Small news

This is a collection of music news that isn't large enough to warrant a whole dedicated post to itself.

Death Grips
The Death Grips show at the Zoo, one week from today, has been cancelled. Not sure why.

La Dispute
I'm not the only one in Brisbane that likes this band I guess, they've added a third Brisbane show to their tour, which is a second AA show. February 21 at Between the Walls.

Trapped Under Ice
I haven't listened to them much, hence no big blog post, but the 90's hardcore-sounding Americans, Trapped Under Ice, are coming to start mosh pits through out Australia. March 1, Snitch (X and Y) 18+, March 2, Between the Walls AA. 

Good Australian folk music
I've talked about the Beards before, a folk comedy (I consider it more truth though) band that sings every song about facial hair. They are great fun and I suggest you get to the Zoo on March 30th to see them. It's only $15.

Good Brisbane punk music
One of my favourite local punk/ska/whatever they want band is the Black Market. They're playing a punk show at the Zoo this Saturday (the 21st) for $10. Can't think of any reason not to go to this.

Good Australian rock music
A few years ago, Children Collide were one of my favourite Australian bands. Although not hearing much from them lately, it turns out they are still going, recording a new album, releasing a new single and touring to support it.

March 16, Elsewhere Bar, Gold Coast
March 17, the Zoo.

Bah, copycats
Spin magazine, who've been music reviewing for a long time, have decided to do the same thing I do. Twitter reviews. If you want to read my reviews, nestled between whatever else I post, check out my Twitter.

Death Grips

It's not often an album from an obscure American act, hip-hop at that, gets posted on my website (for free even!) It's even less often when a lot of people like it. It's even less often when the artist then gets booked on a tour of Australia.

But that's what we're getting with Death Grips. You can get the free album, that I posted way back in June, here. And to see them, get to the Zoo on January 25th. 18+.

Weekly news update

I've given up fighting it, until things get less busy (which never happens at Christmas) I'm going to just post updates when I can, even if it means compressing them in one.

Eminem
He's decided instead of the Brisbane show on December 5, he'd do another Sydney show again. Sorry kids. C.R.E.A.M.

Omar Rodríguez-López Group & La Butcherettes
I'm not even going to say anything about this one. The legendary guitarist and producer of At the Drive-In and Mars Volta fame will be playing solo material, and bass in a mexican punk band in the one night. At the Zoo. Holy shit fan boy overload. December 11. 18+

Death Grips
I posted a link to his free album a while back and now he's coming to do a club tour of Australia! The only downside is, Brisbane is the only place yet to have a date booked... A bit dodgy if you ask me. If it does go ahead, it will be January 26th. TBD


Pigapolooza
This will be yet another night celebrating all things heavier in Brisbane music. Featuring bands like Numbers Radio (okay, maybe not all heavy), Dollarosa, Resist the Thought, the Kidney Thieves and Torn Usunder, it will also be headlined by a very non-Brisbane band, American death-core band All Shall Perish. It's a whole day event at the Tempo Bar over 2 stages, on November 27th. 18+


Bluesfest
There's literally no festival in Australia that gets me so excited but then makes me a bitter man as quickly as Bluesfest. Every year, without fail, the Byron Bay festival announces amazing bands. Then I realize that I can't possibly make it down there for it at all. And then, to top it off, they basically think Brisbane is Byron Bay (fuck off) and have no sideshows whatsoever. So next year, between April 5 and 9, I'll be missing out on bands such as the Pogues, Roger Daltry (performing Tommy (I may cry missing this)), Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Yes, Buddy Guy, Brian Setzer, My Morning Jacket and the Jayhawks.


FOR THE LOVE OF GOD WHY CAN'T BRISBANE GET A BREAK WITH THIS. If you can get more time off than I can, head to Byron Bay for this. Or you'll hate yourself as much as the alt-country guy inside of me is.


Ryan Adams
Speaking of alt-country, Ryan Adams is coming down to Australia to tour his red hot new album (which I'll be reviewing tomorrow on Twitter if I get a chance). March 1st at QPac. This should be a great show of just him (without his Cardinals). This will be incredible. If you haven't heard his album Ashes and Fire, get it now. He's the best thing to come out of Canada since Neil Young and Maple Syrup.

Brisbane punk night
What are you doing December 2? Nothing? Well get your ass over to the Basement on Brunswick St to see the reunion show of Brisbane punkers Stolen Bikes Ride Faster, supported by a bunch of awesome local bands including Friends with the Enemy. It's $10. YOU HAVE NO EXCUSES. I also imagine a lot of beer will be drunk. A LOT.

One sentence album reviews (#15)

Yoyoyo, so if you don't know by now, well... I do one sentence album reviews on my Twitter when I feel up to it. I normally build up a review list over the week and post them during the work days to keep me somewhat sane. When I build up a few, I post them all here for historical reasons.

Today saw me hit a new point, I've run out of reviews. I've been so busy lately that I've got a giant stack of CD's next to my comptuer, a stack of vinyl on my bookshelf and about 130 hours of new music queued up on my computer. So, as a consequence, it might slow up for a while. But here's the last bunch:

Lonely Island - Turtleneck & Chain (2011): A few funny songs, but mainly sounding like the Beastie Boys did 20 years ago, with bad humour 2.4/5

Saul Williams - Volcanic Sunlight (2011): 1st listen: like 2 minutes only of spoken word. Disappointed. 5th listen: a clever rap album 4/5

Foo Fighters - Wasting Light (2011): They have gone slightly back in time and got their heavy back. I scarily like it 4/5

Death Grips - Ex-Military (2011): Excellent grimey rap with lots of classical rock samples that make my inner music nerd jump for joy 4.5/5

Fucked Up - David Comes To Life (2011): A departure from their hardcore to make a brilliant rock opera. May alienate old fans. 5/5

Touche Amore - Parting The Sea Between Brightness And Me (2011): Hardcore that sounds like La Dispute had a musical baby with Defeater. 4.5/5

Face to Face - Laugh Now, Laugh Later (2011): This is how pop-punk should be. A lesson from the masters 4.5/5

Boy Hits Car - Stealing Fire (2011): A very American rock sound, kind of like nu metal crossed with classic Iron Maiden style vocals 3/5

Braveyoung-We Are Lonely Animals (2010): Instrumental post-rock eh? So you build up each song slowly into a drawn out crescendo? #cliche 1.5/5

Bullets in Madison - We Became Your Family When You Died (2010): starts as boring post-rock and then slowly merges into a Thom Yorke sound. 2/5

Cloud Nothings - Cloud Nothings (2011): Jangly lo-fi guitar pop. Sounds like a lot of other bands, but with more personality due to raw and rough edges 4/5 The song Heartbeat is a contender for song of the year

Crocodiles - Sleep Forever (2010): This album is from the wrong decade, it needs to be in the mid 90's new wave-era. Oh the memories 4/5

The Black Powder - The Black Powder (2008): Unclassifiable noisy-post-punk-hardcore (that's a classification I guess). The kind of band I want to be in 4/5

Ampere - Like Shadows (2011): 11 Songs, 15 Minutes of good hardcore. They exemplify short and sweet 4/5

The Antlers - Burst Apart (2011): It took me 5 listens to take it all in, as it's so quiet and unassuming. Modern elevator music maybe? 2/5

Kindest Lines - Covered In Dust (2011): A band that grew up listening to way too much of the Cure and wants to keep their spirit alive 4/5

Arctic Monkeys - Suck It And See (2011): Less garage rock and more indie, there's 2 songs that channel Interpol deeply 3/5

City & Colour - Little Hell (2011): I like Alexisonfire, but I don't like Dallas' solo stuff, way too mopey. #emo 2/5

The Paper Scissors - In Loving Memory (2011): Australian band making brooding moody indie. Channeling their inner dance-goth I think 3/5

Free Music Friday 21!

As much as a rip on rap and hip-hop, I do like it. When it's done good. Unfortunately years of mainstream radio has ruined my opinion of a lot of this genre. And then I stumbled upon this album:

Death Grips is what they call "experimental hip-hop". Now fucked if I know what that actually mean, but if this is experimental, I love what the genre is experimenting with. To me, with my limited knowledge, it sounds like he's mixed his grimey and dirty sounding rap style (not as in dirty as in rude, but just his vocal style) with interesting beats. His beats go from random electronic buzzes and squawks, to using a lot of classical rock and 60's sounding pop samples. And that's the part that I love.

I download this a few weeks ago and I've been listening to it at least once a day, discovering new things about it and how much I love it. I can feel a big hip-hop resurgance in my listening trends soon.

And yes, being Friday (or at least in 2 hours) it's free on his website! Go to his website: http://thirdworlds.net/ scroll half way down, and click where it says Download Now!

I will say this, his music is way better than his web design skills. Way, way, way better.