MadfaMusic Feature Albums September 2013Adalita - All Day Venus (Feature Album 30 September 2013)
Sebadoh - Defend Yourself (Feature Album 23 September 2013) Ty Segall - Sleeper (Feature Album 16 September 2013) Washed Out - Paracosm (Feature Album 9 September 2013) Horrorshow - King Amongst Many (Feature Album 2 September 2013) |
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Adalita - All Day Venus (Feature Album 30 September 2013) By Fee B-Squared
Image courtesy of Rhythms Magazine
Like many, I’ve loved Adalita for an age. In so many ways, I feel like we’ve grown up together. Man, remember when Magic Dirt released "Life Was Better" in late 1994? No? You haven’t heard it? Well off you go, you have some homework to do. No really, I’m serious, go.
Since that release, so much has happened, a life is being lived and we get to hear snippets of that life via Adalita’s style of songwriting. Sometimes, just as life would have it, her writing is bleak and heavy, sad and full of heartbreak and grief. At other times it’s just painfully beautiful and magical, and throughout it all, we hear Adalita’s voice soar as it goes from strength to strength and cuts a path through it all.
She creates numerous, lingering melodies from a singular chord progression effortlessly. You find yourself listening to a track you feel you already have a grasp on and then unexpectedly, she’ll lay down another brilliantly catchy melody over the same chords, that takes you somewhere else completely.
It’s like you have a “shit yeah, that makes perfect sense” moment, but it’s a moment that not too many songwriters come through with. We heard this on her much lauded debut solo album, but this time, we’re getting a much more amped up version. Adalita sounds like she’s maturing, quite happily, and she’s bringing her Boss DS-1 distortion pedal with her.
Lyrically, while still sounding alone and dealing with all kinds of stuff (like relationships, heartbreak, betrayal, infidelity and the freedom that comes when you allow yourself to find your true self), she does have a band this time around. Matt Baily (Paradise Motel) plays bass, three drummers also feature with Hugo Cran (Devastations), Lee Parker (Spite House) and Jim White (Dirty Three) all taking turns. We also hear from violinist Willow Stuhlut, who Adalita apparently stumbled across while Stuhlut was busking in the Bourke Street Mall. Adalita casually asked Willow to come to the studio and here she is. It’s a pretty sweet story.
Since that release, so much has happened, a life is being lived and we get to hear snippets of that life via Adalita’s style of songwriting. Sometimes, just as life would have it, her writing is bleak and heavy, sad and full of heartbreak and grief. At other times it’s just painfully beautiful and magical, and throughout it all, we hear Adalita’s voice soar as it goes from strength to strength and cuts a path through it all.
She creates numerous, lingering melodies from a singular chord progression effortlessly. You find yourself listening to a track you feel you already have a grasp on and then unexpectedly, she’ll lay down another brilliantly catchy melody over the same chords, that takes you somewhere else completely.
It’s like you have a “shit yeah, that makes perfect sense” moment, but it’s a moment that not too many songwriters come through with. We heard this on her much lauded debut solo album, but this time, we’re getting a much more amped up version. Adalita sounds like she’s maturing, quite happily, and she’s bringing her Boss DS-1 distortion pedal with her.
Lyrically, while still sounding alone and dealing with all kinds of stuff (like relationships, heartbreak, betrayal, infidelity and the freedom that comes when you allow yourself to find your true self), she does have a band this time around. Matt Baily (Paradise Motel) plays bass, three drummers also feature with Hugo Cran (Devastations), Lee Parker (Spite House) and Jim White (Dirty Three) all taking turns. We also hear from violinist Willow Stuhlut, who Adalita apparently stumbled across while Stuhlut was busking in the Bourke Street Mall. Adalita casually asked Willow to come to the studio and here she is. It’s a pretty sweet story.
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Image courtesy of the Daily Telegraph
Image courtesy of watchoutfor.com
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I’m loathe to trot out the “women-in-music” card, but this album would definitely be talked about at loud volume by all and sundry in the industry if it were by a male. Adalita is not one of the best female songwriters in this country but one of the best songwriters and performers that we have in Australia full stop. Commanding, a force, unapologetic, she’s just being Adalita and not pretending to be anyone else other than that. Check out the lead breaks she reckons she “fluked” on Blue Sky and Too Far Gone. That’s talent.
Image courtesy of the Sydney Morning Herald
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This album carries a lot more ‘singles’ with it than her previous release too. Apart from “All Day Venus” and “Warm Like You”, check out “Trust Is Rust”, “Blue Sky”, “Annihilate Baby” and “My Ego”. It doesn’t have to be overly technical or overly produced, she just feels it and throws it out there and it works. It’s ridiculously fresh in a time of talent found in karaoke styled talent quests, and brings home the absurdity of the idea that, as a nation, we need to uncover the ‘next big thing’ when it has been sitting under our very noses for the past twenty years.
By Fee B-Squared |
Read about AdalitaAdalita talked about "All Day Venus" track by track with Mess and Noise. There's also an interview here courtesy of The Music. There are also reviews of the album from The Music, Heavy and Weird, The Vine and Pages Digital.
Adalita will do an East Coast tour in October and early November. Check the tour dates on her website. |
Sebadoh - Defend Yourself (Feature Album 23 September 2013) By Fee B-Squared
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The last time I saw lo-fi trio Sebadoh was at their Bakesale/Harmacy Remembering Time tour in 2011. There were and are a lot of reunion tours going on, and although I always feel conflicted about them, the previous time I’d seen Sebadoh was, to be honest, pretty shit and I wanted that to be remedied. When reunion tours are announced, I always wonder whether or not it’s their farewell or whether they’re just keen to remind you of how much you loved them before they release their next album. Luckily, the 2011 gig was great and while soaked in warm and fuzzy nostalgia, I still came away wondering if their next release would feel disappointing. So we collectively waited for another album and just as I was wondering when the break up press release would follow, the “Secret EP” came out digitally via their bandcamp page. You little teasers, this is great, but stop messing with our minds and make with an album already!
Well here it is in 2013. “Defend Yourself” is a very welcome return to the self recorded DIY sound of “Bakesale” mixed with Lou Barlow’s heartache, fear and pain. |
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Sebadoh is apparently a nonsense word that Lou Barlow used to mutter during recordings, but if you’re looking for muttering, you’re on the wrong tip. What you will find is Barlow’s usual ability to cover angst in warm and softly spoken beauty. This is coupled with Lowenstein’s somewhat harsher (or perhaps just more energetic) tone as the seemingly effortless driving beat provided by Bob D’Amico on drums keep the wheels turning. When you listen more closely however, you realise that a lot of what D’Amico’s doing is certainly not effortless nor easy, it’s just not overly showy.
Image courtesy of joyfulnoiserecordings.com
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Image courtesy of theage.com.au
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Barlow has said that he writes great breakup albums and this is no exception, but it is most certainly coming from a different perspective. This time, it’s Barlow who has walked away from a 25 year relationship (with ‘zine publisher Kathleen Billus).
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The opening song “I Will”, delivers lyrics about outgrowing a relationship, which is incredibly sad, but he sticks with the defiant “I’m still the same and if it’s leaving I must do, I will.” It’s almost an indignant resignation and perhaps self-gratifying take as to what’s coming next and what he must do, in a life we have certainly heard all about on previous releases.
This is a journey with evolving muses, whether you want it or not. Although there’s definitely a return to the old in the overall sound of the album, life is certainly moving on and I guess you can decide whether you think he’s doing it gracefully or not. Something tells me he won’t care too much. With Lowenstein joking on stage once that Sebadoh were nothing more than a “poor man’s Archers of Loaf” and Barlow saying that this album is but “another batch of breakup songs,” I’m left thinking that I have no problem with that whatsoever. Fee B-Squared The album is available through Sebadoh's Bandcamp page. |
Listen to Sebadoh...
You can hear "Beat" and "Oxygen" in the MadfaMusic September 8tracks playlist on the September Now Playing page. You can also listen to Sebadoh playing live and being interviewed in the studios of KEXP below.
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Image courtesy of sebadoh.com
Read about Sebadoh...
Read interviews with Lou Barlow courtesy of ToneDeaf, ThisIsFakeDIY and Spin. You can also check out the reviews of "Defend Yourself" from Consequence of Sound, Faster Louder and PopMatters.
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Ty Segall - Sleeper (Feature Album 16 September 2013 By Fee B-Squared
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Prolific, punk, noisy and psychedelic are usually the first words that come to mind when talking about Laguna Beach born, now LA based 26 year old artist Ty Segall. He’s a seemingly laid-back dude who shreds, creates music like a man possessed and probably overuses the word “psyched” to some extent.
His latest offering ’Sleeper’ is a slight departure in sound, more of an acoustic, psychedelic folk and lo–fi vibe and I’m digging the hell out of it. In true Ty Segall style, he released 3 albums in 2012, which is pretty much unheard of, and then things went a little quiet. Dipping into his back catalogue before listening to his new album is a crazy, fun journey, and when finally listening to the more mellow ‘Sleeper’, you certainly get the sense that this is some sort of coming of age release, and that’s probably not too far from the truth. It gives off a demo sound at times with fluid chord progressions and a less than try-hard feel, but ‘feel’ is something it most certainly possesses in abundance. |
Image courtesy of Indyweek.com
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The title ‘Sleeper’ comes from a range of nightmares and dreams he had after his adoptive father passed away due to cancer. It hit him pretty hard but he claims he couldn’t have made another noisy album at that time even if he tried. Rather than not create anything musically at all, ‘Sleeper’ is the result. Although this is an album shrouded in loss, sadness, loneliness, grief and anger (he is currently not on speaking terms with his mother), he was focused on delivering something that marked a particular moment in time for him, rather than it being intentionally autobiographical and completely self-destructive. The details surrounding the current rift with his mother are sketchy, he has said that she has done some “really bad stuff” and ‘Crazy’ was rather spontaneously written about her, which is something he claims he has never done before. He decided to roll with how he felt at the time; to be honest and not self-censor. He seems hopeful that perhaps if his Mum does hears the song, she might think about their situation and change her behavior and perhaps they can open up a new dialogue about it all. When asked whether or not this more mellow sound is the direction his future music is taking, he has said "I don't really have a plan for that kind of thing, but I do tend to move on to the next idea pretty fast….I don't like to sit around." Frankly, if you’re a fan of this style of Ty Segall, you might want to jump on for the ride now, because it seems it may not last.
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‘Sleeper’ was released by Drag City who were aware of the difference in sound, and rather than being nervous about the shift, they embraced and supported it. The label made a conscious decision not to release any clips or singles, hoping that listeners would treat it more as a journey and listen to the album as a whole. In this age of singles and sound bytes and “want it yesterday” attitudes, I think it was a gutsy move that showed great confidence in Segall’s ability to deliver the goods.
I think it has paid off. I’m into it. How about you? Fee B-Squared 
Image courtesy of independentpeople.com
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Listen to Ty Segall
The video below features Ty and the Sleeper band playing "Crazy", "The Keepers", "Live & Let Live" and "Sleeper" live at Pickathon 2013. You can listen to the whole album here via Grooveshark.
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Image courtesy of m.spin.com
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PS. You don’t need to take my word for it either, you might also like to check out the NPR review here. Alternatively, perhaps the Tinymixtapes, Billboard or Pitchfork reviews are more your style?
I’m also loving 13 year old music journalist Marcel's interview with Ty. There’s something for everyone. If you want more, check out Ty's other projects: Fuzz, Party Fowl, The Perverts, The Traditional Fools & Epsilons. Cheers, Fee. |
Image courtesy of pitchfork.com
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Washed Out - Paracosm (Feature Album 9 September 2013)
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Washed Out is the moniker adopted by Ernest Greene, who is seen as one of the creators of the Chillwave sound. Whilst Greene describes Paracosm as 'daytime psychedelia', we think of it as sunny, lush, melodic pop. Paracosm was released by Sub Pop on August 7th.
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Image courtesy of yourstru.ly
Image courtesy of Billboard.com
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Image courtesy of consequenceofsound.net
Read about Washed OutRead reviews of 'Paracosm' from Pitchfork, Faster Louder and Stereogum. You can read Pitchfork's interview with Ernest Greene here.
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Horrorshow - King Amongst Many (Feature Album 2 September 2013)
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Horrorshow are a hip hop duo from inner western Sydney, consisting of Solo (Vocals) and Adit (Producer). Their 2008 debut 'Grey Space' earned them an ARIA nomination. 'King Amongst Many' is their third album and touches on politics, privilege, family, history and racism. It was released on 2 August by Elefant Traks.
Image courtesy of wearethewall.com.au
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Listen to HorrorshowListen to 'Waste Your Time' in the August 8tracks playlist here. We've also included 'Doctor's Orders' and 'Listen Close' in our September 8tracks playlist here.
Check out Horrorshow's election edition of 'King Amongst Many' here. 
Image courtesy of canberratimes.com.au
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Catch Horrorshow live
Horrorshow are embarking on a national tour to promote King Amongst Many. Check the dates here.
Read about Horrorshow
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Listen to the MadfaMusic Feature Albums from August here
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King Krule - 6 Feet Beneath the Moon (Feature Album 26 Aug 2013)
Laura Veirs - Warp and Weft (Feature Album 19 August 2013) Pixies - Doolittle (Feature Album 'from the vault' 12 August 2013) Pond - Hobo Rocket (Feature Album 5 August 2013) |
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Listen to the MadfaMusic Feature Albums from July here
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Pluto Jonze - Eject (Feature Album 29 July 2013)
Ben Mason - Holes and Corners (Feature Album 22 July 2013) Jessica Pratt - Jessica Pratt (Feature Album 15 July 2013) Kieran Ryan - Kieran Ryan (Feature Album 8 July 2013) Jagwar Ma - Howlin' (Feature Album 1 July 2013) |
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Listen to the MadfaMusic Feature Albums from June here
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Tricky - False Idols (Feature Album 24 June 2013)
Junip - Junip (Feature Album 17 June 2013) Jen Cloher - In Blood Memory (Feature Album 10 June 2013) Laura Marling - Once I Was An Eagle (Feature Album 3 June 2013) |
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Listen to the MadfaMusic Feature Albums from May here
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Hanni El Khatib - Head in the Dirt (Feature Album 27 May 2013)
James Blake - Overgrown (Feature Album 20 May 2013) Super Wild Horses - Crosswords (Feature Album 13 May 2013) Matthew E. White - Big Inner (Feature Album 6 May 2013) |
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Listen to the MadfaMusic Feature Albums from April here
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The Black Angels - Indigo Meadow (Feature Album 29 April 2013)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Mosquito (Feature Album 22 April 2013) Kurt Vile - Wakin on a Pretty Daze (Feature Album 15 April 2013) Unknown Mortal Orchestra - II (Feature Album 7 April 2013) |
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