Anohni – Paradise EP (Rough Trade)
The new 6 track EP Paradise from the artist known as Anohni continues the path taken by last year’s Hopelessness. It starts with an ominous rumble and plea to imagine the world without war and ends with a spoken word piece that poses questions about How are we gonna make the world a better place […]
Luke Yeoward – Ghosts (Half Way)
For his first solo effort, former King Cannons frontman has made an album that will surprise and possibly frustrate fans but, ultimately, will be a hit in the Outback bars of Red Dust Australia.
The Chainsmokers – Memories Do Not Open (Columbia)
American DJ’s Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall have become big names on the mainstream charts in the last year. The turning point in The Chainsmokers’ career advanced with the release of ‘Roses’ in 2015. Although the hit was heavily influenced by future bass, the pair are true contributors to the EDM-pop field. Visions of teen […]
Ron Sexsmith – The Last Rider (Cooking Vinyl)
Canadian tunesmith Ron Sexsmith’s latest offering, The Last Rider, is a warm collection of bittersweet pop that retains a pastoral charm despite the polished production.
Lovely Creatures – The Best Of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds (Mute/BMG)
If he wasn’t already legend enough, Lovely Creatures: The Best Of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds cements Nick Cave place in rock and roll history as the most exciting and most creative artist of the past thirty years.
Teeth – Teeth (Slow Boat)
Teeth, the new ‘supergroup’ comprised of former Phoenix Foundation members Lukasz Buda (guitars, vocals) and Thomas Callwood (bass), Muttonbirds’ guitarist David Long and legendary Wellington jazz drummer Anthony Donaldson launch themselves with a rapturous debut album that somehow perfectly defines them.
The Sadies – Northern Passages (Yep Roc)
Introducing The Sadies, a group you may have never heard of – at least in this part of the world. But for well over two decades, this Canadian foursome have been firing off a cannon of indie rock, tinged with psychedelia and the occasional nod to Americana.
Bob Dylan – Triplicate (Columbia)
If anybody has earned the right to do whatever he wants, it’s Bob Dylan. Thirty Eight albums in and a lifetime of songwriting he chooses to continue his exploration of the great American songbook with this overlong instalment. An edited single disc or maybe even a double but a triple?
Wire – Silver/Lead (Pinkflag)
As UK’s original post punk pioneers are about to enter their fifth decade they are still writing with a natural worn in style that still has the flair of their first albums, if not quite the immediacy. Despite many years of innovations and countless influence Wire’s best songs are still those that feature uncomplicated riffs, […]
The Jesus And Mary Chain – Damage & Joy (Artificial Plastic)
If at anytime in the last 30 years you liked the poppier end of the JAMC then there are plenty of good times to be had on their aptly named Damage & Joy. It plays to their strengths with controlled feedback, reverbed vocals and two note solos that sit in basic melodies, and straight ahead […]
King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard – Flying Microtonal Banana (Heavenly)
King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard have the dual honour of being both the best named and most prolific band in music. Their first release of an insane five LPs planned for 2017, Flying Microtonal Banana is a groove-laden psychedelic expedition to push their driving rhythms into microtonal tuning and beyond.
Laura Marling – Semper Femina (Kobalt)
On her 6th album Semper Femina, UK singer/songwriter Laura Marling explores femininity, in its power, mystery and vulnerability with by songs filled with beautiful observations of friendship – particularly female friendship and the intimate and intricate psychologically behind each relationship.
Lindi Ortega – Til The Goin’ Gets Gone (Shadowbox)
Lindi Ortega’s new EP Til the Goin’ Gets Gone features 3 originals and 1 cover- all of which will break your heart. Striking a beautiful balance between finding her own new voice and capitalizing on her classic country sound, this EP situates Ortega as an artist finding her place in her own musical world.
The Shins – Heartworms (Columbia)
Shins albums sometimes pass me by on first listen (Oh yeah pretty melodies but haven’t I heard it all before) but then something happens and I find myself humming a phrase or singing a few words and wondering where does that come from, and before you know it I’ve watched the video and downloaded the […]
The Andy Sugg Group – Wednesdays At M’s (Kel-CD)
The Andy Sugg Group is a Melbourne–based jazz quartet, led by tenor and soprano saxophonist Andy Sugg. Stylistically, the group explores contemporary post-Coltrane improvisations embracing an eclectic range of compositional influences, which include contemporary jazz, funk, R&B and avant-pop. The world they inhabit can often be intellectual and intimidating to new ears. Sugg likes to […]
The Nukes -III (Nukes)
I like The Nukes, I really do. I like the fact that they are writing original songs on the ukulele and not just pumping out ironic covers (Wellington Ukulele Orchestra I am looking at you) challenging both their songwriting chops and arrangement skills by pushing their sound forward.
Conor Oberst – Salutations (Nonesuch)
What’s the best way to come back from the dead? Answer: Remake your own requiem and dress the corpse in the clothes of The Pogues, Neil Young, Crowded House and Bob Dylan.
Sleaford Mods – English Tapas (Rough Trade)
England’s not burning, they’re drowning in lard and apathy. That’s the main premise behind the duo’s new English Tapas – a bitter, sludgy tasting plate of modern life in Blighty.
Chuck Prophet – Bobby Fuller Died For Your Sins (Yep Roc)
Former Green On Red member Chuck Prophet has been making consistently high-quality solo albums over the past 25 years or so, most of which have been appreciated by a small group of dedicated fans. No doubt, this latest entry will meet a similar fate despite sounding, to these ears, better than 95% of most […]
Hurray For The Riff Raff – The Navigator (ATO)
After 4 albums crafting a unique path through a folk rock tradition that is sometimes weighed down by its relationship to its own past, Hurray For The Riff Raff have hooked up with producer Paul Butler (Who did such a great job with Michael Kiwanuka’s last album) and produced a “concept album”. Now before you […]