Oct 25, 2017

Return To Center

The Whole Of The Moon

Name in Stone - Dead Man's Bones Cover (2010)

Taken from the Monnone Alone album Here Comes the Afternoon – out May 2

Like revisiting an unfinished diary entry from another lifetime, River of Sighs applies a healthy dab of Vaseline to the lens of time in its vague-memoried retelling of a late-night-early-morning riverside dalliance in a foreign city. The song was sketched out in its infancy some twenty-five years ago but has sat on the shelf ever since, ageing like the self-referential cheap Beaujolais that perhaps spawned this whole misguided affaire de cœur! Isobel Knowles of The Icypoles brings the chanteuse vibes while bassist Joe Foley double-duties on lap steel for that extra dose of inebriated wobble through the pre-dawn outro.

Mark Monnone – rhythm guitar, vocals
Gus Franklin – drums, percussion, vocals
Joe Foley – bass, lap steel
Louis Richter – lead guitar
Isobel Knowles – vocals 
Connal Parsley – vocals

Monnone Alone – River Of Sighs

Mark Monnone – vocals, acoustic guitar
Louis Richter – electric guitar
Joey Foley – bass guitar
Gus Franklin – drums, backing vocals
Isobel Knowles – backing vocals
Darren Cordeux – backing vocals
Gary Olson – bongos, Tibetan singing bowl

Recorded by Gus Franklin and Mark Monnone at Three Phase and Stock Cube studios. Mixed by Gareth Parton at Los Bomberos. Melbourne, Australia. Mastered by Álvaro Lissón. Artwork by Mark Monnone.


Eighteen months after delivering the goods with ‘Loose Terrain’, Monnone Alone re-emerge with the follow-up single – the fuzzy and frenetic ‘Dry Doubt’.

“Where’d they go?”, folks have been heard to ask, Mark Monnone and band seemingly at the height of their game (the Isobel Knowles-directed ‘Loose Terrain’ video depicting the 4-piece dancing a jig atop giant tropical fruit in outer space)… Well, the answer is simple: they’ve been finishing the rest of the album – Here Comes the Afternoon, out May 2 on Lost And Lonesome. 

But back to the new single ’Dry Doubt’ and fittingly, this is a tale of rebirth – a party singalong about a family of long forgotten domesticated fish, trapped in the muddy depths of an overgrown backyard pond, finally liberated when the new occupants of the house excavate what appears to be a dried out garden patch.

But this ain’t no ‘Octopus’s Garden’! Guitarist Louis Richter wastes no time digging into some toothy fuzz-tone while drummer Gus Franklin discovers a wormhole back to the Haçienda, circa-mid-80s. Joe Foley duck-walks the bass all up and down while The Ladybug Transistor’s Gary Olson drops some heady bongos into the mix, further enhancing that baggy shuffle. 

And, on the subject of guests, Mark Monnone is flanked by some quality ring-in backing vocalists – the aforementioned Isobel Knowles (The Icypoles) and Darren Cordeux (Kisschasy), both of whom are alumni of various Monnone Alone line-ups of yesteryear. This theme runs through the whole album; erstwhile Aloners making the odd walk-on cameo, balancing out the previous – truly alone – Monnone album of 2021, the COVID locked-down Stay Foggy.

‘Dry Doubt’ – check it out! It’s a love letter to Mother Nature and a plea to the policy makers and climate change deniers: “A wish for what it’s worth / some water for the earth / we’re all yearning for something to sing about”… a li’l ditty about a backyard pond and environmental protest song – that’s pretty good value in this age of shrinkflation!

Monnone Alone – Dry Doubt

Order Vinyl ~ https://sound-merch.com.au/products/sienna-thornton-birding-out-lp-black-vinyl

Stream ~ https://orcd.co/afterharvest

After a long silence since the release of 2018’s ‘Cyanide Thornton’ album, Narrm-based songwriter Sienna Thornton returns with a new full-length album, ‘Birding Out’. 

Says songwriter Sienna Thornton on the first single, 'After Harvest' --

“As with a lot of this album I let this song come intuitively, starting with the chord structure which reminded me of patterns in a maze. 

Within this I remembered the story of the minotaur from Greek mythology - greed, suffering, nature and nurture, intergenerational threads and the line of twine. This led to linear and non-linear time perception, life-line, body and mind, cycles and spirals, ecosystems and resources - what happens when the extraction of the final harvest has fed our unending hunger. 

I found myself trying to find a balance between a desire for certainty, concreteness, and what it feels like to embrace a less tangible, intuitive experience. I tried to imagine where each source of knowing comes from.

We filmed the video at Hyman’s Beach just above Booderee National Park on Yuin Country. We were told by a friend to go and see the sand there as we were on a drive down from up north. Finding so much beautiful red seaweed in the water was inspiring visually and texturally, it felt like the interior of a body. We acknowledge and pay deep respect to the custodians of this land who have been caring for Country for so many thousands of years."

The song features Sienna on most instruments, with a range of guest performers including Shaun Fogarty (tenor sax), Emma Stuart (voice), Georgia Knight (voice), Mei McCraken (voice) and Luke Brennan (acoustic guitar). It is accompanied by a music video filmed by Sienna and Jasper Lopez on Yuin Country. 

The new album, Birding Out, is out everywhere Friday, July 25th.

Sienna Thornton - After Harvest

After a long silence since the release of 2018’s ‘Cyanide Thornton’ album, Narrm-based songwriter Sienna Thornton returns with a new full-length album, ‘Birding Out’.

Says songwriter Sienna Thornton on her new single, 'Crest Lit Up' --

“Crest Lit Up takes us on a slow motion circular ride into deep desire and erotic unfolding. Born from late night pool hall fluro-lamps and intimate dreams of entangled past lives with a love, bodies swapping stories by laying touching through the night, its a welcoming of my queer self into more clear awareness and celebration. 

Punko’s soft glistening vocals add the crispness of the night air and reach out to the lonely longing of the soprano sax’s warble. The past/a/ural fettuccini western ravioli erotica film to accompany adds textural dimension and maybe the first homemade lasagne chaps to grace the screen. This is a love song to hidden parts of ourselves.”

The track features Punko on vocal and Shuan Fogarty on a sweet soprano sax warble. Best played late at night or in the early hours. 

You can pre-order Sienna Thornton's new album, 'Birding Out', here ~ https://sound-merch.com.au/collections/bedroom-suck-records/products/sienna-thornton-birding-out-lp-black-vinyl

Sienna Thornton - Crest Lit Up

Sienna Thornton - Esmerelda

Kisses - Butterfly Eyes

Title track from the new LP 'Show Me To The Sun' out now!

Recorded by John Lee and Chris Korczynski
Mixed by John Lee
Mastered by Chris Korczynski

Show Me To The Sun

Health is the first single from everybody’s new favourite band Parsnip. The track is lifted from their debut self-titled 7”, which will be out November 10th on Anti Fade, just in time for a national tour of Australia as part of Gizzfest. Parsnip are four girls from Melbourne whom have only been around for a year, but have certainly kept themselves busy during that time, playing plenty of great shows in Melbourne, as well as the rest of Australia on many stellar lineups. Listen to “Health” today! 

ANT - 040

Cover image by Jamie Wdziekonski

PARSNIP - Health

I'm Not Satisfied

Nausea In Paradise

Written by Headclouds. Recorded at Blank Studios with Chris McManus.

'Seen It Before' released Friday 27th October.

Spotify: http://spoti.fi/2hfKRKu 
Apple Music: http://apple.co/2lmRuyT

Seen It Before

The Dirty Coal Train - Chincaburro All The Way!

Laughing At The System

Cathie and Marg

Alternative rock, garage, punk playlists Poppin' Off with DJ Gopal, 
#driveto1025
@rocknrao

Tam - Guitar/Vox, Chris - Guitar, Rowan - Bass, Ash - Drums

Show Me To The Sun

Tam Vantage

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