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Splendour in the Grass 2009 (Day 1)

By |August 5th, 2009|Categories: Live Reviews|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

We give an in-depth rundown on 2009's Splendour in the Grass festival including the good - The Flaming Lips, Happy Mondays, Bloc Party, Doves, Sarah Blasko, Specials, You Am I, MGMT and the frankly rather appalling - Kram, Grinspoon.

Who The Hell Are… Villa Cola?

By |April 13th, 2011|Categories: Features, Who the Hell Are|Tags: , , , |

Having lived through the 80's, witnessed the birth of Wham!, the ascension of Kylie from Neighbours mechanic to pop princess and the rise and fall of the Stock, Aitken and Waterman (s)hit factory, intelligent, well-crafted synth-pop has had a tough (but not impossible) road to climb to redeem itself. It's easier done now for those with little memory of the 80's, who can mine the decade of its untapped wealth and pull influences from The Human League or Gary Numan or even further back without being mocked, all the while creating something new and exciting. Having a rough guess at their ages, London's Villa Cola could surely fill these shoes.

Cold Cave – Of Dark Days and Light Years (2011)

By |July 20th, 2011|Categories: Interviews|Tags: , , , , , , |

Cold Cave's debut album of 2009 Love Comes Close was a unique display of synth-oriented mood disorder, venturing out from the bedroom to the dancefloor, filled with idealistic tales of romance and disillusionment. Band leader Wes Eisold’s spin on the world appeared to share a voice (in both dour baritone and content) with Magnetic Fields Stephin Merritt, if he'd spent his adolescence listening to The Cure and Depeche Mode instead of showtunes. On their second album, Eisold moved beyond the testing of the waters that was Love Comes Close and turned its successor, Cherish The Light Years into his dark dream made manifold.

Various Artists – SCORE! 20 Years of Merge Records: The Covers

By |April 3rd, 2009|Categories: Album Reviews|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

A star-studded cast pay tribute on this anniversary compilation, but who invited Times New Viking?

Neon Indian – Pills, Chills and Genre Ache (2010)

By |October 14th, 2010|Categories: Interviews|Tags: , , , , , , |

Astute music fans have probably heard of the genre chillwave – a blend of 80s synths, psychedelic pop and liberal amounts of distortion – put upon acts like Memory Tapes, Toro Y Moi and Nite Jewel. The band most closely associated with that word is Neon Indian whose main man Alan Palomo, who also has a solo project VEGA, had a chat to Chris Berkley recently in London about the c-word, the beginnings of Psychic Chasms, the Yacht remix, his collaborations with Australian dance merchants Miami Horror, how he loves to make music that messes with people’s heads and the forthcoming Australian tour for the Texan group.

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