Sydney’s music scene is still feeling a little down and out these days, what with all of the venue closures gripping this vibrant city. That’s why this news is just so damn beautiful. A piece of the city’s musical heritage is back from the dead with The Lansdowne Hotel reopening its doors over the weekend. After a near 90 year run, the historic venue closed shop back in 2015 following the introduction of the lockout laws, as well as a number of other setbacks.
Jake Smyth and Kenny Graham of Mary’s/Unicorn Hotel fame have teamed up with The Annandale’s Matt Rule to breathe new life into one of Sydney’s lasting mid-sized venues, following the demise of the Newtown Social Club. They have moved the live music portion upstairs and kept downstairs free for daily trade i.e. punters who just want to play a game of pool and throw back a Mary’s Burger pizza (as you do).
To announce their resurrection, the guys decided to throw a four-day-long party featuring a bunch of absolutely stellar names, including The Preatures, Palms, The Pinheads, Skegss, and Sydney’s own supergroup A Band.
Comprised of Elliott Hammond and Michael Tramonte (The Delta Riggs), Thomas Champion (The Preatures), Paddy Cornwall, Seamus Coyle and Freddy Crabs (Sticky Fingers), they belted out a slew of covers along with some special guests, including Royal Headache’s Tim “Shogun” Hall, Gideon Bensen, Hayley Mary of The Jezabels and Johnny Took (DMA’s) on slide guitar duties.
We snapped up all of this and Skegss at the tail-end of a massive Sunday lineup, flawlessly closing out the four-day bender.
Needless to say, we’re stoked to have The Lansdowne back and are looking forward to a sweaty mess of new memories.
A Band
Skegss
Photos: Dani Hansen
After 23 glorious years, Falls Festival continues to provide us with the most unforgettable moments across the New Year festivus. The 2016-17 lineup saw some major international names, as well as our best local acts rounding up another year in style. In Byron Bay, it was a balmy 33 degrees across the three day event and climaxed with a torrential downpour for the very last performances on day three.
Our final day began correctly with some good honest noise courtesy of Perth locals Tired Lion and New York lo-fi/ punk guys Parquet Courts. AlunaGeorge followed-up by filling out the Forest Stage tent, and DMA’s brought their usual high-energy, homegrown flavour. Thankfully, we managed to catch our breath afterwards and vibed along with Vallis Alps. Things picked up again during Golden Features’ set and by the time Catfish And The Bottlemen took the stage, the stifling heat had well and truly been broken and the rain had set in for the rest of the night. The crowd stood drenched for over an hour while stage equipment was dried off and excess water mopped up, but it was certainly worth the wait. Those brave punters that held out were then treated to a breathtaking performance by London Grammar and muzzed along with Alison Wonderland to close out another amazing Falls Festival.
Read our full review of Falls Festival in Byron Bay
In this gallery you will find Tired Lion, Parquet Courts, AlunaGeorge, Vallis Alps, DMA’s, Golden Features, Catfish And The Bottlemen, London Grammar, and Alison Wonderland.
PHOTOS: Falls Festival Day I
PHOTOS: Falls Festival Day IITired Lion
Parquet Courts
AlunaGeorge
Vallis Alps
DMA’s
Golden Features
Catfish & The Bottlemen
London Grammar
Alison Wonderland
Photos: Dani Hansen/Howl & Echoes
With this year’s edition of Falls Festival somehow only a week away, we’re all getting very much ready for Christmas to be over and the end of the year upon us, going mental at a festival a damn sight more fun than awkward family gatherings. We’ve looked at ten acts from around the world that you need to catch at this year’s Falls, today we get a little closer to home with five local acts you’d be a fool to miss as well. The likes of:
Violent Soho
Look, if you’ve been to a single music festival in Australia this year then there’s a very strong likelihood that you have seen Violent Soho at some point, they have just been everywhere on the live circuit this year touring the heck out of their outstanding latest album WACO.
Even if you’ve seen them more times than your own grandmother this year, few things are as earth-shaking as a Violent Soho festival show on home soil, they’re up there among the biggest bands in the country and when they play absolutely nothing gets left in the tank, from the band to the raucous crowd. You know new hits like Viceroy, Like Soda and Blanket are going to go off like frogs in a sock, but who could pass up the euphoric singalong to Covered In Chrome that will surely end the set (and possibly the entire festival in a smoking crater) with a bang.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFbbZuO7f4E
DMA’s
Violent Soho’s I Oh You labelmates in Sydney’s DMA’s are also touching down at Falls after having themselves a ripper year too. They released their long-awaited debut album Hills End earlier this year, a record that won them swathes of new fans and solidified their status as one of the country’s best exports in one fell swoop, the trio on a meteoric upswing ever since.
They’ve expanded their sound on the new record and it’s a sonic experience that should transfer to the festival stage naturally, their signature Brit-pop throwback wall of sound made for seething outdoor crowds. Delete is a festival favourite that everybody in the country should know the words to like the national anthem at this point and DMA’s should be a highlight for everyone in attendance. If they love us unconditionally they might give their spellbinding cover of Cher’s Believe from their stint on Like A Version this year a red hot crack.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmwFnoMoDDg
The Avalanches
What a return 2016 was for The Avalanches. They were heralded as conquering kings at their first stage show in years at Splendour, a true spectacle that showed The Avalanches still have it in spades. Their sophomore album Wildflower, released 16 long, bleak years since their debut Since I Left You is one of the records of the year and live renditions of Frankie Sinatra and Because I’m Me blended seamlessly (and delightfully) with old hits like Since I Left You and the titanic Frontier Psychiatrist when they unveiled them live at Splendour.
Special guests, mash ups and enough dancing to send shockwaves to the core of the earth will be the order of the evening when The Avalanches take to the stage at Falls Festival.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpqm-05R2Jk
Tired Lion
Perth’s Tired Lion came to kick ass and chew gum and they’re fresh out of gum. They’ve enjoyed a breakout 2016 as part of the new wave of feminism taking the Australian punk scene by storm. They hit absolutely huge on just about everything they released, including the snarling I Don’t Think You Like Me, the anthemic Not My Friends and the darkly personal Agoraphobia among others.
They’ll be rocking Falls a new one this year as well leaving no ear within about 200 feet of them un-defeaned. Frontwoman Sophie Hopes is without doubt one of the best in the business going at the moment and Tired Lion will be a must watch as they take to one of the nation’s biggest stages to solidify their place on it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNKzInyG9n4
Middle Kids
Sydney trio Middle Kids are playing their first ever Falls Festival as well. They’re a fantastic new name in Australian indie rock, finding success and racking up plays with hit singles Your Love and Edge Of Town in 2016.
Frontwoman Hannah has a set of pipes that will haunt you in your dreams. If you’re feeling like just chilling out for a little while amidst an otherwise hectic and debaucherous festival, Middle Kids will be there to give you the good vibes in spades.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3d5IIgGucaw
Mallrat
Last but certainly not least is upstart young Brisbane talent Mallrat, whose name has been heard with increasing frequency throughout the year off the back of fantastic singles like Inside Voices and the deliciously off-kilter Sunglasses.
Dancing the line, with nothing short of aplomb belying her incredibly young age, between hip-hop and electro-pop, her tunes are beyond infectious and Falls will be her chance to make her mark even bigger in the wider consciousness of Australian music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0sD0Tm7aCk
Image: Music Feeds
Just in case you missed any, we’ve pulled together the best music videos released in the last week for you to enjoy all in the one place. The year may be winding down but the videos are still pouring in from the likes of:
Dave – 71
South London’s rising star is back again, dropping the fourth music video from his incredible EP Six Paths. Yet another cinematic masterpiece pieced together by director LX, the clip sees Dave flexing around sunny Hollywood alongside his crew of friends. Whether he’s made it or not, each one of his videos is certainly making it seem that way, but it’s not in a glitzy, girls galore way, he’s worldwide, and it’s inspirational to say the least. Big ups Dave.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VAsCZLW4vk
6LACK – Ex Calling
If you haven’t already heard, 6LACK is Atlanta’s newest R&B talent. After releasing his incredible debut album last month, he’s now back with the eerie visuals to one of the highlight tracks, Ex Calling. A ghostly black and white video, packed with slick imagery and locations, this brooding 808-laced anthem is most definitely worth your attention.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Rh0228Xx0A
REMI – Lose Sleep feat. Jordan Rakei
He’s released one of this year’s best albums, Divas And Demons, and is currently touring the country with another of the country’s finest in Baro, yet he’s still making waves – Melbourne’s own Remi has released another video from D.A.D. Lose Sleep is an extremely personal, introspective slow burner coveringthe racism and mental struggles Remi has faced. The video parallels this, it’s hazy and mysterious, centering around the nightlife he and collaborator Jordan Rakei find themselves in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPqh_nJSafc
DMA’s – Play It Out
One of Sydney’s most cherished exports in recent times, the lads from DMA’s, have returned with a video for the final track on their 2016 debut album Hills End. Play It Out is gritty, jangly indie rock heaven and is incidentally the first track they ever recorded as a band. The video too was their first ever, recorded years ago for a mere $20. On ya lads!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTW3KgxBHcQ
Electric Guest – Dear To Me
Oh yes! LA’s indietronica synthesiser kings are back with yet another feel good anthem. Filled with moody jingles, throwback synths, and an absolutely soaring chorus Dear To Me is an amazing comeback for the four-piece. Pairing this with another slick and smooth black and white clip, packed with lovey moments with couples, this is sure to pull your heartstrings. Also, see if you can spot the cameos from Andy Samberg and Haim!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1AmkMuB0pA
Dune Rats – Scott Green
Brisbane’s premiere punk rock trio are back again with perhaps their craziest release yet, Scott Green (as in ‘who’s got green?’). Featuring their signature gritty guitar riffs, slapping bass, and singalong lyrics, the Dunies are in their finest form here. If that couldn’t get any better, their drug laden music video comes alongside an interactive, choose your own adventure like video clip, making us wonder why every artist doesn’t do this with their videos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ul6VV8XW9xw
Fortunes – 501’s
Fortunes’ 501’s is hip-hop laced disco revival at its best. Backed by a seriously grooving bassline, chiming synth tones and booming beats, the Melbourne singer’s silky smooth vocals glide over the mix with ease. The clip too is masterfully created, sewn together with a stream of nostalgia, based around a hot summers day in the local laundromat. Definitely one to keep an eye on in 2017.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSJkdTP9Ijc&feature=youtu.be
Novella – Does The Island Know
Shot in the style of a clip from the 80s, Novella’s latest single Does the Island Know definitely shares the same vintage, folky appeal too. A glimpse into their upcoming February album, ethereal harmonies shine through on the track, brilliantly wrapped up among a range of bouncy guitar strums and a bouncing bassline.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOn0VwwA7CY
Big Sean – Bounce Back
Chicago’s young stang Big Sean is going big with his latest trap infused banger. Booming 808 and rattling hi-hats ooze the fresh new sounds, no thanks to one Metro Boomin who provided additional production of on the track. Sean showcases a next level flow and lyrical capability on this one, mixing between harmonious singing and fast paced double time rapping with ease. The video is especially arty too, all saturated colours as Sean flexes around different areas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phr1pOFK1V8
PLTS – Call Me Out
Byron Bay’s much loved quartet PLTS are back again with another taste of beach rock bliss on Call Me Out. Wonderfully melancholic and introspective, the video shows the band in another light in serving as a tour video of sorts. From playing Tekken to hanging on tour with Brissie boys Columbus, it’s certainly an entertaining watch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfwMSmIrvdY
Image: YouTube
@DUNERATSS
@fortunesband
@NOVELLA_NOVELLA
@BigSean
@pltsmusic
It’s video roundup time! Once again, Howl And Echoes are coming in hot with the freshest, most eyeball-stimulating music videos to be dropped by the artists you love and some of the artists you don’t know you love yet this week. We do all the dirty work and herd them all into one convenient web-based location for you to enjoy every Friday so that you don’t have to. Have yourself a good old gander at the latest offerings from:
Clipping – Wriggle
First up is the California rappers Clipping and their frenetic new single and video for Wriggle. The title track from their recently released EP, the track has some distinct early Outkast vibes about it, a rapid-fire backbeat over almost industrial production, Daveed Diggs spitting in time.
The video is a whirlwind of pop culture gifs melded together with footage of Diggs, a frantic experience for both your eyes and your ears with plenty of gems from the world of film and television and viral sensations thrown in to the mix.
Wriggle is out now on Sub Pop.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5msWb1l2j6g&feature=youtu.be
Angel Olsen – Shut Up Kiss Me
From Cali to North Carolina (via way of St. Louis) next for songstress Angel Olsen and her new single Shut Up Kiss Me. It’s the second taste of her third studio album MY WOMAN due out later this year. Olsen warbles over a lone classic rock guitar riff before the band kicks in to the chorus. It’s a grunge-y and more energetic change of pace from the first synth-driven slow-burner Intern (which was still a ripper song in its own right).
The video sees Olsen donning the same silvery bob from the video for Intern, this time having an absolute whale of a night out and looking like an utter badass posting up out of the sunroof of her car and cutting shapes all over a roller rink among a whole lot of other fun looking activities.
MY WOMAN is out September 2nd on Jagjaguwar via Inertia Music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nleRCBhLr3k
Torii Wolf & DJ Premier – 1st Remix (ft. Dilated Peoples)
Next up is the encouraging new collaboration between New York singer-songwriter Torii Wolf and hip-hop royalty DJ Premier, who has remixed Wolf’s debut single 1st, throwing his own little twist on it including a turn from Dilated Peoples. The result is stunning: a gorgeous piano melody, Wolf’s ethereal vocals and hard-hitting bars from Rakaa and Evidence over a methodical beat colliding as one here.
The video features a short introduction with the Wolf meeting the Dilated Peoples guys and discussing with DJ Premier his vision for the remix. From there we get scenic shots of Wolf driving a drop-top interspersed with intimate shots from inside the recording studio as each artists takes their turn creating the song.
There’s no official release date for Wolf’s forthcoming album Flow Riiot just yet, but the fact that it has been produced entirely by DJ Premier leaves us with great expectations for its eventual arrival.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbXxxHH6JNg
Boys Noize – Birthday (ft. Hudson Mohawke and Spank Rock)
To a huge meeting of minds here on the new single from Berlin producer Boys Noize. Featuring one of his contemporaries in Hudson Mohawke and Baltimore MC Spank Rock, Birthday is the title, the very last track from his recently released fourth studio LP Mayday.
The production positively shimmers here before kicking into overdrive and banging like a screen door in a cyclone, Spank Rock providing the hook of “every day I wake up feel like my fucking birthday”. The accompanying video is a cracker too, the basic concept being a wild birthday but shown in reverse, it’s almost calming watching its subjects go from absolutely ratters at the end of the night to open the video to calmly swinging in the park by its conclusion.
Mayday is out now on POD via Inertia Music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-1EqDI8Lng
Vera Blue – Fingertips
Heading back home now with Sydney siren Vera Blue and her latest single Fingertips. It comes from her recently released EP of the same name and is utterly mesmerising, gentle acoustic guitar melding with pulsating synths and Vera’s breathtaking vocals. The chorus will drop the floor out from under you.
The video focuses heavily on the aforementioned fingertips, though the song itself is more about the terrible things social media can do to a relationship. Vera navigates her way through some kind of odd string-filled room before finding herself in a disorienting maze of sheets. It’s stellar stuff from production house Paper Moose here.
The Fingertips EP is out now on Mercury Records.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHgr1nCpt1A
Skegss – My Face
Byron Bay party animals Skegss aren’t slowing down in 2016, releasing their brand new single My Face a couple of weeks back and now giving it the video treatment. It’s the first taste of their forthcoming sophomore EP Everyone Is Good At Something. The tune is a sub-three minute lo-fi punk belter, the kind that gets you nostalgic for old Blink-182, all scuzzy guitars and droning vocals.
The video starts following a typical day in the life of frontman Ben, enjoying a sunny stroll before being accosted by a pair of wolf-men, who give chase (in between copping feels of each other) before settling their differences the only appropriate way (over a pint).
Skegss are heading out on a national tour to support their next EP with Dumb Punts and Verge Collection in August. If you’ve not seen them live you need to take a good look at yourself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgdUo-S-JpA
DMA’s – Timeless
Sydney’s DMA’s are presently taking over the world off the back of this year’s enormous debut album Hills End. Having just finished wrapping up a surprise turn at Glastonbury, the boys have released their latest single and video from that album for Timeless. The track is the same kind of rollicking Britpop number, it drives along relentlessly, full of fuzzed out guitars and sporting an absolute chest-beater of a chorus.
The video flat out rules too. Shot in black and white, it features the DMA’s boys enjoying what looks like a cracker of an evening with more than a few pints flowing down the local with a gang of senior citizens. Plenty of feel-good moments here.
Hills End is out now on I Oh You.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9lTxqpCNLc
The Strokes – Threat Of Joy
Having stormed back into the spotlight with the release of their Future Present Past EP a few weeks back along with a set for the ages at this year’s Governors Ball in their hometown New York City, The Strokes have been on a roll as they prepare for a world tour that includes a stop in Australia for Splendour In The Grass. Threat Of Joy was one of three new tracks on Future Present Past and The Strokes have given it a wildly imaginative video this week.
The song is vintage, jangly Strokes, pleasant and summery with frontman Julian Casablancas’ unmistakeable voice the anchor. The video follows a shifty government agency (who all wear pig masks) and their search for the stolen footage of the as-yet-unseen music video for lead single Oblivius. Just the latest from a band who have made some of the most iconic music videos of this generation.
Future Present Past is out now on Cult Records.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJNgvS-sA-s
Image: YouTube
We caught Sydney boys DMAs live at The Metro Theatre on Thursday June 9, with support from Green Buzzard.
Green Buzzard
DMAs
Images: Danielle Hansen / Howl & Echoes
It’s video roundup time! Once again, Howl And Echoes are coming in hot with the freshest, most eyeball-stimulating music videos to be dropped by the artists you love and some of the artists you don’t know you love yet this week. We do all the dirty work and herd them all into one convenient web-based location for you to enjoy every Friday so that you don’t have to. Have yourself a good old gander at the latest offerings from:
Iman – Naive
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUaXUEMeOC0
First up this week is the latest single from London singer-songwriter Iman. Naive is the first new material of 2016 for Iman, and she’s thundered out of the gate on this track. Huge, echoic vocals and a chorus that hooks you irretrievably, Iman’s voice is fiery and just seems effortlessly smooth. Naive is like late-90s RnB set to 21st century production. Stellar in other words.
The video was co-directed and co-edited by Iman herself and is a damn good first effort. Simple, artistic and full of movement, the video plants the focus exactly where it should be: square on the singer. Look out for more of Iman in 2016.
Alex The Astronaut – Half Of 21st Street
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8D2z7zbbtm8&feature=youtu.be
You would assume someone going by the name Alex The Astronaut would lead a life full of adventures, and you’d be correct in this case. At just 20 years of age, she’s already lived in Sydney, London and now Long Island, New York; where she is on a soccer scholarship, studying maths and physics and also somehow finding the time to be a burgeoning musical artist. There’s no way she sleeps though.
Half Of 21st Street is her debut single and is a ripper. A simple acoustic riff anchors the song, surrounded by a cacophony of different noises that add layer after layer to the song, its clever lyrics delving into a love story made stronger by her confident voice. The tempo picking up to play the song out was a fantastic touch too.
The video was filmed around New York City and will have anyone who has ever been wistful to return, the scenes in Washington Square Park (where you’ll see Alex The Astronaut showing off some of those soccer tricks) in particular.
Sky’s the limit for Alex The Astronaut from here.
LANKS – Golden Age
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OJMyl23GVI
Melbourne multi-instrumentalist producer LANKS has gotten all kinds of creative this week on the video for latest single Golden Age. A punchy backbeat and some stabby synths, the song crests and falls beautifully while steered along by LANKS’ vocals showing off a wide range.
If the song doesn’t ensnare you, the video it’s accompanied by surely will. Points to LANKS again for creativity and dedication, rigging himself upside down in his living room for over three hours because really all of your blood belongs in your head and consciousness is overrated anyway.
Catch LANKS on his East Coast tour launching Golden Age when it kicks off in April.
Sex On Toast – Doubt
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xAopnsc05Q
The Weekly Video Roundup awards for both Largest Group and Best Band Name go straight to Melbourne 10(!)-piece Sex On Toast this week and their latest single Doubt. It’s one of the most unique songs and videos I’ve seen so far this year, elements of everyone from Queen to Brian Wilson to Journey with a solid background of jazzy noise, the chorus will make you want to leap out of your seat.
The video only makes it better, with Sex On Toast enjoying all kinds of Caddyshack-esque hijinks on the golf course. ‘Zany’ is definitely the operative word here.
If you’re digging what you’re hearing (and seeing) and you happen to be in Melbourne then you can catch Sex On Toast all throughout the remainder of March as they enjoy a residency at the Gasometer.
The Last Shadow Puppets – Aviation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd1Xc6-6VVg
If you’ve not heard of The Last Shadow Puppets as a group before then you’ve definitely heard of them as part of their individual efforts. Like a British (and one Los Angeleno) indie rock version of The Avengers, members include Alex Turner (of Arctic Monkeys fame), Miles Kane (of The Rascals fame), producer James Ford (of Simian Mobile Disco fame) and Zach Dawes (of Mini Mansions fame). They released their debut album The Age Of The Understatement back in 2008 and went through a period of inactivity until last year, when they announced a new album was on the way in 2016.
Aviation is the third single from that upcoming record (titled Everything You’ve Come To Expect) and there’s an air of almost gothic darkness about it, with a very The Smiths-y guitar riff and backbeat coupled with Turner’s unmistakeable voice and some atmospheric strings. The video complements it well, shot on a sunny beach while Turner and Kane appear to have run afoul of a mob boss, ho has them digging their own graves in the sand while a blindfolded strings section plays them out.
Everything You’ve Come To Expect is out April 1st via Domino.
Massive Attack – Ritual Spirit (ft. Azekel)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhI5T_NKYxc
Bristol trip-hop royalty Massive Attack have a new single out. Featuring fellow British singer Azekel, Ritual Spirit (from their recently released EP of the same name) is a slow-burning and almost menacing track held down by a handclap backbeat and pulsating synths, layers of sound surrounding Azekel’s haunting vocals.
They’ve enlisted some star power for their music video, one Kate Moss lending her talents to this one, swinging a lightbulb around as she dances in the dark. Simple yet very effective. Massive Attack reportedly have a new album in the works, the first since 2010’s Heliogoland. With Tricky back in the mix now after 20 years, Massive Attack fans have every reason to be chomping at the bit.
Ritual Spirit is out now via Virgin.
DMA’s – In The Moment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZAfwHLnmlk
Presently taking over the entire world after the release of their wildly acclaimed debut album Hills End, Newtown’s own DMA’s have released another video for one of the album’s many highlight tracks in In The Moment.
A soaring chorus, infectious and fuzzy guitar licks, Tommy O’Dell’s now unmistakeable croon, all have become part of the sound that has brought DMA’s to a worldwide audience and all are present on In The Moment. It’s accompanying video sees the trio looking unfairly cool in every shot, be it at sunset on a rooftop, riding pushies and kicking soccer balls in the street or a strobe-lit room in tuxedos.
DMA’s are killing it with everything they touch at the moment. You can catch them on their Hills End tour of Australia (that’s swiftly selling out!) when they return home from a monster American and European tour in May and June.
Flatbush Zombies – This Is It
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxplVYIN1Fc&feature=youtu.be
One of the most hyped and widely anticipated debut albums in quite some time was Flatbush Zombies’ 3001: A Laced Odyssey, which dropped last week to some rave reviews. Their second single from the record was launched this week with a video to boot, This Is It.
The Brooklyn trio have absolutely brought the goods, This Is It just one very nifty slice of a cracking album. Clocking in at nearly six minutes, it’s sprawling and dark and magnificent. A simple piano melody dancing with some rapid-fire trap beats and some fiery hot verses on top of it all. What you might almost call some easy listening hip-hop.
The video mirrors the song’s simplicity, black and white shots of the group on a stark white background, the focus solely on them. We’re all waiting very patiently for an Australian tour…
3001: A Laced Odyssey is out now via Flatbush Zombies’ own label The Glorious Dead.
Image: YouTube.
Just a couple o’ blokes from Sydney, on one of the biggest late night TV shows in the world. That was the reality of DMA’s last night, who performed their breakthrough single, Delete, last night on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
The band have just released their debut album, Hills End, last month, and are in the US for stints at both SXSW and Coachella, so their global takeover is well under way, and this performance not only thrust them into the lives of people across America (and across the world too), but reaffirmed their status as one of, if not the best export Australia has right now. One of their best performances yet, you could practically hear a pin drop the audience was so silent as Tommy O’Dell sung his forlorn tune, backed up by Johnny Took and Matt Mason. Check it out below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGOL-cfTxU4
Once the boys have wrapped things up in the US, they’ll be heading home for a jaunt around their own country, hitting most capital cities as well as The Big Pineapple Festival. Tickets are already scarce, so by the time late May/early June rolls around for this tour, it doesn’t look like there will be any left at all. Check out the dates below and jump on the remaining few now!
DMA’s 2016 Australian Tour Dates:
Friday 27 May: The Zoo, Brisbane
Tickets
Friday 3 June: Fat Controller, Adelaide
Tickets
Saturday 4 June: The Rosemount, Perth
Tickets
Friday 10 June: The Metro, Sydney
Tickets
Saturday 11 June: The Corner, Melbourne
Tickets
Saturday 28 May: The Big Pineapple, Sunshine Coast QLD
Tickets
See More:
Read our album review of Hills End
Read our interview with DMA’s
Image: Stereogum
It’s video roundup time! Once again, Howl And Echoes are coming in hot with the freshest, most eyeball stimulating music videos to be dropped by the artists you love and some of the artists you don’t know you love yet, of this week. We do all the dirty work and herd them all into one convenient web-based location for you to enjoy every Friday so that you don’t have to. Have yourself a good old gander at the latest offerings from:
Spring King – Rectifier
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yONyEewXraU
We’re starting out the gate with a bang this week, not being ones to be here to fuck spiders of course. It’s Rectifier, the new single from UK noisemakers Spring King. Punchy, heavy and, like all good garage rock, the amps turned up to 11 on everything., Rectifier is a track bristling with raw power and energy and will have you hooked as soon as you hear it.
The music video follows drummer and vocalist (boy do we have a whole lot of respect for those guys) Tarek Musa as he fleshes out the song in his basement before taking it to the jam room and eventually the stage playing to a huge sweaty crowd.
We’re hoping for a whole lot more outstanding stuff like this from Spring King in 2016.
Gideon Bensen – Talk Talk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqFbYI-M1dA
Also making some noise this week is Gideon Bensen, well-known for his duties on guitar and backing vocals for The Preatures but currently enjoying a stellar run as a solo artist. We loved his first track and its accompanying video last year and we had the chance for a great old chat with him earlier this year. This week he’s released his second single and music video for Talk Talk.
It’s a short and sharp smashing together of rock and roll with some deliciously new wave synth flavour, Bensen’s smoky baritone snaking its way around the track, showing a pretty remarkable vocal range as well. The video is lo-fi cool and features Bensen’s head replicated and warped in front of a travelling background, the bursts of red and blue complementing the bursts of different noise sparking off throughout the song.
The Kills – Doing It To Death
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=498zUzNGQxY
Hard rocking duo The Kills have put out a brand new single and music video this week in anticipation of their next album Ash And Ice that’s scheduled for release in June of this year. Doing It To Death is the title, the riffs gigantic, the rhythm deliberate and a definite touch of ice behind the vocals of frontwoman Alison Mosshart.
The music video wins the title of Best Funeral Procession ever. There’s rap squats atop hearse hoods, a parade of black clad pallbearers dabbing their way through a Los Angeles cemetery, Mosshart giving a eulogy with a durry in hand. It’s a song and video combination that kicks so much ass, do yourself a favour and watch it.
Ash And Ice is out June 3rd via Domino.
Bad Vision – Goons
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DEBvHq9lgc
This next one comes from Melbourne rockers Bad Vision, who have this week released the first single from their upcoming album Turn Out Your Sockets. Titled Goons, it’s fantastically dance-y and jangly rock and roll with shouted choruses about looking for good times and verses about Miley Cyrus eating at shopping malls. Glorious.
The video is a nifty one-taker, so picture that scene in Goodfellas where Henry Hill takes Karen on a whirlwind tour through the back door of his nightclub, only replace gangsters with the titular ‘goons’ and the nightclub with a suburban share house and you’ve just about got it.
Turn Out Your Sockets is out May 2016 via Adagio 830 Records.
Boys Noize – Overthrow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQD_WpsYtiU&feature=youtu.be
The latest single from German producer Boys Noize is Overthrow. Dark and twisting and starkly industrial, pulsating rhythms building up before a confronting and harsh drop full of squealing synths mid-song.
The music video, directed by Lil Internet and Boys Noize himself, takes the industrial tones of the track and visualises them. Shot mainly in black and white, it focuses on street life in Los Angeles after dark and the intersecting of a pair of rival gangs. Apparently no actors were used in the video, upping the authenticity of the video entirely.
There’ll be more to come from Boys Noize this year.
Le Pie – Up All Night
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3rRe2D23us
Sydney singer-songwriter Le Pie goes full badass on her latest single and video for Up All Night. Combining punk rock with pop hooks while losing none of the edge of the former, the track is as catchy as the flu, full of clever lyrics too.
The video does it justice and then some, shot in beautiful black and white and opening with Le Pie tagging a brick wall before her and her gang of greaser girls legs it from ‘the fuzz’. From there they wander the streets looking like a more menacing version of the T-Birds, boozing it up, swinging baseball bats and golf clubs and raising general hell.
You can catch Le Pie and the Sha La Las on the Up All Night tour this weekend, where they’ll be rolling in to rough up the Lass O’Gowrie in Newcastle on Saturday night. Look out!
NxWorries – Link Up
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsXaSRBO5kM&feature=youtu.be
If NxWorries is a name that’s still unfamiliar to you then it won’t be for long. It’s a super-duo made up of producer Knxwledge and vocalist Anderson .Paak. Link Up is their newest single, the second from their debut EP Link Up And Suede that capped off a massive 2015 for both men.
The song is funky as all hell, smooth vocals from Anderson .Paak layered masterfully over some lights out production from Knxwledge. The music video is fantastic, featuring a very disgruntled Eric Andre confronting Knxwledge the convenience store attendant and wondering aloud how he’s supposed to get fucked up on only three pinots (before being knocked the FUCK out).
The rest of the clip features an impossibly cool dance party hosted by .Paak and Knxwledge in the chilled section by aisle three, the duo turning all kinds of up. None other than Earl Sweatshirt shows up at one point (apparently he does sometimes like going outside) to buy a 40.
We need an album out of these two real soon.
DMA’s – Step Up The Morphine (Live Acoustic)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oe9Tn9n50sg
The sky is presently the limit for DMA’s. They’re a week post the release of their debut album Hills End, which landed to rave reviews across the board. The band are going on tour both in Australia and internationally, with a guest spot on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert that promises to see their star rise even higher.
This week they’ve released a brand new video for one of the standout tracks on Hills End, the stunning Step Up The Morphine. They’ve reworked it into a stripped back acoustic version recorded live on a sunny afternoon in Kings Cross that will take your breath away. The steel guitar from Matt Mason adding some very welcome extra smoke to the song.
Catch DMA’s on their Hills End tour across Australia in May and June.
DMA’s have only been together for a relatively short period of time but they’ve already garnered significant critical acclaim, been included on numerous radio hit lists, and featured on massive festival bills around the world. The most impressive aspect of all that though, was the fact that it was all done without actually even releasing their debut album. Hill’s End, then, represents the next logical step for a trio that stand right on the brink of big things.
Formed in a flat in Sydney out of the embers of other bands that they were collectively a part of: Johnny Took, Matt Mason, and Tommy O’Dell combined to create music that is crammed full of pop hooks, acoustic leanings and big brash guitar riffs.
Their sound harkens back to the past- think a mix of soundscapes made with influence from the likes of 90’s American rock bands, Britpop groups, and Neil Young. Yet, while they walk the line with their influences worn proudly on their sleeves, they do so also with their eyes fixed determinedly on the future, all the while possessing a swagger which has sadly been lacking in most rock music since Richard Ashcroft took a walk down a busy London high street all those years ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhkhuarqDGE
Timeless kicks off proceedings amongst an impressively brash clatter of noise and O’Dell’s voice slicing through the confusion. It’s a frenzied start that conveys the dizzying effects of frustration. It can be heard in the angry battering of the drums, the frantic strums of the acoustic guitar, and the heavy distortion of the electric guitar as it comes over like a giant wave that threatens to destroy everything in sight.
Thankfully, we still find ourselves on solid ground by the time Lay Down comes in, which was the first track to be released this year, as a taster for what was to come on the highly anticipated album. It’s a track that glides by on acoustic strums and a catchy pop melody that seems plucked right out of some well-known Manchester act’s book. They may well be heavily linked with Oasis, but this seems more in line with Stone Roses, as the guitar happily noodles along while O’Dell sings how he is “lost in worlds far away.”
Next up is the band’s first ever track that they released, which brought them widespread attention before they’d even played a live gig. Delete may be over two years old now, but it still sounds as invigorating as ever. While Too Soon lulls you into a false sense of security with withdrawn verses, before the chorus bursts to life with echoing vocals, heavy crashes of the cymbal and a chugging guitar line.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GjEbrUHOl4
In The Moment floats by like a day dream, as it dips into a reverie of regrets. The jangly guitars are present, as is a bouncy rhythm section that threatens to break through the haze momentarily, before sinking into it, along with O’Dell’s vocals, as he details about friends trying “to avoid love.” It’s a carefully restrained effort that stands impressively as one of the albums catchiest tracks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7B2zFcNGBU
Step Up The Morphine ushers in the half way point of the album in a sombre mood. It is a song that displays Took’s thoughtful and clever lyrics the most, as he is left to lament on the heartbreak of losing someone close. The vulnerability trembles within as O’Dell ruefully questions the concepts of life as he sighs, “sometimes I wonder why we bother at all”. The song is filled with imagery of heaven, hospital beds, unattainable dreams, and the loss of hope as it slips away like a final dose of morphine administered to the sick.
For a man who had never previously sung on record before joining the band, O’Dell’s range is impressive as he goes from the highs to the lows with apparent ease. His vocals are often put out front and centre, and this is at its most effective when he is placed amongst minimal instrumentation, like on the moving So We Know.
On Melbourne, O’Dell declares, “I won’t feel no pain,” with his voice rising above the brutal guitar riff that cuts through the spacious atmosphere like a knife. The music echoes around like it’s lost deep within a chasm, before it builds into a frenzy that sees the drums desperately struggling as they try to keep up with it all. It’s a pained reflection on a relationship that was always destined to fail. The loneliness is felt within the mellow strums of the acoustic guitar, while there’s troublesome thoughts on the seemingly inevitable collapse of a relationship and the inability to pull it away from the brink despite the best intentions.
Straight Dimensions features an indie guitar jangle that sounds like it’s been cultivated in the summer sun for months. While Blown Away is a wistful ballad that accurately translates a sense of distance with the slow strum of guitars and solemn strings underpinning the pain of it all. It’s too heartbroken to be bitter at the act of the separation, but that’s not to say that it wasn’t ever there. It’s simply resigned to the fact of the matter, as O ‘Dell sorrowfully declares how “it’s all blown away.”
The Switch and Play It Out conclude the album on a suitably triumphant note, as they combine what has worked so well for the previous tracks on the record for a mix of massive choruses, heavy guitar riffs, and O’Dell’s great vocals.
You can almost hear the enjoyment in the music- the boisterous laughter shared between friends and those long nights spent drinking while recording the tracks. But you can also feel the hangover of the next day, when everybody has gone home and you’re left to wake up on your own once again. The feeling of getting up and accessing the damage amongst all the empty beer cans and the stubbed out cigarettes, is very real here. There’s a tangible element of heartbreak and regret, as the past is reviewed with a sobering but eagle eyed proficiency. The past may be laboured over and a source of regret, but it is an integral component of moving you forward in the greater scheme of things, and that is what Hill’s End does so gloriously here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5bHGMDAgOo
Read more: Check out our interview with DMA’s Johnny Took
Image: NME