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Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix Reviewed

March 1st 2010 23:36

Phoenix are a French indie rock/pop band who’ve been around for a long while, but they’ve only caught my attention in the last year. I love this album so much, that I’ve started listening to the back catalogue. If you’re new to Phoenix, check this album out – it’s my favourite album from 2009.

Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (2009)
1. Lisztomania
2. 1901
3. Fences
4. Love Like a Sunset
5. Lasso
6. Rome
7. Countdown (Sick for the Big Sun)
8. Girlfriend
9. Armistice

People who’ve only heard the singles (Lisztomania and 1901) will think that the album is top heavy. Not the case. Lisztomania and 1901 are indeed exceptional track, finishing 4th and 13th respectively in last year’s Triple J Hottest 100, but the album has a hell of a lot of depth. There’s one song I’m not in love with (Love Like a Sunset) but even then it’s beautiful melodies and Thomas Mars’s hauntingly beautiful voice makes it a great track.

It’s plain and simple easy listening indie music. This doesn’t mean that the lyrics are uncomplicated, or the melodies don’t add that something extra. They do. That’s why the album is so brilliant.

Lasso, Rome, Girlfriend and Armistice are all fantastic tracks, up there with the two you should have heard already. You get the picture. I love this album. You will too. Listen to it. Phoenix are now a staple of my musical diet, and this album is why.

Favourite tracks: All. Countdown (Sick for the Big Sun) and Love like a Sunset are the only songs that are not truly exceptional. They’re still very nice tracks though.

Rating: 5/5. This is my favourite album of 2009, and by a long way.

Posted by Adam

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Wolfmother: A New Moon is Rising

February 24th 2010 09:56

G'day guys - sorry for the lack of updates - i've just completed a move to Melbourne for Uni and it's been really hectic on my end. Prepare for my blogging to get more and more frequent again as I get into the swing of things.

I've been doing a bit of work for The Dwarf as of late, and had the honour of interviewing Ian Peres, the bassist of Wolfmother.

My article can be found here: but I thought I'd post it here for all you blog readers.

For the photo and other music stuff, feel free to check out the dwarf. It's good. I'll post a review tomorrow sometime.

Until then, peace, and happy reading.

Wolfmother: A New Moon Is Rising

by Adam Langenberg | Wednesday, February 24 2010

Wolfmother are well and truly reborn. After Chris Ross and Myles Heskett left the band in August 2008, leaving frontman Andrew Stockdale as the sole remaining member, Stockdale declared he would continue to use the Wolfmother moniker.

In January 2009, Stockdale was joined by bassist and keyboardist Ian Peres, rhythm guitarist Aidan Nemeth and drummer Dave Atkins, and the rebirth was well and truly in process.

The new line-up released its first album, Cosmic Egg, in August 2009, which stays true to the style of ‘Wolfmother’. Wailing guitar riffs, heavy drumming and Andrew Stockdale’s highly distinctive voice. It’s not just what you’ve heard before though. Stockdale’s voice seems to be bigger (if possible) and in songs such as ‘In the Morning’ and ‘Far Away’ you hear a side to Wolfmother that you haven’t before.

Bassist and keyboardist Ian Perez said the band wasn’t necessarily trying to appeal to the Wolfmother fans of old.

“The plan is there is no plan. We play what we like, and hope the fans like it too. We’re pretty confident they did.”

The album title Cosmic Egg “represents the combustion of the universe. It strikes a chord with Wolfmother because it’s exactly what they did; combust. It’s also about rebirth and us taking a new direction, not only through our music, but in the make-up of the band.”

Having recorded Cosmic Egg with producer Alan Moulder (Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails and Bullet for my Valentine) in the Sunset Boulevard studio; Wolfmother experimented in their style constantly and churned out the second album.

“Alan wasn’t like other producers who brought their own ideas to the table and said, ‘do this’. He let us do what we wanted, to mess around and try different things much as we wanted.”

Cosmic Egg comprises songs that have been worked on for really differing periods of time.

“Andrew has been working on tracks for the album over the last two years, but songs like 'California Queen' and 'New Moon Rising', we came up with over two weeks, while pre-recording at Silverlake. They then went on to become the biggest hits on the album. It's funny how that happens.”

Perez describes the whole recording process as frenetic. “I’m a sound engineer and I like to watch what the sound techs are doing, and take it all in. But it was so overwhelming, I was so filled with nervous energy, I just played my parts and hoped I didn’t screw it up. We (Peres, Nemeth and Atkins) came in towards the tail end of Cosmic Egg, as Andrew had been working on tracks for a long period of time. We didn’t have the time or the luxury of taking everything in, we just played our parts.”

2009 was a huge year for Wolfmother, unveiling a new line-up and then releasing an album and 2010 beckons to be just as big. The band is currently supporting AC/DC on its Black Ice Tour before conducting a prolonged tour of Europe.

“The thing about being in Wolfmother is you’ve got to have no expectations. Something turns up and it’s usually big. Like supporting AC/DC or Kiss. It’s just a massive honour, a huge thrill. Walking out to play and there’s 65,000 people with glowing AC/DC horns on. There’s no way you can prepare yourself for that. It doesn’t suck.”

Having toured Europe for a month in 2009, Wolfmother return for the European summer in 2010, and support Kiss in the process.

Ian, a keyboardist who played bass sporadically, in Queensland’s local scene prior to playing both for Wolfmother, says that the first few weeks with the band were particularly challenging.

“I had a bass in my garage and played it for my band every now and then, but hadn’t played it anywhere near as much as I do for Wolfmother. I’d never played an instrument with such thick strings for so long. My fingers would be bleeding after every practice and I kept thinking ‘shit, maybe I’m not cut out for this."

Wolfmother are a band who are heavily scrutinised by the public, but Ian states the important thing is to shrug it off. “Andrew certainly doesn’t feel the pressure. He’s very apathetic in that way and you have to be. That’s something we’ve all learnt from him, brushing off criticism and staying focused. Nasty things get said from time to time, but when you’re packing out venues on a constant basis, you can’t be doing that much wrong.”

With Cosmic Egg released in August last year, and Wolfmother supporting AC/DC on its Black Ice Tour as well as playing the Falls Festivals, Australian's have had lots of opportunities to catch Wolfmother, but it doesn’t end there.

“We’ve got a song, called ‘I Fell Down a Hole’ that is featured on the soundtrack of the Disney Movie Almost Alice. We got a call from Andrew telling us to come to his basement to work on a new track. He didn’t have a mixing desk so we went out and bought one. One and a half days later, and we had our track. Aidan (rhythm guitarist) did the mixing and the recording, and now it’s on a Disney Movie. It’s all very surreal.”

Wolfmother perform a live show that just oozes with energy and simply commands you to rock the night. At times, however, there have been slip ups on stage.

“Amps stop working, the keys on my keyboard get stuck, it happens. I got so into playing at Falls that I toppled the keyboard over onto myself. Andrew sat on my organ when we were playing at Sound Relief. But the show must go on; it’s the nature of the beast, this stuff happens.”

Posted by Adam

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Philadelphia Grand Jury - Hope is for Hopers reviewed

February 14th 2010 10:17

Rock & Roll: Philadelphia Grand Jury

Known as the Philly Jay's around the Australian indie/rock scene, Philadelphia Grand Jury are a Sydney duo (Berkfinger on vocals and guitar and MC Bad Genius on bass, keyboard and guitar).

The Philly Jay's album' Hope is for Hopers', released in September 2009, was their debut album, after releasing an EP entitled 'Going to the Casino' in June 2009.

Hope is for Hopers

Track Listing

1. Ready to Roll
2. The Good News
3. When your Boyfriend Comes Back to Town
4. Wet WInter Holiday
5. I'm Going to Kill You
6. Foot in my Mouth
7. Phillip's not in Love with You
8. Growing up Alone
9. Going to the Casino (Tomorrow Night)
10. No You Don't
11. The New Neil Young
12. I Don't Want to Party (Party)

Hope is for Hopers consists of 12 highly identifiable indie rock/pop tracks, that instantly has you tapping your fingers and singing along to the lyrics. It's hard rock at its finest, the songs short and sharp (with only one song going for more than 3 and a half minutes) and the lyrical content appeals to the audience its targeting. Women, gambling, partying and even a bit of murdering (in I'm going to Kill You) and this is instantly a great party album.

Berkmeister has a very distinctive voice and not a fantastic vocal range, but is suited to the duo's hard & fast sound. As with most groups of this genre the lyrics are fairly shallow, and don't deal with much more than the themes detailed earlier.

Not all is hard rock however. Wet Winter Holiday and The Good News are nowhere as upbeat as the rest of the album, but are polished pop songs that still have you frantically nodding your head.

Energetic and in your face, the Philly Jays provide rousing drum beats, and noisy guitar riffs that along with Berkmeisters unique voice that will have you screaming the lyrics out your car window with the windows down and the stereo blaring.

Top Tracks: Going to the Casino (Tomorrow Night), No you Don't (schreeching guitar a real highlight) and I'm Going to Kill you are fantastic rock anthems, whilst Phillip's Not in Love with You and The Good News are slower tracks that are polished to perfection - with Berkfingers grating vocals seperating them from your average indie pop track.

Rating: Like everything the Philly Jay's do, this album is best served loud - and in small doses - too much and it tends to become overly repititive. Great music for a big night out or if you need your classic rock fix with identifiable themes.

3 and a half out of 5.

Posted by Adam.

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Beach House - Teen Dream Reviewed

February 11th 2010 06:32

beach house victoria legrand alex scally teen dream

DREAM DUO: Alex Scally and Victoria Legrand

Beach House are another band that probably not many readers would have heard of. They are a duo from Baltimore, USA, formed in 2004, made up of Victoria Legrand on vocals and keys/organ, and Alex Scally on guitar, bass, keys/organ/piano, and backing vocals. They are described as a "dream pop" sound because of their atmospheric, rhythmic music and vocals, while also having elements of indie rock. Victoria Legrand has collaborated with my favourite band, Grizzly Bear, singing in the chorus of Two Weeks and also their contribution to Twilight: New Moon's impressive soundtrack. Their first two albums, Beach House (2006) and Devotion (2008), were recieved with critical acclaim. They have now released their third album, entitled Teen Dream.

TEEN DREAM: Rating....9/10

Tracklist
1. Zebra
2. Silver Soul
3. Norway
4. Walk In The Park
5. Used To Be
6. Lover of Mine
7. Better Times
8. 10 Mile Stereo
9. Real Love
10. Take Care

Teen Dream is a big step up from Beach House's previous albums. While I enjoyed their old albums, I found they were quite similar; there was no dynamic from debut to sophomore record. Teen Dream, however, demonstrates a more complete record, which Alex Scally puts down to simply not being on a strict budget, so having more time to go over things on the recordings. The album is produced by New York producer Chris Coady, who regularly works with the likes of Grizzly Bear, TV On The Radio, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The addition of drummers, Dan Franz and Graham Hill also adds depth. In fact, the drums on songs such as Walk In The Park and Lover of Mine, while being simple and easy to play, are quite unique in the sound that has been created, which is one of a number of highlights. The biggest highlight, however, is Victoria Legrand's amazing, unique vocals. She has been compared to legendary female vocalists, Nico and Stevie Nicks, and throughout the album she shows us why these comparisons are not too far off the mark. From the very first vocal harmony in Zebra, I felt a strong prescence drawing attention to her dreamy singing voice, combined with matching lyrics: "Don't I know you better than the rest, All deception from you." Alex Scally's guitar and piano playing is also rather unique (a word I seem to be using a lot in this review) in its style and technique, not something you hear on your everyday pop record. The dreamy atmosphere in songs like Norway and Used To Be indicates that everything is heading in the same direction on this record.

A fantastic listen from one of the best "unknown" (I don't know about the US and other countries, but they are certainly unknown here in Australia) bands in the world.

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Liam Finn Eliza Jane Reviewed

February 8th 2010 12:24

New Zealand's Liam Finn, son of Crowded House and Split Enz frontman, Neil, is one of the most talented up & coming musicians/songwriters on the planet. Now teamed up with another famous name, Eliza-Jane Barnes, daughter of Aussie rock & roll legend, Cold Chisel's Jimmy, the two combine for one of the best live shows i have had the pleasure of watching.

Musical Royalty: Liam Finn & Eliza-Jane Barnes

Myself and one of my best mates were front and centre for their performance at the 2009/10 Falls Festival at Marion Bay, which we both agreed was a highlight of the festival, despite some high profile names on the bill. The reason was simple: despite temperatures above 30C, the passion they put into the performance was amazing, and really came through (peaking with the crazy stage dive by Finn late in the set) ... when it was over, it even looked like they didn't want to leave the stage! Stage banter between the two, as well as with the crowd, also gives a welcome insight into their personalities, something I always love to see. Finn is one of the best users of a loop pedal I have EVER seen (for the record, Jeff Lang is also up there) and inspired me to go out and splurge more than $500 on my own loop pedal. But its the fact that Finn is equally proficient on drums as he is on guitar that most impressed me. He would loop drums, play them back, pick up the Tele guitar and do a quick bass line, a few high-end bends for good measure, and launch into the song, switching whichever loops on and off with pure musical skill (and believe me, operating a loop certainly takes skill.) Then, he would start another with a guitar loop, and finish the song by bashing the shiit out of the drums live, creating an amazingly full sound given you only see two people on stage. It really was a pleasure watching this unfold, knowing that he would loop the tracks perfectly every time. EJ Barnes simply completes the act very well. Her vocals (which sometimes soar over Finn's) provide much needed female change, and some nice harmonies. She also plays percussion, autoharp, as well as other instruments. The highlight of their set at Falls would have to be Second Chance. Check it out as a live video on youtube if you haven't already.... Liam Finn - Second Chance

Today, I finally got my hands on Champagne In Seashells, the debut EP by Liam Finn and Eliza Jane. It is a fantastic little collection of songs.

Champagne In Seashells: rating....8.5/10

Tracklisting
1. Plane Crash
2. Long Way To Go
3, Won't Change My Mind
4. Honest Face
5. On Your Side

Far from being pigeonholed as just "singer/songwriter music," Liam Finn and Eliza Jane Barnes have managed to make this EP sound more experimental than some previous songs, through the use of reversing, looping, and various other weird and wonderful effects (including monkey noises) while still having elements of pop indie rock. I guess you could say the songwriting is quite pop, while the deliverance is certainly more unique. This is definitely not a bad thing....I am really loving experimental effects at the moment, while I grew up on a diet of singer/songwriter music. Long Way To Go is the upbeat, crowd-favourite-type song of the bunch, while Plane Crash shows off all the skills and musicianship Finn and Barnes have developed. The loud, whiny, distorted guitar throughout Honest Face really threw me off-guard, but after I got used to it, I started to warm to it.

Overall, a very good demo by two young talents to keep an eye on in the future. With slots supporting the Pearl Jam tour along with Ben Harper here, their current form suggests that future may not be too distant!

Bren

P.S. For those who are interested, check out my band here The Save

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Recordings of the Middle East Reviewed

February 6th 2010 10:41

The Middle East released this album prior to splitting up in 2008, and after reconvening re-released an abridged EP - the Recordings of the Middle East. That's the EP that's in front of me as I type, and has been played out of my speakers for the last few days now. Before I start my review I'll give you some basic information on them.

who are the Middle East?
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Kiddlywinks: Songs that take you back to your childhood.

February 5th 2010 12:36

Well written or just well played music has this uncanny ability to transport the listener to an alternate reality, a parallel universe or even back to a certain time in their life. In this post I'll be revealing five songs that take me back to my childhood - days of not caring, of spitting the dummy over nothing, days where things were anything but complicated.

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Hottest 100 Review Part 2

February 5th 2010 03:00

Hey guys - Adam here - and I'll continue my review of the Triple J hottest 100 countdown.

In this post I'll go through #80-#61 and provide a lowlight and highlight for the section

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'In Ear Park' Reviewed

February 2nd 2010 06:31

Hi guys, Bren here, posting my first in-depth album review of the blog. I'll be reviewing an album called "In Ear Park" by Department of Eagles, a duo I'm not sure many people would have heard of, so I'll start with some background information on them.

Soaring eagles: Dan Rossen and Fred Nicolaus

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Hottest 100 Review

January 28th 2010 10:39

I hope you all had as enjoyable an Australia Day (and Hottest 100 day) as I did.

I'm going to evaluate all the songs in the count - and provide a lowlight/highlight for each section of the count

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March 2010

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January 2010