Our selection of the best new music across a range of genres from the week ending 15 November 2019.
Clio Renner is back with new solo material on her track ‘Slow Burn’. Following from her previous single ‘Silly Girls’ released earlier in the year, ‘Slow Burn’ captures the essence of Clio’s songwriting with a few added expansions along the way. Clio will be launching the new single with a free show on Friday 29 November at Coburg’s Post Office Hotel in Melbourne.
Teaming up with producer Lawrence Folvig (Ainslie Wills) ‘Slow Burn’ steers Clio’s music into previously unexplored synth-pop territory whilst maintaining her signature heavenly harmonies and delicate refrains. The song explores notions of love, loss and acceptance through captivating poetics and the utmost honesty.
Milk! Records have released Milk on Milk a compilation of artists from their roster – Tiny Ruins, courtney barnett, Hachiku, Jen Cloher, The Finks, jade imagine, Evelyn Ida Morris, East Brunswick All Girls Choir and Loose Tooth – covering each other’s songs.
Most of Milk On Milk was recorded earlier this year over a four day period by producer & Milk! friendAnna Laverty at Audrey Studiosjust around the corner from Milk! HQ in Coburg, Melbourne.
BENEE has just released her second EP of 2019; STELLA & STEVE (via Republic / UMA). The 19-year-old indie pop phenomenon who swept the table at the 2019 New Zealand Music Awards by taking out all four of her nominated categories (Best Solo Artist, Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Best Pop Artist and Single Of The Year for ‘Soaked’).
Her music has been buzzing on the hippest playlists all year long as BENEE (who holds over 2.2 million monthly listeners on Spotify) builds a rapidly growing audience for her sweetly groove-drenched sound and quirky lyrical take on the world. STELLA & STEVE sees BENEE introduce her first feature vocalist, New York City based Gus Dapperton (who is responsible for delivering us huge hits I’m Just Snacking and Prune, You Talk Funny) who guests on the irrepressible bop ‘Supalonely’.
The winners of the Melbourne Prize for Music 2019 and Awards have been announced.
Acclaimed Indigenous soprano, composer and Artistic Director of Short Black Opera Deborah Cheetham AO was awarded the $60,000 Melbourne Prize for Music 2019 for being an outstanding Victorian musician whose work demonstrates exceptional musicianship, skill and creativity. The 2019 Melbourne Prize is supported by major patron The Vera Moore Foundation.
Vocalist and songwriter Mojo Juju is the recipient of the Development Award 2019 for her outstanding musical talent and the potential to develop her professional career. Jazz pianist Andrea Keller received the Beleura Emerging Composers Award 2019 to commission work to further develop her career. And composer, improviser and performer Erkki Veltheim was awarded the Distinguished Musicians Fellowship 2019.
Gene Clark‘s No Other (1974) is now available via 4AD / Remote Control. The album has been remastered and all the studio tapes have been mixed to help create the ultimate version of this cult album from one of the Byrds’ founding member’. Its release coincides with what would have been his 75th birthday,
Recorded at the Village Recorder in West Hollywood and produced by Thomas Jefferson Kaye, No Other was originally released in 1974 after the Byrds’ short-lived reunion. The record’s blend of psychedelic rock, folk, country and soul famously cost a small fortune to make. Although warmly received by critics, No Other was a commercial failure and was subsequently deleted shortly after.
However, as The New York Times wrote around the record’s 40th anniversary in 2014, “hindsight has burnished No Other, as it has redeemed other albums that went on to be reconstructed as rock repertory, like Big Star’s Third/Sister Lovers and Lou Reed’s Berlin,” with No Other now being increasingly recognised as one of the greatest of its time, if not all time. Another sign of the album’s enduring charm came that year when feted Baltimore duo Beach House decided to “spread awareness” of Gene’s master work by enlisting friends – most of whom weren’t born when No Other was released – from bands such asFairport Convention, Fleet Foxes and Grizzly Bear to tour the album note-for-note in both the UK and the US.
No Other is released across four formats – CD, Limited Double CD, LP and a Limited Deluxe box-set. The original eight-track album is being released on both CD and LP with the design kept as close to the 1974 original as possible.
Award-winning British spoken word performer, poet, rapper, novelist and playwright Kate Tempest is set to return Australia in February. Following on from her critically-acclaimed 2019 album, The Book of Traps and Lessons, the performance poet will bring her spoken lyrics, beats, rhythms and rhymes, and modern-day life commentary to Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide and New Zealand this summer.
Her dates and venues are:
PERTH, 16 Feb 2020 at Perth Festival
MELBOURNE, 18 Feb 2020 at Melbourne Recital Centre
BRISBANE, 19 Feb 2020 at QPAC
SYDNEY, 20 Feb 2020 at the Factory Theatre
ADELAIDE, 27 Feb 2020 at Adelaide Festival
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David Edwards is the editor of The Blurb and a contributor on film and television