Sonic Youth - Smart Bar Chicago 1985

This Smart Bar Chicago 1985 cd takes you right to the heart of the beginning of Sonic Youth's reign as the premier American underground band. This is where the noise meets the rock and the rock is introduced to the pop. I dig Confusion Is Sex and Bad Moon Rising and even though most of the material for this live date comes from Bad Moon Rising, it's different. I always thought Sonic Youth progressed quite naturally but upon hearing this I started to think that perhaps Steve Shelley was the catalyst for a more accessible, fluid and rock Sonic Youth. He was not long in the band when this concert was recorded. He injects new life into these tracks (that were played on Bad Moon Rising by Bob Bert) and you can hear the future Sonic Youth starting to come together.  Songs take on a (Can-esque) flow motion that was previously non existent. This is where the No Wave noise and post hardcore sounds begin to be sculptured into something more beautiful and sensual. This is exemplified here on an early version of Expressway To Yr Skull.  1985 was the first time I read about Sonic Youth in Juke magazine. In that article they were discussing Bad Moon Rising, the 60s, Charlie Manson and John Fogerty's comeback. The band were photographed with a scarecrow. This article/image stuck in my brain but it would have been 2 years at least until I first heard their music with Schizophrenia on the airwaves of RRR whilst visiting the big smoke.

Maybe it was the disappointment of m b v that made me buy Smart Bar Chicago 1985 and go back to MBV's original influences. Just before I dug out Dinosaur Jr's You're Living All Over Me, I listened to Isn't Anything. This LP immediately transported me back to the late 80s. Glory days I suppose. My Bloody Valentine were once raw and incredibly melodic. Their other unsung triumph was their wicked rhythm section that was sometimes at the forefront of a tune. There was light, shade, claustrophobia, ecstasy and surrealism. What happened? More to the point do I really care now? The mourning was done some time ago. We've got the old records and they're brilliant as are those of their contemporaneous influences. The aforementioned Dinosaur LP has been cranked up real loud over this last week and its blistering blissful vistas have had me ecstatic. What can I say? Wow! Geez I would love to have been writing at that time. It was so exciting and fertile. The great thing is that, that excitement is contained within some of those records still.

The live Sonic Youth cd has of course had me listening back to their Evol and Sister LPs. Is their anything left to say about those records? Except they still sound fucking awesome in 2013. I don't know where First Born Is Dead by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds fits in to all this but I've been giving that a spin too. That was a fabulous and strange record! They were just a weird little four piece band then. Blixa, Barry, Mick (on drums) and Nick. It's such a sparse LP and so powerful!

All these groups were influences on the young My Bloody Valentine.

So if you ever wondered (I haven't until now) what Bad Moon Rising would have sounded like with Steve Shelley on the skins check out Smart Bar Chicago 1985.

Retromania moves in mysterious ways. I'm in the mid to late 80s now.

m b v - My Bloody Valentine

It just came out of the blue. If you can call waiting for 22 years for a follow up to one of the all time great albums out of the blue. What I mean is it was put out with little fanfare. Kevin Shields said the other day it might be coming out soon and then bang there it was on their website. Some people were paying attention though as the website crashed due to immense traffic. I heard one track on youtube Wonder 2 and got a little excited. The next day I'd bought the LP, cd and download for more than 40 dollars. So a nostalgic vibe took over. What was I really expecting though? Surely I wasn't expecting them to blow my mind at this late stage was I? Can they still make dizzy music to disconcert?

In 1996 I was still hopeful about the follow up to Loveless. There were reports of the tracks being jungle and metal influenced. This kept me interested for a few years. Eventually though I came to the realisation that it was never going to come out. Then I was of the opinion that perhaps this was a good thing. Retire at your peak. Nice. Have years of meltdowns, budget blowouts and scrapped half finished albums. This will all add to the mystique and they will become legendary well, more legendary.

22 years on from Loveless and the innovations have become common place. The radical normalised. 22 years of artists pillaging this treasure chest have almost(?) made My Bloody Valentine redundant. So what could MBV have to offer us now? When Loveless came out there were even a few people who said "Is that it?' The shoegaze brigade (Slowdive, Curve, Lush, Pale Saints, Boo Radleys et al.) had already started using and abusing MBV's legacy which perhaps made Loveless less startling than it should have been. Then groups like Seefeel, Flying Saucer Attack, Third Eye Foundation etc. expanded upon MBV's frontiers and perhaps took their blueprint to several logical conclusions. MBV kept being a name checked influence throughout the 90, 00s and 10s. I personally have failed to keep up with the new shoegazers. The last things I heard were from 10 years ago when Pluramon and M83 began exhibiting a heavy MBV influence. The lineage continues to this day apparently with Deerhunter and the like carrying the torch.

The (non) marketing of m b v caught me a little off guard and I was swept up in nostalgic momentum. Wonder 2 is probably the best track on the LP, well at the moment it's only actually an mp3. The first half of m b v has the hazy sweet languidity part of the Loveless equation but lacks the other half ie. the noisy and chaotic undercurrent. These two yin and yang elements are what make My Bloody Valentine  so great. So it's nice but feels half finished. Where are the manic pop thrills?

Then along comes track six New You. I don't really know what to make of this track at all. It just feels wrong. Is this where I say nadir? Is it some kind of attempt at a MOR crossover? It just comes across like a bad Phoenix outtake. Next is In Another Way and thank god! It's a fucking MBV classic with all the elements that we know and love, but is it too little too late? Track 8 Nothing Is sounds like an attempt at a Meat Puppets instrumental?? Finally it's wonder 2. The album starts to really hit its stride with this dose of swirling and shape shifting psychedelia. Then the album's done. It's finished and you're left feeling a little bewildered.

m b v sounds like it could have come out in 1993 as a kind of follow up/companion piece to Loveless. What happened to the metal? Where's the jungle? Those recordings seem to have been scrapped and Kevin, Belinda, Colm and Debbie have gone for a Ramones/ACDC move ie. If it ain't broke don't fix it. They've settled on their bag of tricks and they've decided to sail in conservative waters.  Was there nowhere else to go? Did others get there first? Was there too much second guessing? Were the scrapped recordings shite? How did that winning streak from the You Made Me Realise EP to Loveless come to such a bizarre end? Are these the questions that have plagued Kevin Shields' mind for the last 22 years?

2013 has begun

I was about to write a post asking the question: Has 2013 started yet? A quick look on the internet made me go er.. maybe ....Ducktails have a new record...I should track that down. I was about to go to bed then I realised this

But I've left the computer cord at work and it's about to run out uuuurrrrrggggggg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Boring Monday Night

it was either watching Master Chef or some other shite tonight. Luckily I went on the interweb and found this on Hardly Baked one of Simon Reynolds other blogs. This is a true time capsule and fuck me it made my week if not my month actually. Simon found it on the Our God Is Speed blog who in turn found it on the Exile On Moan St blog. So I thought I'd continue the tradition and pass it on. This is an incredible glimpse into Berlin in 1983. Even more so though, is the glimpse you get of the British idea of Berlin and Germany in 1983. It's got Die Haut, Malaria, Einsturzende Neubauten, etc.

This is as German as I got in 1983. This really swings!, quite unexpectedly. I thought Nena was the biggest spunk (er...that's Australian for good looking) I'd ever seen. That final part of The Tube In Berlin Special where a British guy is at the Russian War Memorial reminded me of this song which I haven't heard since about 1984. If I recall correctly she had a follow up single I really loved as well but I can't remember the title of that. Oh hang on here it is!

The Church - She Never Said

One last one for Australia Day. This is taken from Countdown in 1981. Countdown was Australia's version of TOTP sort of. Everyone watched it every Sunday night. Anyway this episode was shown recently on Rage and boy did The Church not fit. I guess they never fitted anywhere as was stated in their Hall Of Fame anouncement. On this edition of Countdown were a whole lot of very bad and thin sounding synth-pop performers. So when the Church go into this weird dark post punk psychedelia that was at once a throwback and futuristic they stuck out like a sore thumb. It was a surprise to see this performance I'd never seen before and in that context all the more interesting and powerful.

The Atlantics

More classics for Australia Day. The Atlantics Come On. I love the clip but it's obviously mimed. I'd like to have seen a live version from this era.

Here's a band I've mentioned before Kahvas Jute and their great progressive hard rock classic Parade Of Fools. This is a proto-stoner epic from 1971.

Invasion Day/Australia Day

I loved this song when I was little which is strange really. This is so fucking heartbreaking I can barely even listen to it. I don't know much about Billy Field but he is definitely an anomaly in Australian Rock. He was sophisticated and urbane!

The plight of the Australian Aborigines is one of the more disgraceful chapters in The British Empire's history. Still today poverty and age expectancy are massive issues that seem to be perennially unsolvable. Anyway I saw The Warumpi Band once and man they rocked harder than ACDC.

Sun Araw/The Congos/Sherlock Holmes/Girls

Sun Araw and The Congos create a new zone somewhere between Roots Reggae and Hynagogia.
Stoned? Us?

Not much to talk about musically really. I just looked over my top 20 of 2012 and noticed I left out the  Sun Araw, M Geddes Gengras Meet The Congos LP which is brilliant. And I only just, a week or 2 ago, got the 2nd Hacker Farm LP. I'm loving that and it's a huge leap from Poundland. I would describe it as Isolationist (in the best sense of the term) ambiance and dare I say the word, Industrial, anyway it's post all that, but post seems to be a bad word at the moment so I won't say that. The new Broadcast LP is the only other thing I've been listening to. A faux Giallo soundtrack that pays homage to Goblin and other Italian masters.

I've caught up on some tv though. Sherlock Holmes the BBC series featuring Benedict Cumberbatch & Martin Freeman is one I have watched. Thinking, well I didn't really like the Hollywood films of recent times but I'll give it a go, because Caitlin Moran rates it. I was immediately transfixed by the whole thing. The best BBC drama in a very long time. The plots are incredible and the acting, well fuck me!, where did this Benedict Cumberbatch come from? He's an incredibly charismatic actor with star written all over him. How does he do that unblinking thing? I've spent some of my life amongst people with Aspergers Syndrome and I could not come up with a more real version of the syndrome. At one point during the show Dr. Watson  claims Sherlock as Aspergers. This I find refreshing considering how many seasons has it been for Big Bang Theory? Where one of the main characters, Sheldon, quite obviously has Aspergers  and no one has muttered the word Autism or Aspergers as far as I know! But they are quite willing to make fun of his condition. Anyway what a surprise and I can't wait for the next season which is going to be at least a 12 month wait.

The next one was Girls. I was not expecting to relate whatsoever  to a show about 20 something girls in New York, but somehow it drew me in! I thought this may be an interesting show but did not expect to relate to it in any terms. I thought the era, ie now, would alienate me. Being married for the last 5 years etc. would exclude me but fuck this show just reminded me and the Mrs of our early 20s. Lena Dunham has captured in minute detail the confusion, bewilderment, the obsession with sex and the whatever else is happening in your 20s perfectly. Timeless, brilliant and so close to the bone sometimes, it almost makes you want to look away. Lena puts in all the bits, awkwardness, selfishness and embarrassment, that others would leave out. One of the most honest accounts of 20 something life I've ever seen.

This song played in the background of a scene.  One of my favourite songs ever. The best!

Port Douglas

Okay, I'm back from a sabbatical in Far North Queensland. Whilst on holiday in the tropics I was listening to some 60s Australian rock. The Mrs then says "Sometimes rock and roll is a bit incongruous." Who was I to disagree? Once while visiting Mildura at the height of a gruelling Australian summer I remember going for a walk in the 35+ degree heat. On my i-pod I had The Kink's Something Else while sweating in the semi arid conditions. The incongruity of that was precisely the point. I loved listening to tales of 60s British suburban life, it didn't fit at all. When I saw The Trip with Steve Coogan playing Joy Division in the picturesque English countryside I thought 'Ah a like mind, with a perverse sense of humour.'

Anyway I thought about Emma's comment and thought okay let's see if I can match this scene of humidity, palm trees, insects, lagoons, jellyfish, The Great Barrier Reef and The Pacific Ocean. A quick check of the I-pod showed I currently had 3 Dolphins Into The Future releases synced. I put one on and immediately there was synchronisation between the world in which we were in and the sounds we were hearing. The funny thing is from our room with lagoon views in which you could see palm trees, gum trees, brightly coloured tropical birds, the Pacific Ocean etc. you couldn't open the window for fear of giant mosquitoes entering your space and destroying your pleasure. With that window being closed all you could hear was a low hum of the air conditioner. Putting on the Dolphins put the sound back into our room. It fit like a glove. In some way though this was just as fake, like a sound designer putting the environmental sounds retrospectively onto a film. It made me think that in some ways this is as incongruous as the rock. Anyway for the next week it was all Three Dolphins records as the soundtrack to our balmy holiday. The perfect soundtrack.

The only other album I put on the i-pod dock was Paul Shutze's New Maps of Hell III. This fit as well. I remember a critic once describing it as music from the pacific rim. This however was a slightly darker take on similar themes. I checked the title of one track, it was called The Rapture of Drowning. The next day while on a boat for a Barrier Reef snorkeling tour I couldn't get that kind of horror vibe out of my head. I thought if Radha Mitchell turns up and starts talking to us we're definitely doomed.

Post Nostalgia

When I wrote that post yesterday I didn't think I'd read the the term post-nostalgia before. I did however think that perhaps I'd acquired it by osmosis. A quick google throws up some stuff. The best and closest to my article here. When I read that I thought that's what we meant. Beautifully written.

Nostalgia for nostalgia...

The Mrs comes out of the bathroom and says what's missing is the yearning for nostalgia. Nostalgia for nostalgia. She then says that being nostalgic is lost due to the availability of everything. This availability renders everything timeless. Everything is now. Then I add you mean the fleeting, ephemeral and the yearning for what's lost can't be experienced because it is not lost. It has probably been found by someone else so you don't even get to enjoy the experience of finding it yourself.

Emma then adds a case in point would be a show she vaguely recalls from school called the Dark Towers. This was some kind of spooky television for schools show (Emma attended primary school in North Wales). Emma knows the theme tune sort of. She is also aware that she can go onto the Internet and probably find it. A few years previously these events would usually unfold: The phone calls to her sister where she would sing the theme tune and her sister would go 'yeah I think I recall that.' Then talking to other people she went to school with or her father to piece together this vague memory. Then what if someone had an old VHS of the Dark Towers programme? It would be exchanged watched and discussed. Or if nobody had it it would remain a little mystery. Now all that would be lost.

This parallels the death of the pub conversation. In the pre-Internet on your mobile phone days you could argue for hours about anything and it might not get resolved for a long time. A case in point was a conversation that took place perhaps 8 years ago. I was saying that isn't it weird that George Harrison wrote Taxman but didn't play the lead guitar part? In fact Paul McCartney plays the lead part! The mate I was with was saying no way it was either George or John playing that guitar break. I said I know for a fact that it was Paul! He would say nah that's bullshit! The conversation probably ensued like this for some time. It was a week or two later that I found a book on The Beatles at work (er...I worked for a book distributor at the time) with a page on the recording of Taxman. I was right. I photocopied the said page and either faxed it to him or showed him next time he was around at my place.

Now days someone will just pull out the mobile phone and solve any argument in an instant. This in turn halts the natural flow of conversation, you know, the fun part of drinking and talking crap at the pub. People younger than me are (ie. Generation Y and younger) perhaps more prone to this. I have noticed people looking up every second thing I've stated in a conversation at the pub.

What we are getting at is that perhaps a part of our social and emotional interaction in the world is being eroded by technology in ways that we've barely even noticed. Ending with these questions: What is the future of nostalgia? If everything is presently found and preserved how can we yearn for it? What is the purpose of nostalgia? Is nostalgia now redundant? If so what are the implications?

Are we now Post-Nostalgia*?

The Age

So I went to the cinema today to see Les Miserables which was alright (no Rusty no!). It's this ad though that really pissed me off. There are 2 newspapers in Melbourne, The Herald Sun and The Age. The Age is supposed to be, you know, the proper paper. Their ad today was about a cab driver and guess what he's not just a cab driver he's got a life too. You know like a wife and kids and in his country of origin he did some stuff. Wow! He's not what you'd expect is what you were meant to think about him and about the said newspaper. Well fuck me The Age how patronising can you get? Who is this ad for and where were they supposed to be educated? I've been in taxis and guess what? I've even talked to them about everything from the music they're playing, sports, weather, politics and even where they have come from etc. etc. Guess what The Age? I'm not a fucking idiot. I realise every person I pass each day has a life and a story. Fuck off The Age! The dimwits they are meant to be preaching to are apparently their own advertising company and themselves.

Britt Walford

More Drummage

The drumming in Slint was awesome and the first Breeders record. Wasn't it the same guy? I think so. Britt Walford is his name plus he had  aliases - Mike Hunt and Shanonn Doughton. He was so versatile. One minute playing beautifully melodic rolls with great restraint then bangin his heart out in the heaviest possible way. He could build tension and atmosphere like no other.

Now I don't know if this is him in the film clip or not. I'm pretty sure he played on the track although it is credited to two different drummers. Anyway who cares this one is all about the drums. When I saw The Breeders live this was the highlight. Britt would often dress up in disguises. Was he embarrassed or something? Enigmatic master!

Surf influenced Drummage

Simon Reynolds is still bangin on about drums so here's a couple more. Well it's pretty hard to get heard behind the twin guitar attack of Masuak and Tek but here's some great drumming to go with those surf guitars. Ron Keeley with the sticks.

Then there is this which was all about the drums. Loved it the first time I heard it which was on the Countdown awards cica 84/85. This was power surf drummage! Mark Kingsmall on the skins.

Ugly Thing-The Creatures

I always thought it was cool that I knew a guy from Macclesfield who lived in the same street as Ian Curtis and inherited his turntable (the turntable bit may need a pinch of salt). All along I was living in a region of garage-rock royalty. The Creatures were from Mildura and they had brilliant Aussie garage-rock compilations named after them and as well as a popular American garage-rock magazine. My dad saw the Easybeats at The Murray Moon before they were famous but can't recall the support band. It was probably this lot right here.

friday

Moon Wiring Club

Srtange music for your Friday Nite

Nostalgia and INXS

Putting up that INXS track the other day I had no qualms about. For me they are in a position where I have no perspective on them. Having liked them from a preteen to my late teens. If I was introduced to them today what would I think? I have no idea. On paper it looks like I'd probably not like them but who knows? When I listen back to them now which is not very often, a little look on the youtubes now and again, I'm not even sure if I like them. I think I do though. I know the songs off by heart, there's memories, period charm, history, nostalgia, perverse pleasure and just plain pleasure all tied up in those songs. It's a bit hard separating it all.

I guess the biggest thing though with these songs is the you. The younger you. The less cynical you(er..I was always pretty cynical). The less tired you. The future you. The you you were going to be. The you that you never were. The possibilities of you. So these songs are pregnant with all of your hopes, dreams and excitement for the future and when you hear them that all rushes back usually in a good way. So whether you are getting off on that vibe or just a top tune it's hard to say. In the end does it really matter? It is interesting though

More Not Drowning, Waving

Well that last track was such a hit here's some more from the same LP.

 

2012 - A Look Back Part III

Best Internet Mixtapes/DJ Mixes 2012

Panabrite - Lunar Atrium Mix
Synthesiser vistas from his extensive Library music collection.
Mark Van Hoen - Pontone Mix #87
Electronic pop 101.
Ix Tab - Pontone Mix #95
The roots and traces of The Bregnut Tree.
K-Punk - Pontone Mix #91
4th world musical travels.
Evol - Fact Mix #330
Mentastic!
Dara - Blog To The Old Scool Mix
The ultimate 'ardcore 91 mix.

*A lot of time in 2012 I was putting together my own ultimate mixtapes of 'ardcore, Breakbeat, Darkside, Jungle and Ambient Jungle. So maybe I wasn't into other peoples mixes as much. I must admit my Acieeed! mix and Miami Bass mix haven't really got off the ground yet.

Re/Discovered, Not Reissued In 2012

• Lou Reed - Coney Island Baby
• Dave Graney - Knock Yourself Out/Hashish/We Wuz Curious
• Stereolab - 91-97 Catalogue
• Pulp - Intro/His n Hers/Different Class/We Love Life
• Cybotron - Clear
• The Black Dog - Book Of Dogma
• Primitive Calculators - Primitive Calculators/Primitive Calculators & Friends 1979-82
• Laughing Clowns - Cruel But Fair (3CD)
• Omni Trio - Vols 1-5
• Jacob's Optical Stairway - S/T
• A Guy Called Gerald - Black Secret Technology
• 4 Hero - Parallel Universe/The Early Plates
• Various - Reinforced Presents: Callin For Reinforcements & The Definition of Hardcore
• 2 Bad Mice/Kaotic Chemistry - Everything
• Various - Hardcore Leaders Of The New School
• Various - Torque - No U Turn Comp
• Wagon Christ - Throbbing Pouch
• The Wu-Tang Clan  - Group & Solo LPs 93-96
• Snoop Dog - Doggystyle
• Michael Hoenig & Manuel Gottching  - Early Water
• Ilitch - 10 Suicides
• Patrick Vian - Bruits Et Temps Analogues
• And every second track released on The Hardcore Continuum from like 90- 95. There I finally said it!

*I did end up listening to that Kendrick Lamar LP. Bit of a downer I thought, not bad and sonically pretty cool though.

Jon Farriss - Black & White

This was some of my favourite drummage as a preteen. Particularly this 12" version. 8os Rota Toms I think they were. Dancing in the lounge room so our feet stay dry.

              

This shows Jon could cut it live too. Jon is a great drummer and shows us his stuff especially after the 2 min 30 sec mark! Hutch was a bit pitchy live wasn't he? Anyway it's all about the drums and they're pretty pretty good.

2012 - A Look Back Part II

Reissued/Archival/Compiled etc..

• Time To Go-The Southern Psychedelic Moment: 1981-1986 - Various.  One of the coolest rock scenes ever.  Post-Punk psychedelic mayhem from the Antipodes. It doesn't get much better than underground music from NZ in the 80s.
• Down Under Nuggets: Original Artyfacts 1965-1967 - Various.  It doesn't get much better than this for a rock era. Troglodyte and wild. Get out your winkle pickers folks!
•  EPs 88-91 - My Bloody Valentine
• Complete Singles Collection - AR Kane
• 5 EPs - Disco Inferno
• Separations - Pulp
• Smell My Finger - The Hard Ons
• Livixiation - Suzanne Ciani
• Dancing Time - The Funkees
• Cold Nose - Franco Falsini
• Orion 2000 - Peter Thomas
• The World Won't Listen - The Smiths
• Short Stories For Pauline - Durutti Column
• Voix - Egisto Macchi
• The Aberrant Years - feedtime
• The Oram Tapes Vol. 1 - Daphne Oram
• Electronics Without Tears - FC Judd

The Short Ones ie. EPs

Skrillex - Bangarang EP
It's party time folks!
Knife Party - Rage Valley EP
The party continues!
LA Vampires - Freedom 2K EP
Amanda Brown gets all sexy. If only all house was this cool.
Kemper Norton - Collision/Detection v6 EP
Spooky farmer's sonic documents of wintry West England!

Bin Worthy/Indifferent/Perplexed
Laurel Halo - Quarantine
Didn't see the fuss.
Holy Balm - It's You
?
Maria Minerva - Will Happiness Find Me ?
Not with this self help drivel!
Black Dice - Mr Impossible
??
Bodyguard  - Silica Gel
er... a bit Shite, no?
Nite Jewel - One Second of Love
???

*With the reissues I just put in the ones I didn't already have. I never had a copy a copy of The World Won't listen, I had Louder Than Bombs which was a mess of a comp really. So there's no Cleaners From Venus, Pyrolator, John Carpenter, Eraserhead OST or Porter Ricks or whichever records/tapes/cds I already have. No Laurie Spiegel as I think that may be coming my way at Xmas time.

Mick Fleetwood

Well I was trying not to be obv with my drums pick. Before I remembered that great Not Drowning Waving track It was The Chain all the way!

Well really it was gonna be Tusk but we thought that way too obv as well.

More Drums

It must be admitted here and now the Mrs a lovely Welsh lady was seen once air drumming to this track with a little help from her friends Death Proof stylee but it was only at home, not in a car so she didn't die.

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.
I can picture them in 1960s Richmond,
 Melbourne has a massive Greek population.
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!