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Flume

Boy wonder and all time cutie (that pout!) Flume has been a name hot on the pages of pretty much every worthy music publication this year, with his signature track Sleepless making him a Triple J (and nation-wide) favourite, so it came as no surprise when he announced his debut album earlier this year.

Featuring guest spots from Chet Faker, Moon Holiday, George Maple and many more, Flume’s self titled debut is set to be released on Friday 9th of November through Future Classic. The 20-year-old wasted no time amassing a cult following, with over 30,000 fans on his Facebook in what seemed to be over night, and found himself playing support slots for British electro troubadour Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs and The XX.

Sleepless, with a slight twist on the original, this time featuring Jezzabell Doran, naturally has a place in the track listing, and with it’s manipulated vocals and slinky piano pumps, is a fantastic introduction to Flume. The track, which received 500,00+ views on YouTube and over 120,000 plays on Soundcloud, helped create considerable buzz around the debut, even attracting a feature in Rolling Stone Magazine.

Putting to rest any concern of one-hit-wonder status, Flume aka. Harley Streten, unveiled the leading single from the hotly anticipated debut, Holdin’ On, on Triple J early last week. The track highlights the young beat-makers genre-bending ability with its hip hop groove, soulful vocal and lyrical inspiration drawn from Otis Redding’s ‘Can’t Turn You Loose’.

On Top featuring T.Shirt is a standout on the album, with more of a dance-hop feeling to it; it has a clever chord progression and catchy drum hooks throughout, with Flume’s signature underlying vocals in the chorus leading into an epic drop. Warm Thoughts, a more easy listening track, is another stand out.

The youngsters certainly been making a significant impact on Sydney’s electronic scene with his lush pop-infused brand of originals and clever remixes, and Flume (the album) places him in the forefront of the scene and well ahead of his years.

Angus Stone

Album Review: Angus Stone, Broken Brights

20 July 2012

by Hannah Maguire

Angus Stone, the masculine half of Sydney duo Angus & Julia Stone has unveiled his first solo album. Broken Brights marks a welcome departure from Stone’s signature folk sound. Recorded in a variety of locations; canals of Europe, rustic dwellings in the hills of Switzerland, Indian countryside and around the coast of Australia, the album was produced by Angus himself and is said to be his most personal work to date.

Opening track River Love gently introduces us to the solo work with a calming guitar melody and a strong and clear vocal while the title trackcaptures you with its familiarity and a strong, infectious rhythm. Lyrically, Stone's songs seem to always tell a story, and Bird on the Buffalo is no exception. He tells a tale of an unlikely relationship between the bird and the buffalo, a metaphor for a musing connection between lovers (ex-girlfriend, Isabel Lucas, we presume) and the result is unlike anything Angus has done before.

The Blue Door joins the genre-journey with its distinctly blues feel and perhaps more sophisticated lyric content than the record’s other tracks. It was Blue serves as a reminder of the crisp, clear tone and impressive range in Angus’ voice that has brought him such success along with a heavy guitar melody. Be What You Be shifts gears again with a catchy and unique vocal line, a definite standout.

Interestingly, Angus has chosen to include a solo re-hash of Wooden Chair, previously released on the Heart Full of Wine EP Album released with his sister Julia in 2007. In comparison, Angus’ revisited version is much more upbeat, while keeping to the signature whistled-chorus. As a closer, End of The World is powerful, with a slow guitar riff, heavy rhythm and bold vocals.

Broken Brights, as a whole, has an overwhelming country-folk feel offering a less conventional instrumental arrangement than albums previously recorded with his sister. It is undoubtedly a display of Stone’s vocal and composition skill, however, the collection carries a distinct lack of variation in tone and energy, leaving us, and perhaps Angus too, wondering where to go from here.

(Written for The Music Network)

Milling In The Wind

Album review: Tim Hart, Milling The Wind

16 August 2012

by Hannah Maguire

Best known for his rhythms and back-up vocals for indie folk-rock quintet Boy & Bear, Tim Hart is taking on a new vantage point with his debut album Milling the Wind. This tale of a drummer-turned-singer/songwriter sounds a lot like that of Fleet Foxes ex-drummer J. Tillman/Father John Misty - they even look similar. But lovers of Boy & Bear's LP Moonfire will no doubt be elated by this solo release, and more-so by the reassurance that Tim Hart has no plans whatsoever to leave the band.

Milling the Wind is an accumulation of everything Hart had wanted to record solo: having begun his musical journey as a singer/songwriter prior to joining the band, he writes of growing up, family, love, religion and heartache. A deeply honest and personal record that somehow remains easily relatable, yet open to interpretation. Opening with Architects, the delicate ode sets an obvious folk tone which consists throughout most of the album. Hart’s vocals are charming and dance over clever lyrics with subtle harmonies and the quintessential Australian twang we loved so much from Boy & Bear. It is difficult not to draw comparisons to the band, as the album seems quite the collaborative affair, with B&B-mates Jake Hosking and Jake Tarasenko dropping in for a cameo or two. Tracks like Cover Your Code and Wicked Winters are perfect examples of this, with plucky banjo, harmonica, flutes, trumpets, strings, and Simon & Garfunkel-esque harmonic lines producing an all-too-familiar sound. A Number of Us, the most recent single and a stand out track, is an emotional glimpse into the woes of growing older, tasting defeat and moving on again; along with So Come The Rain and Borrowed & Vacant, it is one of the few real departures from the upbeat B&B vibe. Taking on a more melancholy, almost eerie nature with the inclusion of piano and soaring electric guitar riffs, these tracks are stories, outliers, and work to capture your attention amongst the familar-sounding folk. Milling the Wind is certainly not an album full of hit singles or punchy tunes to dance along to; it is more of a journey, and an outstanding and emotionally-charged debut for Tim Hart. This is the stuff that road trips down the coast or country driving sing-a-longs are made of. (Written for The Music Network)

The Temper Trap

Photography: Ken Leanfore

The Temper Trap talk AFL and music

12 September 2012

by Hannah Maguire

Lorenzo Sillitto from The Temper Trap chats to TMN about AFL and music.

Is it the short shorts or the pies and beers that you enjoy most about AFL? Do you guys follow the sport at all? It would have to be the pies. It is one of those things that I miss about Australia. Hot pies everywhere. Toby and I are both involved in a footy tipping comp so you could say we follow it a bit. So who’s your AFL team of choice? Toby and I are both Melbourne fans. The Temper Trap have seen considerable success overseas, being nominated for a BRIT award and playing an extensive run of shows throughout the UK and North America. What do you think it is about your sound that attracts those audiences?

The sound of the first record had some ethereal and anthemic qualities and I think it just resonated with people at a certain time. Was your second release daunting after the massive success of your debut album? Did it influence the songwriting for the second album, knowing it would be heard so widely. When we started writing we just wanted to see what would come out with no pre-conceived ideas. And as the songs developed we could see the progression from the first songs. But as we got further into the process there was some influence from the success of the first. You recently played Vivid LIVE in Sydney, how do your overseas gigs compare to playing home turf? The crowds from place to place vary and are amazing but there is something about playing at home and particularly in Melbourne that is special. That's our home and where we started. At Vivid, you played your Opera House debut, was that daunting, considering how entrenched the Opera House is in our culture? Yeah it was a little daunting. Because of all the amazing performances that have gone down in the venue you have to step it up. We actually had a streaker come on stage which I think may have been a first! Have you seen any acts recently that have blown your mind? We are on the Africa Express tour at the moment which is a train that is traveling around the UK with African and Western artists and every night there are some amazing performances. Also I recently saw Willis Earl Beal who is from Chicago and has a crazy voice. I know the second record just came out, but have you started writing for the third? We are on this train and ideas have been flowing. We are planning to get into a rehearsal room when we get off. And we have scheduled time after the Coldplay shows.

(Written for The Music Network)

Katie Noonan

Katie Noonan: Southern Skies

24 August 2012

by Hannah Maguire

"I’m really fascinated with breaking down the barriers in musical genre.” Katie Noonan says of her upcoming record Songs of the Southern Skies. “I love working in different worlds, be it jazz or pop or classical. I thought this album would be a great way to explore the music of Australia and New Zealand. It’s basically a celebration of what’s so great about our composers and musicians.” Justly celebrated as one of the best voices in the country, Katie Noonan–in collaboration with classical guitarist Karin Schaupp–turns her attention and impossibly angelic voice to a new project: a collection of songs close to her heart. From The Finn Brothers and Bic Runga to Gotye and Cold Chisel, Songs of the Southern Skies is a feast for lovers of all genres of Australian and New Zealand music. “I met Karin at the Huntington Festival about eight years ago and we were paired to do a performance there. We found common ground musically; it just made sense. Basically, we had a really long list of songs and we came up with a collection we both loved. I wanted it to be a good snap-shot of time, from the 1930s ‘til now. I also wanted it to reflect both male and female composers.” Also included on the album is a world premiere composition by Elena Kats-Chernin, written especially for the duo. It seems that Noonan is never content resting in her comfort zone; on top of recording a new album off the back of a tour, she extended an opportunity to young composers nation-wide. A call was sent for original compositions, with the winning entry to be performed by Noonan and Schaupp and featured on their album. “We had some amazing entries. The last song on the album is the track; a song called Bora Ring by Andrew Georg. He wrote a really fabulous composition with great lyrics by Judith Wright, who I love, a Queensland born poet. It was the hands-down winner.” No strangers to the tour circuit, Noonan and Schaupp, along with a handful of yet-to-be-announced special guests, set off on their magical musical tour around our great southern land in September, wrapping up at Sydney’s stunning City Recital Hall towards the end of October. “I’m always really committed to making sure I get to all states and territories,” explains Noonan, “and I think the nature of our show speaks to more intimate theatres.” Of the many hats that Noonan wears: musician, producer, songwriter, businesswoman, her proudest title is mother. Her two sons, Dexter and Jonah, and husband (Elixir band-mate) Zac Hurren, are never far from her mind, particularly with a looming tour. “It’s the hardest thing about what we do, leaving home. It’s harder now, with them getting older, with their routines. Until they started school they just came everywhere with me, we were a full gypsy family.” Having an ARIA award-winning-platinum-selling songstress for a mother does have its perks though, “I took them to Splendor in the Grass. They had a ball! I’m exhausted, but they had a great time.” Growing up in a household dedicated to music and literature, an artistic, creative life was intrinsically embedded in Noonan from a young age. Now, with an enviable resume including an album released with her mother, an acclaimed recitalist and principal soprano, Noonan talks of collaborations with New Zealand luminary and personal hero, “Tim Finn and I co-wrote a couple of songs for my record with The Captains. It was a great honour and a slightly frightening privilege. I’ve loved his music since I was literally a toddler, so it was pretty amazing.” “I would love to perform a duet with Joni Mitchell, she’s my hero,” she says of one of her greatest inspirations, both musically and personally, “We would probably sing A Case of You. That’s one of the most incredible songs ever written… any of her songs actually. I think she’s a real beacon of integrity.” Fans of Noonan’s many forms, be it indie-pop band George, folk-trio Elixir, the sounds of The Captains or more recent solo works, fear not, we have certainly not heard the last of this beloved Australian singer. “Ultimately, my own material is what I love: writing new songs and original bodies of work. It’s what we do; create things and dream things, and the rest is life. I’m one of the lucky ones, I get to do what I love.”

(Written for The Music Network)

The Rubens

Photography: Ken Leanfore

The Rubens: A Family Affair

21 September 2012

by Hannah Maguire

"I don’t miss home when I’m touring, I miss touring when I’m home. We share a room at home, so coming back is worse than leaving,” says Rubens frontman, Sam Margin, to which his younger brother and band-mate Elliot quickly interjects, “Our mum and dad are lovely and let us stay at home, we can’t really whinge.” The Rubens are brothers Sam, Elliot and Isaac Margin, along with good friend Scott Baldwin, and as the morning sun streams in through the windows of the Toxeth in Glebe, they are a sight to behold. Eldest brother Sam sits with a protective hand around Zacc’s shoulder, swilling a glass of mid-morning white in the other, while Elliot and Scott tuck into a fresh batch of chocolate-chip cookies (prepared by yours truly). From small-town beginnings to stardom in just over a year, the quartet seem quite comfortable with their new-found fame and look every bit the burgeoning indie-pop stars they are touted. At their core, though, under the new threads and bravado that comes with being praised as Australia’s most promising act, they are a group of young-men who seem to bait and tease each other constantly. This mornings target: organ-player Elliot, for his resemblance to a certain young pop-star, “We get stopped in traffic in the van all the time, and people always tell us that the guy in the back looks like Harry from One Direction. “We grew up in Camden, near Menangle. It’s really nice countryside. No one in Menangle cares, though. Actually, the people at the corner store really like us, but only because we shot part of our video there,” says frontman Sam. “People probably care more than you think though, they just don’t say anything.” Sam is the distinct leader of the pack and the man behind the illustrious soulful vocals. He began his musical career as a solo artist, touring/holidaying overseas before returning home and forming The Rubens. “I was back for about a year without playing any music. I never thought I could do the band thing, maybe because I’m too self-centred, but I never thought I could work with anyone else. I’m just being honest.” To which beat-man Scott interjects, “He’s a bit of a control freak, but in a good way.” “I wasn’t sure if I could do it, but it’s been really easy,” Sam continues. “I think it’s because we’re brothers and me and Scotty are really good mates, so it’s much easier with people you know. Our youngest brother Jett is 17, and he’s a drummer. He was too young to be in the band when it started, so Scott’s just warming up his seat for him.” They all laugh together, though Elliot seems concerned, “You’re going to make Scott worried, stop it!” “I actually taught Jett the drums,” says Scott. “Jett’s nickname was Ruben, so that’s where our name came from. He’s going to play percussion for us. We’re going to let him come on stage for some of the bigger songs on our tour.” Guitarist Zacc, who has been very quietly sipping his schooner of ale finally pipes up, “Jett’s not that stoked for us. He just wants to get in there for the girls.” In just one year, The Rubens have achieved more than most bands would in a lifetime, and after scoring a spot as Triple J’s Unearthed Feature Artist with Lay It Down, they had listeners enchanted, and a growing fan base saw them play a spot at Homebake Festival in 2011. But before all the hype created by Triple J, The Rubens had already arranged to record their debut album with producer David Khane at Avatar Studio in New York, no easy feat. “It was the music that spoke, not the hype,” said Sam, “our mate, Dean Toozer, was at a music conference and he gave our track to David, who was running a seminar, and he really liked it; it was My Gun. I remember seeing a post on Dean’s Facebook from David saying, ‘Send me more tracks,’ and I was pretty excited.” “At that point we hadn’t been played on Triple J and we had no label, but we knew that because of what we were doing [with David] we could probably start thinking about labels, but until Triple J happened, we weren’t sure.” The boys were bound for New York, spending six weeks in pre-production, rehearsing, writing and tweaking songs before one month of recording. With a production resume including Paul McCartney, The Strokes, The Bangles and Regina Spektor, David Kahne would no-doubt amplify the raw-sound previously heard in Lay It Down. “Some songs he worked on more than others, he taught us a lot about writing pop songs,” says Sam. “We were worried though, because people back home really liked us for having that simplistic, raw sound. But we weren’t going to go to New York to work with one of the best producers in the one of best studios to get a sound we could have gotten in our bedroom. “We still thought that we might come back to Australia and people would be like, ‘What have they done?’ And we were worried about the buzz from Lay It Down dying. I was scared, but as soon as the Hottest 100 thing happened, we knew we would make it through.” Sam talks of receiving word of their #57 ranking in Triple J’s Hottest 100. They reminisce on time spent in New York, of having to walk 10 kilometres a day because the subway was too expensive, meagre diets, and skateboarding accidents resulting in trips to the hospital. “We had no money, but we made it fun. We would all be really hungry, and if someone bought a hot dog, then that was permission for everyone else to buy a hot-dog. We mostly just ate Wendy’s and hot dogs and pizza. We did cook pasta occasionally though,” says Elliot. “Yeah, we did cook. I’m a chef,” Sam interjects, “I can cook, I like to listen, I hate long walks on the beach, but I like to listen. I’m also a generous lover,” he laughs. Upon their return, The Rubens announced their Don’t Ever Want To Be Found tour, and coupled with the release of a single/clip of the same name, they played a spate of small sold-out shows country-wide, supporting Ivy League roster-pal Lanie Lane, and gigs at mega-festivals Spin Off and Splendour In the Grass. “When we played Spin Off in Adelaide, we played to a quarter of what was at Splendour, and we thought, we’ll be really happy with that kind of crowd, because we are on at 1.30 on Sunday, and it’s the furthest stage from everything. We were thinking of all the factors, thinking no-one was going to come, but then the whole tent was full!” “People were trying to get in the tent from all kinds of angles. We were backstage just going, what the hell!?” Scott reports, “It’s a 5,000 capacity tent. We were completely overwhelmed.” Although The Rubens draw heavy comparisons to indie-rockers The Black Keys, they believe there is a lot more depth to their sound, “We like The Black Keys, sure, but we have so many more influences. We grew up listening to Van Morrison, but there’s also Kings of Leon and Coldplay,” Zacc explains. “I reckon we’re more like Kings of Leon. “Everything seems bigger after New York. I mean, everything has happened off the back of a couple of singles, which is pretty rare. We just released My Gun, which is going well, and I guess it’s just about seeing what happens after the album is out. We want to play shows to crowds that know every song and not just a few. That’s when things will change.”

(Written for The Music Network)

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Lucky Seven

Golden Plains Lucky Seven lineup

23 October 2012

by Hannah Maguire

As festival goers and lucky ticket holders count down the days until the stunning sounds of Meredith take over the Midland Highway, those of us who missed out on the ballot should not forget about her slightly smaller but equally epic little sister, Golden Plains. Following the confirmation that Cat Power will be headlining the highly anticipated festival, alongside George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, Golden Plains Lucky Seven has just added a slew of incredible acts to the bill. Aunty Meredith and her Supernatural Custodians will also be bringing mega-babe Kristian Matsson aka. The Tallest Man On Earth and his intimately rendered collection of folk songs all the way from the land of the midnight sun. Sharing the stage will also be GP veterans Dinosaur Jr. with their latest studio album I Bet On Sky. After a considerable lay off, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion return to our shores to earn back the title as America’s most raucous, hardest working rock’n’roll outfit with their self produced album Meat and Bone. Be sure to bring sweat towels. With the old comes the new, and one of Canada’s most highly touted pop acts Purity Ring. The young duo certainly knows how to put on an impressive show with their custom-built light-up drum machines and explosive energy. Home-grown act Flume is also confirmed alongside laconic mates Dick Diver, ever-rocking Mark of Cain and many many more Australian musical delights and doses of ear-candy. You will also never have as much fun listening to an orchestra as you will with Melbourne Ska Orchestra. In its seventh year, with an already impressive cast, Golden Plains will span over three stunning days in March, as the autumn sun fills the famed Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre. The usual BYO and ‘No Dickhead’ policies apply, and lack of commercial sponsors ensure that this weekend will be the most magical experience of your 2013. Aunty Meredith advises that the best way to get your tickets is through the Subscriber Ticket Ballot system to ensure that the majority of the tickets go to subscribers before the rest of the public get their mitts on them. Round Two Ballot is still available to enter at goldenplains.com.au. The full line-up for the festival at the Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre from March 9-11, 2013 is as follows: CAT POWER DINOSAUR JR TALLEST MAN ON EARTH GEORGE CLINTON AND PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC THE JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION PURITY RING FLUME MOODYMANN THE MARK OF CAIN TORO Y MOI WILD NOTHING PSARANTONIS NAYSAYER AND GILSUN SIX FT HICK MULATU ASTATKE JULIO BASHMORE MELBOURNE SKA ORCHESTRA CLIENT LIAISON DICK DIVER KEB DARGE BUSHWALKING OPOSSOM CHRIS RUSSELL’S CHICKEN WALK BARRY DICKINS NO ZU ZANZIBAR CHANEL POST PERCY REDD KROSS

Gypsy & The Cat

Gypsy and the Cat: In bloom

25 October 2012

by Hannah Maguire

Sydney is in the grip of a cold snap, with bands of patchy rain and gale force winds blowing through city streets. On the harbour’s edge, in a beautiful heritage sandstone building, hidden away from the hustle of morning traffic, sits Xavier Bacash and Lionel Towers. Peppermint teas in hand, the boys from Gypsy & The Cat overlook the water and reflect on their journey so far. After bursting onto the scene in 2010 with their tropical-tinged electro-pop, Bacash and Towers managed to record and produce a debut album, sign to Sony, accost Lily Allen’s backing band and tour with Kylie Minogue (among other notable festival spots, support slots and headline tours) and then return home, much the wiser, with a new album in the works. From humble beginnings in the Melbourne club-scene to the hustle-bustle of London, the pair found them selves penning their latest album The Late Blue on a cattle farm an hour north of the city’s CBD. “I loved being on the farm. We were able to record and produce the record in our own time. We weren’t influenced by anything else,” says Bacash. “There was no A&R guy coming in being like, ‘Can we have more pop, please? More hooks?’” Following a gruelling touring schedule in support of 2010 debutGilgamesh, the duo hit the breaks and gave themselves a solid year to write and record their sophomore album, The Late Blue. Determined to do things their own way this time around, under the watchful eye and direction of highly regarded producer David Fridmann (and a herd of cattle), the new LP began to take shape. “There’s probably a group of fans that listened to us because of one song, maybe Jona Vark or The Piper Song, but they never liked any of the other songs, and I felt like those songs were not what we did best. This new record is about showing what we can really do. “Initially that wasn’t a scary thought, but halfway through it, because it took a year to write, because we started writing songs, second guessing ourselves and then throwing them out. I had a bad mushroom,” Bacash confesses, sheepishly. “That was the changing point for the record. All of a sudden I felt like everything I had ever heard was boring.” “Having David there was really great,” asks Towers. “We don’t have a third pair of ears, and so he would come in with a new perspective on things. When you take a year to write a record you become attached to the demos. David would say, ‘Go play piano or X-Box, go for a walk, just give me some time.’ We would come back and he would have deleted parts or moved whole sections somewhere.” Bacash interjects: “We would be like, ‘See, the thing about that is, that part was meant to be there, so don’t do that.’ But David is a consummate professional, and In every case he would justify his position and allow us to show ours. In the end we thought, ‘Hey, you’ve helped sell millions of records and we’ve sold basically none’.” Gypsy & The Cat have drawn comparisons to various bands, but as it happens, are not too thrilled with the way their sound has been perceived. “People are always saying we sound like someone else, it’s always changing. Lately we’ve been getting ‘You’re The Cure of this generation’,” says Towers, “but I hate that people say that, because it makes me think people are going to be severely disappointed when the album comes out,” says Bacash, “Bloom is the only track that is remotely Cure-esque, and the only other thing consistent throughout the songs is that the two of us are playing them.” The duo decided to release The Late Blue independently through their own label, Alsatian: “We had bad a experience with a major label, says Towers. Of course, there are good people in every company, but on a whole, our experience almost destroyed the band. We nearly didn’t make another record. If it wasn’t for the intervention and smarts of certain people, we would have no money and we wouldn’t have been able to put this record together.”

(Written for The Music Network)

Muse News

Muse sued for plagiarism

11 September 2012

by Hannah Maguire

Warner Music and Muse are being sued to the tune of $3.5 million by a sci-fi rock opera writer.

Charles Bollfrass claims that 2009 track Exogenesis Symphony is a direct rip off of his rock opera of the same name.

According to NME, the sci-fi rock opera, penned back in 2005, tells the story of humankind colonizing other planets in order to further the race. Bollfrass allegedly contacted Muse, along with two other bands, with the prospect of scoring the opera, to which the trio rejected.

The man claims that three tracks from The Resistance, released in 2009, directly copy his idea, and that the cover art from the album feature an image from the storyboards he had sent the band.

The lawsuit somewhat dampens the excitement of the imminent release of The Second Law, the new album from the trio. Accompanying the release on October 1, Muse will play a short UK tour in the same month.

Fires

Album Review: Ronan Keating, Fires

12 September 2012

by Hannah Maguire

It’s been a whole six years since we last heard from Ronan Keating with Bring You Home, but he’s back and he’s got a whole lot to sing about. Fires is the product of tumultuous times in Keating’s life, with the loss of Boyzone band-mate and great friend Stephen Gately in 2009 and the collapse of his 13-year marriage to Yvonne in 2011.

Considering such heartache and a platform to express it, one would think the result would be a deeply personal confessional, howeverFires seems to lack that deep emotion. Lyrically, the album is filled with tried-and-tested metaphors. Love You and Leave You andWasted Light are perfect examples of this, singing of there being ‘no smoke without fire’ and how it is ‘a long way down when you fall from the ground.’

That said, Fires is easy listening and is, at times, thoroughly enjoyable. The title track is undoubtedly the strongest on the album, with a big band feel and those soaring vocals Keating excels at. Having intended the album as an optimistic and uplifting release, bigger tracks like I’ve Got You and Fires are balanced by ballads likeEasy Now My Dear and The One You Love.

And then, all of a sudden, we are thrown back to the ‘90s with jive friendly tracks like Nineteen Again, Oxygen and NYC Girl. It seems that Keating knows his audience quite well, and this latest release is a kaleidoscope view of his ever-changing styles.

(Written for The Music Network)

Alt J (∆)

Alt-J: Mercury Rising

Photography: Ken Leanfore

30 October 2012

by Hannah Maguire

In a matter of hours, Joe Newman, Gwil Sainsbury, Thom Green and Gus Unger-Hamilton will take the stage of Sydney’s Oxford Arts Factory for their Australian debut. Tickets for the two exclusive shows in Sydney and Melbourne sold out in five minutes. Pleas from those who missed out immediately began emerging online. Weeks before the band was set to appear, tickets on eBay skyrocketed to upwards of $300, an impressive feat for a band with a debut album only weeks old. They are Alt-J (∆), and by almost all accounts, these four young men are the most successful British band of the year. With their debut album, An Awesome Wave and singles Tessellate and Matildaplaying on high rotation across radio, the boys are now odds-on favorites to win the heralded Mercury music prize. “Being nominated for the Mercury Prize is beyond belief”, says frontman Newman. It’s the best award for us, because it’s an award for our album, and we are all about the album. We love albums, we think that they are still extremely relevant, and to be nominated for An Awesome Wave is such an honour.” It has been five years of hard work for the band, formerly known as Films, but the result, or reward if you like, is an impressively mature debut. An Awesome Wave is filled with well-crafted hooks that move beyond shallow lyrical matter into poetry filled with esoteric allusions. It is clever and complex music that somehow remains highly accessible for general consumption. “Being broadminded when it comes to writing is very important, I think. We don’t limit ourselves to worrying if fans are going to like it or not. The best bands, and the ones we admire the most, have sounds that are hard to grasp, like Radiohead or The Beatles – that’s something that I admire about them.” Alt-J has drawn heavy comparison to Brit progressive-rock pioneers Radiohead, but believe such claims are premature. “I don’t think it’s very accurate to compare a band that have one album to a band like Radiohead,” says keyboardist Unger-Hamilton, “They are amazing because they stay relevant. They are progressive and have crafted their sound over twenty or so years and their success is consistent. We’ve only got one album, and the next one could be shit!” Such humility is quite remarkable considering their rising status, and they are far more endearing than they realise. Unbeknownst to them, their Australian fan base has steadily grown, and as they playedTessellate to a sold out crowd at Oxford Arts Factory, hundreds of voices join in as the line “triangles are my favourite shape”, resonates throughout the room. “It’s very strange coming to a country that you don’t know, and have only experienced through television or books, but our music has gone before us and made a home here,” says Newman, hiding from the uncharacteristically hot spring sun. When told of the astronomical ticket prices their shows attracted online, the pair were shocked: “Christ, that’s mad. Sorry everyone.” “I think having our music online has really encouraged crowds. In the modern music industry, an album is not much more than a calling card. You may as well give it away for nothing. It’s much more about encouraging people to come to your gig. If they torrent our album but then buy a ticket to see us play, then that’s great,” says Unger-Hamilton. “We are very pro making our album available to stream, because you might as well be in people’s favour and give it to them as opposed to punishing them for stealing it,” adds Newman. Unbelievably, Newman struggled for years to sing in front of anyone. It wasn’t until he met his band mates at Leeds University that his secret talent emerged. “I just thought, ‘Fuck it, I’m in a new environment with new people and a new city, I’m going to do what I always wanted to do,’ and singing in front of Gwill [Sainsbury] really gave me the confidence.” “I think that the way I sing is a manipulation on my natural voice, but it’s my comfort zone. I was always singing because my dad sung, and there were bouts in my life where I wouldn’t sing at all and it really depressed me because I really enjoyed doing it, but I just didn’t think I was any good at it. I’ve never really thought about it, but I guess the way I sing is kind of forced but at the same time is really natural.” Each track on the band’s outstanding debut is accompanied by an epic cinematic video-clip: Tessellate, directed by Alex Southam presents a modern twist on Italian Renaissance painter Raphael’s School Of Athens; Breezeblocks - a hypnotising murder scene played in reverse. “From the beginning, we didn’t want to be in the videos, because we wanted to allow that time for the pure cinema that is attached to the music. We want to allow the directors complete free reign to go with these ideas without having to show us in there with our instruments. We all grew up watching great films, and so we thought it was really important to have great music videos. “We also didn’t like the culture of bands who didn’t even have an album yet wanting to have their picture taken. Band photos can be so formulaic. In not showing our faces in our videos or in press shots, we ended up with more interesting pictures. If you put limitations on things you immediately have to be more creative, and that was a lot of fun.” Despite much speculation and numerous theories floating around regarding the band’s name (∆) (created from the Mac keyboard command for the ‘delta’ sign), the boys seem less convinced. “We were originally called Films, and that was the name we loved. That was the name of our baby, and traditionally you don’t change your child’s name because someone wants you to, but we had to for copyright reasons. We were struggling to come up with a name and then Gwill came to us and said he had a idea, and Gus liked it, I think Tom liked it, and I was like, great, that’ll do,” says Newman. “There is no meaning behind the triangle; we are not obsessed with the triangle.

(Written for The Music Network, featured on Atlanic Records site)

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