Juliette Lewis - Terra Incognita

Ditching The Licks in favour of a new backing band, Hollywood actress Juliette Lewis has moved in a different direction. Goodbye straightforward garage-rock adrenaline, hello artsy introspection.

Produced by Omar Rodriguez-Lopez of The Mars Volta, Terra Incognita is a diverse gathering of atmospheric guitars and sonic contrasts. While it’s a slight change of path, Lewis still draws on the influences of Patti Smith and PJ Harvey with her vocal, which ranges from soul-drenched to typically roaring.

Such is the variety here, that there are inevitably some duds, like Fantasy Bar, which aims a side-swipe at LA decadence but misses the mark. However, even the things that don’t work as well as they should, like the rambling blues of Hard Lovin’ Woman and the psychedelic yet slightly dull Female Persecution, are still preferable to anything she’s released before.

Even though her earlier work was ballsy, it felt a little one-dimensional. While Terra Incognita isn’t a brilliant album, there are some really interesting and admirable intentions which seem more representative of the off-centre output one would expect from someone as quirky as her. Clearly Juliette Lewis is keen to broaden her musical spectrum and, if nothing else, should be recognised as a musician in her own right rather than a trespassing actress. Terra Incognita is perhaps the sound of her starting to find her true voice and, though the album is flawed, it does suggest that if she continues down this route, there could be some good stuff from her in the future.

Radio National iTunes Launch

Radio National celebrated the iTunes release of their EP by playing a set at Hibernian House in Sydney this Wednesday. They were kind enough to dish out the free booze like it was going out of fashion, so, as a gleeful recipient, the least I could do was give them a mention here. You can find details of the band and listen to their songs over at their Myspace, just follow the link at the start of the post.

Cassette Kids at Circular Quay, Sydney

Myspace has taken a bit of a battering from Facebook in the popularity stakes over the past couple of years, but there is no doubting that, when it comes to online music, The Space supplies what The Face simply does not, and that seems set to continue with the launch of Myspace Music.

To celebrate, Myspace Australia put on a collection of gigs and events in Myspace Music Studios in Sydney and Melbourne this week, with live bands, interviews, product demonstrations, film crews, live editing and loads of other stuff. On Tuesday afternoon, Cassette Kids played a set at the Sydney venue, at Circular Quay in the shadow of the iconic Opera House. Their performance offered plenty of tasters of what to expect from their new album, due for release early next year, including Freaky Sweetie, which can be downloaded for free from, appropriately enough, their Myspace page.

Despite the ridiculous heat inside the marquee, the quartet put on the kind of full-blooded, unrelenting display we have come to expect from them, with Katrina Noorbergen (above) again proving an engaging frontwoman as she jumped and stomped her way around stage. Pleasingly, to compliment the power, raw energy and vivacity of their live show, their new songs had a distinct pop tinge to them, with a few singalong choruses (upcoming single Lying Around being a prime example) and the occasional inclusion of keys. Their new album should be awaited with excitement. In the meantime, check out their new video clip here.

Newton Faulkner - Rebuilt By Humans

As well as being a clever title to follow-up to his debut, Hand Built By Robots, the name of Newton Faulkner’s new record also references the fact that, at the back end of last year, he had to undergo surgery on a career-threatening shattered wrist. Clearly all better now, Faulkner once again shows off his incredibly impressive guitar skills with a new collection of intelligently-crafted, funk-tinged acoustic songs.

There are some big tunes here that rival the one he’s best known for, Dream Catch Me, from his first album. Both If This Is It and Won’t Let Go manage to be radio-friendly while still having real heart and substance to them. When Faulkner’s voice soars in the choruses, it is simply magnificent and genuinely rousing. Sometimes things may be pushed a bit too far. Over and Out is just a little too slick for its own good, with its commercial radio power-ballad chorus trying unsuccessfully to push the emotion levels up to 11. Fortunately there are some lovely low-key moments to balance this out. I’m Not Giving Up Yet is a pretty way to end the record, with just a stripped down vocal and acoustic guitar.

Okay, so the interludes that are scattered throughout are a little superfluous, but there is much less noodling than on his debut. Maybe that makes Rebuilt By Humans a little smoother around the edges than his last outing, but it also makes it a far more coherent record. Most importantly of all, there is a lot more killer than filler this time round.

Sideways Hitchhiker Residency at Oxford Art Factory

Sydney's Sideways Hitchhiker are halfway through a month-long residency at Oxford Art Factory. I checked out one of their shows last week and was treated to a typically vibrant display. Since I last saw them, they have grown from a trio into a four-oh... or a quartet, if you like. The addition of a keyboardist has added further depth to their sound.

If you are in the city in October, swing by Oxford Arts on a Friday night and check them out. There is a different support band each week, and the best thing of all is that it's free to get in. And you can't get more of a bargain than that. Details here.

The Black Ryder listening party

The Black Ryder gave a sneak preview of their upcoming debut album, Buy The Ticket, Take The Ride, with a pre-album listening party at the Monster Children Gallery in Sydney last week. The party included photos from their video clip shoot, and an exclusive viewing of the video itself.
As for the album, it has an atmosphere which somehow manages to be intense while also having a dreamy quality to it, as reverb-filled, psychedelic instrumentation mixes with haunting female vocals.

Imagine The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Raveonettes and Mazzy Star driving through the Nevada desert together in the hot, dusty sunset and you'll be on the right track. It hits the shops imminently.

Madonna - Celebration

From the early pop genius of Rescue Me and Lucky Star, through the blonde bombshell years of Vogue and Express Yourself to her William Orbit collaborations and beyond, Celebration is a comprehensive journey through the Queen of Pop’s career.

The album boasts a new single, Celebration, co-produced by Oakenfold and Madonna and another brand new track. Okay, so neither song is worth writing home about but, generally, this double album - digitally re-mastered from the original tapes - offers classic hit after classic hit. The re-mastering has given the songs a fresh new edge and they serve to remind what a massive influence she has had on pop culture over the past quarter of a century. Today’s pretenders to her throne seem watered down and hackneyed in comparison. She might be knocking on a bit now but, simply, the likes of Lady GaGa aren't fit to shine Madonna's shoes.

Dolores O'Riordan - No Baggage

Although The Cranberries never officially broke up but rather went on ‘indefinite hiatus’, the band’s frontwoman has since made a name for herself as a solo artist, and a couple of years after her successful debut album, Are You Listening? she’s back with a follow-up effort.

As you might expect, there are a few songs evocative of The Cranberries. Skeleton, for instance might not pack quite the same punch that Zombie did all those years ago, but is certainly of the same ilk. Elsewhere, No Baggage doesn’t offer the obvious pop gems that Are You Listening? boasted, but it does have a few interesting moments of experimentation that show musical progression, such as the Indian-sounding Throw Your Arms Around Me.

The album’s theme is one of self-reflection and worldliness from a woman who has been through a lot and has come out the other side a wiser person. Okay, so she has never been an especially challenging lyricist, but she wears her heart on her sleeve and her basic rhyming couplets do lend themselves to the honest feeling of this album. She doesn’t hide behind cryptic clues, but simply says it like it is: “Alcohol and cocaine/I think it’s driving you insane.”

From the whisper of It’s You to the big chorus of Be Careful and her frankly breathtaking delivery on the album’s best track - piano ballad Lunatic - her vocal is her instrument and she uses it perfectly. To be honest, with a voice as beautiful as hers, she could just be reciting her shopping list and it would still sound great.