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The Aerial Maps - The Sunset Park album review

2011-11-18T18:51:00.001-05:00

The Australian Government is going to have their hands full if prospective Australian tourists listen to this record. Adam Gibson, the lyricist/vocalist of The Aerial Maps, undertook a solo trek across Australia while writing this album. The result is a dark and uncompromising look at the nation, its culture and its people...

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Rip It Up The Aerial Maps The Sunset Park album review

The Aerial Maps - Salvation Road (Single) - 01 Salvation Road by popboomerang

Ernest Ellis & The Panamas - King's Canyon album review

2011-11-18T18:46:00.001-05:00

For me, reviewing a bad or mediocre album is much easier than reviewing a good album. Maybe it’s that streak of nastiness that’s left inside all of us from when we were judgmental and selfish little kids. Maybe it’s because I can think of more synonyms for the word ‘sucky’ than I can for the word ‘awesome’. Maybe it’s because I’m a sub-par journalist. Any way you slice it, I had a hell of a time reviewing Kings Canyon by Ernest Ellis & The Panamas...

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Rip It Up Ernest Ellis & The Panamas Kings Canyon album review

Kings Canyon by Ernest Ellis

This Will Destroy You - Tunnel Blanket album review

2011-11-18T18:40:00.001-05:00

How do you describe or define an emotion? Everyone knows the textbook definition of words like ‘sad’ and ‘angry’, but what do these words actually mean? Human emotion is unique to the person. If the emotion that manifests itself within the individual is the product of distinctive circumstances and a sole personality, how could we ever hope to describe it to someone who isn’t ourselves? Texan band This Will Destroy You has come close to answering this question...

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Rip It Up This Will Destroy You Tunnel Blanket

This Will Destroy You-Tunnel Blanket by GirlieAction

Moonface - Organ Music Not Vibraphone Like I'd Hoped album review

2011-09-28T07:25:00.000-04:00

Spencer Krug has been described as “arguably the most talented songwriter of this generation”. As with any prematurely over-enthusiastic comment, this is up for debate. There is no doubt that some of Krug’s musical projects have yielded impressive results, most notably Wolf Parade and Sunset Rubdown. The key word, however, is some.

Krug plays piano, guitar and a bunch of other instruments you’ve never heard of. Since 2003, he has been involved with six different bands and has released 20 records. There is no doubt that he is a talented guy, but man, talk about spreading yourself thin...

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Rip It Up Moonface Organ Music Not Vibraphone Like I'd Hoped album review

Telekinesis - 12 Desperate Straight Lines album review

2011-09-28T07:21:00.000-04:00

Bare with me while I play the role of music analyst. Michael Lerner, the man behind Seattle-based Telekinesis, has called his second full-length release 12 Desperate Straight Lines. It’s a fitting title considering all of the 12 songs on the album proceed in a linear fashion, sounding familiar without ripping off any other artist directly. The album is desperate because, despite the bubbly power pop sound, Lerner’s heart-on-his-sleeve lyrics cover the well-worn bases of unrequited love and great expectations...

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Rip It Up Telekinesis 12 Desperate Straight Lines album review

The Aves live @ Jive 17/09/2011

2011-09-22T06:50:00.000-04:00

I have only been a resident of Adelaide for about a year now. When the assignment to cover the Panic EP launch of local band The Aves rolled through my inbox, I had no idea who The Aves were, nor did I know how to correctly pronounce their name (long a? Short a?). Never one to say no to free passes to a show, I made my way to Jive Saturday night.

Another local band, The Honey Pies, opened the show. They possessed a playful exuberance that had the stilettoed groupies bouncing jauntily from one fake-tanned calf muscle to the other. Despite possessing the energy of a seven-year-old on a Fizz Whizz binge, the music of The Honey Pies shifted genres so much that they ultimately sounded like karaoke night at some hipster dive bar in Brooklyn. Not exactly whetting my appetite for The Aves brand of lo-fi garage rock...

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Rip It Up The Aves live review

*special thanks to Spoz for the above video...see what he's ranting and raving about today at Spoz's Rant

Grow Up by theavesmusic

Batrider - Piles Of Lies album review

2011-09-01T06:56:00.000-04:00

A few years back I read an article that postulated what would have happened to Kurt Cobain had he not committed suicide, kicked his drug habit and adjusted to his life as a music superstar. It proposed that Cobain would have put Nirvana on an indefinite hiatus to dabble in painting and release a solo album to mixed indifference. He would also divorce and eventually remarry Courtney Love.

The new album, Piles Of Lies, by Adelaide (by way of New Zealand) band, Batrider, sounds like a Love/Cobain side project. With the distortion pedal firmly squashed to the floor and despondent lyrics that ooze with heartache, the album reeks of early ‘90s Seattle...

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Rip It Up Batrider Piles Of Lies album review

Batrider - Piles of Lies by Mess+Noise

JEFF The Brotherhood - We Are The Champions album review

2011-09-01T06:48:00.000-04:00

Nashville, Tennessee duo Jeff The Brotherhood consists of two brothers. Neither of them is named Jeff. Jake and Jamin Orrall describe themselves as “not garage rock”. Fair enough. I can see how the untrained ear may jump to that conclusion. Labels and genres aside, the fact of the matter is that Jeff The Brotherhood make a hell of a lot of noise...

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Rip It Up JEFF The Brotherhood We Are The Champions album review

JEFF the Brotherhood by rocksteddie

Bear Hands - Burning Bush Supper Club album review

2011-08-21T21:05:00.000-04:00

Now here is a band that truly practices what they preach. Dylan Rau, frontman for Bear Hands, sings ‘Everyone knows that crime pays and everybody does it’. I don’t know how ‘everyone’ feels about criminal activity, but it’s quite obvious that Rau has no moral hang-ups when it comes to petty theft.

Rau has done a little more than copy the musical style of past tour-mates MGMT. From the neo-psychedelia and thumping bass to the colorful synths and comedic lyrical wordplay, Bear Hands have essentially made a record that could have been MGMT’s own Congratulations...

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Rip It Up Bear Hands Burning Bush Supper Club album review

Bear Hands - Golden by TLC Blog

Memory Tapes - Player Piano album review

2011-08-13T10:47:00.000-04:00

If you were a fan of Memory Tapes’ debut album, Seek Magic, his new LP, Player Piano, may leave you scratching your head. The second record from the New Jersey based musician is a hazy, heady dream world. The Tapes have discarded electronic dance beats in favour of spacey, ethereal melodies and haunting lyrics. At times it’s beautiful, at other times crushingly depressing in its raw honesty. Player Piano reflects on the day-to-day struggle of coming to terms with our shortcomings. It is an album of missed opportunities, regret, happiness and frustration...

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Rip It Up Memory Tapes Player Piano album review

Memory Tapes by antc

Miami Horror live @ The Gov 08/07/2011

2011-08-06T09:02:00.001-04:00

The show opened with Gold Fields, a group of young guys who bounce around on stage like a bunch of Mexican Jumping Beans. Their moderately known material is nothing to call home about, however their enthusiastic live renditions were infinitely more interesting than their studio recorded counterparts, showing that Gold Fields has some promise.

The kaleidoscopic electropop peddlers that everyone came to see, Melbourne's Miami Horror, took their sweet time taking the stage. This prompted a few overzealous cheers at the appearance of an overweight sound guy who came to check some of the onstage equipment.

To be completely honest, I was skeptical when the band took the stage. They all looked slightly pretentious and kind of sleazy, like they had just shown up to some 1970s porno shoot. I wasn't sold on how their studio sound would transfer to a live setting, especially considering that I had heard that some of their early live shows consisted of nothing but front man Benjamin Plant singing over prerecorded background music. Surrounded by their expensive synths and nearly tripping over all of the wires running along the floor, the band launched into song after song of danceable indie pop that had everyone on their feet.

Miami Horror played through their set with an infectious energy that quickly spread throughout the crowd of The Gov, which I suppose would be fairly easy when six of the twelve tracks on your debut album have been released as singles. Even though there wasn't an appearance by Kiwi alt-cutie Kimbra (who performs the vocals on 'I Look To You'), Miami Horror delivered an upbeat performance that truly electrified the crowd. The show was, in a word, awesome. I left incredibly impressed and I would assume that everyone in attendance would agree with me if I said that it was $35 well spent.

I did, however, feel somewhat violated during the show, given Plant's penchant for putting his guitar between his legs and thrusting his hips forward in a thinly veiled demonstration of some kind of oversexed junior high school perversion. I don't know if a guitar can be used as compensation for a certain part of male anatomy, but given Plant's proclivities, he should look into acquiring one of these.

Moon Theory by Miami Horror (Official)

Boy & Bear live @ The Gov 20/05/2011

2011-08-06T01:52:00.000-04:00

Rip It Up sent me to review this show, however they didn't end up using it, so here it is, better late than never.

A shoulder-to-shoulder, sold-out crowd packed The Gov on Friday, 20^th of May as the five members of Boy & Bear took the stage and settled behind their instruments. Incandescent light bulbs were strung above while little lamps salvaged from garage sales adorned the stage, setting the mood for an intimate and powerful performance.

Boy & Bear have garnered attention due to their captivating vocal harmonies and memorable melodies, and seeing them live is not only a treat for the ears but the eyes as well. They perform together like a consistent and concise well-oiled machine, easily capturing the essence of their studio recordings. This isn’t to say that the band simply slides into their comfort zone and plays their songs in a mechanical or rigid fashion. The sold-out crowd was treated to extended guitar solos and an incredibly energetic performance, prompting them to sing-along while waving their hands in the air.

Boy & Bear’s set consisted of many fan-favourites including “Blood To Gold” and “Mexican Mavis”. However, it was the song that secured them the number five spot on this year’s Hottest 100 that incited the biggest reaction. Their cover of Crowded House’s “Fall At Your Feet” was an exceptionally potent experience, with the chugging beats of drummer Tim Hart levying palpable emotion.

The band’s new material lulled concertgoers into a sleepy shuffle, although a few eccentric diehards tried their best to clap along. Despite these slight missteps, Boy & Bear always managed to get the crowd’s collective pulse beating again with their folksy brand of country balladry and indie rock.

Late in their set vocalist Dave Hosking announced to the crowd that although he “probably shouldn’t be saying this”, the sold-out Adelaide crowd was the best they’ve had so far. To be fair, when a show is as good as it was on Friday night, the band deserves it.

Boy & Bear - "Mexican Mavis" by theaudioperv

Mother Mother - Eureka album review

2011-08-04T01:05:00.000-04:00

The first single off Eureka from Mother Mother, The Stand, is one of the most dizzying and laugh out loud funny songs I’ve heard in a long time. The co-ed vocal ping-pong that has become Mother Mother’s staple is better than ever, and it’s damn catchy. The Stand is bouncy, jaunty and unwavering in its candy-coated presentation, setting a precedent that the rest of the album more or less follows. It even ends with a little giggle to let you know that it was a light-hearted, playful affair in case you didn’t already get that from the swirling organs and silly lyrics...

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Rip It Up Mother Mother Eureka album review

EUREKA by Mother Mother

The Elected - Bury Me In My Rings album review

2011-07-29T08:48:00.000-04:00

Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley used to be a child actor. One of her most memorable roles is in the 1989 film, The Wizard, which was basically a 90-minute Super Mario Bros 3 commercial. For me, however, Jenny Lewis’ greatest performance was when I saw her in New York City a few years ago. She was so “overcome” with emotion she collapsed onstage, sobbing hysterically, while her bandmates were forced to play on.

When Rilo Kiley guitarist Blake Sennett formed The Elected in 2004 he titled his band’s debut record Me First, which was probably a jab at the melodramatic antics of Kiley’s leading lady...

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Rip It Up The Elected Bury Me In My Rings album review

The Elected by VagrantRecords

Timber Timbre - Creep On, Creepin' On album review

2011-07-23T08:22:00.000-04:00

It’s a shame that Halloween isn’t really celebrated here in Australia. If it were, the fourth album from Canada’s Timber Timbre, Creep On Creepin’ On, would be the perfect soundtrack to accompany a night of ghosts and ghouls.

Lead singer Taylor Kirk’s subdued voice navigates an eerie alien landscape where pianos dance jauntily over the carcasses of doo-wop, jazz and blues. The simplistic, chugging basslines feel like someone is creeping up behind you, while string arrangements screech and whine and send your pulse into a frenzied anxiety...

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Rip It Up Timber Timbre Creep On, Creepin' On album review

Timber Timbre - Timber Timbre by The Drift Record Shop

Q&A with Pat Hull

2011-07-09T00:56:00.000-04:00

Barely in his mid-twenties, American singer-songwriter Pat Hull has toured extensively and been praised in every corner of the United States. His fourth album, Old Antics, is slated for release later this year and he is offering his new EP, Light, to Rip It Up readers for free. Despite the 13 ½ hour time difference, Pat managed to find time in his busy Big Apple schedule to sit down for a quick interview with our writer Ryan Lynch...

Click on the link below to read the interview:

Rip It Up A Q&A with Pat Hull

The Panics live @ Uni Bar 2/07/2011

2011-07-08T07:08:00.001-04:00

The last time I reviewed a show at the Uni Bar (The Drums) I was called a “douche” by some of our readers after I said that the sound quality was terrible (it was). Haters gonna hate, I guess, and so I’m just going to get my main complaint out of the way right now.

The doors of the Uni Bar opened at 8, and The Panics didn’t take the stage for over 3 hours. I understand that they want to sell drinks, but for melodic soft-rock like this, the last thing I want to do is stand around for five hours. I’m not at a rave, I haven’t popped any E and, quite frankly, after my second jug of Pale Ale I started to get drowsy. There. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s move on to the performance.

I’m sure that most of you have heard of The Panics...

Click on the link below to read the rest of my review...

Rip It Up The Panics live @ Adelaide Uni Bar 2/07/2011

No Joy - Ghost Blonde album review

2011-07-07T01:19:00.000-04:00

When Bethany Cosentino (AKA Best Coast) hailed No Joy, a female duo out of Montreal, as the “best band ever” on her Twitter feed, it sent buzz band vampires into a frenzied bloodlust. Fast-forward and No Joy have been signed by Mexican Summer and released their debut LP, Ghost Blonde, to a bevy of insatiable music elitists who have probably found little to no joy listening to it...

Click on the link below to read the rest of my review:

Rip It Up No Joy Ghost Blonde review

No Joy - Heedless by morrisday

The Airborne Toxic Event - All At Once album review

2011-07-07T01:15:00.000-04:00

LA’s Airborne Toxic Event seemingly came out of nowhere and delivered a surprise hit with their emo-laden, woe-is-me anthem Sometime Around Midnight. Back with the follow-up to their debut album, All At Once is a huge sounding record. It is ambitious, as every track attempts to capture your interest through heart-on-the-sleeve lyrics and foot stomping, sing-along choruses. The problem is that The Airborne Toxic Event take themselves too seriously...

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Rip It Up The Airborne Toxic Event All At Once

Numb by The Airborne Toxic Event

Treefight for Sunlight album review

2011-07-03T20:03:00.000-04:00

After listening to Treefight For Sunlight, it is easy to see why Denmark is frequently cited as one of the happiest countries in the world. The Danish band has bottled sunshine, rainbows, lollipops and fairy floss on their eponymous debut album, edging the listener dangerously close to type two diabetes or, at the very least, a sugar-induced coma...

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Rip It Up Treefight For Sunlight Treefight For Sunlight album review

Facing The Sun by TREEFIGHT FOR SUNLIGHT

Tim & Jean - Like What review

2011-07-03T19:57:00.000-04:00

Here’s an analogy for you. Lady Gaga is to mainstreamers what Tim & Jean are to scenesters. Make no mistake, there is nothing original, unique or groundbreaking about Tim & Jean. In fact, you probably already have a few albums by artists who sound incredibly similar. Passion Pit? MGMT? Cut/Copy? The Naked & Famous? If so, you’ve pretty much heard everything teenagers Tim & Jean have to offer.

This complete lack of originality isn’t a bad thing when you do it right. Let’s conduct a little history lesson for those of you born post 1990: Lady Gaga wouldn’t exist without Madonna, Madonna wouldn’t exist without Debbie Harry and so on and so forth. Tim & Jean are basically copycats; a duo who were enamoured with electro-pop and took their fandom one step further to make their own record...

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Rip It Up Tim & Jean Like What album review

Tim And Jean - "Like What" by YiN Magazine

Matt Walters - Farewell Youth review

2011-07-03T19:52:00.000-04:00

Melbourne’s Matt Walters had a chance meeting with Mercury Records A&R head Peter Karpin a few years ago. During this chance encounter, Walters played his song Conversation and was signed on the spot. When record companies complain about declining profits, it is because they choose to produce records like this...

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Rip It Up Matt Walters Farewell Youth album review

I Would Die For You - Matt Walters Ft. WASHINGTON by Matt Walters

Kitty, Daisy & Lewis - Smoking In Heaven review

2011-06-26T19:34:00.000-04:00

Despite their youth, Kitty, Daisy & Lewis have been at it for a while now. The British siblings have been performing and recording since their early teens and their new album, Smoking In Heaven, sets out to establish them as mature, serious musicians.

The songs on Smoking In Heaven are rooted in early Americana rock and roll. Kitty, Daisy & Lewis don’t reinvent an old sound but recycle it completely. Even the way that the siblings dress is proof that they too (or at least their management) believe that they are from the 1950s...

To read the rest of my review click on the link below...

Rip It Up Kitty, Daisy & Lewis Smoking In Heaven review

Kitty, Daisy & Lewis - Smoking In Heaven (Pre-Listening Sampler) by PIASGermany

Blur - 13 review

2011-06-26T19:24:00.000-04:00

Before Gorillaz, Damon Albarn's love child was Blur. And an epic album if there ever was one, Blur’s sixth album 13 dabbled in virtually every genre imaginable yet somehow retained a sense of coherency that saw it heralded as one of the most ambitious records of the 90s.

When 13 was released, the Britpop era was, for all intents and purposes, dead in the water. Blur’s chief chart rivals, Oasis, were fading into a drug-induced obscurity, and Blur wasn’t far behind...

Read the rest of my review by clicking on the link below:

Rip It Up - Blur 13 album review

Blur - Trailer Park by Irregular Johnny

Susy Blue - Curly Girl album review

2011-06-19T22:42:00.001-04:00

Have you ever wondered what Barney And Friends would sound like if they played a Medieval Renassiance Fair? Me neither, but Melbourne’s Susy Blue is here to answer that question anyway. On her debut album, Curly Girl, Blue serves up an ambiguous and ambitious record of genre-bending antics...

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Rip It Up Susy Blue Curly Girl review

Burning Star by Susy Blue