I was quite amused with Muse's latest single, Neutron Star Collision (Love is Forever), which was released this week and is set to be a part of the new Twilight: Eclipse soundtrack.
The song crushes all the stamina, anger and quality of their old songs and instead depicts the three talented men as whimps of love. A song that will be embraced by Richard Mercer (Love Song Dedication God). Have a listen for yourself.
One lady and her piano wooed the audience of her first sold out Sydney show at the Opera House. Executing every song live, she proved that her talent exceeds beyond the studio.
Opening with the banging sounds of The Calculator, her powerful voice projected through the concert hall, setting great standards for what was to come. Though an unexpected choice to begin with, she hit the high registers with flawless vocal jumps, making it a worthwhile opening song.
Back to back we heard tunes from her most recent album Far, getting some old fans jittery. Machine was a standout, her generous use of sforzando on the piano and the distortion on the electric violin adding to the surreal effects of ‘machinery.’
Her vocal control was simply incredible. The walrus-like vocals of Folding Chair, the staccato effects of Better, and her soothing falsettos in Eet - she aced them all. Live, her ability to vocally fragment complicated syllables whilst also holding the melody intact WHILST accompanying herself on the piano, shows how out-of-this-world talented she is.
Regina’s beautiful personality was threaded through her banter. She even made swearing a beautiful thing in Sailor Song, its comical lyrics getting people giggly. On The Radio (oh-oh) was easy to sing along to and Dance Anthem of the 80s brought her face to face with the audience for the first time, playing on the keyboard and revealing her quirky facial expressions.
Silly Eye-Color Generalisations, was sung in a Capella, whilst Regina’s guitar skills were shown in Bobbing for Apples and That Time. She sung Apres Moi and Music Box on the grand piano alone, which was a brilliant choice due to the overwhelming significance of the piano part in both songs.
Her ‘last’ song Summer in the City, seemed like an extremely insignificant song to end on, and the audience was hyped for an encore.
After a couple minutes of cheering and clapping, Regina Spektor returned to the stage to bring one of the best encore performances. Samson, hypnotised every single audience member. Continuing with the theme of romance, Us (from the film 500 Days of Summer) beared the smoothest vocal trills. After a whopping set-list of 25 songs, it was time for the finale, a country song she had written called, Love, You’re A Whore.
Angus and Julia Stone's greatly anticipated second album Down the Way has hit our shores after three years in the making. The sound of their new album develops upon their previous style of ghostly folk and explores the themes of love, loss and strength. With a vast improvement on production skills, each track is crafted with an emphasis on texturing and layering, giving the album a rich and succinct finish.
The amplified sound of Hold On introduces the new depth that this album has reached. The dominant string arrangement harmonises the sounds of Julia's fragile yet husky vocal melodies, reeling out dramatic and evocative senses. The simple yet distinct piano arpeggios provide a colourful backbone towards the introductory song.
Julia's ability to control her vocals is showcased in For You through the effortless ornamental flutters and vocal jumps. Her vocal style is very similar to American singer song-writer Joanna Newsom. It is this reason why her songs slightly outshine those of Angus'. However, Angus nails the theme of desperation in Draw your Swords, where his singing becomes borderline screaming, through his strained yet delicate vocals. This is the most powerful moment of the album.
And the Boys was the first track released. Produced by Brad Albetta (Martha Wainwright) and co-produced by Angus and Julia Stone, the rich tapestry of harmonies contributes to the maturing sound of the album. However, the chorus of Yellow Brick Road reminds listeners that their delicate and quirky melodies still exist through the music. The electric guitar solo brings something fresh to the album, providing a nice contrast to their mono-rhythmic acoustic guitar chords, allowing a nice fusion of sound.
With their signature style of finger-picking guitar, the album ends with the sweet sounds of The Devil's Tears. The marching percussion rhythms meld in well with the loose vocals of both Angus and Julia, filled with humming and ooh-ing. It provides a harmonically magical end to a brilliant album.
Yes it’s that catchy folk song floating around radio stations, also reaching No. 15 on Triple J Hottest 100 this year, filled with stamping rhythms and royal brass melodies.
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros’ debut album Up From Below, has received much attention from the alternative-music-world primarily for their hit song Home. It has become an anthem to their image of nomadic freedom and obscure primitivism. It also displays their fusion of natural sounds such as whistling and stamping, along with their generous use of percussion, brass and banjo, making the album a joy to listen to.
40 day dream introduces the expectations of the album. Overflowing with simple rhythms of hand-clapping and foot-stamping, juxtaposed with extremely loose and uneven vocal melodies. It captures a musical sense of freedom and restraint. The darker essence of Desert Song could be labelled as a folksy-Radiohead attempt, a brilliant attempt at that. Janglin will put a brain-worm into your head, thanks to the dozen or so ‘Magnetic Zeros’ passionately belting out that catchy chorus. The highlight of the album is the dramatic song Kisses over Babylon, sung in Spanish. It bears the musical characteristics of a Western country film soundtrack. The intense brass rhythms build up the tension throughout the song. The climactic section of the song is rich in musicality, with the arpeggiated ascension of humming leading into the eruption of a new melody for the vocals. If this song doesn’t make you feel the intensity of drama and passion, nothing ever will. Kisses over Babylon is possibly the only other song on the album that reaches the standard of Home.
The remaining songs on the album fail to have the same euphoric drive of passion, however are still enjoyable with their dramatic brass melodies. Utilising the simplest musical elements, it has made the entire album extremely appealing, allowing anyone to bop, thump, stamp, whistle or Ooh their way through the album.
There were no laneways this year at St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival, with Sydney College of Arts playing host to the overly-indie festival of the summer. With three stages spread nicely across the sandstone campus, it was convenient to make those desperate runs in-between acts, or throughout the various timeslot clashes. It was definitely the place to be for the Sydney 'indie' crowd, where people's fashion nearly took the attention away from the quality of music that was being performed.
Indie-pop band Florence and the Machine attracted the largest crowd of the day. The energy brought to the stage by front-lady Florence Welch, along with her unique voice, drumming moves and climbing antics led thousands of people to let loose in dance. The musical arrangement of each song differed slightly to her album, making the performance more authentic and raw. Her delightful sapphire outfit along with the on-stage flowers, earthy backdrop and the enchanting harp really established the jungle atmosphere which her music is inspired upon. But there was one question that was on everyone’s mind: WHERE WAS THE GLITTER? But it’s ok. We forgive you Florence, after all you were amazing.
Echo and the Bunnymen were probably never the best choice for this festival. The arrogant middle-aged men made awkward jokes about the brilliance of their music, ruining the mood for all who had settled at the main stage eagerly waiting for the headlining act. However, these men did deliver a strong set, with great sound, and they are to be commended for that.
Gracing the same stage earlier was the lovely Sarah Blasko, who always charms audiences with the delicate huskiness of her voice. However, her awkward robotic dance moves just seemed unnatural, and brought on the feeling of discomfort.
A definite mistake by festival organisers was the unbelievable time-slot clash between Mumford and Sons and The xx. Mumford and Sons were all the talk, with their recent number one hit on the Tripe J Hottest 100, Little Lion Man. Delivering the sprightly sounds of indie-folk led by charismatic lead singer Marcus Mumford, their guttural vocals were glazed with perfect harmonies and amazing banjo riffs. On the other side of the grounds, 3-piece band The xx delivered a seductive performance with their minimalist songs, and beared a haunting presence on stage.
Throughout the early hours of the day, there was more of a taste of local artists including the fragile sounds of The Middle East, the 7-piece band from Tamworth. The delicate vocals of the three lead singers along with their use of an overwhelming amount of instruments on stage, dazzled and awed audiences. The tribal-pop sounds of Sydney singer/songwriter Jonathan Boulet was a slight disappointment due to the terrible staging acoustics. Melbourne duo, Kid Sam were brilliant in sound and allowed their audience to see how far the two artists could go musically, with only an electric guitar and drums.
Along with the glorious weather, the sophisticated fashion of the crowd, and the high quality musical acts, the St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival was one to be remembered.
Mumford & Sons'debut album Sigh No More, gives you an experience of the adrenalin and passion of English folk music. Working with producer Markus Dravs (Arcade Fire, Bjork) the distinct influences of country, bluegrass and folk are used to retell and share the stories of these four men from Western London; that of love, heartache, despair and death.
The album starts off with the title track Sigh No More which could have easily been a failed attempt of an uplifting hymn. Instead, these musicians have restored courage and confidence into the composed melodies. It is a powerful introduction to the album, and has reached its purpose as the introductory song.
Thistle & Weed provides an insight to the darker passions through their use of ominous harmonies. Whilst the ballads White Blank Page, Winter Winds and Roll Away Your Stone lighten up the mood through sprightly guitar and banjo riffs which could even make an old, fragile elderly person want to get up and dance.
One of the highlights of this album is the much acclaimed single The Little Lion Man, which has been air-flogged on Australian and World-wide radio. However, it is towards the end of the album that we hear Dust Bowl Dance, a song that captures the darkest mood of minor composition. Along with an overly layered and textured instrumental section, this is definitely the most musically powerful and emotionally desperate moment of the album.
