Charm of Finches are sister “dream folk”duo Mabel and Ivy, aged 16 and 13. They live in Melbourne, Australia, and produce harmony-laden chamber tinged folk for the soul. Influences include First Aid Kit, Agnes Obel and Sufjan Stevens. Charm of Finches debut EP “Home” was recorded at Emotion Studios, Rosanna, Melbourne in April/May 2014. It contains six songs written and performed by sister duo Charm of Finches (Mabel and Ivy are 16 and 13 at present, but funnily enough this changes every so often!). The songs lilt between melancholy and whimsy and come with lashings of guitar, vocal harmonies and generous servings of glockenspiel and cello, all tastefully recorded and served up by Michael Johnson, Evripedes Evripidou and Charm of Finches.
All songs and arrangements by Charm of Finches. Charm of Finches are Mabel and Ivy Windred-Wornes
All songs written by Mabel Windred.
Young sister duo Charm Of Finches have just released this gorgeous little composition, a folky mixture of pop and chamber music, with a slight undercurrent of electronic influence.
Mabel and Ivy Windred-Wornes play each and every instrument found on this delightful piece, which was co-produced with Nick Huggins of Two Bright Lakes. Their harmonies are immaculate and stirring as they move through an honest and, well, charming lyric.
Their debut album Staring At The Starry Ceilingwill be out on July 29th,
Charm of Finches, aka sisters Mabel and Ivy, aged 16 and 13, emerge from an eclectic musical environment of classical strings and Celtic folk, and have been likened to artists as diverse as Danish chamber songstress Agnes Obel, First Aid Kit and Gillian Welch.
Their debut album “Staring at the Starry Ceiling” features the duo’s signature angelic sibling harmonies, with a distinct chamber-folk flavour coming from the instrumentation: cello, violin, guitar, ukulele, lyre, banjo, piano, glockenspiel: all played by the sisters, now aged 16 and 13.
The “singing finches” have played Australian folk and roots festival stages since releasing their debut EP “Home” in 2016.
Charm of Finches aka dream folk sister duo Mabel and Ivy from Melbourne, Australia, peddle honey-dipped harmonies, gently picked strings. Music to gaze at the stars to.
After two critically acclaimed EPs, Flyying Colours are set to release their debut album ‘Mindfullness’ in September on Club AC30. Residing in a dream-world that sits somewhere between psych, indie, grunge and shoegaze, the Australian band’s beautifully dynamic new offering showcases their talent for uniting a delicate vocal melody with a satisfying thick wall of abrasive drums and guitars.
Leading track and first single It’s Tomorrow Now further stirs the melting pot. Opening with a chaotic looped squeal, the knockout punch of the frenzied opening riff and steady, driving drums sets the bar high for the nine tracks that are to follow.
Formed in 2011 in Brunswick by school friends Brodie and Gemma, they played every show they could week in, week out in Melbourne’s bustling inner north to finesse their sound. Debut single Wavygravy (2013) perfectly set the scene by truly capturing the unhinged essence of a Flyying Colours show. But the recent addition of the impressive abilities of Andy on drums and Mel on bass have taken that unhingedness to undreamt-of-levels, making the beautiful trip of their live show, something to truly marvel.
The Melbourne quartet have since spent the last year touring with label mates pinkshinyultrablast as well as Johnny Marr, Brian Jonestown Massacre and A Place To Bury Strangers, whilst singles Not Today and Running Late taken from their second EP, ‘ROYGBIV’ garnered heavy rotation on enormous radio stations worldwide,
“It’s hard not to crush on the extensive, encircling sound of Melbourne’s Flyying Colours”
NO FEAR OF POP
“Chances are that this tune from Flyying Colours is going to make a fan out of you…these guys are belting out a noise that instantly pricks people’s ears up.”
SOUNDS BETTER WITH REVERB
Typically, there will be usually quite a gap between an artist’s debut and their sophomore effort. After all, there’s all the promotion to handle, touring, not to mention the actual writing and recording portions. But Melbourne’sHayden Calnin had too much to say to wait longer than a few weeks. Just over two months on from releasing his debut record, Cut Love Pt 1 , Calnin is back with Cut Love Pt. 2.
“Continuing on from Cut Love Pt. 1, Cut Love Pt. 2 is an exploration into a very confusing time of my life where I was feeling a little lost and off the rails,” explains Calnin of the new album. “We’ve all been there at some point so I think much of the sentiment behind the album is something a lot of people will find relatable. Pt. 2 has a bigger sound than Pt. 1 and is also the first release that I’ve worked on with another producer. I’m really proud of what Tim Carr and I have created.”
What they’ve created are nine tracks of adventurous and alluring folktronica. Album opener “Caution Cares” brings to mind comparisons of both Bon Iver and the quieter moments of TV on the Radio, while a song like single “Ultra-Beast” highlights Calnin’s husk vocals in a neo-R&B setting. A surprising cover of Elvis Presley song “Hound Dog” turns the song on its head, swinging it from a rocking blues number to a smoky indie brooder. But the delicacy of “Dinosaur Stampede” perhaps best sums up the entire thread of the record, an effort that’s at once heartbreaking and redemptive, alternatively slight and momentously powerful.
Cut Love Pt. 2 is out this Friday, May 13th,
‘Cut Love’ gets a second outing as Hayden Calnin releases part two of his highly acclaimed album. Having graced us with part one earlier this year,
He is currently preparing to embark on an album launch tour of Australia, however we have been promised some European dates for later this year!
Last year celebrated Melbourne singer-songwriter Liz Stringer headed over to Portland, Oregon to record her fifth studio album “All The Bridges” with engineer/producer Adam Selzer (The Decemberists, Jolie Holland, Fleet Foxes, M Ward) to be released on the 1st July 2016.
We now have the first taster of that album in the form of 80s rock throwback with a superb drumbeat driving the song titled “Anyone”.
“It’s a song about friendship and loyalty,” Liz Stringer explained. “I wrote it as a direct message to my friends because I wanted to let them know the gravity of my feelings for them. It just felt like the right time for this song to happen.”
Geelong lads The Murlocs cover the Hot Chocolate classic ‘Every 1’s A Winner’ for Like A Version on triple j. Like A Version is a segment on Australian radio station triple j. Every Friday morning a musician or band comes into the studio to play one of their own songs and a cover of a song they love. Just what constitutes a great Like AVersion. Some say it’s all about the performance itself, others say it’s all about how well the band or artist succeeded in making the song their own, meanwhile others think it’s all about how different the rendition is from the original.
Like A Version is supposed to be fun, and if a band or artist can have fun whilst totally owning a famous song, that’s about perfect.
Case in point, The Murlocs hit the triple j studios this morning to take on Hot Chocolate’s ‘Every 1’s a Winner’. The Melbourne psych outfit not only owned the tune, transmuting the 1978 funk classic into a garagey epic, they clearly had a lot of fun doing it.
Since 2004, many artists have participated, including Lorde, Arctic Monkeys, Tame Impala, Dirty Projectors, Ben Folds, The Temper Trap, Alt-J, Regina Spektor, Bon Iver, The Kooks and Hilltop Hoods
King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard finally got sick of fans asking them when they’re going to release another album already, because they finally pulled their fingers out and are about to drop album number eight, Nonagon Infinity, on 29th April.
After dropping the largely acoustic Paper Mâché Dream Balloon last year, the band revealed their eighth album would instead be an ambitious tribute to the heyday of heavy metal, with influences like Slayer and Motörhead and they’ve just unveiled the LP’s latest single.
After whetting our appetites with the raucous, fuzzed-out ‘Gamma Knife’, the band premiered ‘People Vultures’ accompanying the track, which is a similarly fuzzed-out but far more brooding affair than its predecessor, with a whacked-out but prudent statement.
As King Gizzard frontman Stu Mackenzie explained :
“Our blue planet is parched and cracks are forming underfoot and the sweat drips from our collective temple onto the citrine sand and a feathered doom encircles us from above and there’s a pulsing in our breast telling us there ain’t nothing any mere mortal can do when the sun retreats and blackness sets in. Call upon God to deliver us from our peril.”
In other words, ‘People Vultures’ is a raw meditation on the impact we meddling humans are having on the planet, with gripping lyrics like, “People vultures crowding at my door, parasites are eating even more” sung over a menacing guitar and organ interplay.
The band premiered ‘Gamma Knife’ last month alongside pre-orders for the vinyl edition of the new album. Just 1,500 copies were available for pre-order and the band managed to sell every single one in less than two hours, forcing them to release another 1,500 limited edition vinyl copies.
In addition to the healthy record sales, the band were also chuffed to get props from none other than Godfather of Punk himself Iggy Pop when the rock icon played two cuts from the band on his BBC Radio show, even offering up some kind words of appreciation for the band.
It’s a shame Patti Smith left Australia off the schedule when planning her Horses 40th anniversary tour, but then again, it would have meant that the pearl of this year’s Melbourne Festival program, a tribute concert performed by Jen Cloher, Courtney Barnett, Adalita Srsen and Gareth Liddiard,
So appealing was the idea of four of our finest musicians interpreting Smith’s landmark proto-punk debut, organisers had to add a second matinee show to next Sunday’s performance at Melbourne Town Hall.
It was Cloher who came up with the idea after attending a tribute to the Beatles’ White Album at Hamer Hall last year, “It was packed to the rafters, I was like, ‘wow’, but I also thought it would be so good to do an album by a woman,” says Cloher.
“And when you think about iconic rock ‘n’ roll albums by women, there are iconic albums out there but I think Horses is considered one of the great rock ‘n’ roll albums.” .Barnett wasn’t so willing to go to that place until recently. She recalls considering covering Horses for the Summer of Classic Albums series hosted by St Kilda’s Pure Pop Records last year. After a closer look at Smith’s lyrics, she chose INXS’ Kick instead.
“I also think that’s why that album is so famous and why Patti is so famous within that world of rock ‘n’ and roll, because she does invest her entire being when she’s on stage performing, she doesn’t hold anything back.”
Nothing like a dramatically lit pipe organ to imbue a classic rock recital with portent. It felt like a cathedral we’d packed to the balconies as the first, slow piano chords began cycling and Adalita paced the stage to intone Patti Smith’s immortal opening line. “Jesus died for somebody’s sins but not mine.”
By accident and/or osmosis, Adalita’s booming timbre struck an uncanny resonance with the hellfire stridency of Smith’s Gloria as she stalked and glowered in skirt, boots and bracing command.
Hunched by contrast in grunge flannel and jeans, Courtney Barnett howled Redondo Beach at her own distinctively defiant pitch, with the schoolyard-scrap indignation that makes her such a compelling one-off.
Gareth Liddiard’s advantages included a guitar and premeditated chemistry with fellow Drones Dan Luscombe and Steve Hesketh, but most of all a song that fit his shredded larynx like he’d gargled it as a baby: Birdland erupted in slashing waves as he threw every sinew into living its shamanistic dream.
Speaking of commitment, Jen Cloher had the toughest part and maybe the most triumphant with the escalating palpitations of Land, its long lines delivered as faithful homage but with an air of exaltation that was all her own.
An all-in thrash through My Generation threw a last can of fuel on an act of slow combustion that felt like it had been simmering for 40 years.
Performed by Gareth Liddiard
Guitar – Dan Luscombe
Drums – Jen Sholakis
Bass – Ben Bourke
Keys – Stevie Hesketh
Australia is producing some fantastic blues-rock and roots musicians. Darren Hart – a.k.a. HARTS– is another one from this lengthy music tree. The blues-rock musician is one of the best, young guitarists Down Under, whose skills have been recognized not just by local musicians and festival organizers but also by notable stars. Prince, for instance, invited the Melbourne native to play with him at his Paisley Park Studios. Prince also had this to say about HARTS, “He reminds me of how I was at that age”. There probably isn’t a better compliment a musician could receive.
This opportunity to play with the Purple One followed the release of his debut album, Daydreamer, that received high praise from Australian media outlets. Hart is now set to release a new EP, Breakthrough, within the next month or two. The latest single is “Streets” that is Gary Clark-esque with his blend of blues-rock and soul. The guitar solo in the middle of the track is fantastic. The title track is also provided below, and it has a funky feel.
HARTS, like his idol, isn’t just a guitar hero. He’s a multi-instrumentalist, and on his EP he plays every instrument – bass, drums, and whatever else we might hear.
Harts is set to be one of Australia’s next major rock exports, this talented Melbourne-based singer and songwriter’s approach to making music is surprisingly thrifty and DIY.
For one thing, he still plays an old Squier Stratocaster, the much-maligned six-string beloved by guitar beginners the world over. As far as he’s concerned, it gets the job done and he can’t get over the artwork applied by his friend.
The quirks don’t stop there. While his records are big, beefy testaments to a time when rock and roll was still mystical and held grandeur, Harts is more interested in what he can do with a mic and an amp than millions of dollars’ worth of studio equipment.
My essentials would be my guitar, so I’d probably get an electric guitar, My keyboard of choice would be a Korg R8, which is a kind of virtual analog synthesiser, and some sort of loop machine, like maybe a Boss loop machine, with multiple inputs, so I can loop the keys, play bass on the keys and loop the guitar over it.
I would probably also bring a drum machine as well. I’m not sure exactly what type, because all of my drum machines have custom samples on them anyway, but maybe a laptop with Addictive Drums on it or maybe EZdrummer, something with more of a live kind of sound.
I play a Squier Stratocaster, which is the cheapest guitar on the market. The reason why is because I got it painted by a friend of mine, this particular guitar, and I really loved the paint job that he did on it, so I wanted to play it live, and it was a Squier Strat.
To be honest, a lot of people ask me why I play Squiers and not Fenders or why the cheaper models. It’s just kind of what I’ve gotten used to. I never could afford a Fender when I started, so I just got used to playing the cheaper ones and learning how to get the best sound from those cheaper ones.
Learning what you can get away with and more importantly what you can’t get away with on those cheaper ones was an important part of my development.
It’s as is. It’s a Squier Affinity Strat, with the fat headstock. I don’t think they make those anymore, but I bought it a few years ago. There’s no changes, it’s stock standard what you’d probably go into a store and buy for about $150, $200. In my opinion, the neck pickup — and this might change depending on the actual make of the Squier — but the neck pickup is really good and I think you can get away with making it sound like a Strat with the neck pickup and actually the bridge pickup, too.
But the middle pickup is not so good and the changes between the neck and the middle and the middle and the bridge, those switches don’t sound good at all. So it’s more about finding the right setting and knowing you can’t really go onto those other settings even if you wanted to, and to be honest I don’t really need to, because the Stratocaster is so versatile.
I had a traditional pedalboard with all the different kinds of pedals that I need for my sound, but just the logistics of taking that on planes and things like that [was too difficult].
I already have a whole bunch of equipment just for my own live show, I was paying so much for excess baggage, it’s changed now that I have some deals with Virgin, they give you musician baggage allowance, but before I didn’t really know about anything like that.
So I really had to simplify my setup and find the right gear that was really light and that’s able to travel and not break. So I’ve changed from pedalboards to multi-effects units. So I use Zoom Multi Effects units and with the right amount of tweaking, I really like them.
They’re clones of the Big Muff and Buzz Fuzz and compression pedals and digital delays, and it sounds really good if you just spend the time tweaking it. It’s so much easier to set up at a gig when you’ve only got 10 minutes to set up.
The gear doesn’t really influence the songwriting, because the songwriting doesn’t really rely on my gear. I just kind of go with what I’m feeling for the song or what I have in mind. I don’t really loop anything. I play bass or drums or keyboard and layer it down like a traditional band would.
That doesn’t really influence my songwriting, but it does influence the recording process, because you can’t change the sound of the guitar that much. You can always process it, add you fuzz and delays, but essentially the sound is coming from the same source, so the recording process is limited to what instruments you have and what you can use to make sounds.
I think a lot of it is just people knowing how to mic and amp properly, because a lot of people that I see, they just stick an SM57 (mic) in the middle of the cone.
There’s nothing wrong with that, you can get away with that, but if you’re going for like the big tones or the fuzz that I like on my records, the really wide fuzz that covers the whole spectrum of the recording, you really have to experiment how to get really bassy tones or how to capture the stereo field of that amp.
And you don’t necessarily need two mics to do it, it’s just in how you go about using your gear. When you’re first starting out, you’re always looking for, “Oh, what else can I do or get?” instead of actually learning the instrument. You’re kind of more focused on what cool stuff you can do, and there’s so many pedals out there these days that can make your guitar sound like whatever you want.
You can even add MIDI pickups to your guitar and play keyboard with your guitar, there’s so much you can do. And I think maybe some of the people starting out get caught up with what you can do instead of what you should do, which is learning your instrument. But I understand it, because it’s cool, it’s cool what you can do with your guitar.
I always have to use a lot of noise suppression and noise gating on my guitar signal and sometimes on the bass signal, and that’s another problem with the Squier, actually, it feeds back a lot.
So you kind of really have to gate it if you’re driving the amp and the fuzz really hard, because that’ll come back in your monitors on stage and that’ll go through your guitar and everything will start squealing. So a lot of noise gating and noise suppression helps me get a really clean fuzz tone and helps tame the monster.
After dabbling with Jazzy rock sounds and gentle acoustics, Australia’s King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard are back in hyperactive psych mode on their new album “Nonagon Infinity”, which will be out via ATO on April 29th. The album was recorded in Brooklyn at Daptone Studio . It also marks what they are calling the world’s first “infinitely looping” album, meaning that when you listen to it digitally on repeat, the final song flows seamlessly into the first track on the album. (All the songs segue together, apparently.) Maybe the vinyl will have a locked groove at the end of each side? We shall see. Until then check out the album’s first single, “Gamma Knife,” below.
The new album will be out right before the start of King Gizzard’s spring tour, which kicks off at The Austin Levitation and hits NYC for a headlining show on May 14th at Bowery Ballroom with tourmates (and fellow Aussies) The Murlocs, and then opening for Mac DeMarco on his tour
My keyboard of choice would be a Korg R8, which is a kind of virtual analog synthesiser, and some sort of loop machine, like maybe a Boss loop machine, with multiple inputs, so I can loop the keys, play bass on the keys and loop the guitar over it.
The Fat Angel Sings 