All posts tagged mess-and-noise

  • March 6, 2011

    Mess+Noise album review: Art Vs. Science – ‘The Experiment’, March 2011

    An album review for Mess+Noise. Excerpt below.

    Art Vs. Science – The Experiment

    On debut album ‘The Experiment’, Art Vs. Science understand that repetition is the foundation of dance music – but it’s a trick that wears thin, writes ANDREW MCMILLEN.

    Popular culture generally exists to meet demand. Most artists spend their lives attempting to offer works that resonate with as wide an audience as possible. By tapping into popular sentiments, savvy artists can short-circuit the often lengthy process of artistic acceptance. Case in point: Art Vs. Science, who – legend has it – formed on the spot while its three members stood watching Daft Punk playing in Sydney some years ago. The crowd was going bonkers for two dudes in robot suits atop a glowing pyramid. They probably stood and wondered aloud: “Why not us?”

    Following on from a high-profile spot at Splendour In The Grass in 2008, thanks largely to debut single ‘Flippers’ – whose goofy chorus was comprised entirely of “Hey! Ho! Use your flippers to get down!” – and nearly topping the 2009 triple j Hottest 100 with ‘Parlez Vous Francais?’, Art Vs. Science have emerged with their first album, The Experiment. True to form, it’s packed from top to tail with brash electronica, delivered with their now-trademark dance-punk attitude. Here, we hear guitars furiously tapping away at fretboards during oh-so obvious breakdowns that lead into slamming synth-led choruses; all custom-made for hands-in-the-air dance festival sets. (By the by, this is a band who’s known for performing live covers of ‘Where’s Your Head At?’ and ‘Boom! Shake The Room’ to tents full of peaking munters).

    In isolation, The Experiment is a dull record, because these songs won’t come to life until they’re heard and felt in a live environment. A five-minute instrumental rave-up like ‘Meteor (I Feel Fine)’ sounds foolish playing on your home stereo (though interestingly, it’s the closest they’ve gotten to sounding like Daft Punk). Several songs here are based around single words or short phrases – ‘Higher’, ‘Bumblebee’, ‘Sledgehammer’ – which seem to be included for the sole purpose of giving crowds something nonsensical to shout amid the pulsing synth din.

    For the full review, visit Mess+Noise. For more Art Vs. Science, visit their website. The music video for their song ‘Finally See Our Way‘ is embedded below.

    No Comments / Music Criticism, Published Writing /

  • March 1, 2011

    Mess+Noise album review: Nova Scotia – ‘Nova Scotia’, March 2011

    An album review for Mess+Noise. Excerpt below.

    Nova Scotia – Nova Scotia

    After two EPs and several years spent gigging at every Brisbane venue imaginable, this self-titled album is indie rock quintet Nova Scotia’s first full-length. Released via Lofly Records and mixed by label co-founder Andrew White (Mr. Maps, restream), Nova Scotia is just as demonstrative of the band’s songwriting abilities as their previous discs (2007’s Bear Smashes Photocopier and 2008’s Maritime Disasters), but the sonic differences here are instantly noticeable.

    As great as those EPs were, the recording and production – or lack thereof – left a lot to be desired. Here, the instruments can each be heard clearly in the mix, but they haven’t lost that sense of five dudes jamming in a room, which has always been a big part of Nova Scotia’s charm.

    Two re-recorded tracks from Photocopier (‘Second Sun’ and ‘Everything’s Perfect’) appear early in the piece, and while they sound better than ever, here’s where nostalgia ends. There isn’t a bad idea on Nova Scotia; if anything, the songs get better as the record progresses. Instrumental opener ‘Teeming With Voices’ is seemingly intended as the band’s theme song, and they frequently open their live sets with it too. Three different guitar tones sit atop clattering percussion. More than once, you get the feeling that it’s all about to cave in on itself. This sense of tension pervades most of the tracks here, and crucially, it’s an asset, not a distraction.

    For the full review, visit Mess+Noise, where you can also stream the album’s final track, ‘The World Is Not Enough’. For more Nova Scotia, visit their Myspace.

    No Comments / Music Criticism, Published Writing /

  • January 19, 2011

    Mess+Noise story: ‘Lofly Hangar: 2007-2010’, January 2011

    A feature for Mess+Noise about a much-loved Brisbane venue.

    Lofly Hangar: 2007-2010

    ANDREW MCMILLEN laments the loss of short-lived Brisbane venue Lofly Hangar, which shut its doors in late 2010.

    Nestled under a party goods store on Musgrave Road in Red Hill, the Lofly Hangar always seemed an unlikely meeting place for Brisbane’s independent music community. Located far from the dedicated entertainment precinct in Fortitude Valley – where the majority of the city’s live music venues are based – Red Hill is very much a residential area. Yet since it first opened its doors to the public in 2007, the Hangar built a reputation for delivering quality music to curious listeners in an intimate setting.

    From the beginning, $10 got you inside – a cost which was maintained through until the final show in December 2010, except for the occasional special event – and since it was classed as a private residence, there was no liquor licensing regulations involved. You’d bring your own booze, and since the main area was adorned with couches, it didn’t feel dissimilar from your living room. Such was the charm of the Hangar: interesting people and new sounds, experienced in comfort. Upon entering, you’d be almost guaranteed to have a great – and cheap – night out.

    The line-ups were curated by the Lofly brains trust – Phil Laidlaw, Andrew White, Greg Cooper, Chris Perren, and Joel Edmondson – and even if you’d never heard of the bands playing, the sounds emanating from the adjoining band room were almost always diverse and intriguing. The stage, however, was non-existent. The bands played on the floor, set up in front of a wall of old televisions. The venue’s PA wasn’t amazing, but it got the job done. An unspoken, Meredith-like “no dickheads” policy seemed to be in play throughout its existence. To visit the Hangar was to be among open-minded music fans. It was a beautiful thing.

    The final Hangar was held on December 11, 2010; coincidentally, it was the 100th public show held at the venue. A few weeks beforehand, three Hangar co-organisers – Laidlaw, White, and Cooper, each musicians themselves with aheadphonehome, Restream, and Toy Balloon, respectively – reflected on their time at the forefront of the Brisbane independent music scene.

    Genesis

    Andrew White: We got a warehouse and leased it to practise and record in, and have parties with our friends’ bands. Then we started having more people coming. The idea came about to have it as a regular thing, every month. We were interested in putting on music that we liked. Having the parties has been a way of paying the bills. It was never a profit thing; it was just something that we wanted to keep going.

    Phil Laidlaw: At the time [2007], there were around three or four venues [in Brisbane] – The Troubadour, Ric’s, The Zoo. So we’d approach people asking them to play, and they’d respond with, “What are you talking about?” The model of warehouse party shows wasn’t happening. There wasn’t a lot of faith in it. It was very difficult to get bands that we thought were good bands to play. But the culture of the space evolved from the parties we were having. There was no need for security, because we knew everyone here.

    For the full article, visit Mess+Noise. For more on Lofly, visit their website.

    With this story, I tried something I’d never done before: I went for an ‘oral history’ angle. I chatted with Andrew, Phil and Greg for over an hour on the evening of the last Hangar nights, and shaped the best / most relevant bits of that conversation into a narrative structure. I think it turned out OK.

    No Comments / Music Journalism, Published Writing /

  • January 19, 2011

    Mess+Noise album review: ‘He Will Have His Way’, January 2011

    An album review for Mess+Noise. Excerpt below.

    Various Artists – He Will Have His Way: The Songs Of Tim & Neil Finn

    The songs of Tim and Neil Finn – from Split Enz to Crowded House, and their respective solo careers – are cherished by many Antipodeans. To do them justice is to walk a tightrope; iron will and resolute self-belief are required.

    He Will Have His Way comes five years after the release of She Will Have Her Way, whose original concept was to invite female musicians to sing the Finns’ songs. Here, it’s the blokes’ turn, and the array of talent sourced isn’t to be sniffed at. Many of these covers are faithful to the source material, so let’s deal with the two strangest birds of an otherwise uniform flock.

    Electro-rock trio Art Vs Science do ‘I See Red’. They’re full of piss and vinegar, as usual, both musically and lyrically. Led by waves of pulsing synths, a breakneck drumbeat and a high-speed finger-tapped guitar solo, it’s a garish tribute to an already energetic song. In the coda, they opt for a heavy groove flanked by natural harmonics and guitar effects. In a word, it’s ridiculous. But a band like Art Vs Science were never going to play it straight, and their contribution here is memorable if only for the sheer velocity and enthusiasm they bring to the project.

    For the full review, visit Mess+Noise. For more on He Will Have His Way, visit the project website. The music video for Oh Mercy’s version of ‘I Feel Possessed‘ is embedded below.

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  • 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.

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  • December 22, 2010

    Mess+Noise album review: The Key Of Sea – ‘Volume 1’, December 2010

    An ‘on rotation’ album review for Mess+Noise. Excerpt below.

    Various Artists – The Key Of Sea

    A new compilation sticks up the middle finger at the oft-repeated “stop the boats” refrain, writes ANDREW MCMILLEN.

    This is more than a collection of songs. It’s a middle-finger to the unending dialogue surrounding the hideously offensive phrase “stop the boats”.

    That dog whistle sounded long and loud across the land earlier this year, as politicians and their supporters attempted to shield racist ideals under the guise of protecting national interests in an election year. The Key Of Sea is the compassionate antidote to narrow-minded xenophobia. All proceeds from the sale of the album – which pairs well-known Australian artists with refugee musicians – go to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, the Human Rights Arts and Film Festival, and Refugees Survivors and Ex Detainees. Its co-founders encourage listeners to “think deep, dig deep, and enjoy a unique musical journey”. It’s an apt disclaimer.

    These 11 narratives are drawn from disparate inspirations. Knowing each song’s genesis only adds to their impact. Urthboy’s collaboration with Group 120, ‘Letters From Jamshed’, has its roots in the MC’s sister trading mail with an asylum seeker named Jamshed, who was being held in the Nairu detention centre. Featuring lyrics taken from Jamshed’s correspondence, the song’s chorus – set among hip-hop beats, a circular nylon-string guitar riff, and Group 120’s choir of sighs – presents the question that lies at the heart of the asylum seeker debate: “Do you mind, if you and I/We share the sky?”. Alongside Blue King Brown and Diafrix’s ‘Streets Are Getting Hot’, it’s the album’s most upbeat track, and among the most memorable.

    For the full review, visit Mess+Noise. For more on The Key Of Sea, visit their website, or watch the project documentary embedded below.

    Elsewhere: a story for Rolling Stone about The Cat Empire’s involvement with The Key Of Sea

    No Comments / Music Criticism, Published Writing /

  • December 22, 2010

    Mess+Noise single review: The Middle East – ‘Jesus Came To My Birthday Party’, December 2010

    A single review for Mess+Noise. Excerpt below.

    The Middle East – ‘Jesus Came To My Birthday Party’

    The cat’s out of the bag! Hints of Christianity were dotted throughout Townsville indie pop collective The Middle East’s past recorded material – their 2008 album The Recordings of The Middle East, and last year’s re-released EP of the same name – but never before has it been so overt. On ‘Jesus Came To My Birthday Party’, keyboardist Bree Tranter takes lead vocals for a tale concerning the Messiah’s birthday visit: “When I was seventeen/I thought it was a dream/It was a long time ago”. (“I haven’t seen him in a while”, she later admits, before spotting him in the eye of strangers while “down in the city” at night.)

    A dirty guitar bookends the narrative, and is allowed an extended run midway through, but it sounds a little forced among the earnestly-strummed acoustic guitars and tambourine-assisted percussion.

    For the full review, visit Mess+Noise, where you can also stream the track. For more of The Middle East, visit their website. The music video for their song ‘Blood‘ is embedded below.

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  • December 13, 2010

    Mess+Noise ‘icons’ interview: ‘Lawrence English + ROOM40’, December 2010

    An interview for the Mess+Noise ‘icons’ series. Excerpt below.

    Lawrence English and ROOM40

    In an age of disconnect, Lawrence English still believes in the life-affirming power of new sounds. It’s what’s kept his label ROOM40 going for 10 years, writes ANDREW MCMILLEN.

    If you’re an experimental sound artist looking to distribute your music internationally, no matter where you’re based, the name Lawrence English is bound to crop up in your research. English [pictured right – kind of] has operated the label ROOM40 out of his home in Brisbane since 2000, or, in his own words, he’s delivered “sound parcels from the antipodes since the turn of the century”. Such is the man’s reputation for courteous professionalism, kindness and amiability among the world’s non-mainstream music community that he could well front a Tourism Queensland campaign for international relations.

    “The six degrees separation thing in this particular field, I think, is much less than six. Even your top level guys, your Brian Enos, the degrees of separation, are like two or three at the most,” English says. “One of my very good friends, Ben Frost, is Eno’s current mentee. We put out Ben’s first album. There’s this great flow-on effect. I think the really good thing about this particular area is it is really like an extended family, in the best way possible, not in the kind of squabbling way.”

    English’s greatest passion appears to be sharing interesting sounds with others. As far as I can gauge, this is why ROOM40 exists. Every release is a labour of love, carefully choreographed with a selection of artists hand-picked from around the globe. ROOM40’s Australian releases over the years include John Chantler, Chris Abrahams (of The Necks) and Rod Cooper.

    “I’m a big believer in that generally in music, there’s enough room for everyone to do their thing and to find an audience. The kind of competitive, closed spaces that sometimes happen with more contemporary music – I just don’t believe in that because I think there’s plenty of room for Big Day Out, for Soundwave, for all these major festivals. I believe in open systems. The cycle of the fringes to the centre and back around again; that’s what keeps it interesting.”

    As 2010 marks ROOM40’s 10th anniversary, I dropped into English’s home in Kelvin Grove, a suburb of Brisbane, to discuss its past, present and future.

    I’ve read that you consider ROOM40 not just as a label, but a multi-arts organisation, which encompasses the label, distribution, promoting shows – what else?

    Festivals, art curation, and art installation. It started as an umbrella so it was like the label publishing editions and all that kind of stuff; the opportunity to bring people to Australia and send Australia overseas, like a kind of cycle thing … We’ve had some great international artists. Christian Marclay was here a few years ago in Melbourne at ACMI [Australian Centre for the Moving Image]. But we are yet to see that celebration of contemporary sound culture or a kind of connective thing – this thing is, for most Australian musicians in this area, their profile is overseas. Someone like Oren Ambarchi, for example, that guy’s touring in every other country. He plays in Australia maybe three times a year or something. He might play 50 shows. The same for me: I played two shows this year and by the end of the year I’ll have played like 30 or 40 something. Ninety percent of them will not be in Australia. It’s just because the opportunities are elsewhere and Australia is just one of a number of countries that you can go to.

    For the full interview, visit Mess+Noise. Thanks for being one of the most interesting people I know, Lawrence. For more info on ROOM40, visit their website.

    No Comments / Music Journalism, Published Writing /

  • December 2, 2010

    Mess+Noise ‘icons’ interview: Mick Turner of Dirty Three, December 2010

    A two-part interview for the Mess+Noise ‘icons’ series. Excerpt below.

    Mick Turner: ‘Icons’ interview

    In the first installment of a two-part interview, ANDREW MCMILLEN talks to Mick Turner about his early days with the Moodists and Venom P Stinger, his distinctive style of playing and how his life changed when he joined the Dirty Three.

    Mick Turner’s shadow looms large over the Australian musical landscape, not just due to his considerable height but also through his distinctive six-string contributions over the past 30-odd years to acts as diverse as Dirty Three, Venom P. Stinger, The Moodists and The Sick Things, not to mention the material released under his own name. Besides his music, Turner’s distinctive painting style has appeared on Dirty Three album covers and, more recently, hung on walls in public exhibitions.

    I caught up with Mick the day after a rare solo show at the Lofly Hangar in Brisbane in June, alongside collaborators Jeffrey Wegener and Ian Wadley. When I join him at Ric’s in the Fortitude Valley, he’s digging into spicy beef noodle salad and orange juice. I’m early, so while he eats, we discuss last night’s show, Australian politics (Julia Gillard had just become prime minister overnight, to national surprise) and sport (neither of us give much of a shit) before relocating next door to Kaliber, a quieter spot with a courtyard. Mick’s sinuses are playing up, but he stays and talks for an hour-and-a-half. Much like his guitar parts in the Dirty Three, however, it takes a while for him to warm up.

    A loose kind of style

    How do you feel about music this year, Mick? Are you still as excited about it as you were when you started?
    I am. I suppose it’s a constantly evolving kind of thing as an artist. My inspiration hasn’t stopped. I’m still trying to make that great record that I’ll probably never make.

    When did you first become interested in music? Did you play as a child?
    I inherited my brothers’ and sisters’ record collections. They were quite a bit older than me; when I was seven or eight-years-old, and I just became a very avid music fan very early on. I started teaching myself to play guitar when I was 13.

    Was there a point where you just decided to throw yourself into a career in music?
    I’ve had a couple of periods where music is all I’ve done for a living. One was early on with The Moodists. We went to live in England in 1983. That just happened because the offer was there. They asked me join at the time they were just about to go. I think I was on the dole. We scraped by for two years over there nearly starving but it was a lot of fun. I left The Moodists, after we returned to Australia in 1985. I kept playing music, but had started doing day jobs, of course. Then in 1993 Dirty Three started making more money than I was earning in my job – I had been working in the CSIRO library for quite a few years. I made an active decision to quit that work and just do music.

    You’ve been playing with Jim White for over 20 years. I’m interested to know what you see when you look across the kit at him while you’re playing music together.
    Jim’s a great player, he’s totally unique. I don’t know anyone who plays like him. He’s kept working at it determinedly for so long and he’s very on top of it now, and he’s got a very singular vision of where he’s going with his music. He’s very serious about it, but it’s great. I have a lot of admiration for Jim. He’s bit of a celebrity in NYC where he lives now, known as one of the world’s great drummers.

    For the full interview, visit Mess+Noise: part one, part two. Thanks to Mick for being a thoughtful and engaging interview subject.

    No Comments / Music Journalism, Published Writing /

  • December 2, 2010

    Mess+Noise EP review: Young Revelry – ‘You And I’, December 2010

    An EP review for Mess+Noise. Excerpt below.

    Young Revelry – You And I

    Catching Perth quartet Young Revelry on their home turf was a highlight of the recent One Movement For Music festival. Devoid of buzz or pretension, they simply climbed onto the stage, checked their instruments, then lit up the Amplifier Bar with a bottom-heavy slab of hard rock. Watching them, I couldn’t overlook similarities to youthful contemporaries like Sugar Army – whose 2009 debut remains criminally underrated – or, during their heavier moments, Violent Soho. Pleasantly, their debut EP, You And I, proves that the band can deliver both live and on record.

    Recorded with Woody Annison (Children Collide, Red Riders, Black Cab) in the Western Australian bush, You And I is a fine starting point, but it’s not going to set the world on fire. This is fine: hard rock is a difficult niche to corner here in Australia, and it seems only a handful of bands can sit atop the heap at any one time. (Dead Letter Circus – with thanks to Universal’s marketing budget – are doing their best to scale the peak in the wake of Cog stepping down. Even Sugar Army are struggling to make a dent in the genre, despite their frequent moments of brilliance.) Wisely, Young Revelry don’t seem to be in a rush.

    Full review at Mess+Noise. More Young Revelry on MySpace. The music video for the song ‘You And I‘ is embedded below.

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