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Verdict: Primary Colours - The Horrors.

May 17th 2009 06:57

Firstly, may I point out the complete irony of the band's album title. Let me demonstrate. Note The Horrors below.

Whilst there certainly is a major lack of colour going on in the band's look, their second album title 'Primary Colours' intentionally marks a huge departure from their violent garage punk sound in debut 'Strange House'. Now, it's important to understand how far these lads have come in order to fully appreciate their second album. So here lies a bit of background reading. Their first album is practically a 12 track theatrical soundtrack to an arthouse horror movie. The screaming lines of 'Jack the Ripper' against a roaring guitar and the jumpy organ melody in 'Horror Theme' would set the scene perfectly for a dimly lit slaughter house movie in which the victims die obscure deaths, that make no sense because of poor film making by pretentious boobs, NOT because they're concepts that require a higher plane of understanding in order to "get it". Anyway, reeling back from that rant segway (Sofia Coppola s u x) the new Horrors album is cohesive not scant, melodic not frighteningly chaotic and develops a vast, open fields-esque soundscape that might actually get your jig going - and not in an awkward gangly limb goth dance way.

The album opens with track 'Mirror's Image' which begins with a climax built up by a strange belowing echo layered with strings (!) Strings Punk = awesomely wow. A steady tapping beat builds up to a sprawling mash of intergalactic sounds and a catchy keyboard riff. Followed by a killer base line, ripping guitars and lead singer Faris Rotter's signature rough vocals this track certainly makes you search the album cover just to check it really is The Horrors. The opening track sets the scene for more climactic build ups and a similar strain of an eclectic mix of sounds introduced in 'Mirror's Image' throughout the entire album. The strings even make an appearance again on 'I Only Think of You'. The most interesting tracks on the album are where Faris abandons his usual screeching yell for actual singing. With a melody! What will these crazy kids think of next. His deep vocals come shining through in 'Who Can Say' and 'Scarlet Fields', giving the band an older more mature sound, removing themselves from their image as the borderline gimicky goth rockers they were on the debut album.

Primary Colours is reminiscent of the spirit of the LSD 'journey' inspired psychadelic 60s rock n roll. But, the band are far from being inside the proverbial rock n roll square, experimenting with clashing sounds of bellowing, whirring keyboard tones meshed with conventional rock n roll drum beats and guitar riffs. This album expresses a progressive new sound for The Horrors, as they shy away from the bashing thrashing drums heavy, guitar heavy, vocal heavy sound they began with. This album proves you don't have to be loud and brash to be dark. 'Primary Colours' is most appropriately the most upbeat song, which I would even classify as pop -gasp-, interestingly followed straight after by the conventionally classic guitar rock (psychadelic guitar solo riff and all), angry, slurring rock vocals track, 'I can't control myself'. Album closer 'A sea within a sea' features an airy vocal against a quick paced up beat melody, and some random interludes of random keyboard spazz riffs. It certainly gives the band quite some mystery and challenges the arty goth punk rock genre they placed themselves in (or rather created) with the first album.

sunshine, lollipops...Lead Singer Faris in the album booklet.

Last Words: So Primary Colours is what happens when vampires go into the sun- yes the image of the band all clad in black on 'Strange House' really convinced me that they were vampires. I'm completely serious. They are.- . They don't burn- LIES!, they experience joy and make wonderful experimental pop rock punk music.

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Posted By: Anne Widjaja - Category: No Category

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Verdict: Arctic Monkeys, Palais Theatre

February 1st 2009 13:28

Arctic Monkeys. Ridiculous band name. One ridiculously popular song about a dance floor. Reportedly got big on myspace set up by fans. The birth of the Arctic Monkeys reeks of a major lack of credibility. In the early days, where many a teen were going capitals crazy on online forums over an absurdly titled band (a title which they would later be punished for stubbornly sticking with by photographers taking literal visual inspiration from the name for photo shoot 'concepts'), the stage was set for the passing of another hyped band to enter the dusty hall of one hit wonder, 'hype' fame. 'I bet you look good on the dancefloor' was seemingly destined to be that token hit of 05, only to be enjoyed in later decades at a high school reunion or a themed club night which preys on a slightly over the hill demographic. Almost four years later, to say Arctic Monkeys - well established, classic indie rockers, have beat the odds is an understatement. Not only did the band cheat all predestined indicators of becoming just another 5 minutes of fame 'it' band, the Sheffield lads sparked an indie band feeding frenzy. Debut album, Whatever People Say I am That's What I'm Not is a landmark in the 21st century music scene, and Favourite Worst Nightmare followed with critical acclaim and a cheating of the cursed second album slump. With the band's poetic, mature, hip happening lyrics, interesting melodies and riffs inspired by the best of a wide berth of contemporary rock and pop genres, Arctic Monkeys are not a band to be dismissed by their initially internet inflated reputation.

Having seen the band play on the Favourite Worst Nightmare tour in 07' at the vapid, soulless venue that is the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney, the magnificent acoustics at the Palais Theatre proved that Melbourne just does it better. The size of the place was no barrier to the epic soundscape of support act Pivot, a three piece prog rock outfit with a lot of equipment on stage and an equivalent amount of head bashing, rocking out. The well synced members are also whizzes at synchronised jumping. Not much vocal action, just three guys thrashing out a dramatic and evocative soundtrack featuring eerie synth/keyboard melodies. Although many were surprised by the choice, (pivot was certainly a departure from Operator Please- please stop making my ears bleed with songs about ping pong) Arctic Monkeys b-sides 'Matador' and 'The Death Ramps' are along a similar strain of experimenting with serious guitar melodies, minimal vocals and heavy drumming.

After Pivot's set wrapped up, following a short interval and a modest few seconds of black out before the band's entrance, despite restrictive allocated seating - which the band themselves were concerned about - the majority of the crowd stood up off their seats to join in warm comradery and welcome the band. Opening with new song 'Pretty Visitors', the audience was somewhat caught off guard. The new track, similar to the often too frenetically paced, rhyme rapping structure of the B-Sides on the Teddy Picker EP, the track was arguably a misplaced choice. Arctic Monkeys were making a bold statement to their audience. They had progressed from a modest, yet widly successful, teenage rock band and now needed to establish to their fans that they are now much cooler. Turner's messy hair, leather jacket and skinny jeans matched the band's introduction to their new progressive, atmospheric yet heavy sound. Far from the catchy riffs and reverb heavy tracks on previous albums about fake ids, the strange treatment of fame and broken hearts, Turner's lyrics are now less street more obscure, beret/skivvy wearing poet. Melodies are not only less cohesive and accessibly catchy but borderline strange.

However, the band's new sound reveals a fresh, more interesting direction for the band. Stand out tracks included 'Dangerous Animals' which invoked a killer, head bopping rythm established by a very catchy base line, and shock horror! a medium tempo track, the smooth and seductive 'Crying Lightning'. ' This House is a Circus' was the first song the band played which was thankfully recognisable to those other than die hard fans downloading illegal bootlegs. The track set the tone of the show at a thumping pace with it's anxious cymbals, speedy drum rhythms and jumpy guitar riffs. The crowd responded accordingly, greeting the track with relieved excitement. Yes, we would actually hear songs that we knew and loved tonight. The first half of the set was mostly the best of Whatever People Say I am That's What I'm Not. For once the band did not fast forward through blistering tracks such as 'Still Take You Home' and the impossibly dance inducing 'Dancing Shoes'. Even 'I bet you look good on the dancefloor' which is usually cut from 2:54 to 30 seconds was played at normal speed and brought the crowd to a climax which would be the craziest frenzy of the evening, almost matched with 'When the Sun Goes Down' where every lyric was yelled back to the band word for word. The set was somewhat jumpy but that can be put to the uniqueness of all the band's individual tracks. Once the band had squeezed the hungry crowd till thundering come during a break which would lead into the encore, 'Fluorescent Adolescent' gave fans false expectations of a return to the classics (finally!): 'Mardy Bum', 'A Certain Romance' and 'Fake Tales of San Francisco'. But alas, they never came. Insert teary emoticon here. The band clearly wanted to establish that they were moving on to bigger, brighter, less radio friendly, potentially pop pigeon hole-able tracks, and honestly for genuine fans it was hugely disappointing. After a very impressive Nick Cave cover of 'Red Right Hand', with red lighting and all, the band finished on...'If You Were There, Beware' (??!!). 70% of the crowd were still in there seats when the band exited the stage, expecting more. There was a hanging air of WTF? Nevertheless, I suppose the old was traded in for the new. So all those who had the privilege to see the band in 2006/2007 should thank the music gods. It pays to get on the band wagon early as 'Fake Tales' did warn us.

From Alex's polite banter with the crowd and his whispers with drummer Matt Helders and guitarist Jamie Cook it was obvious that the group are still grounded in their origins: good mates doing what they love, and damn well, mind you. Considering the Monkeys have record sales that not even the greatest British exports could boast (bar X factor winner Leona Lewis. really England? Really?) the band are still very much a down to earth Sheffield foursome, but admittedly the band's initial shyness is slowly being weeded out by a touch of arty, icy cool.

Nevertheless after the taste of what should be an intriguing 3rd album, one still stands by Arctic Monkeys. Believe the hype.

Watch drummer Matt Helder's tour diary in Melbourne, Alex sings about Margaritas, it's a bit funny

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Posted By: Anne Widjaja - Category: No Category

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Verdict: Nevereverland- Modular Records 10th B'day

December 29th 2008 11:23

Modular Records have a stellar reputation for delivering indie goodness over oceans and foreign lands, most recently rising above the cool mediocrity of most indie labels with the overnight success of The Presets. Modular should be praised as a rare example of an Australian export that hasn't invoked in most individuals with artistic integrity a bought of cultural cringe, following an unwanted evocation of kangaroos leaping across Ayres Rock or small Indigenous children casting spells with magical powers. Nevereverland was a celebration of the latter and of the splash modular has made overseas, the label certainly has had its hand in the cookie jar of indie cool, radio friendly dance exports. Drawing the likes of Daft Punk last year to celebrate it's 9th birthday, Modular's 10th birthday bash certainly had some big shoes to fill.

Van She certainly has been doing the rounds on the live music scene and it seems to have paid off. They've developed quite a following with many fans in the audience waving around their sign- a 'V' (a peace sign) and the placing of this 'V' on your mouth and wagging your tongue around (also another universal sign for getting some action in one's nether regions. They really should at least try and be original). They played a decent set, much potential for jigging, a good mix of techno and pop - 'strangers' is a soaring example of dramatic dance music, pop friendly with some interesting layers of electro beats and a smooth vocal. Next Ladyhawke graced the stage with her too cool Kiwi presence (never thought you'd see those two words together eh?). Her band had not only a cheerful drummer whose talents were brought to our attention by other members of the band generally turning in his direction, but was also comprised of the most perfectly manicured scenesters this well seasoned gig-ger had ever seen. Perfect waify, borderline mohawk, borderline mullet hair dos, loose checkered shirts and black skinny skinny jeans (the skinny jeans lanky guys can pull off which make you wish you had their disproportionately pole like legs). The band pumped out the Lady's tracks to perfection, ending on 'My Delirium' which everyone keenly reminding Ladyhawke to play after every song - not surprising considering Triple J has been flogging the track to no end for the past three months. Ladyhawke and band certainly are a tight unit of electro pop, channelling an interesting mix of synth beats, solid drum rhythms and 80s infused Cindy Lauper-esque vocals (refer to 'Back of the Van'). However, the band is somewhat lacking in stage presence. The picture perfect gleam of the band members and the minimal overt rocking out created a bit of distance between band and punter.

Ladyhawke

If I could pinpoint the time the party really got started it would have to go to the entrance of Hercules & Love Affair to the stage. A loco mix of overt gay/straight/cross dressing band members with a penchant for sexual innuendos and a flamboyant sound to match: blaring trumpets, keyboard rhythms, synthesizers galore, surprisingly well coordinated as well as boundlessly energetic. The Ajax DJs followed with an amazing set of dance tracks that were almost entirely un-recognizable due to the fact they were mixed so well - if you have no idea whats playing you know you're listening to pure talent my friend. Cut Copy followed and whilst they did take their sweet time to get on stage no one really minded the Ajax DJs did not let the mood get stale with dull anticipation. Never have I witnessed a band so committed to connecting with an audience, from a front man who was preaching the lyrics (he may as well could have been saying hail me you dance crazy mofos) to the rest of the band who just looked really really into it, or maybe really really out of it. drugs? cough. Whatever was going on the crowd was completely sold and loving every minute of it. Hats off to a band which I initially imagined would have had a very stiff performance suited to the pure electronica/dance beats that they produce. Highlights were clearly their biggest singles: 'Hearts on Fire' and 'Lights and Music' - proving that it's really all about getting the crowd excited and creating that electric atmosphere between band and sweaty crowd - something that only happens when everyone is heartily singing along and getting their groove on.

Hercules & Love Affair

Cut Copy

The Klaxons were a bit of a sore thumb on the line up, but as far as sore thumbs go this one was thumpingly spectacular. From beginning to end, they played a tight set of hit after hit, from the oohs of Golden Skans to the whirring sirens of Atlantis to Interzone, to the perfect mix of a killer guitar/keyboard riffs and that perfect blurred synth mash bridge in As Above so Below, the band were in top form. Less into the hyper galactic costumes I last saw them sporting, they had returned from the hyped planet of 'nu-rave' and really perfected the music of a genre you can't quite put your finger on (I'd say alternative rock, with a healthy dose of synth and electro). As frontman James Righton recognised there was 'too much love Sydney!' and for good reason. Just when I thought I could not be more blown away, The Presets happened. Never have I felt as if a place as annoying ginormous as the Hordern could be that close to exploding with the atmosphere of crowd ready to burst with heat, sweat, and a general flouncing that wasn't even annoyingly squishy and squealy. A two man band with such a dark, 'industrial' sound nearly brought the house down with 'My People'. And then the next day I heard that they proceeded to bring the house down at the Macquarie Bank Christmas Party. Couldn't have labeled 'sell out' more convincingly, though those accountants deep deep down probably do harness a great constrained power to raise the roof.

The Presets

No doubt this was the coolest 10th birthday party ever held, minus party bags and clowns and more, well, recreational drug use. Next year I encourage all to experience Nevereverland - you won't want to leave.

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Verdict: The Killers - Day and Age

November 26th 2008 13:37

Following the release of Hot Fuss, The Killers were endowed with a calling from the indie rock gods. They conquered the mainstream with their unstoppable combination of pop, punk and electro and created heart felt yell-along choruses, with just the right amount of self deprecating, kick it to the man lyrics. Pop lovers from all walks of the music spectrum were brought together by their unashamed love for the band's impossibly catchy anthems on dance floors all over the world. They raucously jumped, thumped, waved - hands in the air like you just don't care - to 'somebody told me that you had a boyfriend...' or my personal favourite 'I got soul but I'm not a soldier' (I mean you can't go wrong when you use a pun!). After the two year wait Sam's Town's success was still riding on post Hot Fuss heat but the album was still very much in it's shadow. Brandon Flowers' humbling description of the album as 'one of the best albums in the past twenty years' made the band's attempt at Bruce Springsteen Americana overly premeditated. The band tried to get serious and so did their facial hair. Whilst The Killers had progressed to a more ambitiously soaring, big sound and whilst it was a very catchy, tightly produced album, it just wasn't Hot Fuss.

After Sawdust which was in most part an album of fillers and bad country tracks, the release of album number three: Day and Age was barely expected. Island records entire marketing team being entirely dedicated to Pete Wentz and his hair certainly dropped the ball on the band that was once hailed one of the greats. Honestly though, I'm not sure how many of us really cared anymore. A band loses its greatness once the band members start to recognise their greatness and then decide to inflate their egos to emulate the greatness that everyone expects. The album is a somewhat tragic anticlimax to The Killers meteoric rise. Produced by Stuart Price who impressed the band with the Thin White Duke remix of Mr Brightside, the album is predictably more dance than it's predecessors and for the most part seriously lacks originality. Opener Losing Touch sets the 80s electro vibe the album intends to capture and that cheesy electric guitar solo in the end of the song could have been the perfect soundtrack to an air punch Hasselhoff moment on Night Rider. Unlike the predictable structure of Sam's Town, tracks such as Losing Touch and This is Your Life are at the very least interesting. Catchy riffs and Flowers' smooth vocals give light and shade to the tracks. And yes, those are trumpets on a Killers track. Surprisingly they're subtle enough to work

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The Strokes and their various side projects.

November 5th 2008 23:36

Make a new album damn it!

Side projects, yay or nay?
I get that musicians must fufill their musical ambitions, collaborate, mix, mash, fill their bodies with foreign substances that you might polish your floor with, write songs etc. But, let's get it straight, side projects are just annoying reminders that the band you really want to crank out a new album, aren't going to. For a while. This is certainly the case with The Strokes. I have this theory that as soon as one band member strays, the others get jealous and want to out do the other and then before you know it the lead guitarist has opened a new fusion restaurant with Mark Wahlberg/Naomi Campbell, right after the drummer has hosted that new insert-trashy-MTV-reality-sho w-here. The latter example is completely fictional by the way, and usually band members' endeavours are more musical in nature, but I was trying to make a more exciting analogy out of a very fustrating situation. A situation, dillemma if you will, which has plagued music fans since John Lennon left The Beatles. Sometimes side projects work, but no matter how good they just make you want to yell at said member's new individual myspace: 'stop fluffing around mofo! Get back in the studio with your original band members and return from whence you came - don't forget you're roots (cue 'I'm still Jenny, Jenny from the block')'. And when these roots/the block are/is The flipping Strokes, well, lets face it, you're more awesome making music with The Strokes than anything you'll make as a single Stroke - I mean how ridiculous does that even sound. Let's break down what the members of The Strokes have recently been busying themselves with, from best to worst

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The Day Indie met Dance

October 9th 2008 12:32

Hybrid genres are a lot like Britney Spears' love interests. Sometimes genres mingle together as a one off, a collaboration between artists who think their combined talents were a good idea at the time. It's all a crazy night in Vegas, a whim of fancy mixed with a lot of alcohol and the meshing of hot lyrics and beats. But then in the morning suddenly the charts don't like you. You were great alone, but then you married K-Fed. Ahem. I mean collaborated with a genre so crazy different to the one you mastered it all sounded a bit forced. Some people (for some sick sick reason) liked you, were very much fascinated, but everyone knew it wouldn't stick. I'm happy to say that this is not the case with indie dance. Think Britney and Justin. A classic combination but more sexy snake wielding but not yet trashbag Britney and hot, just out of N*Sync Justified Justin, post Alyssa Milano. Wow. What could have been…Anyway, for all the indie rockers who got a little bored of attempting to mosh on the dance floor, indie dance made it cool to bust a more horizontal move. Here's my list of indie dance bands that you need to get acquainted with, in the same way we all wanted to get a little action with Brit-Justin, back in the K-Fed-was-just-Justin's-backu p-dancer hay-day.

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Big Day Out 2009 Line up Announced

September 30th 2008 02:09

There's been a lot of buzz around the water cooler lately about the potential lineup of BDO 2009. Mostly along the lines of 'it's going to be sh*t'. Unfortunately I can't say the rumours have been completely disproven, although it is only the first line up, so maybe they're pulling out the big guns for the 2nd and 3rd announcements. Otherwise the arctic monkeys should be sufficient enough to pull a crowd, unless like me, all you punters out there have wisened up to the concept of the 'sideshow'. I'll definitely be going to see them come rain hail or shine, or more realistically come state borders requiring huge sums of money to cross.

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The Last Shadow Puppets New Video ft. Alex Turner's Girlfriend

September 6th 2008 05:58

The video for The Last Shadow Puppets' latest single My Mistakes Were Made For You (to be released on the 20th of October) debuted yesterday. As one of the few tracks on the album to only feature Arctic Monkeys' Alex Turner on vocals it certainly is reminiscent of Favourite Worst Nightmare's eerie guitar refrain and of it's drawing of satiric characters. But the pattering drum rythm, delicately understated strings and Turner's poetic verses are too tragically romantic for either of their respective bands styles.

Turner's girlfriend Alexa Chung, surprisingly, also features in the video. I'd say that she's supposed to be the girl in the song who 'whisked me (Turner) away'. Turner and Chung in the crashed car in the opening shot, and their walking away from it individually indicates that they may be the couple who are 'just following the flock...before we're smashed to smithereens'. But seriously, don't read into the video too much because like Donnie Darko it's just not supposed to make sense. Prepare to have many WTF moments, but it certainly does capture that air of mysterious intrigue that echos in the album. And, it does add evidence to any rumour that insists that Turner and Kane are a couple. I mean, come on

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Verdict: Death Cab for Cutie @ The Enmore

August 28th 2008 14:20

Before finding this band I dabbled in pop of the worst kind. In fact my instant love of the band was equally questionable. I began to listen to 'death cab cuties' (which is what I called them for many months, until my sister, asked 'do you mean death cab for cutie?' to which I replied 'oh, yes. I love their album trana..transanalyt...trantsat lan?...' followed by an intentional incoherent mumble, which was an attempt to save my already dwindling integrity) only because of The OC and my unhealthy obsession with Adam Brody. They were the first band I ever wanted to see live and finally, post-Adam Brody and countless gigs later I finally managed to get tickets to their sold out Sydney show.

The evening began with a very ordinary performance by support band An Horse. Admittedly they do have a few catchy tunes, but so do every other myspace band who rely on an 'original' formula of toneless, lyrically spoken vocals and the repetition of a three chord guitar riff. Their set felt like the same song on repeat, and sounded a lot like every other song you've ever heard by that fleetingly popular indie band that you've now forgotten about, except for when you go to skip their tracks on itunes. Like their performance wasn’t dull enough, their stage set - which was death cab's set covered in black sheets - made it feel like an underwhelming rehearsal

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Verdict: The Wombats @ The Enmore

August 11th 2008 14:27

If your deep, indie snobbery cannot bear the thought of taking a band named after a slow moving marsupial seriously than ha! that's exactly what they wanted, so go wear some ray bans and poke out the lenses to redeem your I-am-the-original-scenester sense of self. It's rare that the critics actually praise a pop band whose emotional depth is at it's height in a song about falling in love with a stripper, so I'm going to jump right on the band wagon and say: The Wombats are the greatest thing to happen to indie pop. In the midst of an increasingly image obsessed music scene, it is refreshing to see a successful band that don't take themselves too seriously (on their website a journalist describes them as a joke that they didn't anyone to find funny).Observe: the average indie/rock band looks as if they just walked off the set of Micheal Jackson's Thriller video, yet they are so 'cool' and 'unaffected' that they enter the stage in a manner not unlike an entrance into the local 7/11. But then three seconds later their egos grow to an unfathomable size and with much Rocky Balboa-esque air punching they start to leap around the stage equipment - to the horror of the techies - encouraging the screaming crowd to let their lungs practically fall out of their mouths before they even consider picking up their instruments. The Wombats on the other hand saunter on stage to Queen's Bicycle, wearing all the colours you would find in an exciting crayon box, politely wave to the crowd and assume their positions.Their demeanor is epitomized in the way frontman Matthew Murphy rock pops it out on a baby blue guitar covered in tiny flowers. They are a genuinely weird trio of Liverpudlian kids who derived their band name from 'wombo the wombat', a fictional character who they made up and referred to in daily conversations. Odd they may be, but it all adds to the fact that they're unbelievably, not even cringe worthily, fun

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May 2009

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