Cut Copy‘s latest album represents an intriguing pastiche of French house chic and indie rock adrenaline. It fuses a metronome precision traditionally associate with a “one-man-and-his-laptop” act with that warm feeling when band members feed off each other’s energy.
On ‘Zonoscope‘ it is easy to lose yourself in a sea of loops and twists as Dan Whitford delivers his vocals in uninhibited fashion only occasionally raising his tone to get your attention.That’s not to say the album feels indifferent as guitar riffs and drum rolls are shrewdly peppered where the Melbourne quartet need to gain momentum turning hooks into that must have afterparty sounds.
Cut Copy have taken the lessons learned on ‘In Ghost Colours‘ and translated it right in time for 2011 referencing a variety of artists along the way whilst managing to sound like themselves.
Cougar regular Olivia included ‘Zonoscope‘ in her year end list stating “originally not a big fan of Cut Copy, I have to admit that this album rapidly grew on me. You can tell that the Aussies have worked hard on it, and well, it definitely paid off!”
Belgian-AustralianWally De Backer found the winning formula with his 3rd album under the Gotye moniker. ‘Making Mirrors‘ saw the multi-instrumentalist bring his unique Sting-meets-Ceelo sampling appeal to a greater audience no doubt led by the success of lead single ‘Somebody That I Used To Know.
Cougar regular Emily, who also wrote this gushing review, added ‘Making Mirrors’ to her year end list describing it as “an enticing combination of Motown sensibilities, haunting vocals, and upbeat energies, all crafted through samples and warped instrumentation. Definitely my favourite new artist, or at least new to me.”
Originally Emilywas going to write a ‘Weekend Videos’ installment for Gotye’s ‘Somebody That I Used To Know‘. Instead we liked her post so much we ended up turning it into a full album review. Here is what she had to say about the video:
‘Somebody That I Used To Know‘ has been the belle of the YouTube ball lately with almost 9 million views in the past 3 months (97 are from me). The clip reminded me of what a music video should be: a visually stunning accompaniment that enhances but doesn’t explain or narrate the song. The track itself is deliciously simple, with minimal instrumentation and vocals that alternate between bare confessional in the verses, and heavily layered harmonies in the refrain.
‘Making Mirrors‘ is the third studio album by Melbourne act Gotye, released in August. Gotye (pronounced gore-ti-yeah) is really one-man wonder Wally De Backer, armed with a sampler and the kind of home studio set up any musician would kill for. When he’s not drumming for indie rock trio The Basics, De Backer builds catchy songs on and around his own recorded samples.
But before you throw him in with Girl Talk (though who doesn’t love Girl Talk), it’s worth mentioning that the hook samples are obscure and generally brief, not the sort of recognisable licks that find their way onto a Kanye West album. Legend has it that De Backer began sampling after he inherited a hefty collection of old LPs from an elderly neighbour, which explains why most of the samples aren’t immediately identifiable. With this newest album, De Backer relied heavily on live recording drums and acoustic instruments, and then sampling and manipulating them for the desired effect.
The album has already supplied 3 impressive singles—the most recent, “Somebody That I Used To Know” is deliciously simple, with minimal instrumentation and vocals that alternate between bare confessional in the verses, and heavily layered harmonies in the refrain. It’s a formula that also works in the album’s first single; “Hearts a Mess” is catchy and powerful, more uptempo than “Somebody” but more haunting as well.
Every track on ‘Making Mirrors‘ showcases De Backer’s talent for crafting enjoyable and ear-grabbing tunes, but one track stands out above the others lyrically: “Eyes Wide Open,” the second single to be released. Even with a fairly complex instrumentation (including the catchiest gallop beat ever recorded), it’s still the vocals and lyrics that project the most. The song, which De Backer describes as a “dystopian vision” of the world’s future, is the first that he wrote in what we might consider the ‘traditional’ way—he constructed the song and then worked samples and live recordings into it, as opposed to building the song up from samples.
The rest of the album is a surprising mix of light and dark, with a few heavy songs interspersed between upbeat jams. But the real magic in this album is the pure joy that comes through most of the songs—they have the magnetic delight of motown, that tambourine clap-happy energy that has always made the Golden Oldies so irresistible. “I Feel Better” is the best example of this, since it could probably pass for a Four Tops song, with a twist.
De Backer records, produces, and mixes all the music for Gotye, and recorded ‘Making Mirrors‘ in his parents’ barn. I should probably pretend that it is his ingenious use of original samples, or his knack for production, that makes this album so solid, and the songs so dynamic. But truthfully, the songs stand on their own as well-constructed and memorable tracks, regardless of the recording methods.
As most music snobs, I profess to love analog and sniff at all things digital; but it is a more and more irrelevant point of reference these days, when even ‘live’ recordings are manipulated to fit modern standards of perfection. ‘Making Mirrors‘ is a pleasing combination of both, with layers that blend live and sampled tracks in a way that pop music hasn’t seen yet.
The last time we wrote about The Middle East back at the beginning of 2010 we envisaged great things for them. Just as we were getting excited by the prospect of the release of the Australian‘s full-length debut ‘I Want That You Are Always Happy‘ we found out they had decided to call it quits.
Here is the video for first single ‘Jesus Came To My Birthday Party‘ which showcased how much potential the band had. Hopefully the memebers will return in some form or another in the future.
‘I Want That You Are Always Happy‘ is out now on Missing Piece Records
Howling Bells just released their new album ‘The Loudest Engine‘ earlier this month on Cooking Vinyl preceded by first single ‘Into The Sky‘.
The London-based Aussie-formed band recorded in Las Vegas with production duties handled by Mark Stoermer of The Killers. The result is an album soaked in 70s sounds and seemingly influenced by the Nevada state’s expansive desert and it’s most infamous city.
The video for ‘Into The Sky‘ takes this psychedelic message that seeps through these recordings one step further with front woman Juanita Stein looking particularly comfortable in these Austin Powers-esque visuals.
Last February Israel Cannanset out on a road trip around his native Australia that lasted over 6 months. Armed with just a guitar he set out in a van with an aim to play to as many people possible around the entire country.
Following his previous release the singer/songwriter held mixed feelings about the music industry as a whole and this nomad state may well have given him the creative energy he required.
The entire journey was filmed and documented on YouTube showcasing his grass roots efforts and the interactions he had with the public . You get the feeling Israel Cannan benefited from his travels both as a songwriter and, crucially, as a person.
the album ‘Walk‘ is out now on Poets Corner Records
The Veronicas, Australia’s musical answer to the Olsen Twins, have shot a powerful anti-fur ad for PETA.
Having already made a strong stand in the past Jess and Lisa Origliasso are now depicted holding what looks like skinned rabbit with the slogan “Here’s the Rest of Your Fur Coat“.
There is also a video to accompany the campaign where the sisters further discuss their views.
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Cut Copy‘s latest album represents an intriguing pastiche of French house chic and indie rock adrenaline. It fuses a metronome precision traditionally associate with a “one-man-and-his-laptop” act with that warm feeling when band members feed off each other’s energy.
