JIM POE , CAITLIN WELSH and KATIE CUNNINGHAM report on the second day of Vivid Sydney, featuring Danish three-piece Efterklang, “Modular Night” at the Studio and a panel on DIY as part of Song Summit. Photos by DANIEL BOUD . Efterklang JP: Denmark’s Efterklang are in town for a performance specially commissioned by Vivid. Acclaimed for their lush, complex “indie chamber pop”, the group were invited to premiere songs from their unreleased fourth album, Pyramida , at the Opera Theatre with the Sydney Symphony. It’s easy to make fun of the overweening ambition that can lead a pop performer to take ...

Someone should sit Luther Dickinson down and tell him he needs to figure out what he’s going to do with his life. Still in his 30s, Dickinson laid down his first recorded guitar licks at the age of 14 on the Replacements’ Pleased to Meet Me (produced by Luther’s father Jim) in 1987. He established [...]

Back in March of this year we sat down with Kindness in a Stoke Newington Cafe to discuss his debut album, which has been released three days earlier, 'World You Need A Change Of Mind'. The record had genuinely not left the RFB office stereo since its release and we ventured out to his sold out show at XOYO 48 hours before the interview and experienced a show that still stands as our gig of the year. Like many we came across Kindness for the first time back in late 2008, stumbling across a good looking Myspace page and first ...

Let's quit monkeying around! Gettin' our shit together, but just so all y'all know we haven't forgotten about ya (though you may have forgotten about us)! Today, it's another in our world famous series of "Greatest Song Ever Written (at least for today)".  Nuthin' much to say about this one, other than it's Tom Waits and The Replacements , two of 'Merica's greatest treasures.  From a bootleg of the  the session that gave us "Date To Church" , which we assume y'all have heard by now.  Man, to have been a fly on the wall ...

The Suburbs : Cows [ purchase ] I lived in Minneapolis back in the 80’s, so I am familiar with the Purple One. The album that includes ”Starfish and Coffee” is one my favorites of his. I never saw him perform except in that movie about Violet Precipitation and the other one which shall remain nameless. During the 1980s several other bands from the Minneapolis-St. Paul area got some critical notoriety outside Minnesota, such as The Replacements and Husker Du. Other groups like the Suburbs (from the Mpls. suburbs, of course) didn’t become as well known, and it seems a mystery ...

Upcoming Tours : Rumours have been circulating that The Replacements could be set to reunite for next year's edition of the Coachella Festival.

The Strungs Kings Of Kerhonkson Tinhorn Planet Music [2011] Fire Note Says: Looking for some solid indie rock - look no further than The Strungs! Album Review: I am not sure why our friends over at Tinhorn Planet waited so long to send us this later 2011 debut full length from The Strungs but all is forgiven after just one spin from this Replacements meets Jay Reatard record as it is a 32 minute fun rocking lo-fi experience. The group features a part-time member of  The Gifted Children and hits you with a concise 18 tracks which always gets right to ...

I just heard the news today that one of the Boston radio market’s last remaining independent, true alt rock stations (maybe the only) is being sold to the megalithic Clear Channel Communications. Music Player:  Replacements - Left Of The Dial.mp3 read more

Last year, the video's co-director Ryan Henriquez was directing a web series on the making of Deer Tick's last album Divine Providence in Providence, RI. Ryan spent several days with the band and the album's two producers, Adam Landry and Justin Collins, both of whom were interviewed for the series. During a break from recording, Justin Collins played Ryan the demo for "All The Beer Is Gone" by The Buddies, a band in which Justin sings and plays guitar, comprised of members from Chicago and Justin's hometown of Nashville. Ryan's mind was instantly blown by ...

Demi Lovato has reportedly joined Britney Spears for "X-Factor" judging duties. Her announcement will allegedly be announced tomorrow at the FOX upfronts in New York City. Lovato would serve as one of the replacements for first-season judges Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger, who were previously fired by show creator Simon Cowell. http://www.hitfix.com

If you'll pardon the slightly pompous BA Journalism term, what's the current "narrative" of the Jarman brothers? For their first few albums The Cribs were characterised as eccentric punk rockers whose ace songwriting was hampered by lo-fi production which made their brilliant songs sound like they'd been recorded in/by a tin can (which was sort of true). Then when it came to album four, 2009's Ignore the Ignorant , all eyes were on - "Hey It's Johnny Marr! Out Of The Smiths!" (and Modest Mouse) "What's He Doing In The Cribs?" That album was also ...

Austin band’s “Heartache In 4/4 Time” album of molasses-dark folk is actually its most upbeat. +++ Starlings, TN (L-R): Steven Stubblefield, Mitchell Vandenburg, Bryan Robison, Tim Bryan. Photo credit: Jason Flowers. +++ PLAY, POST & SHARE “(Tonight) I’m Just Looking To Get Laid” is the new single from “ Heartache In 4/4 Time ” by Starlings, TN   [SOUNDCLOUD]: http://soundcloud.com/fanaticpro/starlings-tn-tonight-im-just-looking-to-get-laid +++ “...as adept at songcraft as they are at chilling atmospherics. Stubblefield ’s originals prove as varied as they are addictive...” – No Depression Austin’s Starlings, TN has released the front-porch pick-and-grinner “Tonight I’m Just Looking To Get ...

Austin band’s “Heartache In 4/4 Time” album of molasses-dark folk is actually its most upbeat. +++ Starlings, TN (L-R): Steven Stubblefield, Mitchell Vandenburg, Bryan Robison, Tim Bryan. Photo credit: Jason Flowers. +++ PLAY, POST & SHARE “(Tonight) I’m Just Looking To Get Laid” is the new single from “ Heartache In 4/4 Time ” by Starlings, TN   [SOUNDCLOUD]: http://soundcloud.com/fanaticpro/starlings-tn-tonight-im-just-looking-to-get-laid +++ “...as adept at songcraft as they are at chilling atmospherics. Stubblefield ’s originals prove as varied as they are addictive...” – No Depression Austin’s Starlings, TN has released the front-porch pick-and-grinner “Tonight I’m Just Looking To Get ...

CHROME DIVISION, the Norwegian five-piece featuring DIMMU BORGIR frontman Shagrath (a.k.a.

by BBG Brooklyn band Nude Beach's new LP II has a a pronounced punk edge, while falling somewhere between the Americana of Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen and The Replacements. The sunny, well-crafted, and damn-near infinitely playable straight-up rock n' roll...