The Brag

The Hi-Fi feels bigger than The Forum did. The undulating green curtains along its walls suit Albatross’ aqueous electronics well. Their music is a sociable blend of club sounds and pop melody, but its arrangements are impressively immersive. One track foregrounds sharp hi-hats against the sounds of coins colliding and the icy, high-frequency patter of a busy street. The combined effect creates an alluring depth of field that draws the listener deep into a delicate web of soft-serve synth and head-nodding wonkiness.

Posted: May 23rd, 2012 under Brag 462 (May 14), Live Reviews, Music.
Tags: Albatross, Live Reviews, Luke Telford, Mount Kimbie, Music, Oscar & Martin, The Hi-Fi

Mount Kimbie London Calling By Luke Telford  The term bass music (or UK bass, as Skream would put it) encompasses a mercurial array of music that includes garage, jungle, dubstep, techno, to name a few; for most, it brings to mind the warped, eulogistic treacle of Burial, or the hermetic basslines and meditative rhythmic logic [...]

Posted: April 29th, 2012 under Brag 459 (April 23), Music, Music - Interview.
Tags: Albatross, Kai Campos, Luke Telford, Mount Kimbie, Oscar & Martin, The Brag, The Hi-Fi, William Basinski

There was an excited buzz tonight, the patron saint of girls-with-guitars attracting a very healthy room of worshippers. But first was Oscar + Martin, or Martin + Oscar, their role-swapping leading to occasional confusion as to who’s who. There were some lovely vocals, particularly Oscar’s D’Angelo-aping keen, though considering their reliance on their equipment it [...]

Posted: March 26th, 2012 under Brag 454 (March 19), Live Reviews, Music.
Tags: Oliver Downes, Oscar & Martin, St Vincent, The Brag, The Factory

Oscar + Martin Living The Highlife By Luke Telford Earlier this year, Melbourne’s Oscar + Martin released their first album, For You. It’s charming and playful, indebted as much to modern RnB and hip hop as to avant-garde pop. And it sounds as though they don’t take any influence for granted; one track plays like [...]

Posted: December 19th, 2011 under Brag 442 (December 12), Music, Music - Interview.
Tags: Conics, Flume, Luke Telford, Mrs. Bishop, Oscar & Martin, The Brag, What I Know

Oscar + Martin Pop Is Not A Dirty Word By Caitlin Welsh Oscar + Martin will have to endure their share of clunky phoenix-from-the-ashes references in the press, but the analogy doesn’t quite work. The demise last year of their old band, the much-loved art-pop collective Psuche, was less a fiery destruction than a shrugging [...]

Posted: May 3rd, 2011 under Brag 409 (April 25), Music, Music - Interview.
Tags: Caitlin Welsh, Oscar & Martin, The Brag