Led by creative liege Kevin Parker, the album is a psychedelic exercise in symphony. This particular work makes good use of bandmate, Cam Avery: the band’s primary sound engineer, responsible for the group’s heavy use of the synthesizer.

The collaboration between Parker and Avery is evident from the album’s very first track “Let it Happen”: a meticulous 7-minute arrangement encompassing the band’s main modus operandi: rock guitar married to a heavy plethora of symphonic sound. “Let it Happen” takes Tame Impala’s flavor even a little bit further by departing from the song’s established palette and introducing an extended moment of lyric-less looper. It is complete with strings, percussion, and what sounds like a Peter Frampton era talk box.

It is no surprise that on Currents, Tame Impala has continued their track record of fun, manufactured guitar parts and a heavy bass/synth combo. But, it’s worth noting that this album also sports a few stylistic departures for the group. They’ve gone into full indie-tech territory with some of the shorter bursts of sound on this album.

Tracks like “Nangs,” “Gossip,” and “Disciples” are some of the shortest tracks on the album. They seem almost strategically placed between more terrific displays of the band’s musicality, including the single’s they released in anticipation of the album’s release: “Let it Happen,” “Cause I’m a Man,” and “Eventually.”

The whole album works as a type of symbiotic 13-tych. Many of the songs are experimenting with the idea of glitches in playback, a cog in the system of music as we experience it. Listening to just a single song on this album feels like eating one-tenth of a pack of M&M’s: senseless and incomplete.

The sounds on “Currents” are unapologetic outliers. While most could rightfully describe it as indie rock, “Currents” also veers itself into disco, techno, and even blues-y undertones. Upon the album’s release, critical reception noted these style variances.

Pitchfork reviewer Ian Cohen described a track on this album as “editing itself in real time.” That creative unstop can be said not only for “Let it Happen,” the song which Cohen awarded “Best New Track,” but for the 13-song work as a whole. Rock music is changing, and Tame Impala wants to put their handprint in that forming cement.

When “Currents” first came out, I had just graduated from high school. That summer was particularly hot and my friend group and I spent a lot of time on a Peony farm canoeing, camping, and picking fresh strawberries off of the runners. I have vivid memories of hearing the album for the first time as it echoed through my car’s speakers.

Smack dab in the middle of the album is a 3-minute psychedelic rock track that is known among fans as one of the worst on the album. It’s an auto tuned talk-track in which Parker details idealizing a time which has already happened and will never return again entitled “Past Life.”

I thought I was moving on

but I guess I was just switching off.

 It has always been my favorite song on the album.

The post Flowing Against the Current appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Sophie Payten, known by her stage name, Gordi, is an Australian musician who focuses on the folktronica genre. She rose to fame after performing in Sydney, and eventually gained the attention of American record label, Jagjaguwar, with whom she signed in early 2016. In that same year, she was included in the top 40 of best new bands in 2016 by Stereogum.

When on stage, Gordi is accompanied by a few other musicians, including a drummer, a brass section, and a keyboardist/synthesizer, while she takes care of vocals and guitar. In the past, she’s opened for big-name shows like Of Monsters and Men and Bon Iver, with whom she performed on the Jimmy Fallon show in September of 2016.

At the moment, she has released an album, three EPs, and nine singles. With her track record, it’s bound to be a great show.

Much like my column, “The Rolling Bean,” I am going to review one of Gordi’s songs and let you know what I think of it right here in this promo. Wild. The song is attached below; it’s called “On My Side”. Give it a listen and then continue to read!

As soon as I heard this intro, I immediately thought of folk music. Gordi stays true to her genre of folktronica, that is for sure! I really appreciate the use of vocals here and the simple drum beat. It gets your body moving! There actually isn’t much of an “electronic” part in this song. It seems to be all acoustic; no obvious synthesizer or wild electric guitar.

This is definitely a “windows-down-driving-through-the-back-roads-in-the-summer” kind of song…if you’re from the Midwest, that is! I don’t know if this would be a song to listen to on the metro for you city folks…sorry, it’s hard to relate to you when there are like ten farms surrounding my house.

I decided to watch the music video instead of just listening to the song, and I’m a little bit puzzled, to be honest. It’s not because there is too much going on, but because there is a lack of a storyline. The lyrics don’t match up to what’s happening in front of my eyes. There is some dude laying on the ground, covered in mud or dirt (or a combination of both), and Gordi comes to him and is washing him off with water(?).

It’s in a gasoline container so let’s hope for his sake (and her’s) that it’s not oil! Anyway, I wish the video had a little more sustenance to it. It’s really just four and a half minutes of her pouring water on him, and then they look out into the sunset. I’m not asking for a Katy Perry music video, but maybe a little something wouldn’t hurt!

Lucky for you, you’ll get to watch Gordi actually perform this song live instead of having to watch the music video! Make sure you go check her out on Friday, April 6th; you won’t regret it!

The post Misson Creek Festival Promo: Gordi @ The Mill appeared first on KRUI Radio.

2017 had the pair playing opening shows for PJ Harvey, Lambchop, and Ty Segall, touring the United States, Europe, and home country Australia, and appearing at the exploratory goldmines of Big Ears and Supersonic Festival. And it was a slow year, comparatively speaking.

But this is all nothing new for those that have followed Xylouris and his prodigious chants from his native Greece, or White from his moves across Australia, Great Britain, and Brooklyn; relentless performance has been an irrevocable part of each of their respective musical paths. Both before and after their chance meeting in Melbourne in 1990, the two continued to absorb the influences characterizing their musical projects.

White’s instrumental trio Dirty Three reinforced the arrhythmic chops that Harvey called its own language, while the beatific charm of his native Greece bred the fulfillment of Xylouris and his family bands. In 2013, fortunate circumstance yielded recordings in New York that turned mystical potential into tangible reality, thankfully.

Comparisons between the Cretan-Australian tandem and the above musicians seem warranted and natural, generally; they share an inclination to reside slightly left of center, and likewise pack emotional weight in songs flush with competing layers of detail and those introverted by minimalism.

But after one listen to the pluckings of Xylouris’ laouto alongside White’s perfectly schemed bashes of percussion, these surroundings begin to disintegrate. The music is less timely than it is traditional, and more contemplative than contextual; the congruity of the Greek’s native Cretan tongue and his delicate instrumentals is a poetic marvel. Fans of Mission Creek alums Glenn Jones (2016) and Glenn Kotche (2015) will feel right at home here.

Mother, released in January as their third album overall and second on Bella Union, marks the latest endeavor into the depths of their experimental niche. By turns convivial and brooding, the new record lands firmly in similar territory as its predecessors but with added touches of refinement, as displayed in their live set.

The musings of the lute player reach further than before; opener “In Medias Res” churns without clear structure, instead harnessing a whirlwind of energy, helped along by flourishes of viola and violin, while “Only Love” is a psychedelic eastern-rocker with circling strings that call to mind the Malian outfit Tinariwen.

Spare bookend “Lullaby” exposes the vulnerability of Xylouris’ baritone, all but tying together a work as singular in its end product as in its approach. Four and a half years in the making, lovers of far-reaching folk and adventurous avant garde can find satisfaction equally in the group’s current form and in its progression from improvisational to polished.

Hailed by The Guardian as “one of the most intriguing fusion duos you’ll come across”, Xylouris White graces the stage of The Mill at 10:00 PM on Wednesday, April 4th, and is sure to entrance audiences with its typical brand of subdued melodrama. Tucked unsuspectingly in the early stages of the festival, the show is surely one not to be missed.

Check out the rest of the Mission Creek Lineup here! 

The post Mission Creek Festival Promo: Xylouris White appeared first on KRUI Radio.

“We better stop, hey, what’s that sound. Everybody look what’s going down.”
– Buffalo Springfield

Compared to the first installment of What’s That Sound, the didgeridoo is more commonly known by musicians and non-musicians alike. Through my research, I’ve learned many interesting details about the history and cultural significance of the didgeridoo. Plus, it’s just an incredibly impressive instrument with a distinct deep sound.

The didgeridoo is one of the oldest instruments in the world, dating back thousands of years. It is known as the “sound of Australia” and is a central part of Aboriginal culture. The wind instrument is traditionally made out of fallen trees hollowed out by termites. Exquisite designs and patterns are painted on the outside to symbolize various aspects of a specific tribe, or simply to express beauty.

Differing tribal groups have many different names for the didgeridoo, such as: bombo, garnbak, Yirdaki, and many others depending on the region. A list of synonymous names as well as extensive history of the instrument can be found here.

Didgeridoos are an integral way to express Dreamtime in the spiritual lives of Aboriginal people. Dreamtime is the relationship between Human, Physical, and Sacred Worlds. Didgeridoo players spend lots of time studying nature in order to properly express animal and weather sounds with their instrument. There are common versions of kookaburra, dingo, and kangaroo sounds because of the prevalence of the animals in Australia.

Traditionally, didgeridoos may only be played by respected Aboriginal men in religious ceremonies. However, there is also an informal style of playing that is allowed for women and people outside of Aboriginal culture. Many didgeridoos sold to tourists are not authentically produced, and often the decorations do not have deeper symbolic meaning.

Playing the didgeridoo correctly requires great skill. A tricky technique called circular breathing must be learned to play proficiently. Circular breathing requires the musician to breathe in through his nose while blowing air out through his mouth. If the skill is mastered, it is possible to play the didgeridoo continuously for extremely long periods at a time. The tutorial below is a comprehensive lesson for common Australian animal sounds as well as circular breathing.

It is incredibly easy to find traditional didgeridoo musicians with a quick search on Google or YouTube. Legends such as Burragubba and Dargin defend the importance of didgeridoo music to Aboriginal culture.

With a bit more effort, I was also able to find several modern uses of the didgeridoo. Ganga Giri is a band from Australia who combines Aboriginal culture with multi-layered grooves. Their self-described goal as a band is to “create a unique tribal-technological deep earth dance experience.” Ganga Giri is basically a bridge between traditional didgeridoo music and the modern use of the instrument in Western psytrance tunes. I dare you to listen to the entirety of “Good Voodoo” without dancing. It’s impossible.

There are not many popular artists outside of Australia who regularly use didgeridoos in their music. Aphex Twin, a British electronic musician and composer, released an EP called Digeridoo in the early ’90s. The first track of the EP, also titled Digeridoo, is considered a techno classic. M.I.A., an English rapper, also incorporated the didgeridoo into a funky song called Mango Pickle Down River. The didgeridoo is definitely the most redeeming quality of the song.

If you didn’t get enough didgeridoo sound from this article, feel free to listen to ten more relaxing hours here.

Fun fact: didgeridoos also have health benefits! Playing the didgeridoo is an alternate treatment for the common syndrome sleep apnea. Sleep apnea occurs when an individual stops breathing for several seconds while asleep. Rather than relying on a CPAP Machine each night, people can strengthen their airway muscles by playing the didgeridoo. A study in the British Medical Journal found that regular practice of circular breathing for the didgeridoo lead to less snoring and reduced sleep apnea.

The post What’s That Sound?: Didgeridoo appeared first on KRUI Radio.

“St. Clarity” is off their debut album States, out September 30th.Oddly enough, just like last week’s TOTW artist Emma-Louise, the 5-piece group hails from Australia, (Melbourne, in their case). The track starts with an intro played by a banjo, but then soothes you with it’s melodies throughout. Frontman Sam Bentley, is quoted describing the song, “At its heart, the song is about the beauty of finding clarity in a situation, . . .Seeing things from a perspective that’s clear – from an angle you haven’t seen before.”

Check out the stunning music video directed by Natasha Pincus below, and pre-order States on iTunes here.

The post Track of the Week: “St Clarity” By The Paper Kites appeared first on KRUI Radio.