WORLD TOUR #11 AUSTRALIA JUL|DEC 2024 - PLAYLISTS
World Tour #11 - Australia's Best Albums Jul-Dec 2024
WORLD TOUR #11 AUSTRALIA JUL|DEC 2024- PLAYLISTS
clicking cover art opens Spotify
Fiesta de Corazon
LA DESCARGA
Released 30 November 2024
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Born in 2010 in Melbourne, Australia, as a tribute to the Folkloric rhythms of the coasts of Colombia and as a preserver of its cultural heritage, it has evolved For over a decade through diverse musical and cultural collaborations, into a Forerunner of Latin-Aussie-tropical music.
Fiesta de Corazon is a musical party for your heart. It is named to evoke the celebratory and heartfelt spirit that's so inherent in Latin American and Caribbean cultures. Made in Australia and in Colombia, this collection of 10 original tracks encapsulates over a decade of musical evolution. Drawing from the Afro-Colombian traditions of Colombia's Caribbean and Pacific coasts, the album infuses these rich cultural roots with contemporary urban sounds like funk, dub, and electronica.
The album features over 30 artists from 4 continents, including Jorge Leiva (La Descarga, Miss Colombia), Kathleen Gonzalez (Tunjos y Cantaros Ethnologic Dance Company), Lauren Mullarvey (The Coch.ls Channel, Chet Faker), and Mat Robb (Melbourne International Jazz Festival, Darwin Music Festival) and features collaborations with musicians including with icon of Australian Sudanese music, Ajak Kwai, Melbourne-based South Sudanese hip-hop artist Malesh P, and William Martinez from Bejuco.
The album was mixed by acclaimed Colombian producer Diego Gomez (Llorona Records, Discos Pacifico), known For his extensive work with Afro-Colombian artists from the Caribbean and the Pacific, and collaborations with international artists Adrian Sherwood, Mad Professor, and Channel One Sound System. The album's stunning cover art, has been crafted by Colombian artist Dora Moreno Zuniga, reflecting the Festive colours and traditions of Cartagena.
Read more ... Bandcamp
This is how I remember it
BECKAH AMANI
Released 29 November 2024
Beckah Amani
****-
There’s a sense of effortless connection in her lyrics, as Beckah explores the unspoken dynamics of a relationship where emotions speak louder than words.
Burundian-Australian singer-songwriter Beckah Amani releases her highly-anticipated debut album, This is how I remember it.
Produced by M-Phazes (Ruel, Eminem, Khalid), This is how I remember it. centres on the emotional journey between two former lovers. Through heartfelt lyrics and vivid storytelling, Beckah explores how our inner world — shaped by past experiences, personal doubts and global events — affects our ability to give and receive affection. Blending Afro-soul, R&B and pop, the album’s lush production amplifies Beckah’s raw, vulnerable songwriting, crafting a sound that feels like a conversation between the heart and the world.
“High On Loving You” carries an understated yet powerful groove that allows Beckah’s soulful vocals to take centre stage. Driven by lush harmonies, a gentle kick drum and delicate piano, the songwriter’s hook, “We don’t have to talk, I analyse you,” encapsulates the track’s quiet intensity, offering a glimpse into the vulnerability and complexity of love.
Read more ... AMRAP Australian Music Radio Airplay Project
Synchronicities
INKSWELL
Released 29 November 2024
Compost Records
****-
This album is a dazzling fusion of broken beat, house, modern soul, and hip-hop - each track a brushstroke on a canvas where past, present, and future collide.
Like a kaleidoscope of urban rhythms and soulful tones, "Synchronicities" is an electrifying conversation between the deeply rooted grooves of Inkswel and the heartfelt vocal mastery of Andre Espeut.
Andre Espeut’s voice is a powerhouse of narrative and emotion, channeling the lineage of legends like Leroy Burgess and Ron Trent while carving a space uniquely his own. His storytelling on tracks like "Street Soul" and "Yesterdays Gone" is at once raw and poetic, blending vulnerability with undeniable swagger. Meanwhile, Inkswel’s production is a symphony of textures - crunchy drum machines, warm basslines, and shimmering synths weave an intricate tapestry that blurs the boundaries between the club and the cosmos.
Released by Compost Records, a label known for championing boundary-pushing sounds, "Synchronicities" is both a celebration and a challenge. It dares listeners to find their groove in its labyrinth of beats and melodies, to embrace its joyous complexities and bittersweet truths.
For fans of Andrew Ashong, Fat Freddy’s Drop, and Bugz In The Attic, this album will feel like a homecoming.
For everyone else, it’s an invitation to discover a world where soul, rhythm, and storytelling collide in perfect synchronicity. A modern masterpiece with an old-school heart!
Read more ... CHAIN D.L.K.
Be-sides and Rarities
SO.Crates
Released 29 November 2024
SO.Crates
****-
As a milestone anniversary celebration and a statement of future intent, Open Me effortlessly carries El’Zabar’s healing vision of Higher Consciousness of Sound and Spirit.
This is the new offering from Kahil El’Zabar and his Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, in conjunction with the legendary group’s 50th anniversary, Open Me, A Higher Consciousness of Sound and Spirit.
Open Me is a joyous honoring of portent new directions of the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble; it’s a visionary journey into deep roots and future routes, channeling traditions old and new. It mixes El’Zabar’s original compositions with timeless classics by Miles Davis, McCoy Tyner, and Eugene McDaniels. Thus, the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble continues affirming their indelible, half-century presence within the continuum of Great Black Music.
For Open Me, El’Zabar has chosen to push the sound of the EHE in a new direction by adding string instruments — cello, played by Ishmael Ali, and violin/viola played by James Sanders. The addition of strings opens new textural resonances and timbral dimensions in the Ensemble’s sound, linking the work to the tradition of improvising violin and cello from Ray Nance to Billy Bang, Leroy Jenkins, and Abdul Wadud.
Read more ... Bandcamp
We Make Sounds This Way
SELMA SAVOLAINEN, HELEN SVOBODA
Released 28 November 2024
Mustik Motel
****-
An album of experimental duo voice work
Melbourne double bassist, vocalist and composer Helen Svoboda wrote:
Living on an eighteenth-century fortress island in Finland has its perks. Having visited Suomenlinna sporadically throughout my childhood, it was surreal to arrive again in my late twenties - this time, to stay for a three-month residency as part of the Helsinki International Artist Programme (HIAP). Originally born in Finland, my earliest memories exist within the stunning Nordic winter landscape. Now I had arrived back into this nostalgic, magical space as a fully fledged adult (albeit, with a child's mind).
For the first time in a long while, I was somewhere for no other reason than to create. And this, in itself, felt like an alternate reality. Dragging my double bass through the snow from the ferry to my studio apartment, a mild blood rush danced throughout my body. A temporary release from responsibility, I had entered an intentional escape from my fast-paced freelancer lifestyle in Melbourne.
The next three months were for unfiltered curiosity surrounding my performance practice as a double bassist, vocalist and composer.
My time in Finland also allowed me to reconnect with close friends and collaborators during focussed periods. I co-composed and recorded an album of experimental duo voice works with Helsinki-based vocalist Selma Savolainen (whom I met at the Banff Arts Centre in 2019); German drummer André van der Heide guested on my solo recording across a smorgasbord of percussive objects; Finnish pianist Kari Ikonen and I performed a set of original compositions at Iisalmi Jazz Festival; and Australian cellist James Morley (now based in Switzerland) joined me for a week to begin work on a new duo project. These collaborative periods, interspersed across a predominantly solo venture, breathed new life into my 'practice' as a result of sustained artistic friendship and trust.
Read more ... Australian Music Center Resonate Magazine
Worth Control
CINTA
Released 22 November 2024
ROEY Music
****-
CINTA's voice is the centrepiece—sultry, commanding, and evocative. Her music isn’t just about the rhythm and melody; it’s a journey into the human experience.
Her music is a testament to the power of storytelling, bridging the past and present in a way that feels both fresh and timeless. CINTA is a powerhouse of modern soul, channelling raw and relatable emotion through her music.
‘Worth Control’ is CINTA’s sophomore release. However, rather than it being a chronological artistic step forward, it feels as though we've turned inward, taking a deeper, more introspective journey into the heart of our expression. We've sharpened the vision we had for our first record, and ‘Worth Control’ truly shows how we've grown and come into our own.
Like any good musicians we’re equally enamoured by the classics as we are contemporary, boundary-stretching music, so our goal is always to marry these ideas within our own composition. This union of old and new-school creates a solid platform for our wonderful songwriter, Cinta to demonstrate the magnitude of her vulnerable and authentic storytelling. It’s true-to-life music you can feel in both heart and mind. It’s undeniable that (2021 release) ‘Feel Good’ touched this but ‘Worth Control’ fully embraces it.
Read more ... Bandcamp
Transients Volume 3:
For Sorrow
ANDREA KELLER
Released 22 November 2024
Andrea Keller
****-
The third installment of an ongoing series of themed works for trios by the important Australian pianist and composer.
Andrea Keller is an Australian pianist and composer, dedicated to the performance and creation of contemporary jazz and improvised music. She has created and devised numerous albums and projects, and has been highly lauded, receiving three ARIA Awards, five Australian Jazz ‘Bell’ Awards, two Art Music Awards, and fellowships from the MCA/Freedman Foundation and the Australia Council.
Following the success of Transients Volume 1 & Volume 2, both released in 2019 (Volume 1 awarded the 2019 Music Victoria Award for Best Jazz Album and nominated for an ARIA for Best Jazz Album 2019), the music for Transients Volume 3 & 4 was recorded over two days in January 2024 at Head Gap Studio, Preston.
The recordings showcase an extensive pool of creative Melbourne musicians: Jenny Barnes – voice, Angela Davis – saxophone, Niran Dasika – trumpet, Theo Carbo – guitar, Stephen Magnusson – guitar, Andrea Keller – piano, Sam Anning – bass, Ben Vanderwal – drums, Kyrie Anderson – drums, and Joe Talia – drums, alongside Andrea Keller.
Read more ... Bandcamp
Transients Volume 4:
For Joy
ANDREA KELLER
Released 22 November 2024
Andrea Keller
****-
The fourth installment of an ongoing series of themed works for trios by the important Australian pianist and composer.
Andrea Keller created Transients as a series of trios inspired by late mentor Allan Browne’s musical philosophy. Dedicated to a collective approach to music making, the trios stem from a jazz tradition, which they interpret with an uninhibited, and sometimes unconventional, Australian accent. Each version of Transients brings with it a unique repertoire and dynamism, focussing on presenting original compositions and repertoire from the Australian jazz tradition.
Since the launch of Transients in January 2016, Keller’s trios have transformed and expanded to include an extensive pool of creative Melbourne musicians both emerging and established.
Read more ... Bandcamp
Forever Changed
NAT BARTSCH
Released 15 November 2024
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“Forever Changed is immersive music you can soak in, that explores these sensory needs,”
Australian composer and pianist Nat Bartsch reflects on her sensory experience of music and celebrates her discovery of her autistic/ADHD identity in her immersive new album Forever Changed.
Bartsch recorded the album at home, with her partner and seven-year-old son sleeping down the hall, and it reflects on significant changes in her life, including divorce, new love and a new family.
“When everything changed, so did my listening habits,” Bartsch says. “Instead of turning to ‘meditative’ music in difficult times, I was drawn to a sensory-seeking wall of sound: artists like At the Drive In, Tears for Fears, Cornelius, Jon Hopkins and Floating Points.
Consulting with other AuDHD people, and music therapists, I realised that I am not alone. Many neurodivergent people seem to find complex, detailed or dramatic music soothing. High pitched melodies, interlocking patterns, grounding rhythms. Richly layered, textured and varied sound.”
“The music has same gentleness and repetition as Forever, and No Time At All: but there is glitter and detail on top. Some pieces are solo piano lullabies for the corner of a room; others are multi-layered, ethereal works that create a room for the listener to step into.”
Read more ... ABC
Ripple On The Wing
ELLA THOMPSON
Released 15 November 2024
****-
Ripple on the Wing is a warm, immediate & honest record, a group of friends recording live in a room together.
Ella Thompson’s new record Ripple on the Wing is a soaring 10 song collection - a sweet and spooky modern take on classic soul music. With echoes of 1960’s lowrider love songs and haunting cinematic arrangements; Ella sings songs of personal empowerment & self-realisation alongside classic themes of love & longing.
Backed by an impeccable band featuring members of Surprise Chef with other Melbourne soul luminaries; Ripple on the Wing’s production palette is an intoxicating blend of the acoustic & amplified - with harpsichord, piano & flute melding with classic funky drums, organ, guitar along with those sweet vocal harmony singalong ‘oohs & ahhhs’ that make everything alright.
Inspired by icons like Australian soul pioneer Renee Geyer & groups like The Shangri-La’s (as well as contemporary soul artists like Thee Sacred Souls and Baby Rose), Ella’s songwriting draws on poetry, philosophy and personal experience to inform her lyrics.
Read more ... Bandcamp
Tomorrow Is A Month Away
THE OFFTOPICS
Released 14 November 2024
Polash Larsen
****-
“Tomorrow Is a Month Away” is the first studio album from Naarm based purveyors of punch-drunk Funk and unsteady Rocksteady, The Offtopics. With the band’s typical commitment to providing value to the listener, they have assembled over a period of ten months an epic collection of sixteen tracks on this, the digital version of the album.
From Bourbon Street in New Orleans to Memphis and Jamaica via the bars of Brunswick, The Offtopics deliver infectious songs that will make you tap your feet and bring a smile to your face. Fronted by funk dynamo Polash Larsen, these are some of Melbourne’s most talented musicians working their basses off to show you a good time.
Rhythm tracking commenced on the Survival Day weekend in the Brunswick West Studio of Darius Kedros. The Offtopics’ bandleader and showrunner, Polash Larsen, set a cracking pace with what he thought was a deliberately impossible target of fifteen rhythm tracks in two days. “I didn’t want us to get bogged down in perfection. Trying too hard to get it right can be a guaranteed path to the yips so I wanted to make sure there was always something else to get on with.” To everyone’s surprise, the band got through the entire list including tracks which the band had neither rehearsed nor played live before.
Read more ... Bandcamp
LIVE at Eureka Hotel 1979 and Tivoli Sydney 1982
RENEE GEYER
Released 8 November 2024
(Australian Road Crew Association)
****-
Truly a time capsule - these sound desk recordings of Renee Geyer capture Australia's great singer in full flight.
Marcia Hines’ defined her as “A game changer. A soul diva. My sister in song.” Added Kate Ceberano, “Renée the powerful, the diva, the brutal, the original, the temperamental, the stellar, the shapeshifter, the original, the unforgettable, the irreplaceable Renée!”
“I wanted to be a singer as long as I could remember. I never married, I never had children, I never had a house. I simply was a nomad because that was the lifestyle I chose.”
The singer once described herself as “a white Hungarian Jew from Australia sounding like a 65-year-old black man from Alabama.”
Renée lived her life where she had no regrets. The exception was over the album cover of her first US release. It was her fourth Australian studio album Moving Along, retitled Renee Geyer, which included a re-recorded version of her hit “Heading In The Right Direction” and some tracks featuring Stevie Wonder’s band and produced by legendary Motown producer Frank Wilson. The powerful black radio stations started to play advance copies of “Heading In The Right Direction” and “Stares And Whispers”.
The album was surely going to break her in America. But her (black) producer Wilson and US label Polydor advised her that the radio interest was only because they thought she was black. They suggested they release the album without her photo. Renée absolutely refused. When the record came out with “my big pink huge face” on the cover, black radio stopped playing it, and the album failed to chart despite great acclaim. Years later the singer admitted to radio station Double J, “I should have gone along with it actually. I was just stupid in those days. I should have just played the game like they were gonna do.
Read more ... ARCA
The Bliss
SOUTH SUMMIT
Released 8 November 2024
Virgin Music Australia
****-
The Bliss captures the band’s journey, blending intricate lyricism with bold soundscapes. As lead vocalist Zaya Reuben describes; embracing vulnerability and growth.
Formed in early 2020, the Boorloo/Perth group quickly established themselves with their organic blend of rock, reggae, and hip-hop, earning multiple five-star reviews on triple j Unearthed. From the start, they knew they had something special, and their debut album was a milestone they were determined to perfect.
South Summit experimented with over 60 demos before narrowing it down to 12 tracks with the help of producer Dave Parkin. Known to the group as "the sixth member of the band" and "a wizard," Parkin's influence was pivotal.
Recording "and basically living" at Blackbird Sound Studio for a year and a half allowed the band to immerse themselves fully in the creative process. Extending from just the music, this time at Blackbird sounded prolific to their friendship as well, as the band recalled backyard songwriting sessions with acoustic guitars and beers, or taking breaks to grab "the best steak and cheese pie down the road from the studio".
Read more ... Bandcamp
For The Dreams
KING STINGRAY
Released 8 November 2024
King Stingray Civilians Cooking Vinyl
****-
"The Northern Territory band follow up their award-winning debut with another instant classic full of catchy hooks, massive choruses and good vibes" The Guardian
King Stingray are a four piece Yolŋu surf-rock band from Yirrkala North-East Arnhem Land, Australia. Creating a genre of their own in Yolŋu surf-rock, the band merge ancient indigenous melodies with a fresh new sound. It is the follow-up of the iconic band Yothu Yindi - King Stingray are the children of the iconic Australian band Yothu Yindi
In its five star review, The Guardian posed the question that attaches to any band's sophomore album "How do you follow up an instant classic?". They observed "This was the challenge faced by King Stingray, the self-described Yolŋu surf-rock group from Yirrkala in north-east Arnhem Land, whose self-titled 2022 debut sounded more like a greatest hits collection than a first album. It deservedly won the Australian Music prize".
Their assessment - "Thankfully, the band hasn’t overthought things. Their answer to the above question is simple: make another one. For the Dreams may as well be titled King Stingray II. The themes are practically identical: the joys of being on country (and getting back to it), slowing down, chilling out. The wind, the sun, the rain, the moon, the tides.
In that sense, there is little development from their debut, musically or lyrically. King Stingray have simply stuck to what they’re already exceptional at. For the Dreams teems with hooks, the choruses are massive and the sound is universally bright, up-tempo and uplifting. And there are no bad vibes, anywhere".
Read more ... The Guardian
Banbirrngu
The Orchestral Sessions
GURRUMMUL
PRAGUE METROPOLITAN ORCHESTRA
Released 8 November 2024
Skinnyfish Music
****-
Each piece exhibits variation, reservation, and strength of purpose. The orchestra brings a unique sentiment to the performances, providing depth, breadth, and a dynamic range that cannot be achieved with an acoustic trio; from subtlety through to grandeur.
The legacy of Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, one of Australia's most culturally significant and highly decorated artists, continues with the release of a new posthumous album.
Banbirrngu - The Orchestral Sessions, which features re-workings of the acclaimed Yolŋu singer-songwriter's music from across his career.
The album follows on from the multiple award-winning Djarimirri (Child of the Rainbow), which was completed in 2017, just weeks before Gurrumul's untimely death due to liver and kidney damage related to a hepatitis B infection he carried since childhood.
This new symphonic project was recorded in Prague by the Prague Metropolitan Orchestra, conducted by Jan Chalupecký, and features new arrangements by Australian composer Erkki Veltheim.
The project was produced by Gurrumul's longtime friend and collaborator Michael Hohnen, who is the co-director of Darwin label Skinnyfish Music.
Banbirrngu is deeply rooted in ancestral songlines, encapsulating "themes of birth, life, and the cyclical return to the earth", according to a media statement
Read more ... ABC
Grief, Hope, Love
JENNA CAVE
FEAT. KRISTIN BERARDI, YUTARO OKUDA, TOM AVGENICOS, LORETTA PALMEIRO, HANNAH JAMES, CHLOE KIM
Released 8 November 2024
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
****-
With themes of hope and resilience in the face of loss and despair, these songs became an outlet for me to articulate, process and express my raw emotional states during the early stages of grief, including my sheer gratitude for the love and joy that still existed alongside my pain.
Jenna Cave is an Australian composer, bandleader, vocalist and saxophonist. She directed the 19-piece Divergence Jazz Orchestra in Sydney as resident composer and arranger from 2012 to 2023, producing three critically acclaimed albums Shadows and Light (2023), Fake it Until You Make It (2016) and The Opening Statement (2013)
She is currently writing for/performing with smaller ensembles.
Jenna Cave writes: "In April 2022, at the age of 38, my life was completely turned on its head. I became a solo parent to my three-year-old daughter and was thrown into the depths of grief and trauma and when my husband died from suicide.
Commissioned by ABC Jazz, “Grief, Hope, Love” is a suite of 6 songs I wrote in the 12 months after his death.
Sung with deep empathy by the exceptional vocalist Kristin Berardi, I hope that this music may allow listeners suffering from grief and loss (particularly due to suicide) to feel heard and held, and that sharing my stories may increase grief literacy in the community".
credits
Jenna Cave (composer/musical director)
Kristin Berardi (vocals)
Yutaro Okuda (guitar)
Tom Avgenicos (trumpet/flugelhorn)
Loretta Palmeiro (saxophones, clarinet)
Hannah James (double bass)
Chloe Kim (drums)
Read more ... Bandcamp
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Mungoona Buckle (EP)
MUNGOONA BUCKLE
Released 8 November 2024
Mungoona Buckle
****-
This set of four songs - which appears only on Spotify, as far as I can find - is released under the name Mungoona Buckle and credited to Ernest Buckle (writer) and Samuel Newman (Producer).
I discovered this EP on a marvelous Spotify Playlist entitled "Kimberley Music", compiled by a well-informed user Monique Love (aka Monique Le Lievre / Stellar Moon) that celebrates recent releases by artists from the Kimberley region of North Western Australia*.
Backed primarily by his cascading acoustic guitar, Buckle's style derives from (Robert Johnson's via Kev Carmody's) blues, (Woody Guthrie's via Archie Roach's ) folk and (Hank Williams' via Stephen Pigram's) country - a style often adopted by the saltwater and desert blues singers of Northern Australia. Buckle sings songs that are immediate and down to earth, of his life on Country. "Gurry" is a tale of surviving on and off the grog, "Missing You" a song of longing after a lost love and "Rum", a blues about wandering around and sleeping rough.
Then, like a stranger wandering into camp, there's "Some People Staring At Me With Strange Eyes", a mysterious slice of electric guitar-centred psychedelia that is worthy of a Bill Laswell, Dirty Three or Bill Frisell.
Thanks for sharing Monique!
(*Full disclosure - The Kimberley is also the home of SunNeverSetsOnMusic - so dear to my heart).
Soft Focus
JOEL SARAKULA
Released 8 November 2024
Legere Records
****-
Imagine if Ray Manzarek was the frontman for the Bee Gees... It’s a neat visual introduction to Joel Sarakula, a UK-based Australian artist who writes, produces and sings Soulful Pop, gazing out at a contemporary world through vintage glasses, vintage threads and long blond hair. His music is informed by a rich, 1970s-inspired palette, drawing on soft-rock, funk and disco influences: sunny, uptempo jams for darker times.
Joel Sarakula is an AUS/UK artist who writes, produces and sings Soulful Pop, gazing out at a contemporary world through vintage glasses. His music is informed by a rich, 1970s-inspired musical and visual palette, drawing on Soft-Rock, Funk and Disco influences, filtering them for our darker times while still remaining hopeful.
He was born in Sydney, based in London and international in outlook.
Joel Sarakula's new album “Soft Focus” is a mid-career album spanning his many influences and genres including Soft-Rock, Funk and Indie Pop, all brought under the umbrella of his gentle gaze and a 'soft' aesthetic. This is a lovingly crafted album, well polished and it feels like the culmination of Sarakula's adventures in soulful soft-rock and his defining statement in the genre. Echoes of soft-rock icons Ned Doheny, Boz Scaggs, Todd Rundgren and Michael Franks ripple gently through the album.
Self-aware that he looks and occasionally sounds like the love child of Ray Manzarek and the Gibb brothers, his self-deprecating sense of humour is always there just below the fringe.
Read more ... Bandcamp
I Need To Conquer This Mountain
SARAH BLASKO
Released 1 November 2024
Sarah Blasko
****-
A poignant return after a six-year hiatus, offering a deeply personal exploration of themes such as death, divorce, broken faith, and friendship. The album's stark arrangements, primarily featuring piano, nuanced drumming, and Blasko's evocative vocals, create an intimate atmosphere that invites listeners into her introspective world.
The album's production is notably minimalist, a departure from Blasko's previous works.
Recorded over a few days and self-produced, there's an absence of overthinking, allowing the raw emotion and sincerity of the songs to shine through.
The opening track, "Bothering Me," delves into the collapse of a lifelong friendship, juxtaposed with apocalyptic imagery that has haunted Blasko. The song's structure reflects a balance between normality and wildness, with verses conveying a sense of moving forward and choruses introducing an unhinged quality, underscored by a continuous string synth that evokes unease.
"Goodbye!" features a duet with Melbourne singer-songwriter Ryan Downey, presenting a dialogue that embodies the finality and triumph of farewells. The exclamation mark in the title suggests a blend of screaming and saying goodbye with love and good humor, capturing the bittersweet nature of parting ways.
In "I Can't Wait Anymore," Blasko's fragile tone is complemented by soaring strings, as she concedes that certain ties must eventually be severed. The live energy of her long-time band is palpable, with the song building dynamically to convey a sense of acceptance and rebirth.
Some listeners might find the album's starkness challenging, as the minimalist arrangements place a heavy emphasis on lyrical content and vocal delivery. While Blasko's passionate vocals are undeniably compelling, the uniformity in instrumentation may leave some yearning for greater musical variety.
Read more ... Sarah Blasko
Maujuda
PARVYN
Released 1 November 2024
Parvyn Bennett
*****
Parvyn Singh is a Punjabi Australian singer, dancer and musician based in Adelaide. Best known for her work as vocalist in cult psychedelic band The Bombay Royale. Her work is informed by electronica and jazz, her background in Sikh devotional music and her training in classical Indian music and dance. In addition, Parvyn has spent her life on stage touring internationally with her father Dya Singh.
Centred around finding one’s path in life, the 7 tracks explore different stories and perspectives in discovery and acceptance, opening with the first single and self love anthem ‘Free To Be Myself’.
Touching on the complexities of migrating to a new place, ‘Lay Awake’ is told through the story of her grandmother ‘bebeji’, with commentary on ‘how migrants sometimes hold on to their culture so tightly that it can cause a rift between generations, not realising that back in their homeland it has progressed and modernised’ describes Parvyn. The material includes moments of introspection in the new single ‘New Game’, and ‘Divine’, woven between instrumental improvisation from Parvyn’s husband Josh Bennett on electric guitar, and lyrics in Urdu/Punjabi in ‘Huna Lai Jio’ as the track touches on the importance of community and finding your people, and ending the musical voyage at album closer ‘Back to the Ocean’.
Read more ... Bandcamp
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MUKI (EP)
WAARI
Released 1 November 2024
****-
“People want to hear our story - it's not an easy one. No one can tell it except us.”
WARRI presents MUKI (GIMUY) 2024
WAARI is a descendant of the Waanyi and Kalkadoon people from the Gulf of Carpentaria Country and the Mount Isa region south of the Gulf, and of the Ngāti Mutunga, Ngāti Manu, Te Ātiawa iwis from the regions of Taranaki in Aotearoa.
Bringing two worlds, WAARI offers a deep understanding of being Blak in places wrought by colonial continuance.
MUKI is WAARI’s debut EP, an exploration of Blak LIFE, LAND, LOVE and FUTURITY. Following the cycles of life – birth, coming of age, death and rebirth ~ as they connect to cycles of family across generations and land across seasons.
Read more ... warri.world
Fever Longing Still
PAUL KELLY
Released 1 November 2024
EMI
****-
"With his 29th album, the Melbourne songwriter goes back to basics – assembling a classic rock band who tumble through tracks of desire and devotion" - The Guardian
Saying Paul Kelly has gone back to first principles with his 29th album may be perplexing. There is a generation who don’t know and another who may not remember that restlessness was not always his state of being. That wondering what direction the Melbourne-based songwriter has taken was not a thought that occurred on the eve of each album release.
So probably the last thing anyone expected in 2024 was a band-focused, pop rock record that jangles and bustles as much is it sighs and cries – structured in the style of a two-sided vinyl that might have come out in the early 90s. But that’s where we are, and Kelly comes with a bunch of familiars.
There’s Bill McDonald on bass and Peter Luscombe on drums, Dan Kelly and Ash Naylor on guitar, Cameron Bruce on keyboards, and occasionally, Vika and Linda Bull on backing vocals – some of whom go back more than 30 years with Kelly, and all of whom know how to make a room of musicians feel like a band.
An old-school band doing old-school variety with old-school energy. It worked then; it works now.
First principles doesn’t just apply to the music though, as Kelly builds these songs around the classic four Ds: desire, devotion, disappointment, death. You know, the way God, Elvis, Townes Van Zandt and Shakespeare intended
Read more ... The Guardian
Hard Truths
FULTON STREET
Released 1 November 2024
Stoic Records
****-
The spirit of the late Renee Geyer is truly alive in the grooving bass and guitar riffs, warm melodic organ, bright horn arrangements, soaring strings and – of course – powerhouse vocal performances of contemporary Melbourne outfit Fulton Street.
In a lot of ways, ‘Hard Truths’ was the album that almost never was. Production started at the beginning of 2020 but before it could gain momentum, Melbourne was thrown into one of the world’s longest lockdowns, leaving the band to adapt and record horns and strings remotely in Tasmania. Post lockdowns, with the local music scene in ruins, the band slowly rebuilt and finally felt ready to revisit the record.
The turmoil of the world seemed to reflect the inner turmoil of songwriter and front woman Shannen Wick who used the record as a way to process “heartbreak and the declining state of the world” and take a wholly “unfiltered approach” to songwriting – an approach evident from the first note of this dynamic and spectacularly honest album.
The tone of the record is immediately set with the opening track ‘A Woman Scorned’, an instrumental that encapsulates the scoring of iconic Blaxploitation films. From there ‘Hard Truths’ explores the often misunderstood lens of female rage, with its premier single ‘Disappointment’ where Wick growls, “If I wanted a disappointment, I would’ve stayed with my last man.”
‘Hard Truths’ isn’t one note, however, with songs like ‘Weight of the World’ and ‘Mama’s Eyes’ that embody Fulton Street’s signature storytelling, as the record explores themes of family, migration and finding home. The album manages to be both musically playful and achingly real.
Read more ... Bandcamp
Blue Desert
JACK J
Released 1 November 2024
Blue Hut Records
****-
Firmly in singer-songwriter mode, ‘Blue Desert’ frames Jack Jutson at his most romantic and swooning, blending nostalgic resonance from late ‘70s and ‘80s strains of MOR and pop with a ‘90s downbeat lustre that cleanly dovetails prevailing trends, needs, for this kind of dreamy quintessence in the modern day.
Jack J is a musician from Sydney, Australia and based in Vancouver, Canada. He is one half of Pender Street Steppers and member of the Mood Hut collective.
The bucolic ‘90s Balearic dance-pop of ‘Wrong Again’ sets up a dead tasty song sequence that strolls from sax-led shimmy and soothing interplay of Jack’s gentle vox with FM synths on ‘Foolish Man’, thru the swaying shoegaze bliss of ‘Down the Line’ featuring Diego Herrera’s kilelr baseline, and recalling Hysterical Love Project, to an absolute gem in the penal;tomato prayer ‘Born Without a Smile’.
The mid tempo strut of ‘At Last’ could almost be a male answer to Sally Shapiro’s brand of Italo and Euro-dance wist, and the dusky stroll ‘Falling Down a Well’ with Aiden Ayers (Juniper Systems) is icing on a very nostalgic, sepia-toned postcard from memory.
Read more ... Boomkat
Saxon and the Slowbrew
THE SLOWBREW
Released 1 November 2024
North Fitzroy Records
****-
An impressive debut album by soulful combo from Phillip Island, south east of Melbourne.
This is an album of original compositions from the songwriting partnership of bass player Dave Prideaux and guitarist Lachlan Gale, featuring the mellifluous, soulful vocals of Saxon Taylor-LePage.
There's next to no information available online but one suspects there's considerable accumulated experience hidden in the backstory of these players. Perhaps the band's name is a clue?
Even so, with considerable poise, The Slowbrew has forged an evenly-paced, set of ten lovingly-formed songs. And although each song is relatively short (the album just 32 minutes), the overall album is compelling: it's narrative arc, from the opening "All Time Lover" to sign-off instrumental "Until We Meet Again", invites play (and replay) in full. Consequently, this debut suggests that The Slowbrew fits comfortably into the milieu of the Melbourne scene, somewhere in the vicinity of Kylie Auldist, Allysha Joy and Surprise Chef.
Saxon & the Slowbrew consists of:
Dave Prideaux - Bass/Vocals
Saxon Taylor-LePage - Vocals
James van Cuylenburg - Keys
Lachlan Gale - Guitar
Melijah Maghanoy - Flute
Let's Do It
JEMMA CHER
Released 25 October 2024
Jemma Cher
****-
Jemma Cher, a gifted Melbourne vocalist, brings maturity, sophistication, and dazzling virtuosity to each and every performance. At only 23 years old, Jemma boasts extensive stage experience which has shaped her into the artist she is today.
Her exceptional talent was recognised when she won the 'Sing Loud' competition in 2014 under the auspices of Reconciliation Australia, with judges Delta Goodrem and Gurrumul selecting her. This experience introduced Jemma to the unifying power of music and its effect on people.
Since then, Jemma has headlined over two hundred solo performances, received four Performing Arts scholarships, placed first in numerous local competitions and eisteddfods, and reached the semi-finals of the Rob Guest Endowment award at just 17 years old.
Jemma's unique vocal abilities, which include a large range, effortless tone, and exceptional control, add something special to her performances in Jazz, Gospel, and R&B genres.
"This album encapsulates me, a body of work that is versatile, unscripted and can take you anywhere. We recorded this album in October 2023 after a year of sold out shows, the audience needed a place to hear my music, rather than releasing 1 or 2 singles, I am releasing a whole album. Collaborating with incredible musicians and especially the talented Lior on his song Sonja has really been a highlight."
Read more ... Jemma Cher
Cartoonish Darkness
AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS
Released 25 October 2024
Amyl and The Sniffers
****-
Singer Amy Taylor sounds like X-Ray Spex’s Poly Styrene had she hailed from Bundoora or Wonga Park, and the band are on the brink of transforming critical acclaim and cult status into something much bigger.
Amyl and the Sniffers’ third album, Cartoon Darkness, stays true to their raw punk roots. When an acoustic guitar appears nine songs in, it’s genuinely shocking. The Australian quartet’s sound is steeped in pub-punk energy and their homeland’s roughhouse cultural heritage, with a sharpie-inspired aesthetic to match. Their past tracks—Blowjobs, Gacked on Anger, and Don’t Need a Cunt (Like You to Love Me)—have shown little interest in subtlety, embracing a brash, no-nonsense approach.
The album’s cover sets the tone: frontwoman Amy Taylor flashes her breasts while pulling a face, while the band sports their signature unkempt style. Opener Jerkin’ is classic Sniffers—two minutes of blistering, one-chord punk with a confrontational lyric, accompanied by an explicit video viewable only on their website.
Yet beneath the surface, Cartoon Darkness signals evolution. The band, aware of their self-imposed musical limits, subtly experiments while retaining their signature aggression. These shifts hint at a group eager to expand their sonic palette without losing their identity—pushing the boundaries of their sound while staying unmistakably Amyl and the Sniffers.
Read more ... The Guardian
Been Remindin' Me
XPRESS POINT
Released 25 October 2024
Energy Exchange Records
****-
Assembled in 2023 across Melbourne/Naarm, London and Berlin, from surf breaks to crusty drum breaks, Xpress Point is a vehicle for Hayes to search for the perfect bassline, explore funk minimalism, continue nurturing long-time musical relationships.
After a string of ambient and experimental releases across labels such as Bedroom Suck, Best Effort, Ken Oath and Analogue Attic, Matthew Hayes - veteran bassist of Z*F*E*X, (Zeitgeist Freedom Energy Exchange) welcomes his latest project Xpress Point, designed to keep your hips moving rather than kicked back on your couch.
Born out of jam sessions and collaborations with artists such as Dreamcastmoe, Jitwam, Ziggy Zeitgeist, Finn Rees and Allysha Joy and an obsession with reclaiming the nostalgic sound sounds of the Korg M1 and Yamaha DX7, Xpress Point, which takes It’s name from a local surf break off the coast of Phillip Island, (somewhere southeast of Naarm/Melbourne), draws heavily from the boogie tradition with a nod to vapourware, downtempo, balearic and funk breaks.
Read more ... Bandcamp
The Epilogue
DEAN LEWIS
Released 18 October 2024
Island Records
****-
Australian singer-songwriter Dean Lewis returns with his third studio album, The Epilogue, released on October 18, 2024. This collection delves deep into themes of heartache, passionate love, and bittersweet farewells, captivating listeners with its emotional depth.
Dean Lewis's The Epilogue is a testament to his growth as an artist, offering a reflective journey through some of life's most profound emotions.
The album opens powerfully with "Empire" and "All I Ever Wanted," both tracks showcasing Lewis's signature emotive vocals and poignant songwriting. "Rest," a duet with Sasha Alex Sloan, stands out as a heartfelt ballad exploring the complexities of love.
Throughout the album, Lewis maintains his trademark authenticity, with songs like "Love of My Life" and "Until The End" reflecting on deep affection and commitment. "Clelia's Song" serves as a touching tribute to a lost loved one, with raw vocals conveying profound grief.
The closing track, "The Last Bit of Us," addresses the end of a relationship, encapsulating the theme of moving forward. Lewis's ability to convey complex emotions through his music makes The Epilogue a compelling listen.
While the album revisits familiar themes, its sincerity and depth ensure it resonates deeply with listeners. The Epilogue not only reflects on Lewis's past experiences but also hints at his future musical direction, making it a significant addition to his discography.
Read more ... wikipedia
The Haunting
CLAIRE BURCHILL
Released 18 October 2024
****-
The Haunting sees Claire’s songcraft bloom into a more fully fleshed out and expansive soundscape. An album that blurs the boundaries between rock and pop, electronic and analogue. Traversing a heady mix of genre, tempo. Invoking everything from edgy disco to anguished torch song.
Claire Birchall’s continuing evolution as a songwriter / performer plus her commitment to DIY and sincerity over irony make her one of the most compelling and long-standing members of the Melbourne music community. From stunningly raw confessions to big-time rock to pop songs lavished with fuzzed out guitar, Casio and loops, Claire continues to find new ways to present her material to audiences.
The Melbourne singer songwriter's new solo album is a collection of dark and personal pop songs - a “gothic” tapestry of carefully articulated layered melodies, multifarious, diverse and divergent instrumentation, adorned with vocals that duck and weave around each other in often surprising and experimental patterns. The Haunting is moodier and, at times heavier, and more emotionally complex than its predecessor Running in Slow Motion (itLP016 2020). Inspired by nightmares, fairy tales and ghost stories, the songs describe themes of loss, fear, grief, sadness and anxiety.
Read more ... Bandcamp
Bleed
THE NECKS
Released 18 October 2024
Northern Sky
***--
It may be unfriendly and demanding beyond a level I've ever experienced from the Necks, but it is so meticulously, disarmingly constructed as such that it might just stand among their most intriguing works to date; leave any expectations of an easy ride at the door, and you'll shocked at how expertly it drains you.
The Necks have nothing to prove to anyone at this point, which is all the explanation you need for why their latest record Bleed exists in the form it does. Their central enterprise is well-charted – a jazz trio churning a single prismatic nugget through their keys-bass-drums matrix until an album's worth of improv has materialised, evolved, and made you question everything you thought you knew about capital-M minimalism – and it's withstood umpteen minor permutations. Admirers of the group's classic one-song, one-album, one-hour formula have welcomed bipartite structures and extra hands into the studio (Aquatic), braced themselves as drummer Tony Buck took leave from the kit to chip and scrape away on his guitar (Chemist), and long since accepted that a Necks record can contain as many tracks as it pleases so long as each treats the thought of a ten-minute runtime as a skimpy baseline (Unfold). The more things change, well, the more chances one has to get the opening minutes of a Necks joint as intuitively as a beat-perfect movie scene, only to find question whether they still get it when they're locked into the same shot quarter of an hour later.
As per last year's Travel, the Necks are still near-peerless in their mastery of a riveting tableau, but Bleed gives the sceptical listener an uncustomary amount of leeway to question why they stepped into the cinema to begin with. Ignore the familiar premise of its sole, forty-minute title-track — this is anything but a standard Necks experience. Like nothing else I've heard from the group, Bleed bears a terminal fixation on negative space; takes an uncompromising step into their minimalist suit and inclines it firmly away from the rapturous Steve Reich-adjacencies that spiralled out of Aether and Chemist's "Abillera", instead plunging headlong into netherspace and ruthlessly resisting any impression of structure that threatens to emerge from its fractured cycles.
Read more ... Sputnik Music
Tension II
KYLIE MINOGUE
Released 18 October 2024
BMG
****-
Tension II is a testament to Minogue's enduring ability to craft infectious dance-pop anthems, solidifying her legacy in the pop music landscape.
Kylie Minogue's latest album, Tension II, is a pulsating love letter to dance music, featuring collaborations with artists like Sia and The Blessed Madonna.
The album demonstrates Minogue's continuing longevity and adaptability, in a career that spans 5 decades. She is the only female artist to have a number-one album in five consecutive decades.
Since changing labels to BMG and Liberator (Mushroom Records) in 2017 Kylie has now released four consecutive chart topping studio albums Golden (2018), Disco (2020), Tension (2023) and Tension II (2024), as well as the compilation album Step Back in Time: The Definitive Collection (2019) — all debuted at number one in Australia and the UK.
Tension II opens with the energetic "Lights Camera Action," setting a vibrant tone that continues with tracks like "Kiss Bang Bang" and "Good As Gone." "Taboo" maintains the energy of the opening track, with its dark electronic production - imagine a raunchier version of an ABBA deep cut.
While Tension II doesn't quite reach the emotional highs of its predecessor, it still offers listeners a fresh set of highly infectious dance tunes.
Some tracks, like "Hello", "Midnight Ride" and "Dance Alone" miss the mark, but highlights such as "Taboo" and "Edge of Saturday Night" (a collaboration with The Blessed Madonna) exhibit Minogue's appeal through catchy beats and classy production.
Read more ... Kylie Minogue
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Better Days (EP)
LEO JAMES
Released 15 October 2024
Leo Thomson / Body Language
****-
Better Days is the sixth release by Leo James. The EP weaves together the waveforms of James’ evolving sound, from the first tracks he made as a teenager looping samples on an MPC, to the raw, stripped back machine funk of his early Body Language releases, and the deeper, more dubbed and smudged palette of his recent work.
With his tasteful take on breakbeat-driven sounds, Melbourne producer Leo James shows his range here with different grooves all exploring different moments. 'Better Days' is one that has you gazing off to the middle distance, lost in the rueful pads. 'Olive Grove' is a slowed-down and dubbed-out sound with lots of lovely reverb and 'Burst The Gates' is a deep digi-dub style cut with angelic vocals. 'A Thousand White Kites Flying High Above The Sea' is the ambient laced downtempo closer for late-night dreaming.
Read more ... Bandcamp, Juno Records
Revulva
REVULVA
Released 11 October 2024
Revulva
****-
The ten songs included here capture the dynamic energy and juxtapositions that power their percussive grooves, spellbinding horn section and Johnson’s silky smooth songcraft and spoken word strut.
Over the last five years, Wellington octet Revulva has won over audiences around New Zealand with their frenzied, high-energy stage shows. Taking their cues from Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club, Jamiroquai, Steely Dan, Herbie Hancock, Minnie Ripperton, and Prince, their self-titled debut album reimagines the anything-goes energy of New York City’s 1970s downtown scene and London’s 1990s funk and soul renaissance through an antipodean perspective where awkward, deadpan humour goes hand in hand with the band’s social concerns and inherent feminist politics.
Led by the bassist, vocalist and composer Phoebe Johnson, Revulva recorded and produced this record at Doctor Lee Prebble’s Surgery Studios. In the same spirit as singles ‘Bush Bash’ and ‘Beep Beep’.
It’s a high-wire act in a three-ring circus. You’re all invited to the Revulva party. You can even cry if you want to.
Read more ... Bandcamp
Stiletto
GUT HEALTH
Released 11 October 2024
Gut Health / AWAL Recordings
****-
One of Australia’s most promising new exports have captured lightning in a bottle on this effortlessly cool LP
As indebted to the era of post-punk in the late-70s as it is to the NYC 2000s revival, Gut Health have crafted a percussively driven, instantly danceable style of motorik indie that impossibly toes the great divide between resolute, forceful intent and nonchalant, effortless cool.
Their dynamite live show instantly became an “if-you-know-you-know” insider tip in the Melbourne music scene following their early 2020s emergence. Anyone who caught so much of a glimpse at these shows soon knew that the urgency and energy of this dynamic sextet could only be contained for so long.
The secret is officially out. As their profile rises in their native Australia, thanks to sizable support slots with Queens Of The Stone Age and Hiatus Kaiyote, the rest of the world will soon be playing catch-up.
Ironically, the only thing holding the album back from perfection is the potential it shows for Gut Health’s future. As great as what’s on offer here is, you just know the sextet are just getting warmed up. For those seeking their indie rock artsy, out of the ordinary and daringly different, try ‘Stiletto’ on for size. It might just be a perfect fit.
Read more ... NME
Inhale / Exhale
RÜFÜS DU SOL
Released 11 October 2024
Rose Avenue / Reprise Records
****-
Inhale / Exhale is akin to the release of a long-held breath - a rush of sound that moves from intimate whispers to roaring crescendos.
The band's fifth album feels like a sonic landscape as vast and unpredictable as the lives that shaped it and finds them imbuing their emotional core with even more depth while chasing the horizons of what their music can become.
After the dust of the pandemic settled, the trio, who found themselves now scattered between the sunny shores of San Diego and Miami, chose to rebuild.
And in doing so, they found creative freedom like never before, leading to the perfect storm of atmospheric electronica.
Read more ... edm.com
Ngiya Ga Ngiya
KALLUM MUNGULU
Released 7 October 2024
Kallum Mungulu
****-
Here is an album of heartfelt songs forged by the artist's life experience in the stunning saltwater country near Derby, in north western Australia's Kimberley region: where the tidal range exceeds 10 metres, the daily temps top the fahrenheit century and the visual contrasts of red dirt & turquoise sea below enormous skies are unforgettable.
The album opens with a spoken preamble that references 40-50 thousand years of continuous culture and habitation and although there's sadness in the song ("nothing's the same without you Old Man") there's also the unspoken implication that life continues.
Kallums Mungulu sings and plays in the distinctive cadence and at the laconic pace of the Outback, producing familiar-sounding melodies, often decorated by inventive instrumentation and recalling standards of the songmen that have preceded and inspired him, such as Yothu Yindi, Stephen Pigram, Jimmy Chi (and likely, wethink) Bart Willoughby, Neil Murray, Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter.
"Ngiya Ga Ngiya" cleverly quotes many of these artists before its bouncy ska sax's kick in, optimistically calling upon Australia's children to make change. Perhaps an anthem for last year's "Yes" referendum, we hope this song finds a second life in a more generous future .
Mungulu's songs celebrate Country, Culture, Family and Language, finding great joy in dance (Dancing), the change of seasons (Rain Song) and the celebration of life's journey (Mowanjum, Old Guitars).
This excellent debut concludes with a pair of standout songs - each surely to become crowd favourites - the rodeo story "Ride Cowboy Ride" and mandolin-laced truckies' anthem "Traveller".
Read more ... Bandcamp
Corey Boy Child
JEEYUEN LWOY
Released 7 October 2024
Jeeyuen Lwoy
****-
Jeeyeun Lwoy's nine track album"Corey Boy Child" is a heartbreakingly moving eulogy for the artist's deceased young son and an inspirational testament to a father's love and faith.
Uploading this set of previously unreleased songs to Triplej's Unearthed channel in October/November 2024, nearly 20 years since their recording, Lwoy wrote:
"Hi my name is Jeeyuen I'm getting a bit long in the tooth these day 🙂But Back in the early 1990s to the early 2000s I was in a few different bands up in the top end of Western Australia.
Back in 1992 I was the lead singer of heavy rock band Silhoutte. Our 5 mins of fame was playing at the first Stompem Ground charity event aired by ABC up in Broome Western Australia. But yeah up until the early 2000s I played in a few different bands.
In 2005 I recorded a an album called Corey Boychild but never released it, It was to close to my heart at the time as lot of the songs were written as a form of healing for me. The album has pretty much sad songs to do with loss of Love as you will hear if you take the time to listen. Its been over 20yrs since they were written. And I hope they give comfort to whoever hears them.
The album Corey Boy Child was recorded in redbank plains, in the basement of Michael Travers back in 2004. And Sound engineered, mixed by Ben Glatzer, Revolver studio Morley W.A."
Read more ... Triplej Unearthed
Wave Theory
TAMIL ROGEON
Released 4 October 2024
Impressive Collection / BBE Music
****-
Listeners can expect the same modal experiments, driving percussion and cosmic synths of Son of Nyx as well as new and exhilarating experiments in electric string instrumentation.
Tamil Rogeon, the Melbourne based multifaceted jazz, classical and electronic violin & viola player firmly cemented his reputation with the critical success of his 2021 album Son Of Nyx which found favour with the likes of Gilles Peterson, Laurent Garnier, Rebecca Vasmant, BBC6 Music's' Cerys Matthews and Deb Grant, and was a Jazz FM’ Album of the Week.
Building upon that highly original sound concept, Wave Theory draws from the jazz fusion movements of the 70s and 80s and conjures up textured soundscapes rich with cosmic synths, soaring vocals and deep jazz funk, and sees Tamil once again joining forces with Son of Nyx contributors Rita Satch and Daniel Mougerman, plus new collaborators and special guests including Lance Ferguson and celebrated trumpeter, friend Audrey Powne.
Read more ... Bandcamp
Got A Story To Tell
THEE SACRED SOULS
Released 4 October 2024
*****
What swirls together on Got A Story To Tell is an appreciation of decades of soul music, and beyond - a sound and feel that is timeless, lived in, and very much in the now.
The highly anticipated follow-up to Thee Sacred Souls's breakout 2022 self-titled debut, Got A Story To Tell, features 12 all original new songs, a soaring statement of exquisite craftsmanship from this young band from San Diego whose story grows bigger by the day. Recorded and produced by Gabriel Roth at Penrose Recorders, in Daptone’s Riverside, CA studio, and written in the throes of supporting their 2022 album - which was met with significant excitement and major touring that brought them across the world.
Album opener “Lucid Girl” champions independent women, set to some of the toughest sounding drums and bass the band has yet to put to tape. “Waiting On The Right Time” slinks with a touch of slow-burning psychedelia. A plea for empathy punctuates “One and the Same,” with Lane singing: “We’re one and the same, I feel one day / We learn to live with each other / In love, not fear / Just for a moment, why can’t we be together.” “On My Mind” is a sweeping orchestration, with Lane navigating the complexities of finding happiness while balancing the good with the bad. The album is punctuated with strings and squelching guitar, trundling piano, pops of conga, horns - it makes for a thrilling, layered listen that rewards with multiple spins.
Read more ... Bandcamp
Backbone
KASEY CHAMBERS
Released 4 October 2024
Essence Music
*****
Chambers is among the most consistently satisfying songwriters to emerge from the roots music scene in the antipodes, and the stylish twang of her vocals has only gained strength with the passage of time; every track is strong enough to live up to her lofty standards, and Chambers' production serves the songs with just the right amount of soulful bite.
It's been nearly a quarter-century since Kasey Chambers burst out of the gate with her first solo album, The Captain (1999), and she's risen from a scrappy upstart to one of Australia's most respected artists. The best part is she's managed to do this without audible compromise or dulling her edge; Chambers has always sounded bold, fearless, and unconcerned with what others may think of her, and that hasn't changed a bit on 2024's Backbone, her first album in six years.
She may sound a bit more content on these songs than she did in her younger years, which can probably be chalked up to the wisdom of experience. You can hear it in the adventures of "Silverado Girl," the tarnished wisdom of "Arlo," and the unexpected sweetness of "The Divorce Song," a duet with her former husband, Shane Nicholson, that may be the warmest expression of friendship between two former spouses that's ever been set to music, acknowledging mistakes on both sides and celebrating the good and the bad. She also duets with Ondara on "My Kingdom Come," and the deliberate grace of their harmonies is stunning. But she's as capable as ever of cutting a stark acoustic ballad like "Dart n Feather," wishing for a romance like a good rock & roll song in "A Love Like Springsteen," and cutting a sly, sexy, and slinky number like "Little Red Riding Hood," where she sounds like more than a match for any suitor.
Most startlingly, she includes a recording of her cover of EMINEM's classic "Lose Yourself" which not only reinvents the rap song, but allows Chambers and band to cut loose in the style of Patti Smith's "Horses".
Read more ... AllMusic
A Lion Is A Lion
COOL OUT SUN, N'FA JONES, SENSIBLE J
Released 4 October 2024
House of Beige
****-
Melbourne based, with inspirations ranging from traditional Afro folk & Taaso to Afro-Beat & Hip Hop and so called World music.
Spearheaded by Sierra-Leonean Australian MC N'fa Jones and South African Australian producer Sensible J, Cool Out Sun are a unique cross-cultural group who create music bridging the traditions of classic hip hop with the traditions of Afrobeat, Afro soul and roots music.
The duo blend West African language and culture with modern sonics that jump out of the speakers. Beats are built on the MPC and refined with live instrumentation and vocals, recorded in their lofi indie label's House of Beige studio. The group's explosive live show has them performing consistently, and their music has been getting a lot of Australian airplay as well as spins across the US, EU and the UK radio.
Cool Out Sun songs go deep into social subjects and storytelling with historical and cultural messaging hidden in catchy hooks and heavy grooves.
Cool Out Sun drop the bustling, percussive and beautifully melodic LP A Lion Is a Lion through their own label, House Of Beige. Featuring an incredible line up of local guests, the LP includes collaborations with Sampa The Great, Immy Owusu, Lamine Sonko, Vida Sunshyne, Bilalli and more.
Read more ... Bandcamp
House With The Blue Door
NICK WARD
Released 4 October 2024
EMI
****-
With its blend of raw emotion and infectious pop hooks, House With The Blue Door solidifies Nick Ward’s place as a visionary artist, leaving a lasting impression on all who venture through its musical corridors.
The album was inspired by the music playing in his dad’s car when he was growing up, from The Beatles and Lou Reed to classic Australian pub-rock.
“House With The Blue Door was the nickname my brother and I gave our house when we were little kids. (My) turbulent personal journey really shaped the album into what it is and inspired it a lot more darkness than the sunny, childlike album I initially set out to make. I was also trying to emulate the feeling that I got listening to music in the back of my dad’s car with the windows open – The Beatles, Springsteen, Pink Floyd and lots of Australian pub rock,” says Ward.
A recent writing trip to Stockholm working with Troye Sivan and Oscar Gorres helped further inspire the pop influence on the record. These sessions, working on “Can’t Go Back Baby” (a track from Sivan’s Something To Give Each Other), expanded his view of pop music and further helped shape House With The Blue Door into an exuberant and fuzzed-out, emotional yet danceable record.
Read more ... Prelude Press
SOS
NICE BISCUIT
Released 4 October 2024
Nice Biscuit
****-
With the beautifully hypnotic and soothing vocals of front women, Billie Star and Grace Cuell, SOS is about finding calm and balance in our chaotic world.
Following the acclaim of their 2018 debut LP Digital Mountain and 2021 EPs Create Simulate and Passing Over, Nice Biscuit’s eagerly-awaited second album, SOS embodies the fuzzy groove-laden psych that Nice Biscuit is renowned for while introducing new danceable feels influenced by their love of disco, jazz fusion and world music.
While writing the album, the band often discussed the weight and compounding of the various crises of the world, thus each song is a different response to these turbulent times. The band explains; “Sometimes we feel hopeful and grateful, sometimes pessimistic and desolate, sometimes mournful and angry at the system, sometimes we feel that love can solve it all and sometimes we just become overwhelmed and apathetic about everything.”
Read more ... Bandcamp
Read Between The Sheets
ISADORA
Released 27 September 2024
Isadora
***--
Between the Sheets may not break new ground, but it offers a pleasant listening experience, particularly suited for moments of introspection and intimacy.
Egyptian born and NZ/Australian raised artist Isadora is cementing her place in the music scene with lyrics oozing confidence, self love and speaking one's mind with no care for controversy or consequence. Isadora's ambient, sensual R&B/Pop tracks are met with Middle-Eastern inspired sonics, Arabic & French lyrics and indulgent vocal stacks and runs, making for a truly transportive experience
Read Between the Sheets, ventures into the intimate realms of contemporary R&B, offering a collection that aims to resonate with listeners on a personal level. Announced via her Instagram eight months prior to its release, Isadora described the project as "a full EP for those intimate times," suggesting a focus on themes of love and closeness.
However, while the album's cohesion is evident, some tracks struggle to distinguish themselves, occasionally blending into one another without offering distinct musical or lyrical elements. The production, while polished, at times leans on conventional R&B tropes, leaving a desire for more innovative arrangements.
Despite these critiques, Isadora's vocal performance remains a highlight throughout the album. Her ability to convey emotion and vulnerability adds depth to the tracks, even when the songwriting doesn't fully rise to the occasion.
Read more ... Sarah Blasko
Kaninna (EP)
Miss Kaninna
Released 20 September 2024
Soul Has No Tempo
****-
Her art is a powerful expression of her experiences as a young Blak woman in so-called Australia, drawing from the rich cultural heritage and paths laid before her by her Matriarchs.
Hailing from lutruwita/Tasmania, Miss Kaninna is a proud Yorta Yorta, Djadja Wurrung, Kalkadoon and Yirendali woman who grew up on the shores of Bruny Island who has been commanding stages from a young age, carrying forward the storytelling of her ancestors and fearlessly bringing them into the present.
Growing up at the side of the stage and touring with her Mother, musician, activist and facilitator Ruth Langford, live music and performance was a formative part of her life and childhood.
Accepted into the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) for Aboriginal Theatre after school, she later went on to be cast as Cynthia, one of the lead characters in the Australian theatre tour of The Sapphires.
Her grandmother, Rosalind Langford, was a famous painter and renowned activist who played a pivotal role in starting the Aboriginal Information Service (AIS) in the 70s, the first Aboriginal organisation in Tasmania.ey’.
Her provocative lyricism and bold songwriting took shape in these sessions, resulting in a compelling live solo project that captivated audiences when she debuted new music with her band at 2022’s Dark Mofo festival.
Without any official music released, Miss Kaninna’s potent live energy alone earned her slots at Tasmania’s top festivals and her debut single, ‘Blak Britney’ – an anti-establishment anthem aimed at amplifying the voices of Blak women – was released to critical acclaim in May 2023 landing full rotation on triple j.
Read more ... Soul Has No Tempo
Kaninna (EP)
Miss Kaninna
Released 20 September 2024
Soul Has No Tempo
****-
The Gamilaraay musician’s second album is filled with light and shade, resilience and humour – though it doesn’t quite match the highs of her debut
For Thelma Plum, fury and care are two sides of the same coin. With her 2019 debut album Better in Blak, the Gamilaraay singer-songwriter announced herself and her views in ways both defiant and tender. In 2022, she released the EP Meanjin, a warmly nostalgic love letter to her hometown of Brisbane.
Plum’s second full-length album – released on the cusp of her 30th birthday – leans into the rage while retaining her signature sensitivity. Its instrumentation is lush and expansive, bringing in strings (I Don’t Play That Song Anymore) and layered vocal arrangements that become almost instrumental themselves (Wiseman, Freckles). There are flirtations with other genres, too – Nobody’s Baby is an up-tempo disco track, replete with whistles.
Plum’s velvety voice, one of her greatest assets, glides throughout: it soars to a high on the lovelorn, piano-led Golden Touch, which takes a page out of Adele’s songbook. On album closer I Don’t Play That Song Anymore, Plum sounds steady and sweet, backed by simple acoustic guitar and strings which chug to a climax.
Despite its strengths, I’m Sorry, Now Say It Back lands with less impact than Plum’s debut. These are well-written songs with passion and purpose, and her sonic landscape is expanding, but nothing on here moved me as much as, for instance, Better in Blak’s Thulumaay Gii (Plum’s middle name, which translates to thunder and heart), or that album’s woozy self-affirmation Homecoming Queen, a song about defying Eurocentric beauty standards.
But her cornerstones – people and place – are still here. Plum sees the world both as it is and what it could be, on no one’s terms but her own
Read more ... The Guardian
Not A Stranger
ELA STILES
Released 19 September 2024
Felt Sense
****-
On this new LP Stiles embraces "orchestral grandeur, dark pulsating dance floor bangers, euphoric pop hooks and intimate ballads", signalling a bold new era for the artist. Influences are diverse, spanning global folk sounds to industrial textures.
Not A Stranger is the fourth album from Ela Stiles, the acclaimed Melbourne artist known for solo explorations of folk and electronic genres as well as her work with bands like Songs and Bushwalking.
In a recent interview, Stiles described her songwriting process: "My way of writing is pretty much to make a beat, record a basic melody and then I do toplining, which is singing whatever, anything, but just getting the rhythm and the melody down. And then for me I just fit words in."
Stiles also touched on the development of the record: "'I've been working on it since 2017...I think it's good that it took that long because otherwise it wouldn't be the same record. I learnt a lot of things and I learnt a lot of production stuff.'
The extended creative process has resulted in a captivating collection. Not A Stranger balances lush pop melodies and soaring vocals, with moments of restraint and more experimental song structures.
Read more ... RRR
Waves
ROSS MCHENRY
Released 13 September 2024
****-
'Waves' stands as the latest milestone in McHenry's distinguished career, inviting listeners to immerse themselves in a rich musical experience that spans the personal and universal.
Waves' is an ambitious project from Adelaide Australia bassist-composer Ross McHenry, an exploration of memory, history, and the impact of seismic personal and existential events.
'Waves' embarks from the depths of the ocean to the nostalgia of childhood gardens, encapsulating Ross McHenry’s reflections on the ephemeral nature of memory and history.
Crafted in the wake of Australia's devastating 2019 summer fires, Waves stands as a poignant love letter to the landscapes and relationships that shape our stories.
'Waves' also represents a significant evolution in McHenry's artistic journey, reinforcing his status as a pivotal figure in new Australian music.
Recorded at the Bunker Studios in New York, the album features an impressive roster of musicians, including Ross McHenry (Bass), Eric Harland (Drums), Donny McCaslin (Tenor Saxophone), Adam O'Farrill (Trumpet), Ben Monder (Guitar), Matthew Sheens (Piano), lifting McHenry's celebrated compositional voice to unprecedented heights.
Read more ... Bandcamp
Shelter for a Broken Soul
LOUIS TM
Released 13 September 2024
Diver Records
****-
‘Shelter For a Broken Soul’ is a collection of easily-loved songs painted on a soul canvas. Louis T.M. is a master in drip-feeding emotions at the perfect pace.
After 15 years cutting his teeth in the music scene of Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington, NZ), as both a sideman (eg. for Ria Hall) and frontman, keys player Louis Thompson-Munn, aka Louis T.M., has delivered a debut album titled ‘Shelter For A Broken Soul’.
Recorded and mixed at Surgery Studios by Lee Prebble, ‘Shelter For A Broken Soul’ features various keyboard backdrops to mellow brass, piercing guitar solos, and a boxy, slightly overdriven vocal that penetrates the heart.
Not only does the album sound spectacular, it’s a class in songwriting from this jazz school graduate. Each piece of music has a distinctive element in the feel and timbre, making it stand out in what is really, faithfully, a soul album.
Read more ... NZ Musician
with love
JACKSON DAHLENBURG
Released 20 September 2024
jackson dahlenburg
****-
"'With Love’ is a collection of songs about love and sending love. This was not an intentional concept but rather a result of finding myself expressing love through playing piano. The album is all about sending love to important people in my life.
jackson is an instrumental piano player based in Melbourne. Combining jazz teachings with classical, and contemporary, he plays piano as a tool to express deep contemplation and meditations on his life.
He writes: "'With Love’ is a collection of songs about love and sending love. This was not an intentional concept but rather a result of finding myself expressing love through playing piano. The album is all about sending love to important people in my life.
It started as a wedding gift for two of my dearest friends Pierce and Marie. I wanted to gift them songs that represented various stages of their love. Three of the songs are reflections from seeing them together in Marie’s world, as well as living with them in Footscray, and living with Pierce during long periods in which they were apart. From here the other songs came into fruition as I started reflecting on other important people and moments in my life.
I struggled with imposter syndrome of making a solo piano album with the idea that it was not good enough and full of mistakes.
With time I realised the beauty and vulnerability of this. I am an imperfect person and the songs needed to reflect and be true to that.
Now looking back at the process and hearing the album in a time where I have changed and grown, I see what I was composing about.
It was a process and plea to send love to myself.
Thank you for listening.
Read more ... Bandcamp
The Making of Silk
ALLYSHA JOY
Released 13 September 2024
First World Records
*****
Riding on the waves of rich string arrangements, layers of vocal harmony and the raw poeticism she is known for, Allysha Joy's next album is embodying love.
Known for her solo work and as the frontwoman of 30/70, Allysha Joy's husky, soulful voice and exceptional Fender Rhodes skills make her a standout in the jazz-soul scene. She hails from Melbourne and is a singer, songwriter, producer, and keys player who has had big props from key figures.
Entirely self-produced and affectionately poured over, 'The Making of Silk' out on First Word Records, is about a new understanding of the meaning of love.
Joy says, "it's the kind of love that bell hooks writes about, that lives in the poetry of Mary Oliver, Hafiz and the passionate dreaming of a Koryusai painting. It's about a love that is compassionate, that lives in open conversation, deep listening, the front lines of social movement and would never seek to stifle the light in you. It's about accepting our aloneness, the impermanence of all things and still forever wanting to prove it wrong, to say that I understand that all things change, all things end, hurt exists, but I will love regardless."
Read more ... WorldwideFM
Mayawa
RIPPLE EFFECT BAND
Released 13 September 2024
Ripple Effect Band
****-
Mayawa is more than just a collection of songs, it is a celebration of Ripple Effect Band’s stories as mothers, daughters and sisters, sung in the languages of their people.
Ripple Effect Band have garnered widespread acclaim for their work forging new ground and sound.
After kick-starting their career together with tours to Arnhem Land Bak’bididi and Gattjirrk Festivals in 2017, they soon travelled to Eora/Sydney to record their debut EP, Wárrwarra. Independently released in 2018, the 4-track project included the first song to be recorded in the highly endangered Na-kara language Hunting Song, alongside the moving Diyama (Mermaid Song).
Since, the band has embarked on national tours to festivals such as Barunga, Garma, Nannup, Mona Foma, Darwin Festival, East Arnhem Live, while selling out their own headline shows in Eora/Sydney, Garamilla/Darwin and Naarm/Melbourne.
Each track of Mayawa resonates with the echoes of traditional ceremonies, capturing the raw beauty of their heritage and the dynamic pulse of their present. On this record, Ripple Effect Band invite listeners on a journey through time and space, where every note and lyric is a bridge connecting past and future generations.
Read more ... PBS FM
Crime In Australia
Party Dozen
Released 6 September 2024
GRUPO
****-
Across its ten tracks, Crime In Australia showcases a group absolutely unafraid to explore their “many dumb ideas” and as a result going places that are thrilling, visceral, face-melting, surprisingly danceable, and frequently ridiculous (often all at the same time).
Crime In Australia follows 2022’s The Real Work, the first Party Dozen record that (some) people were actually waiting for; the one that Nick Cave sang on; the one that had a track that Billy Woods jumped on for a rework; the one that took them to the USA, Europe (twice), Japan, China and New Zealand; the one that saw Party Dozen hook up with a cool US label (Temporary Residence Ltd.); the one that made Bandcamp, Stereogum, Brooklyn Vegan and a whole swathe of Australian radio stations declare it their Album of the Day/Week/Epoch; and the one that made KEXP invite the band in for a live session, and made Sub Pop add to their hallowed Singles Club. The Real Work was not the first Party Dozen record, but it was in many ways where Party Dozen really started to put it all together. Crime In Australia continues to build on their arc, and elevates their ascent with a slew of new songs that are simultaneously more focused and more feral than anything they’ve ever done.
Read more ... Bandcamp
Reinvention
JAIMEE JACKETT
Released 6 September 2024
****-
With a dynamic voice that morphs from glass clear and sweet, to blues-drenched wails, Jackett draws in audiences with her raw delivery, story and grit.
Dancing with death provides an interesting perspective on life. Genre-fluid pop artist, multi-instrumentalist and brain cancer survivor Jaime Jackett is a powerful and evocative Canadian - Australian performer based in Broome, Western Australia. Her music delicately treads the contrast between light and dark, deliberately juxtaposing them, and playing with the patterns and shadows they create.
Anchored by hooks, her music is influenced by a wide range of genres drawing in pure pop, folk and soul. Her cleverly penned lyrics tell tales of love, tribulations, and connection to the planet and community.
Read more ... Triplej Unearthed
The Second Act
MISSY HIGGINS
Released 6 September 2024
EMI Australia
****-
The Second Act isn't some roaring 'I Will Survive' feminist rally cry, nor is it spitting venom at an ex, a la Jagged Little Pill.
Instead, Missy Higgins has accomplished something far more rare: One of the most quietly profound, nuanced break-up albums you'll ever hear.
There's a poignant symmetry between the 20-year-old Higgins - a relatable writer of catchy, proudly Aussie-accented confessionals that could sound familiar and always hit close to home (to paraphrase 'Scar') - and today's older, wiser woman braving a new chapter after major upheaval.
Caught between torturing herself, over seemingly failing to live up to the societal expectations burdening women to be perfect wives and mothers, and getting out from under that cliché, this is easily Higgins' most soul-baring music yet. Not just in subject matter, but in sound.
These topics – parenting, not-so-domestic bliss, divorce – are practically taboo in an industry that's historically sold the toxic stereotype that age and/or motherhood are the kiss of death for an artists' career. And certainly haven't been commonly sung about by generations of men.
On a deeper level, that's what makes The Second Act special.
After inspiring a whole generation of artists to find their own voice (Amy Shark, Gordi, Gretta Ray, Kate Miller-Heidke, Clare Bowditch, Alice Skye, and Odette among them), Higgins has found a whole new realm of unfiltered authenticity to which others should aspire to.
'I'm not who I used to be/Not yet who I'll become', she frets at what is – poetically – the album's midpoint.
However, one thing is for certain as Higgins figures out the transition between her old life and whatever the future holds – she's one of our nation's bravest, brightest songwriters.
Read more ... Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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Tetsuo (EP)
Billsbry
Released 1 September 2023
Billsbry
****-
High on reverb and saturated with the spirit of dub reggae, Billsbry sound reminiscent of Khruangbin
Billsbry is the musical alias of Eora / Sydney based solo artist, Charlie Billsberry Fisher.
Starting out experimenting with instrumental psychedelic music, Billsbry’s sound has progressively evolved incorporating soul, jazz and experimental soundscape to his repertoire.
Featuring:
Tim Merrikin - Double bass (track 6)
Brekky Boy - Keys (track 1, 2 & 5)
Luke Gallen - Sax (track 1, 2 & 6)
Dominic Kirk - Percussion (track 2 & 3)
Read more ... Bandcamp
Wild God
NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS
Released 30 August 2024
Bad Seed / Play It Again Sam
*****
Throughout Wild God, the rattling fire of Thomas Wydler’s drums and the rolling undertow of Martyn Casey’s bass keep up the heat beneath the gracefully meandering, melodic arcs of Cave’s piano, Ellis’s violin, synths, flute and loops, Jim Sclavounos’s spine-tinglingly resonant vibraphone, and George Vjestica’s tender guitar. Melodies flood through the music and then disappear like currents. Wild God can feel fathomless, but it leaves you buoyant
Punk-turned-prophet Nick Cave often describes music as “sacred”. Performance, for him, is an act of communion with the audience. But Wild God, his 18th album with The Bad Seeds, feels more like a baptism: an ecstatic immersion in the rushing, pooling waters of love and loss that the sexagenarian artist has experienced since the death of his sons Arthur Cave (15) and Jethro Lazenby (31) in 2015 and 2022, respectively.
Across nine swelling, sinking, swirling soundscapes, the album’s imagery plunges listeners into the lakes and seas of a “swimming god” before bringing us up for air to gawp up at the stars (“bright, triumphant metaphors for love”) and then grounding us on a warm Earth where “the country doctor whistles across the meadow” and rocking us to sleep with the muffled piano ballad “As the Waters Cover the Sea”.
Cave has described each song on this record as an individual conversion – one track is titled as such – but you don’t need to subscribe to any religious faith to buy into the transformative power of love that is hymned here.
Read more ... The Independent
Wirlmarni
KANKAWA NAGARRA
Released 30 August 2024
Kankawa Nagarra
*****
Recorded by Kankawa's longtime friend Darren Hanlon, the sessions are relaxed and warm. It's a true gift - the experience of hearing Kankawa on her own land, in her own words.
Born in the traditional lands of the Gooniyandi and Walmatjarri peoples (of the Eastern Kimberley region) of North Western Australia, Kankawa grew up with the tribal songs at cultural ceremonies. She was taken from her family to a Christian mission, where she was taught hymns and Gospel songs with the choir. On the pastoral lease where she was sent to work, Country music was everywhere. She first heard rock and roll on the station gramophone.
But it wasn’t until many years later her musical journey truly began, when she stopped to listen to a busker outside a shop in Derby, Western Australia. It was the first time she’d heard the blues, and it awakened something in her. Through it, she found a medium to express all her thoughts and feelings, and it inspired her to turn these into songs. The empathy of her message extends from those she sees struggling around her to the entire planet being ravaged for profit.
Recorded live near her home in Western Australia, these twelve acoustic guitar and vocal tracks offer a glimpse of Kankawa's (also known as Olive Knight) far ranging humanity, humor, and lived experience. She shifts between musical styles and languages, backed by night bugs and the call of birds.
Read more ... Mississippi Records
Lighthill Sessions
ANDREW DE SILVA
Released 30 August 2024
Believe Entertainment
***--
An energetic release from Melbourne artist Andrew De Silva who specializes in a frenetic mix of R&B, Funk & Soul .
De Silva has a strong career resume full of achievements: from winning an ARIA for highest selling single of 1996“Lets Groove” with his band CDB to being a well respected solo artist / producer and seasoned performer, opening for major acts such as Mariah Carey and Boys II Men. He won Australia's Got Talent in 2012 singing all original songs and performs variously with his own band, in a "Dedication to Prince" tribute show or even as a solo artist.
Not much information is available online in relation to this release or reviews, except the following from the artist himself. : "This album was recorded with my band at Lighthill Studios and captures what we do on stage. Also on the album are a couple of LIVE tracks recorded from our shows! It also captures years of friendship and playing together. Something I’ve always wanted to do."
Drums - John Salerno
Bass - Rod Bustos
Keys - Paolo Cecchinelli
Guitar - Andre Dumas
Read more ... Andre De Silva
Xorb
SYCCO
Released 23 August 2024
Future Classic
****-
Made electrifying by Sycco’s unique synth-driven, psychedelic pop music, Zorb is a journey through the wonderful chaos of your early 20s; a love letter friendship and the chosen communities that hold us when it feels like the world is going sideways.
Brought to life by singer and producer Sasha McLeod’s psychedelic pop music, Zorb rattles through crumbling share houses, late nights, messy romances and the friendships that sustain you through it all. Sycco penned some tracks together with her housemates, as they together poured the feeling of big group hugs and living room dance parties to song. Others are her own private ruminations on romantic entanglements, growing up, and coming to see the world in wholly new ways. Sycco wrote and co-produced every track on the album, completing it with collaborators including Chrome Sparks, redveil, Flume, Mallrat, Banoffee, Thomas Rawle and Styalz Fuego.
Read more ... Bandcamp
Nara
EMILY WURRAMARA
Released 23 August 2024
Emily Wurramara / Australian Broadcasting Corporation
****-
Emily Wurramara’s latest album, NARA, is a musical journey that defies categorization and blends a diverse array of genres and influences. From indie and alt-pop to RnB, rock, and ambient sound, Emily fearlessly explores the complexities of life, love, and identity.
NARA is a testament to her unwavering commitment to artistic growth and weaves together thirteen years of personal and creative evolution into a cohesive and compelling narrative.
NARA opens with “Midnight Blues,” a track that immediately draws one in with its haunting melody and introspective lyrics. The song sets the tone for the album. A tone that is balanced between ethereal and earth, Emily’s voice soars above a bed of lush music and her delivery is delicate yet powerful. Her voice reflects the duality of her experiences: joy and sorrow, hope and despair. As she says, “You need both to truly understand peace.”
Throughout NARA, Emily collaborates with a range of artists that add depth and variety to her sound. But what truly sets NARA apart is its authenticity. Emily’s lyrics are steeped in honesty and reflection. They offer a window into her soul. She does not shy away from the difficult moments, her struggles with mental health, the devastation of losing her home, and the pressures of her public profile are all laid bare. Yet, there is also a sense of triumph, a celebration of survival and the joy found in community, family, and Country.
NARA is a statement of intent from an artist who refuses to be confined by expectations. Emily Wurramara has crafted a body of work that is as expansive as it is intimate, as complex as it is accessible. It is a celebration of life’s highs and lows, and a reminder of the beauty that can be found in both.
Read more ... Amplify The Noise
Waku Minaral A Minalay
CHRISTINE ANU
Released 9 August 2024
Christine Anu / Australian Broadcasting Corporation
****-
The literal translation of Waku is mat. Minaral is colours and Minalay means the patterns.
"The fabric of this album weaves together the songs of my maternal grandfather, Nadi Anu," she says.
Christine Anu spent many "hot, balmy nights" on the verandah at their rental in Wooloowin, Brisbane before her family relocated to Mabuiag Island in the Torres Strait where she spent much of her childhood. Anu's parents taught their children how to speak Kala Lagaw Ya, her Dad's language, and Kalaw Kawaw Ya, her mother's, through song. "It was shown [to us] that [music] could take up space in a room, fill it and really give joy to other people," Anu says, adding that music was handed down to her Dad too. "His mother was also a prolific composer in her own right."
Anu has been a household name since she released a cover version of the Warumpi Band's Island Home in 1995.
The song was the second single on her debut album Stylin' Up which was certified platinum.
Anu was "dropped" by Mushroom Records after her 10-year contract expired. "There was no email, there was no phone call, there was no card," she said.
Now with ABC Music, she says she couldn't have released Waku – Minaral A Minalay all those years ago anyway. The time is now.
"What's sprung forth is a beautiful ancestor that is exactly the second album that should come from a debut if you took out everything that happened in between."
The album Waku – Minaral A Minalay, also the name of the lead single, is produced by David Bridie, who produced Stylin' Up.There are soundscapes captured from Anu's visit to Thursday Island with Bridie, as well as traditional instruments from the Torres Strait on the album, but the primary instrument is Anu's powerful and euphonic vocals.
Read more ... ABC
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Family (EP)
JALGANY
Released 10 August 2024
Jalgany
****-
They are songs about love, loss, trauma, survival and strength in Aboriginal culture. They are also stories about the long and winding road that is the life we all live. These stories were written and recorded to be shared with your own families and friends.
Jalgany is fronted by Nola Lauch, a Kirrae-wurrung/Bundjalung woman who lives on the Mornington Peninsula of Victoria, Australia - south west of Narrm / Melbourne.
Nola is a visual artist, singer and songwriter who is committed to celebrating and sharing Aboriginal music, art and culture - in 2017 Nola received a regional NAIDOC Artist of the Year award in recognition of her songwriting and live performances.
Nola entertains audiences with her powerful and soulful vocal style. ‘Jalgany’ is a Yugambeh language word meaning Aboriginal woman.
The second Jalgany EP is a collection of five songs that talk about family. They are deeply personal stories from Nola about her brother, her mother, her aunts and uncles and her grandparents.
Read more ... Jalgany
Kill The Dead
3%
Released 9 August 2024
1788 Records
****-
Sosefina Fuamoli from Rolling Stone Australia gave the album a perfect score, saying, "Although covering weighty themes of reclamation, Indigenous deaths in custody and closing the gap, Kill the Dead is more than an album that is built on songs and stories of protest. It's also a beautifully celebratory moment for Blak musicians and artists. The arrival of this album is poignant, as the Australian music space is being flooded with the talents of a new generation of Blak excellence."
Kill the Dead is the debut studio album by Australian trio Angus Field, Nooky and Dallas Woods, credited as 3%.
The album was announced on 11 June 2024 and performed in full at Vivid Sydney on 14 June 2024, before being released on 9 August 2024.
The song "Our People" won Song of the Year at the National Indigenous Music Awards 2024.
At the 2024 ARIA Music Awards, the album won Best Hip Hop/Rap Release and Best Cover Art.
3% were nominated for Best Group and Michael Gudinski Breakthrough Artist.
At the 2024 J Awards, the album was nominated for Australian Album of the Year.
The trio's name 3% represents the Australian population that are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
Dallas Woods explained the album title, saying: "We never kill the dead because they live on in us. They remain in spirit. All the people that they tried to kill – the clans, they couldn't kill, we still exist. We have survived. So you could never kill the dead, because we're still alive. Their spirit will always be alive. They might be no longer here, but they are always here spiritually."
Read more ... Wikipedia
Sunday Sadness
AMY SHARK
Released 9 August 2024
Sony Music
***--
Sunday Sadness is a mixed bag: Shark's songwriting and musicality are in full force, yet, it falters in songs that, despite their introspective themes, fail to leave a lasting impact due to their wordiness and lack of musical diversity. This album offers glimpses of Shark's brilliance but doesn't consistently deliver throughout its entirety.
Amy Shark's third studio album, Sunday Sadness, presents a collection that oscillates between compelling urgency and moments of lyrical redundancy. The album opens with a burst of energy in tracks like "Slide Down the Wall," "It's Nice to Feel This Way Again," "Beautiful Eyes," and later, "Loving Me Lover." and the bubblegun anthem"Two Friends". These songs showcase Shark's knack for crafting engaging melodies paired with a palpable sense of urgency. The production is crisp, and the hooks are memorable, making these tracks stand out as the album's highlights.
However, as the album progresses, it delves into tracks such as "Gone," "Can I Shower at Yours," "Babe," "I'm Sorry," "I Wanna Be Known," and "Sunday Sadness."
These songs, while thematically centered on relationships, suffer from overly verbose lyrics and absence of insights. The narratives feel stretched, and the emotional resonance that Shark is known for from previous albums seems diluted. Musically, these tracks don't venture far from familiar territory, leading to a sense of monotony.
Critics have noted this disparity within the album. Rolling Stone Australia praised Shark's vulnerability and the seductive allure of the album, highlighting its "glorious guitar lines" and "brain-tickling production elements." On the other hand, Riff Magazine acknowledged Shark's attempt to convey emotion but pointed out the unexpected decisions that might not always land as intended.
Read more ... Amy Shark
Beautifully Ordinary
TONES AND I
Released 2 August 2024
Bad Batch Records
****-
This sophomore album showcases an artist whose debut album's astounding success might have derailed her career, but whose songwriting craft is maturing in front of us - even as she undertakes stadium ours and navigates emerging global fame.
Superstar multi-platinum songwriter Tones And I's sophomore album, Beautifully Ordinary follows her 2021 debut, Welcome To The Madhouse, which topped the Australian Albums Chart and spawned the runaway successful single "Dance Monkey" (which has racked up over 3 billion Spotify streams alone, making her the first female artist to achieve this feat).
Describing the album, Tones And I shares: “Beautifully Ordinary has no specific theme- each song tells its own story. Nostalgia runs through it, but the meaning depends on the listener. There’s an undertone of loneliness, heartbreak, fear, and triumph, with the brightest songs holding the saddest stories.”
The lead single, “Dance With Me,” explores heartbreak and longing. Tones explains, “The chorus symbolizes waiting in the past for someone who has moved on. The ‘dancing’ represents a happy moment frozen in time, a desperate attempt to reconnect.”
Co-produced by Tones And I, Beautifully Ordinary reflects personal growth and features previously released singles “Wonderful,” “I Get High,” and “Dreaming.”
Read more ... Tones and I
Flight b741
KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD
Released 9 August 2024
p(doom) records
****-
For their 26th album, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard swap the widescreen concepts of their recent albums for the intimacy of six good friends collaborating on the most bonhomie-laden set they’ve yet committed to wax.
For Flight b741, bandleader Stu Mackenzie says King Gizzard “wanted to make something that was primal, instinctual, more ‘from the gut’ – just people in a room, doing what feels right. We wanted to make something fun.”
Tapping into the country-fried 70s American rock on which they were all raised – along with the ornery garage-rock roots from which their mighty discography sprang – Flight b741 is lightning caught inside a bottle. Across its 10 ragged, glorious barnburners, King Gizzard flesh out rough skeletons of songs with their inspired improvisations, inimitable grooves and a unique pass-the-mic approach to vocals that saw every member of the band raise their voice and sing. “We’re having a lot of fun, but we’re often singing about some pretty heavy shit,” Mackenzie adds, “and probably hitting on some deeper, more universal themes than usual. It’s not a sci-fi record, it’s about life and stuff. But the record is like a really fun weekend with your mates, you know? Like, proper fun.”
Read more ... Bandcamp
The Deluge
FANNIBG DEMPSEY NATIONAL PARK
Released 2 August 2024
Universal Music Australia
****-
While crafting an album that not only pays homage to their musical influences but also boldly carves out new territory for themselves, Fanning and Dempsey provide an exclamation mark on an already stellar run while finding another standout moment in their already illustrious careers.
What do you get when you combine two iconic, era-defining front men who together account for nine number-one albums, millions of record sales and a staggering 38 songs in Triple J’s Hottest 100? Well, mostly the answer is a question: Why didn’t this happen sooner?
The real answer to that question though, is Fanning Dempsey National Park, the collaborative project between Bernard Fanning of Powderfinger and Paul Dempsey, lead singer of Something for Kate. Their first LP under the new moniker, The Deluge (out now via Dew Process/Universal), is a 10-track journey through largely unexplored musical territory that long-time listeners of both bands will find both surprising and incredibly exciting.
Oddly, this album may appeal more to those who aren’t fans of Powderfinger or Something for Kate. If you’re a die-hard rock and roll enthusiast, you might find yourself wanting more of that traditional sound. If you can get past that though, the album is mostly just really, really fun.
The album does maintain a similar vibe throughout, with heavy synths and an 80s sound dominating the landscape. While this could be monotonous, the strong songwriting and production save it from becoming a bog whose pastiche and homage are the only redeeming features. A touch more variety would have been welcome, but it’s clear the artists had a specific concept in mind, and they hit their target. Ultimately, what it’s going for it gets right.
The Deluge is a simultaneous throwback in both genre and concept, with modern production, songwriting and instrumentation that keep it fresh and exciting.
Read more ... The AU Review
You're A Liar, Girl
SUNNY MORRIS
Released 2 August 2024
Blossom Rot Records
****-
'You're A Liar, Girl' sees Sunny step confidently into ambitious new sonic territory with luscious string arrangements, trumpets, saxophones and rich harmonies. The record is timely, intimate, compelling - and it will touch you to your core..
Melbourne's Sunny Morris is a trans folk artist and poet. Rich in musicality and perspective, her lyrics meander through themes of gender, family and love over layers of sparkling guitars and leisurely percussion. Absorbing, moving, insightful - Sunny’s music has that air of familiarity and warmth that is usually reserved for classics, whilst retaining its own distinctive contemporary flavour.
You're A Liar, Girl is a portrait of a trans woman's experience; from childhood reminiscence, to the questioning of her relationship with family, society, and even God.
Amidst releasing debut album Hearsay (2022) and follow up EP "I Left The Hospital" (2023), Sunny Morris befriended Melbourne artist and producer (and fellow Blossom Rot petal) Liam 'Snowy' Halliwell (Snowy Band, The Ocean Party) with whom she explored new sounds and honed in on the sonic direction for the new record.
Read more ... Bandcamp
In Belly We Trust
AGUNG MANGO
Released 1 August 2024
BELLYWASBORN
****-
The Melbourne artist belongs to new wave of psychedelic Australian hip-hop – and his new album excavates his cultural lineage in profound, explosive ways
Australian hip-hop has felt at an inflection point of late. OneFour’s aspirational drill continues to dominate despite persecution; Barkaa’s unsparing political screeds blaze from mainstream radio; the shapeshifting Tasman Keith has captured the attention of the country’s top music prizes. The work of each speaks to lived experience and social justice.
Amid the pack, a more psychedelic strain of rap has emerged, too: hybrid forms grafting jazz, funk, dance and punk on to the genre from artists such as Genesis Owusu and Teether and Kuya Neil.
Slotting neatly into this category is Agung Mango (real name Anak Agung Jordan Oka Wardana), whose new album In Belly We Trust speaks as much to the psyche as the street. It is explosive rap-rock, Eno-indebted textures and opiated R&B; it is an album that leaps – intergenerationally – through time and communes with Wardana’s ancestry. Like a tree’s roots feeding ripe, sticky fruit, it draws from the ancient to nourish the future.
Much of the album floats in textural waves, but the single Gut is a frenzied rap-rock hybrid recalling Yeezus or NERD’s Rockstar. Wardana grapples with heaven, hell and the sense of time running out under the weight of the pressures that govern our day to day.
Read more ... The Guardian
Chapter 26
KOBIE DEE
Released 26 July 2024
Bad Apples Music
****-
A deeply personal reflection on growth, fatherhood, and resilience, bending raw storytelling with 90s-inspired beats. Dee showcases his journey from struggle to triumph and cements his place as a voice for his generation
Based in South Sydney’s Maroubra on Bidjigal Land, Gomeroi rapper Kobie Dee's eight-track project explores themes of growth, fatherhood, and self-discovery, offering vulnerable yet powerful storytelling. Tracks like Statistic and Father’s Eyes highlight his struggles, while Warriors & Storytellers and Reflection Freestyle celebrate his triumphs.
Produced by Jayteehazard, the EP features collaborations with Oddisee, Stan Walker, Miss Kaninna, and Zia Jade. Kobie’s journey - from young man to father, rapper to role model - is woven through every track, aiming to inspire and educate listeners. He hopes to spark conversations and motivate others to overcome their own challenges.
With Chapter 26, Kobie Dee solidifies his place as a leading voice in Australian hip hop, using his music to tell stories, uplift communities, and leave a lasting legacy.
Read more ... Bad Apples Music
Volant
MATTHEW OTTIGNON
Released 26 July 2024
Earshift Music
****-
Crafted amidst a period of solitude, Volant represents an ambitious step in Ottignon's artistic musical journey, drawing inspiration from birds in flight—a motif that ultimately defines the album's ethereal quality.
From one of Australia’s most in-demand saxophonists, Matthew Ottignon comes a new ensemble and self-titled album Volant. The music effortlessly blends his spiritual jazz influences with the minimalist, introspective acoustic jazz that Australia is renowned for.
Volant presents a narrative of flight and freedom, and through meticulously crafted compositions, Ottignon (tenor, alto and baritone saxophones) makes space for both collective intention and expressive individuality.
Bassist Hannah James has previously collaborated with Ottignon and is known for her impressive ability to ground an ensemble with both her playing and overall confidence as a musician.
2022 Freedman Jazz Finalist Holly Connor, brings an appetite for innovation and creative ambition to Volant as a percussionist.
Pianist Lauren Tsamouras adds sensitivity, subtle nuances and an openness towards experimentation.
With each track, a unique aspect of Ottignon's vision is encapsulated. Moon Rock reinterprets the spiritual jazz sound currently coming out of Los Angeles, while Naturis captures an eerie calm. The Third Bardo explores the effortlessness of ‘flow’ states, and Murmuring mimics the unpredictable yet harmonious flight patterns of starlings. Rocky Lux brings an evolving groove to the fore, Singing Bowls offers a moment of serenity, and Bilpin channels nature’s resilience after devastation. The album closes with Rolling and Circling, showcasing the ensemble's intensity and cohesiveness.
Read more ... Bandcamp
ALETHIA
ALETHIA
Released 26 July 2024
Alethia
****-
ALETHIA's music is a vibrant fusion of Latin pop, reggae, R&B, electronic, and alternative rock.
'ALETHIA' is the debut album from the soulful and genre-defying artist ALETHIA. Originating from Colombia and now based in Narrm / Melbourne, she boasts three Latin Grammy nominations and was a semi-finalist on The Voice (Colombia).
'ALETHIA' is a concept album that embarks on a musical journey divided into four parts: ROOTS, NOSTALGIA, LOVE, and HOPE. Each segment delves into different facets of life and the human experience, exploring themes from childhood innocence to self-love, relationships, and personal introspection. The album showcases bilingual lyrics in Spanish and English, celebrating ALETHIA's Latin-American heritage and diverse musical influences.
Read more ... Bandcamp
Saint Sinner
ELSY WAMEYO
Released 26 July 2024
Elsy Wameyo
****-
As she stands at the precipice of her most important creative chapter yet, Elsy Wameyo is at peace knowing that with this album is the delivery of Elsy in her truest form. With this sense of peace comes added fulfilment – for both the current Elsy, and the little Elsy, who continuously guides within.
Elsy Wameyo, also known as ELSY, is a Kenyan Australian singer-songwriter and rapper, whose style ranges from hip hop to the fusion of traditional African music with contemporary rap and R&B. Based in Adelaide, South Australia, Wameyo was awarded Young Kenyan of the Year in 2018, and won People's Choice Best Hip Hop Award at the annual South Australian Music Awards in 2019. Her first studio album, Saints Sinner, was released in July 2024.
With her debut album Wameyo has arrived at her new creative touchstone, a place of reclamation and self-empowerment, with a powerful collection of music that journeys through themes of identity and spirituality. Brought to life against a bed of meticulously produced beats and rhythms, her empowered sense of delivery across this album is undeniable. Elsy’s voice has always carried weight, her sound is urgent, poignant and never wavers in strength. This record is an impassioned portrait of Elsy Wameyo documenting a fierce and potent chapter of her personal and unapologetic artistic evolution.
To create this piece of work, Elsy returned home to Kenya. In an intense period of inner reflections, reconstruction and creatively building, Elsy surrounded herself with personalities and energy that encouraged growth and rejuvenation of one’s spirit. In her collaborators Wuod Omollo, Polycarp Otieno and songwriter Ywaya Tajiri, she discovered a sense of artistic understanding and family that had been missing.
Read more ... Bandcamp
NGBE
BIG YAWN
Released 19 July 2024
Research Records
****-
Melbourne / Naarm quartet Big Yawn's fourth full-length offering showcases the group's ability to blend complex rhythm sections with infectious basslines, deep synth work, and tongue-in-cheek sampling remains ever-present, and perhaps is the most advanced we've heard yet.
Sitting in a world of its own, the album, named after the group's beloved and lost warehouse space, National Gallery of Brunswick East (where most of the material was recorded) features a wide array of soundscapes spanning mutated drum 'n' bass, low-key grime, rap, and dub-wise antics, all laced with a heavy dose of FX.
Equal parts deep and menacing, the nine tracks encapsulate Big Yawn's evolution in the studio and on stage, most notably through their collaboration '2Stroke' with Melbourne-based future rap prodigy Teether and brought to life visually with album artwork by Julian Hocking.
Read more ... Bandcamp
Dancing Untethered
MAGGIE TRA
Released 19 July 2024
SYS Sister Sounds
****-
Unapologetic, authentic, and full of emotion are the three words that come to mind when hitting play on this gripping dance album.
Maggie Tra's third album ‘Dancing Untethered’ sets out to shine a light on immigration, displacement and crossing borders. This heart-warming 13-track electronic dance album showcases Tra’s journey as an Australian born Khmer/Vietnamese artist. It’s about finding her place in so-called-Australia, how she built her own community and lane in order to be seen and heard through music.
Tra uses Techno, House, Electronic dance music to spread awareness of how strong music is through-out cultures. Within every rhythm and beat no matter the genre, carries the journey of her younger self, to the artist she has become now bringing forth Cambodian and Vietnamese music culture into electronic dance music.
Emphasising her disadvantages that society has deemed as ‘setbacks,’ only made Tra’s journey into the music industry a story worth telling. From having immigrant parents, to choosing a life with music, although her own journey is unique, Tra recognises she is not alone.
SYS Sister Sounds is a label and community built to empower and push women and non-binary people in the creative and music industry. The core aim of the organisation is to encourage and uplift women in the music industry through radio shows, workshops and interviews with women and non-binary people globally.
Read more ... Bandcamp
NQR&B
SARAH CARROLL
Released 12 July 2024
Cheersquad Records & Tapes
****-
Opening track, Done To, written during Victoria's third lockdown, declares that "we are flowers reaching up higher", and sets the tone perfectly for the honest reflection and compassion sewn into the songs.
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From Clifton Springs, a small community outside Geelong, Victoria, Sarah Carroll has performed at most of Australia's high-profile festivals and a good many of its pubs over a 30 year career, and is noted for her work with GIT, The Pirates Of Beer, Soft Gold, The Left Wing, The Junes and The Cartridge Family. Her songs chime with sincerity and deal largely with her experiences as a teacher, mother, wife, political animal and touring musician.
She is known locally as The Ukulele Queen Of The Bellarine, a name given her by dear friend Susan Russell, who leads Tin Stars, a new alt-country outfit featuring Sarah on drums!
Sarah spent the winter of 2022 living, playing and working in Mparntwe/Alice Springs and was tremendously inspired and energised by the country she saw, as well as the many musicians she befriended. The school she worked at has 80% indigenous students and she was absorbed quickly into its wonderful family atmosphere.
Read more ... Bandcamp
Eternal Afternoon
JOE KAPTEIN
Released 12 July 2024
Joe Kaptein
****-
Expanding his horizons well beyond his jazz training with dubby dabbles, disco ditties, and smatterings of soul, it's clear Kaptein is steering this ship into fantastic new musical waters.
Considered as one of the most exciting players to come out of the new wave of Aotearoa's jazz scene, Joe Kaptein is a multi-instrumentalist (but mainly a pianist) who composes and produces music in Auckland, New Zealand, and also works with The Circling Sun, Princess Chelsea, Nathan Haines, The Situations, and various other local artists of many different styles; and enjoys watching the All Blacks play rugby.
Kaptein is a player whose piano, organ, and synth work defies expectations of what the young guard can do. These five originals, described as "kaleidoscopic yacht-jazz-funk", as well as a reimagined Minnie Riperton classic, feature Kaptein's killer bandmates Elijah Whyte on drums and Wil Goodinson on bass, with the godfather of groove Nathan Haines joining the young'uns on flute and sax.
Read more ... Flying Out NZ
Bilambiyal
RADICAL SON
Released 12 July 2024
Wantok Musik
****-
Bilambiyal was crafted alongside a powerhouse team, including Full Circle Audio, Marcus Longfoot, Andy Robinson, David Bridie, Frank Yamma, Emma Donovan and many more lending their magic to the end result. It showcases Radical Son's cultural connection, innate integrity and powerful perception across its 13 tracks.
Radical Son (David Leha), from the Kamilaroi nation of Australia and the South Pacific nation of Tonga, is a strong man with a stronger stage presence and a mesmerising voice that at once seduces the soul and punches the heart.
Radical Son's work draws immense power and resolve from a challenging past and a style that melds the urgency of hip-hop and the emotional punch of soul, as heard on two albums to date: Cause N’Affect (2014) and his stunning new album Bilambiyal (2024).
“I am so grateful to be releasing our album Bilambiyal” (The Learning). I am very proud of this work, and I am so grateful to those who have collaborated with me to bring it to life. With almost 20 years now as an artist, I've stayed true to the game. I've stayed true to my mob. I've stayed true to myself. I really do hope that that message comes through in my songs.”
Read more ... Bandcamp
Human?
ZIGGY RAMO
Released 12 July 2024
Ramo Records
****-
Human? is unflinching, important work. And Ramo says it best on his latest single: “Our nation needs to confront its shame.”
As outspoken and refined as ever, Ziggy Ramo is at his strongest on Human? - the album that compliments Ramos' book of the same name published by Pantera Press.
“From little things, big things grow!” – after singing along with Paul Kelly performing his original chorus lyrics, also recognising those familiar harmonica parts – both of which are almost part of our DNA – Ziggy Ramo’s version of this classic song, Little Things, hits home.
Vincent Lingiari, who led the Gurindji Strike that grew into the passing of the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976, is still honoured within Ramo’s update, but this multidisciplinary Wik and Solomon Islander artist also delves into a side of history that hasn’t been told: a First Nations perspective on invasion, intergenerational trauma, lost history and Indigenous deaths in custody.
The OG Kelly/Kev Carmody-penned song was released in 1991, the same year as the Royal Commission into Indigenous deaths in custody.
Throughout Human?, and especially Stand For Something, Zoë Barry’s heartsick string arrangements and Sydney-based singer-songwriter Vonn’s sublime additional vocals add gravitas.
Should we add Ramo’s album, and the non-fiction book of the same name it was written in conjunction with, to the Australian Curriculum? Abso-bloody-lutely! We need to keep having these difficult convos and move towards historical acceptance.
Read more ... Beat
Sing Your Own Song
ANDREW GURRUWIWI BAND
Released 5 July 2024
Gaga Music
****-
“It’s about making our own sound, our own music,” Gurruwiwi says “Every time when we play music, we listen for the big sound – then we change it. Do it a different way. Different style. Whether it’s the bass, or the keyboard, or the guitar or the bongo, we change it ‘round, until we can get the right beat, the right rhythm. Our sound.”
Visionary, joyful, eclectic and impossible to stop dancing to. Welcome to Sing Your Own Song, the debut album release from multi-talented Northern Territory musicians, the Andrew Gurruwiwi Band.
The band hails from northeast Arnhem Land, one of the remotest corners of Australia, but that hasn’t stopped them from assembling a world-class ensemble to pull together the most exciting release from the north since Yolŋu surf rock combo King Stingray’s self-titled debut album in 2022.Fronted by Andrew Gurruwiwi (who’s also a popular broadcaster on Yolŋu Radio in Arnhem Land), Sing Your Own Song is laden with infectious grooves and impressive musicianship, destined to take Australia’s festival circuit by storm in 2024 and 2025. Gurruwiwi’s influences are wider than the Arafura Sea – among his inspirations are the rhythms of Africa, Jamaica, India, Mexico, blues, rock and flamenco.
Read more ... AIRLA Australian Independent Record Labels Association
Tambo Jamz Vol 1
MITCH TAMBO
Released 3 July 2024
Walanbaa Music / Believe
****-
"This project reflects a key aspect of who I am as an artist and a proud Aboriginal man. This collection speaks to the universal language of music and celebrates the beauty of diversity. Plus, I also wanted to have some fun."
Australian musician Mitch Tambo's Tambo Jazz Vol 1 is a collection of instrumental soundscapes that defies genre boundaries.
During the challenges of the COVID pandemic and the mounting pressure to maintain a presence on social media, Mitch took a creative leap by launching a content series called "Tambo Jamz", which showcased his musicianship by performing various soundscapes in different settings. The response was overwhelming, with some videos receiving millions of views and garnering widespread acclaim from fans and critics alike.
"Over the past couple of years, my followers have consistently asked me to release the music from the Tambo Jamz content series," Mitch shared. "When I parted ways with Sony Music earlier this year, I knew it was time to fulfil that request. My fans have been incredibly loyal and supportive since my journey on Australia's Got Talent, and I wanted to give them something they've been asking for. The industry centres so heavily on streams, likes, and followers that it’s creating a heavy burden on artists. So, I decided to celebrate and enjoy the love of creating music by offering a different listening experience and to connect with followers.”
Read more ... AMRAP Australian Music Radio Airplay Project
SunNeverSetsOnMusic | Sun Never Sets On Music | www.sunneversetsonmusic.com
A monthly digest of innovative new music from around the world
especially Jazz, Contemporary, International, Folk, Avant-garde, Soul, R&B and Soundtracks
including album artwork, album reviews
and YouTube playlists, Spotify playlists.