Skipping Girl Vinegar
Encyclopedia
Skipping Girl Vinegar are a Melbourne-based indie rock
band. The band comprise of siblings Mark and Sare Lang, their respective childhood friends Chris Helm and Amanthi Lynch and are named after the Audrey the Skipping Girl
Vinegar sign, located in Abbotsford, Victoria
.
, The Lemonheads
and Something For Kate
before releasing the single 'One Chance' and its filmclip. This single received high rotation on Triple J
radio, and drew the attention of several major record labels which the band negotiated with before choosing to take their own label Secret Fox to the smaller, independent label Popboomerang with distribution through MGM Records
.
. Recorded over a 14 month period in living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens and studios across Melbourne
, as well as a beach shack in Aireys Inlet. ‘Sift The Noise’ was produced and recorded by Greg Arnold
, Brisbane-based producer Caleb James and Mark Lang. The album has an intricate library-book style packaging.
Tracklisting:
magazine in Adelaide
and 'Rave Magazine in Brisbane
both made the second single and title track their respective ‘Single of the Week’.
JMAG and the Music Australia Guide (MAG) both gave the album 4.5 stars. The title track was added to high rotation on JJJ and ABC local radio nationwide in February 2009. The accompanying animated clip for ‘Sift The Noise’ also received critical acclaim with Rage
featuring it as the band's second ‘indie clip of the week’.
Mark Lang’s intimate storytelling and smooth vocal delivery is the centerpiece of Skipping Girl Vinegar’s music. Dedicated to his... [grandparents], who died during the recording of Sift the Noise, the whole album has an uplifting, redemptive quality to it, despite being made “during the darkest of seasons”. Dom Alessio, Mess and Noise
Dom Alessio's review mistakenly stated that the album is dedicated to Mark Lang's parents, who "died during the recording". In actual fact it was Mark Lang's grandparents, not his parents, who died during that time. This error was also echoed on several websites which also quote Alessio's review.
Skipping Girl Vinegar's debut album is so goddamned beautiful I really could punch myself…veering smoothly between rousing and ruminative, bittersweet and simply sweet its hard to find fault with any track here… The term 'crafted' is often bandied around in album review wankery, but in this case that's exactly what SGV have done with Sift the Noise. This album hasn't been 'layed down' but carefully lovingly embroidered.
4.5 Stars - J Mag
Following the promotional tour, Skipping Girl Vinegar embarked on another nationwide tour entitled 'Songs From Cold Places' that previewed songs from their forthcoming album.
and other Australian radio stations.
Skipping Girl Vinegar opened the Splendour in the Grass
festival.
Days after the festival the band released another single, Wasted. This also achieved widespread radio airplay and heralded the beginning of their Drown It Out tour.
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band. The band comprise of siblings Mark and Sare Lang, their respective childhood friends Chris Helm and Amanthi Lynch and are named after the Audrey the Skipping Girl
Skipping Girl Sign
The Skipping Girl Sign or Skipping Girl Vinegar Sign, colloquially known as Little Audrey, is the first animated neon sign in Australia. The sign is located on Victoria Street within the inner Melbourne suburb of Abbotsford.-Construction:...
Vinegar sign, located in Abbotsford, Victoria
Abbotsford, Victoria
Abbotsford is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra. At the 2006 Census, Abbotsford had a population of 4,327....
.
2004 - 2007 One Chance
Forming in 2004 they wrote and rehearsed solidly before playing live locally in 2006. Once playing they immediately secured support slots opening for larger acts such as Bob Evans, Shout Out LoudsShout Out Louds
Shout Out Louds are an indie rock band from Stockholm, Sweden.The group has toured with bands such as The Strokes, Kings of Leon, The Magic Numbers, The Rosebuds, The Essex Green, and Johnossi...
, The Lemonheads
The Lemonheads
The Lemonheads are an American alternative rock band first formed in 1986 by Evan Dando, Ben Deily and Jesse Peretz. Dando has remained the band's only constant member....
and Something For Kate
Something for Kate
Something for Kate are a rock band from Melbourne, Australia. Members include songwriter, vocalist and guitarist Paul Dempsey, drummer Clint Hyndman and bassist Stephanie Ashworth...
before releasing the single 'One Chance' and its filmclip. This single received high rotation on Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
radio, and drew the attention of several major record labels which the band negotiated with before choosing to take their own label Secret Fox to the smaller, independent label Popboomerang with distribution through MGM Records
MGM Records
MGM Records was a record label started by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946, for the purpose of releasing soundtrack albums of their musical films. Later it became a pop label, lasting into the 1970s...
.
2008 - 2009 Sift The Noise
Skipping Girl Vinegar recorded their debut album Sift the NoiseSift the Noise
Sift the Noise is an album released by Australian indie rock band Skipping Girl Vinegar. It was recorded in living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens and studios across Melbourne – as well as ‘The Lookout’, a beach shack in Aireys Inlet...
. Recorded over a 14 month period in living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens and studios across Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, as well as a beach shack in Aireys Inlet. ‘Sift The Noise’ was produced and recorded by Greg Arnold
Greg Arnold
Greg Arnold is a singer/songwriter who won the prestigious APRA songwriter of the Year award in 1993 and performs regularly with his folk/rock band, Things of Stone and Wood....
, Brisbane-based producer Caleb James and Mark Lang. The album has an intricate library-book style packaging.
Tracklisting:
- 1) One Chance
- 2) Sift The Noise
- 3) Fighting With Gravity
- 4) Wandered
- 5) River Road
- 6) Cold Come The Nights
- 7) Here Come The Lies
- 8) Sinking
- 9) Drove For Miles
- 10) The Passing
Critical reception
Upon release the album garnered positive reviews, cementing their position in the Australian music scene and opening them up to new audiences through the addition to commercial radio station playlists following its release. Rip It UpRip It Up (magazine)
Rip It Up is a bi-monthly New Zealand music magazine. Started in June 1977 as a free monthly giveaway, it grew rapidly, with its monthly print run reaching 30,000 copies by the mid 1980s...
magazine in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
and 'Rave Magazine in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
both made the second single and title track their respective ‘Single of the Week’.
JMAG and the Music Australia Guide (MAG) both gave the album 4.5 stars. The title track was added to high rotation on JJJ and ABC local radio nationwide in February 2009. The accompanying animated clip for ‘Sift The Noise’ also received critical acclaim with Rage
Rage (TV program)
Rage is a popular all-night Australian music video program broadcast on ABC1 on Friday nights, Saturday mornings and Saturday nights. It was first screened on the weekend of Friday, 17 April 1987. With Soul Train no longer being produced, it is the oldest music television program currently still...
featuring it as the band's second ‘indie clip of the week’.
Mark Lang’s intimate storytelling and smooth vocal delivery is the centerpiece of Skipping Girl Vinegar’s music. Dedicated to his... [grandparents], who died during the recording of Sift the Noise, the whole album has an uplifting, redemptive quality to it, despite being made “during the darkest of seasons”. Dom Alessio, Mess and Noise
Dom Alessio's review mistakenly stated that the album is dedicated to Mark Lang's parents, who "died during the recording". In actual fact it was Mark Lang's grandparents, not his parents, who died during that time. This error was also echoed on several websites which also quote Alessio's review.
Skipping Girl Vinegar's debut album is so goddamned beautiful I really could punch myself…veering smoothly between rousing and ruminative, bittersweet and simply sweet its hard to find fault with any track here… The term 'crafted' is often bandied around in album review wankery, but in this case that's exactly what SGV have done with Sift the Noise. This album hasn't been 'layed down' but carefully lovingly embroidered.
4.5 Stars - J Mag
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
Following the promotional tour, Skipping Girl Vinegar embarked on another nationwide tour entitled 'Songs From Cold Places' that previewed songs from their forthcoming album.
2010 - One Long Week
March 2010 saw the release of the band's first single, the song One Long Week, which heralded a harder and more dynamic sound. The song was immediately playlisted by Triple JTriple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
and other Australian radio stations.
Skipping Girl Vinegar opened the Splendour in the Grass
Splendour in the Grass
Splendour in the Grass is an annual Australian music festival held in July at Woodford, Queensland, and previously held at Belongil Fields, outside Byron Bay...
festival.
Days after the festival the band released another single, Wasted. This also achieved widespread radio airplay and heralded the beginning of their Drown It Out tour.
Singles
- 2008 - 'One Chance'
- 2009 - 'Sift The Noise'
- 2009 - 'Sinking'
- 2010 - 'One Long Week'
- 2010 - 'Wasted'
- 2011 - 'Here She Comes'
- 2011 - 'You Can'
- 2011 - 'Chase the Sun'