Latest News
Read the latest review of Icarus Line opening up for Wolfmother...
05/03/07And remember that we are doing the vinyl on the 24th of May and the cd is coming out on V2
Wolfmother performed Led Zeppelin’s Communication Breakdown during the extended encore for its set Saturday night in the Lifestyle Communities Pavilion. It was considerably less surprising than, say, Fall Out Boy choosing Zeppelin. The various influences evident in the young Australian band’s sound also include Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer and even artier late-1960s groups such as Spirit.
In fact, as he fronted the power trio for the opening Dimension, lead singer and guitarist Andrew Stockdale looked a bit like Spirit’s guitarist Randy California in his big Afro and gnarly facial hair. The tune not only featured a bridge that Spirit might have written but a guitar solo that sailed with harmonic accents and a tone as solid yet quicksilver as California’s own.
Then again, it suggested Cream and Blue Cheer, as well. Like listening to the band’s self-titled 2006 debut, hearing Wolfmother live could easily have been sunk by an over-eager ear for musical precedents. White Unicorn would have been reduced to its Rush-like vocal line, Woman wouldn’t get past its School’s Out chords, Black Sabbath would be heard everywhere and even Yes might be found.
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Elliott Smith release new collection of songs!
05/03/07New Moon, a collection of Elliott Smith out-takes and rarities has been
given a release date for March this year. Ten years have passed since
Smith’s remarkable major-label debut, XO. The time seems ripe for
reflection. Hearing Figure 8 in 2000 was a strange encounter. After much
lingering Britpop dross it was a relief and pleasure to hear a
multi-talented musician taking such care over music. Here was a record that
used the influence of 60s pop imaginatively, never sounding like stale
pastiche. Each song displayed a fine touch for ponderous melody. The music
was not overstated, never sounded bloated, and subtly hooked the listener.
Like The Beach Boys’ Friends, Figure 8 does not instantly overawe but it
contains melodies that return to the mind insistently as pleasant surprises
which impress how great what you have heard is. That said the sad and
claustrophobically personal lyrics can have an exhausting effect. Somebody I
Used to Know and Everything Means Nothing to Me seem to relentlessly probe
wounded feelings, endlessly sifting through imagery and expressions to find
what could best encapsulate utter heartbreak.
Pictures from Death Disco Budapest
05/03/07Alan McGee. Stuart from Mogwai. Viking Moses. Yes. To check out all the Budapest Death Disco action please click for all your rock’n’roll action fix needs.
What's on Alan McGee's IPOD?
05/03/07Wonder no more—all you have to do is click below...!
read more...Essential Listening
The Awesomely Delayed February Essential Listening List!
15/02/07Poptones Demos—This is responsible for the delay of the mighty essential listening list! We’ve been preparing for some great stuff for Poptones Nation in Spring and life at Poptones has become super-duper busy at the moment. First up is a 7inch of a fine slice of Morricone noise by All Traps Set —for your listening pleasure please check out some tracks by clicking here.
And it doesn’t end there. Oh no. The second Cherrystones Word comp is prepare and is beiing licensed. Same as the imaginery soundtrack to Monsterism Island. And the sessions of the Laughing Windows have been completed. And it sounds good—you can get the demos of the Laughing Windows by clicking here. And the Singleman Affair demos!
