Friday, August 26, 2011

I Heard The News Today, Oh Boy

  • Fronting headlines is some very exciting news from triple j, who are taking the plunge into digital radio with a brand new station dedicated entirely to new Australian music. Taking triple j Unearthed to the airwaves streaming fresh, unsigned bands 24hrs a day, seven days a week on the digital radio band. Though their launch event last night was gracefully short and to the point, it was confirmed the station will go live from Wed 5 Oct with simulataneous live events running across five capital cities around the nation. This is obviously a huge milestone in the station's career, and I for one am very, very excited. You can watch some lovely videos and get more info at the triple j website (via triple j)
 

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Let's make our Vows

Unless you're lacking in eyes and ears you must have heard of Kimbra by now, not least in the fact that her guest spot on Gotye's Somebody That I Used To Know is currently gracing the top of the charts, but this is a special post about her ladies and gentleman. It's been three-and-a-half years in the making, and AMR has been waiting patiently to hear the finished results of her highly-anticipated debut album and come September 2nd, you too can hear it in a variety of formats. (Would you like the iTunes Deluxe version madame? or perhaps the autographed, postcard set?). For now, here is the post I've been watiting to write since I first heard Settle Down, my beefy review of Vows.

Kimbra - Vows (WarnerMusic, 2011)

Sunday, August 14, 2011

'Mon The Biff


Biffy Clyro - Revolutions // Live At Wembley (WB/14th Floor, 2011)
It’s easy to imagine rock titans like Foo Fighters and Muse selling out the gargantuan Wembley Stadium, but it’s a considerably impressive mark of their boon in popularity that the Scottish misfits, who were the support act for both, have achieved the same feat. Biffy Clyro have worked harder than most to fill that arena, their underdog story climaxing back when they broke out of the alt-rock ghetto with Puzzle in 2005. Having altogether shed the wiry eccentricities of their earlier material for leaner and more focussed work without obscuring their fiery energy or fans, an army of followers under the banner cry of: “mon the Biff”

Saturday, August 13, 2011

I Heard The News Today, Oh Boy

  • Topping headlines is AMR's favourie Melbourne duo Big Scary revealing details of their impossibly anticipated debut. Pull out your permanent makers and personal devices and mark a big red cirlce on Friday October 7, as that's when Vacation will be released, on the band's newly formed Pieater label. The press release describes how it "touches on slowly losing touch with any known constants - friends, lovers, permanent accomadtion and jobs." We've already heard the scales-tastic Mix Tape (may I point you once again to the Alice Dupre-directed video" but the next single to be lifted from the album will be Gladiator - you can read about both in AMR's 'Biggest, Scariest Interiew Yet.' Have a squizz at the William H. Luke cover art below (via Big Scary twitter)

Monday, August 8, 2011

The A/V Room: August

The reason this comes so hot on the heels of the July edition of The A/V Room, is that most of these videos are clips I didn't have room to feature last time, so here they are with their own little feature. Also, if you happen to be on facebook (which is highly likely if you have an internet connection) then may i suggest you 'like' the brand-spanking new Al's Music Rant page? If you look just to the right you'll see the widget to do so, or through your usual social media conventions as well. Lovely.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Young The Giant/Grouplove - Live @ The Corner

The lovely peeps over at everguide, a brilliant local events guide, have seen fit to publish the first half of the following review.
You can read up on Young The Giant here, then check out their page for gigs and listings in their lil' calendar format. Ace.
 
A Tuesday night is never a good night for a rock gig, but this post-Splendour double bill managed to pull a willing crowd thanks to the draw of getting two American buzz bands for the price of one.

First up, Californian outfit Young The Giant.
Starting with swelling chords and a slow-motion preamble of the doo-wop chorus, the group rattle into the lovely I Got. Opening with what is perhaps their most accomplished track from their eponymous debut is a bit of a gamble, but it does introduce the band’s strongest asset: vocalist Sameer Gadhia. With his gentle vibrato and delicate characterisation, his voice is brimming with affectation. A dual mic set-up sees him swapping restlessly between a standard mouthpiece and a classy fifties styled one with added reverb, even removing its head from the stand for St. Walker to give it the full crooner effect.

Monday, August 1, 2011

The A/V Room: July

So I've decided to make The A/V Room a semi-regular thing now, sort of like Wrangling The Heard but with visuals, let's not make a big deal of it...
I mean, I've often grumbled about the frivolities of the music video (notably here and here AMR fans), and while I still maintain that 90% of the time they're dull and boring - like this awful promo for Bon Iver - Calgary, bleerrrggggh - but they're still a pretty powerful thing when done correctly.

The following are examples of, in this blogger's humble opinion, it being done correctly.