Sports Fan - Little White Lies

All hail the return of one of Brisbane’s most likeable pop protagonists. They say a change is as good as a rest and in Dion Read’s case he’s been proved right on both counts. After a brief hiatus from the music scene, following the well received project Dion Read and The Afterthoughts, he, along with Vincent Kemp and Benjamin Webster return to the land of pop, this time in the guise of three-piece Sports Fan and their new single “Little White Lies”. All the key ingredients that made his last venture such a success are evident once again in this latest incarnation. A heart felt and distinctive vocal performance, powerful piano punctuation and well honed harmonies, all combining to produce three minutes of seemingly effortless yet thunderous smart pop opera. Once again the combination of keys, bass and percussion prove that power pop can be guitar free with no one feeling short changed. In the past Read has used his music to put his own twist on bitter sweet tales of lost love and every day life and this release is no exception. You could call it quirky, but don’t let that take anything away from the real quality that is in evidence throughout the entirety of this track. Like all good things you’re left wanting more after listening to this melodic masterpiece. So here’s hoping that “Little White Lies” is merely an aperitif to the main course that is to come and a new album is just around the corner. In the meantime find out more about the band by clicking here to visit their website.

 

 

 

Andy Hawk & The Train Wreck Endings - Another Storyline

The familiar and likable sound of Andy Hawk and his Train Wreck Endings makes a welcome return in the form of this, the band’s third studio album. Managing to combine rockabilly, folk and blues in equal measure, all the ingredients that made their previous releases such a success are all here in abundance. Hawk’s ever so slightly flawed vocals are more than complemented by a band that sounds like it could have been plucked straight from Bourbon Street. The somewhat slow and thoughtful "Baltimore" opens proceedings before the heavy blues sound of "Down So Long" provides a chipper interlude, despite the dark theme. "Another Storyline" has a summary feel to it with its to-tapping chords and pleasant harmonies thanks to the backing vocals of Emma Rowley and the marching beat of "Sunshine Street" reaches a crescendo of guitar and banjo as the song lives up to its positively named title. Like most of Hawk’s work to date It’s not all stomping anthems and sing-along lyrics, "Icicle in the Sun" mourns the passing of a good friend and is a fitting tribute.
With many bands that put themselves in the folk-rock and blues category the music can become samey and repetitive. This release, like the previous two does a great job of stepping aside from the rest and illustrates what can be achieved thanks to some great song writing and top class musicianship.

Kotadama - Dichotomy

With the long list of global accolades that have followed their various musical releases to date, Australian sibling duo and pop/rock outfit Kotadama may be forgiven for feeling a little pressure with this their debut album release. After tinkering with international ballroom dancing and dabbling in the stock market in past ventures, these brothers now have global domination firmly in their sights in the form of “Dichotomy”. Following EP and single releases in 2009, Evan and Chris Brown have seen their music featured on a number of radio stations and press outlets around the world. “See You Tonight” was elevated to the lofty heights of number one requested song by the listeners of New York’s Kiss FM for a total of eight weeks and has featured in a string of band contests and seen them invited to a number of conferences and workshops for new artists from Japan to New Zealand and London to Canada. With “Dichotomy” they deliver eleven tracks of the distinctive electronic pop, soft rock hybrid which the brothers Brown have made their own as their musical style has grown up with them. They have also recruited renowned producer David Kershenbaum, he of Duran Duran and Bryan Adams fame, which can only be seen as a statement of intent in terms of where the guys want to go in the future. Along with the previously mentioned standout single “See You Tonight”, which makes a re-appearance here, “Endure” maintains the brooding and slightly haunting theme that forms the backdrop to this album throughout its entirety. Tracks such as “Earth Vs Man” and “As I Am” appear to wistfully lament lost love and insecurity whilst offering a middle finger like gesture of defiance to all concerned, with Chris describing the former as “a warning to mankind”. The atmospheric ballad, “Time and Tide” shows off the duos ability to sound like there are a lot more in the band than there actually are, mainly due to a powerful guitar spine tempered with sparkling keyboard accompaniment.
There is genuine musical ability here, song-writing obviously comes naturally to these brothers who have been producing lyrics since day one and they are able to use powerful and emotive words to create decent pop songs. “Dichotomy” at times cries out for a little diversity though as some of the tracks are in danger of becoming a little one dimensional. Whether the ballad nature of most of the songs makes for a full-length album rather than an EP is debatable and will not be everyone’s cup of tea, though what is not up for debate is the raw talent this pair have to offer. The future looks bright for Chris and Evan and following this release they plan to head to The States and continue their work with David Kershenbaum. Hopefully the boys aren’t tempted back to the ballroom or lured by potential riches of Wall Street and return with a follow-up second album, as you get the feeling that like a good Aussie Chardonnay, Kotadama’s music is improving with age.