Tara Simmons

Folk mixed with electronica never sounded so right

On first listen, Tara Simmons' second EP (following the highly successful Pendulum in 2006) could easily fly under the radar. With the current plethora of singer songwriters dominating the Brisbane indie scene, an album has to be pretty spectacular to stand out from the crowd. But once given a second spin, this folk slash electronic effort really comes out of the woodwork. What's that you say, folk and electronica? Yes, you heard right. All The Amendments manages to mingle these two seemingly opposing forces with a result that is soothing, playful, enchanting and addictive. Reminiscent at times of Imogen Heap, Claire Bowditch and her Brisbane contemporary Emma Dean, it is obvious to see why Tara has been yanked from the garden as part of Triple J's next crop. Something sweet and wonderful has come our way in the form of this new release and I look forward to hearing the next offering from this inventive singer-songwriter. - Lee Hutchison - Rave Mag

In a venue with no seating other than that to be found on the floor, it's hoped that the live acts are good enough to not only entertain, but also to distract listener's from the creeping numbness spreading through their arses. Thankfully, all three performers give it their all.

Scott Spark kicks off the evening, seated behind his Wurlitzer with a practiced ease that just barely masks a clenched nervousness. Over the course of the show, this gives way to laidback charm as he plays through most tracks from his recent EP Wet Behind the Ears. He is joined by Roger González on miscellaneous percussion from standout track Something's In the Water onwards, and it is here that Spark settles into himself, his jerks and writhing while playing looking more like a child excited at Christmas rather than one terrified in a dentist's chair.

Petite Tara Simmons doesn't take long to settle, her early shoe-gazing giving way to sassy cheek. Opener Everybody Loves You draws the audience in with its elegant, unabashed sweetness, setting the tone of the set. Seated behind a keyboard and backed by dual cellos, a double bass, drum kit and her laptop, her sound is odd enough to notice, but not to distract. And just when I think I have Miss Simmons pegged as 'that cutesy alt-pop girl', she turns around and tears out some soaring, intimate vocals and forces me to reassess just how versatile she really is.

Final performer Emma Dean struts her stuff with the confidence of a (by-comparison) seasoned veteran. Backed by standard guitar-bass-drums, Dean takes the audience through her impressive catalogue, with the disarming Dresden Dolls-y Three Meals spindly creeping towards a crescendo. Impressive throughout, both in professionalism and performance, it isn't until Miss Dean, dressed in a sparkling gown, begins wielding an electric violin that I properly fall in love. Her rockin' poppin' Good Song closes out the night – or at least it would have, had an encore not been immediately and enthusiastically demanded.

SEBASTIAN HAYES - Rave Magazine - SEBASTIAN HAYES - Rave Magazine

Donning sleeveless flannels and blowing a sweet harmonica, pint-sized Tara Simmons gets under way with the backing of two cellos, double-bass, drums, and her trusty, sample-looping lap top. 'The Recycling Bin Song' - which Triple J's Caroline Tran has taken a liking to - makes an early appearance followed by the amusing, keyboard-led 'After The Boy'.

The rest of the band leaves the stage, leaving Simmons and her two cellists for the beautiful 'You And Me'. Featuring no less than three intelligently arranged and wonderfully executed cellos and Simmons' unique voice, this song stands as one of tonight's best moments. She ends with the almost equally impressive 'Trip Over'.

Those unfortunate louts who missed tonight's performances will be left to shout and pout like they've got gout.




- MIYAMOTO MUSASHI - Time Off

SHORT, sweet and absolutely intriguing, this four-song taster from a Brisbane singer-songwriter who will doubtless be playing to a much wider audience before long. Ms Simmons is a singer-songwriter but one who uses electronic elements to fuse with her use of keyboards, cello and acoustic guitar. She begins here with the avant-pop approach of Trip Over, with cello, jittery beats and various sonic bells, whistles and harmonies underneath Simmons' luminescent vocal performance, a lovely mix of cool assurance and questioning vulnerability. The Recycling Bin Song is equally atmospheric, hypnotic rhythms and rattles supplying an interesting counterpoint to a haunting vocal melody before listing up with an insistent drum beat. But that's just one part of the story. Patience is an elegant, slow-building piano ballad, given a lovely treatment with double-bass and an aching trombone line.
Fans of, say Kate Bush and Sarah Blasko, this is right up your street. Be the first on your block.

Noel Mengel - Courier Mail

The simply brilliant star of Tara Simmons continues to shine brightly on this, her second release, picking up superbly where last year's appallingly-underrated Pendulum left off.

'The Recycling Bin Song' is Carole King-with-a-laptop and should already be receiving repeated plays on radio. 'Ballet' is a gorgeous yet ambitiously-produced pop song featuring a joyful piano and a brass-laden climax that displays the singer's successfully-experimental side. 'Trip Over' and 'Patience' bookend this satisfyingly short disc that can only be described as a short insight and delicious teaser of a young yet incredibly mature singer/songwriter in the making, already achieving great things but poised and destined for brilliance.

(JA) - JA

Tara Simmons' debut EP certainly deserves the airtime and attention it has been receiving (most notably an appearance on Robbie Buck's 'Top Shelf'). Combining keys, delicate vocals, cello and a range of electro beats, Pendulum displays Tara's strong songwriting ability and alludes to her classical roots.

Opener Everybody Loves You is a rolling ocean of electro simplicity, interlaced with beautiful melodies and bursts of cello. Rat puts me in mind of a Portishead album played in a sunny room, electro glitches and piano supporting the sweet tones of Tara's voice. The title track in the EP's lowest point for me, its bouncing Cat Empire-like piano lines and clarinet cameos lacking the richness of the previous tracks. However, Break the Rules for Me showcases Tara's capacity to produce an electro ballad up there with the rest of them, layering gorgeous cello lines, acoustic guitar and plaintive refrains in a song which swings between Decoder Ring atmospherics to tender moments a la Lamb.

A confident, unaffected debut.

(Camilla Jones) - Camilla Jones