Tag: Music

• ALBUM REVIEWS – FOOD FOR THOUGHT

  August 8, 2016 10:44 pm Comments Off on ALBUM REVIEWS – FOOD FOR THOUGHT

   
  The Perils – Old Man Saxon (Rap, Mixtape)
  Waheed Jayhoon
  Old Man Saxon’s 2016 commercial debut The Perils is smooth and sharp. While only 4 tracks long, it avidly demonstrates the Colorado native’s highly potent rap intellect. The record itself is uniquely concept driven – a fascinating exploration of Saxon’s year living in his Ford Explorer during his bout of homelessness in 2014. Layered over a seemingly Nujabes-inspired jazz hop production by ThiefofBaghdad, Saxon sounds like a strange amalgamation of Schoolboy Q’s voice and Earl Sweatshirt’s flow, and I love it.

   
   
  Idle Moments – Grant Green (Jazz)
  Alex Johnston
  The title track of Grant Green’s 1965 opus Idle Moments tells no lie as to the music it contains. While listening to the magical, laidback 15-minute piece, time itself seems to slow down and the next note seems another album away. Like an extended separation from a good friend, however, the phrase eventually arrives and the wait is undoubtedly worth it. This is Green’s eighth album and is arguably the virtuoso guitarist’s finest hour, with the uber-relaxed title track beautifully balanced by pieces with a faster tempo, such as “Jean de Fleur” and “Nomad”. Idle Moments is best enjoyed with sangria and a Cuban coastline. Ideally. Probably still enjoyable with cheap wine and the CBR glow.

   
  Dipz Zebazios – The Delta Riggs (Psychedelic Rock)
  Zoe Taylor
  In writing their second album, Melbourne based band Delta Riggs expanded their repertoire to deliver a diverse and authentic set of tracks to the Australian music scene. Dipz Zebazios is hallmarked with the band’s distinctive psychedelic aura, yet the variation between tracks makes for a complex album with each number adopting a unique pace and mood. Ranging from a chilled out indie rock feel to bluesy gospel, lyrics filled with wisdom and nonsense roll off the tongue of lead singer Elliot Hammond, his groggy voice riding the smooth electric baselines. In their bold and unapologetic manner, the band even pumps out the rap number No Friends with considerable competence. Other tracks worth mentioning include the fan favourite Supersonic Casualties, and Ornate Delicate Creatures, the latter of which reveals an unexpectedly softer and sweeter voice in Hammond. The band are set to release their new album Active Galactic in August, followed by a 3 month national tour – check them out at Academy this September.

   
  A Moon Shaped Pool – Radiohead
  Brendan Keller-Tuberg
  As the long-awaited ninth LP of one of the most influential alternative rock bands of the modern era, to say fans had lofty expectations for its first 4am listen (its release time in Australia) was an understatement. Having been 5 years since Radiohead’s last record The King of Limbs, many hoped the album would present a new direction for the band akin 2000’s Kid A or 2007’s In Rainbows and, to our disbelief, it did. A Moon Shaped Pool sees a return to the desolate experimental rock of albums like Amnesiac, augmented through the heavy use of orchestras and choirs (perhaps Jonny Greenwood’s contribution, drawing on experience composing film scores such as There Will Be Blood). The result is a cinematic yet introverted, dreary but accessible, collection of songs that continues to solidify Radiohead’s place as one of the best bands of the 21st century.

   
  Dial theory (Tony’s Slice) EP on Merc Records – M.K VII
  Marie Heloury
  After ruling the Stockholm scene for 19 years, Mark Seven has released his most intriguing E.P yet, revealing his talent for mixing old-school London acid and New York house. Mark Seven, who recently changed his alias to M.K VII released his EP Dial Theory last June, launching it in the midst of the Adriatic Sea at the Love International Festival. The slow vocal loops which consist of a phone conversation extracted from Kris Humprhies’ live set in the early 90s caught my attention while listening to his old school house set, which was closing the festival.
  I felt compelled to know where the comical and intriguing samples came from so I popped my head over the DJ booth to ask “Hey, what’s the phone conversation?”, to which I received a proud “It’s by me, Mark Seven, you’re one of the first ones to hear it”. Soon after, I jumped on the Internet to absorb myself into M.K VII’s new sound to find that Dial Theory is an elaborate yet playful mix of Balearic synthesisers and 90s American techno.
  The phone conversation plays out the interaction between an uninterested yet kind woman and a rejected man trying to score a date, full of despair. As the beats unfolds, the mood gets lighter and eventually short raps describe the revenge of the poor guy ending Mr. Seven’s track on a fun and playful note. No digital copies of this one yet, but it’s definitely an old-school goodie you’ll want on wax.

  Waheed Jayhoon

• REVIEW: Seth Sentry and Remi, ANU Bar

  10:30 pm Comments Off on REVIEW: Seth Sentry and Remi, ANU Bar

  Hip hop in Australia is undoubtedly the poorer, grubbier, less articulate cousin to America’s mega-machine of rap. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; after all, the context from which American hip hop was born is totally different to what’s been happening across the Pacific. This does mean, however, that to succeed in the emerging rap scene here, a unique sound is necessary. Both Seth Sentry and Remi are artists who have achieved this, and in July they showed the ANU Bar how they are reaping the rewards of Australia’s rap culture.

  Although Sentry’s smooth, sample-based production contrasts with Remi’s darker and percussion-driven instrumentation, both artists shine through their sublime lyricism. It’s a joy to see creative wordplay fully utilized in Australian hip hop – although giants like the Hilltop Hoods or Bliss n Eso excel at making uplifting festival anthems, they are liable to criminally neglect the importance of a tangible narrative. Indeed, both Seth Sentry and Remi’s willingness to write imaginatively allows them to show off their other shared characteristic: a fantastic personality.
   
  Both rappers bounced around the stage with such enthusiasm and warm audience interaction that it took the chill out of a cold Canberra night. Twenty-four hours after playing the spacious Enmore theatre in Sydney, the duo made the most of the snug confines of the ANU Bar. There were various call-and-return choruses, obligatory crowd surfing, and a peculiar moment where Seth ‘Moses’ Sentry parted the audience like the Red Sea in order to retrieve two beers from the back of the room. However, all of these antics played second fiddle to the remarkable showing of musicianship from both artists.
   
  After emerging to the introduction of Prince’s ‘Let’s Go Crazy’, Remi’s distinctive stop-start flow became mesmerising. His go-to lyrical feature is the trusty simile, which he uses incessantly (ten times in his moving single ‘Livin’, to be exact), but the Melbourne-via-Canberra rapper’s ability to convey the pain of addiction and depression with eloquence is second to none in Australia. His sophomore album, Divas and Demons, promises to be one of the most exciting releases of the year.
   
  There were no surprises in the headline show; at a Seth Sentry concert, you get what you pay for. He could still be legitimately categorized as a novelty rapper – his biggest songs have concerned his obsessions with shitty cafés and hoverboards – however the moments when Sentry dives into his deeper catalogue are best indicative of his expertise. Even his least impressive songs, such as the messy ‘1969’ and the aimless ‘Dumb’, gain extra life when paired with the competent DJ Sizzle and a live drummer.
   
  Hip hop has come a long way from the grimy streets of Queensbridge 30 years ago. However, the essence is still the same: MCs rap with passion and verbosity and things they care about. Whether it be a focus on hoverboards, Sentry’s estranged father on ‘Violin’, or systematic racism on Remi’s ‘Ode to Ignorance’, the pair are icons for the true pursuit of loyalty to a great genre. Judging by the smiling faces at ANU Bar, this loyalty is more than appreciated.

  Ruben Seaton

• Misogyny in Hip Hop

  July 25, 2016 4:55 pm Comments Off on Misogyny in Hip Hop

  Hip-hop; a cultural movement, the voice of defiance, music for the soul.
  As a middle-class white chick, I’m not going to pretend to have a deep cultural understanding or much authority on the oppressions that hip-hop was born out of, but I still love it. My passion for hip-hop, however, is being undermined by an increasingly uncomfortable recognition of the misogynistic culture that it often comes with.
  After hours of listening to artists such as N.W.A, Biggie, 2-Pac, Dr. Dre, Nas, Wu-Tang-Clan, Jay-Z and Kanye, the recurring phrases of ‘hoes’, ‘bitches’ and ‘thots’ get pretty tiresome. Many songs by these artists glorify female victimisation and are essentially a toxic result of delicate male egos, sexual objectification and patriarchal social structures. And what’s more, the artists rarely acknowledge their own weaknesses or hypocrisy. Instead, they emanate a sense of entitlement and ‘brotherhood’, portraying females as dumb, needy sexual objects. Not ok.
  As someone who eagerly awaited the release of Straight-Outta Compton, I couldn’t help but watch with discomfort at the unapologetic misogyny evident throughout the film. Key female collaborators like Yo-Yo are eliminated in the NWA story, as well as Dr. Dre’s violence against Dee Barns. Indeed, all female characters are relegated to the periphery, as partners, mothers and fans. But because I have so much love for hip-hop and appreciate its power as an art, the easy option is to gloss over the cavalier treatment of women and focus on all that is great about the music. Ava DuVernay, an award-winning director who grew up in Compton, fittingly stated that ‘To be a woman who loves hip hop at times is to be in love with your abuser.’
  You might think that modern artists, such as Drake, are an improvement on hip-hop’s early days of violent misogyny. Yet behind the guise of a sensitive lover, Drake too is spurring patriarchal lyrics, albeit more quietly. Many of his songs portray women simply as shallow gold-diggers, or helpless souls that need love and attention in order to be rescued.
  Take Hotline Bling; you might have been having too much of a good time on the d-floor (like I definitely was) to notice that the song basically suggests that a girl must dress modestly, and have a respectful reputation in order to be ‘good’…
  “…Got a reputation for yourself now… Started wearing less and going out more… Used to stay at home, be a good girl…” Hmm, do I detect just a lil’ bit of slut shaming?
  Yep, even good old champagne-papi has become simply a pseudo nice-guy. Ugh.
  And don’t even get me started on Kanye… simply the fact that he’s declared himself ‘God’s vessel’ and a ‘lyrical genius’ makes him a huge wanker in my books, but that’s another debate. Perhaps what irritates me most is that he hides behind the self-proclaimed label of ‘artiste’ – allowing him to produce sexist slurs from his pedestal under the pretence of ‘this is art’. His album Yeezus has been labelled ‘one long hate letter to women’, including lyrics like “Black girl sippin’ white wine/ Put my fist in her like a Civil Rights sign” and “One more fuck and I can own ya”. God’s vessel… seriously Kanye?
  While he reflected on Twitter that using the word ‘bitch’ is ‘potent’, his more recent album The Life of Pablo still contains some questionable references to Kim: “I bet me and Ray J would be friends if we ain’t love the same bitch / Yeah, he might have hit it first, only problem is I’m rich.”
  Following the albums release, Kanye attempted to backtrack on his earlier comments, now deciding that “Bitch is an endearing term in hip hop, like the word Nigga.” Thanks for making that decision on our behalf, Yeezy.
  There are bucket-loads more misogynistic hip-hop lyrics that I could bang on about, and equally, there are a number of empowering lyrics that are battling against this. Unfortunately, sexism in music is a ramification of sexism in society, and we have a long way to go before that disappears. While acknowledging misogyny in hip-hop is certainly a good step, treating this misogyny as a given is dangerous. Instead we must continue to question and criticise sexist slurs, and give as much support as possible to artists challenging them.
  After all, so many girls love hip-hop, and it’s time that hip-hop loves girls back.

  Ellie Woodrow

• Groovi: A Review ;)

  May 24, 2016 1:13 pm Comments Off on Groovi: A Review ;)

  So on Sunday this reporter hit the hills of UC (gross) and grooved my booty off. My day proceeded like many other ANU students:
  9am – 11 am: finding an outfit which could conceal a good two liters of Vody and still look hot af. After; multiple drinks were consumed and our gang staggered into civic with only one stop outside the bio lecture theatre for a sneaky tack vom. The bus to belco saw a couple of voms which weren’t so tactical much to the disgust of our fellow commuters #thoughtleaders. Our tipsy little troupe made it too the hallowed hills just soon enough to catch a listen of Gordi, who legit sounded so 10/10. Happy to say no flower crowns were spotted this year – proud of you Canberra.
  12pm – 4pm: Obviously our local babe SAFIA brought the goods and gave Canberra some much needed home-town loving. But we’re all really tired at this point and in need of vitamins and minerals. This came in the form of 12 dollar wraps which were chosen purely on the tiny size of the line (they were really bad thinking back on it now).
  5pm- 7pm – After many hazy wanderings which included a lost jumper, stolen sunnies and losing everyone and finding them again in an hour: we found ourselves in front of the Rubens. The crowed highlight was Rubens, seeing the front man Sam Margin riding over our heads like Christ ascending into heaven; then proceeding to finish the act with a sneaky champagne spray, this reporter can confirm however, it tasted cheap af so no champers wastage was made. One of the not so heavenly acts of the day, however was Alison Wonderland, who did not provide any decent banter and assumed her audiences would be enthralled by the deep meanings behind her rando songs (ily her tho).
  To wrap up: this was my 3rd Groovin’ and what I really love about it is that the twelvie culture is still going strong. And for me being a country kid, literally every second person I saw I knew (it’s like Coachella for them, it’s so sad). Hopefully this beautiful Canberra tradition will continue and many hazy happy memories will continue to be made. Ily so much Groovin’.

  Rory Caddis