Richard In Your Mind are back already with a new record and new live show which they are touring this September.
Following up on their 2010 album ‘My Volcano‘ is certainly a hard ask, as the album gained Richard In Your Mind an AMP nomination and more importantly loving appreciation from more people than ever before.
Yet nothing is beyond Richard In Your Mind and ‘SUN‘, their 2011 release, may indeed be the band’s most cohesive and beautiful album yet.
As a band who naturally and continuously write and record, while on tour last year, Richard In Your Mind began writing SUN and because it’s what they do best, Richard In Your Mind have produced this stunning album in under one year.
In celebration of this new record Richard In Your Mind are hitting the road to tour the record live and are extremely excited to be accompanied by two of Australia’s finest groups around today – The Laurels and Fishing.
The Laurels released their debut EP ‘Mesozoic’ in July to some serious acclaim – The Age awarded it four stars and declared The Laurels to be “one of the most compelling bands around right now.”
Sydney-based production duo Fishing have already scored supports with Cloud Control and Jonothan Boulet just to name a few and now Fishing are taking their dexterous beat-tweaking live show to impress audiences further on this exciting tour!
Richard in Your Mind, The Laurels and Fishing – touring September!
Brisbane, Thursday 15 September – Lambda at Alhambra Lounge* // Tix at door
Maroochydore, Friday 16 September – Sol Bar* // solbar.com.au
Toowoomba, Saturday 17 September – The Spotted Cow* // FREE
Wollongong, Thursday 22 September – Yours & Owles // Tix at door
Sydney, Friday 23 September – Goodgod Small Club // moshtix.com.au
Melbourne, Saturday 24 September – RAOB GAB Buffalo Club // moshtix.com.au
Canberra, Thursday 29 September – Transit Bar // moshtix.com.au
Newcastle, Friday 30 September – The CBD Hotel // FREE
*w/ Fishing only
We are thrilled to announce that UK purveyors of enchanting, gorgeous music Full Time Hobby have signed Denmark’s Pinkunoizu. The Danish four-piece join a roster that contains the likes of Tunng, Diagrams, The Leisure Society, Micah P Hinson and more.
Named for the Japanese word for “pink noise”, the amorphous, Copenhagen-based band play an exotic mixture of lo-fi, high-life, nu-folklore,’60s Asian pop and post-apocalyptic future rock. Their mission? “To never come full circle. To move hazily in bended ellipses. To bow the line and play it like a fiddle. To shoot it like an arrow. To climb the razorblade pyramid. To collect the cubic rubble from the ruins of tradition and put it together anew.”
Check out the track “Time Is Like A Melody”, for free download and streaming and whatnot below. XO
[to download, click the arrow on the right of the waveform]
Danish hip hop sensation Lucy Love will be hitting our shores for the first time to support the release of the Australian edition of her new album ‘Kilo’ having been added to the Stereosonic 2011 lineup alongside dance music heavyweights Armin Van Buuren, Carl Cox, LMFAO, Empire of the Sun, Afrojack, The Bloody Beetroots and more.
To get in the mood, check out her current single “Thunder”, for streaming and download, here.
Melbourne singer/songwriter and drummer for iconic Melbourne rockers The Drones, Mike Noga has taken up an offer of not one but TWO national tours supporting his good friends Jordie Lane and Glenn Richards. This means his recently announced upcoming solo tour in support of new single “The Ballad of an Ordinary Man” from his critically acclaimed solo album ‘The Balladeer Hunter‘ is postponed as he embarks on a mammoth run of 38 SHOWS in the next two months. He’s coming to a town near you….twice!
Noga will be presenting his album in solo, acoustic, stripped back mode when he ventures around the country throughout July, August and September, first with Jordie Lane on his ‘Blood Thinner’ album launch tour, and then with Glenn Richards and Dan Luscombe as they present songs from Glenn’s outstanding solo effort ‘Glimjack’.
And is if that wasn’t enough, Mike has also been announced as support for Adalita’s final show of the year at the Northcote Social Club in Melbourne on the 14th of August; Will Sheff from the USA’s Okkeril River as part of the Melbourne Festival and has also been been accepted to showcase at this year’s prestigious Bigsound Festival in Brisbane on September 7th.
Phew. We’re getting tired just reading his schedule.
Ladies and gentlemen… may we present to you …The Man in Demand… The Hardest Working Man in (Folk) Rock…. Mike Noga.
Timber Timbre stop you. The elements are deceptively simple: a confident, but hushed voice, understated guitar, strings and keyboard flourishes, and a subtle percussive beat. Timber Timbre, led by guitarist/vocalist Taylor Kirk (above), is haunted by the history of pop music.
Timber Timbre have gained a devoted following with their spellbinding performances at unusual venues around Toronto and more recently supportingOwen Pallett across Canada and his first ever U.S. tour. The years have also marked a rapid progression from dusty, low-fi bedroom blues to the more complex, cinematic studio work, and the formation of the band as a true three-piece, with Kirk joined by Mika Posen on violin and Simon Trottier on lapsteel, autoharp and synth.
Prodigious four-piece The Laurels have been thrilling Sydney audiences for a number of years, and constantly had fans clamouring for a release that was seemingly never forthcoming. Now, after years of anticipation, they have delivered a foreboding 6 track EP filled with the luscious, complex and dangerous psychadelic shoe-gaze bliss that they’ve become so known for.
That EP is entitled ‘Mesozoic’, and it’s in stores and online today. Inspiration for the name comes from evolution and an interval in geological time. During the Mesozoic period, the continents drifted to their current positions, and it was an exceptionally warm period that played an important role in diversification of new animal species. By the end of the era, the basis of modern life was in place.
Such broad and diverse concepts are not foreign to The Laurels. Kate Wilson (Drums) is a bio chemist by day. Connor Hannan (Bass) is in his final stages of a Ph.D in History, soon to be addressed by his band mates as Dr Hannan. Piers Cornelius (Guitar/Vocals) is a keen and budding philosopher and Luke O’Farrell (Guitar/Vocals) is something of a prodigy and incredible cartoonist.
Below is the track ‘Black Cathedral’, the lead track off the EP, for free download. If you like what you hear, (and you will), you can stream the EP in full right now over on Musicfeeds.
[to download, click the arrow on the right of the waveform]
Also, don’t forget to check out their launch tonight at The Landsdowne Hotel. Doors open at 8pm, and entry is FREE. That’s right, free. See you there.
Tania Bowers and Jori Hulkkonen are not only a highly dynamic pair, they are also one of the most unlikely. A testament to the old adage “opposites attract,” and perhaps to the winds of fate, The Tania and Jori Continents have combined their musical abilities to create a truly amazing sound and set to release their project ‘Continent One’, which will be in stores and online come July 29th.
Back in 1999, Bowers had uprooted herself from her native Australia and was living in urban Chicago to pursue a future in music as Via Tania. The soulful singer-songwriter already had years of industry experience under her belt, having been a part of various Sydney-based projects . Upon hearing Hulkkonen’s remix of The Presets “This Boy Is In Love” and then his take on Corey Heart’s 1980s classic “Sunglasses at Night,” Bowers decided to get in touch with him and start collaborating.
Hulkkonen, a DJ and house music producer that originally signed with Laurent Garnier’s legendary F Communications (St. Germain, Mr. Oizo) and remixer to the stars (Goldfrapp, Jose Gonzalez, M83, Robyn, Chromeo to name a few), responded to Tania from his hometown of Turku, Finland. The two mulled over the idea of a collaboration, and within the coming weeks a duo was born. Creative correspondence ensued as Hulkkonen sent Bowers his instrumental tracks and Bowers reciprocated by adding her vocals over them.
Two years later the pair finally met in person at Hulkkonen’s studio, resulting in a week-long recording session and more songs than they had ever anticipated. ‘Continent One’ is the result of those precious few days and a reflection of the past years Bowers and Hulkkonen spent fusing their musical talents – together and independently. It is an album as diverse as the artists who penned it, filled with sounds that are electronic, symphonic, and utterly addictive. The Tania and Jori Continents showcases a brilliant and inter-continental songwriting chemistry in superb form.
Below is the track “Lost In The View”, for streamingness and also for superfreedownloadz. Welcome to ‘Continent One’.
[to download, click the arrow on the right of the waveform]
Danish MC Lucy Love turned heads in 2009 with the release of her debut LP, ‘Superbillion‘. The album, in particular the tracks “No VIP” and “Daddy Was A DJ”, earned her worldwide notoriety, with pundits calling her the “Danish M.I.A” and the “female Dizzee Rascal”.
Now she’s back with her second album ‘Kilo‘, the Australian edition of which is due for release on July 15th. The album was once again produced veteran Danish electronic producer Yo Akim, and highlights Lucy’s stunning evolution as an artist, from a grimy wordsmith to a more well-rounded electronic svengali, with the album featuring a formidable mélange of grime, hip hop, dubstep, pop, dance, rave and more. It’s an LP where a rich tradition of pop theatrics, from Grace Jones and Kraftwerk through electroclash to Lady Gaga, meets the irreverence and sonic force of the UK underground, Scandinavian craftsmanship and a good dose of the southern African party mentality.
The first single from ‘Kilo’ is “Thunder”, and it’s available for free download below. The track’s the perfect demonstration of Lucy’s transformation as an artist, as it features an awesome juxtaposition of a chilled, melodic chorus, and a harsh, dub-esque verse with grimy vox. ENJOY. Oh, and check out the video too, featuring High Fidelity’s Iben Hjejle.
[to download, click the arrow on the right of the waveform]
Continuing to fulfill our promise to bring you awesome free mp3s, may we introduce to you Bear Hands. Since their debut EP ‘Golden’ in 2007, the Ursidae-themed four piece have been turning heads with their post punk/indie rock/general musical awesomeness and in May we released the two disc special edition of their critically lauded debut LP ‘Burning Bush Supper Club’.
The record was universally hailed for its delectable psych-rock textures and above all, its masterful songwriting. The Brooklyn natives demonstrate incredible skill in crafting their catchy, bright, classic and sometimes anthemic tunes over an 11 track album, (and 7 track second disc if you have our fucking awesome special edition), with lead single “Crime Pays” being all the proof you need:
The track is currently on high rotation on Triple J, and is the opening tune from their aforementioned album, which you can buy from us, or from iTunes.
Or, if you’re not a fan of exchanging fungibles for goods (and like remixes), then check out and download the brilliant Cereal Spiller remix, remixer of the likes of Goldfrapp, Hooray For Earth, Millionyoung and more. Enjoy.
[to download, click the arrow on the right of the waveform]
Melodie Nelson is the solo project of Lia Tsamoglou, one half of now defunct Sydney experimental drone duo Moonmilk and ex-bassist for alt-folk group Rand and Holland.
During the last decade Tsamoglou explored ghostly, wordless tonal explorations under the Moonmilk moniker, but with the emergence of her new group she has changed her approach. Melodie Nelson abandons the bedroom hiss and crackle of Moonmilk in favour of meticulously orchestrated modern pop music, haunted by the sun-dappled melancholy of ‘60s girl groups and riddled with an autumnal and subliminal psychedelic quality. With this outfit, Tsamolgou marries the colourful, illusory textures of the past with songs of emphatic singularity.
Recorded with acclaimed engineer Tony Dupe (Holly Throsby, Jack Ladder), mixed at Big Jesus Burger by Chris Townsend (Silverchair, Portishead, Violent Femmes) and mastered by Denis Blackham (Brian Eno, Elvis Costello), ‘Meditations On The Sun’ is a neat culmination of Tsamoglou’s musical career thus far, which, aside from her work with Moonmilk and Rand & Holland, has seen her collaborate with Jason Molina, Jack Ladder and members of Dappled Cities.
You may’ve already heard the gorgeous lead track from her album on FBi and 2ser, but if you haven’t, we’ve got it below from streaming and free download. If you have, then you might wanna check out the Collarbones remix of it, which is equally gorgeous for different reasons. Check them out below.
First, the original version.
[to download, click the arrow on the right of the waveform]
And then Collarbones’ masterful remix.
[to download, click the arrow on the right of the waveform]
Oh yiiiiiih, hip hop legend Del The Funky Homosapien – whose epic triple-album we released in April – is on his way to Oz in July, playing shows in Hobart, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Sydney, and Adelaide. Don’t believe me? Then check out this video for proof.
It’s time to dive into the murky water with the title track from ‘Into The Murky Water’, “Into The Murky Water”.
Yes, The Leisure Society are back.
Following their critically-lauded debut album ‘The Slepper’ – which was 2009′s Rough Trade Album Of The Year as well as a recipient of two Ivor Novello nominations – The Leisure Society have released ‘Into The Murky Water’ through the good folks at Full Time Hobby.
The Leisure Society came together when fellow Burton-Upon-Trent exiles Nick Hemming and Christian Hardy found themselves sharing a flat in London. Nick had previously played in bands in Burton with Paddy Considine and Shane Meadows and would later contribute scores for Meadows’s films A Room For Romeo Brass and Dead Man’s Shoes under the Leisure Society moniker.
The new album is already receiving glowing reviews, with Clash calling it “a thing of rare beauty”, and a myriad publications giving it 8/10 and 4 star reviews, such as Drowned In Sound and Subbacultcha.
Check out the brilliant title track, for streaming or free download below. The track starts with an engaging vamp, with Gene Krupa-esque drum rhythms interacting with gorgeous percussion and a mélange of both pizzicato and legato strings. Then the verse hits, with Hemming’s vocals being underpinned by an E♭minor > Cmajor progression, which, though not technically being related chords, works quite beautifully as the E♭ and F# provide perfect leading notes to the third and fifth of the C major chord when it hits.
Anyway. Enough music nerd bull$hid. What I’m trying to say is, the verses are mysteriously beautiful, and when the chorus hits, it’s just wonderful.
Listen.
[to download, click the arrow on the right of the waveform]
Sydney based Ethiopian soul superstar Dereb the Ambassador is launching his self-titled album with an unforgettable live show at GoodGod Small Club on Friday 1st July.
Backed by a hand-picked 7 piece band made of Sydney’s finest musicians, Dereb mixes his own originals and traditional interpretations with covers of the vintage soul masterpieces made famous by artists from the 1960s and 70s such as Mahmoud Ahmed and Mulatu Astatqe, given wide exposure through the ‘Ethiopiques’ compilation series and the soundtrack to Jim Jarmusch’s film ‘Broken Flowers’.
‘Dereb The Ambassador’ was recorded by producer Tony Buchen using only pre 1970s equipment. The band features virtuoso musicians from bands including the Strides and Deep Sea Arcade. For a taste of the awesomeness, click here, and then here.
OR JUST LISTEN TO THIS:
Joining him will be the nu-soul funk three piece, Lo Five, the new project from Al Goodman and Tam Morris of Tracky Dax fame.
Solo artist. Son of Antonio Giacomelli Benét, the famous Italian disco accordionist.
Donny Benét.
2011 heralds new beginnings, old paths getting stronger and Donny Benét joining forces with the legends at Rice Is Nice Records. We could not be more thrilled to have such talent join our extended family.
It has been a feat to capture and seal the deal, but they did it. Victory for all!
Donny Benét’s debut album “Don’t Hold Back” will be available in July and you have all been warned.
Donny will be bringing his mind-melting Moog solos to open for Warpaint, July 26th – Corner Hotel, Melbourne & July 28th – Manning Bar, Sydney.
Legendary Texas-based troubador Micah P Hinson is returning to Australian shores in June/July to tour his latest masterpiece, ‘Micah P Hinson And The Pioneer Saboteurs‘.
Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Hinson is an old fashioned trouble man who fell pray to drugs and loose women, winding up homeless, destitute and incarcerated by the time most of his peers were filling in college applications. Music was his saviour, and since his 2003 debut, he’s pieced together a life for himself in his sleepy hometown, even proposing to his now wife live onstage in London.
His latest album is drenched in strings and desolation and inspired by the political changes in his native America. It’s Hinson’s most ambitious, fullest, grandest and most punishing recording yet, with instrumental beauty and words of brutal wisdom and bewilderment.
Micah P Hinson will be bringing his wisdom and songs for an East Coast tour in June / July, playing a run of intimate shows with very special guests Myles Mayo and Major Chord:
Wednesday June 29 | X&Y Bar, Brisbane Thursday June 30 | Toff in Town, Melbourne
Friday July 1 | Brass Monkey, Cronulla Saturday July 2 | Gaelic Club, Sydney Sunday July 3 | Clarendon Guesthouse, Katoomba*
Tickets on sale Friday 27 May. Click here for more info.
As we reported earlier, the amazingly boisterous Jinja Safari are releasing their new EP ‘Mermaids & Other Sirens’, track by track, FOR FREEEEEEEEEEEEE. (Yup!)
The second track from the EP, (which is due in full at the end of the year), is out today, exclusively via our good friends over at Frankie Magazine. Click here to download.
Awesome news. On Friday we’re releasing a dope compilation album from nascent Sydney Hip Hop label Big Village. The comp is called ‘Big Things Volume One‘ and it contains 13 tracks of progressive and potentially game-changing Australian Hip Hop with new and exclusive tracks from the entire BV family: Daily Meds, Loose Change, True Vibenation, Tuka and Jeswon and more.
‘Big Things Volume One’ is a brilliant introduction to the eclectic tastes and sounds that you can expect to hear from the Big Village camp, with beats ranging from traditional Hip Hop, to grime, dub, electro and more. Below is the posse track “Be My Guest”, the epic album closer that features Ellesquire, Kit Komplete, P. Smurf, Jeswon, Rapaport, Tenth Dan, Native Wit, Billie Rose, Mute MC, Verbaleyes, Tuka & Mikoen, (yep). Download it for free, and check out the full album on Friday, you won’t be disappointed.
Welcome to the village.
[to download, click the arrow on the right of the waveform]
Mike Noga is (or, perhaps now, previously was) best known as the drummer in The Drones. His rhythms have provided the foundation for the Melbourne legends’ music since mid-last-decade. These days however, it is as a solo artist that Noga (aka Sandro) is really making a name (and nickname) for himself.
We released his sophomore album, ‘The Balladeer Hunter‘, back in April, a haunting and honest collection of tracks that drip with soul, and wreak of early Springsteen and ’70s Dylan. The record, which was recorded over 2 nights in an old Melbourne warehouse, has since garnered a swag of fittingly glowing reviews, with Frankie Magazine calling it “a smooth and spectacular mix of humble folk ballads and roaring rock songs that will make your desk shake.”
Don’t believe them? No worries, as we have a track below available for free download. The track, “Walk With Me”, is a cover, the original having been written by Gareth Edwards (The Holy Rose). Mess And Noise call the cover “one of Sandro’s most searing numbers, a showstopper with a darkly distorted guitar and Noga’s jackhammer drums and eerie vocal harmonies backing up Edwards’ swooping howl. Noga’s re-interpretation strips the original of some of its dense claustrophobia, but retains its feeling of menace.” Listen to/download it below, (NB: desk shakiness will depend on your speakers’ volume.)
[to download, click the arrow on the right of the waveform]
After a few months in hibernation, the crusaders of forest-rock, Jinja Safari, are pleased to announce the Mermaids & Other Sirens Tour. Fresh from carving a trail across the country supporting Boy & Bear on their sold out national tour, Jinja Safari are set to share the explosive live show that earned them the 2010 SMAC nomination for ‘Best Live Band’ with the nation, on what will be their first headline tour for 2011.
“You can’t help admiring the amount of energy Jinja Safari put into their live sets – it felt like The Jungle Book had crash-landed in the middle of the The Lion King.” – The FBi Flog
“Jinja Safari win the hearts of the swelling crowd instantly, with a high-energy set boasting frenetic bongos and the boys ricocheting across the stage like beach balls.” – The Brag
“If a live set from Jinja Safari doesn’t make you beam with happiness, it’s safe to say you have no heart.” – FasterLouder
So you can get your hands on some new Jinja tunes before the tour, Jinja Safari are tricklng out the tracks that make up the “Mermaids & Other Sirens” EP to fans for literally pittance. Like a joyful game of hide and seek, Jinja Safari have given a few of their friends in the media a track each to hide amongst their newsletters/blogs or websites as a free download. A new track will go online each month until released in August, where the full EP will be unveiled.
The first free download to kick off the “Mermaids & Other Sirens” collection is the new single ‘Hiccups’. It can be found amongst a few other good treasures at triple j’s website. The next to track off the EP to play peek-a-boo will be ‘Scarecrow’ on Wednesday, 18th May.
Joining Jinja Safari nationally will be Melbourne four-piece Husky whose new single “History’s Door” has been frequenting radio waves around the country. The Mermaids & Other Sirens Tour with Jinja Safari will be the first taste of Husky’s new album, “Forever So” which was recorded in a homebuilt studio in Melbourne, before being sent to USA to be mixed by Noah Georgeson (The Strokes, Joanna Newsom, Devendra Banhart).
Jinja Safari’s ‘Mermaid & Other Sirens Tour’ will go on sale on Friday, 13th May at 9am.
We released Gabby Young‘s gorgeous album ‘We’re All In This Together‘ to critical acclaim last year, and she followed it up with a whirlwind tour of our East Coast early this year. The Brit songstress is not only known for her heavenly voice and general musical prowess, but also for her outlandish yet elegant fashion. Live, she performs with various incarnations of her band the Other Animals – and recently caused a stir on BBC Radio 3 with her appropriation of Katy Perry’s ‘Fireworks’. Check it out below, and hopefully it helps you through Monday.
