Aus tour lures: Fall, Girls, New Pornographers
We told you about the bounty of international acts coming Australia’s way in the next few months a couple of weeks back, now after an announcement they would play the Meredith music festival in Victoria got those in other states chomping at the bit it’s now official — Mark E Smith and his current cohorts known as The Fall are playing headline shows in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne on the back of this year’s Your Future, Our Clutter album. Also tour announcements for San Fran’s Girls and Canadian indie supergroup The New Pornographers.
The Walkmen – From Lisbon To London
“You’re one of us, or you’re one of them“. Hamilton Leithauser, fist wrapped tight around the microphone as if he’s trying to strangle it, is howling those words. The rest of The Walkmen, heads bowed (as they remain throughout most of the set) play complicit and provide the carnival-esque roar to ram Leithauser’s words home. It’s not so much a question or a suggestion but a statement. For better or for worse, for way back when the band were selling their own white label records at the Middle East in Boston in 2001, I’ve been one of “us”.
LCD Soundsystem – Still Happening
During their recent visit to Australia for Splendour in the Grass we caught up with LCD Soundsystem’s main man James Murphy who gave us reason to put away the hankies for LCD’s much reported demise – “It’s not necessarily the last record. I would make another record. It’s more the end of this part – three records that go together, an arc. We became a bigger band than I ever expected. Something needs to stop, for me, for us all to be happy.” He also waxes lyrical about making the record in the LA of his imagination, growing up and wanting kids, his Greenburg soundtrack experience and his many and varied future projects.
Who The Hell Are… Ramona?
It’s not so much lurking in the 3 minute bluster of their debut single “How Long”, but a part of its DNA, that you quickly catch onto Ramona’s game. In the first 10 seconds alone they manage to answer the eternal question of “What if Debbie Harry joined The Ramones?”. You see it in singer Karen Anne’s bleached blonde locks and her breathy purr, and you hear it all over “How Long”, the harmonies n’ hooks, and the buzzsaw guitars that graduate with honours from The Ramones “Rock n’ Roll High School”. It’s just one song/one question answered, we thought best to rattle off 15 more. Thus becoming the first in our “Who The Hell Are…?” Q&A’s where we send out, Smash Hits-style, a random bunch of questions to a new act that has caught our eyes and ears, and then let them answer in their own words.
Pernice Brothers – Goodbye, Killer
All killer, no filler, Joe Pernice and Co. turn up the volume and turn in one of their most enjoyable records to date.
Jonneine Zapata – Cast The Demons Out
Sounding like a counter-revolutionary, singer-songwriter Jonneine Zapata’s task at hand is presciently hinted at in the title.
M.I.A. – MAYA
Send out the search parties — Missing in action on the latest album from M.I.A. — “melody, listenability, and some semblance of a point”.
Magic Kids – Memphis
Named after the town they’re from, Memphis has “some great songs, some brilliant moments”, but not quite all adding up to Magic, Kids.
To celebrate 50 years of the footwear of choice for pretty much every rock music subculture — Dr. Marten’s boots (aka Docs) — the company has asked 10 artists to cover a cult classic representing the spirit of the people who have worn Docs. Black Rebel Motor Cycle Club have done an admirable acoustic version of The Pogues’ “Dirty Old Town” but the one that really caught our ear was Danish garage rock/pop duo The Raveonette’s take on The Stone Roses’ “I Wanna Be Adored”. Wisely not messing with the basic formula (the deep, lush bass line you’d marry if you could, that shimmering guitar riff and abrupt middle eight) too much but adding enough of their own flavour with some shoegaze guitar effects and synthesiser/organ coupled with Karin Foo’s anodyne vocals, The Raveonette’s wisely know when to supply adoration and when to employ differentiation.
