Save the Foundation

New Music: “Don Juan”

2011-02-22T16:48:00.002+11:00

Collarbones – “Don Juan” mp3

Remember when Beirut went all electronic/returned to his electronic roots with that EP, that one time? Remember Melbourne collective Psuche? Do you like smooth vocals over glitchy/poppy electronics? Do you like pop songs? Yep! I remember and or like all of those things! That is what you are saying in your head right now.
Long distance duo Collarbones, is a lot of those things. Adelaide’s Travis Cook and Sydney’s Marcus Whale, combine forces to make blissful electronic pop tracks and “Don Juan” is a very good example of one of these tracks. Bouncy, “soulful” and dreamy: it is a good song that you will probably like it if you enjoy the things from that first paragraph above this paragraph just here.
bandcamp

New Music: “Freaks and Geeks”

2011-02-20T17:09:00.001+11:00

Childish Gambino – “Freaks and Geeks (radio edit)” mp3

It’s around midnight and you and all of your friends have decided it’s too cold too go out tonight. You’ve been drinking since dinner and everyone is in that hazy, lazy stupor and they just wants to never go outside again. Staying inside away from the wind and cold seems like possibly the best idea ever. Your room has that warm glow that only ever appears in the winter. Besides think of all the money we can save guys!

Another bottle of wine is opened and glasses are filled, that guy who doesn’t drink wine opens another beer. Nostalgia kicks in, talk turns to high school – ‘do you remember when girl hooked up with guy?’ – and before you know it at least two of your friends have fallen asleep with half empty wine glasses sitting on the floor next to them.

You have another drink as the the gaps between verbal memories become longer. You wonder what you and and these people have left to talk about, not in a bad way, no judgement here, but you’ve known them forever and you can’t talk about what you used to do for eternity. Discussion turns to what DVD you should put, or what downloaded TV series you should watch. Instead someone gets up and walks over to your laptop, that until now had been playing some fun jokey rap tracks at a low volume, they switch to the next album in iTunes and turn up the volume. “Freaks and Geeks” starts and the conversation stops. This song, daaaaaaaaamn!

website

Video: “Fifteen”

2011-02-10T16:30:00.001+11:00

Super Wild Horses – “Fifteen”

Super appropriate that Melbourne duo Super Wild Horses, have decided to release their video for “Fifteen” this week. The same week I attempt to start skateboarding again and also cut my hair like a teenager. THEY ARE PEERING INTO MY SOUL via this cool B&W lo fi handheld clip, you guys.

Faceless youths, urban decay, graffiti, skateboarding and all those cool things that young people like. The piano that runs throughout, lifts the track from just fun, to interesting and the,by now trademark, cheap and scuzzy guitar riffing is delightfully poppy. These girls have the knack.

facebook

New Music: “Rally 'Round The Fool”

2011-02-08T21:17:00.003+11:00

The Get Up Kids – “Rally ‘Round the Fool” mp3

Welcome back Get Up Kids! Missed you so much! Really missed 90s emo bands in the 00s. Such a thing to miss, but a thing I missed all the same. Yeah, sure you reformed and played a show that I caught in Melbourne last year but what I, and probably the world, really wanted was some NEW MUSIC from you. Thanks for this new album, There Are Rules.

I really dig “Rally ‘Round The Fool”, because cool production. Menacing bass!! Nice string scratching, palm muting and some massive drums: stadium size drums really. I like emo bands taking advantage of big production and crafting their own sound with it. This is a song that does that, sounding big yet also sounding grounded. Must be because of the not-fucked-with vocal track that feels actually natural – other emo bands should take note of this! – and the fact that the big production isn’t covering up a bad song. It’s a good song with big production. WOAH! That is a thing that doesn’t happen often in a post-2000 emo rock band. Look how many times I said the word ‘emo’ in this post. So many times.

Best Worst Songs Part 3: “Moth’s Wings”

2011-02-06T00:49:00.001+11:00

Passion Pit - "Moth's Wings" mp3

THIS SONG! It is just so gross and overwrought and stupidly overproduced BUT GOSH!!! Remember how in Big Love – spoilers ahead! – when Amanda Seyfried and the guy from Breaking Bad got married in the backyard of Bill Paxton’s three houses (because of polygamy) with the glow of the swimming pool just looking so good and then this song played and you probably cried SO MANY TEARS???

But then ALSO, how gross is it that there is about 50 layers of sound over what could probably be a really beautiful stripped back pop song. BUT THEN MAYBE if they stripped it back it would just suck because the guy from Passion Pit cannot sing at all really and his band were really terrible when I tried to see them live but left after five minutes because they were one of the worst live acts I’ve ever seen. Nice effort though, guys. One day.

It’s strange that this song even has any emotional resonance at all because the lyrics are just… really dumb? “Spastic and violently” is not a cool phrase to sing. “You left me shimmering like diamond wedding rings”, yep, actually no. Very dumb lyric. I really want to connect with something here but there’s nothing but melody, which is fine I suppose.

In conclusion (a thing people are saying a lot), this is a really fun, big giant mess of a song. Striving so hard to connect with pretty much the entire world and maybe succeeding for a few people. I really like it very much but it’s also pretty bad. Thank you Passion Pit.

Avril Lavigne has the most terrible dreams. Part 1

2011-01-30T19:31:00.001+11:00

Avril Lavigne – “What The Hell” mp3

Avril Lavigne had done it. She had finally the closed the gap between her hardcore punk beginnings and her newer, poppier sound. Avril had now broken from her origins and was finally ready to become the true pop star she had wanted to be since she released the hit song “S8r Boy” in the year 2000, ushering in a new generation of teenage punks. Standing in the studio vocal booth, she was in shock. Her hands trembled. She couldn’t believe the vocal track she had just laid down. So intense! The best of her career, maybe. This could be the song to get me the critical acclaim I have always rightly deserved: this is my “My Girls”, she thought. Still trembling, she walked out from behind the glass, her legs wobbly, and suddenly she collapsed right in front of producer Max Martin. He raised his sunglasses to observe as her head hit the ground.

When Avril she opened her eyes she wasn’t in her own personal L.A recording studio anymore. In fact she wasn’t even in same country. She had awoken in her teenage bed back in Napanee, Canada. Punk rock posters were slapped on the wall: NOFX, AFI, The Get Up Kids, Suicidal Tendencies, Bad Religion and even more classic anarchic bands stared down at her renewed teenage self. Her cargo pants clashed horribly with her pink bedspread. Her necktie had fallen into her tank top. She brushed it aside and took a step onto carpet, the weight of her combat boots felt slightly off-putting against the soft carpet. Her head was spinning, or maybe the room was. Avril took a couple of steps towards the door but it was locked. She was trapped. She quickly turned when she heard a voice coming from the other side of the room.

“Why did you abandon us, Avril? What did we ever do to you?” Avril looked all over the room, but it was empty. There was no one but still the voice continued. “We inspired you. We gave you your start. Why did you give up on us?” Avril was starting freak the fuck out. What was going here? Why am I back in Canada? Why I am dressed like a fucking idiot? I thought I left this life behind me! I’m a fucking pop star now! She kept turning on the spot like a top trying to find the source of the questions, it was then she noticed something strange out of the corner of her eye. It was her NOFX poster. She swear she saw frontman Fat Mike blink.
“But that’s crazy...” thought Avril out loud.
“It’s not crazy, you bitch. It’s reality” said the poster. Fat Mike’s lips actually moved and his eyebrows narrowed.
“Whaaat The Hell?!?” screamed Avril. “How is this happening?” She was shaking with fear. Her eyes were now fixed on the poster. On Fat Mike’s bulbous lips. Another voice came from behind her.
“It’s not just Mike who is mad Avril, we all are. We don’t understand why you have forgotten us”
Avril turned to see Gregory Walter Graffin, of political punk pioneers Bad Religion, looking at her mournfully from within his postered confine.
“I didn’t do anything though! I just paved my own way” stammered Avril.
“No Avril, you didn’t. You used us. You used punk as a construct, as a gimmick to make yourself appear edgy and cool but at one point you really believed. You believed in more than the aesthetic, you believed in the politics, in the anarchy. You were a cliché teenager but you were honest and were punk to the core. But no longer, we are so ashamed of what you have become”
“I... I didn’t meant to Greg. I was just a child.”
“Intentions are unimportant in the greater scheme of things young woman”
“Yeah!” screamed a poster of a 1990s Davey Havok from across the room. “We aren’t letting you wake up from nightmare until you vow to return to your roots!”

TO BE CONTINUED... (next time Avril releases a good single. Maybe never)

New Music: Pretty old shit

2011-01-21T12:33:00.001+11:00

The Ancients – “Spitting Dummies” mp3

Wilco? Is that you Wilco? Pretty sure it’s you. Really like this direction you are taking. Really really smooth, nice alt-country vibes. Feeling a bit nostalgic listening to this. It is much better than anything you have released in the past few years at least. Really dig the pointed recurring guitar line and country-breakdown introduction.

Wait? The Ancients? Ohhhhhh, I like you guys too. Kind of wish you would follow in the direction of that sick sci-fi influenced solo track from last year but this is really nice too. Love it. Feel it all around.

myspace

Who I voted for in triple j’s hottest 100 and why

2011-01-16T20:22:00.002+11:00

Kanye West - Monster {Ft. JAY-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj, Bon Iver} mp3
Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
Cee Lo Green - Fuck You!
Dan Kelly - Bindi Irwin Apocalypse Jam
Joanna Newsom - Good Intentions Paving Co.
LCD Soundsystem - Drunk Girls
My Disco - Turn
Sally Seltmann - Harmony To My Heartbeat
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Round And Round
Bedroom Philosopher, The - Northcote (So Hungover)

Triple j is a popular alternative radio station that broadcasts all over Australia in case you didn’t know (I don’t know who is readings this!). These songs I voted for are probably not the 10 best songs of the year, for honest. I picked 10 songs that I liked and thought perhaps might have a chance of actually making the countdown.

“Monster” is/was a pretty big hit in 2010 yes? I’m pretty sure it has a video clip and sooo many guests. Heaps of people must of listened to, and liked, “Monster” for sure. Also Kanye’s album was pretty popular???

Triple j really love the Arcade Fire. Yep. So what if their new album was very thematically overwrought, this song actually owns and it’s an (alternative) radio hit if I ever heard one. Hope you get back up there Arcade Fire!

“Fuck You!” is the best song. Swearing is really funny!! I love to swear and especially love swearing in musical form. Could this be one of those “crossover” hits where triple j doesn’t mind that a commercially successful brilliant pop song actually gets recognition. Probably.

Dan Kelly is kind of a triple j dude. He is a bit alternative but also he really just writes clever pop songs. This song is good and also has a chance of making the countdown because the chorus, Bindi Irwin (what the LOL?) and the polished production.

I dunno about “Good Intentions Paving Co.”. It is one of the best songs from that 2010 album of Joanna’s, but it’s really long and like why did triple j even put it in their voting list? Maybe it has a chance. It is a good song, very good piano and stuff.

Drunk girls are really funny things. The funniest thing sometimes. James Murphy knows this and “Drunk Girls” is a funny, clever song that goes for less than five minutes and has a good chorus and catchy verses and all that. I’m not sure if this really struck a chord with the Australian public this year but it might have. I am so out of things that strike a chord.

MY DISCO!!! My favourite band! Actually don’t think “Turn”, has a chance of making the countdown but just always have to support MY DISCO. ALWAYS SUPPORT THEM! The lyrics are super hilarious/great also.

Sally can do it! This song is really melodic and well written and has cute girl vocals. Things that triple j really really love and play a lot of. Is this her most popular song? I dunno, but it’s the catchiest and probably has the best chance of making it somewhere in the 100.

Honesty never even listened to “Round and Round” much in 2010 but apparently it really made it big here? It is after all a very good song with a lot of great ideas crammed in there and it’s really great that Ariel Pink is getting fans here. Have this vote from me Ariel Pink!

LOL if “Northcote (So Hungover)” wins. Very amusing song that is very very accurate in its portrayal of the Melbourne hipster and also a pretty good song really. No doubt this will make it into the countdown somewhere because “LOL hipsters are so gay!!”

Can’t wait for Australia day!

New Music: Duck Tales

2011-01-13T22:48:00.001+11:00

Ducktails – “Killin’ the Vibe” mp3

The room was littered with various pieces of modern music equipment. You could hardly take a step without tripping over a loop pedal or a mini Korg. Mounds of cables formed shiny plastic snake pits and amps were angry beehives lining the walls. Ducktails was oblivious to the mess and kept sweeping his fringe away from his forehead in frustration. For some reason he couldn’t figure this track out.

“I just want this song to really mean something” said Ducktails to his three friends in the room: Dent May, Jarvis Taveniere and Panda Bear. “It is really just lacking that something at the moment”
He was right, it was for sure a dreamy indie track that had the potential to win Ducktails many new alternative fans but it wasn’t the lo-fi hazy pop number that he wanted it to be. Before Ducktails could say anything else Panda Bear swept his fringe to the side and added a suggestion.
“Brah, maybe I could do guest vocals?” Mostly he just wanted to do anything. He had been sitting in Ducktails’ bedroom studio all day watching him obsess over this track and was about ready to slit his wrists if something new didn’t happen soon. Dent May agreed and adjusted his glasses (before sweeping his fringe to the side) and added,
“Hey maybe I could add something too! Make it a wicked indie collab or whatever”
Jarvis agreed, nodding his head and swooping his fringe to the side without saying anything. His contribution was implied.

Together they worked through the night. They thought of the perfect lyrics to go with the hazy sound. Totally perfect and meaningful lyrics. The most perfect lyrics of all time perhaps. Thank God they had they had all four of them to make the lyrics just so perfect. You could tell it was definitely the work of a quartet. They all laid down vocal tracks and planned how they would release the track. First to the internet, then to vinyl and then who knows?! Once it was done they all hi-fived and whipped their hair back and forth. “Welcome to 2011”, they all thought.

The Best Worst Songs Part 2

2011-01-12T12:12:00.001+11:00

Taking Back Sunday – “A Decade Under the Influence” mp3

“Uggggggh” groaned Adam Lazzara as he rolled his not yet fat body out of the hotel bed. The hangover was pressing needles directly into his tiny brain. Moments of last night flashed into his brain. Microphone swinging, a lack of good singing and just so many teenage girls. He looked over to see if he had managed to “pick up” one of these young women but alas no, he was alone. No doubt the other, more attractive, band members of Taking Back Sunday had ensnared all the half decent looking girls. What a show though, just so much fun and so much microphone swinging. Lazzara’s most favourite thing to do.

The year was 2005 and the band were riding high on the current wave of emo success sweeping the United States of America. Lazzara contemplated which wave emo was up to by now. Third? Forth? A brand new wave perhaps? He thought briefly of his ex-best friend’s band, Brand New and how they would never really gain the success or critical acclaim that his fantastic band had achieved. He chuckled, or attempted to, as his throat was still raw from last night’s screaming/singing merely a tiny cough was produced by his tired vocal chords.

He surveyed the dirty hotel room. Not rock star dirty though, just drunk dirty. Empty Budweiser bottles everywhere, the bedside table upturned but the television still safely on its stand. Not thrown out the window. Taking Back Sunday were above stunts like that. As he blinked he again felt the needles press into his brain. He wiped the sweat from his brow as he thought of the destructive nature of alcohol. A constant positive and negative throughout all of Lazzara’s life. As he thought of the last night’s beer fuelled exploits he began to have an idea, an idea that would change Lazzara’s life and Taking Back Sunday forever.

He madly grabbed a pen and his notebook from the upturned bedside table and began to scribble the beginnings of the song that would change his career. Change his life! The best idea he had since thinking of the name, “Taking Back Sunday”. This is brilliant, thought Lazzara, these are maybe the best lyrics ever written by anyone in the history of emo. I’ve hit the nail on the head! This, this is music!!

He kept writing through the pain of his hangover. He could hear the rest of the song being written in his head. The backing vocals, oh God the backing vocals were going to be so emotive! The guitar, the guitar! It was colossal! Every experience he had ever had with a beer bottle flashed through his mind grapes as he succinctly and brilliantly explained the entire existence of alcohol in what would become a historical 4 minute emo pop song.

When he was finished writing the lyrics he realised how heavily he was shaking. He had felt the presence of God in his hand while writing these lyrics. He could scarcely believe the enormity of what he had written. Suddenly he broke down, he put his head in his hands and wept. He could barely sputter the words through the tears until he finally managed:
“Thank you, God. Thank you for helping me write one of the best worst songs of all time.”

A story about Pockets

2011-01-11T18:46:00.001+11:00

Pockets – “Gun Shy” mp3

Note this is not at all accurate. RIP Pockets.

“Unf! I am so into Minus the Beat at the moment guys! Just soo into them!” exclaimed Trev suddenly - as just waking from a trance - to a dorm room full of barely-paying-attention-acquaintances. Some of whom were soon to be the friends that would hold his life together for the next year.
“The twinkling guitars! They are like, fucking blowing my mind!” he again almost shouted. Very keen to get his love for Minus the Bear outside of his brain into the thick air. Very very keen to be heard at this minute. Many of the acquaintances softly agreed but not before indulging Trev with a listing of all their favourite bands. Trev hadn’t heard of them but feigned interest anyway. Lo-Tel... who?

One of the others in the room piped up in strong agreement though. It was Josh, he had only meet Trev a few weeks ago at an underground warehouse show in Sydney’s east, but they had strongly clicked together over their love of “Math Rock”. He was the closet acquaintance in the room and could be considered a friend. They had been Facebook friends for weeks at least now.
“Duuude! I fucking love Minus the Bear! I am always playing their riffs on my sweet Fender Squire. Just the sweetest riffs!” Josh said while slightly fist pumping. At this point another face in the room turned to the Minus the Bear love-in. The face was of Pete. He was really only there because he had heard there would be weed in Trev’s room but that had turned out not to be true. He had decided to stay after digging some of the music that was emanating from Trev’s Mac Book.
“Guys I really like Minus the Bear also, but their lyrics are just a bit naff. I can’t really relate to their frat boy ideology or date rape theatrics. It’s a little too American for me, you know. I wish there was an Australian band that did the same thing” said Pete, a lit major, while slowly stroking his chin and looking throughout the room.

While this extremely interesting conversation was taking place in the confines of Trev’s dormitory room - he lived on campus at UNSW by the way - there was forth party listening. Quietly and intently. Aaron studied the room and noticed that Trev had a bass guitar. A shiny black thing in the corner next to a CD stand carrying all the latest cool indie band releases. He remembered that Josh had just said he played guitar and of course he himself played the drums! He quickly pieced all this information together and like someone had committed inception in his own mind the idea of Pockets was born. Aaron was pretty sure Pete could sing due to his keen interest in the lyrics of hit Canadian band Minus The Bear. No one but singers were interested in lyrics after all.

The next week the band had their first practise. Everyone was super psyched to finally be in a band. It had been a goal of each member since birth. Soooo psyched to have their dreams come true. They clicked so well. Laying down smooth math rock tracks and within the year they had an LP out. Things were going so great! So great! But things always have a way of turning sour...

TO BE CONTINUED.... (probably not though)

bandcamp

Video: “Tea”

2011-01-09T18:37:00.001+11:00

Seagull - 'Tea' from Dylan Wiehahn

Another AMAZING video from Seagull for new single “Tea”. Again directed by Dylan Wiehahn, who directed their breathtaking video for “Company”. This one is less Victoria and more Queensland, but still spookily evocative and goddamn ethereal. Gorgeously hazy and the song is very nice too.

Watch thing in full screen. Be amazed. Yep.

BEST FIVE ALBUMS OF 2010

2010-12-28T20:12:00.001+11:00

Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Childish Gambino – Culdesac
Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest
Otouto – Pip
The-Dream – Love King

So many things have already been written about Yeezy’s latest album, so let’s strip it back to basics. This album truly succeeds because it’s not afraid to be a pop album. It wants to be a pop album SO MUCH. Every single song works within a pop template, even when West is trying to be experimental he still manages to cram in just so many hooks. It’s mind-blowing how accessible, yet dense and enjoyable this album is.

Lyrically it is all over the place in the best way. Ranging from self destructive to self inflating, it’s a wildly accurate portrayal of modern celebrity captured with a self-awareness not many thought possible from a guy with such an ego. The fact that one of the biggest/best media dickheads ever managed to make an album this precise and fantastic is pretty pretty pretty good.

Culdesac is a completely different hip-hop album. Also opting to try many things, it is never quite as adventurous or as breathtaking as My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Even when shit gets heavy Gambino throws in a few punch-lines to even things out. It works for him though.

It’s a great album because not every song is a homerun but FUCK, it tries so hard to hit them. An album trying this hard to succeed at hip-hop, RnB and perhaps indie was just never going to be perfect. But it does make an amazingly fun and varied album that works through sheer goodwill and unique clever lyrics. Insightful, funny and so damn spot on. Love this thing guys.

The-Dream’s Love King, is another album that just has so much good that you can forget about the bad. It is very long after all. Also the bad is really forgettable so it’s not hard to forget! But GOSH, just so many good songs on this thing so many parts where you are like “yep! You nailed that just then The-Dream!”

Outrageous pop monsters that degrade and entertain. It’s brilliant and probably the most fun album of 2010. Everyone should notice how much fun this album is! Maybe if you are a women it’s not so fun though. But I bet it is still great for women. This album is how all men think about ladies! LOL not.

Deerhunter released their most complete album yet. It’s so pop yet weirdly experimental and full of so many good ideas and moments. Cox’s lyrics remain direct and somehow brilliant. So many guitars on this thing. Needed some guitars in this list.

Otouto made one of the most complete albums this year. I guess you could call it art pop IF YOU ARE A HUGE WANKER. But mostly it is a unique pop album that is sparsely beautiful with some brilliant pithy observations about the world and human condition. Just normal stuff like that. Very great album. Very great year for music!

BEST FIVE SONGS OF 2010

2010-12-22T15:01:00.002+11:00

1. Childish Gambino - Do Ya Like

2. Kanye West - Dark Fantasy

3. Hoodie Allen - January Jones

4. The-Dream - Yamaha

5. Dan Kelly - A Classical DJ at Dandenong Station

Woah woah. Fuck the haters. I have a DEGREE, I’m also not that cool so I’m allowed to sincerely like/LOVE these songs. Also I forgot to care very much about music this year and only really listened to REALLY GREAT pop songs, hip hop aimed at hipsters and heaps of generic indie rock. You got me guys! I’m bad at music in 2010! All these songs are great though so ignore the above paragraph.

“Do Ya Like” never really struck me as the best song on Childish Gambino’s album at first but it eventually burrowed deep. SO DEEP EVERYONE. Gambino switches between crooning RnB and straight up killer flow in the most clever song of 2010. Line after line of wit, romance and straight up punch lines. The smooth beat works with minimal effort and damn, this song demands repeat plays. NEVER STOP LISTENING.

“January Jones” follows in a similar vein, i.e. appealing to geeky white dudes, but Allen maybe takes it to another level. This is a song about January Jones after all, a star in one of the most acclaimed television shows ever. That show is Mad Men, by the way. Buoyant and super summer-y, Allen’s flow isn’t perfect but it adds to the charm and if I liked girls more I guess I would have a mega crush on January Jones too.

It is beaten out by Yeezy’s “Dark Fantasy” though. THIS FUCKING SONG. Maybe the best use of a sample all year (CAN WE GET MUCH HIGHER???) and FUUUCK whoa, what an album opener. Kanye spits fire and the contrast between the verses and the chorus is the best. Just the best. Come to think of it, maybe this should be number one.

I included Dan Kelly at number five because actually I didn’t spend all year listening to RnB and hip hop. “A Classical DJ at Dandenong Station” is maybe not the best song if you’ve never actually been to Dandenong, just the absolute worst place by the way. Really love the use of expensive production as it adds to the theatrics extensively. Kelly is a talented lyricist in his own right and is able to find the sweet spot between novelty and sincere.

I put in The-Dream’s “Yamaha” because what a fucking monster of a pop song. The lyrics are just ridiculous but also perfect. Perfect modern pop song really.

So yeah 2010! What a year for music. Very many good songs that I did not include in this list. More meaningful songs just weren’t doing it for me this year. Let’s all relax and enjoy pop music forever.

The Best Worst Songs Part 1

2010-12-21T18:03:00.001+11:00

Motion City Soundtrack – Everything is Alright

This song is the very best/worst! Very enjoyable bad pop punk from one of the most middle of the road albums of all time (damn you Producer Mark Hoppus!). Super great helium vocals and just a lot of palm muting. Don’t forget the moog! Never forget the moog.

But for real! Very relatable lyrics. I am often counting the tiles in the ceiling and self medicating. Two things that many people do. Honestly very much like this song as a clever piece of generation Y anxiety wrapped up in a shiny pop punk shell with really fun drums though.

It’s a pity that Motion City Soundtrack never really got any better. They had a lot of potential as shown in songs like this and most of their first album but they just never really expanded on the good, instead opting to make goofy bad songs about boring things. Sort of just faded into worse than mediocrity but I think they still have fans so yay for them.

This song is also the best/worst because Patrick Stump does guest vocals! Love that guy!

Video: “Saturday Night”

2010-12-07T00:02:00.001+11:00

Jessica Mauboy feat. Ludracis – “Saturday Night”

Oh no! Why is this song so bad?? I had such high hopes for you “J Melly”! After the perfect, yet so so lazy, “Running Back” from a couple of years ago I have been waiting for you to make some kind of really spectacular comeback. Instead you release this! What the? Make more good songs already.

Ok wait. I listened to it about 10 times in a row. Maybe it’s not too bad eh? One of those “growers”. Such a unique RnB beat and really great lyrics that jump on the ALCOHOLISM bandwagon that Kei$ha started back in early 2010. Also L-O-L, Ludcracis’ verse is atrocious. The video obviously had a high budget though. In the 80s.

(What is Foundation even about anymore??)

New Music: Dank Alley

2010-12-01T12:39:00.000+11:00

Dan Kelly – “A Classical DJ at Dandenong Station” mp3

Not sure how “new” this really is seeing as how I saw it performed over a year ago but yay, recorded versions of songs are cool new things sometimes. Dan Kelly is old enough (35! Ancient!!!) to know how to write a song and this a pretty perfect summation of the talents he has refined over the years.

It’s light-hearted and clever. with so many great hooks in both the songwriting and production. The riffing of classic composer’s names, the vivid(SO) Melbourne-centric lyrics and Kelly’s melodies are super sweet. While the production is way polished there’s enough depth to hold this up to repeated listenings. NEVER FORGET POP FOLK MUSIC.

myspace

New Music: Number 96

2010-11-25T13:49:00.001+11:00

East Brunswick All Girls Choir – “Essendon 1986” mp3

Feel the rollicking angst of this new track from Melbourne’s East Brunswick All Girls Choir. The 4-piece have been doing good things for a while, slowly gaining momentum and finally have an album coming soon.

New single “Essendon 1986”, taken from their debut album Sandhurst Town due out in April, is a chugging automotive non-stop rock – kind of folk - song. Dangerous guitars, buried strangled vocals and a relentless barrage of everything. It’s pretty much full frontal. I think I mentioned it’s quite relentless. I also think it’s about Essendon in 1986 and it’s really cool.

myspace

New Music: Osca Osca Osca

2010-11-18T21:05:00.001+11:00

Oscar and Martin – “Recognise” mp3

RISE FROM THE ASHES (of Psuche) LIKE A PHOENIX and make new low key electronic pop jams with a BRAND NEW NAME. That’s what Melbourne duo Oscar and Martin have done and they are currently releasing cool new tracks via ~indie~ label TWO BRIGHT LAKES (I love those guys).

“Recognise” is a simple beat driven two minute textured pop track. All sweet and organ-y with Oscar’s super smooth vocals providing the hook + cool electronic glitchy parts. I don’t even know what I’m talking about. It’s really silky and great though.

two bright lakes

In Depth: “I was a Teenage Anarchist”

2010-11-04T19:14:00.001+11:00

So yeah. What a stupidly awful song right? Not only is this a terrific insult to early Against Me! fans (admittedly the worst kind of fans) but it’s also an over-produced pile of rubbish that tries really hard to be anthemic but ends up sounding like a billion dollar mess inside of a tin can.

Tom Gabel! What’s up with you lately? Like the last part of this decade? Why you gotta take a dump on every fan you ever had in the crappy lyrics to this crappy song? I know you’re going to say that you’ve “grown up” and people do “dumb shit” when they are young but what is your excuse for this “dumb shit” now that you are a fully grown adult? I barely even care that you used to be an anarchist I just care that you wrote a song this bad.

In case you didn’t know Against Me! used to be a pretty great folk-anarchist-DIY-anti-bullshit-punk band that recorded ~politically meaningful~ songs most likely on tape players while touring the USA in an actual tour van that probably broke down a lot.Now they have a private plane (probably) and or a bus with like 100 Xbox 360s onboard so they call all play Halo: Reach against each other except Warren cause he left the band to run a Mexican restaurant (RIP Warren).

This song is bad because palm muting is a really awesome tool for punk guitarists but it is not awesome when you have like nine guitar tracks all playing the same thing trying to sound really polished or sound like a freight train. It is also not awesome to be a “good” punk singer and do about a billion takes to get your chorus “just right”. It blows.

“They [the anarchists!!] set their rifle sights on me!” says Gabel. Oh no! Not the anarchists! They are so threatening and bad. Wouldn’t want to mess with them and their free-thinking potentially idealistic, out-dated and juvenile ideals. Super threatening to you and your (presumably) huge Californian mansion.

Soooo scared for you because your old fans might make it past security while you are on tour supporting the FOO FIGHTERS and like, spray some anarchists symbols around on dressing room wall. Would totes hate that.

This song is also bad because Butch Vigg is basically the worst producer ever. Nevermind doesn’t sound that good world, get over it. Garbage are the worst and Against Me!’s last album sounded horrid. Maybe they should have fired you after that but perhaps they were too busy eating caviar while swimming in a gold pool or whatever.

Vocals don’t sound like that Butch Vigg. Guitars aren’t supposed to make noise like that Butch Vigg. Bass is not played by magic robots Butch Vigg! Songs have loud and quiet parts not loud and LOUDER parts! GOD!

“Do you remember when you were young and wanted to set the world on fire?” asks Gabel. Do you Tom? Because if you did I think you would know how much this song feels like a slap in the face to people who were there for you. I think. Admittedly Gabel is still pretty good at putting big words into his lyrics without making them sound really bad.

Honestly I don’t even give a shit about how this feels for old fans though. I didn’t get into this band until they were on Fat (shut up I’m not that old!) so from my outside perspective this song doesn’t offend me for it’s arrogant lyrical content. No, I’m offended because this piece of shit three minute pop song is close to the worst song of the year.

Also the video clip is stupid.

Against Me! – “I was a Teenage Anarchist” mp3

Video: “Company”

2010-10-30T12:46:00.001+11:00

Seagull – 'Company'

Stunning new video from Melbourne’s brilliant Seagull for new single “Company” here. Seriously was blown away by some of the visuals in this lush nature driven video.

A depressing tale of isolation with Seagull’s by now trademark artfully lulling song writing and their - they’re a proper band now - ability to build a song into a evocative electric folk masterpiece. It’s the perfect closing track on new-ish album Council Tree.

Shot on location around The Great Ocean Road in Victoria this starts as a fairly typical music vid but morphs into a spectacular tour of the landscape with beautiful cinematography from Dylan Wiehahn. Watch is in full-screen because it’s pretty breathtaking.

Kind of like when you get overwhelmed by the beauty of nature and insignificance of man and get a little bit depressed over our impact on this earth and your completely small role in it. Or something.

Seagull - "Company" mp3
myspace

New Music: It aint no thing

2010-10-28T20:16:00.001+11:00

Hammocks & Honey – “Simple Things” mp3

New track from previously blogged about Melbourne duo Hammocks & Honey here. Taking the edge of the terrible reality of full-time work for me via super ethereal vocals and tropical dreamy vibes.

Like the part where the percussion kicks in and I can start ~~dancing~~ tapping my feet under my desk. Seriously am in some kind of delirious state this week so this feels pretty fitting in a strange sugar coated electronic way especially when it gets all uplifting and melodic at the end.

Taken from their debut EP Spellbinder out first of November via the internets and on the 22nd on vinyl btw.

bandcamp
myspace

In Depth: Boredoms @ Beck’s Festival Bar (The Forum) with Bum Creek and Kes Band

2010-10-18T17:17:00.005+11:00

All photos from the The Vine

Midnight - 10/10/2010

I’m standing in a darkened room. There are quite a lot of people around me and a pretty large portion of them are yelling. Or screaming. Unfortunately I’m incredibly tired from drinking in the unusually warm Melbourne sun all day but I’m fairly sure this will wake me up. It’s loud enough to wake up just about anyone or anything. Just as I start to fully open my heavy eyelids to the noisy spectacle on stage I notice that most of the crowd have begun to turn around.

Behind me I hear drumming in the distance before I turn to see someone playing a a drum kit being carried above the audience on the shoulders of six burly security guards. It starts coming right at me. I duck to the side as it pushed onto the stage to join the nine other drummers. This is a Boredoms show.

9.30pm

Entering the iconic venue of Melbourne’s The Forum theatre still manages to feel majestic so many visits on from my first. The ceiling’s uncanny impression of the night sky, the haunted sculptures and the always brilliant sound make this the most perfect venue in a city littered with fantastic places to watch music. As part of the Melbourne International Arts Festival it has been transformed into the “Beck’s Festival Bar”. Although the only difference to the tasteful decor seems to be some added Beck’s logos and the fact that only the beer the bar is serving is Becks. I couldn’t afford to drink anyway.

A motley crew has gathered early to get good spots for Japanese headliners Boredoms. The crowd is so overtly Melbourne it’s adorable. Older members - the true fans probably - are decked out in their best rock gear while the young have all got on their best skinny jeans and worst haircuts. Everyone is excited for our headlining neighbours but they’ll have to make do with the two local supporting bands first. Lucky they’re interesting.

Bum Creek are particularly... interesting. Before being greeted by the band we are greeted by some off-stage screaming. They eventually tumble onto the large stage carrying wireless microphones, spurting nonsense and having a great time.

The crowd’s reaction to the relocated Canberra boys ranges from bemused to annoyed but Bum Creek don’t seem to notice. Eventually they settle into a rhythm with two members behind synthesisers and one behind the drums.

Once the actual music starts it’s quite reminiscent of early Boredom’s material, or so I’m told by a more educated spectator, it’s a whirling mess of experimental noise that is occasionally slips into an accessible groove.

The band never talk in coherent sentences, instead choosing to keep up their routine of gibberish and shrieking. From a performance art perspective I guess it was pretty good, if the intent of the performance was to confuse as many people as possible.

10.30pm

After a refreshing drink of Coca-Cola provided by a caring punter – any more beers and I might fall asleep – I’m ready for the next support act. Kes Band are Melbourne locals, led by Karl Scullin they have been kicking around in various forms for years now. They make some of the best and most inventive guitar art-pop in the country.

Due to the nature of their ever changing line-up I was keen to see who would be playing with the band tonight. It’s the Melbourne Arts Festival, the place for spectacles, so expectations were high. Fittingly they played as a (local Melbourne music scene) celebrity six-piece and produced some of the most textured and delectable music I’ve heard live this year.

With three backing vocalists, Kes Band sounded more lush than ever. The always perfect Forum sound giving the complex guitar lines a pristine presence in the large theatre. A fantastic blend of pop and experimental song writing with unique time changes and breakdowns, but always with a melodic edge.

Midnight

After a fairly short set-up it finally hits midnight. It is now the 10^th of the October 2010 (10/10/2010). This is the part of the night where a drum kit comes flying in over the crowd, nearly flattening me, and the mayhem begins. Once this drum kit makes its way to stage with Yojiro Tatekawa it brings the total number of drummers on The Forum stage to 10.

Fan footage from the show’s opening 8 minutes

That’s 10 drummers playing in unison for one of the loudest and most impressive musical feats that I’ve ever seen. Boredoms have a habit of shows like this, in fact this is a scaled down affair compared to what they have accomplished on previous occasions as part of their series of Boadrum shows.

The Japanese experimental noise pioneers have been breaking music boundaries for over two decades with their intense sound. The only constant for the group is frontman Yamantaka Eye, who has been a driving force within experimental music in Japan and the world since his early days in the 1980s band Hanatarashi. A band that drove a bulldozer through a wall onto stage and was banned from almost every venue in Japan for being too dangerous. Luckily there was a lack of bulldozers tonight.

While 10 drummers on one single stage may seem pretty extravagant, and honestly it is, Boredoms have been doing similar shows in recent years on a much larger scale. Starting on the 7^th of July 2007 (7/7/2007) they performed in New York City with 77 drummers in their ensemble. The next year on August the 8^th (8/8/2008) they performed two shows, in Los Angeles and New York City, each with 88 drummers. A scaled back event took place again in New York City on the 9^th of September the next year (9/9/2009) featuring “just” nine drummers. Their show here in Melbourne was initially planned to be 100 drummers but unfortunately that plan fell through.

Many of the same drummers from the 2009 event were also here at the Melbourne International Arts Festival set. Several famous faces were on the jam packed stage including: ex-Lightning Bolt member Hisham Bharoocha, Jeremy Hyman, Pit Er Pat’s Butchy Fuego and underground drumming legend Zach Hill. Each were bursting with energy and played with an alarming precision.

These international guests were helped with some of our own local heroes taking their own spots behind the kit. Each who seemed extremely pleased to be a part of such a momentous event. Each who seemed to easily keep up with the frenetic pace of the night’s performance. Feeling a little bit patriotic when thinking of their performances.

Representing our continent on the kit was: Evelyn Morris best known for her work as Pikelet but also a member of hardcore band Baseball, her fellow band member Cameron Potts, ex-Mountains in the Sky member Mat Watson and Regurgitator bass player (he plays drums damn fine though) Ben Ely.

The connection between everyone on stage was admirable. Each drummer looked intensely focused as all faced inwards on leader Yamantaka Eye for directions. Eye looked more composer than frontman. Constantly giving directions in shouted Japanese or through manically waving his arms.

Local drummer Cameron Potts described the experience of playing with Boredoms as “one the most amazing moments of my life. It was like god speaking. I'll never forget it”. He sees the drums as a “primal, timeless thing”: they allow him to just be in the moment. This is something that was evident throughout the night from everyone in attendance.

The Forum was packed full of people “in the moment” letting the noise wash over them. The kind of gig where if you are not at least slowly swaying or nodding your head then you feel out of place.

Ben Ely landed his spot on stage from a previous relationship with the band. His band Regurgitator had toured with Boredoms back in 1996. Due to one of the international guests pulling out Ely only had one week to prepare for the Melbourne show. After watching a clips from previous Boredoms’ shows he didn’t think he would be fast enough to keep up. Boredoms assured him he would be fine.

“I practised all day everyday for a whole week leading up to the show and scraped through by the skin of my teeth... it was an intense learning curve which my body is still recovering from” said Ely. “It was probably the most fun I have had playing music... just focusing on drumming repetitive beats really allows yourself to lose grasp on reality and almost disappear”.

“It was amazing the way I felt I really got swept up in the power of the other nine drummers and felt like the group dynamic really pulled me up to a standard of drumming“ said Ely, explaining that it inspired him to let go of any preconceived notions he had about creating music.

For two hours the ensemble played. After one hour from my position in the crowd I was exhausted, so I can barely imagine how hard it was for everyone on stage. Sweat was dripping from virtually everyone in attendance. A highlight was the interaction within the ensemble, the knowing looks and almost invisible cues. “I felt as though there was real telekinetic connection there” said Ely. Moments when individual drummers got to shine showed just how talented each member of the ensemble was and were nice break from the full frontal assault.

Evelyn Morris is more known for her softer folk sound so for those not aware of her punk leanings it must have been quite a surprise seeing her on stage belting on the skins with the best of them. “It was very challenging” says Morris of her spot in the brigade.

She trained beforehand to make sure she was physically strong enough for the endurance test but said “it turns out it was more challenging for my memory than it was for my muscles.” Asked why drumming is so important for her Morris said “drumming is a great way for me to remove myself from my thoughts for a little while. There is a lot about drumming that is similar to meditating.”

“Intense. I wasn't really focussed on anything other than the music to be honest” says Mat Watson of his experience, “it's not every day you get to share the stage with 10 drummers.” Watson is best known for his work in electronic influenced post-rock pioneers Mountains in the Sky.

After a four year break from drumming Watson returned to the kit to work with Ollie Olson. Since, he has thrown himself back into the drumming fold, “I'd be lost without it!” he says. Although Watson is also extremely interested in modular synthesizers and pushing the limits of what you can achieve sonically. Something that he shares in common with Boredoms.

Pushing the limits is something the core three piece of the Boredoms do. The repetition of Yoshimi P-We’s almost alien vocals to create walls of sound amongst the percussion, the use of Eye’s amazing six piece guitar contraption to create dissonance. The contraption was made of three guitars on the left and right lined up in order so Eye could hit the strings to make a massive sound, all while yelling into his microphone.

An exhausting night that didn’t finish until 2am. Unfortunately the encore didn’t quite live up to the rest of the show but maybe my energy levels were just too low to properly enjoy it. By the time I escaped into the cold Melbourne spring night my legs were barely functioning. The mark of a fantastic show. Maybe next year they can bring out 111 drummers. Here’s hoping.

In Depth: “Lil’ Joy”

2010-10-11T09:42:00.001+11:00

My Disco – “Lil’ Joy”

The sun burns me. It feels only metres away as it takes up almost all of the blue sky. The hot wind rolls over the glistening golden dunes and moans. My feet are burnt, my hands callused and my throat feels as though it will be eternally dry.

I continue to stumble through the sand as though driven by some unknown force. There is a constant pulsing in my head that my feet try to keep with but it’s hard. The air glistens with the heat and makes the distance appear more like dream than reality. I can barely see.

Past the horror of this desert I can a village, it must be miles away, but it’s my only goal. From the town I can hear music somehow. Maybe I’m imagining it.

Shimmering guitar wafts over the sand dunes towards me. It drives itself into my skull. The beat that was once in my head has become real. The dusty white buildings draw ever closer as my blistered bare feet continue to trek across the burning ground.

A voice I can hear moaning in the distance “I’ll be here just wait it out”. Is that a message to me? Perhaps I really am imagining this. The village is still too far. Too small in my vision. I can’t make out any villagers nor can I see any water. If this were a mirage I’d see water.

With every step the fire in my throat intensifies. My skin burned from the sun hours ago, maybe days ago, and is now peeling in sheets. This isn’t real. My mind is a haze and I keep forgetting how I ended up here. The droning music from the village continues as it pulls me forward.

I’m close now. In the village I can see people. Just three of them. They are the ones making the music but no one is watching. They are tall ethereal figures. I can’t make out any features. The glare from the sun is too strong. It looks like they are floating.

My legs can’t carry me any further. Why can’t they see me? Why don’t they help? I yell for help but my voice is lost. I take another step and trip, my body falls into the hot sand. I try to get up but it’s impossible. Maybe I’ll just die here.

I turn my head up from the group to watch the trio. They are un-relentless. Concentrating on every note. After what feels like hours, one of them breaks from their trance and turns to notice me. We make eye contact before he turns away and continues to play. I pass out.

My Disco’s Little Joy is out October 15.

New Music: Total bummer

2010-10-07T11:43:00.000+11:00

Aleks and the Ramps – “Bummer” mp3

Been meaning to post about slick new single from Melbourne indie pop kids Aleks and the Ramps all week now. The fact that last year’s amazing slice of sparkle “Antique Limb”, didn’t see them break through the Australian indie music celling was A TRAVESTY. A TRAVESTY.

Maybe this rapid-fire, schizophrenic new jam “Bummer” can see them out in the spotlight. The distorted guitar freak-out part is cool. The opening chanting is cool. The twee guitar solo is cool. Aleks’ lyrics are cool(y self-deprecating). And the bass is WAY COOL. Do thing band. Get big. I look forward to your new album by the way.

bandcamp
myspace