The Gems

Automatic Pusher Life

A bit of feedback, a thunderous drum intro, it’s all looking so good. And then the singer opens his mouth and right on cue his vocal snarl heralds a 3-chord trick Noel Gallacher would have rejected as being a bit too formulaic. The b-side is better with some harmonies and some jangly guitar but we’d expected more. Alan McGee likes them.

Headland

Love Hate

A novel idea here, the Headland gang spent time on the street asking members of the public to name their five main loves and hates more… “Headland”

Good Shoes

Never Meant To Hurt You

After months of straining air conditioning systems throughout the country with their packed gigs, Good Shoes arrive with their latest single before the release of their highly anticipated debut album more… “Good Shoes”

Lecube

’45 tours no.2

Oh dear, you say. A single called ‘’45 tours no.2’? The second part of a three-part experimental waltz? more… “Lecube”

Chris Stills

When The Pain Dies Down, Live in Paris

Mr Stills is a very talented, passionately voiced and technically skilled musician, yet he doesn’t break any ground with his very Jeff Buckley influenced live recordings which contain songs too structurally obvious to be exciting.

MF

Angus and Julia Stone

Chocolates and Cigarettes

Ugh, on first glance I thought ‘the Stones’ would be some simpering married couple – but no! Thankfully we’re spared the prospect of an album’s worth of sad old serenades; they’re in actual fact a brother sister duo from Sydney, with none of that ambiguous incest stuff going on (take note Jack and Meg).
In this mini-album Angus and Julia graciously divide song duties as they alternate taking the lead through their set of trilling, gentle acoustic tracks. Julia’s style is notably the more chilled of the two; her breathy, ethereal outpourings of heartache are fragile and deathly, while her brother’s contribution is slightly more upbeat with the addition of some ridiculously twee lyrics, like in the overly cheerful ‘Mango Tree’. Their styles subtly contrast beautifully and the overall show of simplicity in bared down acoustics and rattling drums, with the added warmth of the occasional cello and a lonely piano, is perfect for accompanying a lazy afternoon spent lying in bed. The only thing is, now I’ve become attached to their tales of love and pain, if I find out they’re in actual fact divorced I will not be best pleased.

LD

Streaky Jake

What's Wrong? Nothing

If you like the concept of the modern singer-songwriters but are finding them all too clean and polished to be believable, then Streaky Jake may be right up your street. The entire record seems to be covered in a layer of murky grime that slightly mutes and muffles the tracks but doesn’t hide the finger-picking styles or the grizzled vocal delivery. ‘Jake You Fool’ swings like an early blues track, with the vocals reminiscent of The Soledad Brothers, whereas other tracks will be lapped up by fans of Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy. The quiet tone of the record does represent a small barrier to the listener but certainly not an insurmountable one and this lo-fi offering has a few tricks up its sleeve to warrant repeated plays. The harmonica interplay on ‘I’ve Done This Before’ is quite charming and should put a smile on anyone’s face.

AR