Friday, October 26, 2012

Pop Party Tribe Tantrums (October 29th - November 2nd)

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.

 It's almost bedtime on Friday night / Saturday morning again. I'm just ripping a few CDs for my list. Have to be up early tomorrow otherwise I won't have any time to get out and do something before the Paul Kelly film/gig at Astor. So keeping that in mind, I best be quick about this.

 I had all but forgotten this album existed, so I am listening to Pop. I can't go anywhere online without hearing about Kendrick Lamar, so that is here. For some reason I thought about Vetiver last week and I chose Tight Knit. There's a good clutch of 80s albums here from Joe Jackson, 10,000 Maniacs and Break Machine (Yes! Break Machine!). The brand new Evil Eddie release is here, with that great Golden Age track on it. All that's left then is the funk of Fitz & the Tantrums and Syl Johnson and a free compilation from Reddit.  

 Check it out:

  1. Sonic Youth
  2. Guns n' Roses
  3. Hall & Oates
  4. Evil Eddie
  5. Son Volt

Song of the Week : that dog - Grunge Couple



 This week's SOTW is from the compilation Geffen rarities Vol.1 (was there ever a volume 2?!) Remember that one? I think mine came free with a copy of Alice In Chains - Jar of Flies. 

 When it came out, I was at uni and I was totes grunge, along with my totes grunge girlfriend of the time (that sounds casual, but we were together for 5 years). We loved this song Grunge Couple. The irony is, it's a total piss-take, but we completely ignored that because we liked being a "grunge couple".

 As for the track itself, as mentioned it's definitely satire. It has not just lyrical but instrumental grunge clichés thrown in; like the distorted vocals, the screaming, the phased bass line. Then there's lyrics about chokers and flannel and boots. 

 So picture, if you dare, a young and ultimately more idealistic Me decked out in denim and flannel with a nice chunky pair of Docs on, cruising around in his purple Mk II Cortina (column shift), girlfriend beside him in her floral dress and equally chunky Docs, that dog blaring through the tape deck from a dubbed copy of Geffen Rarities. What an idiot :)
Tah Tah

Thanks for stopping by. Perthies, get out in the 33+ sunshine this weekend, but stay away from our shark friends who are circling Mullaloo Beach. And sharks, "Perthies are friends. Not food". *Jaws Theme*

Hasala malakim.

Post Script


I didn't post this last night because I was a bit tired-eyed and wanted to be sure I didn't type anything bizarre purple monkey dishwasher. I have to go and tizzy myself up for Paul Kelly now. Play safe kids.
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Friday, October 19, 2012

Essential Post Country Hysteria (October 22nd - 26th)

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.

Pushed for time again this week. Still sorting out the computers - swapping hard drives, backing up files and what-not. So I won't waste any more time and instead jump both feet into the music. 

 Thanks to @BreeMateljan, I'm visiting a friend I haven't seen since high school - Def Leppard! Another old friend, like a comfy blanket is Geffen Rarities (if you don't own this, you probably didn't live through Grunge). I sense a theme here, because another album that doesn't get any Work Tunes love is here, The Calling.  I went old school with my other rap choice and grabbed some Bam. I have some Bjork and some Josh Rouse. I had to slip on disc 2 from Triple J Vol. 13. For a bit of twang there's Son Volt. Also here I picked out a Hall & Oates compilation. And finally, my Sonic Youth addiction is taking over my life and I am not ashamed to admit I don't want to be saved - here's Rather Ripped.

Check it out:

  1. Brand Nubian
  2. Ryan Adams & the Cardinals
  3. Dr. Dre
  4. Nirvana
  5. The National

Song of the Week : Dire Straits - Romeo & Juliet




 This week’s song was inspired by the always enjoyable #Clay5 lists. In particular, the favourite Dire Straits song list. Mine is and forever shall be Romeo & Juliet; by a very, very long margin from Money For Nothing.

 What I just can’t resist about this song is that million dollar riff and the production on it’s sound. You can hear the strings being fondled like Knopfler is warming up in your headphones. Plus, when the song really picks up, the drums just sound so good. 

 Besides that, there’s the pure romance of “You and me babe, how about it?” What lady could resist that charm?!

 Love, love, love this song. 

 Adieu

Thanks for stopping by. I must be off to go and sort out my HDD and my codecs and all the other things that didn't cause us an ounce of hassle not 20 years ago.

 Adieu. Hasala malakim.
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Friday, October 12, 2012

Long National Underground Nightmare (October 15th - 19th)

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.

 I'll be lucky if I get all the required albums tagged and rated in time for work this weekend. I have to set up a new PC and we all know what a hassle that is. I'm in that annoying half way stage of having to find spots for a bunch of data and make some tough decisions on what to ditch. I'll be happier when SSDs come in 2Tb size without having to take a second mortgage. 

 What I'll try and get together is a couple of rap classics from Big Daddy Kane and Brand Nubian. Somebody mentioned Teen Spirit online yesterday and I threw on Nevermind; loved it, so I have Bleach. A Jacksons album I may not have heard (though probably have) is here, as is a Velvet Underground set I definitely have. It seems like I am always choosing The National's debut, but it has been 2 years since it made a list. A record I keep meaning to play for the first time since I scored it, Brothers In Arms is here along with Suzanne Vega's debut which I also have in vinyl form. I have disc one from Triple J Hottest 100 vol. 13 here for compilation purposes. Last but definitely not least, I played Alice Cooper's Trash last week on songl, so I'm giving his bona fide classic Welcome To My Nightmare a spin this week. 

Check it out:

  1. Drive-By Truckers
  2. Dr. Dre
  3. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals
  4. You Am I
  5. The Hummingbirds

Song of the Week : Elvis Costello - Good Year For The Roses




 My SOTW is Elvis Costello - Good Year For The Roses. I've been mulling over it all week. On Monday driving in, it came on a random playlist and I got enthralled with the lyrics. It's such a simple song, really. A couple of very short verses and a chorus. But I found the more I analysed the lyrics, the more it said. In actual fact, it paints an entire story full of history and sadness with just a handful of well-chosen words. 

 When you think about what it says, you can gather that the narrator is an almost obsessive gardener who is not much chop at expressing his feelings and who had a wife who picked up after him who has now left him. She wears lipstick, smokes and has clearly had enough of his crap, as she doesn't even speak. Their marriage has been a war of words for 3 years and has now ground to a silent halt. I would hazard a guess too that she has left the baby and he can't even get up to take care of it when it cries. 

 Listen to the little clues like "you haven't made the bed" and "there's so little left to say we haven't said" And meanwhile, marriage over, this guy is in shock or numb to it so much that he can only think of the roses in his precious garden. This is, I think, one of those timeless songs which will always be part of the collective musical conscious. I hadn't really thought so hard about the words until this week.  

Dosvedanya, Comrades

 I'm trying to plea bargain with the Universe to give me a fine weekend, even if the forecast says rain. I'd be okay with rain at night and sunshine during the day so I can take my girls out riding. Fingers, toes and any other spare appendages crossed.

 Hasala malakim.
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Saturday, October 6, 2012

Evil Drive-By Jacksonville Stooges (October 8th - 12th)

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.

 It's Saturday afternoon and I'm just now finishing off this list. I sat up late writing a review of The Town over at Make Films Not Movies, which I have been meaning to do for ages. Luckily, ideas for tunes weren't oo hard to come by this week. 

 First up, I have a couple of favourite Australian albums. You Am I's Hi Fi Way has been a staple for me since release. Originally I had the cassette, which I still have, but it's a little worn out. The other is The Hummingbird's loveBUZZ. Another cassette that I bought purely because it was the name of the Nirvana song from Bleach. I didn't know The Hummingbirds at the time. 

 A link from a friend made me think of this Prince album of unreleased songs. I couldn't go past the brand new Public Enemy and I slipped in a rap classic from Dr Dre to compliment it. 

 A mid week beer and a spin of Jacksonville City Nights' drunken heartbreak put that on my list. After Jason Isbell made SOTW last week, I thought I'd have some Drive-By Truckers from when he was with them. Nicely going along with both of these is the timeless folk of Bob Dylan's first real masterpiece. 

 Scoring a free sampler from Spunk Records for Laneway was a blessing and I picked The Stooges because I wanted something to put some dirt in the whole bag.

 Check it out:

  1. Brother Ali
  2. Mumford & Sons
  3. Thurston Moore
  4. Paul Kelly & The Stormwater Boys
  5. Devo

Song of the Week : Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit - Cigarettes & Wine (Acoustic)



 I was two seconds away from selecting Deep Purple for my SOTW and an instant of reflection on my day changed my mind. On exhausting days like this one, I have this rather effective internal reset button. I don't even use it consciously, but it always happens when I feel like I've hit a massive wall. What is it? One beer and about 20 minutes of guitar.

 So Wednesday after work I found myself, Stella and 12 string in hand, searching the internet for the tab to this song. Like the sentiment of the song itself, the chords are simple. I like singing and playing this song because it's so raw in this format and so honest in the lyric with  perhaps the least romantic chorus ever:
She smelled like cigarettes and wine
She kept me happy all the time I know that ain't much of a line
But it's the God's own truth
The key change at the chorus is effective too. It makes it sound drunk and pleading. I think I'll need to find something to play tonight too, because the day wears on.
Ciao 

Thanks for stopping by. The next Work Tunes will be written on a new computer, so here's hoping it goes off without a hitch. Whatever you are doing this fine (in Perth, anyway) weekend, have yourself a merry little weekend-mas. Be excellent to each other.

Hasala malakim.
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