Parades, Bells Will Ring and The Upskirts

(Bells Will Ring)


(Parades)

Last night, Melissa and I went to see Parades perform at Transit bar. I was reviewing the gig for FasterLouder (free tickets, woo!), but we also saw the band play at Homebake in 2009, and remembered enjoying their set.

Supporting were The Upskirts, a triple J Unearthed band from Sydney, and Bells Will Ring, also from Sydney. The bar was sadly quite empty for the gig, a fact that generally dissapoints me about gigs in Canberra, but those that did attend were pretty enthusiastic.


I won't do a full review (because then I won't be able to write one for FasterLouder without being incredibly bored by my own words!), but I will say that I enjoyed all three bands, though Bells Will Ring less than the others. Their vocal harmonies seemed a little off, and I felt like they were trying a little too hard to be polished on stage.

Parades, of course, were amazing. So much so that I bought their album! (Goodbye, food money, I shall yearn for you tomorrow!).

Music Review: Rebecca Hancock - Somewhere To Land

I first discovered Rebecca Hancock (supported by her band, The Prison Wives) way back in 2002, when my twelve-year-old-self with a burgeoning appreciation for independent music became obsessed with her debut album Somewhere To Land. Now, eight years later, Miss Hancock has released her second album, Under My Bed.

Unfortunately I lost my copy of Somewhere To Land way back when, and have spent many years bereft of the soulful, haunting songs – wishing I could find the CD again. And then I realised that with the invention of this wacky thing we call the “internet,” I probably could.

I bought another copy of Somewhere To Land from Rebecca’s website and – even putting aside the fact that she sent me a personal email saying she hoped I enjoyed the CD – am thoroughly glad I did.

Rebecca has a versatile voice that puts many of the recent female-singer-songwriter revival to shame. Her songs are reminiscent of Ani DiFranco, or Tori Amos before she became self-indulgent, and are a pleasing blend of fey, folksy tunes and dirty barstool blues. Stand-out tracks include Moon Wants a Lover, Prison Ground and an astonishing cover of Love Will Tear Us Apart.

You can listen to a few songs off her new album here.

CD Review: Operator Please - Gloves

Operator Please burst onto the music scene in 2005 with that song (that song being ‘A Song About Ping Pong’) and their debut album Yes Yes Vindictive. The pint-sized rockers were barely out of school, but performed with the verve of a veteran act. Despite the consistent quality of their music, there were mixed reviews for the album. While many recognised that there was no need to say “good for their age” – they were just good – there was an unfortunate amount of backlash against the band. They were criticised for being too young, too gimmicky, too much a myspace marvel. Operator Please, however, were not about to be talked out of making their own brand of loud-mouthed music, and are back with their sophomore album Gloves.

Gloves has perhaps slightly less of the frantic, distracted, attention-deficit-disordered energy of its predecessor – but the band have channelled this power and created something more driven. Lead single ‘Logic’ features a – there’s no other word for it – funky bass line and shows just how well the band do dance-beat rock. ‘Just Kiss’ has a climax and sexy synths that will probably encourage some make-out on the dance-floor; while ‘Back and Forth’ is a summer song with Caribbean blue skies overhead, and the influence of bands like Vampire Weekend apparent. Songs like ‘Loops’ show just how in control of the instruments the band is: these aren’t just high-schoolers, they’re technically proficient.

This second album is sophisticated, strong and still just as sassy. It is Operator Please, ready to fight, gloves off.

- M