Niki N. Phaser

               Australian indie-rockers Expatriate are releasing their debut album, In the Midst of This, in the UK, this very day. The album was initially released in their homeland back in 2007 and it certainly did not go unnoticed. It received enough indie attention to keep the band’s gig schedule quite busy and for Rolling Stone to name them “one of the most important new bands of 2007”. In 2009 they toured with fellow Riverman band, Placebo, thus being exposed to an even broader audience, which payed off, as shown by this UK breaktrough, as well as by a string of headlining gigs around Europe. As for the album, if you are into rock mythology, you should know it was recorded in Seattle, in the studio where Nirvana did their last sessions. Even though Ben King sings “A dream’s a dream, Leave it at that” on Times Like These (maybe the best track on the album), Expatriate keep on working on the architecture of their own dream and, with a second album in the demo phase, they might just become one of those bands who inspire others to dream.

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         Australian revelation, Empire of the Sun are ending the year with a bag full of gold stars on their notebook. They’ve recently made a killing at the ARIA awards, where they received awards for Album of the Year, Single of the Year, Best Group and Best Pop Release, becoming the night’s most popular clique. To celebrate the already legendary success of their debut album, Walking On a Dream, Empire of the Sun are releasing a Limited (1000 units) Deluxe Edition Vinyl Box Set, that will contain all that is relevant to this band’s history so far. Of course, this is another way to bank on their yearlong victory, but it’s all done in good taste. Walking On a Dream being their debut album, the purchase of this product might very well be a good investment.

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HIM have been recently included on the Soundwave Festival’s bill. It will take place in February-March 2010, in the Australian cities of Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. Other bands playing at the festival include Faith No More, Paramore, Jane’s Addiction, My Chemical Romance, AFI and the second time reunited Sunny Day Real Estate. The lineup for each day has yet to be confirmed, but there are almost 40 bands playing at the festival. For more information on the festival, go to its official site. This will be HIM’s first concert in almost two years, if it will not be preceded by other shows, which is quite possible considering that February (Valentine’s Day) is also the tentative release date for the band’s new album, SCREAMWORKS: Love in Theory and Practice, which they are currently recording in Los Angeles with producer Matt Squire (The Used, Saosin).

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