Friday, March 27, 2009

A Night Time Skyway - 5/5

I am writing this review, not only because front man Matt Bones has been a good friend for the last few years, but to highlight the dedication of this amazing group of artists.

They started out as a hardcore band, and played many, many shows but felt as if they were headed nowhere fast. They made a brave decision - and a small lineup change, and a whole new band name and genre later, they began writing songs under the name of A Night Time Skyway.

Now they have an album out. 'First day on a brand new planet' Boasts the bands integrity, and skill, and is full of good quality, well written songs, that just make you want to dance.

Backed by an incredibly talented rhythm section, with two 'epic' guitarists, and sheer genius Matthew Bones, the band recently embarked on a mini tour of the East Half of Australia, in attempt to begin building a national fan base. They literally went through Fire and flood to play the shows and from what I hear, had a great time in doing so.

It has been great knowing Matt, and to see our musical finesse grow together. It felt not just necessary, but morally right to write this review, and to also have Matt feature in two of the songs on our upcoming ep

'this is where we all get off' and 'like this'.

Be sure to dedicate some time to listen to this band, you won't be sorry!

http://www.myspace.com/anighttimeskyway

Friday, March 20, 2009

MontezAndTrace Clothing - 5/5


The other day we were added by one of the many fashion profiles on myspace. The reason I checked it out was because they were nice enough to tell us they liked our music as well as letting us know what they were about.

Anyway to cut to the chase, I went and had a look at all of their wares, and there were a few pieces that really stood out to me. There are a few different styles and I can't wait until they start to expand and make their way into everybody's wardrobes!!

The shirts are really trendy, and fashion forward, and a little unique. The fun, young, fresh model photos really make you take the bait. I certainly can't wait to get mine!

xx Shell



'Montezandtrace' are a goldcoast based retailer, stocking up on the the edgiest peices of clothing from around the world as well as their own designs. Founded by Teresa, Tracey and Montira Le; the girls were inspired to supply an everyday boys and girls with clothes that were fun, unique and fashionable enough to be on the run ways of Europe (but affordable!).


Photobucket

Their newest collection is now available at:
http://shop.ebay.com.au/merchant/montezandtrace_W0QQ_dmdZ1QQ_ipgZ50QQ_sopZ1?_rdc=1


www.montezandtrace@blogspot.com

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Week 1 no.2 - Pierce Cailan 4/5

When you hit this myspace, the first thing you hear is a beautiful layered guitar sound, really thick, perfectly balanced. Just when you think you need to hear some words, 'dim...light...seeps....through....the...haze...'

'The Still Dawn Of Woodsglen' Gives an amazing first impression. When I asked if I could get a few words to post in this blog, he generously gave me this -

'My background is in classical music, and my approach for this album was really just to write some generally simple, accessible folk-pop songs– focusing on lush acoustic textures. I wanted to assimilate the instrumental aesthetic of guitarists like Preston Reed, Michael Hedges, and Kaki King with a very straightforward songwriting approach.

Passerine Myth, vol. 1 is a concept album. There is a clear narrative– a protagonist loses someone close to him and becomes over-invested in what he considers a path of retribution. Philosophically, the story is influenced by Ernest Becker– a writer who heavily contemplated mans inability to truly understand his own mortality, and inclinations to leave lasting impressions in the world beyond his own life. There is also an emphasis on nature and mysticism– a sort of mix between the fantasy-world of Tolkien and the drug-culture of Carlos Castaneda.

The songs are organized into Occitan Lyric Poetry forms– established by troubadours in the 14/15th century. The first song, "The Still Dawn of Woodsglen," for example, is an "alba," a song that depicts the sun rising in the morning, and traditionally focuses on a person leaving a lover in the morning. The interpretation of these forms is purely contextual– it serves merely as a historical reference and a means of focusing content matter in each song. Again, the ultimate goal of the album isn't to create any sort of complex web of styles or influences, but to tell a good story, through good songs.'

If you wanted to get an idea of the sound, I'd say a similar artist would be Rocky Votolato. If you don't know who that is then your just going to have to listen. I would spend a good half an hour of your life just listening to the myspace songs. They are all really well mixed, and the classical background while strongly evident, doesn't overpower what I would call a good acoustic/folk based set of songs. The lyrics are reasonably well written as well.

Here's the page -
www.myspace.com/piercecailan

You can purchase his album from CD Baby.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Week1 - Stephen Cope 5/5

Stephen Cope is part of a great songwriting community. The modern folk movement has embraced the talented poetic musicians such as Cope.

Most of his music consists of a single voice, acoustic guitar and a beautiful set of words that make you lost in the sound. It's a rarity to come across an artist like this - comparable to bright eyes and Neil young, with such a fresh sound.

He has a voice that seems to hit every note with justice. It is a warm, familiar sound, one that reminds you of something you know, is it Ben Gibbard of Death Cab, or Colin Meloy from the Decemberists? No it's Stephen Cope, and he's going to indulge your imagination and emotion.

What Cope told us :

"I wish there were more people who cared enough about music to help each other out. It doesn't make sense that it's such a dog eat dog industry. I mean, it'd be wonderful to make a living off of music, but I don't think it's so worth it that I'd go against everything I write about and care about to be some high class fancy schmancy producer or to write for the sex-obsessed, disrespectful mainstream artists. Not that I mind sex. It's just not nearly as important as so many other things that aren't talked about enough."

A link to his space : www.myspace.com/stephencope

Rating :

5/5

The Beggining -

This is our reviews page, whenever we find artists we like, we're going to review them for you right here. This isn't sponsored, so all the artists we find are genuine, good, songwriters. There will be one review every week. We appreciate all contestors - we want you to send us your music if you believe you have it - whatever 'it' may be.

Much love - she's themorning and thenight