A lot of musical water has flowed under The Chemmies’ bridge since the release of 1995’s Exit Planet Dust. Stylistically speaking, the last 15 years has seen a great movement ripple through Tom and Ed’s output, with varied, but always compelling and enjoyable end results. There have been iconic and era defining tunes like Star Guitar and Block Rockin’ Beats, and head-scratching excursions into other musical realms with fun jaunts such as the playful Salmon Dance, or the call-to-arms of Galvanise. With seventh studio album Further, devotees to the Chemical temple will not be disappointed, as the album stands as their most cohesive effort since the inspiring surge of Come With Us, and like the aforementioned LP, Further is a psychedelic ebb and flow of emotion, elation and outright energy that comes on like a clean acid trip; taking the listener on a rollercoaster that spans a dense musical universe.

texjah

A year after releasing his first EP Left To Write, Sydney’s Skryptcha has penned his first full length album The Numbers. He’s wisely chosen smooth and soulful production from the likes of Mules, Domingo, Chasm, Jase and Ante Escobar, as well as the lad who seems to be every up’n’comer’s go to man, M-Phazes. While the beats carry the album more than they probably should for a rapper’s solo release, the man CAN rap. There are hits and misses, especially when it comes to his flow (a little monotonous here and there, and not in the legendary Guru way), and the occasional cliché line stands out, but when compared to some of the rubbish in this country, Skryptcha has released quite a polished product. It’s another Aus hip hop album; can’t say it’s groundbreaking, but if a track appears on shuffle on the iPod, I won’t skip.

 
Bia Delaney

Continuing on from the second release in the Cop It In Ya Grill series, Melbourne crew Art Of War have again teamed with Canadian rapper/producer Sin for the third drop. It’s good to see that connection happening but for me they don’t gel together enough to be presentable as one album. The production is far from amateur with a vast array of international guests, but I struggle to enjoy Art Of War deliver their fiery emotion over the electronic bass pulses, snare claps and auto-tune hooks that dominate this release. Sin, however, seems at home with these styles of beats. Tracks like Heard We’re Back and Phantom Helicopters with Ciecmate, New Sense and Maggot Mouf along with a mention of the West Gate Bridge bring me back to their debut in ’04, which I can’t help but want to reincarnate when listening to Art Of War.

Leigh Hill

Onelove’s three Smash Your Stereo compilers (Denzal Park, Nervo and Yolanda Be Cool) have had huge years but only two of them transform hype to heat with their Onelove mixes. Booming with the success of Filter Freak, Denzal Park turn in a party house mix full of filtered fun loving vibes with a heap of their productions and tunes on the Armand Van Helden tip. Melbourne’s twin sister songwriting and DJ combo Nervo (who wrote Guetta’s When Love Takes Over) mix a cheesy disc two. Starting with the last track of CD one isn’t a good start (Dirty South’s Phazing) and their anthem disc improves little thereafter. Yolanda Be Cool add some credibility with a great dark bass led house Backroom mix.

David Knight

Edits have never been easier to make. With this constant stream of releases it makes superb compilations like this one stand out even more. Danny Krivit began re-editing trying to improve a botched engineering job on a friend’s band in 1986. With over two decades of experience with the craft he knows when to trim the fat and what motifs need to be more pronounced. Highlights include Milton Hamilton’s deliciously camp We Have All the Time and the expansive jazz funk of Philadelphia All Stars’ Lets Clean Up The Ghetto.

Winston Reed

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