Album Of The Week - Boy & Bear - With Emperor Antartica

God there are some good things coming out of this pretty little land of ours…

One of which is harmony-drenched indie folk band - Boy & Bear.  Hailing from Sydney this talented young five-piece have already supported a number of huge acts including the likes of Angus & Julia Stone and Laura Marling. Currently touring to promote the release of their debut EP White Emperor Antarctica the lads have also secured a spot at Splendour In The Grass, and this is just the beginning. This little EP has been selected for our Album Of The Week.

For a while there, it seemed as though Folk music had become outdated, the taboo section of our parent’s music collection. I had always perceived it as stale, until acts such as Mumford and Sons, Grizzly Bear and Fleet Foxes came along. This genre has now been rewritten, redesigned with a contemporary edge, labelled Indie Folk or New Folk and has recaptured the hearts of mainstream.

The first release and first taste we got of this little gem was Mexican Mavis which also featured on their pre-EP release. Swept up by JJJ back in 09, it was this track that granted the quintet the right to play at Sydney’s famous Homebake. Meticulously building upon each element, Mexican evolves into a harmoniously colourful number that was a perfect first release for Boy and Bear to begin building their legions of fans.  

The opening track of the bands EP, Blood and Gold is warm with measured melody and a country vibe. Recorded in 301 studios in Byron Bay over 10 days with producer Rick Will, influences such as Fleet Foxes, The Shins and The Middle East are more than evident.  This brief five-track collection introduces us to lyrical narratives that are simple yet clever.

From a blissfully timid opening, The Storm builds into a balanced equation of acoustic and electric instruments. Lead singer, Dave Hosking’s vocal ability is stunning and is only amplified by the beautiful melodies and vocals of the rest of the band. The two final songs have taken us back to the slower and softer side of Boy and Bear.

The Final track, The Rain, is rawer and more acoustic than its four predecessors though the layers are still evident.  Broken down, simplified and then re-constructed, The Rain beautifully ties up our first taste of Boy and Bear.  

With Emperor Antarctica is warm, comforting and honest. The group's outstanding vocals convey their passion for the art. The album is compelling yet lacking in musical range. Perhaps if there were more than five tracks that criticism would be laid to rest? Overall I loved this album and cannot wait to see them live, apparently their acoustic sets are amazing.

8.5/10

Last chance for Sydney-siders to catch Boy and Bear is this Saturday (12^th) at the Annandale or 13^th at the Come Together Festival, Luna Park. If you cant along to either of these then make sure you catch them at Splendour. Go and fall in love with Boy and Bear.

POST BY BEC CLARK (Reebajeeb)

I Wanna Be Your Dog

Shoegaze garage rock at its best, or at least pretty damn close. San Diego duo, Crocodiles were meant to tour OZ back in December but unfortunately had to cancel due to a family emergency. With elements of psych rock and brief semi danceable moments I have been really getting in to these guys lately. Labeled as a band to keep your eye on, Stereogum described them as “The Velvet Underground swinging Jesus and Mary Chain". Sadly we have had no news of a rescheduled tour but we can expect a new EP from the lads out sometime in July.  Until then you will have to make do with this sick cover of The Stooges I Wanna Be Your Dog

POST BY BEC CLARK (Reebajeeb)

Parklife Line Up Announced

AC SLATER

AJAX

BAG RAIDERS

BRODINSKI

BUSY P

CHIDDY BANG

CLASSIXX

CUT COPY

DAN BLACK

DARWIN DEEZ

DELOREAN

GROOVE ARMADA

GRUM

GYPSY & THE CAT

HOLY GHOST!

JACK BEATS

JESSE ROSE

KELE

MEHDI

MEMORY TAPES

MIDNIGHT JUGGERNAUTS

MISSY ELLIOTT

MIXMASTER MIKE

NEW YOUNG PONY CLUB

OU EST LE SWIMMING POOL

SINDEN
SOULWAX

THE DANDY WARHOLS

THE GLITCH MOB

THE SWISS
THE WOMBATS

UFFIE

WASHINGTON

WOLF GANG

YOLANDA BE COOL VS DCUP

PHOTOS AND POST BY BEC CLARK (Reebajeeb)

Flickr

My World Tour now has a Flickr account!!!! Dan and I will be uploading pics from our adventures, so add us as a contact..... Check it out here

The Snowdroppers Interview

Formed back in 2007, The Snowdroppers are a unruly quartet who, alternate to what your urban dictionary may suggest, have taken their name from 1920’s slang for a cocaine addict. Featured as ‘artists to watch’ on various music feeds the Sydney lads are certainly doing things differently. Combining the best of blues, soul, country and rock, Snowdroppers have introduced these styles to a whole new audience in a whole new light. 

After releasing their debut LP Too Late To Pray, produced with the help of Azzy T and Dave Hammer, Snowdroppers have been touring around Australia and building quite a reputation for the live shows. On stage it’s the rogue charisma and stage presents of frontman Johnny Wishbone that will have you captivated. Snowdroppers put on a highly energetic set and if you don’t walk out dripping with sweat your doing something wrong. 

Lyrically the band touches on some heavy themes and are at times their verse is a little confronting but nevertheless get along to one of their shows and decide for your self. Currently on the Do The Stomp Tour you can catch them at the following locations:

June 4 - Crown and Anchor, Adelaide SA

June 5 - Grace Emily, Adelaide SA

June 11 - Grand Junction, Maitland NSW

June 12 - View Factory, Newcastle NSW

June 17 - Armidale Club, Armidale NSW

June 18 - Nimbin Hotel, Nimbin NSW

June 19 - Laurieton Hotel, Laurieton NSW

June 26 - Oxford Tavern, Wollongong NSW

July 2 - Old Manly Boatshed, Manly NSW

July 3 - Hotel Gearin, Katoomba NSW

July 9 - Brass Monkey, Cronulla NSW

Snowdroppers are doing what they do with a good sense of humour and a F load of jokes. I had a chance to catch up with the guys at Bluesfest for a bit of a chat. Freaking  hilarious...make sure you listen carefully!

VIDEO AND POST BY BEC CLARK (Reebajeeb)

Muse Pyramid VS Daft Punk Pyramid

(Photo By Reebajeeb)

After taking out headline spot for this year’s Big Day Out tour, UK trio Muse are back, and this time with a killer stadium show. 

I’m looking at it like this… they played Coachella and while they didn’t have the headline slot their set still included a massive lighting rig and a pyrotechnics show that would give the Harbour Bridge on NYE a run for its money (well not quite, but it was pretty impressive). So, given their own tour, in their own stadium we know the show will be epic.

Lead singer Matthew Bellamy has referenced George Orwell’s 1984 as an influence for the design of the set. This influence also surfaced during a Rolling Stones interview as inspiration, along with Nassium Nicholas Taleb’s 2007 Novel The Black Swan, for their most recent album The Resistance. 

Muse have always been very musically ambitious and while their performances have been the same, this time around they have taken things to a whole new level. In a recent interview about Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever) and its place as the lead single for the third Twilight film Bellamy commented “You know the all seeing eye with a big eye-ball on top? It basically looks like that…It’s supposed to be a cross between that and George Orwell’s ministry from 1984 – we’ve got a chrome UFO”

Well, you can just see for yourself….

Photographer: Danny North

by MuseAdmin

View the rest of the production rehearsals here

Tickets go on sale for Muse.mu members tomorrow (June 4) and tickets are around 120 bones. 

Playing: 

05.12.10 Brisbane Entertainment Centre

09.12.10 Sydney ACER Arena

14.12.10 Melbourne Rod Laver Arena

19.12.10 Perth Bassendean Oval

POST BY BEC CLARK (Reebajeeb)