Jesu – Gurrumul
Arnhem Land’s Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu has released the lead single off his eagerly awaited third studio recording, The Gospel Album. Born on Elcho Island in the Northern Territory, Yunupingu was first exposed to western music through the gospel songs he heard as a young child, when his family took him to the local Methodist church. Jesu is spirituals at its finest, gentle and repetitive like a whispered meditation; music that purifies the soul. Yunupingu will kick off his national tour on 29 July at Sydney’s Enmore Theatre, followed by the release of his third studio album two days later.
Perth Girls – Abbe May
Making her way around her home state of Western Australia throughout July is the outlandish, tough and alluring indie rock goddess Abbe May, who is currently working on a new album called Bitchcraft. In a recent interview she said fans should expect “surrealist r’n’b”, with “bouncy, fat beats, piano, saxophone and big time fucking weirdness everywhere”. Revisit the doom-laden chanting and warped guitars of her 2013 single Perth Girls. In the video she sends up Robert Palmer’s Simply Irresistible – suiting up to play the man himself.
Coma State – Sarah Connor
There’s plenty of shade thrown around the Australian hip-hop scene and Sydney artist Sarah Connor has copped her fair share. But in the world of rap there’s no finer comeback than simply laying down a killer track with crisp, ice-cool delivery. And it’s safe to say for Connor, sharing the same name as a certain hardened female film warrior, fierceness is an instinct. Coma State is a cutting condemnation of the Australian political powers that be, but one that ultimately celebrates every citizen’s individual liberty.
Shark Fin Blues – the Drones
Melbourne rock band the Drones are celebrating the 10 year anniversary of their seminal album Wait Long by the River and the Bodies of Your Enemies Will Float By. And they’re doing – as they call it – a “victory lap” of the country, with punk trio Batpiss supporting. Shark Fin Blues is the band at their best, a raging and devastating depiction of depression. Vocalist Gareth Liddiard sings of sinking ships, circling sharks and “floating away on a barrel of pain”. The band kick things off at the Darwin festival on 20 August.
California All The Way – Luna
Listening to Luna is falling in love for the first time and the best summer of your life all in one: slow, languid guitar lines; more musical ideas in each song than most manage in an album; more lyrical drama than most manage in a lifetime; and songs that soar, swoop and generally rock your world. After a 17-year absence they are returning for an Australian tour in September. (Never mind that they’ve mostly been broken up in the meantime.) For main man Dean Wareham it’s also a sort of homecoming – he was born in Wellington, then raised in Sydney before moving to New York with his family aged 14. His accent is still a Sydney-New York hybrid, as heard recently in the film While We’re Young, where he played a shaman.
