Disclosure performed at the Festival Hall in Melbourne last week, while in town to headline at beloved new years event Falls Festival. Turning their back on any possible claims regarding the validity of house music in the live setting, the Howard brothers went above and beyond with their visually and sonically brilliant set.
The last time I saw support act Hayden James perform, was in a tiny, packed club with little room to dance let alone sit down. As his opening set began though, it made sense for him to be supporting Disclosure. His live set incorporated live percussion to add sonic texture, alongside a small light show; James’ prowess on stage was the first of many surprises of the night.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfttyNSCI-g&w=560&h=315]
Disclosure hit the ground running with White Noise. Blending live instrumentation with pre-recorded production, it sounded so on point, and the frenzied crowd lapped it up. The reaction from the audience earned us the attention from older brother Guy Howard, who noted that Melbourne is one of their favourite Australian cities.
While tracks taken from their latest album, Caracal, were some of the highlights of the night, these were split up by tracks from debut release Settle, the hits of which, of course, resonated the strongest.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkk2H3Ztrfk&w=560&h=315]
It wasn’t until midway through their set, however, when things began to get really impressive. Bang That, immediately followed by When a Fire Starts to Burn, set the entire venue wild. But it didn’t stop there.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nsKDJlpUbA&w=560&h=315]
Known for pulling collaborators up on stage, we had assumed that Brendan Reilly was the night’s sole guest, as he had joined the band on stage at Falls Festival. So, imagine our surprise when when Lionbabe stepped out on stage for Hourglass. While a smaller artist in her own right, Lionbabe’s immense stage presence, complete with erratic dancing and powerhouse vocals, commanded the crowd’s full attention.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2z8Caoww44&w=560&h=315]
After the boys disappear and return for their obligatory encore, Reilly indeed join them again, for a powerful rendition of Moving Mountains.
The pair acknowledge the audience once more towards the end, stating that this was the biggest melbourne show they’ve played so far. “Even you guys way on the sides, we know you’ve been dancing too!” We all know what’s coming next, but that doesn’t stop a sizeable group in the audience screaming for Latch. “I think we better fucking play it,” Guy says to his brother, before launching into the song of their career.
As the show draws to a close, there’s a tangible feeling of excitement left in the air. Disclosure have created something wholly unique within the genres they play with. Digestible yet detailed house that neither bores seasoned fans, nor is hard to digest for the casual listener. It’s never been clearer that they’re just getting started.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93ASUImTedo&w=560&h=315]
It’s been a while since Yeasayer have released new music. Their last LP, Fragrant World, was dropped way back when in 2012, and we’ve been waiting for more ever since. That is, until now. After dropping hints for a future release in 2016, Yeasayer have finally stopped their silence with the release of a new song and accompanying video, I Am Chemistry. A press release states that the upcoming release will see the band “move away from the digital-heavy approach,” recording to tape in upstate New York.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XzqCUbiPc4&w=560&h=315]
The band have also announced that their upcoming album, Amen & Goodbye is slated for release April 1st. See the track list and album artwork below:
02. I Am Chemistry
03. Silly Me
04. Half Asleep
05. Dead Sea Scrolls
06. Prophecy Gun
07. Computer Canticle 1
08. Divine Simulacrum
09. Child Prodigy
10. Gerson’s Whistle
11. Uma
12. Cold Night
13. Amen & Goodbye
It looks like we’ll be hearing new music from Sky Ferreira sometime very soon. Fans have been waiting for a follow up to 2013’s Night Time, My Time, and although the singer had previously stated it would be released in 2015, it is yet to eventuate.
Now, Ferreira has taken to Instagram to explain that the album, titled Masochist is on its way. She goes on to explain her fear of compromising on the finished product, while referencing struggles with mental and physical health.
“I know I’ve been really vague about my music so I appreciate the patience from some of you,” the singer began. “I’ve been working on it the whole time & in 2016 you will hear it. I refuse to put out something that isn’t honest. It’s not something that I can force out. If I was to do it any sooner I either would have been compromising myself & anyone listening. I would have had to put out music that wasn’t true or a message I would not want to put out into the universe.”
Ferreira continued,”As personal as my music is…the thing that lasts longer than I ever will is my actual “work”. I get the rare opportunity to have people listen & connect to it.I personally think with that comes a responsibility of making something that’s still true to me but still can somehow make someone feel better or less lonely. I can’t do that lying through my teeth.Needs to be the pretty/ugly/everything/nothing. For me, music (as a listener) was the most consistent & personal thing in my life that has helped me or healed me in every situation,to some capacity. If I even have a “goal”…it is to help do that for someone.”
Sky Ferreira has previously blamed issues with her record label for pushing the release date back, along with stunting her creativity and borrowing from her ideas.
While an official release date is yet to be set for the album, hopefully we can look forward to hearing it sooner rather than later.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFCZP1Nz3Ds&w=560&h=315]
In what could possibly be one of the most unlikely collaborations to come out of the last few months, Selena Gomez and Fetty Wap have paired up for a remix of Gomez’ Same Old Love.
Both artists made major waves in the music industry last year, with Gomez’ Same Old Love and, Fetty Wap’s Trap Queen receiving No. 2 positions on the Billboard charts. Despite their obvious differences, it’s somehow fitting to hear them on a track together. While the track’s structure remains largely the same, there are some obvious Fetty Wap influences on this version, both sonically and lyrically. The track is easy enough to listen to, sure, but it’s not exactly deep or about the break any new ground. The lyrics contain meaningful and quotable lyrics like, “I am so sick/ I’m hoping you’ll notice, yeah baby/ So sick of the same old love/ Like a dose of the same old drug, yeah baby/ Really starting to get under my skin.”
This isn’t the first time Same Old Love has been reworked, however. Just last November, Gomez shared the Same Old Love (Remixes) EP, which featured remixes from electronic artists, including Borgore and Filous.
Listen to the track below:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzL8zcZleGw&w=560&h=315]
Since the release of Netflix’s Making a Murderer, it seems the show is all anyone is capable of talking about. The ten-part documentary follows the life of Steven Avery, a man who was accused and convicted of the murder of a young woman. Given the content, it’s no wonder it’s caught the attention of so many. One such example is garage rock band The Arcs, who have already released a song inspired by the series.
The track, titled Lake Superior, features lyrics are inspired by Steven Avery himself. “On a stretch of sand, sweet northern breeze / Manitowoc put Avery on the beach,” the singer croons over a psychedelic beat, “Your alibi, will never do / When the whole town’s got it out for you”. The band has also chosen to donate all proceeds to the the Innocence Project, a nonprofit organisation that helps exonerate wrongly convicted people.
After posting the track to their Soundcloud, the band added a statement explaining the thought process behind the track, “It’s like Billy Childish says, ‘We live in troubled times,'” they wrote. “Last week, we got a sneak peek at what goes on behind the curtains of our criminal justice system. A few sleepless nights later we gathered in the studio and wrote this song.”
Listen to the track below:
https://soundcloud.com/thearcs/lake-superior
Post-festival gigs can at times feel strange. While presumably not all punters attended the preceding festival, there still lingers a feeling of tiredness, of lacking excitement and/or anticipation. Prior to their set, it felt like this could have been the case for Wavves‘ show last Sunday night. Post gig conversation related mainly to Falls Festival, and the sunburn incurred- and though support acts Wet Lips and The Babe Rainbow were excellent in their own right, it wasn’t until Wavves took the stage that their was a noticeable shift in atmosphere. It takes a pretty good band to lift that sort of funk.
Melbourne band Wet Lips were first to play, to a mostly seated audience. Their garage rock sound was perfectly suited to an intimate venue like Max Watts, and despite suffering from illness, the trio was still able to perform a strong set for the audience. While the punters in the bar may have been low in energy, Wet Lips made up for what we lacked, becoming increasingly more solid sounding with every track performed. Considering their prowess in garage music, it was almost humorous to witness the vast difference between them and following band, The Babe Rainbow.
Ditching the perfectly off centre nature of garage rock in favour for the psychedelic nature of surf rock, The Babe Rainbow‘s set was as chill as it gets. Their Falls set saw the band dressed completely in 70’s get up, but for this, their outfits were much more low-key- just shorts and no shoes, what you’d expect from a beachside pub. Their performance however, was every bit as solid. While surf rock most definitely isn’t for everyone, they executed a performance that would be adored by anyone into that kind of thing, and considered enjoyable at the very least even for those who aren’t. As their set progressed, the crowd began to thicken, and morale slowly began to pick up just in time for Wavves to kick off.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lh2qHxUDt6o&w=560&h=315]
Wavves were, subjectively of course, one of the best acts to play at this year’s Falls Festival, so it was no wonder that tonight’s show bragged an almost packed out venue. Any fears about lacking energy I may have held prior to them taking the stage were quashed instantly, as the audience was clearly more than ready for round two. After a brief intro of Slim Dusty‘s G’day G’day, and a cry of “Whats up Melbourne?!”, they were off- and the crowd loved it.
To call Wavves “high energy” is an understatement. They are reminiscent of the pop-punk bands from yesteryear, with a very welcome modern twist. This was a good ol’ fashioned punk show, and anyone that was into that scene around the 2009 era would be punched in the gut with a huge wave (pun not intended) of nostalgia. As it is though, these shows always seem fleeting; their almost hour long set felt like it lasted all of twenty minutes, but that’s not to say it wasn’t a wholly enjoyable time.
This was the last date of their Australian tour, and if they were tired from all the travelling they definitely didn’t show it. As the set progressed, they played with seemingly endless adrenalin, with the crowd throwing that energy right back to them. A highlight from their set was favourite Way Too Much, arguably one of the band’s most popular tracks. At times during the song, singer Nathan Williams’ distinguished vocals were almost drowned out by the audience singing back to him, a feat that is admirable for any young band.
At Falls, Wavves played in the thick of the heat wave to an energised, but very, very sunburnt crowd. Here, at Max Watts, the vibe was something vastly different. The pit was seething, and getting through the rest of the surrounding crowd to access the bar or toilet was a near impossible task. Though it may have looked like we were in for a disappointing night at the start, its clear now that Wavves can draw a happy crowd no matter the circumstances. Melbourne loves Wavves, and judging by their brief interactions with us -which consisted of many thank you’s “just for showing up”- they loved us too.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPdx7Il9DrM&w=560&h=315]
Travis Scott has pleaded guilty to charges of reckless conduct, after he literally incited a riot during his set at Lollapalooza last August.
During the set, Scott encouraged fans to jump the security barricades, while telling security- who he referred to as “everyone in a green shirt”- to get out of the way. His set lasted all of five minutes before being shut down, despite his admissions to the crowd that “we can start over, everybody just get down”. Scott attended court last Tuesday (Dec 22nd), where a judge ruled that he be placed under court supervision for a year.
It’s a small blemish on what has been a huge year for the rapper, having released his debut LP Rodeo last September to considerable acclaim.
While there were no major injuries, one 15 year old girl was said to have been trampled- and he was arrested by Chicago police moments after the set’s short finish. At that time, the Office of Emergency Management released a statement stating that, “The performer played one song and then began telling fans to come over the barricades. Due to the security’s quick response, the situation was remedied immediately and no fans were injured. The performer fled the scene and was taken into custody a short while later.”
It’s unknown at this point how this ruling will effect Scott’s upcoming support slot on Rihanna’s ANTI tour- but as is stands it seems that he got off lightly.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnZ8h3MRuYg&w=560&h=315]
Recently, NSW authorities released an advertisement campaign targeting marijuana users. The campaign features ‘Stoner Sloth’, a series of dopey mascots who struggles in their day to day lives due to their debilitating bud addiction. Unsurprisingly, the campaign backfired in a massive way. Stoner Sloth fast became one of the biggest internet sensations of the backend of 2015, with a slew of memes, parodies and merchandise being made in his honour. It’s so big in fact, that even Cedric Bixler-Zavala has become vocal in his support of the sloth.
In a barrage of tweets (quite literally too many tweets to even post here), the former Mars Volta and At The Drive In frontman dropped a flood of pro Stoner Sloth sentiments onto our respective Twitter feeds.
It all started with this fairly innocuous tweet:
https://twitter.com/cedricbixler_/status/679491156116287489
And then quickly progressed to this:
https://twitter.com/cedricbixler_/status/679497250616131584
https://twitter.com/cedricbixler_/status/679501854594617344
And then progressed even further, to this:
https://twitter.com/cedricbixler_/status/679503976195227649
https://twitter.com/cedricbixler_/status/679504597354807296
Which then turned into a discussion about Stoner Sloth’s possible EDM prowess:
https://twitter.com/cedricbixler_/status/679505211509977088
https://twitter.com/cedricbixler_/status/679505659910438912
https://twitter.com/cedricbixler_/status/679506382895226883
https://twitter.com/cedricbixler_/status/679508388779196416
Right.
Funnily enough, despite his 30+ tweets on the topic of #StonerSloth, Zavala is anti-weed, having confessed earlier this year to changing his views after kicking his $1000 per week habit.
Check out some of his other #StonerSloth tweets here, and Stoner Sloth in it’s true form below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rHm8GbTHyE
When Marilyn Manson kickstarted his career, his choice of stage name was unconventional to say the least. Choosing to borrow from both film star Marilyn Monroe and cult leader Charles Manson, conveying two extremes of 60’s culture, he cultivated his own career and became a pop culture figure in his own right. At one point during the rise of his career, it appears he caught the attention of one of his namesakes.
Following false reports of 81 year old Charles Manson’s death in prison this year, an unnerving letter from Manson (Charles), to Manson (Marilyn) has been making the internet rounds. If authentic, the letter showcases a pretty good insight into what sheer mental instability looks like, complete with nonsensical ramblings and erratic (to say the least) handwriting. This isn’t the first time the letter has been brought to people’s attention however. The letter was originally published back in 2012 by a Charles Manson fansite, becoming what is sure to be a golden find for any psychopathic cult leader fan…
The letter in it’s original form is near impossible to read (unless of course, you have a knack for deciphering god-awful handwriting), but here it is along with a more reader-friendly transcription- props to anyone who can figure out what he’s talking about.
To Marilyn Manson –
It’s taken me a long time to get there from where I could touch M. Manson. Now I got a card to play – you may look into my non-profit, ATWA, and give Manson what you think he’s got coming for Air, Trees, Water, and you. Or I will pay Manson what you think Manson got coming – the music has make Manson into Abraxas Devil, and I’m SURE you would want some of what I got from what I got. It’s a fallout balance. Beyond good and bad, right, wrong. What you don’t do is what I will do – what you did a sing-along, and let it roll and said how you saved me a lot of steps – I don’t need, it’s not a need or a want. Couped – coup. Ghost dancers slay together and you’re just in my grave Sunstroker Corona-coronas-coronae – you seen me from under with it all standing on me. That’s 2 dump trucks – doing the same as CMF 000007
Chance The Rapper is proving exactly why he was recently named Chicagoan of The Year, with the artist’s latest endeavour being an initiative to raise $100,000 in order to give 1000 coats to Chicago’s homeless community, and those in need.
Speaking to local radio show Chicago Morning Takeover, after his incredible performance on Saturday Night Live, the rapper discussed his project dubbed simply Warmest Winter. The rapper is partnering up with Empowerment Plan in Detroit, a company that makes coats for homeless people.
“It’s a very insulated coat, but the cool thing about it is that at night time, the back hatch of the coat flips out and turns into a sleeping bag,” Chance explained on the show. “The coolest part of this two-part plan is that they only hire homeless women to work in the factories to make these coats and pay them above minimum wage to do it. It’s a longterm plan to help out with homeless people in Detroit. I’m partnering with these folks for something called ‘Warmest Winter’.”
If the plan in Chicago works, a new Empowerment Plan factory could be built in the city. Chance, who has worked previously with Chicago school children, explained in detail why this initiative should be important to the city.
“There’s 140,000 homeless folks in Chicago right now,” Chance explained. “A lot of them are youth. They found out earlier this year that 20 percent of Chicago Public School children are homeless. Chicago has one of the coldest winters in America and a lot of people die of hypothermia and coldness related illnesses.”
Chance hopes that by January 6th, they will reach their goal. You can donate here.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCI2cK7AeEg&w=560&h=315]