electronic compositions and compelling singing style recently, and significantly, caught the attention of Grizzly Bear's bassist and producer Chris Taylor. Drawn to the evocative, but not derivative, songs in development , Taylor ultimately helped to realise, and eventually release the debut on his own Terrible Records label.
7th Nov 10
Sonny & The Sunsets - Tomorrow Is Alright
Spunk/EMI
The latest album from San Francisan songwriter, musician, and artist Sonny Smith is an expertly crafted collection of timeless pop. Echoes of certain vintage styles like doo-wop and glam garage permeate, but never dominate, Sonny's assured rock n roll songwriting. The Sunsets who accompany Sonny on the album comprise members of Thee Oh Sees, The Fresh & Onlys, Citay and Kelly Stoltz.
1st Nov 10
Mystery Twin - Mystery Twin
Sensory Projects/Inertia
The debut, self-titled LP from Cailan Burns' Mystery Twin project is a masterful exploration of electro-acoustic pop, sampledelic psychedelia, and immersive textural ambience. The fragmentary, atmospheric compositions recall Cailan's previous work as one half of Pretty Boy Crossover, and are also evocative of Cailan's skilful and imaginative accomplishments as an illustrator. Also featured on the Mystery Twin album are brilliant contributions from Yoshie, Qua, and Mountains in The Sky.
25th Oct 10
Warpaint - The Fool
Rough Trade/Remote Control
Following from 2009's Exquisite Corpse EP, the debut album from Los Angele's four-piece Warpaint is an equally captivating recording, filled with gentle vocal harmonies, hazy psychedelic guitar lines, and warm lo-fi production. Warpaint take some elements of traditional shoegaze and slowcore, but create a unique synthesis of sound with surprising melodic shifts, unpredictable rhythms and enigmatic lyrics.
18th Oct 10
Gareth Liddiard - Strange Tourist
Shock
The debut solo offering from Gareth Liddiard, acclaimed songwriter and singer from The Drones, is a starkly beautiful album, comprising Gareth's acoustic guitar melodies and evocative narrative lyrics, and little else. A superlative storyteller, Gareth's sprawling songs are filled with compelling characters and detailed environments that leave the listener captivated.
10th Oct 10
Sufjan Stevens - The Age Of Adz
Spunk/EMI
Sufjan Steven's first full-length album in five years is a bold, diverse, and experimental collection of songs that reflect Sufjan's immense range of influences as a songwriter and composer. Folk, electronic, orchestral and soulful elements coalesce to create a work as ambitious and engaging as anything in Sufjan's already diverse and compelling back-catalogue.
3rd Oct 10
Edwyn Collins - Losing Sleep
Heavenly/Co-Op/Shock
Losing Sleep is the seventh studio album for legendary Scottish musician Edwyn Collins, and his first since recovering from two strokes in 2005. Testament to Edwyn's extraordinary passion and dedication to his craft, Losing Sleep is a deeply affecting album of classic Collins songwriting that stands amongst his best work. The album also features an impressive cast of co-writers and contributors, including Johnny Marr, Roddy Frame of Aztec Camera, Franz Ferdinand's Alex Kapranos and Nick McCarthy, the Cribs' Ryan Jarman, the Drums, and the Magic Numbers' Romeo Stodart.
27th Sep 10
Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
4AD/Remote Control
The fourth LP from Atlanta, Georgia four-piece Deerhunter is a characteristically brilliant collection of songs, exhibiting the band's striking range and depth of musical influences, as well as their ability to create timeless styles of their own. Self-described practitioners of 'ambient punk', Deerhunter have apparently based their latest album Halycon Digest around the concept of how the mind uses and often creates it’s own memories out of the fragmentation of others.
20th Sep 10
El Guincho - Pop Negro
XL Recordings/Remote Control
The second official full-length from El Guincho (also known as Pablo Diaz-Reixa) is another compelling collage of tropical pop, electronic, RnB, South American folk influences, combined in inimitable style by the Barcelona-based producer. A celebration of global rhythms, the album is constructed less from the samples El Guincho previously favoured, and more on Pablo's own instrumentation, synthesizer, and drum machine skills.
13th Sep 10
Surf City - Kudos
Popfrenzy
The debut album from New Zealand's Surf City is a dynamic collection of guitar rock and pop music, filled with well crafted, memorable hooks. The band's distinctive music is influenced by New Zealand's rich post-punk past, and informed by an all-encompassing love of post-punk and lo-fi garage sounds.
6th Sep 10
Grinderman - Grinderman 2
EMI
Initially conceived as an informal side project of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds members, Grinderman has evolved into an outlet for some dark and very twisted rock and blues. Following from the self-titled debut, second album Grinderman 2 is simultaneously more focused in sound and wide-ranging in scope, building on the band's foundations to incorporate krautrock, lo-fi garage rock, and experimental rock styles. Not missing is the Grinderman's trademark irreverence.
30th Aug 10
Super Melody - Destination Unknown
Love+Mercy/Shock
The creation of Melbourne's James Cecil, Super Melody is a well named experimental pop ensemble whose bold songs traverse boogie, yacht rock, r'n'b, disco and 60s Chanson. Included in the project are superlative musicians and producers Cornel Wilczek (Qua), Sashi Dharann and Tom Gould, Kaman Tsoi and World End's Press.
23rd Aug 10
Best Coast - Crazy For You
Mexican Summer/Popfrenzy
The debut full length for Los Angeles based trio Best Coast, led by the vocals of Bethany Cosentino, is an energetic, uplifting and seemingly effortless collection of lo-fi, surf-pop and garage rock. Taking evident inspiration from the past, with a clear predilection for reverb effects and slightly degraded sound quality recordings, Best Coast manage to create classically structured melodic songs that sound timeless.
16th Aug 10
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August 13 - 22
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9th Aug 10
Various Artists - Long Gone Whistle: Songs Of Maurice Frawley
Liberation/Mushroom Group
Maurice Frawley wrote for and performed in numerous bands during his extensive career, creating an extremely impressive legacy in song. From being a guitarist in Paul Kelly's backing band The Dots, through to his contributions to the Olympic Sideburns, The Working Class Ringos, Maurice Frawley won praise and great admiration for his unique lyrical and musical vision. The 'Long Gone Whistle - The Songs of Maurice Frawley' 3CD compilation collects some of Maurice's most loved original material, as well as an astonishing array of covers, performed in tribute by artists such as Paul Kelly, Adalita, Clare Bowditch & Henry Wagons, The Drones, The Panic, Megan Washington, Sarah Blasko, Charlie Owen & Chrissy Amphlett amongst many others.
2nd Aug 10
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Spunk/EMI
Following from their ambitious Funeral and Neon Bible albums, Montreal septet Arcade Fire offer their third and most focused record to date, this time thematically concerned with the modern malaise of decentralised, and decaying North Amercian urban environments. Lyrically and musically the album finds the band in top form, elegantly and memorably capturing this sense of nostalgic despair and the doomed hope of recapturing what has been lost.
26th Jul 10
Graveyard Train - The Drink, The Devil, And The Dance
Spooky
Pioneers of the Horror Country genre, Melbourne's Graveyard Train have frightened, inspired and generally caused musical mayhem during the three years of their eventful existence. The Drink, The Devil, And The Dance is their third LP, released appropriately enough on Loki's Spooky Records. Be prepared for a thrilling experience as you ride with the Graveyard Train, beginning with a Southern Gothic meets haunted bluegrass barndance, taking in a folk-punk seance, and finishing with a Murder Ballad after(life) party.
19th Jul 10
Seagull - Council Tree
Two Bright Lakes/Remote Control
The second album from Melbourne-based singer-songwriter Chris Bolton (writing as Seagull) is a beautiful collection of meditations on modern life and the possibilities of modern pop music. Recorded with long-time collaborator Nick Huggins, and featuring the talents of percussionist Kishore Ryan, bass player Edward Bolton and multi-instrumentalist Michael Zullicki, Council Tree is album filled with subtle, sparse, and sophisticated arrangements.
12th Jul 10
The Roots - How I Got Over
Def Jam/Universal
The nineth studio album for Philadelphia hip hop veterans The Roots is an extremely soulful affair, exhibiting the band's traditional interest in funk and jazz modes, as well as taking inspiration from the music of contemporaries such as Joanna Newsom, My Morning Jacket and Monsters Of Folk. Lyrically the album is also expansive, and characteristically contemplative, offering meditations on politics, and discussions of perserverence through difficult times. Long time followers of the group will find much to appreciate here, and new listeners will doubtless be drawn to the unique, cohesive musical vision on display.
5th Jul 10
Super Wild Horses - Fifteen
Aarght!/Shock
Comprising multi-instrumentalists Amy Franz and Hayley McKee, Super Wild Horses specialise in crafting lo-fi garage rock and post punk songs of maximum efficiency and impact. Following from their acclaimed self-titled 7" EP, debut full-length 'Fifteen' effectively captures the energy, skill and sponteneity of the band's live shows. Super Wild Horses are the latest signing to Melbourne's Aarght! Records, joining Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Dead Farmers, and Ooga Boogas on this influencial, world-beating label.
28th Jun 10
PVT - Church With No Magic
Warp/Inertia
Australian three-piece Pivot have undergone a number of interesting developments during their career. Their debut LP 'Make Me Love You' offered a peaceful ambient introduction, whereas their electro-acoustic opus ‘O Soundtrack My Heart’ released in 2008 on the Warp Record label had a considerably more dissonant and dangerous musical edge. Following a band name change (unkindly forced upon them through threat of legal action by a lesser band also called Pivot), PVT now provide their long anticipated follow-up album entitled Church With No Magic. Incorporating more vocal elements, as well as continuing the band's pursuit of textured, abstract, melodic and structurally sophisticated arrangements, PVT's new album displays the unrelenting experimental impulse of this essential force in modern music.
21st Jun 10
Here We Go Magic - Pigeons
Secretly Canadian/Inertia
Beginning as a solo bedroom production project for Luke Temple, Here We Go Magic are now a fully formed five-piece band, with a distinctly expanded sound. Where the debut was a compellingly hazy trip through looped lo-fi psychedelic folk, Pigeons arrives as a more structured pop record; the familiar ethereal aesthetic remains, however the arrangements are arguably clearer and more focused. Lead single Collector explores more Krautrock inspired propulsive rhythms, while Casual recalls the New Zealand post-punk scene, compounded with an electronic haze.
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