Ever since the start of film when the Lumière brothers premiered Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory in 1895, music has always been synonymous with cinema. However it wasn’t until 1933 when Max Steiner wrote the score for King Kong that music in cinema became a thing. Cinemusica, held at the QPAC auditorium, is the collaboration between Synergy Percussion and the Australian Chamber Orchestra led by director Richard Tognetti, showcasing the sonic partnership of strings, percussion and film.

Just like a lot of fans I was excited for the concert, but also very curious about the new vocalist. The Met was crowded, music lovers of all ages assembled and it was almost impossible to move while standing in the mass of people... The members of Asking Alexandria appeared one after another and the atmosphere became intense. Finally, the man everyone was waiting for jumped on the stage and was welcomed with hundreds of screaming girls and the fans were going wild.

Australian hip hop lords the Hilltop Hoods have hit the road once again, in celebration of their release of a fresh ‘Restrung’ album. Following the successful 2007 rework of their fourth studio album, The Hard Road, their new release revisits key-cuts from both of their previous legendary albums, Walking Under Stars and Drinking From the Sun... I MUST ADMIT THAT I’VE SEEN HILLTOP HOODS MORE TIMES THAN I CAN COUNT ON ONE HAND, HOWEVER, I’VE NEVER QUITE SEEN THEM LIKE THIS. JOINING FORCES WITH THE QUEENSLAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AND CHAMBER SINGERS CHOIR FOR THE BRISBANE LEG OF THEIR TOUR, IT’S CLEAR THAT HILLTOPS ARE CONTINUOUSLY RE-WRITING THE HIP HOP RULE BOOK.

Of the three albums Tim Hecker has made in this decade, the latest, Love Streams, would have to be the most sedate. Both Ravedeath, 1972 and Virgins occasionally sounded like the work of someone trying to inflict maximum stress on an audience who were somehow totally into the idea – and while there are moments of his trademark menacing, minimalist brand of intensity scattered throughout this record, it’s probably the most meditative thing in Hecker’s increasingly enormous discography.

The show was seamless, like it was all dipped in dark syrup, and we all glided along together on the dark and ethereal tales of travel, both within and outward. Songs such as The Translator, Mediocre Comedians, Dark Forces and Sleep Stealer, were all executed with such beautiful precision by all involved. It really did feel as though you were driven along in a dream state only to wake up and realise that you were just at the Triffid seeing bands and that you need to go home.

when the countdown to the first song ‘I Am Ready’ begins, there is a genuine feeling of excitement in the room. ‘I Am Ready’ is, as well, the first song on latest album Eternal Return, and a fantastic opener – minimal but huge, a statement of intent. The first five songs of the set are all in fact from Eternal Return – ‘Better With You’, ‘I’d Be Lost’, ‘Maybe This Time’ and ‘Beyond’. Sarah has gone for an Eighties electronic flavoured sound on this particular record, and the band she has in tow for this tour are quite a crack team.

To celebrate National Youth Week, the youth volunteers at 4ZZZ organised and held their annual event, Street Soundzzz. This year, the lineup featured young Brisbane musos such as Charlie Seymour-Grant, Winchester, Makeout Creek and more. The gig also supported local Brisbane businesses with a selection of cool market stalls to browse in between the bands.

Murray, Darling plays like the soundtrack to a lingering tropical low. Which is quite apt given it was recorded in North Queensland’s Atherton Tablelands, just west of Cairns. Under the moniker Soda Eaves this brooding dream-like folk is the latest release from Melbourne based singer/songwriter/poet/Hot Palms guitarist Jake Core, and it dives straight back into familiar waters.

Ultimately Deradoorian’s performance to me represents a reasonably savvy bedroom project brought to fruition through access to the necessary resources that enabled its creation, distribution, publicity, and then international touring. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and parts of the set were really enjoyable and distinctly unique; let it not be said that Deradoorian hasn’t done precisely what artists do and taken things that already exist and skilfully refashion them into some more personal expression.

I’ve grown up with PJ Harvey and have loved watching the sharp left turn she’s taken on the last three albums. Hope IV in all honesty, probably isn’t as great as Let England Shake, but it’s a damn good follow up and a record that will undoubtedly stand the test of time; possibly even as a musical document of the last decade’s military action apart from just an incredible collection of songs.

Since the release of their debut, the sublime Future Perfect in 2004, the Los Angeles trio have been somewhat infamously unreliable when discussing the likely release of forthcoming music, and it wouldn't have been too much of a stretch to see that release date as something of an elaborate prank. Indeed, the group seem to be on a hardly prolific six-year album cycle, with sophomore record Transit Transit arriving in 2010, and now followed up in 2016 with the act's latest missive.

So here we have Pussy's Dead. All of the hallmarks of Autolux are present and placed in the centre of focus: the deep, throbbing bass; big, syncopated beats; soft, multi-tracked vocals; and meticulously textured production.

Opening with an entrancing string profile, Nonsemble produced an enthralling performance for the launch of their Spaceship Earth EP... The string quartet was most certainly proficient at soaring to lofty emotional heights, yet still the band as a whole made sure to take a wander through a decent swathe of emotional variety. The sound managed to remain relatable, more often than not drifting back down to earth to rustle up a tender soul-yearning vignette or temperamental jam.

...the lights go out and then on come Caligula’s Horse. As they open with Rust you can just instantly feel the energy levels of the whole place jump to 100 percent as they jump around in the mosh pit as the chugging down tuned 7 string guitars sends everyone into a headbanging frenzy... After a great night at the Zoo, Caligula’s Horse ended it in style as they put on a great performance. They opened with a song full of energy and slowed things down at the right time to only bring us back on our feet to get us jumping up and down like no tomorrow...

To be honest, I hadn’t heard much about Danny Brown over the past year, no mixtapes or albums, just a few verses here and there. Therefore to see him announced on the line-up for Groovin’ the Moo back in January, I was a little confused... It sure does seem Danny enjoys his time in Australia, so why not come over again! Without a doubt the fans aren’t going to complain. Danny’s shows are one of the most energetic rap acts going around, any chance to get a glimpse is worth it...

The cover to Garry Bradbury’s new album, Yakovlevian Torque, is a collage. Collages are the kind of thing I did when I was five, anybody can do collages! This is true, but doing them well is another story. Bradbury’s collages (he’s got a few, check out his Facebook feed) are intricately layered, their juxtaposition of images creating layers of carefully arranged patterns of colour, shape and implication. They’re both an intellectually and viscerally satisfying pleasure. Not everyone can do that... The same thing is true of experimental, electronic music.

Truth be told, I was pleasantly surprised by both band’s performances. I was expecting to see to washed up has-beens playing to a crowd of 20-somethings eager to recapture the nostalgia of their teenage years, but what I got were two bands who soldiered on through various onstage mishaps to give the crowd one hell of a night. Mest and Hawthorne Heights were both in good form (disregarding some onstage hiccups), and I had a pretty good time. Their days of gracing MTV might be long behind them, but they still know how to put on a good show for the kids, and a good time was definitely had by all.

It can be sort of intimidating amongst today’s modern ‘Hipster’ climate to say that you love electronic dance music. For some reason, liking EDM seems to be associated with ravers in fairy-like costumes and glow sticks (not that there is anything wrong with those, but apparently it’s way cooler to grow beards and talk about existentialism these days). I can kind of see where they are coming from as the Australian bush doof scene seeps its way into common Australian music culture, but I resent the idea that EDM is a less valuable form of music.

The irrepressible Andy Falkous has risen once more as Future Of The Left. Not something that should surprise you if you’re the least bit familiar with the Welshman’s work. Not something that should surprise you given the continued proliferation of stupidity and acquiescence in the face of unhealthy practices, unhelpful politicians and uninspiring cultures. All of which have remained largely uninterrupted since Future Of The Left gave us How To Stop Your Brain In An Accident back in 2013. As a title for their latest release The Peace and Truce of Future of the Left is somewhat misleading in that there are still a great many things to be royally pissed off about.

Now, the stage at The Triffid is pretty sizeable, but Melbourne Ska Orchestra filled it out, I lost count after 20 members. The place was packed; even the mezzanine level! An early track was ‘Lygon St Meltdown’, which I’d played on my show hours earlier. They played a number of tracks from the new album Sierra Kilo Alpha, which we were told is available in 3D. For me, the highlight of their gig was during ‘Bombay Detective‘, a track from the new album, where they played with the conductor dynamics between the horn section and the audience. Super-fun!

Over their five-year existence they have consistently proved their quality as both a live act and recording unit. Having released the singles Can't Stop and Hit Song last year, and Do Rite With Me Tonite earlier this year, 2016 is set to be their biggest year yet with an ambitious plan to release three EPs. Each EP is intended to showcase each member’s vocal and writing abilities. If this initial EP is anything to go by Babaganouj is gonna bring the pain in 2k16, in the form of infectious pop bangers with plenty of substance to them.