Same Jazzmatic Rock Anthology (April 8th - 12th)

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.

My list and the subsequent blog post are a bit of a rush this week. I've spent my Saturday running around trying to fix a problem with shoddy merchandise and terrible customer service. There's a losing battle in Perth if ever there were one.  

Given the rush, I probably leaned too heavy on old favourites, but strangely enough, two of my desert island discs have never made a Work Tunes list - August and Everything After and Paid In Full. Another couple of favourites that made the cut are Ryan Adams' Rock n Roll and U2's Zooropa (which I've not listened to in forever). I also grabbed a few CDs I only recently bought in the Divinyls, Cowboy Junkies and Shrek soundtrack. I am playing disc 2 of the Gram Parsons Anthology and, also in the Country vein, an artist I just discovered, Kacey Musgraves. The final selection comes from Funky DL and it is a free download from Bandcamp featuring Jazz remixes of Nas tracks. 

Check it out:

• Counting Crows - August and Everything After (Deluxe Edition)
• VA - Shrek OST
• Divinyls - Divinyls
• Kacey Musgraves – Same Trailer Different Park
• Cowboy Junkies - Lay It Down
• Funky DL - Jazzmatic (Nas Remixes)
• Gram Parsons - Gram Parsons Anthology (Disc 2)
• U2 - Zooropa
• Eric B & Rakim - Paid In Full
• Ryan Adams - Rock n' Roll

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. Counting Crows
2. Gillian Welch
3. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
4. Aphex Twin
5. Joni Mitchell

Song of the Week : Telekinesis - Lean On Me

To the music and it’s one of those times where I picked my song last minute after having some other idea all week.

If I had an Album of the Week, it would have been Wavves- Afraid of Heights. As a whole, it sounds like a Nirvana and Weezer supergeroup fronted by Nathan of Wavves. I was going to pick a song to illustrate that, but when I went to choose, nothing sounded like song of the week. I think because I'm in too good a mood for Wavves whiny grunge soup today.

Instead, from the new Telekinesis album, Dormarion, I've picked the upbeat, Friday friendly and spiritually uplifting Lean On Me. Jangly guitar and that dream pop Telekinesis sound with a fun little melody make this a great song to keep my good mood going all day. I will probably slip it on later this afternoon again just to recharge. 

If it elevates or sustains your moods, it will have done it's job. Enjoy!

Au Revoir

I just finished watching Before Sunset in anticipation of Before Midnight coming soon, so I'm feeling all French and stuff. 

Looking forward to a trip to AQWA in the morning for Miss 4's birthday outing. It will hopefully make her forget about not getting a working bouncy castle today to replace the faulty one we were given when we bought it. Oh geez, don't get me started on that this close to bedtime. 

Hasala malakim.

Sabbath of the Lost Cowboy Horses (Feb 27 - Mar 2)

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.

This last week or so, I've been re-watching the excellent BBC documentary series Seven Ages of Rock. It's been influencing my choices quite a bit. I could have filled a whole list just with music from the various bands the series looks at. That much classic rock might blow the circuits in my laptop and my headphones, so I'll space it out instead. 

What I've picked this week from the BBCs inspiration is Black Sabbath's Volume 4, Pink Floyd's Meddle and Ramones Rocket to Russia. For a bit of balance, I've got The Palace Brothers, Wilco, Cowboy Junkies and Jamiroquai. For those Hip Hop taste buds, I chose Black Sheep and Mojo's Roots of Hip Hop compilation. Finally, there's a selection of the Billboard 100 from 1982 for a twist of cheese. 

Check it out.

• Wilco - A.M.
• Jamiroquai - Return of the Space Cowboy
• Pink Floyd- Meddle
• VA - Billboard Top 100 Collection 1982
• VA - Mojo Presents The Roots of Hip Hop
• Ramones - Rocket to Russia
• Black Sheep - Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
• Black Sabbath - Vol. 4 
• Palace Brothers - Lost Blues and Other Songs
• Cowboy Junkies - The Caution Horses

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. Ryan Adams
2. The Rolling Stones
3. The Jimi Hendrix Experience
4. Dolorean
5. KRS-One

Song of the Week : Led Zeppelin - Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You

My SOTW this week is inspired by my drive in this morning and also by the BBC series Seven Ages of Rock that I’ve been re-watching. The most recent episode I had on was We Will Rock You* (*Edit - It's actually We Are The Champions. Different Queen song. I knew I should have checked that.) about stadium acts such as Queen, Dire Straits, KISS and the band who started it all, Led Zeppelin. The doco claimed Led Zep were the first band to tell the promoter, “we’ll take 90% and you can have 10%” which was the reverse of how things used to be. They got away with it because they filled massive spaces and 10% of Led Zep was still huge money. 

I woke up singing the riff from Whole Lotta Love and then, driving in to work, Babe I’m Gonna Leave You comes on random on my iPod. This song is epically constructed, massively overblown and bombastic, hard hitting and wildly screamed and yet more than 40 years later, it’s still brilliant. It still makes you feel the kick drums in your chest and Plant's wail in your brain. It could be released by a band tomorrow and the critics would hail it as the redemption of rock music. Except, they don’t make many like these any more. 

I’d slip you the lossless version, but it’s a huge file. Besides, I’m betting you all have it on a CD somewhere. It’s made me think of buying the 4 LP vinyl Mothership boxset. The actual albums are hard to find on vinyl in good condition for under $100 each. But the box has most of the best tracks for about $100 the lot. 

Crank it up loud and enjoy.

Aloha 
Big weekend for me, with Ryan Adams at the Concert Hall. I saw Grizzly play in 2006 at Metro Fremantle with the Cardinals. This concert though is acoustic and solo. Should be really different to the Cardinals gig which totally rawked \m/

See you next week. Don't forget to take time out to listen to some tunes in your busy schedules. 

Hasala Malakim.

Playlist January 24th - 29th, 2011

Hola punks. What’s happening in your world?

This week my playlist has a distinctly 90s nostalgia feel about it. This is due almost totally to Portlandia; the opening sequence of which made me grin from ear to ear because of the way it completely nailed my version of the 90s. Not since The Simpsons put Homer in Sadgasm has any show reflected my 90s years to me so well. There’s a little bit of Australia in here too, because after all, it’s Australia Day (or more accurately, Invasion Day) on the 26th. I wish we’d move it to Federation, it wouldn’t be hard. But there you go… Anyway… here’s my list:

• The Beatles - Let It Be (Remastered) : After a discussion with a workmate about all the old classics that have been remastered from Fleetwood Mac to Led Zeppelin, I grabbed some Beatles. The same discussion extolled the virtues of FLAC and lossless formats, so I'll be listening in Apple Lossless.

• Nirvana - Incesticide : Two things conspired to have me listen to Nirvana this week. Firstly, my Miss 4 has decided to sing Sliver all the time and secondly the opening sequence of Portlandia. Portlandia is a new sketch show set in that other famously grunge city of Portland. When one of the characters discussed the 90s in the first few minutes ('you could sleep til 11am" "people encouraged you to be weird" "everyone taled about piercings and tribal tattoos") I was hooked. I remember wanting to go to Portland after reading about it's alterna-vibe in the fiction novel Bongwater (later a film featuring Jack Black). So forgive me my 90s nostalgia. Besides, this is after all a criminally overlooked set.

• VA - Standing on the Outside - The Songs of Cold Chisel : With the death of drummer Steve Prestwich last week, I felt it fitting to include some Cold Chisel. While I've exhausted the extent of my official Chisel releases in other playlists, this is a compilation of fantastic Australian artists such as Paul Kelly, Sarah Blasko and others covering the songs of Chisel's great legacy. Well worth a listen if you get a chance. Plus, it's Australia Day this week and it deserves some homegrown tunes.

• Paul Kelly - The A - Z Recordings (Disc Two) : The second disc of the A - Z boxset contains PK classics like Dumb Things, Don't Explain and Every Fucking City. I really enjoyed Disc One last week, in particular the songs I'd never heard (Behind the Bowler's Arm and After The Show). I'm really looking forward to more unknown tracks, which in this case are Emotional and Down To My Soul.

• Das Racist - Sit Down Man : Last week's Das Racist mixtape was Shut Up, Dude. This, as promised, is the follow up. Despite not taking my beloved culture very seriously, or maybe because of it, I liked last week's set for its sense of fun. I think I actually laughed aloud when I heard the band rhyme "Twitter get" with "Internet." I'm looking forward to more from this week's selection. You can download it for free from the link.

• Cowboy Junkies - Demons : This is a preview of the very latest release from Cowboy Junkies. I found last year's Renmin Park a little hit and miss. There were some terrific tracks in there and an overall cohesive feel to the album, but I felt like some songs weren't up to scratch with their usual output. I haven't played this yet, so I'm hoping it's an improvement.

• VA - Golden Era Mixtape : A free download of collected Golden Era artists which dropped last week on the 16th. For what seemed like ages, everyone attached to the Hilltop Hoods managed label was teasing us all on Twitter with sneak peeks and previews. When it finally dropped, they just about broke the internet. I have deliberately held off listening, but I'm fairly certain it will be worth the hype. Again, you can download it for free from the Golden Era store via the title link and listen for yourself.

• L7 - Bricks Are Heavy : More 1990s nostalgia brought on by Portlandia. The track Pretend We're Dead was on heavy JJJ rotation back in the day. You know, back when Triple J was the only place to go for your music unless you wanted to listen to pap. They are not the mighty beast they once were, but the still fight the good fight. Another highlight of this set is Shitlist. Judging by the anger of the song, you don't want to end up on L7s shitlist.

• VA - Reality Bites OST : After a recent discussion with my sister about Reality Bites and its place in Gen X folklore (followed by a flood of hysterical quotes), I decided I clearly had to wacth the film again on the weekend. If you haven't seen it, it's basically a slacker monument. It's like the mainstream (but not quite) version of Slacker. Janeane Garofalo and Steve Zhane aren't the stars, but they steal the show from Wynona and Ethan. The soundtrack features Dinosaur Jr. The Indians, Crowded House and even Ethan Hawke for the Hey That's My Bike song Nuthin'. It goes perfectly with the rest of my 90s nostalgia.

• Evan Dando - Baby I'm Bored: I got to the end of my playlist and there didn't seem to be enough twang. I thought I could spin two vibes with one LP and grab some Evan Dando. While Baby I'm Bored was released in the 00s, Evan Dando is pretty much a 90s icon. He was even in Reality Bites in an hilarious cameo at the end. Hard Drive and All My Life are the standouts here for me.

So For those of us who were there, I hope you enjoy my little trip down 90s lane. For those of us who weren't, feel free to point and laugh at the geezer who's reminiscing about moshpits, tongue piercings, flannel and Docs.

Be excellent to each other.

Playlist : August 29th - September 3rd, 2010

Now that the decade themes are out of my system, apart from a still beating passion for 1970s rock, I've gone back to your regularly scheduled programming of something old and something new.

• Jay-Z - The Blueprint : I've always associated The Ruler's Back from this LP with Ben Cousins "Charges don't stick to dude, he's Teflon. I'm too sexy for jail like I'm Right Said Fred I'm not guilty now give me back my bread." Given this is Ben's week, here's Jay Z. Plus, I hear Jay-Z is supporting U2 and may be coming to little old Perth.

• Best Coast - Crazy For You : Read a few things about these guys in Rolling Stone and Spin. They seem to be everywhere at the moment. The album sounds like summer holiday tunes with a hangover. Just perfect for chilly Perth mornings.
  

• Arcade Fire - The Suburbs : All I know of Arcade Fire is their decent album, Funeral. Everyone everywhere seems to be raving about their new cut. I thought I'd like to see what all the fuss is about.

• The Weepies - Say I Am You : The Weepies fourth record Be My Thrill is due out at the end of August aka Now. In preparation and because I didn't pre-order it, I am giving Say I Am You a spin.

• Ted Nugent - Great Gonzos - The Best of Ted Nugent : I know next to nothing about Ted Nugent. Except that while digging around for 70s albums, I came across a few tracks that made me smile. This is balls and all cheesy rock from the decade that gave us mission brown and lime green. Check out the cover art for an obvious giveaway of what you're in for.
  

• Cowboy Junkies - Renmin Park : I'm a big Cowboy Junkies fan, and this is their new one. It is a little more electronic sounding in parts than I'm used to from the Junkies; and my first listen didn't take my fancy. But I do like this band, which is why I'm willing to give it a fair second listen. You should always afford bands a second listen when they've done some excellent work in the past. Governments too...

• Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin III : I'm still not over my 1970s music kick, even as I continue my 50s culture obsession. Led Zep I was on a list a little while ago and II has never been a big favourite for me, so III comes next. Besides... Zeppelin Rules! \m/

• Ozi Batla - Wild Colonial - Another album I probably haven't given enough of a chance. Not that I disliked this the first time, but that was the only listen so far. Time to take it for another turn. If nothing else, Batla has taught me that a good word for Aussie rappers/heads that sounds like Hip Hop's worst N word, is Digga.

• Digable Planets - Blowout Comb : I'm not sure it's been that long since I heard this album, but I have been meaning to hear it in it's entirety. Quite a few songs end up on high rated playlists, but it feels a long time since heard it all. Brooklyn smooth Jazz Hop beats all.

• Bruce Springsteen - The River : My renewed interest in vinyl has meant I've been listening to albums I own on record. One of them is The Boss' double LP The River that sounds impressive on wax. I wanted to listen to the CD for contrast. Nothing would beat the gate-fold artwork and lyrics printed on the record sleeve though.There's a scene in Jerry McGuire where Jerry, drinking, slips on Drive All Night and now it's all I can think of when I hear it.
  

• Eli Paperboy Reed – Come And Get It : Blue eyed soul might sound like a total misnomer, but I have read some good reviews of this album (again from RS and Spin). A quick scan through and it sounds like classic Motown or Stax remixed with a white session singer. Which isn’t entirely terrible, but still not a patch on the original. Except these are original songs, they just don’t sound like it.

Well, that's it. Until next week, be excellent to each other and all that good stuff. As I noted to @geoff9cow after he recently quoted Dr King about hate, "Life's too short to be pissed off all the time." And Edwrad Furlong said that, so it must be true.

Don't get hung up man, stay cool.