Ex Hex: It's Real

- Out of the haze of the fun-and-fever dream that was Ex Hex’s 2014 album Rips, comes the tropical whirlwind of It’s Real, a wholesome ten-track LP released through Merge Records. Ex Hex, namely Mary Timony (vox, guitar), Betsy Wright (vox, bass) and Laura Harris (drums), came well-loved into the North American garage rock domain circa 2013. Building on the success of Rips, comes a cleaner, crisper and all the more cool LP that is It’s Real.

VulgarGrad: The Odessa Job

- Since 2004, the Melbourne based band VulgarGrad have been criminally and intentionally performing the raucous and at times threatening popular street songs of the Russian underclass. Having released their first album King of Crooks in 2009, their latest release -now on parole- The Odessa Job updates the repertoire to include songs made popular during the Soviet and later Perestroika eras.

American Football: American Football (3)

- In 1999, a band from a small college town in Illinois called American Football released their debut, self-titled album then promptly broke up. The album, with its hushed dynamic and noodly guitar interplay, redefined the style of music that had come to be known as emo. Yet the band remained enigmatic even as the album took on legendary status.

Iron & Wine: Our Endless Numbered Days (Reissue)

- Our Endless Numbered Days is the oxymoron-titled sophomore album by revered artist, Iron & Wine (AKA Sam Beam) released in 2004. In the fifteen years since this memorable record, Beam has gone on to have sterling career with a plethora of great albums, although Our Endless Numbered Days can rightly be seen as the quintessential Iron & Wine album. Full of finger-picked acoustic guitars, banjos, double bass, and slide guitar, it presents the style for which Beam is most known.

Ferry sinks in Mosul, Iraq

Almost 100 people are reported to have died after a ferry sank in the Tigris river in Iraq's city of Mosul.

 

Most of the victims were women and children, the interior ministry said. It is thought nearly 200 people were on board.

 

The ferry was heading towards a tourist island as part of new year celebrations. Mosul's civil defence agency reportedly said most on board could not swim.

At least 19 children and 61 women were among the 94 people said to have died, and 55 people were rescued.

 

Theresa May accepts delays to Brexit date

EU president Donald Tusk has confirmed that British Prime Minister Theresa May has accepted an offer of two options for short delays to the date of Britain's withdrawal from the European Union.

EU leaders agreed to offer British Prime Minister Theresa May two options to delay Brexit to avoid a damaging "no deal" on March 29, two European sources said.

If the British parliament agrees May's divorce deal in the next few days, the delay would be until May 22 to give MPs time to ratify the text, a source in the French presidency told AFP.

New sustainable proposals offered for Melbourne city

Melbourne’s 2019 Design Week has offered new sustainable proposals to help the city reclaim its ‘most livable city crown.’

 

In 2018, Melbourne was toppled from the coveted position of "world's most livable city" after a seven-year reign.

At a time when the city's demography is shifting so quickly and environmental concerns are mounting, improving infrastructure is only part of the solution.

Brawl following AFL game at the MCG

At least six men were involved in a wild punch-up after Thursday night’s season-opening game between Richmond and Carlton at the MCG.

 

In disappointing scenes for the AFL, a brawl broke out on the ground level of the Great Southern Stand after the Tigers posted a 33-point win.

 

The incidents follow a number of violent clashes during the 2018 season, including one after a Geelong-Melbourne game that had the managers of the Cats’ home ground discuss segregating fans.

Evacuation camps set up in QLD rural communities

Two of Queensland’s rural communities are a hive of activity as hundreds of workers from across the state move into makeshift flood recovery camps.

Housing and Public Works Minister Mick de Brenni says the camps have been established after exhausting all existing accommodation options in the towns of Richmond and Julia Creek.