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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Saturday, September 29, 2012

Purple Highway Sugaring Trees (October 1st - 5th)

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.

 Big Saturday today with the AFL Grand Final on and the long weekend under way. I watched the Swans deservedly win an epic football battle and not long after my TV decided that it wasn't fixed any more. So I spat the proverbial and bought another one online. Free delivery in 4 to 5 working days. You have to love the Internet. It's 3D and all, so I threw a 3D Bluray player in for good measure. I look forward to hundreds of hilarious viewings of Piranha 3DD.

 I have a whole bunch of new albums this week, namely from Ben Folds Five, Brother Ali, Beth Orton and finally, Mumford & Sons. For something old, there's Deep Purple's monster hit In Rock, as well as Devo's Freedom of Choice. I'm still on my latest Sonic Youth kick, so I grabbed a Thurston Moore solo effort from 2006. Cameron Crowe's grunge era pop culture zeitgeist, Singles, turned 20 last week, so the soundtrack is here. Paul Kelly (for like 2 minutes) on TV for the Grand Final is the reason why Foggy Highway is here. Rounding it all off with a dose of old skool nostalgia thanks again to Art of Rap, a Def Jam compilation from 2001.

 Check it out:

  1. Sonic Youth
  2. Eric B & Rakim
  3. Pearl Jam
  4. The xx
  5. Band Of Horses

Song of the Week : The Replacements - Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out



 For my song of the week, I'm going with the hysterically coincidental track from Let It Be - no, not that one, The Replacements' one. I had put Let It Be on my weekly list without remembering that there's a track on there called "Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out". 

 As you know, my little 'Tommy' got her tonsils out this week too. I am happy to report that they were not "rip rip!" ripped out. The operation itself was over and done with rather quickly, but I'm sure all care was taken. This track is even in keeping with the car theme, because the doctor has his Cadillac running. 

 You can hear in this song all the elements of LA Hardcore punk which was big at the time, but of which The Replacements aren't really exponents. I've chosen it for the coincidence and nothing more. I hope you get a giggle.

Onward to Victory

Thanks for stopping by. If you are a Sydney Swans fan (and not one of the Victorian bandwagon hoppers who refers to your team as "The Bloods"), congratulations. Hawks fans, commiserations; as an Eagles supporter, I know how it feels to lose to the Swans in a close one. Please, tell your team to rest on their laurels and not use their hunger for a flag to destroy us all in 2013. Thank you. 

Hasala malakim.
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Saturday, September 22, 2012

Follow the Experimental Maiden Mirage (September 24th - 28th)

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.

 It's been a bit of a tech day today, good and bad. I bought some new headphones for work and also battled with iOS6 and my iPad. Everything seems to be in order now though. I'm sure the novelty of Siri will wear off very soon, but right now, she's a hoot.

I'll only be at work for a few days this week, because Miss 6 is going in for a tonsillectomy and I'll be staying home to look after Miss 3. I'm not looking forward to any of it of course. I'm told recovery from tonsils can be a horrid affair, and you never like to see your kids in pain. 

Inspiration for choosing the LPs on this week's list has come from a bunch of places. Firstly, watching Ice-T's excellent Art of Rap provided me with the soundtrack as well as an Eric B & Rakim album I haven't heard in forever. Last week's #Clay5 on Pearl Jam albums obviously gave me Vs, while a Spotify list from @sunky provided Bjork. Metal Evolution has put Iron Maiden on my radar, while a rave about TIM from @bobearth made me pick The Replacements. Sonic Youth are here because omg I love Sonic Youth. There's the second disc of  Led Zeppelin's Remasters and finally some new albums from favourites Band of Horses and Seapony.

Check it out:

  1. Led Zeppelin
  2. Sly & The Family Stone
  3. A Tribe Called Quest
  4. Tori Amos
  5. Down South

Song of the Week : Dinosaur Jr. - Watch The Corners



The latest album from Dinosaur Jr is out and it reunites the original line-up of the band. I have chosen Watch The Corners,  the track from it that most sounds like the Dinosaur Jr. of old. That's not a bad thing; for me, anyway. Listening to the best Dinosaur Jr. tracks feels like reaching into your closet and fishing out that super warm and fleecy flannel jacket, your heaviest pair of cargo shorts and a nice shiny pair of Docs and stepping back into the era when J Mascis was guitar god extraordinaire.

So that's what my SOTW is for today. It's a time travel vessel that will put you in the heady days of grunge and Seinfeld and Winona Ryder and Kyra Sedgwick. Enjoy the ride. And on a side and somewhat related note, did you see Singles the Cameron Crowe film is 20 YEARS OLD! Wow.

 Hope you enjoy your time travel experience – please, keep all limbs inside the car at all times.

TTFN

Thanks for stopping by. Here's hoping the Universe smiles on you this weekend and you win lotto or something. If you're a Hawks or Crows fan, good luck to your team. But let's face it, the Crows need more luck than the Hawks. 

Adios. Hasala malakim.
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Saturday, September 15, 2012

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:

  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.
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Friday, September 7, 2012

People's Official Wild Dummy Trick (September 10th - 14th)

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.

 Just a quick one today. I'm at home looking after Miss 3 and I am sick as a fully chrome set of mags. I thought about not posting this weekend, but since my target audience is me, I'm the only one who misses out. So, let's get into the music shall we?

 A couple of kitschy sets this week in a compilation of Journey's best and Fastway's soundtrack to the long forgotten 80s horror film Trick Or Treat (starring Skippy from Family Ties with a cameo from Ozzy Osborne). There's a few old favourites from Something For Kate, Kathleen Edwards and A Tribe Called Quest. The new Meliisa Etheridge album is here - she seems to have gone back to her rock roots and is playing all guitars on every song. Also new is Dylan's dark Tempest and Wild Nothing's Nocturne. Because I've been listening to a bit of electronic music lately, I decided to get on someone who does it right, so I added Portishead. Rounding it all off, Ozi Batla's solo album is here because I recently heard the new Evil Eddie song and it reminded me. 

 Check it out:

  1. Ice-T
  2. Tracy Chapman
  3. Digable Planets
  4. Sex Pistols
  5. Pegz

Song of the Week : Digable Planets - Dog It



 As for my favourite track this week, it's a cut from one of my 5 or 10 favourite Rap albums, Digable Planets - Blowout Comb. For my weekly work list, I try to avoid playing the same things all the time and keep it fresh every week. That leads to me deliberately avoiding great albums like this one and Pneumonia etc. Thing is, when my brain told me to slip Blowout Comb on this week's list, I checked back and found that August 2010 was the last time it made the cut. 

 I chose this song, Dog It because it is "hella" funky. The brass and the bass on the track are as cool as can be and the whole thing puts me in the New York groove (won't Kiss be pleased!). The other reason I chose it is because all week I've had a bar of lyrics from it stuck in my head - because it's a catchy rhyme and because it's clever:
"Now, I'm making bacon,
Still saying wa assalamu alaikum" 

 It's a good groove for a Friday afternoon. I hope it gets you dancing.
Okey Doke

Thanks for stopping by. That's it then. I best go away and try hard not to shrivel up with dehydration and die. I'll see you all next week, with a good deal more energy I hope.

 Go Eagles. Because if you don't 'go', that's it for 2012. Hasla malakim
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Friday, August 31, 2012

Talking Dead White Blowout Relics (September 3rd - 7th)

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.

I'm just writing this all down on a Friday night (no, wait, Saturday morning) before bed. It's taken a while to figure out what I want to hear next week. I still think there'll be changes before I publish this. The list you read below will probably be different to the first one I put down. 

 So what have I got so far then? I have Oasis because how long has it been?! There's the recently released B-side compilation from Elbow; also in compilation format, I have the soundtrack to Wayne's World (party time, excellent); in the Rap corner I've got Jay-Z's Black album because it's been a while since I heard it from start to finish and I have Blowout Comb because I can never say no when my brain puts Digable Planets in my head. For something a little gentler I have The Weepies and Sea Wolf. There's some ancient artifacts from Pink Floyd and an EP from Dinosaur Jr. (whose new album comes out soon and I can't wait). Lastly I've chosen Billy Bragg again because I'm in rather a politically indignant mood lately - as you'll see from SOTW below.

Check it out:

  1. Ice-T
  2. Tracy Chapman
  3. Sex Pistols
  4. Black Sabbath
  5. Pegz

Song of the Week : Tracy Chapman - So



 I haven't really had a song step up and present itself for SOTW this week. Whenever that happens, I tend to look for topical happenings that have caught my eye and then find a song to go with it. This week's happening was Gina Reinhart calling for the lowering of the minimum wage and telling ordinary Australians to "get out of the pub" if they wanted to be rich like her. Sorry, but only 200 odd years ago, we would have cut her head off for that.

 There were so many songs about clueless, spoilt, rich idiots that I could have picked. Think Common People, Rich Girl, Talkin' About a Revolution, but I chose Tracy Chapman's So. This song is almost Folk music in its purest form. It's political, it's scathing and indignant, yet it's a sweet tune carried by a soothing voice and some smooth ringing chords and a flowing bass.

 It was an affront to me to read Gina's words. I have worked minimum wage. And not just as a student living at home; I was even on the dole at one stage and renting a place. Now back then it cost 2 of us a shared $90 a week for a flat on the river, but the dole wasn't that much less than it is now. Anyone claiming that minimum wage should be lowered is insane - or has an agenda, a la Gina.

 To be clear, I didn't only choose this because it talks about the rich getting fat. My criticism of Gina has nothing to do with her appearance. It's the unmitigated gall of someone who stepped into a fortune on the pure fact she came out of Lang Hancock's scrotum who thinks she can speak on the value of hard work. I chose it above all the others because of:
"You grind and grind and you push and shove
Claim that those most worthy
Will get what they deserve.
It can't be true.
'Cause I've seen too many hungry faces
I've seen too many of the likes of you."

So yeah, I have a problem with the ruling class :) I still have blue collar bogan blood - what are you going to do?


Addio, Amici

Thanks for stopping by. A happy Father's Day to all the Dads in Australia. I can almost taste the Spanish omelette and bacon tortilla I've been promised for breakfast on Sunday. It really is the little things, isn't it.

 Adieu. Hasala malakim.
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