Chris Johnston

is a writer and author.

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Culture October 25, 2025

The Quintessential Black Sorrows

The Black Sorrows’ fourth compilation album showcases a rich, versatile talent that spans generations.

Culture March 01, 2025

Jazz musician Shabaka Hutchings

British jazz legend Shabaka Hutchings, playing at this month’s WOMADelaide music festival, holds a deep passion for the ancient music of the flute.

Culture May 17, 2025

Wilson Tanner’s Legends

Legends, from instrumental duo Wilson Tanner, is a rich pastoral meditation recorded in a South Australian vineyard.

Culture June 19, 2024

Dirty Three’s Love Changes Everything

Dirty Three’s first album in more than a decade, Love Changes Everything, is a transcendent reaffirmation of the trio’s refusal to obey the conventions of music.

Life May 11, 2024

The Mojave Desert in a Mustang

The Joshua Tree National Park in the United States is a desert landscape replete with wildlife and cultural significance, including its own musical catalogue.

Culture September 16, 2023

Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense

Talking Heads’ iconic Stop Making Sense came at a critical juncture of a volatile career. The reissue of the film and album gives us a chance to be stopped in our tracks all over again.

Culture March 13, 2021

Bicep

Irish duo Bicep transform ’90s underground dance music into a boldly original form that transcends and honours the rave era.

News March 06, 2021

Santiniketan Lodge and The Family

Melbourne’s notorious cult The Family – the subject of a Supreme Court class action by survivors – has bequeathed the site of its former headquarters to Victoria’s Tibetans.

Culture October 03, 2020

The Vow

In a grim lesson for the age of conspiracy, The Vow explores how the search for meaning can be twisted to dark ends.

news October 26, 2019

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ Ghosteen

In exploring the world of grief he entered after the death of his 15-year-old son, Arthur, Nick Cave has compiled an album of haunting spiritual beauty.