Well, here we are again. As they say, third time's the charm. If you didn't notice, we've decided to say a big fuck you to the image based magazine and have embraced the goodness that is html. If this sticks, it means that things will be (hopefully) faster to load, and it's a lot easier to maintain for me personally. Which in turn, makes things a lot faster to produce, and we may be going monthly! Or even fortnightly! Or weekly! (yeah, when pigs fly…)

In other news, we are still accepting contributors. So if you can write, draw, photograph, run errands, provide pep talks, give us a buzz at arcady@arcadymag.com to apply.

In this issue, we talk to Alana from The Grates about their upcoming DVD, Til Death Do Us Party, and what would happen in a fight between her and Buffy. We also caught up with various bands that will be playing in the extremely exciting Pauhaus Festival, including Bit By Bats, Dappled Cities Fly, Expatriate, Red Riders (we really should make a pact to mention these guys at least once in every issue…), and more. We've also packed in The Valentinos, Les Georges Leningrad, and an awesome new band from Melbourne, The Greenmatics. And not to mention a buttload of reviews and and-- argh, just go read it!

Olivia Desianti
Editor/Creative Director

PS: Special mention goes to Natasha Theohaurous, who's the amazing amazing illustrator who made this issue so pretty.

MAILING LIST

The Cribs - "Men's Needs"
Blood, twins and Yorkshire accents, what more could you want, really? All that aside, 'Men's Needs' is pure Cribs - catchy riffs, lyrics about lack of fashion and Ryan screaming into the microphone.

Beck - His entire discography...
So half the Arcady team migrated to Sydney for a little while to catch the V Festival. And OH MY FUCKING GOD - MARIONETTES FOR THE WIN!

Air - "Space Maker"
Because they're sexy and French and makes our ears go ooh la la everytime we hear this song.

Damn Arms - "Home Wrecker"
dur dur dur durr durrrrr.
dur dur dur durr durrrrr.
ner ner ner nerr nerrrrr.
dur dur dur durr durrrrr.

The Maccabees - "About Your Dress"
Because sounding like you have a sinus infection is always a good
thing...unless you're Luke Pritchard that is.

Mercy Arms - "Half Right"
If this song doesn't break your heart, you didn't have one in the first place, you poor bastard.

» Paris Hilton getting arrested

» Emo Peter Parker

» The Cribs' new album leak

» The Splendour line up

» Pete and Carl Libertine performing onstage together

» gay Boys in uniform with The Cure as background music

» Hipsterotica

» BLUR RECORDING TOGETHER IN AUGUST. FO' Real This time apparently...

» The Melbourne International Comedy Festival in general

» Especially jokes about Morissey by a librarian with an edge


» Interpol's new album songtitles (wtf. There is no I in Threesome?!)

» Caleb Followill looking like a long lost Hanson brother

» Kate Moss' TopShop range

» Arty overhyped fucks who like to get nekkid (a lot) and think they're Jesus

» Red Riders not doing a gig in Canberra

» The Logies kicking out The Chaser, making it suck much more than usual

» FFS, six is enough! Let it go, man, let it go...

As nu-rave filters down to the metro/Chapel St/undesirable end of popular culture spectrum, a new electro pop group with proper influences from the 80s are starting to emerge from Melbourne.

So, how did Les Georges Leningrad come about? How did you meet? Is there a cool story behind that? 
It's a story about fashion. We were all in fashion when we first met. We where all in Prague for a dinner and Bobo started to make noise with his feet. So me and Poney follow him by making noise with our fart and mouth. And that's it! 

There isn't much of a biography or known history on the internet for the band. Is this because you want people to focus more on the music than the personal lives of the band or what? 
It's funny cause Les Georges Leningrad are now in big discussion with a film-maker for a big movie (Radeq Brousil, who worked with Fellini in the 70's). It will be released maybe in 2010. One of the biggest writers in Canada (ti-Pere alias [Cecile Petrole]) is writing a biography about us too. 

You are known for your crazy wacky antics. Just how crazy are you? 
Like caveman. Like Louisiana people! Like dogs with fleas! 

What are some of the most over the top stuff you guys have done on stage? 
It's too far in my head. We are so in another world when we are on stage that after each show we have memory blanks. 

How'd you get the name for your new album, Sangue Puro ? 
Sangue Puro is the result of 7 years being together. Strength of blood [has] no limits. Facing death is the way for us to create. Be prophetic man!! It's also about a Portuguese book. 

What did the person who got kicked out of the band do and where did she go? 
She's now at the country side. She's a fortune teller. She's kind of rich and she doesn't remember us at all! 

Does Poney P like being the centre of attention now? 
We put tape on her mouth every day so she can't talk. But animals are animals and girls are girls. We found her a Polish man who's now taking care of her. 

What has been inspirational for Les Georges Leningrad musically and artistically? 
For me it's a blend of Bunuel movies, Italian horror movies and a touch of The Residents' music. I can't tell you what is the inspiration for the two others. It's a presidential secret. 

How did you get the idea of having your own unique individual stage persona? Do they reflect your real life personas or are they more calculated, performance-piece-type things?
This is not a unique individual stage persona. We always have a link to start something. Always something in our life. You know things that we see around us. And maybe it reflects a little bit our real life. Who knows.

Do you, on a personal level, prefer to focus more on the music or the performance? 
We are more focusing on our life now. We are mentally sick.

No, we're still not exactly sure what they're all about, either, but we tried.

Amy Dorozenko

After their formation in 2005, The Valentinos immediately established themselves as major players on Sydney's indie scene. Two years, two EPs and a number of line-up changes later, the band is getting ready to hit the studio to record their debut album with critically acclaimed DJ and producer, Ewan Pearson.

But just where did The Valentinos expect to be after two years? I put this question to bassist Pat Santamaria, who (when not rocking out) runs his own graphic design company. “Musically, I think we were hoping to be at this point, but certainly not in terms of success – I don't think we were too ambitious in that sense.” So will there be a point when the design work will have to take a backseat? “That point is approaching very soon, but I don't want to let go of the other things I love completely. So I think I'll always be illustrating and stuff like that. Although I think for the time being I'm going to have to concentrate on the band.”

The Valentinos toured Japan last year and received an amazing, yet somewhat unexpected response. “Before Japan we had spent a few weeks touring around the UK and Europe, which we found really hard because before that we had been in Sydney playing to our crowds. We were put flat on our arses once we got over there because we didn't know anyone. Then on our way home we went to Japan expecting more of the same, if not worse, and the kids just went mental over there.”

In April, Pat and the boys played to sell out crowds at Australia's inaugural V Festivals – sharing the stage with the likes of Beck, The Pet Shop Boys and Groove Armada. But unfortunately they didn't get to meet The Pixies, who have had a major influence on their music. “I had images of meeting them backstage and just hanging out and drinking beer with them, but it was nothing like that – they kept to themselves – arrived just before they were due to play and left straight after.

It was fairly disappointing, but I guess with huge bands like that you can only really grasp at them from below.”

As for his personal influences; “I'm a little bit of an Ice-T fan”, which explains his self appointed nickname on the band's myspace page. “When I was younger grunge bands were a big influence on me – like Nirvana and Sonic Youth. I used to only listen to rock music and there was a clear division in my mind that it was real music and that everything else was something inferior, until at some point around the time I finished school I opened my mind to the other possibilities and these days I listen to a lot of electronic artists.”

The debut album from the band is expected for release early next year. “We're at the point now where we're demo-ing tracks for the album and sending them to Ewan, so he's having a listen to them now and sending his ideas back – just like file sharing I guess – and then when he comes to Sydney later on in the year we will just spend a lot of time in the studio with him recording.”

The first single from the album (titled Seventeen Deaths) is the first of The Valentinos' workings with Berlin based Ewan Pearson and is expected to be released later this month. “I'm really looking forward to it. It was a really special time in the studio that I hope has been captured in this single”. The track was recorded on one of Ewan's days off during his recent Australian tour. “We really connected with him – both musically and personally – and so we decided at that time that we should work on the album together.”

Due to “overseas problems” the band will be playing their last shows as The Valentinos on the 18th and 19th of May in Sydney and Melbourne respectively. Pat did not want to say what name the band would be going to. “It would be a major coup if I told you.”

Nicholas Argy

May sees the release of the hugely anticipated album from Chicago's favourite sons, Dinosaur Jr. It is the first studio album for the reformed band since 1988's Bug.

“Bug was pretty bad energy. We relate to each other differently now. Lou never used to talk before, now he talks.”

With that being said, for this interview, J Mascis decided to let his reputation and music speak for him. We were on the phone for under ten minutes and he didn't say much of anything really. For a man that has a reputation of hating the press, I wasn't surprised.

Those that grew up listening to grunge would remember this band as being one of the older brothers of bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam. Like Sonic Youth, Janes Addiction and the Pixies, Dinosaur Jr were the band that they aspired to be like. They're often classified under “grunge” because of this.

While the band's most popular singles “Start Choppin'” and “Feel The Pain” weren't released til the early 90s, the current line-up is the one that they're remembered for. Barlow and Mascis came to blows in 1989, with Barlow being kicked out of the band. Barlow went on to do Sebadoh, while Murph continued on behind the drums for a couple of years. In the later years, Mascis was supported by George Berz on drums and Mike Johnson on bass.

After 1997's “Hand It Over”, Dinosaur Jr had had enough. Mascis went on to do solo stuff with his backing band The Fog, touring Australia a few times.

In 2004, the master rights to the first three albums were back in Mascis's hands. They were re-issued and were released with an announcement that the original line-up were reuniting for a tour. Time passed quickly and now Beyond is due to hit your friendly record stores.

“We thought we could play some more shows, then we thought we should have some new songs. Either it'll stay the same, get worse, but it just seems a step we have to take for the next thing to happen, for it to keep going or for it to end. It just seems like: We might as well do this and see what happens.”

The only thing that is different about the band from the one you remember from the 1980s is that they're now recorded on digital, as opposed to analog. “There's some loud guitar.” Mascis said. “It's different songs, so I guess it's different. It's hard to tell. All records are different. It's a photo album of a year, of its time.”

Dinosaur Jr. are set to come back to Australia in July, touring nationally.

Amy Dorozenko

happens” - teamed with the issue of using new equipment he's "not quick to learn”, its no wonder that Tamborello admits that “A recording studio would end up costing a lot of money.” And of course, a regular studio would not enable the meticulous labouring that Tamborello requires.

Mr.Tamborello explains again that his emphasis on re-working and re-editing songs is something that is extremely time consuming, and like a light-bulb in my head, it appears that a paradox occurs in him: an impatient perfectionist. He's already admitted to being rather impatient, but on the perfectionist accusation he is quick to refute but then changes his mind. “I don't think so (referring to whether he is a perfectionist). I'll just accept that sometimes things can't be exactly how I imagined it. I can see what I would change and re-work…so I guess maybe that does make me a perfectionist.”

Dumb Luck differs in several ways from Dntel's first full length release, Life Is Full of Possibilities . Firstly, there has been a label change from Plug Research to the more mainstream label Sub-Pop; who has been home for artists such as The Shins, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Hot Hot Heat and The Rapture .

“I started feeling that I needed to make it ( Dumb Luck ) sound a certain way. I felt I had to be more mainstream and appeal to a larger audience, but then I released I don't like that kind of stuff, so I didn't have to appropriate.”

Thankfully, Tamborello kept true to himself, and Dumb Luck is spacious and beautifully so, something that would accompany you as you sit in an large and empty glass box while you watch the world happen from the inside.

Mirroring many of his other projects, contributors on Dumb Luck are high numbered and quite eye-brow raising. Members of Grizzly Bear and Mystic Chords of Memory are on Dumb Luck , along with friends Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley fame and Bright-Eyed Conor Oberst .

As the interview comes to a progressed end, my last request is for Mr.Tamborello to describe his baby – a question which he hesitates with most and approaches with caution. “ Dumb Luck to me is a big pile of different beats and ideas barely held together…it still sounds like Dntel to me.”

Adela Amanowicz

The 1920s had Bauhaus. And as of June 9, 2007 will have Pauhaus.

In celebration of the infamous Powerhouse re-opening its doors after a classic refurbishment, the inaugural festival of contemporary music will embrace Brisbane with open arms for the first time. Just like Bauhaus was a rich period of art and architecture in Europe throughout the 1920s, Pauhaus will bring an amazing array of Australian talent to the city – The Grates, The Panics, Expatriate, Red Riders, Dappled Cities Fly, Bit By Bats, Macromantics, Whitley, Wons Phreely, Operator Please, Violent Soho, Yves Klein Blue, Purple Sneakers, Red Ghost and the one, the only Ed Kuepper (formerly of The Saints). 

Pauhaus is the love child of Paul Pittico ( Dew Process Recordings/Splendour In The Grass ). He plans to put the Powerhouse back on Brisbane's live music radar. “Since my very first Powderfinger photoshoot 15 years ago at what was once a derelict, junkie-inhabited shell, I've always been inspired by the Powerhouse – it's visually spectacular and the space instills a real feeling of grandeur.” If you're missing LIVID and the summer festival season, then make sure you're there for the very first Pauhaus!

Bit By Bats - Peter Gravestock
How are you?
High.

Where are you?
On an aeroplane, 35,000 feet above regional Victoria.

What has 2007 meant to you so far?
It has meant that people finally get to hear our debut album.

What were you doing 20 years ago?
I can say with absolute certainty that I was breathing.

What was the first album you bought?
‘LA Woman' by The Doors.

What was the first concert you went to?
The Cure in Adelaide on the Wish Tour.

Which song do you wish you had written?
So many! My Top Four right now are: ‘How To Make Gravy' by Paul Kelly, ‘Why Don't The Buildings Cry' by Youth Group, ‘Imagine' by John Lennon and ‘There is a Light That Never Goes Out' by The Smiths.

If you could talk to your teenage self, what advice would you give?
‘Rum and cola really isn't as great as you think it is.'

You're playing the Pauhaus Festival, which will relaunch the newly refurbished Powerhouse as a contemporary music festival. How important do you think this event will be to the Australian music industry?
Not sure. I hope that it reinforces to the rest of Australia how enthusiastic and supportive audiences in Qld are of original Australian music.

What has the rest of the year got in store for you?
We'll just see if this plane lands safely first …

Dappled Cities - Tim Derricourt
How are you?
I feel like Christopher Walken in The Deerhunter: Oddly attractive but increasingly willing to enter into some kind of Russian roulette tournament, even at the expensive of losing my friends, lover and life.

Where are you?
The new polar bear enclosure at the zoo. This little guy gives a human face to the plight of the polar bear.

What has 2007 meant to you so far?
I've had a good feeling about this year since 2004. And so far, it has lived up to those expectations. It has been the fulfilment of ambitions to take our music to other places and meet excellent new folks.

What were you doing 20 years ago?
Learning how to skateboard and eating frog jelly.

What was the first album you bought?
Live at Winterland by Jimi Hendrix. I actually thought the he sung “Hey Jude”, but it turned out to be “Hey Joe”. Still amongst my favourites though.

What was the first concert you went to?
Regurgitator at a benefit for the ABC.

Which song do you wish you had written?
All is full of love – Bjork.

If you could talk to your teenage self, what advice would you give?
Eat the elephant one piece at a time.

You're playing the Pauhaus Festival, which will relaunch the newly refurbished Powerhouse as a contemporary music festival. How important do you think this event will be to the Australian music industry?
Smaller festivals are definitely an increasingly appealing thing. They give people the chance to see a group of bands that are maybe not so commercially popular or who don't play bigger festivals, and then see them in a drunken festival environment, so you think they are amazing and you give them presents, like socks and chup-a-chups, like famous bands get when they play festivals.

What has the rest of the year got in store for you?
Moving to America with Dappled. And maybe getting married in Quebec.

Expatriate - Damian Press
How are you?
Nursing a hangover after Mtv music awards last night. I have devolved into an ameoba but after some Portuguese delights I am slowly working my way back up the food chain.

Where are you?
Ginsberg Studios, Sydney

What has 2007 meant to you so far?
Lots of travel, learning and expanding consciousness.

What were you doing 20 years ago?
Watching Thunderbirds and listening to The Beach Boys

What was the first album you bought?
Appetite for Destruction [Guns ‘N' Roses]

What was the first concert you went to?
Hoodoo Gurus

Which song do you wish you had written?
‘God Only Knows', The Beach Boys

If you could talk to your teenage self, what advice would you give?
Shut up and play your guitar and get piano lessons.

You're playing the Pauhaus Festival, which will relaunch the newly refurbished Powerhouse as a contemporary music festival. How important do you think this event will be to the Australian music industry?
Bringing music culture together is fabric and fundamental for many a great night just stay

What has the rest of the year got in store for you?
Touring touring touring, writing writing writing.

Red Riders - Alex Grigg
How are you?
I can't complain, everyone gets fat except the Rolling Stones.

Where are you?
In my house in Newtown while torrential rain threatens to beat down my feeble roof.

What has 2007 meant to you so far?
Airports, aeroplanes, taxis, tinnitus, sound check, crowds, riders, birthday presents in Adelaide,  The Vines, walking across the Story Bridge to Fortitude Valley at 6 in the morning cos no cab would stop. Stuff like that.

What were you doing 20 years ago?
I was 4, so I dunno, playing with some He-Man action figures or some junk.

What was the first album you bought?
Cosmic Thing by The B-52s. It's still pretty good, although ‘Love Shack' has been ruined for me. When it comes on anywhere I turn and run.

What was the first concert you went to?
Spiderbait and Something For Kate at The Metro in Sydney, back when they did all ages shows on Sunday afternoons. Memories.

Which song do you wish you had written?
‘It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)' by Bob Dylan. It's off his album Bringing It All Back Home and it just slays me everytime. I would kill to write an iconic line like, "Even the President of the United States must sometime stand naked".

If you could talk to your teenage self, what advice would you give?
It's really not as big a deal as it seems right now. And to make out with Kathleen more and please don't start that club.

You're playing the Pauhaus Festival, which will relaunch the newly refurbished Powerhouse as a contemporary music festival. How important do you think this event will be to the Australian music industry?
I'd say probably the single most important thing to happen to the Australian Music Industry ever. EVER. Sure kicks Barnes-y's arse.

What has the rest of the year got in store for you?
We will be heading out for some special shows through June with some good friends of ours, you'll have to keep posted for further details shortly. I can tell you its going to be loads of fun though.

Violent Soho - Luke Boerdam
How are you?
Really Good. Just finsihed touring with Bit by Bats, and started recording for next release. A whole round of shows have been booked for coming months and we look forward to getting to down to Melbourne and Sydney more often.

Where are you?
In a dodgy youth hostel in Sydney using the free 15min internet access we were given with our beds. (Thats why our answers are short)

What has 2007 meant for you?
2007 is going to be a big year for us. We have decided to do as much touring as possible. (Which has already resulted in loss of employment). We are also really keen to get new material out there.

What were you doing 20 years ago?
Breast Feeding

What Was the First Album you bought?
Lilly Lolly and the Lolly Lillies - by Lillylo

What was the First Concert you went to?
Carmen - A renowned Christian Male Artist. Mum said it would be good.

Which song do you wish you had written?
‘Happy Birthday'

If you could talk to your teenage self, what advice would you give?
Stop being a dick head!

You're playing the Pauhaus Festival, which will relaunch the newly refurbished Powerhouse as a contemporary music festival. How important do you think this event will be to the Australian music industry?
After the loss of Livid Festival, and the appearance of more international festivals (overcracked, Taste of Chaos, V Festival) it is refreshing to see a Brisbane run festival that supports contemporary music from around Australia. Brisbane has already established itself as one of the centres in alternative music, this festival will simply re-affirm this.  

What has the rest of the year got in store for you?
Touring, touring and more touring, a release and eventually, more loss of employment.

Whitley
How are you?
Fine.

Where are you?
In my flat in Melbourne, I have just finished cleaning. There are lots of guitars here.

What has 2007 meant to you so far?
Learning self restraint and patience. Working hard. It's also meant lots of shows with some great people coming along to see them.

What were you doing 20 years ago?
Running around the West Australian desert butt naked, letting it all hang out in the red desert. Smiling honest smiles in the shadow of a satellite dish.

What was the first album you bought?
Pennywise - About Time

What was the first concert you went to?
Fear Factory - Obsolete Tour

Which song do you wish you had written?
'Railroad Man' - The Eels

If you could talk to your teenage self, what advice would you give?
Sell all your shit and go to Europe. Take your guitar.

You're playing the Pauhaus Festival, which will relaunch the newly refurbished Powerhouse as a contemporary music festival. How important do you think this event will be to the Australian music industry?
I think it looks like a great thing for Bris-vegas. Melbourne has a lot of mini-festivals and things, but I have never seen one with such an interesting line up that is just for Bris-vagans.

What has the rest of the year got in store for you?
The release of the first Whitley album in July (ish). Hopefully lots of gigs and looking into being a carbon neutral artist.

Yves Klein Blue
How are you?
Not too shabby. Wondering what to do tonight. I could go out but I'm attempting to save my money. I'll probably end up staying in playing video games. It always turns out like that.

Where are you?
At home on my computer with my feet out the window. Yes they're out the window – it's a great footrest.

What has 2007 meant to you so far?
A focus on the band – we all took this year off from university to work with the band. We've come to the conclusion that if the band doesn't take off sometime soon we'll give up. So we have a bit of a strict deadline, but we're not going too badly right now. We're recording our debut album in June, and we've supported some killer acts like The Dears and Dappled Cities Fly so I'm digging how things are going – things move scarily fast though.

What were you doing 20 years ago?
I didn't exist – I was just a twinkle in my parent's eyes. Apparently. Michael (He's the lead singer) would have just recently been conceived. We're just kids.

What was the first album you bought?
The Living End's self-titled debut. Man I loved that CD. Chris Cheney rocks the guitar. Before that all I really listened to was my dads stuff and my sister's Spice Girls records. Good albums those!

What was the first concert you went to?
Back in probably 97/98 or something – I went to this free concert at the Brisbane Riverstage. The Butterfly Effect played, that's the only band I can remember. Man they were loud, that's all I can really remember. They were befouling my young virgin ears!

Which song do you wish you had written?
Springsteen's “Born To Run”, I can play that riff forever and a day. “September Gurls” by Big Star would be up there too. There's too many out there.

If you could talk to your teenage self, what advice would you give?
Well I'm technically still a teenager. But if I were younger , like high school young I would probably tell myself to have more fun and get more drunk at parties. There wasn't enough party time man! Damn private schools.

You're playing the Pauhaus Festival, which will relaunch the newly refurbished Powerhouse as a contemporary music festival. How important do you think this event will be to the Australian music industry?
I don't know how important it will be, I'm no industry analyst, but I am damn excited! The Powerhouse is a really cool place and I don't ever remember it being host to big name acts such as the ones on show at this festival. It's very cool that we get to play at the reopening with all these other great Australian bands. Besides, Brisbane needs some more rad venues. And for YKB it's more great exposure – the more the better.

What has the rest of the year got in store for you?
We're recording our first album in June, supporting Wolf & Cub early May, our first proper gigs in Sydney later, and hopefully lots more shows and stuff. We're looking forward to whatever the future brings us. Hopefully this future will involve success and riches – we have always wanted personalised gold crowns and sceptres. I'm looking forward to that day.

Amy Dorozenko

Aa - GAame
The Chinese Stars - Listen To Your Left Brain
The Death of a Party - The Rise and Fall of Scarlet City
Dinosaur Jr - Beyond

Grinderman
Iain Archer - Magnetic North
Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero
The Whigs - Give 'Em All A Big Fat Lip

Big A Little a
GAame

8/10

Whenever I get a CD/DVD that doesn't impress me on the first spin I usually end up dropping it for something else and only coming back to it some time later. Ordinarily with GAame this would have been the case, but instead I listened to this CD/DVD combo with patience and commitment; first go.

Experimental use of contrast and repetition is obvious. Unique assortments of bells, beeps and buzzes are plenty; but so plentiful are they that at times the CD sounds like an empty warehouse – bleak, boring, removed and empty.

Saviour is found in tracks “3”, “7” and particularly “10”; tracks that are rhythmically held together with complex drum stylings and surges of violent and semi-psychotic vocals that paint an intensely killer live show in your mind.

The DVD regurgitates live footage that feeds your thesis and excites your senses until you realize you may not ever witness a BIG A little a riot. Film clips are quirky but leave much to be desired.

The CD is good, but not one you would listen to constantly. The DVD is good, but not one you would watch repetitively.

The absence of a track listing will shit you and the artwork will make up for it.

Don't spend your cash on this pack but if there's ever news of a tour; consider coughing up the dough.

Adela Amanowicz

The Chinese Stars
Listen To Your Left Brain

8/10

Did someone say sophomore slump? Second album syndrome?

Rhode Island dance-punk maestros The Chinese Stars know nothing of the sort, as Listen to Your Left Brain defiantly proves. A 9-track drumfire of all-killer, no-filler, no-wave noise, it's Eric Paul's Sebastien Grainger-style yelp which is the real star.

On opening track “Drugs and Sunshine”, a funky bassline and jerky guitar oddly reminiscent of The Clash 's “Rock The Casbah” are seconds later pulped to desperate paranoia as Paul shrieks “ What are they gonna do to my body when they unplug me from the machine?”

“All My Friends are Getting High”, despite the 90s stoner-rock it suggests, evokes the ghastly spirit of Floydian drug anthem “Comfortably Numb”, while “Cold Cold Cold” gets limbs shaking with the kind of filthy bass that would do Peaches proud.

Yet it's “Shake off the Nurse” which sees Paul at his most harrowing. A bleak profession of unrequited love, through perverted surrealist imagery of test tubes and slaughter, its only relief stems from the Rapture -esque disco-punk his bandmates provide.

Not since Talking Heads has a band so effectively induced simultaneous dance and terror within it listeners. Oh but how it's ace.  

Aleena Glentis

7/10

The revival of rock movements that are decades-gone need always be approached with ambivalence. An initial burst of fresh air amongst a largely dull period (here's looking at you, The Strokes ), it's inevitably followed by an endless army of clones riding the wave of their success. This is where San Francisco 's The Death of a Party differ. Sure, post-punk is nothing new, but instead of sounding like an 11-track reworking of Gang of Four's Damaged Goods , their debut LP The Rise and Fall of Scarlet City adds to its post-punk core a myriad of influences with such great subtlety that it never compromises its contemporary character.

Album highlight “The Fox & The Hound” illustrates modern love like The Cure's seminal debut, while “Scarlet City Millionaire's Club” is laced with the sort of finger click-inducing basslines that should be compulsory to all guitar rock post-1979.

“Emerald Crowns” sounds like Pixies ' lost attempt at be-bop, and while all this may come across as slightly unoriginal, frontman Gareth Nicholas manages to define the band's own identity by injecting his lyrics with a quintessentially 21 st Century paranoia.

Combined with the occasional psychotic holler of their British contemporaries ¡Forward Russia ! , these Bay Area freshmen are likely to inspire even the most severe introvert to think and boogie like David Byrne.  

Aleena Glentis

10/10

The first studio album in 19 years with the original line-up for grunge pioneers, Dinosaur Jr is a clear consolidation that not much has changed. They're still the guitar driven life-force with the screechy scratchy vocals of someone who smokes at least a pack a day.  

Dinosaur Jr were never the consistent band that they appear to be on Beyond . It's an album that could either make them a lot of new fans, or lose them a lot of their loyal fanbase, or could even end up beating Bug on all the critics Greatest lists. The digital recording seems to flatter their sound a lot more, making them a much more enjoyable band to listen to, compared to analog, which made them sound as dirty and punk as J Mascis's hair.  

“Back To Your Heart” sounds like “Floaty” which the Foo Fighters wrote and appeared on their self-titled debut album. Whether Mascis was meaning to do this or not, remains to be seen. But all in all, it's a much better song than that other one, so let's just forget about who influenced who for a second here. It could just be Dinosaur Jr repaying the favour, as I'm sure Nirvana stole a few riffs from them over the years.  

It might be about time to forget about re-formations being the new black and just learn to live with it. After all, the bands that are reforming are about a billion times better than your average emo band anyway. And without these bands, we would all be drowning in our own tears. Long live, Dinosaur Jr !  

Amy Dorozenko

9/10

Comprised of members of The Bad Seeds, Dirty Three and Mr Nick Cave himself, Grinderman represents a sum of its parts, as well as being an entirely different beast in itself. Cave is playing guitar as he has very rarely done on any past recordings, and the overall style follows his lead into wholly primitive, visceral crunch and, well… grind .

Imagine The Birthday Party moustachioed Colonial-style in a whiskey-fuelled punch-on with their instruments and you're getting warm. It's raw, and Oh! Gracious it's good.

Now, if you haven't already run out and bought the album by this stage in the review, allow me to be slightly objective in saying that the simple, crude style is its strength, but it's also its weakness.

Musically the band is tight, and songs clock in well before they wear out their welcome, however there's a bit of a tendency to reach for the plain/Jane rhyming patterns, which can be a bit hit-and-miss later in the album.

It's a spoken word kick-off into two balls-to-the-wall garage-fuzz-grind tracks before mellowing slightly and then crunching it back again at the climax.

Just try not to stomp along to it.  

Thom Holland

7/10

Idioms are for idiots. I always judge a book by its cover. Albums too. Magnetic North looks like a bland, straight into the bargain bin bore. Fortunately, this isn't so.

"Canal Song (End Of Sentence)" opens and sets a beautiful and pleasant mood by replicating the feel of a time when reciprocated love and hand-holding on warm summer days was a norm. Radio whore "When It Kicks In" is the next surprise; a playful pop song with an up-beat and danceable tune about terrorist violence. It IS the perfect paradox.

As the album continues, one thing becomes clear – it is filled with ups and downs. There are songs that are borderline breath-taking and well arranged, and others that are almost as lame as wearing heels to the grocery store.

They'll be many repeats, but equally as many skips.

Adela Amanowicz

9/10

This latest offering from Nine Inch Nails is their best release since The Fragile . Year Zero is a perfect blend of synth and metal-punk-core which the Nine Inch Nails first introduced us to in 1989. As always, Trent Reznor seems to be one step ahead of the world, as there is nothing that sounds quite like this album. It's noisy, brash and fucking cool. You could listen to it on repeat for days and never get sick of it. It's a never ending journey of discovery. 

The album's opener “Hyperpower!” is what we've come to expect from Trent Reznor . It gets you ready for what's to come, with it's high energy fusion of guitar and keys. The first thing you notice is the churning/grinding of the synthesiser which seems to transport you back to the Third Reich. But keep in mind this is an intro and is thus treated as such. 

The marketing team behind the Nine Inch Nails must be filled with geniuses. For the months leading up to the release of Year Zero , memory sticks were found in toilets at Nine Inch Nails gigs with one song on them, as well as band t-shirts containing highlighted letters that spell out “I am trying to believe”. This caused a world-wide frenzy and soon everyone was awaiting the next release. When Trent Reznor announced that it was going to be a concept album, however, fans were worried. This was something new and people weren't sure if Reznor could pull it off. www.iamtryingtobelieve.com was registered as a website, with several related websites found in the IP range, all describing a dystopian vision of the world fifteen years in the future. It is about the end of the world, a glimpse of what's to come. 

Amy Dorozenko

8/10

It's apparent from the very first twangs of The Whigs' self-funded and produced debut album Give ‘Em All A Big Fat Lip that 60's Pop music is a big influence – and in no way is that a bad thing here.

The simple construction and precise craftsmanship of their special brand of Southern-Fried Garage Rock reminds of summer days, cicadas and blinding sunshine as a young teenager and it's easily imaginable that it could become the cult-soundtrack to someone's late childhood or one of those left-of-centre-coming-of-age -Indie-films.

Now, when the only thing you can find about a new band's debut is glowing recommendations on all fronts it's easy to be very, very sceptical, but G.T.A.A.B.F.L. is just so damn catchy and likeable it was hard to find any fault big enough to bring the album down.

Think cruisy alt-country on a hot‘n'lazy weekend and you'd be getting close. Nothing too flashy or fancy, just solid, tight and more infectious than a $4 hooker.

Recommended.

(The album, not the hooker)

Thom Holland

Flogging Molly
The Go Set
This War

Thursday 5th of April, 2007
The Metro Nightclub, Melbourne

Photos: Olivia Desianti

Irish-American nutters Flogging Molly may look more like the parents of Arcade Fire , but tonight, oddly enough at Melbourne's converted theatre The Metro, the atmosphere they evoke is more akin to an early Sex Pistols gig at the 100 Club.

The last-minute withdrawal of gypsy-punk pioneers and label-mates Gogol Bordello from the support slot leaves the venue significantly less crowded than anticipated, and the two mediocre bands drafted in at the very last minute are, let's face it, not nearly as entertaining as a Ukrainian-American riding through the crowd on a giant bass drum. Even Flogging Molly frontman Dave King expresses bitterness at their absence, claiming “that's what happens when you put actors in a band.”

Their Pogues-esque brand of Celtic-punk may not be for everyone, but the heart-warming larrikin quality with which it's executed from the minute Flogging Molly hit the stage unites the largely diverse crowd in a chaotic haze of brutal body-slamming and passionate pogoing. As the anthemic beast “Screaming at the Wailing Wall” is unleashed, what is most apparent, not to mention surprising, is that despite the insane antics of the punters, the extraordinary respect and care they have for each other surpasses anything I've ever experienced at an indie gig. A mohawked fanatic leaps off the stage only to be met with the unyielding floor, and ten others are there to

Sure, even the most hardcore Flogging Molly fan may, at some point or another, have trouble distinguishing one fiddle melody from another, but the quintessentially Irish passion with which these songs are realised evokes a declarative energy turned insanity in the scene that unfolds before me. “Drunken Lullabies” aids an unceasing flow of power-driven anthems, while “Tobacco Island” sees the greatest jig-inducing fiddle solo ever witnessed.

These may not be Libertinesian scenes of utter adoration, but there's a powerful band-crowd reciprocation at play here that is highly evocative of the Arcadian troupe, a devotion unequalled amongst apathetic “scene” types.

Bassist Nathen Maxwell hops around like an amphetamine-addled Paul Simonon , and as he fronts “Queen Anne's Revenge”, his “Guns of Brixton” if you will, he exhibits an otherwise hidden talent.

This is punk in its purest form. This is brilliant. When a movement which claims to rebel against the mainstream churns out an endless supply of uninspired clones akin to, say, the mainstream, its soul is shattered. Many a rib may be broken and many a shoe lost, but the positive affirmation each punter takes home is more than a just compensation. Now that's punk. And never is this more apparent than in the proclamative triumph of “Swagger”'s chorus, as the crowd echo the band like a drunken Irish pub at last call. This is grand, like.

Aleena Glentis

Thursday 10th of April, 2007
Prince of Wales, Melbourne

Photos: Olivia Desianti

There's something about The Magic Numbers that can make anyone smile. Whether it's their AMAZING voices, or the pop melody or even their always smiling faces as you watch them play. Even as Romeo tries to be a bastard on Nevermind The Buzzcocks by saying "Ahh just keep killing those foreigners man", he still sounded so nice and happy! This is the environment that surrounds The Prince bandroom at this very night.

The room is surrounded by beautiful music as The Magic Numbers play through their discography. Highlights were "Love is a Game" and "I See You You See Me", the latter where Angela recieves a huge applause as she starts singing with her beauti-- HOLY SHIT IT'S FAB MORETTI AND HAR MAR BACKSTAGE!!! asdfghjkl;

Ahem. So yes, The Magic Numbers, right. They were rad, right.

Thursday 28th of April, 2007
Bootleg, Melbourne

Photos: Olivia Desianti

Style over content is my first impression of Teenager, none of the band seem to know what's going on throughout the set as singer Nick Littlemore rides a lengthy ego trip that might make him look cool, but also a bit of a wanker, regularly insulting his brother handling the visual show and frequently refusing to play until certain conditions are met. The band has some good songs held together by a lot of filler, and even the band admits it. A lot of music press are raving about Teenager and whilst they certainly fit slap bang into the middle

of what's currently trendy and fashionable, I'm clearly not sufficiently off my head or cool to understand why.

Damn Arms take to the stage looking like component parts of completely different bands, fey Indie, Garage Rockers and synth player Yama Indra looks a little like he should be in Goldie Looking Chain. Initially plagued by technical problems and disagreements about what songs to play a solid set of electro rock gradually emerges with frantic drumming, screeching vocals and plenty of heavy riffs. Unfortunately whatever it is ‘in the air' pervades throughout Damn Arms set and despite some good tunes, the stage show is flat and uninspiring, the band finish their set, no one seems to care a great deal, and normal nightclub activity is resumed.

Chris Chinchilla

PAUHAUS FESTIVAL

From Expatriate to Macromantics, this is physical proof, nay, a celebration of just how brilliant and varied our home grown talent is.

June 9: Brisbane - The Powerhouse

DINOSAUR JR

Garner what little hearing you have left from last March, as the veteran noise-maestros road test new LP Beyond.

July 5: Byron Bay - Great Northern Hotel
July 6: Brisbane - The Tivoli
July 7: Sydney - Metro Theatre
July 8: Sydney - Metro Theatre
July 9: Auckland - The Studio
July 11: Canberra - University of Canberra Union
July 12: Melbourne - The Forum
July 13: Adelaide - The Gov
July 14: Perth - The Capitol

THE LONG BLONDES

These kinky art rockers/style gurus have been chosen for the Reading Festival main stage for a reason. Find out why when they hit our shores this August.

August 3: Brisbane - The Zoo
August 4: Sydney - Metro
August 5: Melbourne - The Hi Fi
August 7: Perth - Capitol
August 8: Adelaide - Fowlers

THE BEDROOM PHILOSOPHER (WITH JOSH EARL)

Get ready to giggle with glee at the snappiest lyrics in town as The Renegades Of Folk showcase their comedic minstrel brilliance.

May 31: Melbourne - Wesley Anne

DAPPLED CITIES FLY/RED RIDERS

Sydney brings the nation the cream of its indie-sewn crop with this double-headline tour in June.

June 9: Brisbane - Pauhaus Festival
June 15: Sydney - Metro Theatre
June 23: Melbourne - The Corner
June 24: Adelaide - Governor Hindmarsh

MACACA MULATTA

Former Art Brut guitarist Chris Chinchilla takes the all-new Aussie incarnation of his band out for a test drive. Anglophiles, you have been warned.

June 7: Melbourne - Gertrude's
June 30: Irene's

Editor & Creative Director
Olivia Desianti

Deputy Editor
Kate Walton

Illustrations & Senior Busybody
Natasha Theoharous

Publicist & Senior Writer
Amy Dorozenko

Senior Writer
Aleena Glentis

Contributors
Nicholas Argy
Leanda Chia
Adela Amanowicz
Thom Holland
Chris Chinchilla

arcady@arcadymag.com

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