2012-A Look Back Part 1

2012

Possibly my worst year as a human being. I did become an Uncle again twice! Yin & Yang. Anyway on with the lists. Well you probably know how much lists get on my nerves by now, so c'mon here's your chance to whinge about mine. Leave a comment. Be nice. Be offensive. Be whatever you want to be. These are not ranked you know, it's not sport. This is just 20 of my favourite Albums of the year.

The Top 20+

The Fog Signals - The Ghosts of Bush House
Resonant reverberations. Who would have thought you could make a compelling record from a building? You can really picture this boffin with mini tape recorder and mike in hand saying "Quick lets get the sound of that floorboard on tape.' Creaks, horns, voices, rusty lifts, wind, squeaks all chime for Mr Fog's tape recorder. Excellent gear.

Ix Tab - Spindle & Bregnut Tree
erie, dank, majickly psychedelic and enchanting. It's getting dark in the forrest, you've become disorientated. Are you gonna make it out?

Swans - The Seer

Does it get any better than Swans in full epic flight?

No.

At their peak again.

Who would have tipped they'd be making the best record of 2012?

No one.

Scott Walker - Bish Bosch

Incomprehensible drunk, incomprehensible madness or incomprehensible genius?

Or all of the above. He has developed his own musical language and is honing it to almost accessible listenability.

Pye Corner Audio - Sleep Games

Just when people were ready to write off GhostBox (the record label) along comes a record to say that isn't going to happen. This one creeps up on you like a stalker (the one it's soundtracking). Then it's in your albums of the year. Perhaps more horrological than Hauntological.

Fabulous Diamonds - Commercial Music

Awesome drones, the coolest drumming and words I don't think I really wanna know. This has a cult like vibe. There is something deliciously wrong (so right) about Commercial Music.

Dave Graney & The MistLY - You've Been On My Mind

Just when you thought rock was dead and gone, unexpectedly Dave makes a rock album. Not only that, it's fuckin great. The soundtrack to wandering empty country town streets alone at 1.30 am and driving in the Australian summer at dusk with the windows down.

Outer Space - Akashic Record (Events: 1986-1990)

For those of you not diggin the new Emeralds record. No need to fear John Elliot's other group went out onto Saturn's rings and bought this back for your pleasure.

BEBETUNE$ - inhale C-4 $$$$$

I don't know if this is a mixtape, plunderphonics or all new material made by James Ferraro. 5th world soundz from a futuristic metropolis. This maze of plastic, neon, digital and HD is all put through the Ferraro warp machine for one bad trip that keeps you coming back for more.

Panabrite - Soft Terminal/Blue Grotto/The Baroque Atrium

This trio of albums was in my life to soothe, calm and rejuvenate me with its Utopian vistas and wombedelia. Then put these records at a loud volume and they can be quite the opposite ie. dark, strange and slightly dread inducing. Then through headphones they reveal that this ain't no ambient/new age dross. The compositions are put together with great thought and care. This isn't synth music on autopilot. Subtly sublime.

Bataille Solaire - Baal Shamash Et Son Char Celeste

They remained a mystery to me. I didn't come across one article on them or seek one out. I liked the mystique. Church organs and synths drifting through labyrinths and wormholes. Soundz from the cosmos that drift into black holes, through the asteroid belt and back again. This was a voyage to strap yourself in for. Hynagogia lives.

Lazerhawk - Visitors

This album had similar sort of influences as Daft Punk's Discovery. You know like AOR, funk, disco, metal, 80s soundtracks etc. Add a little horror and you are almost there. But unlike Daft Punk they didn't put it through the now/house/trance ringer, they just left it as is. Fun, good times and neat tunes. Retrolicious.

Gary War - Jared's Lot

This was like the world had blown up in 1982. Then in 2012 aliens landed. In an old bunker they found a bunch of records including Kraftwerk, Chrome, Ilitch, ELO & Durutti Column. They also salvaged a malfunctioning turntable and ELO's robot. When these aliens got back to their planet they started a groop. Their repertoire was retro electro human rock. The little aliens loved it. The robot sang on a couple of tracks but his batteries were running low. They thought it was great anyway.

Human Teenager - Animal Husbandry

See above.

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Mature Themes

More deliriously addictive pop from the pint size pop master. He's made the pop album of the year again.

Lee Gamble - Diversions 1994-1996
Deep spacious electronics leaving an emptiness that is evocative of the aforementioned era without actually sounding like the jungle pirate tapes that are apparently the source material. Memoredelia.

Dolphins Into The Future - A Star Maker, Strange Dreams & Clairvoyance
Dolphins come back strong in 2012 with some of their most out there music to date. I can see/hear scuttling sea creatures, palm tree jungles, underwater song, neon squids and mysterious deep sea disco fish. Put on The Blue Planet: episode 2, The Deep, turn the sound down and crank up the Dolphins. With a little help from your friends, the good times will roll.

Ekoplekz - Intrusive Incidentalz Vol 2/Mildew Riddims/Skalectrikz
Mutant machine music. How can all of this be so good? Three and a half hours of deliciously deranged dubby electronic noise for the end of dayz. Clank, clatter and squelchy splatter. 

Motion Sickness of Time Travel - Motion Sickness of Time Travel
MOTT make immersive echoing electronic drift from the heavens. Sometimes this aquatic pulsating music has a womb like vibe and at other times it's a little ominous. Ethereal vocals send this into almost holy territory. In 2012 it didn't get more beautiful than this.

Sand Circles - Motor City
It's 2am....you fill in the rest. Choose from these words - driving, cruising, cityscape, lonely, bewildered, lost, lights, tunnels, urban, roads etc. There is something allusive about Sand Circles soundtrack for night city cruising that sets them ahead of the pack. Totally irresistible.

The other bewdies

• Umberto - Night Has a Thousand Screams
• Miami Nights 1984 - Turbulance
• LX Sweat - Sweat, Sweat, Sweat
• Mark Van Hoen - The Revenant Diary
• Actress - RIP
• Dolphins Into The Future - Canto Arquepeligo
• Belbury Poly - The Belbury Tales
• Geoff Barrow & Ben Salisbury - Drokk
• Inner Tube - S/T
• Bassnectar - Vava Voom
• Moon Wiring Club - Today Bread, Tomorrow Secrets
• Future - Pluto

Ultimate Drums

Sing Sing - Not Drowning, Waving



To me this is the ultimate drum tune. Not Drowning Waving were kind of an experimental ambient art rock pop band from the 80s in Melbourne. In 1988 they went to Rabaul in Papua New Guinea and recorded an LP with a bunch of locals. They had recorded this song before but nothing like this version. Beautiful, uplifting, scary and intense all at the same time! It still amazes me to this day!

Skrillex-Bangarang

Just realised I never put this on me blog. Gee I wonder what I feel like doing tonight? Anyway just putting some thoughts together on 2012. I know I only exist as a ghost in this world but looking at some end of year lists I've become quite perplexed. Firstly who the fuck is Frank Ocean and secondly who the fuck is Kendrick Lamar? Am I missing out?

Anyway Simon Reynolds asks here Is anyone who listens to EDM, Brostep, Electrohouse writing about it and assessing it critically or is it a scene without an in depth discourse? Then I thought how many times can you say this sounds great, it's a totally banging tune, this'll go off on the dancefloor etc. I mean you could say how functional it is, point out influences, outline where the good bits are and talk about equipment. This is party music after all and one of its main functions is to not think. It is one part of a pleasuredome  to block out the dreariness along with the drugs, the dancing and the naff clothing. Is it necessary to get serious about fun? That doesn't sound like much fun. Getting in depth about this scene seems be the antithesis of this particular pop culture.

Bieber Fever: I've finally got it.

How can you not like this? I love that bassline like a sample from some second rate Joy Division clones from the UK in the early 80s. I know there is no need for me to promote The Bieb as this has had over a 100 million hits. Add one more! I also love that little brostep break at about 1 minute 50 seconds that rocks.

Down Under Nuggets

Speaking of Ugly Things compilations put out by Raven Records in recent posts, I just realised this has been released by Festival Records. I e-mailed Raven several years ago to ask if they'll ever be re-releasing any of the Ugly Things volumes, as I had one missing,  and they said probably not ever. I thought oh well. Then later I thought its been so long since they were put out a whole generation or two have missed out. I also thought with the Internet this stuff would only be gaining in popularity. Then there was a resurgence of garage rock (mainstream crossover) in the early 21st century, so the market would be quite large for a reissue. So in the end I thought they were being stupid. In 2010 Ian D Marks and Iain McIntyre then published the fabulous book Wild About You: The 60s Beat Explosion in Australia & New Zealand. So not just the people in the know but a whole younger crowd were presented with all this (a lot of it quite enlightening) info on a bunch of the 60s bands. Some of which were quite obscure and some who were massive pop stars.

An incredible resource for lovers of Antipodean Raw Garage
Rock, Fuzz, R&B and Beat Soundz from the 60s. Contains
interviews with over 35 groops and features The Beat &
Garage top 100. One of the great books on rock.

 If you've read my blog before you will know of my admiration for such groops as Peter & The Silhouettes, The Sunsets, Black Diamonds, The Elois, The Tol-Puddle Martyrs, The Masters Apprentices, The Loved Ones, The D-Coys, Sunday, The Atlantics, The Wild Colonials, The Missing Links, The Throb, The Templars and so on. So those of you new to the game this will be a great intro to the cool, snarly, fuzzy, hormone fuelled and sometimes frightening sounds of the Australian R&B and Beat Soundz. Me well I really don't think I need to buy it. I'm pretty sure I could make this comp as a mixtape tonight. I guess Volume 1 of Ugly Things for me is the comp! Don't get me wrong this Downunder Nuggets is a bloody great compilation. I highly recommend to the kids and the uninitiated. By that I mean everyone on the planet not into this golden era of Australian pop culture yet.

Ugly Things the original compilation of this type of gear.
Released in 1980!

But there are other bewdies too. It's A Kave In: Kingsize Kollection-Wild Oz 60s Punk From The Caverns Of Time and Devil's Children: Hellacious Sixties Punk Rarities are two other classics. Let us not forget The Hot Generation and Of Hopes & Dreams & Tombstones released by Big Beat, which I think is a British label, and maybe still in print. It's all great music! Get into it. Get your shindig started. Push your coffee table back. Put on your dancing shoes on. Time to kut the rug.

Many Mary

Sunday

From It's A Kave In.

Come On Baby
The Templars
Melbourne band of youngsters from 1965.
Half sung in Greek & half in English.
This is great wild stuff!

 Krome Plated Yabby
The Wild Cherries
Lobby Loyde on guitar. This one's a bit more psych
than the others. It's like there's a pop song trying to
escape the weirdness but doesn't quite get out.
What a mental psych classic!

The Pretty Things

Don't Bring Me Down

The Pretty Things

A bit different to ELOs version.

We'll Be Together

The Pretty Things

I think this was the B-Side to the above track or

was that a double A-Side. Both the biz!

Get The Picture

The Pretty Things

Then of course there's this version which has great

drumming and over the top fuzz by Melbourne band

The Wild Colonials

Get The Picture

Which is even better than the original I reckon.

It was on the 1st volume of Ugly Things The

Raven Records compilation series which was

my introduction to the song. The Wild Colonials

only lasted 3 7"s and that was that.  Apparently all

their A-sides were crap but the B-Sides were

where it was at. I think a lot of Antipodean 60s

groups were just as influenced by The Pretty Things

as much as The Stones, Yardbirds etc..

Speaking of which here's a NZ version of Get The Picture by

The Selected Few from Wellington.

Who Listens To The Radio?

That's what I'd like know. Well today it was me. Dave Graney & Elizabeth McCarthy's show Banana Lounge Broadcasting. It was great to listen to a radio show again. Many years ago in a job I could listen all day and I loved it. I knew when all different shows were on different stations every day. I miss it. First of all I learnt a lot from the adds er..sorry sponsorship announcements. Mick Taylor, Elvis Costello, The Sunnyboys, Nick Cave, Jo Jo Zep all doing the heritage touring circuit. That might be a little unfair to Nick but the rest you know what I mean. The most exciting touring news though was that Leon from Curb Your Enthusiasm is doing a stand up gig. I'm gonna have to get ticket. Then there was a terrific interview with The Pretty Things. They talked about the early days of art school with members of the Stones. New to me was their porn alias group Electric Banana recording for a library records company. I'd love to hear those. When talking about the old days of not having drums miked up reminded me of a time with my short lived  group. After the mixer spent half an hour on setting them up, she was then told by the proprietor to unmike them. Needless to say there was animosity in the room which eventually turned it into an enraged gig possibly our best. Side note: Why do the mixers get all the money?  Anyway back to the radio show. The guys from Pretty Things were a great couple of geezers and well they finally made it to Australia. This interview may end up on a podcast check the 3RRR FM website as it's well worth a listen for any 60s music fan. It was good to hear a new track from Paul Kelly, a tune by The Meters I'd not heard and even some MJ! I should listen to more radio and be less dependant on the Internet. Now I'm gonna get out some old blues.

 

 

 

 

What's On The Hi-Fi Lately.

Having had a lot of time off I've had a chance to listen to heaps of music and even do some reading too. Some of which I've already mentioned Swans, Scott Walker, Pye Corner Audio and that great mix by Ix Tab. Ix Tabs mix had me going back to old Coil records. Coil always seem to turn up on these mixes which is indicitive of their continuing influence on the underground of the 21st century.   I've also gotten around to some less new things like a Dolphins Into the Future tape from 2008 Plays Themes From Voyage which is from the golden era of that kinda gear so I'm loving it along with their 2 fine releases from this year.

Just had a couple of listens to Lee Gamble's Diversions 94-96. which is hitting all the right notes apparently he has another one just out too. Minimal, spacious electronics that are kind of empty but evocative of the mentioned era without being retro. I also caught up with Kemper Norton's Collision/Detection v6 from earlier this year and that's a rip snorter of an ep that put me in mind vocally of the recently discussed Disco Inferno. Hard to describe Norton, kinda folky, pastoral post industrial. A rustic farmer kind of vibe but quite creepy and wintry. Sounds like a bloody press release. Right enough cliches.















I finally got a copy of Moon Wiring Club's Somewhere A Fox Is Getting Married only on digital though (thanks bookmat). I think it was like a royal wedding commemorative album. I don't think it got in any best of 2011 lists, an overlooked classic perhaps. I reckon it might be the best one since their debut An Audience Of Art Deco Eyes. I like it more than the other record they did last year Clutch It Like A Gonk. That Bleep43 mix is also killer! Possibly my favourite of their mixtapes but as I've said before they're all gold. I totally recommend both of those way over 12 months since everybody else probably raved about them. Whatever. Still looking forward to the new CD & LP.

Was it really only last year that Will & Kate got married?
That can't be right can it?
I feel like Pippa's arse has been with us longer than that!

Bagpuss

Just discovered this tune. This one goes out to Emma, Holly & Belle. An old VHS found it's way into my life many years before the H-word. Is this Proto-Hauntological. What a weird kids show. Did Taid (is that how you spell it? I'm not up with my Welsh.) think Australian grandkids in the 90s would dig this? It's a classic and all but at the time of Teletubbies there was no contest. Bagpuss the show is what the Mrs would call brown. One day I'll get her to contribute to my blog to explain this theory. Actually when I first heard about the H word it made me think of her theory. Not necessarily a theory more of a feeling.

DJ Burnz

Bagpuss

199?