I hate driving in San Francisco. We, as an intelligent collective of organisms, need to hurry up and invent teleportation, because going to the city and trying to find parking is just mind boggling. That place is not meant for automotive transportation. When we finally did find parking it was because a limo had been rendered immobile, and only our compact car could traverse around it. The limo had gotten its mid section stuck at the crest of a hill and was teetering like a very, very classy see-saw. After we found a spot we made our descent to Columbus Ave, where the venue was located. Given the name (Bimbo’s 365), I expected to walk into a dive bar with crusty patrons, sighing at the influx of foreigners to see some clangy band in their haunt. I was surprised to enter a classy night club (whose capacity approaches 700), complete with bathroom attendants and a coat check. At the entrance were the merchandise tables for the two bands that were performing: Shilpa Ray And Her Happy Hookers were opening for Man Man. I’m not familiar with the opening act, but I have been a fan of Man Man for quite some time. This will be the first time that I have seen them as a headlining act (as opposed to an act at a large-scale music festival), where I have read that they are more free to give in to their own whimsy.

Shilpa Ray took the stage with a drum intro reminiscent of “Sing, Sing, Sing.” The four-piece was led by a frail twenty-something dark-skinned woman playing a harmonium while alternating between singing, shouting, and whispering. I am still completely confounded by her ability to go from a primal guttural scream immediately into a sweet sounding alto melody. The opening song, “Stick It To The Woman” was a perfect introduction to their sound as it encapsulated all the dynamics and styles of the songs that followed. The band spans many genres (I would define them as 80’s Themed Doo-Wop-Revival Grunge), as does the song: the swinging drum beat continues as the vocals sing long drawn out forlorn melodies until the band seamlessly begins a I-iv-V-VI progression (“Earth Angel,” anyone?) and then charges head on into a noise collage with Gospel shouts and screams.

I was floored.

The next song was “Natural Selection,” a bouncy, doo-woppy, piece featuring a call and response chorus. You don’t realize what you’re dancing to unless you stop to listen to the call and response:

First you get a tumor (First you get a tumor)
Then you get the cancer (THEN you get the cancer)
Then you get the chemo, but you never get the cure.

Combining sad lyrics with a peppy song is nothing new, but they have raised that concept to the Nth degree with this song.

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If there’s any popular trend in music, it’s that of the throwback. You’ve got The Kills channeling The Velvet Underground’s raucous sixties theme, Imelda May pulling influence from rockabilly greats such as Wanda Jackson and even Lady Gaga’s more-than-obvious mirroring of Bowie’s glory days.

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Ghost Heart’s The Tunnel has drawn comparisons to Vampire Weekend and Animal Collective, but a listen to the album proves that the Michigan foursome have a sound uniquely their own. At the opening of the album is “Whoever You Are”, a minute-and-a-half long introduction that left me a bit disappointed – a nicely put together instrumental track, but lacking in much imagination. However, as the first track led into the second, all fears were subdued. “Human Element” and the following tracks on The Tunnel show why Ghost Heart has been getting much deserved recognition. 

The album definitely gives indie music lovers a little something extra, a little bit different. Personally, I think The Tunnel fills a gap in the industry – it’s not as predictable as some independent albums have been recently, but it has a familiar feel and quality that fans will appreciate. “No Canticle” is a good example of this. The track is perhaps one that has allowed critics to make comparisons to other bands, but it has its own qualities that make it far and away something new and exciting. A steady and enthusiastic percussion line behind somewhat haunting vocals in “No Canticle” prove that Ghost Heart haven’t fallen into the trap of easily sellable indie pop music. I find it to be very easy to listen to and feel that it’s probably an amazing piece of work when performed live.

Although I can see where vocally some similarities can be made between Ghost Heart and bands like Vampire Weekend, I think it’s unfair to make too many comparisons like this. Ghost Heart clearly has their own sound, which is realised through the use of interesting percussion arrangements, bells, and unexpected vocals. The band has a strong musical foundation and a huge potential for growth onwards and upwards. The Tunnel’s eight tracks hover around six minutes each, but I found the album to be something I could listen to frequently, and wished for more of it. It will be exciting to see what direction Ghost Heart takes and what comes out of the band in the future.

Perfection is a hard concept to grasp. What makes something perfect? It seems that in today’s world people are striving to achieve this ultimate goal of perfection, however, in my mind, it is the entities that contain imperfections that measure the most character. James Blake’s riveting debut full length is a perfect example of what I see as true character in imperfection. 

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The Decemberists have risen to fame by meshing lead singer Colin Meloy’s infectious, yet wordy lyrics with indie folk guitar riffs and their ever present harmonica. Meloy’s infamous song lyrics have always had an awry sense of vocabulary to them and this album is no different. The King is Dead was released in early January and has since been raved about in music magazines everywhere. So far, it’s been predicted as possibly being their best album yet.

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The Fighter is the story of boxer Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) and his older brother Dicky (Christian Bale), during his troubled rise to fame.

Micky is a professional boxer, who comes from a working class Irish family in Lowell, Massachusetts. Micky is trained by his older brother Dicky, and is managed by his mother, Alice Ward (Melissa Leo).

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After breaking up in 2009, The Getaway Plan reformed for two performances for charity, news that sent kids everywhere into a frenzy. The Getaway Plan was at their peak last year when they announced their breakup, leaving fans everywhere devastated. Titled REVIVAL – This Is Not The End Of Your Story, the proceeds from these two shows were donated to the non-profit movement To Write Love On Her Arms, as well as being a stage for TWLOHA to share their mission with the audience. TWLOHA is a non-profit organization dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. It was encouraging to see that the 18+ show sold out the same day tickets were released and that the under 18 show was at near capacity.

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This show was the first all ages show that Closure In Moscow have played since being back in Melbourne, and it was no surprise that it sold out. Organised by The Push, a non-profit entertainment organisation that focuses on events for young people, the gig took place in Melbourne’s ACDC Lane. And despite some light rain, that didn’t stop everyone from having a good time.

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Another year, another youthie. Except this year the annual free outdoor concert underwent a major revamp and became the Sounds Loud festival and boasted its biggest line up yet. These events are great for discovering new bands and for bands to open up to an audience that they might not otherwise be exposed to. And the best part that is all for free. I must admit that it is a very long day and that even after 6 years of attending, I’d never stayed for the whole day. But Queens Park is perfectly located so that if you did get a little bored you could wonder off and get coffee or go for a walk down to the shops. Having a stage of bands, a dance stage and an rnb stage meant that there was a little bit of everything for everyone.

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Firstly, I’d like to say that I should not be allowed to review my favourite band. I grew up listening to Brand New, so all of their songs are attached to specific memories and moments in my life. I’ve been told that I can gush about this as much as I want, but I’ll try to be as objective as possible. So with that aside, this show was AH-MA-ZING! Everything about the night was perfect; the venue, the crowd, the support band, the headliner. I think Brand New sold out (or came close to selling out) every show on this tour, something that neither of their last two headlining tours managed.

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Getting to this show, and not getting lost and being stranded in the middle of nowhere, was our first concern. I always hear of people in America travelling 5hrs to get to shows, but here, travelling for over an hour is a big effort (unless you’re going interstate). So we got the train to the other side of town and thankfully, found our way quite easily. Once the stress of having to find the venue was erased, we grabbed some food before the show at the local Subway.

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Hey there guys. So this is my attempt at an Aussie version of Brits & Pieces. I thought rather than clog up the page with an entry every time I had news to report, I’d try and do a weekly report. I’m based in Melbourne, so naturally my reports will be more Melbourne orientated, but I’ll try and give you news from the rest of Australia too.

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Owl City, the musical brain child of Adam Young is a tribute to the power of the internet. From uploading tracks recorded in his parent’s basement late at night when he was suffering from insomnia on his Myspace page in 2007, to scoring a #1 single on both the Billboard 100 and UK charts, his uber catchy songs have led to a viral success which most musicians only dream of. The first time I came across his Myspace page, sometime in 2008, the only live photos of him seemed to be at small parties with teenagers. Tonight, it’s a different story. The O2 Academy in Oxford is packed with a variety of people, ages ranging from 12 to 50, all excitedly awaiting the night’s music. Due to a variety of inconveniences, from traffic to ticket issues, I show up just before the support act, Lights hits the stage, and battle my way to the front, which I can assure you is no easy task!

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After a year in the US, Closure In Moscow returned to Australia and this show at Bang was their first show back home, how fitting that it would be in their hometown of Melbourne. Taking place at a venue that is better known as an alternative club than a venue, many younger fans were begrudged at Closure’s only Melbourne show being an overage show.

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