Many thanks to The Brag who have again let me republish this article which you can read in the current issue out on the streets if you really need to read things in your hands rather than on the screen. Also, there are other amazing things in The Brag which you should read, so go read one, or something.

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When I sit down to talk to Alister and Heidi from Cloud Control, I’m struck suddenly by a memory of the first time I heard their charming melodies at an intimate Sydney Uni Night Markets show on a makeshift stage alongside Cuthbert and the Nightwalkers. Like any Sydneysider interested in the indie music scene, I’ve seen more than a few magical Cloud Control shows.

“Woah!” exclaims Alister happily. “Out the front of the bank?” I nod. “Ah, I really enjoyed that show,” Heidi says. “I wore a good dress that night.” Read more for the full article…

Posted by amelia in Features, Music

Tags: Belles Will Ring, bliss release, Cloud Control, cuthbert and the nightwalkers, Danimals, leader cheetah, Richard In Your Mind, riym, Seekae, SPOD, We Say Bamboulee, wim, Yves Klein Blue

Jasper Clifford Smith, James Domeyko and Aleesha Dibbs have been playing music in Sydney for a quite a while. Jasper’s band Warhorse are a stable of the alternative, underground rock world while James’ two piece Domeyko/Gonzales have been making a strong name for themselves in experimental, jam-based soundscapes. Aleesha Dibbs is a classically trained pianist and has been writing and singing her own Regina Spektor-esque tunes solo for a few years now also.

With their powers combined, they are Arkestra – a relatively new but powerful force in the Sydney music scene. Arkestra are about to embark on their first Oxford Art Factory residency over the next month, and I spoke to Jasper about how the band works, how the residency will work and also small hands, Zionist music, local and international influences and the Read Palm Press.

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+ How and when did Arkestra come in to existence?
> Well, I was having a quiet cigarette outside some art gallery in December and I ran into Aleesha who was on her way to get wined and dined by some leech from MTV. Anyway, she was bitching to me about how she had recorded a whole album and she hated it and I offered to record her.

We recorded a couple of tracks together and we really liked how they came out but they didn’t really fit into the ‘Aleesha Dibbs‘ kind of thing, it was more a 50/50 arrangement so we just decided to start a band. After a month or so James Domeyko joined. We ended up living together for a couple of months just writing and recording and sleeping and eating all in my old roach/pigeon infested studio in Surry Hills. Read more for the full interview…

Posted by amelia in Features, Music

Tags: aleesha dibbs, arkestra, Danimals, dead china doll, domeyko/gonzales, double dragon, fashion launches rocket launches, james domeyko, jasper clifford smith, kevin shields, mtv, read palm press, sun ra, the laurels, warhorse, wim, Zeahorse

Take a bunch of talented boys who love music, add some instruments and creative energy. Mixture should form to make a smooth paste of ambient, percussive dream-jams, layered with echoing harmonies and fragmented melodies with elements of minimalism and a complex sound and happy, chilled vibe. Once this has been achieved, leave to sit for a few months, and then send to America care of TED The Lab, add some Mark Ronson, some money and some Dap Kings Horn section, slick production and serious drive towards more serious, pop influenced melodies and lyrics. Read more for the the full review…

Posted by amelia in Music, Reviews

Tags: Danimals, Dap Kings, fox, mark ronson, Music, review, single review, TED, TED Lab, ted the lab

The Revenant Club is an event that is brought to you by the Read Palm Press, a collection of people you might associate with some other things, like Exquisite Corpse, Warhorse, Oxford Art Factory, Siberian Nights, etc. Still fairly mysterious to me, the group appears to be something of a collective, or perhaps an international group of mystery. Hopefully both. Hopefully we’ll see some more events from them soon, too, because the bands they’ve lined up to play tonight (Wednesday 24th February) are pretty great and we’ve been interested in a lot of them for a while, namely internationally-and-Mark-Ronson-acclaimed Danimals, experimental and epic soundscape artists Domeyko/Gonzales, psychadelic-techno-pop kids Virgo Rising and Dark Bells. Also playing on the night will be Colours, in their first show, and we support any night that’s willing to let a band play their first show with such great names.

The night is going to happen in the live art space of Oxford Art Factory, tonight (24th) at 8pm. Oxford Art Factory‘s gallery space has been, thanks to these people and this kind of event, a great space to showcase up and coming alternative talent, allowing people to see exciting experimental, dark, different and delicious music for more than a year now.…

Posted by amelia in Events, Music

Tags: colours, Danimals, dark bells, domeyko/gonzales, exquisite corpse, oxford art factory, read palm press, revenant club, siberian nights, virgo rising, warhorse

Photos by Natalie Connolly.

Posted by amelia in Music, Your Face

Tags: Bridezilla, Daniel Johnston, Danimals, echo and the bunnymen, Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Florence and The Machine, frightened rabbit, hockey, Jonathan Boulet, Kid Sam, Laneway Festival, Mumford and Sons, n.a.s.a., philadephia grand jury, radioclit, rozelle, Sarah Blasko, SCA, the Middle East, the very best, The XX, Wild Beasts, Your Face

Jaie Gonzales (bassist in super-famous Danimals and also I Like Cats) and James Domeyko make up Domekyo/Gonzales, a new(ish) experimental soundscape duo that have caught the attention of fBI pretty quickly, and have been playing gigs to audiences who seem to be quite ready and willing to accept their expansive, epic, non-pop-song style of jam.

With their gig coming up this week at Sedition’s Difficult Music Festival we had a chat to them about their musical ambitions and direction. Make a jump to read it…

Posted by amelia in Features, Music

Tags: arkestra, blues control, Danimals, dead china doll, dead farmers, difficult music festival, domeyko/gonzales, excepter, fashion launches rocket launches, FBI, Flying Lotus, fuck buttons, fuji collective, ghosts of television, glenn branca, i like cats, jaie gonzales, james domeyko, justin zeltzer, kirin j callinan, Kyu, madlib, nhomea, piano is drunk, radio social, rockethead, sedition, Seekae, silver moon uprising, Squid, the bridge, the laurels, warhorse, whipped cream chargers, World Bar

Oxford Not Actually Plural Art Factory is opening up the year of 2010 with a showcase of next big thing type bands. It’s always fun laying bets on who is going to get the most attention over the year. Last year we were so happy to see Kyu and Danimals do so well, and this year who knows what will happen.

OAF think that the bands they’ve got lined up for a show they’ve called ‘Look Out! 2010‘ are the ones to keep an eye on this year. They are: acclaimed atmospheric post-rock outfit Parades, the psychadelic kids The Laurels, country-rock-blues floppy-haired Cabins, already raved about on this blog Bearhug, Joysticks, featuring members of Danimals, and also Georgia Fair and Sticky Fingers.

Anyway the best thing is that all of this is actually totally free, so it’s your chance to rack up all the cred you need for the whole year by seeing a bunch of bands that have been tipped to succeed for free and for such little effort. It’s happening on Saturday January 23 from 8pm. See you with your blogging glasses on.…

Posted by amelia in Events, Music

Tags: bearhug, Cabins, Danimals, errant plural apostrophes, georgia fair, joysticks, Kyu, look out! 2010, oxford art factory, Parades, sticky fingers, the laurels