Background
Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, Abrahams is a singer-songwriter that has gone from ‘a well-kept hometown secret into an independent artist with a passionate international following’. Signed to respected indie label Secret Canadian & touring the USA with Damon Jurado.
Aussie indie pop outfit Fairchild has debuted “Arcadia”, a song off upcoming new EP – Sadako – to be released on November 21st through Canvas Sounds/Believe Digital. The new song is an infectious, hooky dance pop number which indie pop fans will simply lap up. Check it out below.
I guess the standout detail for me about Brisbane’s The Trouble With Templeton is the fact that the band is signed to UK indie label Bella Union, who also have the likes of Fleet Foxes, Midlake, Flaming Lips, Beach House on its roster. Good company to keep!
Immediate impression upon listening to The Trouble With Templeton was that the band was your typical ‘hipster’ indie-folk outfit but thankfully that’s not really the case. Sure, there are obvious folk elements – acoustic guitars jangle and high register harmonies for example – but dig deeper and it’s clear that the band’s influences stretch to the 90s with Radiohead, Travis and early Coldplay prominent.
Thomas Calder, the nucleus of the band, has a distinctive voice that conveys edge and fragility, sadness with anger – a highly emotive instrument. The songs themselves are built on motivic patterns that anchor fairly static melodies, relying on ‘feels’ and atmosphere and less on classical melodicism.
Which is fine if one is able to deliver emotionally resonant material such as “Whimpering Child”, “Heavy Lifting” and “Secret Pastures” whilst at the same time producing soaring ditties as “Six Months in a Cast” and “You Are New”. Wrapped up nicely in organic production, Rookie is essential listening for modern alternative pop fans looking beyond artifice.
Official Site
Truly amazing how Fremantle outfit The Amani Consort is able to glide effortlessly over myriad styles within the R&B milieu. If you love jazz fusion, funk, soul and hip hop, then picking up this wonderful debut EP is pretty much essential. Of course, with the smooth larynx of front-lady Aysha Amani leading the way with highly positive lyrical vibes, getting on board this particular bandwagon is a no-brainer.
“Everybody needs a dream like the air that we breathe” (“Don’t Sweat”) is a good example with the track a lesson in keyboard skills from Gordon Cant. In fact, instrumentally the band is so tight and so expressive, equally at home delivering jazz, funk and hip hop chops. And Amani is also comfortable with rapping as she demonstrates on “Rock Your Soul”. Fans of Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Lauryn Hill and Meshell Ndegeocello will simply fall in love with Amani’s voice. And on “Attitude”, she delivers the pointed sentiments perfectly with an equal measure of menace and determination.
Suffice to say that this is an assured debut that deserves all the attention it can get. Highly recommended!
Official Site
I absolutely loved Brisbane artist Jeremy Neale at Music Matters Live last month. Not only for his music but his general approach to being… Jeremy Neale! This man deserves to be bigger than Justin Bieber. Seriously. So I sent him these questions via email and waited with bated breath on the answers. Here’s what came back…
How did you get your start in music?
I was fortunate that my best friend when I was 13 started learning the drums. She would get drum lessons and then teach me what she knew. I went on to continue playing drums in High School and picked up other instruments along the way. This left me primed to be able to experiment with songwriting and I guess eventually I must have written something halfway decent. Finally had the guts to write for a band towards the end of 2008 and then started doing the solo thing in 2011.
If you missed The Brow at Beerfest 2014, then I feel sorry for you! The quintet parlay a unique mix of ska, hip hop and electronica into a heady brew and on stage they are brimming with hi-energy and dance-able vibes. The Brow is a band that simply defies easy categorization – which is fine by me! I spoke to the joint frontmen Nick Owen and Ben Fear when they were in Singapore and if you listen to the audio (and why wouldn’t you?!) it’s clearly evident that The Brow are both serious-minded and fun-loving at the same time. Great combo, eh? (Sound quality is a little rough but I hope you get the gist of what was going on – high jinks!)
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I love The Disappointed! This Perth band reminds me so much of the best late 70s/early 80s new wave smart pop (think: Split Enz, Elvis Costello, XTC) – it’s so refreshing! As part of the Singapore-Western Australian Music Exchange, I got to interview Michael Strong (vocals, guitar) and Mark Neal (guitar) when they were in Singapore and here are the audio clips for your enjoyment & edification! (Sound quality is a little rough but I hope you get the gist of what was going on)
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We will be back shortly with a review of Weird Peace, the new EP from The Disappointed.
In the meantime, catch up with the band at its Facebook page.
… still there’s more …
Melbourne band EMPRA has a strong Lion City connection as their frontman Sanny Veloo is Singaporean and part of the legendary local indie rockers Boredphucks/The Suns. Fittingly, EMPRA will be town as part of the Music Matters Live 2014 lineup. Sanny graciously filled in our MML Q&A.
Why did you apply to play at Music Matters Live ’14?
Cos we needed an excuse to return to Singapore to eat more sambal kangkong! (Damn good reason – KM)
How do you think playing at the Festival will help you?
We’ve had some interest from Japan, India, China and Asia and we were hoping that we could perform at Music Matters and blow all these promoters away so they’ll book us into cool tours of Asia and Festivals with great Singapore food on our band riders.
What are your scheduled slots at MML’14?
We’re pretty busy… here’s what we have on at MML…
21 May
10 – 1030pm Crazy Elephant
22 May
830 – 855pm Beer Market
1130-1am Hard Rock Cafe, Orchard
23 May
8 – 830pm China One
24 May
1210 – 1240am Paulaner
25 May
1215 – 1245am Timbre @ Substation
How are you preparing for MML’14?
We’ve actually been doing heaps of shows in Australia, rehearsing heaps and having losta fun hanging out at live venues with all our mates who are in bands and planning an itinerary of places we wanna visit in Singapore including various food stops, touristy places like the Night Safari and cool clubs and bars!
Why should music lovers come and watch you at MML’14?
Cos we have been lifting people’s spirits since 2011 and I promise you that if you come to an EMPRA show you will leave feeling utterly amazing and you’ll wanna hang out with us after the show for beers!!!
LOWERCASE AND LINCH AGENCY PRESENTS AN EVENING WITH LYON APPRENTICE, GENTLE BONES, LOKIES & LINYING
The year has kicked off and the gigs are coming in thick and fast. A relatively low key event, this stripped down acoustic affair showcased Gold Coast brother act, Lyon Apprentice, as they made their debut appearance in Singapore.
The first impression I had of Aussie indie pop band Fairchild — by watching a YouTube video of “Burning Feet” (off new EP of the same name) — was that the band was a professional set-up with management & promotional support – the whole shebang! But the truth is that the Gold Coast sextet actually have day jobs (!) and ascribe to a D-I-Y aesthetic, depending very much on contacts and their own business acumen to make it this far. Frontman Adam Lyons not only has to juggle a full-time profession with Fairchild but also has a side-project Lyon Apprentice, with his brother Nathan (who is also in Fairchild). The band played in 2013’s Music Matters Live and more recently The MIDI Festival in Shenzhen and will also be showcased at the upcoming Canadian Music Week in May. All these overseas jaunts, virtually on their own dime. Quite an achievement. Over this weekend, I had the unique opportunity to watch both Fairchild and Lyon Apprentice and spoke to Adam about music, passion and how to finance it all by robbing a bank!
Why music?
I was forced to play piano when I was about 15 years old but I played guitar – I didn’t study it (music) at school – I wasn’t allowed to actually, I wasn’t even allowed to do PE – Maths and Science was my thing. I told them (parents) I wanted to do medicine, which I eventually got into. Music is a gateway to something else – it’s not a profession for me per se and I think things change when you switch music from a job to a hobby but we treat music as a job in the way we approach it. I look at my friends at work – 9 to 5 – and that’s all they do but it gives me another avenue to be creative.
Australian based Dancing Heals has just releasing the gorgeous track, “Always on My Mind”, and are currently finishing up their second album, that captures more of their live sound and draws from longtime influences such as Tom Petty and Fleetwood Mac. The band loves to wave the nostalgia flag and “Always On My Mind” is no different. A sonically raw reflection on the confusing emotions of letting someone go… and never forgetting.
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Australian anthemic rock quartet The Jezabels deliver their latest video for “Rosebud,” directed by Ben Reed. You can watch the dark, VHS-reminiscent clip over at VEVO. “Rosebud” is the latest single from the band’s debut full-length Prisoner, which will be available physically in the US via Mom + Pop Records on April 3.
Official Site
Still fresh in the memory of Singapore fans is the magnificent performance of The Jezabels at the recent The People’s Party. Well, the Sydney quartet’s new album – The Prisoner – is due for release soon and you can now listen to Try Colour, a powerful teaser for the delights to come…
The Jezabels – Prisoner (Sampler) by Mom + Pop
Something’s definitely going on here with this track from Aussie band The Jezabels’ debut album The Prisoner. The band were recently in Singapore for Music Matters and will be back in 2012 for The People’s Party on 14th January. I’m game if you are…
Confirmed dates and venues
BRISBANE – SATURDAY 28th JANUARY 2012
Alexandria Street, Fortitude Valley QLD 4006
AUCKLAND – MONDAY 30th JANUARY 2012
Silo Park, Beaumont Street. Auckland
MELBOURNE – SATURDAY 4th FEBRUARY 2012
Footscray Community Arts Centre – 45 Moreland Street, Footscray VIC 3011
SYDNEY – SUNDAY 5th FEBRUARY 2012
Sydney College of the Arts (SCA) – Balmain Road, Rozelle NSW 2039
ADELAIDE – FRIDAY 10th FEBRUARY 2012
Fowler’s Live – 68-70 North Terrace, Adelaide SA 5000
PERTH – SATURDAY 11th FEBRUARY 2012
Perth Cultural Centre – Beaufort Street, Perth WA 6000
SINGAPORE – SUNDAY 12th FEBRUARY 2012
Fort Canning, Canning Rise, Singapore
More information to come. Stay tuned.
They came, they saw and they conquered. The Jezabels impressed throughout their three performances at Music Matters Live 2011. They got the crowds to dance, shout and jump. And on their last night, earned a standing ovation from a Grammy Award winning record producer. Not too shabby for their first time in Singapore.
Continue reading THE JEZABELS – LIVE IN SINGAPORE (MUSIC MATTERS LIVE 2011)
Poor them, barely four years old and The Jezabels are already burdened with three critically acclaimed EPs (The Man is Dead (2009), She’s So Hard (2009) Dark Storm (2010)), sold out shows, award nominations and seeing their songs hit the top music charts in Australia and abroad. Their first LP is on the way too. The quartet from Sydney, Australia is made up of Hayley (vocals), Heather (piano), Sam (guitars) and Nik (drums). It’s their first time in the island of Temasek and they are one of the 40 bands from 18 countries who performed at Music Matters Live 2011 on the 26th to 28th of May. We sat down together with Sam and Nik (friendly chaps they are) on the 27th to find out what they had to say about their namesake from the Bible, touring with women and whether file sharing is a good thing (to Mediafire or not? that is the question).
18 year old Perth singer-songwriter possesses a sweet, fragile larynx, with music to match. Lionheart is ethereal and baroque, resonating warmly as one takes it all in. The song is taken from Kay’s debut EP.
The lass has already won a 2010 Western Australia Music Award (WAM), and been nominated for a 2011 Independent Music Award for best Indie/Alternative/Hard Rock Song. All this without a record label or even a full length album under her belt!
Listen to/watch Lionheart and find out why this is so…
Official Site
CHARLES J TAN The Pelham Sessions EP (Self-released)
The first thing you’d notice on this record is Tan’s vocals – you can’t miss them. Husky, deep, well-rounded and full, it makes you sit up and pay attention. His enunciation is clear and brings out each word carefully, which is a very positive thing… But unfortunately this is also what brings out the bone I have to pick with this EP: the less-than-satisfactory lyrics.
Charles J Tan is a folk-pop singer-songwriter from Melbourne, Australia. Tan is Australian with roots from Singapore and has just released his album, The Pelham Sessions and is currently on tour to support the release in Singapore and Asia. His next show is on 31st Jan 2011 at The Esplanade, with a two month long residency at TAB Singapore to follow in February and March. Admission is free.
Review of The Pelham Sessions to come.
Official Site
Sanny Veloo is a S-ROCK legend! As the singer-guitarist of Boredphucks and Melbourne-based The Suns, Sanny has been on the vanguard of Singaporean melodic rock ‘n’ roll for over a decade now. Well, EMPRA is Sanny’s latest project and based on its debut single Like A Runaway/I Won’t Give Up, it is clear that the years have not blunted Sanny’s rock edge or way with a melody. Highly recommended! Listen/download from Bandcamp.
Friday nights at *SCAPE of late have become one of the best places to discover new, upcoming bands within the local music community. The night, however, was different, with 2 bands from Perth, Australia playing, and a stellar lineup of hardcore bands.
AUSTRALIA
Australian bands have been making waves worldwide for a long time now and each rock decade has its own memorable Oz band. Off the top of my head – AC/DC (above), Men At Work, INXS, Midnight Oil, Icehouse, You and I and many many more. I’d wager that none of that rich musical history would have been possible without the support of both the Federal and State Governments in Australia.
The Futurists represents the musical meanderings and lyrical musings of Paul Housden who is also the singer and guitarist in Foxx on Fire. A debut album will be released soon, featuring the Adrian Whitehead on keyboards, the Terepai Richmond on drums and the Jak Housden on guitar and production. There will be an album launch with hot dogs, balloons… the whole schmear!
Listen: The Futurists – She’s The One
