It’s perhaps too easy to compare Magna Carta… Holy Grail to Yeezus. Beyond the two men being the pillars of modern hip-hop (and these records being their first solo work since Watch the Throne), Jay Z practically demands comparison when he describes himself as a god or mentions listening to “Strange Fruit” (prominently sampled on…
(Extended Cut posts are articles where I’ll exceed my usual 200-word limit to allow for more detailed discussion) ““Dark Fantasy” was my long, backhanded apology … It’s always going to be 80 percent, at least, what I want to give, and 20 percent fulfilling a perception.” – Kanye West, on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,…
My votes for Triple J’s 20 Years of Hottest 100 are below! I decided to keep things interesting (and make decisions a little easier) by selecting only one song for each of the last twenty years, which did require omitting some great songs. It was a good opportunity to delve back into my own musical…
(Extended Cut posts are articles where I’ll exceed my usual 200-word limit to allow for more detailed discussion) Daft Punk’s hotly anticipated new album, Random Access Memories, doesn’t sound much like their previous albums, but this is hardly a surprise – none of Daft Punk’s albums sound that much alike. The vibe here is very…
When the “20 Years of Hottest 100” was announced yesterday, you’d be forgiven for experiencing some déjà vu. Didn’t we just celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Hottest 100 back in 2009, with another “All-Time Hottest 100?” Of course, this is supposed to commemorate the first annual Hottest 100 (songs from that year), and, conveniently,…
It’s that time of the year again, when the rumour mongering comes to an end and all is revealed. Yes, the Splendour in the Grass lineup has been announced. First impressions: there’s no real, spectacular drawcard here. Certainly, Frank Ocean is exciting, but where’s, I dunno, Blur? When your top headliner is … eh ……
James Blake’s first full length was demonstrative of an artist capable of constructing beautiful, delicate melodies; complex, crystalline songs that evoked a general feeling of malaise and melancholy without getting bogged down in specifics. That complexity went hand-in-hand with a tendency for simple – often, overly simple – songwriting: it’s no coincidence that the strongest…
I don’t want Pissed Jeans to become successful. I don’t mean this in a hipster “I don’t want these guys to sell out and become mainstream” kinda way. If they sold more records, there’s a better chance they’d tour Australia, after all. No, it’s because it’s hard to imagine the band’s unique template working if…
“Comedown Machine” is indebted to summery ‘80s pop (suggested by almost-title-track “’80s Comedown Machine”) rather than the rough-edge ‘70s garage/punk sound that drove The Strokes’ still-great debut. It’s a bit stale compared to the breath of fresh air of Is This It, but it’s not fair to criticise an album for what it isn’t, and…
Purity Ring’s music has an intensely personal feel, like a peek at the scrapbook/diary entries of a troubled teenage girl. It’s fitting, then, that their live show felt hand-made. The stage was draped with papier-mâché lanterns, and the music was produced by a custom-built tree-instrument, featuring drum-pads that produced xylophonic notes and flashed with their…
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