Classical composition is a tough topic in contemporary music It seems antiquated, with composers with hard to pronounce names long gone having written music for instruments that have hard to pronounce names, and there are rarely any lyrics to speak of. On the other hand, Mozart sold more CD’s than Drake Continue Reading
Album Reviews
The Black Cat Bones: Waking Scarecrows and Capturing Energy
Kobus de Kock Jr, the vocalist and frontman of The Black Cat Bones, is very rarely seen on stages where he’s not performing. 7 December 2016, at The Shadowboxer in Greenside, Johannesburg, was an exception. He explained that the band – famous for their over-the-top spirited live performances – had always Continue Reading
MYMYMY – A Bilingual synthpop enigma
I was sligthly taken aback when I first heard about MYMYMY. Is that an Afrikaans or English name? They’re a Cape Town based synth-pop duo, and their recently released debut EP title, Ons S’n Is Beter, seems to answer my question. Then I listened to the tracks, and was taken aback all Continue Reading
Alternatief is Groot, en wil jou die kys vra
Op hoërskool, as jy ‘n oulike jong dame in die oog gehad het maar nie seker was hoe om jou gevoelens aan haar te openbaar nie, kon jy altyd ‘n mix CD maak. Dis nou oor ek in die vroeë 2000’s (na die tyd van kasette) op hoërskool was – ek vermoed hulle Continue Reading
Twin Atlantic has a Good Looking Ass on GLA
When you press play, it knocks politely with somewhat muted tones, before it breaks down the door. After those first few seconds, Twin Atlantic’s latest album, GLA, makes an explosive first impression with its opening track, Gold Elephant: Cherry Alligator. It’s their fifth release since a debut EP in 2008 (A Guidance From Continue Reading
Onder Ou Tafelberg: Akkedis kyk terug na 20 jaar
Akkedis bestaan uit die bebaarde langhaar tweelingbroers van Somerset-Wes, Rudolph en Arthur Dennis, met AJ Graham as derde lid. Hulle musiek het ‘n element van klassieke eenvoud, ten spyte van hulle voorkoms. Dis ‘n soort pseudo-folk blues-rock met ‘n groot fokus op lirieke, en sterk Afrika- invloede. Hulle sing hoofsaaklik in Afrikaans, met Continue Reading
Blink-182 pens an ode to California
Blink-182 has released a new album called California This album is the Blink-182‘s first release since their poorly received Neighbourhoods (that’s how we spell it in South African English) in 2011, which saw the band members to scatter to the four corners of the Earth. Well, three corners. Before I delve into Continue Reading
Gazing Vacantly? Boketto releases their debut album, About You
The last time I heard a groovy jazz-rock band who named themselves after a Japanese word with no English translation – oh wait, that’s never happened before. Enter Boketto. Apparently roughly translated, it means ‘The act of gazing vacantly into the distance, without thinking.’ Which is a pretty cool name for Continue Reading
Die kind is nog jonger – Ingrid Jonker se ‘pop’ val stukkend
Ten spyte van wat Chris Chameleon graag wil hê ons moet glo, het Ingrid Jonker nie popliedjies geskryf nie. Jonker se naam vergestalt tragedie, maar ook betowerende en bewonderde poësie. Haar dogter, Simone, saam met Ernesto Garcia Marques en Paul Blom, het ‘n tribute-projek aangepak vir die 50ste herdenking van haar dood: Die Kind is Nog Continue Reading
Let Go: Bad Peter on escape, a busy music career, and not being a political band
Everybody might not have seen Bad Peter live, but the ones who have describe the band’s spirited performance as lively, compelling, and… well… damn good. They’re one of the busiest bands in the country at the moment, and recently, after signing with David Gresham Records, released their first EP, Let Go. For a five-track EP, Continue Reading