My Top 5 Records On High Rotation 08

Children Collide – The Long Now – Most Anticipated.

I can say this was my most anticipated of 2008 easily.
When these lads signed up with Universal (home to other Aussie acts such as Grinspoon and Jet) I was curious to how the production giants would portray these musical rogues from the suburbs of Melbourne.
Children Collide aren’t some hot new thing from the fluro gen, nor are they thrusting through the airwaves, they’re better known to those Triple J fans and punters were more likely to see them doing the duties of support acts over the last few years.
In saying that, those shows and solid Triple J support has landed the lads the majority of their fan base.

Children Collide have an obscure eastern European premise that no one has proven to compare right now and I was impressed that there was no image sell out which is usually associated with hooking up with mega record labels.

It’s basically a polished EP but I still love it.

Sparkadia – Postcards – Most Surprising

These kids literally came out of nowhere. I had never heard of them, and caught them sneaking into a free Dappled Show which had reached capacity. Literally, this record rocks.
Live, recorded the songs are just good, no real cliché hooks or lame lyrics just a solid album. Great flow. Great band.

The Subways – All Or Nothing – Most Predictable Sam Choice

There isn’t much you could do to tear me away from this band. They can break-up get engaged, get loose and get lyrical and it’s all fucking gold. I just love that U.K London rock sound, kind of obvious riffs but this is an angrier offering and I just like it better that way, this one would be particular to taste I’d say.

The Kills – Midnight Boom – Most likely to not make a follow up but get it while it’s hot!

New band and new Kate Moss beau, these kids from the U.K have it going on with this kind of easy pop edgy sounds. I’m always one for male/female acts and intertwining vocals and the record is just really fun. Great variety of upbeat tracks and some more mellow like ‘Black Balloon’. For the kids who know the English do it better.

British India – Thieves – Second Most Predictable Choice

Say what you want about these Melbourne kids, they make a great record in little time. There are a few fillers in there but ‘Thieves’ provides a deeper look into Melia’s and Wilson’s musical partnership and offers more hits than Triple J can throw a female vote at.

Soko @ Oxford Arts

In a music world jam-packed with Internet sensations and overnight fame fare for fifteen year olds, it was no surprised when the masses took to a cute little French girl with gutter mouth and an adorable accent with an interesting trademark of ‘frenglish’ if you will.

Soko set the Internet and airwaves alight with her single ‘I’ll Kill Her’ late in 2007. The song detailing her desire to kill the girl who caught a love interests eyes over her and projects their future together in a ‘what would have been’ scenario, all ending in threats.

The first time I heard her it was love and after seeing the petite Parisian in person and perform, I can say it’s safe I’ll never love again. Unrequited loves a bitch right?

After a few wines at The Exchange a primarily female crowd filed into the depths of Oxford Arts and awaited patiently throughout the support. Cuthbert and the Night Walkers were amazing but played a little too long for an opener. They kind of sound like early Architecture and Helsinki crossbred with Arcade Fire and B52’s. I dug it.

Anyhow, we waited on for another half hour of sound checks and such and in great anticipation became slightly restless. Alas, at about 10 o’clock the red curtain exposed three keyboards one on which sat a tiny cat lantern, an assortment of acoustic guitars, ukuleles, bass and a miniture drum set. Oh and then emerged a sleepy looking Soko almost out of nowhere!

She’s quite short and dressed in a loose white singlet and her voice is as squeaky and as cute as you imagine when she says hello and declares her jet lag.

Opening with a proclaimed lullaby, I bent down to grab my camera and it’s utterly quiet. You could literally hear me rummaging through my shit; the crowd was entirely engaged in the tiny little voice.

The song came to a holt and the Parisian became alarmed realizing she had not lit her incense and frantically rush around the stage and lit the two sticks stating that “now she could play”.

Soko introduced her entourage of two and set into ‘Happy Hippy Birthday/They Shoot’. The most moving of the performances as she tells the story of hesitation to contact the one you love on their birthday, when they don’t love you. Declaring the man in the song the only man she can love and wrapping up the song in tears. My cold heart literally broke for her.

My favorite song of the night would most likely be ‘I Wanna Look Like A Tiger’ performed in the tiger hat/rug/god knows as pictured above.

The audience interaction was unlike any gig I’d been to before, Soko literally conversing with the crowd and speaking openly to the light and sound guys throughout the performance. After continuously requesting not so much light and eventually no light to which they ignored she finally demanded the light guy “go to the bar and have a beer” to ease the heat on stage. Unfortunately the lights were turned up yet again and inspired my favourite Soko quote of the night “It’s not that I don’t like lights, I just don’t like lights”.

The lights were as unruly as the many drunken clowns in the audience, most making me embarrassed to be Australian (you know the bogan who requests ‘Khe San’ at a French show… no joke.. someone actually asked Soko to play Cold Chisel!). The sound wasn’t much better with serious distortion marring the majority of the show.

After a while the songs start to melt into one another and all bled to be the same about dying alone, being alone and unrequited love, did I mention dying alone?

With no set list the show continued into it’s second hour which provided the crowd pleasing hit ‘I’ll Kill Her’ and my favourite ‘Wet Dreams’ which was performed with a kind overweight man from the audience who seemed quite pleased to stand next to the petite potty mouth as she sung about “bang bang bang in the back of your mothers car”.

I’ve walked out on very few shows in my life but after the French darling realized there was no curfew and could continue playing I wasn’t ready for more due to a painful pair of new shoes and some friendly wine and decided to hit the road with a few other punters.

It will definitely go down as one of my favourite shows ever intimately and I’d definitely see Soko again because the whole time you feel like you’re in this conversation with her about her bizarre life and it’s probably the most enchanting thing.

Favourite Songs In 2008 NOT Released in 2008.

I seem to be particularly impared when it comes to liking music when it's released..I prefer to let it age, mature, let the times change and then and only then will I sit down and listen.. Crazy? always.
And now in no order...

Bigmouth Strikes Again - The Smiths 1986
Kiss off - Violent Femmes 1982
Shakin' all over - Johnny Kidd & The Pirates 1960
Untitled - Interpol 2002
kool thing - Sonic Youth 1990
100% - Sonic Youth 1992
Please Please Pease Let Me Get What I Want - The Smiths 1984
I Don't Blame You - Cat Power 2003
Gravel Pit - Wu Tang Clan 2001
How To Disappear Completely - Radiohead 2000

Bloggers Resolution.

As overrated as they are, everyone has at least one.

One that we honestly believe we will not commit to, but sweeten ourselves with the mere entertainment of thought that we might hold true to it.

I do this every year.
And it's the same, save money, eat less McDonalds, stop cutting my hair on impulse.
I never listen to anyone, let alone myself but in the spirit of self belief I will attempt to commit to some musical resolutions.

Thou shalt listen to Fleet Foxes!
After mounting pressure to do so I've become ignorant and have purposely been avoiding this apparent "amazing band" .. There's too much pressure when you tell me they'll do to me what Arcade Fire did the first time.. Big shoes to fill but Kevin, Ally.. I will, in 09.

Thou shalt seek help for singing Metro Station!
This explains itself. And that's the biggest secret I'll ever tell you..
Apart from the fact I bounce around my bedroom in my underpants.. "shake, shake, shake, skake-eh, shake it!"

Thou shalt listen to more rap music!
I always forget how much I love it and thanks to some slammin' battles with Michelle Abraham at a certain concert back in October, I've rediscovered my love for 90's rap. Ah, bask in the broke poetry.

Thou shalt cease talking about attending The Hopetoun on a Monday night, and do it!
Again, self explanatory.. Lisa, this one is on you to help me through.

And of course, the obvious...

Thou shalt blog more often!
With my weekly contribution at MTV lightened, I should have more time to pleasure your eyes and ears and hopefully make this a better blog.

Well kids, it's been an interesting year but that's not all from me yet..
I will fill you in with some very me top 5's before the year is through but fuck.. make it a rockin' 08 and go out in style.. I know I will.

peace ...x

Top 5 Gigs of 2008!

It's been a fucking good year for live music in my books, I was able to see three of my all time favourite bands, two in which I was sure I never would get the chance..

So when I decided to write this Top 5 I didn't realise how much work I had ahead of me.

I've seen so many shows this year, the biggest acts in the world, to the smallest acts in Sydney and I'm not surprised that the little guys are making my list!

UNO.
ARCADE FIRE - ENMORE THEATRE 23/01/08 - Big Day Out.
Probably the best gig I've ever seen.
Intimate and in the front row I got to witness close up and personal the magic that is Arcade Fire.
No doubt one of my most favourite bands, I was ecstatic when treated to all my favourite tracks.
Opening the show with the illuminating 'Wake Up' and closing with an intense cover of Violent Femmes 'Kiss Off' with next to no instruments or sound .. My mouth was on the floor.
AGAIN AGAIN AGAIN. I'd kill.
Here is a moment I will never forget - god bless youtube. It gets going at 1:37


DOS.
SMASHING PUMPKINS - V Fest March
After spending most of angst ridden teenage years scribbling the lyrics from 'Siamese Dream' in my journal, I never thought I would ever get the chance to see them. Ever. It was up there with Nirvana as far as I was concerned.
To witness a mass of people chanting the lyrics to 'Today' reduced me to tears. I had been waiting for that day for almost half my life.
Many people will tell you it was shit, because they played new material which I fucking love so eh.. but it was an unexplainable moment in time to witness a musical god with a crowd in his palm and war peddle at his feet. I could even forgive them for leaving 'Zero' off the set list and playing Britney instead ;)


TRES.
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE - Big Day Out Sydney
Another on the list of 'never going to see just give it up' however thanks to a year of solid comebacks the 90's alt gods blessed our shores headlining the Big Day Out.
Due to Bjork pulling out they played right after Arcade Fire and if I wasn't already in an amazing mood this sure as hell topped it off.
Opening with 'Testify' as it gently sprinkled rain upon the raging crowd, RATM were better than I could of ever imagined and ticked off one of my most life changing gigs yet.

QUATRO.
CHILDREN COLLIDE - The Metro - June?
I'm going to give this to a support act.
You don't expect your support on a bill to steal the show, but Children Collide pulled the rug out from under Grinspoon sometime in June.
I've now had the pleasure of seeing these guys four times but the show I am referring to was the second.
I was utterly hypnotized in the intense riffs and killer light show in sync with Johnny's rhythmic guitar spasms. Instrumentals and solid performances of the standard 'Cannibal' and 'Amphibious' it finessed as soon as it started and I couldn't get over the spectacle. It truly was CC at their best.

CINCO.
CAT POWER ENMORE THEATRE & Parades - The Annandale
Fifth spot is a tie between Cat Power & Parades.
The reason for this is because Cat Power, though amazing in performance, her voice as haunting as it is sweet, I was in the WORST mood during this gig.
I simply had so much trouble enjoying myself and really wasn't present for the gig.
However,when I think back, with vocals as smooth and husky and a room in awe of brilliant echo, her performance really was breathtaking.
And the runner up is Parades - My most favourite Sydney band!
Back in June these guys were playing at The Annandale in between acts such as Dappled Cities and The Seabellies and to tell you the truth, the small sets performed in intermission of tore up these headline acts in my opinion.
I've mentioned this gig before, and it still takes my breath away. Small room, beer on the floor, these guys playing meters away from the bar but worlds away from any other alternate band in Sydney right now, they really brought it.
I still remember just standing still in bouts of awe even after the band had clearly disappeared from sight. Killer. Intimate. Real music.

I've missed out so many shows and it was really hard to pick but these shows were the life changers :)
Let's hope I am as lucky next year!