Are The Drones the best live band in the world?
by No gimmicks, no explosions, no hundred-dollar haircuts. I first saw The Drones in a gritty Melbourne venue about six years ago and they played to only twenty people. They were amazing then and they play with the same intensity and vigor now. The best musicians play for themselves, not the audience and that’s exactly how The Drones do it. Their music is so full of emotion that it can be intimidating.
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Tagged: Aussie rock, Australian rock bands, Melbourne bands, The Drones
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Some bands never get the respect nor the notoriety they deserve. Last year, The Supporters released a full-length album and, very quietly, it collected a swag of rave reviews. Then whenever they played gigs, they blew away whoever had the good sense to show up. Today they still play criminally small venues, and they are still totally under-appreciated. If fast, uncompromising Aussie rock is your thing, The Supporters are your band. It doesn’t come any grittier and satisfying than this.
Whitley’s animated music video
This clever clip for Australian singer-songwriter Whitley’s single, Killer, was directed by Steve Baker and stars Whitley in a 2D murder mystery.
Australian rock band, Fiasco Burning, play melodic, soulful music infused with off beat lyrical hooks and bursting with singalong choruses. Their debut album, Place, is a feisty, summery sound, described by their engineer as ‘chocolate rock’. We checked in with drummer Anthony Brookman and asked him what the hell that refers to: ‘It’s flavoursome, smooth, fruity, occasionally funky and occasionally sexy. At the end of the day, it rocks, but its not one-dimensional; it has colour and groove. The term evolved from a moment we were all listening to a particular take of a song, and Russ, the engineer, said, “Aah, there it is, there’s the sexual chocolate”. We all cracked up. It kinda went from there’.
Also by XAVIER TOBY
Australian movie A Few Best Men
With all the gross out jokes and silliness of the common comedy romp, you’d think making them would be easy. Well, it’s not. It’s actually really difficult. Writing a joke is one of the hardest tasks anyone can undertake. Read more
Melancholia: a film by Lars von Trier
I wish there were a lot more of the types of films made by Lars von Trier. Each is very different but still distinctly von Trier, and each is superb. Melancholia is the follow up to the wonderfully confronting Antichrist. This is all about the end of the world, and told with an honesty and pacing that is probably much closer to the actual end of the world than all the Hollywood crap would have you believe. Read more
We Need To Talk About Kevin: based on Lionel Shriver’s novel
A delightful uncomfortable film, told from the point of view of a broken woman. Kevin’s just not right, and that’s obvious from the outset as mother Eva battles to bring him up in a world where the onus is put squarely back on the mother. The intensity is poured on throughout, as tragedy seems imminent. Read more
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A friend introduced me to the art of RubyMay Scanlon. She’s a young Australian artist combining a great sense of design with a nice handling of mixed media and some quirky ideas. Her work is well layered, without being overworked. One to keep your eye on. Read more
I sometimes wish I kept a dream journal, but I still haven’t managed to do it. Esao Andrews seems like he manages to paint paintings and draw detailed pictures to record his dreamworld. Read more
God save the Queen. Oh, and Johnny Rotten, Sid Vicious, Steve Jones and Paul Cook too. Read more
This is my favorite place in New York to spend a Sunday afternoon. No, I’m not talking about Central Park. But rather, The Park, a restaurant in Chelsea which took its name from its past life as a parking garage. Read more
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Casio Keyboard Brooklyn trio Au Revoir Simone are about to release a collection of remixes and covers their musical friends have recorded of songs found on their second album, The Bird Of Music. Titled Reverse Migration, the record features re-workings by Best Fwends, Teenagers, Darkel, and more. We caught up with them recently. Why and when did you decide to release a remix album? Annie: ‘Our friends were making so many wonderful versions of our songs we wanted to share them with the world’. How did you select the artists? Annie: ‘Mostly they were friends who told us they wanted to do remixes! Very fun and easy’. Reverse Migration is out November 11 through the band’s own label, Our Secret Record Company. Listen to Ruff & Jam by Au Revoir Simone.
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LA-based designer label Grey Ant has been under my radar for quite some time now, but the Spring 08 collection is what really made me a ‘Grey Ant junkie’. Read more
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New York Times illustrator Christoph Niemann has created a brilliant visual diary outlining the peril and pitfalls that beset the everyday passenger based on his recent experience flying from New York to his home town of Berlin. Read more
Honest Food Preparation Instructions
Yes, we’ve all been there: the chinese food from last week that still looks edible amongst the bare surrounds of an empty fridge. But really, we shouldn’t. Just let it be. Or College Humor will expose you! Read more
Here are a couple awesome pieces by Matt Leines that were recently on display in the Doubting Thomases exhibit at Nudashank gallery in Baltimore. Gives me ideas for Halloween. Read more
Nerd-attack! Man, this TARDIS zipper robe is so much cooler than any Star Wars crap people are hawking this days. This is for the true gangsta nerd.
In the Little Companions Rebelling Against the Magician t-shirt, label The Balletcats capture everything that we love about the holiday season: rebellion, flames, and striped pants. Nothing short of a classic family gathering! While everything that The Balletcats do is genius, this shirt has an extra bit of zip: it’s an exclusive for Lost At E Minor, and available to buy at our online store.
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