Jessica Pratt is a mysterious figure with an captivating and beautifully broken sounding voice. Both fragile and boldly self-determined. The legends at Mistletone are bringing her (plus an accompanying guitarist) back to Australia for a run of shows at the end of the year. PTW Review: A quirky and eccentric voice instantly rises out of the swirl of delicate … Continue reading
Category Archives: Folk
VIDEO: Aldous Harding ~ Stop Your Tears
Aldous Harding is on a roll at the moment with a mid year European tour, Australian dates receiving rave reviews and a new album on the horizon. Now she’s also released a disconcerting and hypnotic video clip to accompany the grace and bruised beauty of ‘Stop Your Tears’. Continue reading
LIVE REVIEW: Lost Highway Presents: Caitlin Harnett, Green Mohair Suits, William Crighton @ The Basement, Sydney (29/07/15)
Lost Highway Records continue to showcase the best new and established acts spanning folk, alt. country and rock n roll. William Crighton and his band the Circus Men had opening honours and filled the room with their soulful and ragged country rock. There was a nod to one of the genre’s icons with their cover … Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Shane Nicholson ~ Hell Breaks Loose
This is the first album of new material since Nicholson’s marriage break-up with Kasey Chambers who he’d recorded his two preceding albums with. In that sense this is a new start and it’s a quietly confident one that reflects on the personal attrition of such a traumatic experience as well as geographical locations and depression. … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: Kent Goolsby & The Gold Standard ~ Dog Days (Have Lost Their Bite)
A new discovery for us this evening with Nashville resident Kent Goolsby and his new album No Substitute For Handsome which was released on July 7th. You can stream seven of the album’s country swingin’ tracks via Soundcloud including the excellent ‘Dog Days (Have Lost Their Bite)’. Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: The Good Lovelies ~ Burn The Plan
Starting with a lo-fi drum pattern Good Lovelies quickly arrive with their sweet intertwined harmonies to elevate the opening track into a quirky, sparkling pop-laced folk song. They’ve tried to mix things up on their new album, sonically and in their songwriting and at times it works very well. Too often though the curse of … Continue reading
NEWS: Heartbreaker Sessions Opening Night Line-up
Heartbreaker Sessions, the new fortnightly alt. country evening at Freda’s in Chippendale that myself (Chris – PTW editor) and Daz are curating, will kick off with two of our favourite Sydney singer/songwriters in Caitlin Harnett and Brielle Davis (Not Good With Horses). Join us on Sunday August 9th from 6PM. It’s free and we’ll also … Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Jess Ribeiro ~ Kill It Yourself
On her sophomore album there’s a subtlety to Ribeiro’s music that finds form in both her voice and the sonic qualities of the songs. She shares a deadpan singing style with Courtney Barnett but it contains darker shades of sensuality, folksiness and coyness with ethereal qualities that at different times bring to mind Hope Sandoval … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: Shane Nicholson ~ Secondhand Man
Shane Nicholson is gearing up for the release of his new album Hell Breaks Loose on August 7th (Lost Highway Australia/Universal) and first cab off the rank is the single ‘Secondhand Man’, a brisk and breezy track with a melancholic undercurrent. Catchy as hell too. It also features backing vocals from Katie Brianna. Tour Dates Aug … Continue reading
VIDEO: Father John Misty ~ I Love You Honeybear
Father John Misty has released his new single, the title track to his recently release album I Love You Honeybear, along with a clip chronicling a night on the job for two ambulance officers. Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: Ayleen O’Hanlon – North Of Nowhere
Melbourne’s Ayleen O’Hanlon has a new album called Blend And Spill coming out on July 27th and she’s released the first single from it in the form of ‘North Of Nowhere’. With a sweet soulful folk fee with hints of sultry twangl it talks of the spiritual connection to places and their emotional pull. Wonderful stuff. … Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: The Milk Carton Kids ~ Monterey
On stage Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan offset their earnest folk music with self-effacing humour yet their albums are wholly musical affairs which have in the past found them lacking personality and spirit. Monterey corrects that somewhat with their strongest songwriting to date but that depth of character is still missing, preventing the album from … Continue reading
THE WEEKLY ROUND-UP: May 22nd, 2015
As we roll into the weekend and look back at the last week, our highlight was last night’s double album launch featuring Ruby Boots (Solitude) and Raised By Eagles‘ (Diamonds in the Bloodstream) with local gent Andy Golledge opening with a superb set in trio band mode (see photos). Both the headliners more than did … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: Josh Rennie-Hynes ~ Land Of Clouds
Brisbane’s Josh Rennie-Hynes has released a clip for a new song ‘Land Of Clouds’, filmed as part of the Black Bear Sessions. Accompanied by Liam Gerner and Caitlin Harnett, the track we’re guessing is a love song to New Zealand where Rennie-Hynes toured last year and indeed is heading back to again next month (see tour poster … Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Marlon Williams ~ Marlon Williams
From his early releases with The Unfaithful Ways and through three duo albums with fellow New Zealander Delaney Davidson, Marlon Williams has always been tagged as one to watch. Though this solo debut has been a long time coming he has toured and built a strong reputation as a live performer across Australia and NZ … Continue reading