a menagerie of musical interests

WAVVES - AFRAID OF HEIGHTS (LP REVIEW)

With what began as a bedroom project, Wavves is now out of the house and into the world with their fourth LP, ‘Afraid of Heights’. Set to surf into Australian shores on the 26th of March, this is definitely one you will not want to miss. Seriously. Following up from 2010’s definitive LP ‘King of the Beach’, and the everlasting 2011 EP, ‘Life Sux’, ‘Afraid of Heights’ is an obvious next step up the evolutionary chain. With clarity and great precision, you would not think this to be something from Wavves, ever. A change in mindset and a definite maturity being nurtured from influences such as Green Day and Weezer has made ‘Afraid of Heights’ something completely new, yet still the same for all Wavves fans.

Opening with two pre-release singles, “Sail to the Sun” and “Demon to Lean On”, the album begins on a pretty high note. Fast-paced, full of life and a killer riff, “Sail to the Sun” begins with the jaunty sounds of a glock, unusual for a Wavves record. Branching out yet again, the Nirvana-esque track “Demon to Lean On” continues the new sound we haven’t heard much of before. Then we come to the comforting sound of “Mystic”. Typical of Wavves first or second album, the bass riff in this is really fucking magical. Really. “Lunge Forward”, “Paranoid” and “Gimme a Knife” give us some catchy oohs and aahs, ear-melting guitar riffs and some narcissistic lyrics to fill us up. A huge 60’s psych rock and 90’s garage influence filter through “That’s On Me” and “Cop”, resonating also through the fast-paced “Beat Me Up”. “Afraid of Heights” sounds like something off of “Life Sux”. So broody, dark and damn catchy. The drunk slurs transitioning into the chorus fit snug with the lyrics “I think I must be drunk”. Wavves has been so hard at work with this one, and it’s great to see them really stick to their guns to create something they’re proud of. It’s also really, really fucking catchy.

ORANGE. RELEASE EP FOREIGN FUTURE

Melbourne high-schoolers Orange. have been extremely hard at work over the last year, to bring you what is now ‘Foreign Future.’ Playing at the likes of The Hi-Fi and The Espy throughout the entirety of 2012, the exposure the boys have received is quite extreme. Due for official release on the 10th of February, Foreign Future. is the debut release from Orange., and is sure to make you get up and move.

Combining elements of the bands original sound, and some newer techniques the boys have picked up, the EP, as a result, has a great dance feel to it. They’ve packed as much technique as they can within the five-track collection, with catchy guitar riffs (‘Time Is Now’), infectious lyrics and melodies, and even featuring a small showcase of dubstep (‘A Little’). The EP ranges from incredibly layered and full of life, to simple and damn catchy party favourites (‘Collateral Damage’). This EP is Orange. in a nutshell; fun and energetic, yet serious and full to the brim with growth.

GIG REVIEW //

TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB, THE VACCINES & THE JUNGLE GIANTS
HORDERN PAVILLION, SYDNEY
3/1/13 

Okay well the show was anticipated to be pretty huge from the start, I mean after all, it was North Ireland boys Two Door Cinema Club, English troublemakers The Vaccines and our own home-grown The Jungle Giants. They kicked off their down under tour with a show in Melbourne, moving through into the New Year with Field Day and then making an impact on Sydney just last night. Welcomed by a huge ‘The Vaccines’ banner, sporting the ‘Come of Age’ logo, fans rippled with confusion as to which band was coming on first. A quick 20 minute wait, saw The Jungle Giants onto the stage, sunny and tropical sounds alike wafting from the stage. Opening with ‘Mr Polite’, I was honestly surprised with how well known the band was within the crowd. Fans clapping along, singing along, jumping and pushing in sync (there was a heck of a lot of pushing) was the response the band wanted, we could see that. Moving craftily through tracks such as ‘No One Needs To Know’, ‘Back To The Start’ and ‘You’ve Got Something’, the band was very in sync with each other and with the crowd. Jungle (no pun intended)-like guitar riffs, tons of clapping and a heck of a lot of “HEY!‘s made for an energetic half-hour set. Closing off their night with ‘She’s A Riot’, a crowd favourite amongst the Sydney go-getters, the crowd rippled with excitement right until the last note.

A brisk walk on the stage, a pick up of their instruments and The Vaccines were straight into crowd favourite, ‘No Hope’. The English boys certainly have spent their short time together in good measures, every song was so accurate and so well blended. I also thought the set was very well planned out, it panned across all aspects of ‘What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?’ and ‘Come Of Age’, from more upbeat tracks (‘Wreckin’ Bar (Ra Ra Ra)’, ‘Bad Mood’) to slower ballads (‘Aftershave Ocean’, ‘All In White’). The crowd was less upbeat than it was during The Jungle Giants, which was rather disappointing but that didn’t really stop them from powering through. Keeping the pace with ‘Ghost Town’ and a sing a long version of ‘Post Break-Up Sex’, the band then went on to close with dirty grunge outfit ‘Bad Mood’ and the tropical ‘Norgaard’. The Vaccines certainly did deliver a power set.

Adorned with a huge upside down trapezium, LED lights and roaming spotlights, the stage began to flicker. The opening beat of ‘Sleep Alone’ and then the vocals from Irishman Alex Trimble flew through the crowd. Opening with two crowd favourites (then came ‘Undercover Martyn’) was I think a fantastic idea, the crowd stuck to the stage like glue with interest. It was definitely an interesting set, and certainly a long one, with 18 songs being thrown into the mix. The spirits of the crowd lifted, with ‘Tourist History’ favourite’s ‘This Is The Life’, ‘You’re Not Stubborn’ and ‘I Can Talk’. A credit to the band, their live performance was played with 150% effort and 150% energy and it reflected so much upon their sound. It was so much more whole and uplifting, which is something you can’t take away from a mastered LP. Whilst flowing through ‘Sun’, ‘Next Year’, ‘Handshake’ and ‘Eat That Up It’s Good For You’, huge balloons were dropped onto the crowd, adding to the excitement. The lights dimmed and the band left the stage to regular chants of ‘ONE MORE SONG’. As per expectations, Two Door Cinema Club took to the stage to play not 1, not 2, but 3 encore tracks. ‘Someday’, ‘Come Back Home’ and ‘What You Know’ enabled the crowd to see the band off on a memorable note. Two Door Cinema Club played a well thought out set with considerable ease and confidence, and it showed.