Here’s a new track from Melbourne’s Patrick Wilson and his band The Bare River Queens. It’s a big and brassy song, dripping with soul and a country and blues swing, topped off with some great vocal melodies. Wilson and band play Coburg’s Post Office Hotel to launch ’Nobody’ on Saturday 27 August. Advertisements Continue reading
By now Justin Townes Earle has released enough albums and developed his songwriting to the extent where he’s found his own distinct corner of the country music world. He’s developed an identifiable sound, particularly in the effortless swing he places in his music and the way he delivers his lyrics – that fluid and melodious, … Continue reading
The Sydney quartet take a slick approach on their debut album which finds them blending folk harmonies with the retro-tinged indie pop of acts such as Jenny Lewis and Neko Case. Fleshing out their live sound with a fuller band one was a wise move. It gives the songs a greater depth and a lush … Continue reading
Sydney songwriter Taryn La Fauci takes a restrained and intimate approach on her debut album Cycling. She lays herself – her thoughts and emotions – bare on ten songs that have a folk feel in the acoustic instrumentation, paired with a classic singer/songwriter mood. Nothing threatens, with soft electric guitar shimmers, shuffling drums and a … Continue reading
The driving force behind The Singing Skies is Sydney songwriter Kell Derrig-Hall, who has previously worked with Melodie Nelson and Moonmilk. This is his second album as The Singing Skies and it’s quite the immersive, mesmerising and atmospheric listening experience. Evocative moods via a lush and swooning sonic palette afford Derrig the ability to paint … Continue reading
Album number three for Melbourne’s Raised By Eagles and a further refinement of their lush, wistful and yearning country rock. Ironing out some of the creases of their earlier releases has resulted in a unified sound across the songs which are mostly only a few shades either side of mid-tempo. So much of it floats … Continue reading
If you can get past the self-deprecating cover with Smith as a leather-jacketed, sunglass-wearing and sax-tootin’ dude then you’ll find a whole range of styles on show. The songs are either Harry Nilsson-styled piano barroom tales, Jack White keening blues, Dylan-esque wordplay or loose-hip Stonesey rock ’n’ roll. It all adds up to a varied … Continue reading
Fallon Cush‘s Bee In Your Bonnet was a real highlight among the Australian album releases last year with their blend of power pop and country rock. They’ve backed it up with this new single ‘Long Shot’, the first taste of their forthcoming fourth album, which continues their love of chiming guitars and sweet melodies. Think … Continue reading
Here’s ‘High Is Not The Top’, the new heavy-plucking and trippily-picked acoustic song from Chris Robinson Brotherhood. It comes from their new LP Barefoot In The Head, out July 21st on Silver Arrow Records. Continue reading
Across these thirteen new songs, Sam Outlaw hits more consistent territory than he did on his debut album. The music is fuller and finds a greater synchronicity with his voice and the required sympathetic tones for his tales of affairs of the heart. Outlaw’s wordplay is in fine form, “trading looks and gossip over bottomless … Continue reading
FROM FORMATION TO PRESERVATION Nadia Reid has made good on the promise of her debut album and ahead of a run of Australian shows she talks with Chris Familton about the emotional investment in her new release Preservation. Avoiding the much talked about second album syndrome is a big thing, given that it has unraveled … Continue reading
Old 97’s return with their 11th studio album and it finds them in fine form. From the opening frantic rattle and strum of ‘I Don’t Wanna Die In This Town’ they blast out the cobwebs and immediately re-establish their credentials as one of the pre-eminent alt-country bands – in the same echelon as The Jayhawks, … Continue reading
It’s an intriguing premise – gather a group of some of the finest singers, songwriters and players on the Melbourne alt-country scene and record them singing each other’s songs backed by a studio house band. That approach ensures continuity of style and feel from a musical perspective but there are still plenty of pleasant surprises … Continue reading
It feels like the week of The Morrisons around here. With their new self-titled album garnering great reviews they’re back in Sydney for their album launch this Sunday night (March 12th) at Newtown Social Club with guests Andy Golledge Band and Women’s Auxiliary Choir plus I’ll be spinning folk and alt-country tunes between sets. In fact … Continue reading
The Morrisons have been a mainstay of the local Sydney Americana scene for a number of years now. They’ve played headline shows, supports, festivals and performed special tributes such as their acclaimed Brother Where Art Thou shows. Now they’ve finally released their debut, self-titled album and it both cements their status as a highly accomplished group … Continue reading
