Hurry Sing Trouble Pilgrim (June 10th - 14th)

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.

I'm just back from the Program Launch of the 2013 Perth Revelation Film Festival after checking out The Deep. Quite an enjoyable film, shot tremendously well. Check it out if you like Icelandic films based on the true life events of a fishing boat tragedy at sea. I think I'd have structured it differently; but what would I know? I'll just get on with the music, shall I?
  
Again this week I've got a couple of artists I've never heard before in Laura Mvula and City and Colour. The other new album this time around is from The National. There's some old, old releases from Pixies and Sonic Youth, as well as a late career release from Concrete Blonde.Two compilations will be on rotation, a Tour Of Duty soundtrack and one of my favourites from KCRW, Rare On Air. Repping Hip Hop for the week, there's two legends in Mos Def (now Yasim Bey) and Brother Ali. 

Check it out:

• Laura Mvula – Sing To The Moon
• Concrete Blonde - Mexican Moon
• VA - The Best of Tour of Duty
• Mos Def - The New Danger
• Brother Ali - The Truth Is Here
• Pixies - Come On Pilgrim
• Sonic Youth - Sonic Youth
• City and Colour - The Hurry and the Harm
• VA - KCRW: Rare On Air Vol. 1
• The National - Trouble Will Find Me

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. Boards of Canada
2. The Church
3. Pink Floyd
4. Blondie
5. Bob Evans

Song of the Week : J Geils Band - Freeze Frame

My song this week is just a bit of fun that was conjured up by my roller skating trip on Sunday. As a bit of background, from the time I was about 9 to the time I was 14 and got serious about skateboarding, I was a roller skater. I took actual lessons in figure skating when I was about 11 - 12 down at Kwinana’s then number 1 teen hang out – Astroskate. After each lesson at Astroskate, there’d be a free skate session on a Saturday afternoon. When I’d moved into speedskating, Sunday at 2pm was the session to be at (where a young lad could meet and snowball with lots of likely lasses).

Throughout my time as a roller skater, a few songs were absolute mainstays to certain parts of the session – such as J Geils Band – Freeze Frame  and The Angels – Take a Long Line for speed skate. Imagine my surprise down in Cockburn on Sunday when this song from the was the song of choice for the speed skate session. I know that roller skating is kind of the sport that time forgot, but I was really surprised that the people who control the music were playing Beiber and Psy and all that garbage but still holding onto their staples (Ne Order – Blue Monday in particular).

The only other song by J Geils Band that I know is Centrefold and that got flogged to death at Astroskate too. I’m not sure what this one is really about, other than a model(?!) but I never considered it either while whizzing around the blue concrete wearing my Adidas footy boots with shiny blue trucks and some wheels that were the business back then but who’s name I can’t even recall now. Enjoy!

Ciao 

That's it for this week. If you're a movie person, run on over to the Revelation site and check out the program. Even if you're a music person, there's a bunch of great music docs playing this year; including the Big Star documentary and the one on the late Oz Hip Hop legend, Hunter.

Hasala malakim.

Daft Concrete Walkmen Tantrums (May 20th - 24th)

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.

Happy Saturday, one and all (unless you're in one of those kooky time zones where it's still Friday night). I've done the weekly dose of braving Dawn of the Dead style shopping malls to get a few lousy groceries to make some antipasto tonight. Here I am sitting down to tell you all about my playlist for next week.

With Otis Redding and Charles Bradley setting my ears on fire this week, I had to be careful not to go too heavy on the Soul, so I left off some compilations that will probably make it in a fortnight. A compilation that did make it is a tribute to John Denver. I have a healthy dose of 90s going on with Belly and Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories. Fitz and the Tantrums might be that extra bit of Soul I wanted to avoid, but I don't care; they rock. Talib Kweli's new one is here, as is the album that everyone is talking about from Daft Punk. Having recently found a second hand copy of the vinyl, I included Concrete Blonde - Free and that just leaves an early effort from The Walkmen.

Check it out:

• Charles Bradley - Victim of Love
• Concrete Blonde - Free
• Belly - King
• VA - The Music Is You: A Tribute To John Denver
• Otis Redding - The Essentials
• Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories - Tails
• Talib Kweli - Prisoner of Conciousness
• Fitz and the Tantrums - More Than Just a Dream
• The Walkmen - You and Me
• Daft Punk - Random Access Memories

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. Concrete Blonde
2. The National
3. The Stooges
4. Ben Lee
5. She & Him

Song of the Week : Blondie - Hanging on the Telephone

This song has, almost by stealth, become one of my all time favourites. I'm not even sure I loved it this much as a kid - and I loved Blondie a whole lot as a 7 year old.


Hanging on the Telephone is one of those Blondie tracks that beautifully straddles the line between perfect Pop and another genre - in this case Punk. I wouldn't call it a punk song, but Blondie were considered Punk back then because they co-opted the essence of it into the mainstream; much as they did with disco and Heart of Glass (or indeed as Kiss did with I Was Made For Lovin' You). If you watch the film clip, she is thrashing about in a subdued pogo and pulling faces every bit as rotten as Johnny. Yet what you have in your ears is a radio friendly pop song with the requisite length, time signature and guitar riff.


What I love the most is Deborah Harry's "angry" refrain at the end "Hang up and run to me" While not being a John Lydonesque bitter spit, she uses the repetition and the obvious gravel in the low end of her voice with the "OOOOOooOOH' that she makes it an angry command. Couple it with the ruckus of the guitars and drums below her and it really rocks. If I ever stop singing this song, I should definitely make some room in my Hottest 100 list on my iPod at number 1.

Toodle-ooh 

Go and listen to Parallel Lines now. Go on. It's brilliant for Saturday afternoons. Again, apologies to those who are still asleep in Friday land. 

As I speak, my kids are in the room behind me, putting on a ballet and musical performance for themselves and their menagerie of stuffed toys. I'd really better go and check it out. Difficult to get tickets to these things, usually.

Hasala malakim.

Hardcore Haunted Jazz House (August 13th - 17th)

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.

A momentous week this week with Miss 5 becoming Miss 6. She got to chose her birthday dinner and picked Dominos pizza including (her first) delivery. She seemed ok with the results but I could tell she was a little confused, being used to her Mum's homemade gourmets on stones from the bbq or at the very least woodfired from Blend down the road. 

But enough about cheese and dough and tasty, tasty bacon, you came for the music not food. What's on the menu this week? Lashings of American Hardcore punk; a second helping of both Trainspotting and Elton John; there's a cheeky new jus of Ariel's Pink Haunted Graffiti; the ever faithful Concrete Blonde debut features along with the familiar flavours of Josh Rouse; you'll find hints of Ornette Coleman, with a slab of AC/DC to drink, all topped off with a cleansing dollop of Brand Nubian and De La Soul for dessert. 

Check it out:

• VA - American Hardcore
• VA - Trainspotting OST (Disc 2)
• Elton John - Greatest Hits (Disc 2)
• Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Mature Themes
• Concrete Blonde - Concrete Blonde
• Ornette Coleman - The Shape Of Jazz To Come
• Josh Rouse - Country Mouse, City House
• Brand Nubian - One For All
• AC/DC - Back In Black
• De La Soul - De La Soul Is Dead

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. Elton John
2. Babes In Toyland
3. Big Star
4. Jay-Z
5. Neko Case

Song of the Week : AC/DC - Thunderstruck

This week's SOTW, believe it or not, is AC/DC - Thunderstruck. I know, I know, I'm so little of an Ackadacka fan that I copped an arse-whoopin' at high school for giving Who Made Who a bad review in the school paper. But like I said even then, Back In Black is great stuff! 

The story behind my choice is just that someone at work on thursday mentioned one of those SS thunder ute things, another guy starts singing the song and we've all got it stuck in our head. So he wants me to find him a copy to listen to and get it *out* of his head. I didn't have a copy, so I chased down a link on Grooveshark and I listened to it too. 

That relentless riff of squeally tapping, the chant aaaahahahahahahahaah! This song is the big dumb action movie of rock and roll - it's big, dumb and fun. In fact, I'm pretty sure it has appeared in several BDAMs by now. 

So crank this, enjoy it for what it is - sweaty, simple and honest hard rock from Straya.

Seeya

Thanks for stopping by. If you're in Perth, get outside before the rain comes because it is glorious yet again. We're just back from the beach and everything was magnificently smooth and clear. I was hoping for more of a stormy driftwood kind of a vibe, but it's actually quite warm. 

Until next week, be good to each other. Go Eagles. Hasala malakim.

Playlist : January 23rd - 27th, 2011

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.


Another short week at work next week, with the Australia Day public holiday coming up on Thursday. That's okay though, because the week I just had was extra long. Never mind all that now though, it's on to the music.


For my listening pleasure, I have an album of remixed Beastie Boys acapellas from Barzin (get the download free at Bandcamp and buy the CD for a pound, it's awesome). There's some new stuff from Nada Surf, Gem Club and a band I've only just met, First Aid Kit. From one of my favourite bands, Dolorean, I have an album of acoustic demos. There's some Belle & Sebastian because it's been ages; some Lil' Kim; a Dylan protest era classic; Bon Iver's debut and to round it all out Concrete Blonde's moody Walking In London.


Check it out:

• Gem Club - Breakers
• Nada Surf - The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy
• First Aid Kit - The Lion's Roar
• Dolorean - Sketches For Portraits
• Bob Dylan - The Times They Are a-Changin'
• Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
• Lil' Kim - La Bella Mafia
• Concrete Blonde - Walking In London
• Belle & Sebastian - Write About Love
• Barzin - The Barzin Sound From Way Out

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. Camera Obscura
   
2. Cream
3. Boy and Bear
4. Tom McRae
5. Jay-Z

Song of the Week : The Velvet Underground - Sweet Jane

You all know me well enough that you might have guessed from my love of all things Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, New York, the 60s and 70s, Dylan and rock n roll, that I would dig on The Velvet Underground. I just this week picked up a copy of Loaded, the band’s first release after they broke up (on which Lou Reed had no say). There is a deluxe version available with some alternate versions of songs and some bonus tracks etc, but I got the original Loaded.


The song from Loaded I’m choosing today is Sweet Jane. I’m sure you all know it well. I was thinking about it this morning before work and it occurred to me that in rock n roll culture, there are a cache of songs that are like staples in a diet. Whether it’s Hey Jude, Like a Rolling Stone, Satisfaction, Space Oddity or even Creep, some songs are just must hears. Sweet Jane is to me in that same company. If the entire world of pop culture was an art gallery, and songs just pieces of art hung on the wall, Sweet Jane would be in the main gallery for all to see; but kept locked in an impenetrable glass case with a bunch of other super important songs.


As to what the song is about, well who knows. Some people say drugs and a transvestite called Jack. Mostly I think it’s about life choices and the difference between living the life of a rock n roll star and the 9 – 5 workaday schlub and how both choices are valid and neither should envy or judge the other. 


Enjoy it anyway. It’s a great song and it should serve you well on a Friday. 

Happy Invasion Day

Look, kids, I don't want to get all preachy or anything and ruin your public holiday, but the fact remains that the 26th of January marks a contentious date in Australian history. It has got to be a huge slap in the face to Aboriginal Australia when we're celebrating the day that Cook came, declared the place Terra Nullis and claimed their home. It would be like, say, me having to celebrate an "AFL Day"on the anniversary of the Dockers inaugruation - except a million times worse. 


All I'm saying is it couldn't hurt and only help to move the date. Let's pick something with no significance. Something in Summer, when the car parks are melting thongs and the beers are ice cold. Cliche it might be, but it's a hell of a lot more "Australian" than some English ponce sticking a flag in our beautiful dirt. 


And this Invasion Day, remember; 


"For those who've come across the sea, 
We've boundless plains to share.
With courage let us all combine,
To Advance Australia fair."



So stfu Abbott.

Arrivederci.

Playlist : September 12th - 16th, 2011

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.

A rushed entry and list this week as I've barely been near a computer all weekend. That of course is not a bad thing, but it makes it hard to find time to program the week's listening.

What I ended up reaching for is a few favourites and a couple of new ones I wanted to listen to. Here's what I've got:

• VA - Left of the Dial : Dispatches from the 80s Underground (Disc Two)
• Marvelous Mag - Soul City
• REM - Dead Letter Office
• Whiskeytown - Rural Free Delivery
• VA - Spin Magazine September
• Kidz In The Hall - The In Crowd
• Duran Duran - Ten Great Songs
• Concrete Blonde - Concrete Blonde
• Shonen Knife - Osaka Ramones : Tribute to the Ramones
• John Lennon - Plastic Ono Band

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. A Tribe Called Quest
2. Patti Smith
3. Dennis Wilson
4. Sloan
5. The Herd

Song of the Week : Patti Smith - Smells Like Teen Spirit

It wasn't an easy pick to begin with, but given the impending Nirvana Live at the Paramount event in a fortnight (James get a ticket and meet me there! Carousel 7pm Fri September 23) and just for your enjoyment and collection purposes, I chose Patti Smith's cover of Smells Like teen Spirit.

Patti gives the song a bluegrassy funeral march sound and then uses the instrumental break to spout her unique brand of poetry over it. I'm not sure I agree with this sort of self-indulgence all over my generation's holy hymn, but hey, at least she isn't Taylor Swift right? And if anyone has earned the right to reinterpret a magical song from someone else's era, of the two I would say Patti has paid her dues. As far as Patti Smith covers go, this isn't Gloria which we all know she put a massive PS stamp all over, but it sure isn't Madonna doing American Pie either. Enjoy.

Toodles

Thanks for coming. Sorry to love you and leave you. Before you go, if you get a chance, make sure you see Cave of Forgotten Dreams on the big screen in 3D. I saw it today and on more than one occasion was mesmerised in quiet awe. It's an amazing use of the gimmicky 3D technology to be taken through the ripples and jagged edges of the Chauvet caves and stare in wonder at 35,000 year old paintings. Nothing this cool ever stays around for long in cinemas, so get out and see it now.

Once again, asalaam alikum brothers and sisters.

Playlist : January 17th - 21st, 2011

Hi and welcome to another week of Work Tunes.

This week's list features a couple of albums I've been meaning to get for at least 10 years, as well as some old favourites and one or two I've never heard. For me, that makes a good list, and it looks like this:

• Beastie Boys – To The 5 Boroughs : It hasn’t been that long since this album was on my playlist. I’ve put it on again because lately I’ve been hearing a lot of hate for it from people who are true Beastie Boys fans. I have always liked this album and maybe I’m not hearing whatever it is that puts people off it. I thought repeated listens might help me understand why it copped so much flack. For me, Open Letter To NYC is one of their better tracks, and the Hip Hop/New York history lessons scattered throughout the lyrics are like reassurances of our culture’s true place in the world. Sounds strange, I know, listening to an LP to see if I hate it, but I am intrigued by how little respect it’s given.

• John Lennon & Yoko Ono – Some Time In New York City : I’ve been on a little bit of a Lennon kick lately after reading the interview he did with Rolling Stone three days before his death. I’ve come to truly believe that he was the Beatles. Not only that, strange music aside, I have cemented my view that Yoko Ono is a decent and enlightened individual who had no direct part in the breakup of the Beatles. If anything, it was John’s fault and had to happen anyway. So this is Some Time In New York City; the third album Lennon made post-Beatles. Tell me anything good that McCartney ever did post-Beatles. Wings?! Pffft.

• The Decemberists - The King is Dead : The latest effort from Portland natives The Decemberists features guest appearances from Peter Buck of R.E.M. fame and Gillian Welch of Gillian Welch obscurity. Apparently the title is an homage to the Smiths classic The Queen Is Dead and you can hear a little Morrissey and Marr influence in past work by The Decemberists. Buck’s bright jangle, Conlee’s accordion and a fine dose of fiddle lends this LP a folk and country vibe.

• Das Racist - Shut Up, Dude : Released as a free download in March 2010, Das Racist’s first mixtape caught a lot of attention; mainly due to the video game created for the song Who’s That? Brooown! These guys basically use rap as a comedy vehicle, but they are at the same time very decent rappers. Fittingly, Playboy has called them a cross between “Hip Hop and Cheech & Chong”. In September, the duo released another mixtape, Sit Down, Man which I’ll play next week. Meanwhile, you can download this mixtape from the album name link.

• Ray LaMontagne - Trouble : I only recently found out about Ray LaMontagne with the excellent God Willing and the Creek Don’t Rise album. Last week, a mix on 8tracks included Jolene from Trouble. It was stunning and I set about getting some back catalogue. Trouble is an impressively sparse and subdued set with some first-rate lyrics. Check it out if you liked the Pariah Dogs last year.

• Paul Kelly – The A – Z Recordings (Disc One) : I’m going to attempt to hear all of Paul Kelly’s sprawling and epic boxset one disc at a time. That will take 8 playlists to do, but I think it will be worth it. I’ve been a massive Paul Kelly fan ever since 1985’s Under the Sun which was on ultra-high rotation (in cassette form) during that summer for me. Since then I’ve bought virtually everything PK has released (including with Uncle Bill). Australia’s greatest living songwriter deserves every clichéd and exaggerated epitaph we can bestow upon him. Some highlights on the first disc are the cheeky Adelaide, the timeless Beggar on the Street of Love and the excellent Cake and the Candle which was given to Kate Cebrano to record. Tune in next week for Disc Two.

• Things of Stone and Wood - Junk Theatre : One of two albums I picked up last week after missing my chance to pick them up in the 90s, Junk Theatre is as far as i know, Things' second. Their debut, The Yearning, featured the massive hit Happy Birthday Helen and less successful but still popular Share This Wine. I was a big fan while at Uni (and the band actually played in our courtyard) of their folky brand of Melbourne song. They're somewhere between Noiseworks and the Mucky Duck Bush Band which makes it all a little dated. The only songs I know here are Wildflowers, a cautionary tale about right wing politics and Churchill's Black Dog about depression.

• Concrete Blonde - Group Therapy : My 90s obsession with Concrete Blonde pretty much ended soon after I saw Johnette Napolitano play live. That's not to say she turned me off them, she was great. I think it was probably because I discovered Eminem and got back into rap in a big way. Whatever it was, I bought everything Concrete Blonde ever did, but not Group Therapy from 2002 - which I picked up last week.

• VA - More Sounds of the New West : Another of last week's purchases, this is the sequel to one of my favourite compilations. The first Sounds of the New West is so important to me, because I bought it after discovering Ryan Adams and Whiskeytown when the whole Alt Country genre was new to me. Since then my original purchase has introduced me to the Hansom Family, Kate Campbell, Lambchop, Neal Casal, Hazeldine, Calexico and Will Oldham. So when eBay offered up the sequel in a one cent CD auction, I snapped it up. I haven't listened yet, but I hope to find a stack more artists.

• Pearl Jam - No Code : I'm still on a quest to get back into Pearl Jam. I don't understand why they lost me, I only know that No Code was when they did. This is the most recent Pearl Jam album I own. With any luck, the passage of time might make it sound a little better for me. That aside, There He Goes from this album has always been a good listen.

And there’s the whole list for this week. My best wishes go to the people of Queensland who are fighting against terrible hardship in the floods that have wreaked havoc upon their sunny state. If you want to donate, you can do so at http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate.html To all my people in the Q-L-D, stay safe and warm and dry.

Bye for now, but before you go, this week is your last chance to grab my Best of 2010 Mixtape. Until next time; Peace man, right on.

Playlist : November 15th - 19th, 2010

Hey, what's happening cats? Been a good week in your world? Mine has been kind of same old, same old. But, you know what they say - no news is good news.

A lot of what I'll be listening to this week is fairly laid back. Apart from some grooves from Cee Lo Green and Jamiroquai, and a little bit of obligatory Skip Hop from Pegz, everything else is easy like Year 8 maths. Check it out:

• Elvis Costello - The Best of Elvis Costello : It has been a good while since I tucked into my favourite EC album, Spike. Much of his more recent fare is a little on the middle of the road lounge jazz side - although his late night talk show features some great performances. Early on in his career, Costello was known as Punk and then among the vanguard of the Post Punk and New Wave movements. These are all still great songs.

• Melissa Etheridge - Brave And Crazy : With much less of the vitriole and psychotic obsession of her debut self-titled album, ME's second release is still very raw, if somewhat more subtle and subdued. The romantic road trip of Sleep While I Drive and the deep remorse of You Used To Love To Dance are placed easily beside the incensed outrage of No Souvenirs. This is a decent album prior to Etheridge's peak, Your Little Secret.

• Pegz - Capricorn Cat : I put a bid on Pegz vinyl recently. It was signed and online to raise money in the Heat for Huntz appeal. It wasn't this album, it was the brilliant Axis. The auction isn't over, but I'm not prepared to pay $150+ for it. I'm going to sulk and play Capricorn Cat instead. I like Pegz.

• Concrete Blonde - Free : At the request of one of my Song of the Week buddies, Sunky, I recently made a Concrete Blonde mixtape for him as he only knew Joey. I haven't listened to a lot of Blonde since the late 90s when I saw Johnette Napolitano play live, acoustic and solo. Free is my personal favourite Blonde LP, and the title track that never made the album is brilliant. It's on my mixtape though. If you drop me an email, I'll hook you up with it.

• The Lightning Seeds - Cloudcuckooland : I didn't know The Lightning Seeds when one day I saw a cassette in a hock shop for $1. Being it was the early 90s and everything that looked a little indie was of instant interest, I grabbed the tape and happily enough I dug it. Which is lucky, because I wasn't expecting such synth based pop. It's not bad though, check it out.

• Cee Lo Green - The Ladykiller : It seems like everywhere I go I'm hearing F$#^ You! That's Cee Lo's song, that's not random people screaming out in the street. Although, this one time... Anyway, I like that the Soul just keeps growing and growing. It seems to me like everyone is getting their groove on at the minute. Long may true Soul rule the airwaves.

• Jamiroquai - Rock Dust Light Star : Speaking of getting your groove on, this is the latest release from Jamiroquai, the UK funk pop outfit fronted by the often be-hatted Jay Kay. An ex-boss and friend of mine (hello Chris) introduced me to Jamiroquai and it's good music just to have on. Not really musical wallpaper, but not really deep and meaningful music either - although it quite often has a 'message' (given the 'iroquai' bit of their name comes from the Iroquois Native American tribe). Good stuff for a Friday, that's for sure.

• Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Live at Metropolis Fremantle : I was at this gig in the front row and I've only this week been handed the link to the archive. I have downloaded the files and listened to a few snippets for quality - it's good. It was a great gig too. You can download the whole thing from the link in this title. Coming up soon, the Cardinals are releasing a double album of music created around the time of the epic 2LP Cold Roses album, further illustrating how prolific Grizzly once was.I will most likely play this recording more than once this week.

• Kathleen Edwards - Back To Me : Spinning Failer a couple of weeks ago was a good decision. I had forgotten how much I liked Edwards' writing and melody and I was so surprised, I tweeted it. This week I've decided on Back To Me rather than Ask For Flowers because the latter is a little sadder and quieter and as Flav would say 'I ain't tryin' to hear that' right now. As mentioned when I blogged about Failer, the track Old Time Sake from this set is in my 'Hottest 100'.

• VA - Uncut - Love Above All: 11 Songs Compiled By Devendra Banhart : I hadn't heard much of Devendra Banhart's music before I saw a tour documentary about him (The Family Jams). He definitely has a distinctive style. This isn't his music though, it's eleven songs he chose for an Uncut magazine compilation. Uncut compilations very rarely disappoint me, so I thought I'd check this one out.

That's it for another week of tunes at work. I'm hoping my Soul Train DVDs will come soon, and if they do, expect lots of funk next week.

This week's free advice: Be all that you can be bothered being. Ciao for niao cats.