AB Original - Reclaim Australia (Bad Apples Music/Golden Era Records)
The new record from Briggs and Trials under the banner AB Original might just be one of the best and most important releases of the year. It’s stirring, aggressive and so much more with “the two wordsmiths forcefully calling out injustice”. We gave it four-and-a-half stars.
Bec Sandridge - In The Fog (Farmer & The Owl/Inertia)
‘80s pop and post-punk flow with ease on this rich, echoing and colourful EP. The Sydney artist has produced a tight release, but sometimes it “still feels mostly like a well-crafted tribute”, with our reviewer hoping “Sandridge digs a little deeper into her own creative expression on future releases” – something we’re looking forward to very much. We gave it three stars.
Dungen Haxan - Smalltown Supersound (Balance Music)
Retro psychedelia flows strong through Dungen Haxan’s debut EP as they take listeners on “a journey full of colour and adventure”. Having the tireless support of Tame Impala, it’s not surprising they’ve gained some buzz, but we can’t help thing their under-appreciation comes from frontman Gustav Ejstes' preference for singing in Swedish. We gave it three-and-a-half stars.
and the rest of the releases…
Coldcut – Only Heaven (Ahead Of Our Time/Inertia)
Dino Jag – Breakthrough (independent)
Frida - I Want In Your Head (Independent)
Garth Brooks – Gunslinger (Sony)
Guy Sebastian – Part 1 (Sony)
Jet - Get Born [Deluxe Edition] (Liberation)
Jet - Shine On [Deluxe Edition] (Liberation)
Kate Bush - Before The Dawn (Rhino/Warner)
Krista Polvere – Krista Polvere (Independent)
Letherette - Last Night On The Planet (Ninja Tune/Inertia)
Nightmares On Wax - Ground Floor (Warp/Inertia)
Rumer - This Girl’s In Love: A Bacharach And David Songbook (Warner)
Seige Monstracity - Seige Monstracity (Low Key Source)
Susan Boyle - A Wonderful World (Sony)
The Weeknd - Starboy (Republic/Universal)
