New Music / Ghostwood’s Rest My Soul

October 19, 2009 | New Music | by Michelle Wilding |

Sydney’s indie music scene is peaking right now and one noteworthy band is Ghostwood. Their latest record, Rest My Soul [listen below], is just as ace as Red Version (the Pokémon-aluding hit from 2006). The melodic single bears elements of shoegaze, skilfully layering intricate guitar patterns with sultry bass, solid drumming and haunting vocals to create an ethereal ambiance. Fans can reserve an exclusive 7″ Rest My Soul vinyl this month via their Myspace page.

New Events / Sydneys Cad Factory, where all good bands hang

February 9, 2009 | New Events | by Nikki Savvides |

The Cad Factory is an inner-city warehouse space in Marrickville, Sydney that holds band and performance nights, as well as art exhibitions. The likes of Conway Savage from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Mick Turner from The Dirty Three have played solo gigs at the Factory, while electro-punk performance trio Toy Death have caused chaos onstage on a regular basis. Artists such as photographer Clare Pandemonium and painter Edwina Wrobel have contributed to the ambiance, exhibiting their works on the warehouse walls. Read more

New Music / The Archerbolds

December 28, 2008 | New Music | by Michelle Wilding |

Already with a Spectrum show under their belt, The Archerbolds are an up and coming Australian band well worth checking out. I saw the Sydney-based lads play recently at the Mars Hill Café and it was evident that they should be permanently rocking out on a real stage; not in front of coffee sippers. Their floating lyrics, smart guitar riffs and meaty bass lines are infused by The Strokes, Mars Volta, The Beatles, and Led Zeppelin — ultimately producing a freshly spun modern-vintage sound. Lead vocalist and guitarist Geoffrey ‘Gep’ Rectin says The Archerbolds plan to create a solid sound for next year: ‘Over summer, we’re recording an EP and working on a set sound, defining more of an image’. If their track, Rest Your Soul, is anything to go by, then it should be pretty dandy.

November 3, 2008 | New Music | by Huna Amweero |

A few months ago, Dan Davey tapped me on the shoulder and politely asked me for a moment of my time. We had a brief — and, of course, polite — conversation about Sydney’s psychedelic ’scene’. Not wanting to take up more of my time, he politely said, ‘nice to meet you’, and went on his very polite way. Now, either all the people I hang around with are really rude, or Dan Davey is the most well-mannered man I have ever met. This seemingly irrelevant tale becomes totally relevant when you hear his band Sister Jane. You see, when Dan sings, it sounds like he smokes fifty cigarettes a day, is made up of 87% liquor and never asks for a moment of your time, because he’s just too damn cool. So take a moment of your time and give their song, Shacked Up Blues, a listen.

New Music / Pivot discuss their new album, O Soundtrack My Heart

October 27, 2008 | New Music | by Zolton |

We featured their Secret Playlist recently, and now they have a kicking new album out. With members scattered across the globe, though with roots firmly planted in Sydney, electro mavericks Pivot create lush, onimous, and beautifully porous music that seeps through your soul, steals your heart, and renders you immobile. For a good ten minutes at least, as their latest album, O Soundtrack My Heart [which we have five copies of to give away], proves We interviewed, Richard Pike, guitarist and producer from the group, and asked him whether the making of the making of O Soundtrack was a stressful or chilled experience? ‘
It was stressful at the start as the old band was falling apart. When that business got out of the way, it was a pretty easy affair. We were all focused and ready to make something great’. Read more

October 27, 2008 | Video | by Huna Amweero |

I recently added DJ to my repertoire of skills, after I ‘dropped’ tunes till the early hours of the morning in my friend’s lounge room. The dance floor was positively heaving as the punters (or punter, my friend Macarena) lapped up some LCD Soundsystem, N*E*R*D and, of course, Spank Rock. As the sun started to rise, I decided to tone down the mood, working the blissful Park Benches by Belles Will Ring into my set. I’d forgotten how beautiful the song is, and have been listening to it ever since. Check out the lovely video they did for the Shoot The Player team in the backstreets of Sydney.

New Music / The Woods Themselves

October 23, 2008 | New Music | by Zolton |

There’s an early Split Enz feel about the music of Sydney indie rock band, The Woods Themselves. It’s particularly evident in the double-tracked vocals and the offbeat arrangements that the group employ. So we checked in with frontman Davey Cotsios and asked if the legendary New Zealand outfit were an influence?
 ‘That’s so insane it’s brilliant! Had you have said Crowded House, then we’d have some real beef. Seriously, I’d find you and punish you. I really do dig Split Enz, but I can’t say I’ve ever had them close in mind, and I’ve never looked to them for guidance. My buddy Danno – he lived below me years back – gave me this Enz record that we found in his mum’s attic. We’d get messed up on Tuesday nights and jam it. That Leaky Boat song was a favourite. We thought we heard the guy across the street beating on his woman one time while we were jamming that Leaky Boat song. We watched the cops arrive and she denied it in tears from the front door. We kicked his motorbike over later. Just to be sure, you know. Bad neighbourhood man’. The Woods Themselves’ album, (C’Mon) Do The Beach Thing, is out now on Understandation through Inertia.

Download their track, Groove Wind

New Events / The Paper Scissors and Coda get down in Sydney

October 17, 2008 | New Events | by Zolton |

Aussie indie rock band The Paper Scissors are playing a couple of shows late next week with strings-based group Coda, in what should be a mish-mash of sounds, shapes, and sonic textures. Says Paper Scissors frontman, Jai Pyne, of the event: ‘We’ve been wanting to do some shows with Coda for a while. Nick from the band did a remix for us, and they’re always doing interesting stuff. It’s good to shake things up. We want to mess things up a bit. We will have DJ’s from Club Kooky — monthly club night in Sydney — playing, and Coda are now incorporating some new vocalists. The Paper Scissors are going to have guest horns, and some surprises! A normal The Paper Scissors set usually goes from mellow to full tilt disco extravaganza anyway, so we will just be doing our normal thing with a bit more arty party’. The shows take place next Friday and Saturday nights at Sydney’s Spectrum. Listen to the Hey Now DJs remix of The Paper Scissors track, We Don’t Walk.

and the original:

New Music / Seekae hear The Sound Of Trees Falling on People

September 30, 2008 | New Music | by Michaella Solar-March |

Sydney band Seekae started playing together at the beginning of 2007. Initially Commander Keen, they changed their name after they noticed a band in Aberdeen who used that same moniker and ‘who played really nice music’, says one third of the group, George Nicholas. They obviously didn’t think they needed the competition. In their early 20s and relatively new to the Sydney music scene, Nicholas and bandmates, John Hassell and Alex Cameron, have an accomplished and mature sound, making Gameboy inspired ambient electronica similar to Electric President and Prefuse 73. Currently they’re writing and recording a new album titled The Sound Of Trees Falling on People and plan to release it at the end of this month. Read more

New Music / Dead Farmers

September 27, 2008 | New Music | by Huna Amweero |

Every now and then you encounter a band whose sound cannot be confined to CD, Vinyl or a MySpace Music Player; a sound so incredible that it must be experienced first hand, in the flesh, where it can do some well-deserved damage to your eardrums. Sydney’s Dead Farmers are one of these bands. Read more

New Music / Teenagers in Tokyo

August 9, 2008 | New Music | by Zolton |

Sydney pop starlets, Teenagers in Tokyo, have just released a new remix of their track End it Now dolled up and throttled into shape by local DJ group, Bagraiders. It’s as fun as a triple shot espresso with a dash of laphroaig.

New Music / WOW!

August 6, 2008 | New Music | by Michaella Solar-March |

Nine months ago Sydney couple Matt Cribb and Bree Carter decided they’d take their relationship to the next level. They started making beats. After posting two home-recorded tracks on MySpace as WOW, they got the attention of New York-based independent label Metal Postcard who agreed to release the duo’s first official pressing. Read more

New Music / The Presets’ new present

July 25, 2008 | New Music | by Derrick Stembridge |

The Presets are a Sydney-based electronic duo, consisting of Julian Hamilton and Kim Moyes. In September 2005 they released their debut album, Beams, to positive critical response. That same year Julian Hamilton and Kim Moyes also toured with The Dissociatives, which is co-fronted by Daniel Johns of Silverchair and Australian dance producer Paul Mac. Johns also played guitar on Presets single Cookie. Hamilton and Moyes are also members of Sydney instrumental group Prop.

Listen to The Presets song, My People.

New Music / The Paper Scissors (or something like that)

July 19, 2008 | New Music | by Zolton |

I first met Jai Pyne, enigmatic frontman for the indie prunk group (that’s pop with a sweet funk underture) The Paper Scissors when he was a scrawny teenager whose greatest challenge in life was trying to slam-dunk a partially deflated basketball at an inner-Sydney playground. Not much has changed in the near decade since, except that his boundless energy has been channeled into a burgeoning career as a songwriter for one of the hottest bands in Australia. Read more

New Music / The Howling Bells on their big Bell Hit

July 11, 2008 | New Music | by Zolton |

The first time I saw Howling Bells play was a blustery Sydney evening a few years back when I’d gotten the word from singer Juanita Stein’s brother — Ari — that an ‘event’ was going down and I was to do whatever it took to get in to see it. Tired and feeling unsociable, I scrubbed up nonetheless and made my way down a winding Oxford Street to a small club just before the red light district of Darlingurst. Read more