All posts tagged ep-review

  • December 22, 2010

    Mess+Noise EP review: Bleeding Knees Club – ‘Virginity’, December 2010

    An EP review for Mess+Noise. Excerpt below.

    Bleeding Knees Club – Virginity

    The approach for Gold Coast duo Bleeding Knees Club is disarmingly simple, and on Virginity, their first release – five tracks, and barely 11 minutes in total – they sound simultaneously loose and confident. It works so well purely because there’s nothing else to get in the way of Alex Wall thrashing away at a shitty old drumkit while singing about his offsider being 20, him being 21, them both being drunk, and about how guitarist Jordan Malane “found my cigarettes” and “took three”. Throw in an incessantly-shaken tambourine and a harmonised vocal melody and you’ve got everything you could possibly want from a simple, dumb, awesome indie-punk tune.

    There’s a killer middle-eight in ‘Truth Or Dare’ that sounds like the wheels are about to fall off. This same sense of barely-contained enthusiasm propels Virginity along like Wall and Malane have nothing to lose.

    For the full review, visit Mess+Noise, where you can also stream the track ‘Bad Guys’. For more Bleeding Knees Club, visit their Myspace. Live footage of their song ‘Camp Out‘ is embedded below.

    No Comments / Music Criticism, Published Writing /

  • August 12, 2010

    Mess+Noise EP review: Mr. Maps – ‘Nice Fights’, August 2010

    An EP review for Mess+Noise.

    Mr. Maps - Nice Fights EP coverMr. Maps – Nice Fights

    Never a band to care for conventional wisdom or industry standards, Brisbane-based instrumental rock act Mr. Maps have limited this double A-side single – a teaser for their debut album, due later this year – to just 250 copies, and printed the cover on antique pianola paper to offer each payer a unique design. From the hammered-on clean guitar motif to the stomach-turning tempo changes and the subdued, cello-led midsection, the title track is immediately representative of the group’s vision and ability. ‘Nice Fights’ meanders organically, taking its time to unveil the beauty within.

    The momentary pause toward the end of ‘Fly You Monumental Mistake’, however, is this EP’s dramatic apex. Everything before this point seems like padding for this money shot. In the one-second window that bucks the trend of streaming guitars and tumultuous drumming, Mr. Maps shine.

    Full review at Mess+Noise, where you can also stream the track ‘Nice Fights’.

    More Mr. Maps at MySpace. They’re great.

    No Comments / Music Criticism, Published Writing /

  • May 25, 2010

    Mess+Noise EP review: The Chemist – ‘The Wolves’ Howls Shatter The Old Glass Moon’, May 2010

    An EP review for Mess+Noise.

    Debut EP by Perth rock band The Chemist, 'The Wolves' Howls Shatter The Old Glass Moon'The Chemist – The Wolves’ Howls Shatter The Old Glass Moon

    Your appreciation of falsetto is the primary determinant in whether or not you’ll dig Perth quartet The Chemist. Singer Ben Witt – lead guitarist in Bob Evans’ band – possesses one of those enviably wide vocal ranges. Throughout their debut EP, The Wolves’ Howls Shatter The Old Glass Moon, Witt’s delivery tilts toward the upper register. You’ll either love it or hate it. I fall into the first camp; Witt’s voice is extraordinary, and should be celebrated. Wisely, his vocals ride high atop The Chemist’s pleasant take on bar-room rock’n’roll, sans pomposity.

    Don’t let their allegiances with Perth pop’s big names colour your judgment here. Just because the EP was produced by Eskimo Joe’s Joel Quartermain and ‘Stars’ was originally recorded with Luke Steele doesn’t mean you should tar them with the same brush. They have more in common with Lovers-era Sleepy Jackson than Empire Of The Sun’s glossy pop or Eskimo Joe’s aspirant stadium-rock. That Quartermain and Steele have lent their time to The Chemist should hint at their potential for greatness, not just their capacity to appeal to triple j’s programming team.

    Full review at Mess+Noise, which also contains a track to stream. I highly recommend checking The Chemist out on MySpace, and live when you next get the chance.

    Embedded below is a video I filmed of the band performing at a One Movement industry showcase in Perth last year. It was my introduction to the band, and it made a hell of a first impression.

    No Comments / Music Criticism, Published Writing /