Various Artists
Competitions
Album reviews for Various Artists
April 2, 2012
Triple's J's annual Australia Day Hottest 100 has almost become bigger than Australia Day itself. "Stuff the fireworks!&quo...
January 10, 2012
Ever been to a bad barbeque full of old blokes clutching VBs, dousing snags in tommy sauce and howling loudly to
Chisel, The Oils and Dadd...
December 12, 2011
Dylan called him poetic, rough and rhythmic. He received a letter of thanks from Lennon and is counted by no less than Bono, Bruce Springsteen...
November 25, 2011
So the indie kids have spoken. They were anticipating the release of
“Rewiggled” as much as the reunion and tour of pubs that Peter Combe...
February 7, 2011
London. Seattle. Adelaide? When it comes to naming cities that are creative hotbeds for musical activity it’s fair to say that on reputation al...
December 6, 2010
Cellar Sessions is the work and home turned studio of
Max Ducker, guitarist and vocalist of Mongrel Country. It’s a compilation of si...
November 29, 2010
After the critically adored, triple-platinum selling female appropriation of The Finn Brothers’ masterpiece compositions, it is quite a shock t...
November 25, 2010
Berlin’s Morr Music label have put together this tribute to music released on the influential Flying Nun label and it is essentially a collecti...
November 22, 2010
Yeah, I watched the first
Jackass movie. And I laughed. And I’d probably prefer the recently-released sequel to a lot of the other drivel...
November 11, 2010
It is alarming how the great seventies soul music has been lost or forgotten. But thankfully, the
Strange Games series, which started back...
September 8, 2010
It might seem like a little bit of a pipe dream, but FReeZACentral is anything but; creating opportunities annually for, amongst other things,...
August 24, 2010
A tribute album is certainly a beautiful thing in itself, but when done well, the product can truly be amazing which is the case with
Cray...
August 12, 2010
For those not acquainted with
six_a, I don’t suggest you go looking at
Three Minutes In A Car Park for answers. The initiative, run ‘...
August 1, 2010
If you are anything like me, then you have already gone through a 'Disco? No thanks!' phase. Remember it? John Travolta, The Bee Gees...
June 16, 2010
Accidents Happen is a comedy-centred on a family and their series of misfortunate events set in suburban America. Despite the plot and bac...
April 26, 2010
Kick-Ass is a film that is being billed by its creators as a twisted but funny, dark but enjoyable, action adventure adaptation of a Marve...
April 8, 2010
I get quite annoyed by movie ‘soundtracks’ that feature songs which aren’t included in the actual film.
With the exception of Avril Lavigne’...
February 25, 2010
The new movie musical
Nine directed by Rob Marshall, based on the Tony-award winning Broadway musical from 1982 has all kinds of delights...
February 8, 2010
In its nineteenth year, the
Womadelaide Festival is preparing to once again deliver an exquisite exhibition of music and culture from acro...
January 18, 2010
Turn the clock back a few years and most people were convinced there was something in the water in WA because of the sheer number of excellent...
January 18, 2010
I must admit the title of this album piqued my interest because I know a
Chris Knox. Evidently it’s not the Chris Knox, but he’s definitel...
January 7, 2010
I’m not sure that I’m qualified to write about the “Rockwiz Vol III- The Beat Goes On” DVD because when I do watch Rockwiz I tend to switch off...
December 18, 2009
In April 2009, in a studio down Sydney way, 10 bands got together to record an album of 60's covers. Nothing unusual or too exciting there...
December 9, 2009
It looks like Universal Music has released a vampire-crazed mixtape of their own, attempting to suck in their share of the new market.
For...
December 9, 2009
Triple J's fifth
Like A Version release features twenty tracks taken from the eponymous Morning Show segment; twenty different, new r...
December 4, 2009
I am all for giving unsigned bands a voice. In fact, I encourage it. I’m happy when they get radio play, press attention or killer supports. I...
December 1, 2009
Lord have mercy! Compilations are a dime a dozen and the
Bigger Better Power Ballads series is no exception, unsurprisingly, and back for...
December 1, 2009
It is a horrible, gnawing and downright awful feeling to know that you have officially lived through a decade which can now be neatly summarise...
November 23, 2009
There's no point sitting here and telling you how incredibly awesome
Glee the television program is; if you haven't gotten into...
November 18, 2009
First released as part of a very attractive and sadly, limited edition (and now sold out, I believe) box set, this double disc compilation is b...
November 14, 2009
Picture this: living in a period where the music was truly original and ground-breaking, I’m truly blessed to have witnessed (and proudly so) t...
October 19, 2009
One could be forgiven for assuming that a DVD entitled
Hottest 100 of All Time would contain either one hundred songs, or the hottest song...
October 16, 2009
EMI missed a golden opportunity when they released
101 Beer Songs a five-disc compilation set to provide the perfect soundtrack to a long,...
October 1, 2009
Hard ACT To Follow is an interesting kind of album. It is a compilation album, put together by Versed Productions. It consists of a whole...
September 30, 2009
The term 'roots music' seems to be growing more and more vague in its definition and inclusion of artists and songs. It seems to be t...
September 17, 2009
Call me envious, but producer Mark Johnson has had a very fortunate existence when putting this CD together. The journey itself took over ten y...
September 16, 2009
Grow Your Own : Upload 3 – a digital battle of the bands if you will, sees twenty unsigned acts plucked from a melting pot of three hundre...
September 15, 2009
Back in the 90s, I was living in Edinburgh and found myself on the fringes of the very healthy club scene that seemingly had cracked the mainst...
September 14, 2009
Dad Rocks is a compilation released as a rock ode to fathers, and obviously timed with the day of recognising Dads and all they mean to us...
September 8, 2009
Any election, voting process or poll is always going to end up in tears. Enough said, really. When Triple J held their 2009 Hottest 100 of All...
September 2, 2009
There have been some legendary record labels in recent music history. Sub Pop, Flying Nun, Rough Trade, Postcard and Soul Jazz are examples of...
August 23, 2009
Thanks to Modular Records, music lovers worldwide have been exposed to some of the most talented, fresh artists around including Van She, The P...
August 11, 2009
I read recently that garage-rockers
The Straight Arrows often hold their gigs in warehouses and many of these have been prematurely termin...
August 9, 2009
How much can you slam an album with moral purpose before you become a total douche bag?
Naked in the Woods is a compilation of some of V...
July 26, 2009
Stumped! Songs We Love About Cricket
is a CD for all fans of cricket and perhaps those who just love all the songs on this particular...
July 23, 2008
Okay,
Take Action! Volume 7, a mainly punk rock and hardcore compilation delivered by Hopeless/Sub City Records. The first thing I noticed...
July 11, 2009
New Zealand's
Pitch Black have unleashed their album
Rude Mechanicals to some their favourite artists from around the world, giv...
July 9, 2009
Prior to popping this compilation, courtesy of French label Kitsuné Music, into my laptop the only featured artists I'd heard of were...
June 28, 2009
Without commenting too strongly on the film, it can be said that a feeling of confusion would be the first thing elicited by discovering the so...
June 26, 2009
Self Storage is a new recording label to come from New York, USA, where else? Well, sexy city itself clearly has something to say for the...
June 22, 2009
At first when I received my little A5 package in the mail - care of the Dwarf -following a dismal Monday, I was eager with anticipation. When I...
June 16, 2009
Ministry Of Sound, purveyors of most things bass-heavy and annoying, are actually really good at making chill-out mixes. So good, in fact, that...
May 27, 2009
Like the name suggests, this compilation is part two of a retrospective of the work of the late producer James Dewitt Yancey (also known as J D...
May 15, 2009
If you’ve ever heard the song
Mango Pickle Down River by M.I.A., you’d know that Hip Hop/Rap and indigenous music complement each other li...
May 13, 2009
Another Shot of Old Skool of Rock. The name says it all really.
It starts off with
Dr Feelgood by
Mötley Crue. Quite fitting,...
May 12, 2009
I appreciate the importance of the
All Woman two-disc compilation which donates a dollar from every copy sold to the National Breast Cance...
May 11, 2009
Room Service – The Ultimate Soundtrack is a mammoth retro collection of signature tunes from iconic pop and nostalgia stars of yesteryear....
May 4, 2009
In 2008
Triple J’s Hottest 100 turned a very sweet sixteen and this one will be remembered as the race between two jilted lovers known as...
May 1, 2009
For 20 years the
East Coast Blues and Roots Festival has consistently proven to be one of Australia’s premier festivals. Year after year,...
May 1, 2009
The Australian music industry is buzzing right now, and what better way to celebrate our favourite bluesy, rootsy sons and daughters, than to p...
April 28, 2009
Zack Snyder’s highly anticipated and controversial superhero film
Watchmen - adapted from the blockbuster 1985 graphic novel by writers Al...
April 24, 2009
James Dewitt Yancey, better known as J Dilla or Jay Dee was an influential Detroit-based Hip-Hop and Soul producer. He worked with many acts, i...
April 22, 2009
Somewhere back in the pre-Napster 1990s the record buying public (remember when there used to be such a thing) were exposed to one of the all-t...
April 22, 2009
Sunday morning is that calm time before the storm- otherwise known as the depressive reminder that you need to go back to work come Monday. In...
April 22, 2009
Whenever a sampler is released it always concerns me that the label is using it as a chance to promote some of their up and coming artists. How...
April 16, 2009
When it comes to owning music collections, the best CDs seem to come as compilations. Kind of like sampling every dish from the menu of an expe...
April 15, 2009
I have to admit it’s been quite some time since I’ve listened to Triple J. I tuned in around 2002 and tuned out in 2007. I didn’t once adjust m...
March 15, 2009
Rock may be a simple, four-letter word but as a genre it is a complicated and schizophrenic one. After all, consider that there is: art rock, s...
March 13, 2009
Put simply, this is the holy grail of compilation albums.
Produced by Aaron and Bryce Dessner from The National, The Red Hot Organisation has...
March 11, 2009
Intrigued to find out the reason behind a rectangle shape box in the package I had retrieved from my letterbox, I madly ripped the thin cardboa...
February 22, 2009
All you need is love. Love is a battlefield. Love’s not a competition, but I’m winning. P.S. I love you. You’d be forgiven for thinking that ev...
February 20, 2009
I laugh in the face of anybody who can fault this compilation. First good thing about it; it didn't come from Ministry of Sound (rather Un...
February 9, 2009
However morbid, I like the idea behind this album. If you could choose your own Final Song, what would it be? Would it be a song that represent...
February 5, 2009
Hip hop is like the cool kids at school – it seems that everyone wants to be part of their elite crew, and many will try to be initiated into t...
February 2, 2009
The music industry often gives people much to be cynical about. So it is with this in mind that I introduce the latest penny-pinching effort,...
January 29, 2009
DJs and music lovers get down on your knees and praise Soul Jazz Records for continuing to release some of the finest soul/funk/reggae/roots co...
January 5, 2009
Originating in Germany,
BNR Volume One is the first compilation from
Boys Noize Records. It features a wide range of international un...
January 5, 2009
It’s not very often that I actually find a novelty album funny. Usually the concept is amusing, but the execution leaves much to be desired. It...
January 5, 2009
Ten years ago, the ABC released a double CD of the most programmed clips that were regularly selected by travelling musos asked to select their...
December 27, 2008
Making Waves is an hauntingly beautiful celebration of Indigenous music. Gadigal Music in conjunction with ABC Music have released this am...
December 22, 2008
Despite extortionate water costs, crazy weather patterns, facilities that are below par and bogan fuckwits around every corner, let’s get one t...
December 11, 2008
Cinematically, Australians are yet to be blessed with the latest teen-schlock offering,
Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist, but the way...
December 1, 2008
If the title didn’t make your inner 21st century tech-savvy tween giggle, then maybe the track list might tickle your fancy. Gossip Girl has be...
November 18, 2008
Ask any iPod owner how to lose friends and alienate people, and they will probably tell you – “Put some dialogue snippets in your movie sound-t...
November 14, 2008
Triple J's
Like a Version Four features a bunch of covers taken from the Like A Version segment on the JJJ Morning Show. As with ever...
November 13, 2008
“Hey Gary, our CD sales haven’t been so strong the past few months.”
“Yeah, I know. Maybe it’s time to release another compilation album. We...
November 12, 2008
Can you feel it? That deep bass rumble, shaking the ground, making concentric ripples in your nearby water glass? It’s coming… through the tree...
November 3, 2008
When it comes to record collecting, there is no such thing as too many motown compilations (well… unless you hate motown, that is… and for thos...
October 27, 2008
The World’s Best Ever Beer Songs
has turned 10. Happy birthday. So if you’re unsure what present to get a compilation of “pub anthems...
September 29, 2008
Finally home after a long day of work and other errands, I wanted to get inside, but I was really enjoying listening to Triples J’s Rosie Beato...
September 29, 2008
With the first rays of Spring sunshine burning off what has been a bleak Winter, and the anticipation of hot days, cold beer, beach and barbies...
September 16, 2008
There was a time when anyone wanting a compilation of mediocre, mostly forgotten semi-hits, sold on the coattails of slightly less mediocre sem...
September 1, 2008
Let’s get one thing straight; I am not a remix fan. I love New Order, yet my copy of the “Club” CD – it contains the remixes on the “Retro” box...
August 29, 2008
The Artless Armchair is a compilation of Central Coast acoustic artists, who came together to create a sort of snapshot in time, commentin...
August 27, 2008
Wouldn’t it be great if you could go and amend packaging in cases where an obvious error or omission has occurred? I felt this way when I revie...
August 26, 2008
I’m somewhat confused by the compilation album concept. Why do they still exist? Who is buying them? WHY?? In this day and age of iTunes satura...
August 18, 2008
From the French electro label Kitsuné Records comes the first in a series of 'tabloid' mixes. According to the press release, 'K...
August 19, 2008
Soma Recordings have been pioneering electronic music since the label began in 1991. Now with the
Sci-Fi-Hi-Fi collection they are bringin...
August 13, 2008
Lee Coombs is an icon in the breakbeat scene, having gained a solid reputation for his production skills and banging remixes in a once-inn...
August 8, 2008
Compilation albums are the best. How can you go wrong when you only have to listen to the best songs of so many different bands? Well, in theor...
