Playlist : August 29th - September 2nd, 2011

Hello and welcome to a somewhat more normal edition of Work Tunes.

After last week's technology-related debacle, I am back to some semblence of normalcy at home in terms of my PC. The best thing was being able to overwrite the library for a brand new installation of iTunes with my old library file - instantly giving me back all my playlists and info. Yay! So picking a list to hear at work this week was a lot easier.

For listening duties this week, I've gone pretty heavy for the classic rock (*shock horror*) with a bit of Dylan, The Who, Velvet Underground, Led Zeppelin and The Replacements as well as R.E.M.'s punchy rock set Monster. Representing my Hip Hop sensibilities, Public Enemy's Apocalypse '91 and the Native Tongue sounds of Black Sheep's Non-Fiction. Throw in some hipper vibes from Blitzen Trapper and Head and the Heart and you got yourself a playlist.

Check it out:

• Blitzen Trapper - American Goldwing
• The Who - My Generation : The Best of The Who
• Public Enemy - Apocalypse '91 : The Enemy Strikes Black
• Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II
• Velvet Underground - Loaded (Deluxe)
• Head and the Heart - Head and the Heart
• R.E.M. - Monster
• Black Sheep – Non-Fiction
• Bob Dylan - John Wesley Harding
• The Replacements - Tim

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. The Throne
2. Thin Lizzy
3. Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks
4. Primus
5. The Autumn Defense

Song of the Week : Dolorean - Black Hills Gold

Dolorean - Black Hills Gold is a tribute to the late Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson. I knew Wilson had drowned, but the story about how is what the video for this song is based on and I did not know the story. Here is what Al James said about it:

In 1983, however, he gave into the darkness and drowned at Marina Del Rey, the dock where his beloved sailboat "The Harmony" was once moored. He spent that day drinking and swimming, discovering bits of his life that had been thrown overboard years before during an explosive argument with an ex-wife. Dennis dove into the ocean over and over retrieving memories of his love and his life that were buried at sea. Ultimately, he dove too deep and was washed out into the abyss.

That has stuck with me since I read it on Monday and watched the video:

The song itself is more about what it takes to pull the gold out of the ground and craft it into a ring and how throwing that ring away means more than just a betrayal of the relationship. Interesting and eternally deep. Hope you dig it.

Ciao Bambinos

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you find something new and inspiring to listen to, or just enjoy the terrific Dolorean video. See you next week, same bat time; same bat channel.

Playlist : August 21st - 25th, 2011

Hello fellow travellers. Welcome to Work Tunes.

There very nearly wasn't a post this week, because I've had all sorts of technology fail culminating in a brand new hard drive and OS install. That of course meant installing all my programs again, including iTunes which made gathering a list a difficult task until the last minute.

So with limited time, here's how it turned out:

• Thin Lizzy - Bad Reputation
• Jay-Z - The Blueprint
• Tom Petty - Full Moon Fever
• Deep Purple - Machinehead
• Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - Mirror Traffic
• VA - Encomium Tribute To Led Zeppelin
• Primus - Green Naugahyde
• The Autumn Defense - The Autumn Defense
• Telekinesis - 12 Desperate Straight Lines
• Eazy-E - Eazy Duz It

Song of the Week : Joan Jett and the Blackhearts - Victim of Circumstance

So that's the whole deal this week. Hopefully by next week I will have settled in with all my programs and my playlists back so I can get a bit more time to make a quality list. This one will serve me well though.

Ciao for now amigos.

Playlist : August 15th - 19th, 2011

Good day to you Tunesters.

It's been a sunny if uneventful week here in sleepy Perth. My only news is that Miss 4, my eldest child, is now officially Miss 5. The Michael Jackson - Thriller 25th Anniversary picture disc vinyl I bought her went down a treat. We haven't played it yet, but those zombies are going to look pretty awesome at 33rpm.

So, on to the music. This week I'm spinning Gotye's Like Drawing Blood album just because I really love the new single and can't wait for the new Gotye album. Speaking of new albums, I have the hot new collaboration between Jay-Z and Kanye, a new one from the 'Gurge and Juliana Hatfield's most recent release. Also in there is Joan Jett & the Blackhearts because I've been looking for some 'girl' bands to get my daughters into. Finally, along with some other stuff, the 1992 AUS tour EP from Nirvana, Hormoaning. I probably should have bought this when I had the chance all those moons ago in Record Finder, Fremantle; it would have been a lot cheaper than it is now.

Check it out.

• Juliana Hatfield - There's Always Another Girl
• Regurgitator - Superhappyfuntimesfriends
• Gotye - Like Drawing Blood
• Joan Jett & the Blackhearts - I Love Rock n Roll
• Nirvana - Hormoaning
• Jay Z & Kanye - Watch the Throne
• Wheat – White Ink, Black Ink
• Jungle Brothers – Straight Out The Jungle
• The National - Boxer
• Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - Damn the Torpedoes

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. The Donnas
2. Sound Providers
3. Jay Farrar
4. Neko Case
5. Led Zeppelin

Song of the Week : Led Zeppelin - Immigrant Song

This week I reaffirmed what of course everybody already knows. Zeppelin rules! I put Led Zep II on my playlist and it made sweet sweet love to my ears. Yesterday after a really hard day, I slipped into the office at home, hopped on the bike and pressed play on Remasters on CD. And then I cranked it. Me, the bike, the Xbox and Led Zep were all tucked in my man cave and everything outside wasn’t there anymore and I didn’t feel quite so stressed. I almost fell in love with rock all over again.

This song, Immigrant Song, I realised is just about the heaviest god damn piece of rock on the planet. Now I’m not one for your Swedish Death Metal bands and the like, and I know there are bands that are like rotting corpses as far as black metal goes, but damn it if this Zep tracks doesn't make you feel Satan’s cold cloven hand on your soul as he pulls it out of your throat and it makes that Aaaaahhaaaahhhhhuuuuh sound that Plant sings.

I also picked it for the title because I’ve been a little pissed off at online douchebags blaming immigration for the London riots. Bigots! Turn this up loud boys and salute the dark master of rock n roll \m/

Adieu

So there we have it. So long, farewell, Auf wiedersehen, adieu (sorry if that made you sing the song...).

Until next week, asalaam alikum.

Playlist August 8th - 12th, 2011

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.

In this week's list, I have a repeat performance from two bands I really enjoyed last week - The Donnas and Elbow. I threw in some classic Prince because a borrowed Weather Report LP had me feeling funky. I also threw in that Weather Report LP. The most recent episode of True Blood featured a great track from Neko Case, so it made me add that album too. The No Boundaries compilation was picked up in an Op Shop for $1, pretty sweet huh? And there's other stuff too. Check it out.

• VA - No Boundaries: A Benefit For The Kosovar Refugees
• Weather Report - Black Market
• Elbow - Build a Rocket Boys!
• The Donnas - Bitchin'
• Q Tip - The Renaissance
• Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II
• Prince - Prince
• Neko Case - Blacklisted
• Jay Farrar - Sebastapol
• Sound Providers - An Evening With The Sound Providers

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. The Civil Wars
2. The Donnas
3. Eminem
4. Grateful Dead
5. Elbow

Song of the Week : Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know

This week’s song I almost had to post the YouTube to, because I didn’t have it, but then I realised I’d emailed it to someone and booya! Sent folder baby. That being said, the clip is really cool, so you might want to watch it anyway : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UVNT4wvIGY

This is the newest song from Gotye. I don’t know much about him, I only have Like Drawing Blood and wouldn’t call myself a proper fan. But this track in duet with Kimbra is amazing. Not just for the terrific film clip but for the good old-fashioned melody and rock-ballad-esque intensity. Something about it puts me in mind of 70s Sherbert or Peter Gabriel. Listen when he sings “you didn’t have to stoop so low” or “I guess that I don't need that though”, its very Gabriel. Looking forward to hearing the album. The YouTube clip says its Making Mirrors and out on August 19.

До свидания

That's it for another week. My the time does fly. Thanks for stopping by. This weekend I'll be celebrating Miss 4's graduation to Miss 5 with the adding of sizzle to sausages and trying not to freak out about how fast it has all gone o_O

Asalaam alikum brothers and sisters.