Ben Mastwyk dials into an authentic country sound that honours both the heartfelt storytelling side of the tracks and the boot scootin’, honky tonk dance-floor. It’s a talent that few possess with many guilty parties falling into either serious introspection or ending up looking like cartoon cowboys. Mastwyk wrote most of these songs in the … Continue reading
In the wake of the untimely and much mourned passing of Tom Petty there have no doubt been countless concerts in honour of the great man. Sydney songwriter, musician and producer Michael Carpenter has organised some fine tribute shows and now he’s taken it a step further with a full album of Petty covers, in … Continue reading
The harmony vocal and acoustic stringed instrument quintet return with their fifth album of ornate chamber folk and bluegrass. There’s no denying the exquisite playing and arrangements on All Ashore but for all its sensitivity and detail there’s a lack of emotional connectivity. Punch Brothers are a band that have reached that point where their … Continue reading
Ry Cooder is the great circler, a musician who seems to have a hand in all manner of scenes and genres and the ability to drift between all of them seamlessly. He played on Captain Beefheart’s Safe As Milk, produced Buena Vista Social Club, scored film soundtracks and played guitar on The Rolling Stones’ Let … Continue reading
The brothers Crannitch were the core of the band Leader Cheetah who achieved a modicum of success and critical acclaim across two albums close to a decade ago. Now, after years spent living in different countries, the pair have reconvened as The San Sebastian. Fans of the former will find to still plenty to love … Continue reading
In this day and age, country music is a different and multifaceted beast to what it was 80 years ago. Back then, in simpler times, the music reflected tales both true and imagined about day-to-day life, heroes and adventures. The likes of Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and Sons of the Pioneers ruled the wireless and … Continue reading
Halfway have always seemed to operate in their own space within the Australian music industry. They tick both the Americana/alt-country box as accurately as they slot into the world of indie rock. On Rain Lover they’ve combined those sonic qualities and more, blending them seamlessly into their own brand of heartwarming and heartbreaking melancholic rock. … Continue reading
Darren Watson is a stalwart of the New Zealand blues scene with a lineage in the bands Chicago Smoke Shop and Midge Marsden Band. Primarily he’s cut his teeth as an electric guitarist and singer so this acoustic record is a departure from the template and as a result it feels like a special project. … Continue reading
In less than two years since writing her first song, Tori Forsyth signed to Universal Music here in Australia and has more than lived up to expectations on her Shane Nicholson-produced debut album. Forsyth inhabits the corner of Americana music where pop pacing and high-rise melodies nuzzle up to shuffling country rhythms and darker gothic-tinged … Continue reading
Kasey Chambers’ last release was a double album, a sprawling and diverse set that at times felt like it would have benefited from more editing and quality control. Perhaps in reaction to the nature of that album she’s retreated to the campfire as both a symbol and a literal focal point for this set of … Continue reading
Suicide Swans are seemingly a band on a mission. The dust has barely settled on the release cycle for their excellent Augusta album of last year and they’re already releasing it’s followup – the sprawling, psych, rock and cosmic country double album that is La Jungla. Recorded live in one day in an amphitheatre, the band … Continue reading
Davey Craddock draped his debut album in Americana sounds as he wove stories about places and people, primarily in Australia. It was a superb debut and its followup, One Punch, is equally compelling whilst coming from different angles. One Punch steps back, and assesses the world with a brutal honesty. It takes stock of the … Continue reading
This the second studio album from Young’s collaboration with Promise Of The Real, the band centred around Willie Nelson’s sons Lukas and Micah. The Monsanto Years was a much straighter country rock affair while The Visitor sets out for wider and more eclectic terrain, making it his best album since Psychedelic Pill. ‘Fly By Night’ … Continue reading
Singer songwriter Cat Canteri has been slowly been building herself an impressive career that now numbers three solo albums. The sense of patience, self-determination and the evolution and refinement of her songwriting makes Inner North her most rewarding record to date. Canteri’s ability to drift between styles is a real strength and the way she … Continue reading
Blues & Alchemy: Remembering Chris Whitley’s ‘Dirt Floor’ 2000 was a particularly big year for me personally. I’d finished high school in rural NSW the previous year and had transgressed to the metropolis of Sydney. I spent the year between two share houses, one in La Perouse, the other in Petersham. I’d be embarrassed to … Continue reading
