Handsome Blind Horrowshow Mystery (August 12th - 16th)

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.

After a solid day of blood tests, grocery shopping, birthday party preparation, swimming lessons and korma making, I'm drafting this post at midnight while casually watching an episode of Drunk History. The good news is I had the list thrown together earlier in the week.

Besides the second disc of Biograph, there's an old favourite from Blind Pilot, the new Civil Wars and Ariel Pink's Before Today. From the grimiest depths of the 90s comes Mystery Machine and Prince's Diamonds & Pearls. Too much Orgone has been not nearly enough lately, so I've got Killion Floor from 2007. I read some interesting things about Kip Moore recently, so I thought I'd check him out. Two more new albums round out this week's list, from AUS rapper Horrorshow and alt country veterans The Handsome Family.

Check it out:

• Blind Pilot - 3 Rounds and a Sound
• Mystery Machine - Glazed
• Bob Dylan - Biograph (Disc 2)
• Prince - Diamonds & Pearls
• Orgone - Killion Floor
• Horrorshow - King Amongst Many
• The Civil Wars - The Civil Wars
• The Handsome Family - Wilderness
• Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Before Today
• Kip Moore - Up All Night

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. Laura Marling
2. Bob Dylan
3. Red Hot Chili Peppers
4. Sex Pistols
5. Charles Bradley

Song of the Week : Beth Orton - Concrete Sky

From Beth Orton’s Daybreaker album this track Concrete Sky was written by Johnny Marr and features backing vocals by the one and only Ryan “Sean Hannity Hates Me” Adams. 

I think the fact that Marr wrote it is well on display. The sparkling melody and the brittle jangle of acoustic picking is signature. Ryan and Orton were an item when this was recorded (I think, or shortly after) and she is of course the “Tall drink of water” in English Girls. 

As far as the lyrics go, I like the image of a ‘concrete sky falling from the trees’. It’s one that paints a picture of heavy burden and pressure. Yet the melody completely betrays the ‘heaviness’ of the subject because it’s so sweet and catchy.  The harmony between the voices is not quite perfect and that makes it beyond brilliant. There’s weariness and heaviness in them. 

Five Thousand

If you know why Five Thousand means goodbye, you and I are tight, son. And that being the case, you should definitely check out Orgone, because everybody deserves a proper funking.

Hasala malakim.

Shape the Leather Seapony (June 24th - 28th)

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.

It's been a bit of a hurried Saturday since we just got back from shopping and it's almost time for swimming lessons. Mrs coreyj just showed the girls how to open and eat fresh coconut - their first time. They want the shells for their Crazy Crabs. Now everyone is relaxing and I'm here with you. So, shall we?

Another mixed bag of things I love and haven't heard for a while along with a new album and an old remaster. In the old favourite basket, there's Gillian Welch, Seapony, Guns N' Roses, Dolorean and Prince. The new album comes from Justin Rutledge. The remaster is Bob Dylan's rock classic Highway 61 Revisited. Into the mix I've thrown an old Run DMC record and a compilation of radio friendly indie artists doing kids friendly songs. The crowning jewel is Ornette Coleman's brilliant free jazz outing The Shape Of Jazz to Come.

Check it out:

• Gillian Welch - The Harrow and the Harvest
• Justin Rutledge - Valleyheart
• Seapony - Go With Me
• Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited (Remastered)
• Guns N' Roses - Appetite For Destruction
• Run DMC - Tougher Than Leather
• Dolorean - You Can't Win
• Prince - 3121
• VA - For The Kids
• Ornette Coleman - The Shape Of Jazz To Come

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. Bright Eyes
2. The WIld
3. Jason Isbell
4. U2
5. Surfer Blood

Song of the Week : Jason Isbell - Elephant

On Tuesday when I heard this song for the first time, it seriously busted my chops. I mean, I was choked up and everything over it. I knew it should probably be my SOTW, but I thought it was too morbid and sad to hang it on you all. Then James Gandolfini died which was awful news, and then worse, personally, I woke this morning to the news that I'd lost an Aunt (my Mum's sister) to a heart valve operation. It made me think that life really is a bitch sometimes and that if someone can take a little piece of grief and craft a song that can break the heart of someone they don't know with a couple of clever lines, that deserves recognition.

The instrumentation of Elephant is sparse and hushed. Lyrically, it is immense. Isbell shows us a drunken couple with the woman dying of cancer and he takes telling little vignettes - sweeping lost hair from the floor; her voice all gone for singing; gin in a coffee cup - and imbibes them with the sadness of grief and alcoholism and clinging to every tiny bit of respite. Then he places a giant Elephant in the room and gives death a foreboding presence that these drunks are ignoring.

I can't believe that anyone in these cynical times can write such raw and unbelievably emotional scenes with barely any words at all. I'm sorry if it makes you sad like it did me, but I have to admire the craft of it all. If anyone has little ears in the background, or clients/bosses, there’s a pronounced F bomb, so turn it down.

Arrivederci

Big Italian feast to cook tonight (well, bruschetta and sausage with fresh shaved Parmesan. What's that? Get some red wine you say? That's actually a good idea. I just might.

Alla prossima settimana. Hasala malakim.

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:

• Bob Dylan - The Times They Are A-Changin'
• The Hummingbirds - LoveBUZZ
• Ryan Adams & the Cardinals - Jacksonville City Nights
• Public Enemy - The Evil Empire of Everything
• Prince - Vault: Old Friends For Sale
• You Am I - Hi Fi Way
• VA - Spunk Records Laneway Sampler
• The Stooges - Funhouse
• Dr Dre - The Chronic
• Drive-By Truckers - Decoration Day

Top Five Artists Last Week

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.

Poor Grizzly Choirgirl Romance (September 17th - 21st)

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.

It's been a really, really, *really* long week and I'm still getting over the food poisoning from last weekend. All my hopes are invested in this weekend to recharge my dead batteries. Next week's music should help too. 

There's a few new sets this week, namely from Grizzly Bear, Dinosaur Jr., The xx and Sea Wolf. I put a little funk in the trunk and added Sly & the Family Stone and Prince after watching a BBC doc on the Purple One. Evil Eddie's Golden Age made me think of some mid-90s rap from Poor Righteous Teachers and Down South. It is all rounded out with Led Zeppelin and Tori Amos (who is a massive Led Zep fan btw). 

Check it out:

• Grizzly Bear - Shields
• Dinosaur Jr. - I Bet On Sky
• The xx - Coexist
• Sly & the Family Stone - Life
• Prince - Controversy
• Poor Righteous Teachers - Black Business
• Down South - Lost In Brooklyn
• Led Zeppelin - Remasters (Disc One)
• Tori Amos - From the Choirgirl Hotel
• Sea Wolf - Old World Romance

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. Journey
2. A Tribe Called Quest
3. Something For Kate
4. Kathleen Edwards
5. Portishead

Song of the Week : Evil Eddie - Golden Age

I wouldn't normally give you two rap tracks in a row, but this selection just could not be denied this week as my SOTW. I don't listen to th radio much, but I assume that JJJ is already killing this Jamie? Evil Eddie's (of Butterfingers) latest solo track Golden Age.

First and foremost what it has going for it beyond the lyric is the funky a$$ bass which sounds like a Stevie Wonder clavical riff fed through a bit of wah. But of course, the lyric itself is what suckered me in - its a self-confessed "old muthf$#@^a standing up for the golden age of Hip Hop culture. How could I resist?! It mentions coming through formative years with the very best that rap had to offer and laments the fact that "these days, every man and his dog's a f$#^#in rapper!"

The track has been on pretty much endless repeat in my head and in my car. Hopefully you can dig the funk and enjoy the extended rant of the lyrics.

Adios Muchachas

Okey dokey, that's your lot. I've got to go and get myself some R&R or I'll be postal by this time next week. I am feeling a little better already, having relaxed a little watching The Toxic Avenger last night. Fingers crossed I'm over the slump. Go me. And...

Go Eagles. Hasala malakim.

Old Batman Knights Stage Left (June 4th - 8th)

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.


Well, this week turned out even sadder than the last one, with our much loved cat Moses shuffling off his fluffy grey coil. Sadder still was Miss 5's little broken heart when I told her the news. It was her first taste of real heartache and it shattered us all to see it. Even Miss 3 who still hasn't quite grasped the cat dying, was upset to see her big sister hurting so bad.


It's a long weekend this week, so I'm going to spend it spoiling the girls and trying to take their minds off their loss. I spent this morning with Miss 3 playing Dora on PS2 while Miss 5 was out at a birthday party. Tomorrow it's Fox and the Hound on the big screen and Monday might be dinosaurs at Scitech. I'll do what I can to bring as much joy as possible to them. For myself, there's always the tunes.


It's a bit of a wildly mixed bag this week. There may be something similar aboout the new Leonard Cohen album and Charlotte Gainsburg's latest effort; Prince's Batman soundtrack would be nothing like Elvis' Sun Sessions. Add to that some Missy Elliott and Surfer Blood, plus Robert Glasper. Finally, more than a passing look at Australian acts with The Avalanches, The Birthday Party and Def Wish Cast all getting a gurnsey.


Check it out:

• Leonard Cohen - Old Ideas
• Prince - Batman
• Charlotte Gainsburg - Stage Whisper`
• Elvis - The Sun Sessions
• The Avalanches - Since I Left You
• Surfer Blood - Astro Coast
• The Birthday Party - Prayers On Fire
• Robert Glasper - Black Radio
• Missy Elliott - Under Construction
• Def Wish Cast - Knights of the Underground Table

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. Sam Cooke
2. Plug 1 & Plug 2
3. Drive-By Truckers
4. AC/DC
5. Dolorean

Song of the Week : Clare Bowditch and the Feeding Set - The Thing About Grief

So, my SOTW is a bit of a sombre one. I'm going with Clare Bowditch and the Feeding Set - The Thing About Grief. This morning when we told the kids about Moses, Miss 3 didn't really understand, but I just about heard Miss 5's heart break in two. She was inconsolable and I was instantly reminded of where I'd seen a girl cry that way before - my sister when my Mum died.


It really hurt that my daughter was feeling that and I just couldn't stop it. And then there's the realisation that this is just her first real broken heart and many more will follow. I've never seen her so deeply affected by anything and I hated that I just couldn't stop it for her.


I chose this song because the first time I heard it, I knew that Bowditch had been there. She knew all about the grieving process for young adults / kids. My sister did lose friends because she went through some issues and took a while to recover. I spent a year being stoic and strong but finally lost my shit on the first anniversary after a stressful day on Prac at Mandurah High. And early on in the process, you do get scared to speak their name in case everything bubbles to the surface and you're lost to sadness for weeks.

I hope you enjoy the song, even though the context sucks.

Adieu

Thanks for stopping by. Sorry for being a bit of a damp sponge; Captain Bringdown if you will. Onwards and upwards from here - although the dreaded milestone birthday whose name shall not be spoken, quickly approaches. Hey, at least there'll be paella and presents.

RIP Mosey boy. We miss you. I'll never forget you always standing with your paws up the side of the kitchen cabinet when we were cutting chicken - like you were just stretching and omg did we just accuse you of wanting our food?! And when you ran off and got lost somewhere for months and when we finally accepted you'd probably been run over, you waltzed back in the house - on Easter Sunday.
Best. Cat. Ever.


Go Eagles. Hasala malakim.

Brighter Imitation Fire Theory (April 9th - 13th)

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.

It's Easter this week and that means Friday and Monday off with a chance of picnic. It also means the same amount of work tunes in a smaller space of time. More music per square inch. 

So, what have I got? I have dived into the Drive-By Truckers back catalogue after enjoying Jason Isbell recently; there's an old favourite acoustic compilation from Triple M; Justin Townes Earle's latest LP that I've been waiting with baited breath for; I grabbed the rarities disc from both Ben Folds and Prince's best of 3 disc sets; because April 4 has just been, I grabbed The Unforgettable Fire; a bonafide Hip Hop classic from Tribe; a Something From Kate LP I haven't listened to yet and the acclaimed Pet Sounds.

Check it out:

• Drive-By Truckers - Brighter Than Creation's Dark

• VA - Triple M Cordless

• Justin Townes Earle - Nothing's Gonna Change The Way You Feel About Me Now

• Uncle Tupelo - Anodyne

• Ben Folds - Best Imitation of Myself (Disc 3) Rarities

• Prince - The Hits, The B-Sides (Disc 3) The B-Sides

• A Tribe Called Quest - Low End Theory

• The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds

• U2 - The Unforgettable Fire

• Something For Kate - Elsewhere for 8 Minutes

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
2. Lucinda Williams
3. U2
4. The Beatles
5. (RAS) Riders Against the Storm

Song of the Week : Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five - The King

On April 4 1968, 44 years ago (4/4 44years… just realised that), MLK was assassinated in Memphis. The song I have chosen in respect of this tragic anniversary is Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five – The King.


The song was released in 1983 on the On The Strength album, but it must have been ’87 or ’88 when I heard it on 100FM during their Scratch FM hip hop show. At the time, I am ashamed to say I had no idea who King was. I had been told about slaves (and I remember not being allowed to watch Alex Haley’s Roots even though it was a huge deal on TV at the time) and segregation, but I didn’t know the first thing about the Civil Rights movement. This song made me look King and Jesse Jackson up in the school library. That quickly led me to reading about Civil Rights in the US, about the Freedom rides, the marches, the bus boycott, the lunch counter sit ins and everything else. 


Since then I have read anything and everything I can get my hands on about the movement, I've watched countless documentaries and listened to a lot of music that references the same things (from the Staple Singers to Tupac). With this, I learned that the line from this song: "He wasn't scared of any man, didn't have no fear" was in no way whatsoever an exaggeration. King knew he was a target, knew his life was in danger everywhere he went, but continually put himself in situations that risked his life because it would further the mission he felt he was on. I don’t know about any of you, but I don’t even have an ounce of that man’s courage. 


So in celebration of a life not wasted, please enjoy. 

Hasta La Vista

Thanks for stopping by. Please have a safe and outstanding Easter if that's your thing. If you find any new music, hook a brother up. 


Go Eagles! Actually, if West Coast do for some reason lose to Melbourne today, I won't be overly distraught, as Melbourne deserves some positive karma for ditching a sponsor whose CEO made racist and sexist Facebook comments - regardless of the fact that doing so cost the struggling club AU$2M. So, Go Eagles! but congratulations Melbourne. 


Hasala malakim.

Playlist : November 21st - 25th, 2011

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.

Let's get right into the music after a pretty uneventful week. My next playlist has a rarity from Prince, the soundtrack to Boogie Nights as well as the new Muppet movie, some Billy Bragg because I haven't picked up Fight Songs yet and a tribute to The Velvet Underground and Nico from Beck and some friends.

I've also got a band I only just discovered, The Deep Dark Woods, the KRS One and Marley Marl collaboration, some new Kathleen Edwards and an old Rickie Lee Jones and, because it's been so long, The Doors.

Check it out:

• VA - Boogie Nights OST
• Billy Bragg - William Bloke
• Rickie Lee Jones - Flying Cowboys
• Prince - Camille
• VA - Muppets OST
• Kathleen Edwards - Voyageur
• The Doors - The Very Best of the Doors
• The Deep Dark Woods - Winter Hours
• KRS One & Marley Marl - Hip Hop Lives
• Beck's Record Club - The Velvet Underground & Nico 2

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. People Under the Stairs
   
2. Bruce Springsteen
3. Billy Bragg
4. Dinosaur Jr
5. Lou Reed

Song of the Week : Billy Bragg - Never Buy The Sun

My choice cut for today is Billy Bragg – Never Buy The Sun. I’ve been playing this song constantly all week. I’ve been a fan of Billy Bragg for decades now, because as you know I’m a hard-line lefty and I love a good fighter who takes the rage to the system.

This song is in response to the News Of The World phone hacking scandal. The voice mail of a (it turned out later) murdered girl was hacked by reporters while she was missing. The same reporters paid off cops to get hold of sensitive information. And this was only one instance of hacking in a mass of violations which saw the closure of the paper, owned by our evil ex-citizen Rupert Murdoch.

The chorus line “Scousers never buy The Sun” is a reference to how the people of Liverpool long ago boycotted The Sun newspaper (also one of Rupert’s) because of the way in which they reported the Hillsborough disaster (which if you don’t recall was the human crush inside a soccer stadium where a number of Liverpool supporters died).

I am hoping to soon grab a copy of Fight Songs, Billy Bragg’s latest release from which this track comes. Unfortunately, it’s not selling on his site in download format and I can order the CD and wait for it much cheaper than I can get it on iTunes. So, in the meantime, I’ve been playing this over and over because I really believe something must be done about the state of journalism in Australia, let alone the UK. I won’t get on my high horse here, but really it probably needs nuking from space.

Enjoy. Fight the power!

Toodle-oo

That's it for the week. Play nice out there kids. Take care of each other and maybe do something nice for someone, eh?

May your weekend be awash with perfect moments. Hasala malakim.

Playlist October 17th - 21st, 2011

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.

This week has been fairly unspectacular. I've spent a lot of it in a haze of hayfever/flu drugs while I fought off epic sniffles. I'm almost recovered now though, thanks for asking.

To the music and this week I have a band I just discovered, Real Estate, though they're not new. I have a soundtrack from a so-so indie sleeper; the latest from funky jazz rap outfit Us3; some Nas; a Rickie Lee Jones classic, Prince's 20Ten record that he released via the Daily Mirror in the UK, some good old-fashioned Sonic Youth and more.

See what you think

• Nas - Nastradamus
• Rickie Lee Jones - Pirates
• Ray LaMontagne - Til The Sun Turns Black
• Real Estate - Days
• Prince - 20Ten
• The Pleased - Don't Make Things
• Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
• Us3 - Lie, Cheat & Steal
  
• VA - Away We Go OST
• Band of Horses - Cease To Begin

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. Digable Planets
2. Fela Kuti
3. Superstar Quamallah
4. Toy Box Scholars
5. Horse Feathers

Song of the Week : Cymbals Eat Guitars - Definite Darkness

My song this week came from the free Spin playlist for October. I don’t know this band, but this song makes them sound like Weezer maybe spent some time in the studio with Bush of all bands. What I like about it is it wouldn't raise an eyebrow if you took it back and released it in the early to mid 90s. When the kids are ripping off that kind of sound and doing it well, I’m not sure if that’s a good sign or not, but I like how it sounds.

There’s an obvious 90s vibe running through with the quiet loud distortion of it. Even the arpeggiated guitar under the verse. It makes me think that nostalgia is moving faster than ever before, but then I remember that 1991 was 20 years ago and that’s about how long nostalgia usually takes. There’s still a little bit of current style about it too, with an epic harmonised refrain of Ooooos and the swelling of instruments into that wall of sound orchestration we’re used to from Bon Iver, Polyphonic Spree etc.

TGIS

Well that's me for another week. I trust your week will be sunshine and lollipops; or at the very least, a light breeze and good coffee. If you get a chance, stream the Real Estate LP on NPR if you like mellow surf pop. It's quite an enjoyable listen.

Take care out there kids. Don't let the Man turn you around. Hasala malakim.

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.

Playlist : June 13th - 17th, 2011

Hey there tunesters. How's everybody doing? You comfortable? Good.

In music news for me this week, I snared a cheap Yamaha RX-550 amp at the Melville markets, along with some Hendrix and Blondie vinyl and some bargain CDs. A few of the CDs I bought have made it onto the list this week. Besides those from Beastie Boys, Ben Folds Five, Prince and the Friends soundtrack, there's the new Daisy, Kitty and Lewis for a bit of brand new old timey rock n roll, some Public Enemy because Chuck D himself now follows me on Twitter (squeeee...) and some other stuff. I added some David Bowie because I feel like my Bowie education is very poor, even though I appreciate much of what I do know.

So this week;

• VA - The Breakers '83
• Best Coast - iTunes Session EP
• Prince - The Black Album
• Ben Folds Five - Whatever and Ever Amen (Reissue Edition)
• VA - Friends Soundtrack
• Beastie Boys - Solid Gold Hits
• Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs - Under The Covers Vol. 1
• Everclear - So Much For The Afterglow
• Public Enemy - Beats and Places
• Kitty, Daisy & Lewis - Smoking In Heaven
• David Bowie - The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. The Herd
2. Mos Def
3. The Vines
4. Lucinda Williams
5. Dolorean

Song of the Week : REO Speedwagon - Keep On Loving You

So with my new amp, I have been spinning much vinyl. Besides the Hendrix and Blondie I bought, I have been reaching for 80s compilations that I still have from back in the day, or I got for $2 at various op shops over the years. I’ve rocked out to Duran Duran, Men Without Hats, Falco, Austen Tayshus, you name it.

But the one song that really still RAWKS for me is today’s SOTW; REO Speedwagon – Keep On Loving You. The subtle snake rattle, the grinding pick scrape, the blazing high solo and the cleanly rumbling rhythm crunch just make me want to do that thing Homer does when he throws horns and bangs his head going Yes! Yes! Yes! to Phish or someone.

This freakin’ song, for all its big hair and glam 80s pop juts kicks so much butt. Gentleman, in the words of the immortal Mr Bob Dylan “Play it fawkin loud!”

Ciao Bambinos

For now then, that's all I've got. Enjoy your working week and may Friday afternoon come with speed and precision. Don't forget to be excellent to each other. Stay kooky, kids.

Playlist : May 23rd - 27th, 2011

Hello to all of you who didn't get picked for Team Rapture. Welcome to Work Tunes.

I'm writing all of this in a bit of a hurry on a Friday night. I'm not normally this rushed, but I lost a day of work on Thursday to look after Miss 4, so I've been playing catch up. That aside, I seem to be in a rush a lot lately. Instead of finding more time to review movies by paring down this blog, I have found less time even for this. WHo knows where the time goes.

On to the music anyhow. This week there's a lot of new albums I either stumbled across or had recommended to me. I'm glad I'll get to hear the new Bon Iver that everybody loves. There's also Michael Hutchence's side project Max Q from 1989, added after a conversation about how great INXS once were. I just now added Prince - Purple Rain because I have been watching the man himself carve up the stage playing the solo in a tribute rendition of Georg Harrison's While My Guitar Gently Weeps. If you haven't seen it, check it out - Prince channels Hendrix, I swear.

• Seapony - Go With Me
• Bon Iver - Bon Iver
• Max Q - Max Q
• The Rural Alberta Advantage - Hometowns
• VA - Bob Dylan - 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration
• Tim Easton - Since 1966
• Jay-Z - The Blueprint
• Prince - Purple Rain
• Anthony De Costa - Not Afraid of Nothing
  
• Nas - Nastradamus

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. Warner Brothers
2. Eddie Vedder
3. The Pretenders
4. INXS
5. The Rural Alberta Advantage

Song of the Week : The Rural Alberta Advantage - Two Lovers

This morning’s song comes again from a band I only just discovered. Apparently they have two albums out. The song came on AccuRadio on the Au Naturale channel that I put on as working background sometimes.

What caught my ear with the song was mainly the mix and the melody. There is a good deal of sonic warmth in the vocal track and it sounds immediate and close. I don’t know if that will come out in the lower bitrate version I have for you guys (the 320kbps is 8mb) but hopefully it will.

Two Lovers seems to be about dangerous obsession, though it’s a sweet sung ballad. It’s obvious they are apart with lines like “If I ever hold you again” yet he’s singing about holding her ‘tight enough to crush a vein’. It’s creepy as well as sweet. Weird. I dig it.

Are We There Yet?

If you still haven't received your pass onto the Mothership, don't worry. Those of us left behind get more resources, more land and less discrimination to go around.

If you check out anything on this list besides the new Bon Iver, give The Rural Alberta Advantage a go, they're very good if you like your music to twang. Bye for now.

Playlist : November 29th - December 3rd, 2010

Well, what a week it’s been in the world of tunes.

I got a crush on Wilco all over again last week. I also confirmed my love for Best Coast. Both bands helped bring something to the plate this week. With Wilco, it was twang and lyrical songs with real emotion and complex narrative. Best Coast made a little bit of noise a good thing. What came out of that jumbled mix looks like this:

• The National - Alligator : The official full length third album from The National was released in 2005. They had a solid following before that with their debut self-titled, but it wasn't until 2007s Boxer that they 'blew up'. I'm a big fan of the debut, but Alligator is a quality set including the superb Daughters of the Soho Riots and Mr November - the latter used as an informal Barack Obama theme song.

• The Bob Dylan - Bootleg Series Vol. 1 : With the recent release of the Witmark Demos (Bootleg Series Vol. 9), Dylan's bootlegs are becoming like the Police Academy franchise - except awesome. This the first disc in a three disc set and contains mostly early finger-picked folk songs written when Robert Zimmerman first came to New York City. Disc 2 next week.

• Cold Chisel - Breakfast at Sweethearts : Chisel! amirite? Growing up with a love of all things 'bogan', I was exposed to Chisel very early on. However, for the most part, everybody got their Chisel fix from Radio Songs, the Best Of compilation (and later Gold). It was the only Chisel CD I owned until recently. The title track of this LP is one of their best.

• The Slits - Cut : The Slits were a punk band out of the UK who formed in the genre's heyday of 1976 (before it officially broke). Their sound is like a perfect segue between the raw distortion of Punk, the yet to be popular Ska pop and the much later New Wave. The lead singer of The Slits, Ari Up, died last month. Cancer. Fuck Cancer.

• Indigo Girls - Despite Our Differences : When I decided to put this on my list, I tweeted that I was going to sing a song from Cougar Town - Comfortable With My Sexuality. Yes the Indigo Girls are best known as lesbian singer songwriters, but something they really do well is lyrics and acoustic guitar. I like both of those. With songs on this disc like Dirt and Dead Ends about a neighbor with an illicit methamphetamine lab and the road trip themed Three County Highway, I enjoy the stories these ladies tell. So there.

• Prince - Dirty Mind : A recent formspring.me question I got asked who the most underrated musician was. My answer was unequivocally Prince. People tend to see the Purple one as just this guy who changed his name to a squiggle and wears feminine clothes (or had a rib removed in order to perform autofellatio, if you're into urban myths). Most of them have no idea that he is a multi-instrumentalist who carves pure gold out of guitar strings and quite possibly channels the ghost of the late great Jimi Hendrix. Plus, he is a funky mutha-ucka.

• The Muffs - The Muffs : The Muffs are an all girl alterna-grunge type band formed in 1991 in SoCal. This is their 1993 self-titled debut. Probably their most famous track is their cover of Kids In America which appears on the Clueless soundtrack. This LP is just a collection of noisy indie pop bubbles.

• Run DMC - Raising Hell : My friends are probably sick of this story, but back in 1985, between Primary School and High School, my then best friend came home from Bali with a tape for me. He told me it was 'Breakdance' music (we had been b-boys in 1984). Breakdance was already played out, so I scoffed. When he went home, I threw that tape on. It was Raising Hell. And within months, Walk This Way and by association, Rap was the biggest thing on the planet. This album watered my Hip Hop seed; planted with breakdance in 1983.

• VA - Thunder Road - Songs Inspired by the Boss : I'm hoping to get hold of The Promise for next week, Springsteen's outtakes from the acclaimed Darkness On The Edge Of Town. In the meantime, this is another great Uncut magazine compilation, this time full of Springsteen covers by a variety of artists from country to art rock. Stand outs are my favourites the Cowboy Junkies and Mary Lou Lord's subdued rendition of Thunder Road.

• The New Pornographers - Together : It wasn't until my mate Sunky went to The New Pornographers gig recently that I knew the always brilliant Neko Case was fronting the band. This is their latest release and is a nice showcase of Neko's voice and Carl Newman's songwriting. Also interesting is an appearance by the horn section of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings.

About the wisest thing I’ve heard this week was from Miss 4, who said (and is fond of saying) ‘Can’t we all just get up with each other?’ which is her take on getting along. So, answer that, Koreas? Can’t we all just get up with each other? Of course we can.

Ya’ll come back now, ya hear?