The John Steel Singers’ Rainbow Kraut video

Howling Bells [interview]

There’s an ethereal feeling about the music of London-based, Aussie exports Howling Bells. It washes over you in waves of pure melody, always tinged by the faintest whisper of longing. We checked in recently with frontwoman Juanita Stein. Read more

Powerage, Aussie teenage rockers tear it up

Ok, so the leadsinger of this Australian band, Powerage, is barely into his teens, and already he sings like Axl Rose and Brian Johnson’s love child. Perhaps he is? They are unbelievably good, and will rip it up on stage for many years to come. For those about to rock, Powerage salutes you.

Cloud Control’s Gold Canary

Cloud Control have just unravelled a newly recorded track, Gold Canary, from their forthcoming 2010 album. It’s straight up pastoral Blue Mountains goodness. I actually heard it live earlier this year and it sounded quite rad.

Ummm, Beyonce’s Single Ladies anyone?

It’s not surprising that the fifteen-year-old boy I tutor introduced me to this video. Spatial geometry and the causes of the Vietnam War gathered dust, as he made me view it numerous times, pointing out which girl was his favourite and why: the one on the left, because she’s hot; the one on the right because she is ‘hittin’ her moves’; and Beyoncé, because, well she’s Beyoncé. To be honest, after the first ten seconds of our first viewing, I became a very willing participant in the whole discussion. We talked about why Beyoncé’s pseudo-feminist lyrics sometimes annoy me (Jay-Z did ‘put a [HUGE] ring on it’) and which moves were our favourites (mine occurs at the 52 second mark, he likes the one at 1:32). Truthfully, I barely like this song, but this video is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. I wonder if we could cut the sound and get Sir David Attenborough to narrate it.

Children Collide interview

It’s hard to find a misstep on the full-length debut from Melbourne band, Children Collide. The Long Now doesn’t sound like a first album: its mature, yet completely varied sound and lyrical concept makes it feel like something you’d expect from a band on their third or fourth album (you know, after the ‘cursed’ second album). Children Collide are most definitely in control, something that could have been lost while working with big-name producer, Dave Sardy. It’s rare that you pick up a CD and feel like the band has decided on everything, right down to the artwork that encases their killer album. We threw guitarist-singer Johnny Mackay a few questions about how they managed to wrap everything up in such a … errr … tight little package. Read more

Wolf & Cub live in Sydney

Chances are we haven’t met. Despite this, it’s most likely you’ve heard that I’m a huge fan of Adelaide band Wolf and Cub. The somewhat strange unconditional love I feel for this band can be justified with this live footage from a show they did in Sydney a month ago. As you will see, Wolf and Cub are always thrilling to watch, not just because of the two drummer thing (or the newly added saxophone), but because their sound always goes to unexpected places. They never sound the same. Sure the songs are recognisable, but they always manage to play them in a way I’ve never heard before. So enjoy this absolutely superb set courtesy of MoshCam [watch footage], featuring some of their new tunes, stunningly fresh renditions of their old ones, singer Joel Byrne’s shiny new haircut and some shots of bass player Thomas Mayhew’s rarely seen face. Read more