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 16th - 20th : The 1990s

For my 1990s week playlist, I wanted to stick as close as I could to what my personal 90s sounded like. That meant 90s albums I only discovered later (by Notorious B.I.G., Josh Rouse, Digable Planets) had to miss out. It also meant that albums I haven't gotten into for a while made the cut. I'm looking forward to catching up with old friends.

Special mention has to go to Guns & Roses - Use Your Illusion I & II which were giants of 1990/1991. Then, along came a bunch of slack greasy kids from Seattle WA and made them seem archaic overnight.

< axl_god >< BAM >< teen_spirit >< /cock_rock >< grunge >

• VA - Triple J's Hottest 100 Vol. 1 : For me at least, it just wouldn't have been the 90s without JJJ. Mikey Robbins and Helen Razer played me my first taste of grunge in the thunderclap that kicked off the already rumbling Seattle storm; Smells Like Teen Spirit. If you listened to anything else, you were behind the curve for at least 3 months, being that the ABC was a 'taste-maker'.
  

• U2 - Achtung Baby : I originally bought this album on cassette. I'd been huge into Rattle & Hum and U2 were the biggest thing since Elvis at the time. I must have played Achtung a billion times on the Walkman on the bus to and from Uni. Eventually I bought the CD and now even that collects dust for my iPod. Achtung was a narrow winner over Pop for the U2 sound of my 90s. I saw the Pop tour at Burswood Dome, so it was a really close second.
  

• Nirvana - In Utero : While Nevermind had been arguably the biggest Nirvana release, In Utero probably got more airplay from me by the end of the 90s. I remember an interview with Kurt who said that a lot of fans wouldn't like In Utero because it wasn't like Nevermind at all. Being it was released not too long before Kurt's demise, I think a lot of fans held onto it tight while it got a fresh crop of followers with the cult of celebrity death.
  

• Tori Amos - More Pink : I was in awe of Tori Amos in the 90s. I saw her play live at the Perth Concert Hall in 1994. This album was the bonus Australian Tour disc that came with Under The Pink - which meant at one stage I owned two copies of the official release.
  

• Hole - Live Through This : An album that defined a period of time for me and forever and always one of my very favourite albums. That would be why it makes it to so many playlists. I still don't know if Kurt Cobain had a bigger role in this LP than Courtney lets on. Hole never did surpass it's brilliance. And while Celebrity Skin has its merits, it isn't anywhere close to this good.
  

• Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - The Boatman's Call : If I recall, I actually won this album for free from the SDA Union magazine. The funny thing is, the only other Nick Cave I owned at the time, Let Love In, I'd got for free for subscribing to Rolling Stone. I'm now what you'd call a Nick Cave fan and have since bought some CDs; proving that free music does increase sales.

• Pulp - Different Class : I have a confession. When this album came out, I rushed right out to buy it on the strength of Common People. It was a wise choice. However, it came with a glittering Pulp t-shirt transfer and I proceeded to put it on a black skivvy. This was not a wise choice. I thought it looked alright. Turns out, it didn't. An easy assessment in hindsight. Now let us never speak of it again.
  

• Melissa Etheridge - Your Little Secret : I saw Melissa Etheridge play the Perth Concert Hall in 1996. I've never seen so many lesbians in one place. In the 80s, people told me I was judging her on her voice when I said Melissa was gay. Good on her for her tireless dedication to equal rights. And I'll tell you a secret, that concert and this album proved to me that this girl can really rock out. I've never seen anyone else play guitar on their back for 10 minutes of relentless rhythm. Just sayin'

• The Cranberries - Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? : Not intentionally, but I seem to have chosen artists I got to see play live. REM Monster only narrowly missed out too. I saw The Cranberries play Metro Freo right after Zombie took over the world. But I have fond memories of singing Linger drunk on the streets of Northbridge when only JJJ listeners knew who they were.
  

• J Mascis - Martin & Me : Another high rotation album for me and a big part of the way the 90s sounds in my head. As someone who plays and appreciates acoustic guitars, the things that J could make them do just astounded me. When I first heard the live acoustic version of Quest from the EP of the same name, I renewed my passion for playing for a while.
  

That is my 1990s in a nutshell. There are albums that missed out on this list and some which were there but best forgotten *cough* Bel Biv Devoe *cough* Until the 00s next week folks, don't get hung up - stay cool.

Playlist : May 17th - 21st, 2010

Busy weekend this week, so I'm posting my list early. I seem to have gone with mostly somber or smooth tunes that match the weather. So I deliberately added some ruckus at the last minute.

This weeks list looks like this:

• Son Volt - The Search - After I realised the chorus chords to one of my favourite ever songs, Methamphetamine, were DEADEADEAD (spooky) I tweeted it and promptly picked up a new follower who said "I started following you based solely on your mention of Son Volt." So I figured I'd spin the album.

• Gil Scott-Heron - Spirits - I really enjoyed playing Glory last week. Also, the documentary I watched on Heron was excellent. I felt like more of old Gil <~ see what I did there? This album was the first released after the man served time for possessing cocaine. He was released in 1994, same as this album.

• The National - Alligator - As I said last week, too much of The National is not enough right now. Their second to latest release, Alligator was a critical hit and the first real commercial success for the boys from Brooklyn.

• Beck - Sea Change - An old favourite and one that always seems to make an appearance when it gets a little chilly. When it gets really, really cold, watch for Nick Cave.

• Jackson Browne - The Very Best Of... - While listening to a 70s internet radio station last week, I heard a non-single Browne track and it felt right. I am going to look into the man whom I am told writes a mean song beyond those old chestnuts we're used to on 94.5 et al.

• VA - What It Is! Vol. 3 - The third installment in the funky series. I'm loving these grooves of a Friday.

• Eels - End Times - My boss today told me Mr E. likes to write and record in a closet. But this album sounds like it's recorded in the back row of a funeral. Haunted and cracked and fit for a stormy day. Even the guy on the cover looks like he's freezing.

• Hole - Live Through This - Checking... nope, still not dated. This will always be one of my most treasured albums. Listening to the new Hole just reminded me how good this was. Polished and determined and hardcore rawk. Courtney Love : Had it, lost it.

• Nirvana - Singles - The perfect compliment to Live Through This, I chose this increasingly hard to get box set in case the guys at my work wanted a listen and hadn't heard some of the B Sides here. Also, I wanted a nice 90s hug to slip into with Hole and Nirvana. Interestingly, that Amazon link is to a US$146.99 unopened copy. Not that I'd ever sell my open one.

That's it then. It's almost 2am, time for bed. Off out to lunch with @2ompkins for Japanese tomorrow and out with my lovely wife @boobalee_ann to the movies Sunday. You crazy kids take care.