Jono Russell

BORN: 1987, not long after The Joshua TreeJOINED THE DV STAFF: October 2008 (the first time); May 2019HOMETOWN: Ballina, AustraliaNOW LIVING IN: London, United KingdomSPOUSE / KIDS? NopeFAVORITE ARTIST: Ben Folds (Five)OTHER ARTISTS I LIKE: Death Cab for Cutie, The Mountain Goats, Angus & Julia Stone, The Decemberists, The Format, The Waifs, The Dresden Dolls, Amanda Palmer, Belle and Sebastian, Tilly and the Wall, Sufjan Stevens, of Montreal, Neutral Milk Hotel... and the list could go on.BEER: Boags Premium, Toohey's Extra DryOTHER HOBBIES: Reading, writing, playing piano, religiously supporting various sporting teams that inevitably fail on a regular basisPERSONAL MOTTO: "Bitches can't hang with the streets" - Dr Dre, as delicately rehashed by Ben FoldsI WRITE MUSIC REVIEWS BECAUSE: ... it give me the chance to use the trite clichés I can't use in my day job.
4 Posts
22 Dec

2009: Igniting A Hurricane

Jono RussellBest Of
  10. Swell Season - Strict Joy Success for Glen Hansard was a long time coming. After years plugging away as frontman for Irish folk-rockers The Frames, it was his starring role in the charming musical film Once that led to the widespread exposure his songs richly deserved. Hansard teamed up with film co-star Markéta Irglová, both romantically and professionally, to become The Swell Season. Just as the movie, and associated album, mirrored their real-life love story, Strict Joy charts the relationship breakdown. What sets this apart from the countless heartache-filled breakup albums is that we hear both sides of…
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06 Oct

Noah And The Whale Swim Through The Misery

Jono RussellFeature
It’s fair to say Charlie Fink, frontman of London indie-folksters Noah And The Whale, hasn’t had the best run of luck. First, he endured a painful relationship split from former band member – and now accomplished artist in her own right – Laura Marling, an event that seems to have provided much of the inspiration for the band’s second album, The First Days Of Spring. Then, not long into the tour to promote the second album, the band had thousands of pounds worth of irreplaceable equipment stolen after a gig in Manchester. It’d be enough to make even Tony Robbins…
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20 May

Ben Kweller Brings A Taste Of Country To London

Jono RussellFeature
Perhaps, way back in 2003 when "supergroup" The Bens -- consisting of Ben Folds, Ben Kweller and Ben Lee -- were touring Australia, they got ridiculously drunk and concocted a few outlandish dares for each to achieve in their solo careers. We didn't have to wait long for Folds' WTF moment - his William Shatner collaboration, a surprising success, followed in 2004. Ben Lee's moment of craziness came this year, with a concept album of sorts about femininity that was cringe-inducingly bad. As for Kweller , his shift was less of a surprise: he embraced the country tinge that has…
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28 Dec

2008’s Top 11: Because Cutting One Out Proved Too Difficult

Jono RussellBest Of
11. Joshua Radin -- Simple Times The first I -- and I'm guessing many others - heard of Josh Radin was during a surprisingly sad conclusion to an episode of NBC's Scrubs. His song "Winter," when combined with the script, packed the sort of emotional punch rarely seen on TV; especially in 20-minute sitcoms. The problem with his first full length, We Were Here, was simply the curse of repetition. The other nine cuts just sounded too much like (and not as good as) "Winter."  Simple Times is by no means a radical variation on the Radin formula: it's still…
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