Occasionally this blog shares the good oil on what counts a interesting listening, and I've a few to recommend today. About two weeks back R and I made a quick holiday to Brisbane to soak up some warmth in respite from the long slog that is Armidale's winter. I can't tell how thankful I am that spring is finally arriving, sun and warmth make all the difference to your spirit and motivation. Anyway, one of our purposes for heading north to the city was to see some live music:

Room40.org played host for Tujiko Noriko, who played at the Judith Wright Centre on the 20th of August. Playing to an audience seated or lying on the floor with eyes closed, Tujiko delivered an interesting set of 'avant pop' by simply singing along with her laptop as it played the backing tracks. Her voice was so captivating, full of confident yet understated melody that lulled you into some sort of magical place - it became the central focus of the performance. The most amazing moments were when the backing track became paired down to minimal elements allowing us to focus on the drama of her performance. It certainly was a treat to see and hear, and largely unlike the usual live bombastic noise we're used to with rock and pop experiences. She has a new album out which I picked up, U. A particular standout (as it was at the gig too) is 'I Can Hear The Heart', which is both dark but reaching toward the light. You can find out about the album here:

Worth mentioning also is the support act, Melbourne's II. Armed with just two guitars and an array of effects devices, they played two loop-based long-form improvisations that merged post-rock warmth with ambient strangeness. Their moments of gold were produced with sensitivity to melody's relationship to emotion, yet keeping it interesting with abstraction. You can get more here:

Now patiently waiting for Spring to emerge...