On Music And Film: 2020

Some of the best psychedelic reggae coming out of anywhere on the planet is from New Zealand/Aotearoa. Fat Freddy's incorporate dub sounds and grooves into their music. It's not like the lyrical styling of Katchafire, which some of their songs are about oppression. But Fat Freddy's Drop jam on songs for many minutes. They are basically the Pink Floyd of reggae. You can tell from their art that they extremely psychedelic and experimental. Coupled with one of the best horn sections in any band in the world.

Sunday, July 5, 2020

Third World - The Story's Been Told

Many acts will try and invoke the spirit of Marley, and it is true Marley's influence on reggae is quite substantial. The lyrics of Marley embody the spirit and that spirit can be typified by a sensational quest for the downtrodden. Marley was half black and half white, so you could probably see that being bullied as a child led to upmost respect for the downtrodden. He was not an urbanised kid either he was from the rural areas of Jamaica. Probably bored out of his mind as a teenager. The spirit of Marley reflects the downtrodden overthrowing the oppressor. He was a socialist of course. Coupled with the Rastafarianism, which preaches to look out for your brothers from evil forces.

Saturday, July 4, 2020

Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds - Lovely Creatures: The Best Of Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds (1984-2014)

This is a great assortment of minor gems that really showcases Nick's transformation from post-punk hellraiser to a poet songwriter. It has a lot of well-known tracks like the stuff off Let Love In and later stuff on Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! . What has really marred Nick's music is the death of his son and you can tell the more recent stuff is very melancholic, not like the rowdy and noisy selection of his early works.

Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Grinderman - Grinderman 2

Nick Cave teams up with Warren Ellis from the Dirty Three. Warren Ellis is sensational at making things loud. He plays the violin with the Dirty Three and the mandolin and bouzouki with Cave. I saw them play at Mona maybe ten or so years ago. The loudest instrument I have ever heard live - standing directly in front of a speaker off to the side. It's really interesting how he gets specifically folk instruments or ''organic'' instruments and just injects them with distortion. He is certainly a wild musician.

Monday, June 29, 2020

Yukihiro Takahashi - Neuromantic

Former drummer of the Yellow Magic Orchestra. This is fantastic and full of great songs. The Yellow Magic Orchestra or YMO was a pioneering synth-pop group from Japan, who lay claim to having the first technological concept album. Many believed it to be Kraftwerk's Computer World, but YMO predated it by a number of years.

Sunday, June 28, 2020

The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin

The Flaming Lips appear on a major label but release dark and harrowing albums that incite the senses of the most ardent music fans. They effectively bring experimental rock digressions to the mainstream. They have had chart success, made films and explored avant-garde art experiments and been in the music scene, collaborating with many artists for a number of years. Releasing albums to rave reviews. This album actually got the most out of their discography, with many rave reviews on its release. Part of Pitchfork's ten out of ten echelon.

Monday, June 22, 2020

Scott Walker - Scott 4

Scott Walker, tremendous as he may be, veers dangerously close to a mainstream pop act. Maybe that is why he became so experimental, to maintain some dignity in the changing times. The fame must have got to his head because on one of his more experimental endeavours, The Drift he started banging a pig's carcass and used it as a rhythm track supposedly. The track that really stands out here is ''Duchess''. It has always been a personal favourite, thus why I have bought this album.

Sunday, June 21, 2020

Scott Walker - Sings Jacques Brel

Scott Walker, once famous with the Walker Brothers. Great pop icons of the 60s. Then he had forays into slightly darker crooning pop, then finally the fame got to him and he slipped away into Avantgarde. None can doubt his ability to sing, matched perfectly with the poetic ways of Brel. The crooning sounds of Walker are enough to send shivers down the coarsest of spines. Possessed with a superhuman voice, he has no equal. One of the great all-time singers.

Saturday, June 20, 2020

Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Rush To Relax

Eddy Current Suppression Ring hark back to punk DIY ethics that dominated the 70s. Not many people know this, but members of Radio Birdman brought Iggy and the Stooges to Australia and there was a blossoming punk scene in Queensland way before punk hit London, with bands like The Saints. Eddy Current's minimalism, sound like psychedelic garage rock, approach to recording is all refreshing punk music out of Melbourne. They have a unique sound.

MGMT - Little Dark Age

This band were big in my college days. Their first album was massive, possibly five or six chart hits on there. They followed it up with their second album, which frankly, had not hit evident. It was amazing. Here was this band who had just headlined Glastonbury and performed their chart-topping hit ''Kids'', to follow it up with an album whose best song ''Siberian Breaks'' was twelve or thirteen minutes. They experiment with synths and get a ''freak-folk'' synth-pop sound. A group of accomplished musicians who make music, not for chart hits evidently, but an art form. Angular. Intriguing. Subversive.

Tuesday, June 16, 2020

Lee Scratch Perry - Jamaican E.T

Conversing with the owner of my local record store, we discussed why reggae and ska do not sell in Tasmania, as he has a dwindling stock, with only two people buying it in the whole city. He says that it is because of the climate. Tasmania is a cooler climate, whereas it would sell maybe in Queensland and Darwin and abroad like the Pacific, but it does not sell because of this colder climate. There has been a resurgence in Afro-beat recently, with people revisiting Fela Kuti. It shares a similarity with reggae with rhythm and lyrical content.

Sunday, June 14, 2020

Stephen J. Malkmus - Traditional Techniques

The thing about the ''old guard'' of early indie is the fact they struggled for so long to reach any sort of success. They are the ''old guard'', and will continue to release music, quality albums that is for sure, but music is generational, with each generation throwing out the old and starting something afresh. But the peculiarity about the sudden generation today is the fact that was highlighted by Brian Eno, the fact that everything is available. You can listen to music created in the 40s, 50s or 60s and everything is at your fingertips, with the current technology, so there is a nostalgic element that people draw on from music, and the lo-fi style is incredibly nostalgic, drawing upon a 70s and 80s style recording process. Ariel Pink even covers distinctive 70s and 80s music.

Thursday, June 11, 2020

Mikey Dread At The Control - Dubwise

Post-punk plays a large homage to reggae and dub, as seen in bands like P.I.L etc. It is basically ''white boy reggae'', there is also a significant influence of Afro-beat on bands like Talking Heads, who carved out entire albums borrowing African grooves and instrumentation. You either get reggae and dub or you don't, as a white man. I scored the one in a thousand copies of this LP, a rare transparent red copy. Mikey Dread is famous for collaborating with The Clash on Sandanista!.

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Eddy Current Suppression Ring - S/T

The combination of raw stripped back garage, free of the additional attributes. Lo-fi recording with punchy lyrics and a DIY aesthetic, Eddy Current Suppression emerged on the Melbourne music scene with a bang. Putting garage rock literally back into the fold of Australian rock. They just pack a punch. It is music for youth and absolutely devoid of pretensions. Energetic and loud. Proof that punk has not died. They even got good reviews from abroad. The first two albums pack a minimalist approach.

Pavement- The Secret History

Pavement consisted of the ingredients of a an original sounding rock band, and that is the fact they were counter-cultural. They were not following a trend, and at that time in the 90s bands like Nirvana ruled. Raw shambolic indie rock was not popular. Did it phase Pavement? Absolutely not they were unwilling to abide by the masses and join the movement that was taking place, where hardcore punk had diverged with metal to make grunge. Pavement remained stoic.

Tuesday, June 9, 2020

Stephen Malkmus - Groove Denied

This is certainly a curveball from Malkmus. Dropping the Jicks and veering into electronica. It was not really well received by the critics, but it shows that electronica is certainly a prevalent influence on indie music. Basically, because the origins of techno and synth-pop are found in the very underground of music history. Juan Atkins and Patrick Cowley built on the sounds coming out of Europe. Yes, it is extremely popular today, but the origins of electronica are this underground phenomenon and the homage to electronica is, in fact, this harking back to its roots, not celebrating the state of electronica today which is very chart-topping and has lost its edge.

Thursday, June 4, 2020

Akira Kurosawa - Seven Samurai

The immense influence Kurosawa had on the modern Westerns is certainly interesting. In Leone's films, the main protagonists are renegades who do not bow down to anybody, nor do they take orders from a master. Eastwood's ''The man with no name'' is a direct homage to Kurosawa's samurai. Not only characters and script there is a great influence on the action scenes. Westerns would not be the same again if it not for Kurosawa and just looking at the state of Asian cinema welcomed by the West, these samurai films were not popular strictly down to the appalling representation of Asian cinema in the world. Times are changing and Korea's Parasite is sparking interest in Asian film.

Monday, June 1, 2020

Rowland S. Howard - Pop Crimes

Howard, the guitarist for The Boys Next Door and the Birthday Party. Spent time in Berlin, later would appear in the Crime & the City Solution and These Immortal Souls. He played a Fender Jaguar and Fender amp that I have seen in a museum in Melbourne some time ago. He is instrumental in the post-punk sound of Nick Cave, both some of the most revered musicians in Australian music. Lived the rock & roll lifestyle so greatly that he died of alcoholism-related live cancer. Doctors stated that in his forties, he had the liver that a seventy-four-year-old alcoholic would have.

Friday, May 29, 2020

Akira Kurosawa - Rashomon

I have seen a number of Kurosawa films now and I was convinced Toshiro Mifune was a comedic actor, but he is a very serious actor. I would probably refer to Kurosawa films as complex action sagas. There is tension between characters and the samurai are seen as lawmakers. They can do what basic people cannot, whether it be fighting multiple enemies at once, they also have the wits to cause mayhem in society, with sides vying for their service. A samurai is your ultimate ''gun for hire'' which would later go on and influence the classic Westerns like Sergio Leone films later on.

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

Have had the privilege of witnessing these guys in the VIP section of a recent Falls Festival. They cite Punky Reggae Party, the famous reggae compilation as a key influence. It shows because they incorporate reggae into their music. Emphasis on the off-beat and bongo drums. Instrumental breaks that just disappear into a void of jamming. It really showcases that reggae is just like any other music, but the main thing that typifies it musically is that rhythm on the off-beat. The rest of it is just like any other music.

Sunday, May 10, 2020

Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Primary Colours

Have seen this band at the remnants of one of the last Big Day Outs in Melbourne a long time ago. Bringing the punk ethos back with a refreshing garage rock sound. A mainstay in Australian rock recently along with Tame Impala and the Drones, who I have all witnessed live and in Tasmania. The Drones actually named one of their albums Gala Mill after the place on the East Coast of Tasmania. Eddy Current changed Australian rock music to be more minimalist and bring garage rock to the pubs.

Saturday, May 9, 2020

Akira Kuwosawa - Yojimbo

Stunning cinema. Japan was demilitarised post-WWII era which is a good recipe for a thriving arts scene. Kurosawa pioneered the action film with moving cameras. He was inspired by American Westerns and they would then be influenced by him, with the American remake of the Seven Samurai named the Magnificent Seven. Action films and how to make them would be changed forever. He also has the dexterity to make a good story. His films have been adored by critics and fans the world over.

Yellow Magic Orchestra - Solid State Survivor

This band is a tremendous discovery. They are innovators in synth-pop that would dominate the 80s. Likened to Kraftwerk, they actually have more organic instrumentation with a live drummer, Yukihiro Takahashi. His solo stuff is awesome too. They predate Kraftwerk's Computer World in regards to the concept album exploring technological and futuristic themes by three years. If you are looking for music similar to the Human League and Soft Cell, go these guys. They are absolutely way more accessible than the alienating sound of Kraftwerk. YMO make great music.

Shonen Knife - Osaka Ramones: A Tribute To The Ramones

This is a great collection and homage to the yesteryear of New York punk greats, The Ramones. Shonen Knife absolutely masters every track and the Japanese accent showing up on some of the old classics certainly adds to the charm. They are a tight unit rely on minimalism as a strength. Classic punk. This album certainly influenced some of my music early on. The concept of nostalgic covers with a punk rock approach. See my album Sings The Hits. Shonen Knife would be great to see live, and there is certainly coming out of Japan with Boredoms and OOIOO.

Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds - Lyre Of Orpheus/Abattoir Blues

Nick Cave is quite prolific in terms of music in Australia in the contemporary era. He challenges the conventions, in Australia there is a dug-in deep musical scene, where if you don't abide by the norm, you are cast out as challenging things. Nick Cave has an attitude of not the norm. He is a prolific writer and written the music for several films including with Warren Ellis the score to plays like an adaption of Frank Kafka's Metamorphosis that I witnessed in Hobart many years ago. He has the odd great song, there are two on here; ''There She Goes, My Beautiful World'' and ''Nature Boy''. His recent endeavours like a tour of Israel certainly raised eyebrows.

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Stephen Malkmus - Face The Truth

Stephen Malkmus was the integral songwriter of the band Pavement, probably famous- or infamous-for being slackers and not having a single recognisable song to their back catalogue. For a band like Blur for instance- they had ''Song 2''. But with Pavement, I am struggling to think of a one-hit single they had. There is ''Cut Your Hair'', but seriously, not many people know that song. They are infamous for being raucous and loud and the music that indie kids - warring with metal kids would listen to. But listen to a Stephen Malkmus album and it really grows on you. It is because Malkmus is a master songwriter.

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Pavement - Brighten The Corners

Every lo-fi fan must have a set of the first Pavement album, Embryonic by the Flaming Lips and the entire 4AD Ariel Pink discography. John Maus would veer into the chillwave, but the guitar-based lo-fi are those albums. The chillwave sound is a bit mainstream for my liking, akin to the sounds of Washed Out and Neon Indian which is merging into mainstream. Guitar based lo-fi is those first albums. They are all classic albums that Pitchfork has given stellar reviews that prove highly influential in times to come.

Pavement - Terror Twilight

Pavement were existing in a world where it was dominated by rock bands obsessed with success. They were not grunge and they were not metal, they were lo-fi indie. Which proved incredibly influential not just in their time, but later in time. They were laying the style and approach for many bands to come, and it prove pivotal in the emergence of a lo-fi scene out of California headed by Ariel Pink. In lo-fi there is a sense of harking back to the past, and a sense of doing things how they were meant to be done, an antique style like the 70s, before MTV and in a way that was meritable and pure. Not overdone like the toxic music being released in the 90s.

Pavement - Wowee Zowee

This album showcases Pavement's range of different styles, not just the typical noisy punk sound, but incorporating other instruments, and would prove to be the way, Stephen Malkmus would veer into in his solo years. Pavement experimented with a range of different instruments. Malkmus would play lead guitar. They had a percussionist and a ''hype man'' like hip-hop. They were completely unique and unorthodox in their approach to music. They really appealed to outsiders and people who did not want to abide by the conventions of metal and grunge. Pavement were different.

Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain

The indie sound is not really a sound, it is a type of label. It rejects the mainstream in search of community and not the big faceless names in music that profit and just release music for profit. Pavement are probably the greatest band true to the sense of indie, where the Flaming Lips veered away to a major label, Pavement stood strong as being proudly indie. The question arises, ''why make music only for money? why not change the world with your music, not just make a profit.'' Music should not be about money and should be universally available to help people through tough times and unite people.

Pavement - Slanted And Enchanted

Pavement shook up the scene with this release way back in the nineties. A pioneering album which sounded like nothing else. It is reportedly known that they recorded it in a matter of days, and the bass was actually guitars. Great songs, innovative and unique sound, but lacking chart hits. The song ''Summer Babe'' appeared in the rock & roll magazine, Rolling Stone's best songs of all-time list. Stephen Malkmus has always been a darling of the critics, for that ability to match the humorous with the serious like a truly gifted writer. This is no mean feat, in a world that was dominated in the grunge sound, Pavement shone a light.

The Flaming Lips - Embryonic

This album was recorded into one microphone and was released around the pioneering times of the lo-fi movement. It was the old school catching up with the new school. The Flaming Lips are a bit hit and miss. They can produce gorgeous albums like this or they can release terrible music. They are not truly indie in a sense because they are signed to a major label. But saying this they have this dark cult-like following that many mainstream bands do not have. They get pigeonholed as being alternative rock, but they are on a major label. Serious songwriting and themes are prevalent in Wayne Coyne's lyrics and the rest of the group are all quite adept at their own instruments.

Ariel Pink - Dedicated To Bobby Jameson

Ariel is known for his fixation with 70s pop and outsider rock, and lo-fi is like harking back to those days. He also maintains a presence on Bandcamp.com and is known for DIY releases on CD with hand-drawn artwork and other variations on a release. Coupled with this DIY aesthetic is a sense of humour, but coupled with an almost dark slapstick persona. He rarely has hit singles, but his albums reap heaps of praise from contemporary critics. It proves in his solo stuff that it was not just all about Haunted Graffiti, because Ariel can release quality material also.

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Mature Themes

Ariel Pink is known for his DIY ethic to his music, coupled with great songwriting, and a longing for the antique and retro. As stated before he couples the serious with the comical. He is also known for his output which is prolific. Once in a tour of Australia, he refused to sing in front of the audience and turned his back. He is extremely non-obedient and even wears women's clothing and sunglasses onstage. He listens to outsider rock like krautrock etc. He is the epiphany of the lo-fi attitude, which really is not a style, but a style of recording which is nigh impossible to replicate live.

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Before Today

Even though the backing group of Ariel Pink, the Haunted Graffiti do not exist anymore, it plays merit to Ariel Pink as his solo stuff still is on par with this classic album. The band ended up in a shambles, but Ariel still maintains a good output. Most of the tracks on here are from previous releases, and really it is an amalgamation of various releases. The lead single ''Round And Round'' is fabulous, which you could say for every track. He has a knack for fusing the comical with the serious, seen in great songwriters like Stephen Malkmus.

Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks - Mirror Traffic

This album was produced by Beck and it is a good collection from a dominant name in indie music in the world since the nineties. Although Pavement did not sell many records or have chart-topping hits, their legacy continues with the much borrowed and homaged indie sound they possess along with Stephen Malkmus' solo work and stuff with his backing band The Jicks. One can always rely on astute songcraft from Malkmus, his music sounds fantastic on vinyl. The lo-fi aesthetic sounds really good on some small speakers, it is not a headphone record.

Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks - Sparkle Hard

This album continues in the same vein as some of his other material. He has veered away from the reckless noise that dominated his earlier work with Pavement, continuing for a subtle kinder sound, probably similar to indie coming out of America during the nineties. Kim Gordon actually makes an appearance, famously the female bass player from Sonic Youth. What remains is an adept skill at songcraft and a tendency to adopt other instrumentation, not just the standard electrical rock equipment, but a whole range of other instruments.