Albums

Rozam Kobar

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AlLBUM 2014

(To be released)

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John Kilbey’s latest solo album blends Eastern mysticism, folk and classical influences to create something truly unique and unheard.  Melodic phrases dive and shift, forming suites of music held together with exotic instruments, sparkling acoustic guitars and harmony laden vocals. A slow building, serene and mesmerising psychedelic aural experience. As if George Harrison had joined Pink Floyd before recording Dark Side of the Moon. Rarely have albums had such love and thought and time put into them and the results are tangible.

UNFAMILIAR PLACES

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AlLBUM 2011

(with Bhagavad Guitars)

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The Bhagavad Guitars return album. After an extended hiatus, the original band reforms to create and album which is both new and familiar.

Or, as the press said…

“Back after an incredibly long hiatus, The Bhaga’s have made an intense recording on their new album, Unfamiliar Places. Harking back to their six-string melodies of a bygone era, they have now infused a new energy that makes them both exciting and current. The personal element and dedication of the album give the band a focused direction that is hard to ignore.Unfamiliar Places has so much pent-up energy it’s like hearing a new band appearing out of the dark. It makes for a great listen and poses an exciting future for these four lads who know how to do more than just throw a few songs together.”DRUM MEDIA

“It was like stepping back into familiar times, listening to the beautiful sounds on Bhagavad Guitars’ new album. Pop sensibilities were a key part of Australia’s mid ’80s independent music scene and Bhagavad Guitars were underrated exponents of the art, with songs as clean and refreshing as running water. This takes up where they left off, with John Kilbey’s silky voice meandering across melodic currents. The gentle urgency of I Wanna Know Why captures their essence; exploding harmonies, soothing bass lines and great lyrics.” **** MUSIC AUSTRALIA GUIDE

“Bhagavad Guitars are one of the Australian Underground’s great forgotten bands……(they have) recorded a mesmerizing Australian pop record which owes much to the jangle of The Clean, the melodious pop of The Church and the storytelling of Dave McComb in the Triffids.  “Nothing left to fight over” is the Flying Nun Records hit that never was.  A truly glimmering three minutes of pop which would not have been out of place in Auckland or Sydney in 1989.  “I Wanna Know Why” echoes the almost Bauhaus come dark wave/goth rock influence, which is summoned sparingly throughout the album.  Bad Thing reflects Bhagavad Guitars ability to craft perfect pop and whilst at times the album sonically plays like a record from 20 years ago, it is refreshing to hear a reunion album where the band hasn’t tried awkwardly to update their sound….they have truly crafted an album that is soaring in its pop momentum and genuinely brilliant in its depth of song craft.”**** ½   TIME OFF

“Back when the term alternative actually meant something, the Bhagavad Guitars could not only claim the best band name but produced some of the juiciest jangle this side of the Church…there’s an occasional whiff of rough acoustica amid the chiming guitars and sonic space on this, their long overdue return. That’s especially so during the slow-burning `Together We Arrive’, while the title track wields the type of muscle not often associated with the paisley brigade…” *** 1/2 SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

“The place may be unfamiliar, but the sound echoes deep in the back of your consciousness. Well at least for those of you to whom the Trade Union Club and the Hopetoun Hotel are haunts from times long gone by. The Bhagavad Guitars rattled around Sydney in the late 80′s and early 90′s. Led but John Kilbey (yes Virginia, there is another Kilbey), with Jeremy Butterworth, Matt Kerr and Adrian Workman, the Bhagavad Guitars chimed their way into many hearts. Now some fourteen years after their last outing, we have a new album that shows the more things change…John Kilbey is still more than capable of writing an infectious pop melody and the band has not been wearied by the years, the interplay between Kilbey and Butterworth’s guitars still one of the bands strongest points. Nothing Left to Fight Over shows the band doesn’t lack for energy and the harmonies are as sweet as ever, while I Wanna Know Why creeps along with echoes of Kilbey the elder. It is hard not to place the sounds on Unfamiliar Places along side other 90′s luminaries of the Sydney indie scene like The Clouds, Died Pretty, Rat Cat et al. But then again, a pop song, well, it’s still a pop song in any era.” ALTERNATIVE PRESS CATCHING SOME Z’S ……………………………………. AlLBUM 2004 ……………………………………. In the mold of Budd/Eno via Erik Satie an album exploring the sonorous beauty of the piano. A soothing listening experience designed to ease the mind, preparing it for sleep. Musically there is an emphasis on delicate, simple piano, filtered effects and vocals.

NOTHING MORE THAN SOMETHING TO WEAR

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AlLBUM 2003

(Under name JLk)

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John Kilbey’s first solo album proper contained a sparkling, insightful collection of guitar driven esoteric-rock tracks – as honest, bold and striking as the cover suggests, Five years in the making, this is the cd which defined Kilbey’s post Bhagavad, solo sound. The production is shimmering and inventive, the songs are at once immediate and evocative, the overall sound is of high lustre and sheen, the detailed with depth and clarity. The 14 tracks walk a  tightrope between innovative future -pop and the classic past. This cd takes the best of Bhagavad Guitars melodic charm, the atmospherics/intangibles of Penny Drops, some choice power chords, wicked humour, intelligence and impeccable references and shoves them through a musical shredder.