Sunday, November 15, 2009

2010 Album Releases: VAMPIRE WEEKEND - CONTRA


Everybodys favourite indie rockers Vampire Weekend are releasing their sophomore album, Contra on January 11th 2010. They have been described as Ivy League rock since the members of the band met while studying at Columbia University. These must be some reasonably smart guys or they are really good at faking it. Anyways, I loved their self-titled first album particularly 'Oxford Comma' which is just infectious pop/rock.

Contra seems to be more of the same which isn't necessarily a bad thing but can lead to bands being described as boring and non evolving. I believe most bands should evolve and take risks even if it doesn't necessarily pay off but at least they made an effort to do something that will go down in music history as unexpected. Back to Vampire Weekend, I've only heard the first single, 'Horchata' but who knows what the album will be like and I am certainly willing to be proven wrong.

Tracklisting:
  1. Horchata
  2. White Sky
  3. Holiday
  4. California English
  5. Taxi Cab
  6. Run
  7. Cousins
  8. Giving Up the Gun
  9. Diplomat's Son
  10. I Think Ur A Contra


Looking forward to it.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Yeah Yeah Yeahs Live in Oz


If you missed out on Falls Festival or Sunset Sounds tickets Yeah Yeah Yeahs are doing 2 side shows, one in Melbourne and the other in Sydney and they are all ages gigs except I don't think Under 18s get access to General Admin which is crap in my opinion.

The shows take place...

December 29th 2009 - Melbourne, Festival Hall
December 30th 2009 - Falls Festival, Lorne
December 31st 2009 - Falls Festival, Tassy
January 7th 2010 - Sunset Sounds Festival, Brisbane
January 8th 2010 - Sydney - Hordern Pavillion
January 10th 2010 - Southbound Festival, Busselton WA

Tickets are on sale via Ticketmaster and are on sale to the general public Tuesday, November 17th 2009.

Hope to see you all there!!!

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Essentials for Spring and Summer

Well it certainly is hot in Melbourne and it's not even officially Summer yet!!! But I still love the long days and pretty floral dresses that come out of the closet. So I just wanted to share with you all my Spring/Summer essentials for the months ahead.

First and probably most importantly is good tunes...top 5 KILLER tracks to party to or chill with friends at a BBQ.
  1. LDN - Lily Allen. Oh the joy...Lily at her best, full of cheekiness and sass.
  2. Playground Love - Air. This is from the Virgin Suicides soundtrack and if you haven't seen it do because AIR do the whole film score and in my opinion it's a masterpiece.
  3. Heart of Glass - Blondie. For by the pool whilst sipping long island iced tea. I adore this band for the fact they are considered true nu-wave artists with a sound grounded in punk highlighted with electronica and dance elements.
  4. Space Oddity - David Bowie. I feel a sense of peace when I hear this song. This song is for those days when it is just too hot to do anything so you lie down and put a record on and lie as still as possible just taking in the sounds of your favourites. Bowie is perfect for this!
  5. Walk Idiot Walk - The Hives. What a way to get a party started. I love these guys they just know how to write the perfect song. They also have an amazing sense of style which you know can make or break some bands. Walk Idiot Walk has a great video...love, love the crossword thingy.
Style Guide Spring/Summer

1. Sunnies.
Aside from keeing out the sun and all those UV rays they have become a fashion statement. Now the type you get is solely down to personal choice. However, some styles do look better on certain faces than others. In my case aviators do not look good on me because I have a round face. Therefore, I opt for more squarish styles. I particularly like the Wayfarer style but I am lemming the Wayfarer square in blue or purple. If someone can tell me where I can get them in blue I would be most grateful.

2. Sunscreen

I think in Australia this is pretty much a given as we all know to SLIP SLOP SLAP. Even those with darker skin tones must do this as I have had the unfortunate experience as to not realise that my skin was peeling until after I returned from a weekend away at the beach. Let me tell you not cool.

3. Florals
I say this in reference to clothing. Florals are great as they usually come in bright colors that are often more cooling than standard black. It feels fresh and fun. I, for one am going to go bright this summer with wacky floral skirts. See the 1990s for inspiration.

4. High waisted shorts
I love this look and think that it brings much more class to the whole idea of shorts. In the last 3 days I've seen far too many girls/adults wearing too short denim shorts. It's ok but I've seen enough to last a lifetime, people there are other styles out there that more often than not look better than the denims.

5. Statement Jewellery
I say the bigger the better. Also, you only ever have to wear the one piece as it stands on its own because overdoing it can look a bit craptastic. I wear something similar to the necklace below all the time and I get asked about it quite a lot.
Catch you all down at the beach!

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Summer Festivals: Good Vibrations 2010 Lineup



So the weather is better and that means it's that time of year, the release of 2010 Summer Festival dates and lineups. The BDO has already had its first and I decided not to go because there aren't enough bands I wanted to see to warrant the high price of tickets. However, Good Vibrations is looking like a better option for me. I've always assumed that Good Vibrations is a more dance festival and I think it still is mainly but considering the lineup for 2010 I am seriously considering.

Now on to the all important dates:

Sat February 13th - Sydney, Centennial Park
Sun February 14th - Perth, Claremont Showgrounds
Sat February 20th - Gold Coast, Parklands Showgrounds
Sun February 21st - Melbourne, The Nursery Flemington Racecourse

Tickets are on sale now and are $139 for General admin and $199 for a VIP tix. By the way, I have no idea what a VIP ticket includes. Please note there are booking fees when booking online. I'm not sure if you can buy them at a licenced outlet.

LINEUP!!!!
The Killers
Basement Jaxx
Gossip
Friendly Fires
Salt-N-Pepa
Art vs Science
Armand Van Helden
Busta Rhymes
Gym Class Heroes
+ a whole host of others

See here to buy tickets if you are convinced.

This is looking pretty good right now and I have to go to at least one music festival this year...its an Aussie tradition so what's it going to be?? Any advice fellow music lovers...

Will update when further acts are announced.

2009 Album Releases: ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN - THE FOUNTAIN

In the past I remembered writing about Echo & the Bunnymen's 11th studio album, The Fountain. I have not actually listened to it yet but I have heard mix reviews about it. I hate reading the reviews before I have had a chance to listen so I think my perspective on it has already been somewhat tarnished. Oh well...let's hope I don't take MOJO's pespective as they have described it as an album of "...middle aged pop-rock".

It also did not shoot up the charts as many expected it to but have a listen to their first single 'Think I Need It Too' below and make your own judgement because I actually like quite like it.





The official tracklisting is pretty close to what I was given and posted in July.
  1. Think I Need It Too
  2. Forgotten Fields
  3. Do You Know Who I Am?
  4. Shroud of Turin
  5. Life Of a Thousand Crimes
  6. The Fountain
  7. Everlasting Neverendless
  8. Proxy
  9. Drivetime
  10. The Idolness of Gods