CAST YOUR MIND BACK: Episode 5, 1997: The best year of our lives, apparently. And accurately.

***WARNING, NECESSARY SWEARS***

HOLY FUCKING SHIT GUYS. It is definitely an accurate description to call 1997 as the best year of music, possibly ever, definitely in Australian history. If we could bottle this slice of musical history and drink it up it would be the sweetest, most excellent drink in the world. It was RIDICULOUSLY HARD to pick 15 of the most memorable for this year, simply for the fact that nearly EVERY GODDAMN SONG was good and IS STILL good. With the absence of maybe Pauline Pantsdown, the top 20 was consistently decent, every song still standing up today, yes even you Chumbawumba, still getting flogged during sporting events. Music has never been this good since and never will; even the novelty songs and one hit wonders had repeat listenability (except maybe "Cows With Guns" by Dana Lyons).

Bands such as Blink 182, Smash Mouth, Cornershop, the Verve, and Dandy Warhols were coming out with their big time debuts, hitting big before their inevitable roll downhill. Not only was the international scene prime, but the Australian scene was just NAILING IT, with debuts from Jebediah, Living End, The Mavis', Grinspoon, Powderfinger (JC is one of the few songs of theirs I have willingly listened to)  and solid follow ups from Silverchair, Custard, Spiderbait, and of course the number one spotters the Whitlams. Kylie was still in indie girl phase, Nick Cave was breaking hearts with 'The Boatman's Call', and Regurgitator were just about to start killing it with 'Unit'. If a few of those Australian artists had stopped there, they would have achieved legendary status. 

I'm sure there was some crap that year as well, but the fact is also that people were listening to the right stuff too, and it all made it in, even Ween. (Nothing from Björk's 'Homogenic' made it in, but we'll let that one slide.) And every band whether you liked them or not had a good song, Beck, Blur, Marilyn Manson, Metallica. I can't emphasize it enough; during the final Hottest 100 of the last 20 years countdown in June this year, the most entries were from 1997 (with 12 of them), and it makes perfect sense. It was a brilliant year. 

So with that said, I will focus more on the obscurities than the obvious, we-all-loved-it songs, otherwise I'd be here all day, and APPARENTLY MY BLOGS ARE TOO LONG. 

Daft Punk - Da Funk (at #98)

I think the only reason this wasn't higher in the mix was because of there being just so many good songs this year. No one could forget the classic Spike Jonze directed film clip in which dog faced boy Charles with his broken boombox and leg gets around New York. Interestingly, the actor who plays Charles has had his finger in a few Jonze-ish pies since then.

Faithless - Don't Leave (at #95)

Everyone knows Faithless as the whole deep trancey stuff, with Dido thrown in there time to time, but this song was one of their underrated gems before that whole image took over. Such a delicately heartfelt song that very much emulates the tragedy of breaking up. Looks like it was used in 'A Life Less Ordinary', as was the excellent Beck song ''Deadweight'' that year. Great film too!

Brainbug - Nightmare (#85)

One of those one hit wonders I'm talking about, and a bit of silly fun. Brainbug was an Italian electronic dance music producer, who disappeared from the scene after the 90's and whose other songs at a glance sound a lot like this one. The filmclip made it a lot of fun though and was a great watch during a saturday morning Rage session. 

Space - Female of the Species (#75)

Space were a little band out of Liverpool that made it big with this single, then released 'Tin Planet' which I bought from Crazy Clarks for $10, then disappeared and never came back again. A real shame, as their quirky pop rock was extremely good stuff, and this song is a sexy slice of musical cheesecake (just imagine a better looking guy is singing it). 

Front End Loader - Pulse (#72)

This is a perfect rock song. It picks and slows down in the right places, makes you feel like moshing, harmonizes perfectly, indulges in slightly morbid subject matter. I think my whole family loved this song. Also it's fitting that Regurgitator's replacement drummer Pete Kostic was in this band, 'cause those drums! I've listened to it 3 times just now and could go a fourth.

Robyn Loau - Sick With Love (#71)

Remember Girlfriend? You had blocked that out, hadn't you? They were responsible for me wanting to wear flower hats when I was 7. The frontlady of the early 1990's australian girl group (only 90's australian girl group??) grew up and released this (terribly written) single in 1997 and it actually did pretty decently. Nothing really came out of that however, except that years later when re-discovering it, I added Robyn to MySpace and actually had some back and forth comments. 


White Town - Your Woman (#59)

Another slice of musical perfection, don't even tell me you disagree! It was played over and over again for years after it came out, and you can still catch it making a go-around. I loved it soooo much. White Town was greatly a one hit wonder, however the one guy who makes all of the music in White Town is still very much doing music. 

Arkarna - Eat me (#50)

Arkarna was another forgotten band I totally adored. I never got their album "Fresh Meat" but I taped their Live At the Wireless set for it at the time and played it constantly. Such good tunes, and such cute dudes. Fun fact: their song "So Little Time" became the theme song for Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen's TV show of the same name. BIG MISTAKE GUYS. 

Filter feat. the Crystal Method - (Can't You) Trip Like I Do (#47)

Before Filter were asking us to take a picture, they collaborated with The Crystal Method to create this brooding speedy track for the purpose of the soundtrack to 'Spawn'. Frontman RIchard Patrick's screeching vocals is a perfect accompaniment to the squeaky electronics and breaking beats. And because of this song, everyone remembers that great movie 'Spawn'.

The Cure - Wrong Number (#45)

Probably the last really popular Cure song they've created, this song was completely flogged on Triple J when it came out. It was totally unavoidable, and way too difficult to get out of your head. It was also pretty excellent, thankfully, reminding the public of why the Cure are so good, even if it is silly to like the Cure.

Pendulum - Coma (#37)

NOT to be confused by another Australian irritating dub-step band, Pendulum were close to giving me nightmares with this song. Opening with a really well picked creepy line from the not-so-creepy Eddie Murphy film 'Coming To America', add that to the cat-miaowy noises and footsteps, equals a song that takes you to all sorts of disturbing mental places. Fantastic. 

Regurgitator - Everyday Formula (#19)

The 'Gurge really sold their electro-punk-pop for me with this song, coupled with their Tron homage film clip. It also really sold Quan Yeoman's face to me as well. This was the year 'Unit' was released, which would go on to become their biggest hit and one of Australia's best albums of like, forever. 'Unit' kept them in the ARIA charts for something like 3 years, as they gradually released super fantastic single after single. I lusted over this album all throughout my childhood (It was R rated), surviving on a recorded tape of singles that I got off a friend. Finally my mum bought me a copy when I was a uni student, which was almost a humour joke after all that.

Cordrazine -  Crazy (#17)

I can still listen to this song for it's brooding, haunting melancholy. It seems to perfectly encapsulate that feeling of being out of control and isolated, with lead singer Hamish Cowan's voice a perfect accompaniment for the mood. This was the big single for Cordrazine, an Australian band that faded away not long after this hit. I remember seeing them on the bill to play at the Zoo in 2010 however so it appears they did reform (as is the thing to do in the twentyteens).  

Quindon Tarver and Lee Perry - Everybody's Free (to Wear Sunscreen) (#16)

Baz Lurhman had a bunch to do with this song which coincided with the excellent Romeo and Juliet soundtrack. Little man Quindon Tarver had won hearts with his gospel voice and ensured the track was not all about some old guy dishing out intriguing advice. The advice was pretty timeless, although very open to parody, achieved somewhat well by John Safran. 

Radiohead - Paranoid Android (#9)

I've done enough tooting of my own horn about Radiohead to fill a blog on its own.. but I have to tell you this song was the beginning of a long, long, long love affair with them. They've never let me down, and this song was worth an album of goodness, it has so much depth and creativity and emotion and layers and multiple playing power. The song, with the clip, takes you into a dark, aggressive place, and at 11 I had no idea how much that place would mean to me in my teenage years. And that's all I'll say.

So yep, done, dusted, 1997: best. I dare you to top it. Won't happen. 
P.S. Special thanks to Mike the Lover for letting me do this on his Mac. Hey did you know that Macs are really good?

CAST YOUR MIND BACK: Episode 3, 1995, Girl Power before the Spice Girls existed

1995 was the year of seminal works and debuts from bands that we have come to obsess over. Oasis released '(What's the Story) Morning Glory?', the Red Hot Chilli Peppers had 'One Hot Minute', and every girl had a copy of 'Jagged Little Pill' by Alanis Morrisette. Myself included; that being the first CD that was bought for me. Australian favourites Regurgitator and You Am I were first getting recognition and local fame, but I wasn't quite into them yet (but oh boy would I be into them). One thing I was getting into was Björk, and I bought her 'Post' record on cassette tape, the first album I ever bought with my own money. A lot of first for me in 1995! IN FACT, BJÖRK IS FIRST ON THIS LIST! HA!

Björk - "Army Of Me" (#83)

When this song came out, I could NOT get it out of my head. I spent a few days humming to it constantly until I tried to seek out who she was and how I could get her music. I had seen "It's Oh So Quiet" on Rage and soon linked the two together and soon I was fascinated by this insane backflipping pixie-ish lady. I never stopped being fascinated really. At the time I thought the lyrics were "And if you complain why I'm small, you'll meet an army of me" not "If you complain once more"... and since I was going through a "I'm the shortest person in my class and for that no one takes me seriously and it sucks" phase, it suited me very well. 

Supergrass - "Alright" (#79)

I thought this song was really old when I heard it the year it came out, and couldn't understand why it was being played everywhere. It became the soundtrack in the back of my head for fun holiday days and weekends of activities and adventure (not that many really, I was a pretty shy kid).  

N-Trance - "Stayin' Alive" (#64)

I was super surprised to see this song by "lets recycle a famous song and turn it into a clubbing piece of shit remix" collective N-Trance, make the countdown. It must have been PRETTY BIG considering it was PRETTY SHIT. I did like it though, because I was a 90's kid of the age of 9. Now it reminds me of the scene in 'Romy and Michele's Highschool Reunion' where they do a synchronized dance at a club, which is awkward and deadpan and hilarious. So the song has been good for one (1) thing. 

U2 - Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me (#57)

Let me be frank, I am not a U2 fan, and will never be one. But BATMAN, guys. The last couple of Batman movies ('..Forever', and '..And Robin') before Christopher Nolan got his hands on the franchise, were complete rubbish. But goddamn did they have excellent soundtracks. It's almost as though Joel Schumacher had to find a way to make the films worth anything, so threw a bunch of money at some decent artists to make some decent songs. This is one of them, with a pretty absorbing videoclip. God I loved watching those movie soundtrack video clips, especially if I hadn't seen the movie yet. I had seen the whole movie by the end of the clip though.


Skunk Anansie - "I Can Dream" (#41)

No one remembers this band I bet, and I have no idea what happened to them, but I really liked this song. It's very rock and screamy and loud and rough, but I think mostly I was enamoured by the lead singer. I loved how she was bald (omg she was bald!) but still beautiful and had such a powerful voice and presence, and to me that was pretty out there. 1995 may have been my total girlpower year.

Alanis Morrisette - "You Oughta Know" (#39)

SPEAKING OF. HERE SHE IS. THE QUEEN OF THE 90's FEMINISTS, ALANIS. I can't really pick a favourite song from this era because I played her album on repeat for months, but this song was the first to grab my attention. Alanis was so mad and crazy and sang with so much snipe and passion, and she had long hair and thrashed it around a bit. What more could you want, really? Unfortunately the best thing she did after this album was play God in Kevin Smith's 'Dogma'.

Pulp - "Common People" (#38)

I remember really liking "Disco 2000" more than this song, which was released in November that year (so perhaps too late in the game to get enough followers to vote). I grew to love this song pretty soon after it made the CD and it's still a classic. You may have all forgotten about the William Shatner with Ben Folds (feat Joe Jackson) cover of this song, but let me refresh your memory. I know you hate me right now but I'm not sorry. 

Swoop - "Apple Eyes" (#32)

This song was ridiculously catchy and bright, and just like most catchy bright songs of the time, was a one hit wonder of sorts. The film clip was half the appeal... I love how they discovered Green Screen in the worst possible way, so now it is so 90's it's gone past there to the 2000's and back to the 80's. The "I think I love you" bit made me cringe back then and it is making me cringe now. 

Jill Sobule - "I Kissed A Girl" (#18)

FUCK YOU KATY PERRY, JILL KISSED A GIRL BEFORE YOU DID, AND SHE LIKED IT BETTER THAN YOU DID. You thought you were so out there and taboo making a song about an occasional lapse into lesbianism (whether permanent or not) when it is OLD NEWS. It's not taboo anymore Katy and Jill didn't need fluro blue or pink hair and crazy outfits to pull it off. Where are you now Jill, to punch this girl in the throat? THIS IS GIRLPOWER, DAMMIT.

Mindless Drug Hoover - "The Reefer Song" (#12)

One of those novelty songs that was forgotten about in a year, and was truly pretty terrible. I had to get a friend who knew better to fill me in on what 'reefer' was, and once I knew, it was so deliciously naughty to sing along to. I had it soon memorized even though I still wasn't entirely sure what was going on in the song. For someone so impressionable I never developed much of an interest in actually trying reefer.

T.I.S.M. (This Is Serious Mum) - "Greg! The Stop Sign!!" (#10)

Baklava (or wine cask bladder)-clad TISM may have SEEMED like a novelty band, but they were actually very good musicians with quite a bit of songwriting wit. They can even transfer their hits on to traditional greek instruments. Their real identities were never to be revealed, with rumours that they were members of the Wiggles or Machine Gun Fellatio, but eventually were (proving all rumours incorrect). This song was one heck of an earworm and even though I only heard it a bunch of times on the radio/Rage, I heard it a million times more in my head.

Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue - "Where the Wild Roses Grow" (#8)

Possibly one of the worst Nick Cave songs ever, with some of the most compromising and cringey lyrics: "...BUT MY NAME WAS ELIIIISA DAY". Ok, Elisa. But Kylie got some serious indie cred from this (which carried over from her earlier indie-er offerings), and it was pretty mega. The song was a pretty basic 'murder ballad' (guess which Nick Cave album this is on??) and enchanted me for many months... even the terrible filmclip had me watching intently. Ok so there are some much less feminist works in this countdown... this song definitely balances out the angry lady rock songs. 

Custard - "Apartment" (#7)

For starters, this song is freaking brilliant. For seconds, I loved it to bits. For thirds, it is the first song I played on my first very own CD player. In my room. Imagine it. It was the awesomest thing ever at the time. Never mind I also purchased Hit Machine 14 to go with that CD player, let's just forget that ever happened. Lastly, I still love this song and have a great time listening to it. CLASSIC CUSTARD. NEVER FORGET. 

Presidents of the United States - "Kitty" (#4)

I was originally a cat person before we got a dog, and then I became a fence sitter. So while our family had a lovely grey persian cat named Geno, this was a song I enjoyed. (I only just realised now, as he was a very old cat, that at the time I thought cats got grey like humans did. ANYWAY) It's definitely not the Presidents' best work, and it's as novelty as they come, but I got lots of fun out of singing this song (except I never said the f's.) Goddammit I was such a boring child. 

Oasis - "Wonderwall" (#1)

And now for the song that blitzed the entire world and made Beatle-esque music totally cool and in. My parents bought '(What's the Story) Morning Glory?' not long after it came out and I got heavily, heavily into it. It is an excellent album, no one can really deny that, and had a lot of staying power. I remember in that year after the countdown, mum enrolled me into a drama group nearby, and for one of our activities we had to get in a line and sing some of our favourite song. I started in a tone way too low for me "TODAY IS GUNNA BE THE DAY THAT I'M GUNNA THROW IT BACK TO YEWWW". It was horrible, and the group leader was a little taken aback. I'm still blushing from it. Anyway, this song was destined to be number one, and the fact I loved it made it all the sweeter. 

For the full list see HERE! HAVE FUN LISTENING TO THE COUNTDOWN TODAY GUYS! I'VE ACTUALLY NOT GOT SUPER UPSET YET (Except for maybe Lana Del Ray and Of Monsters and Men getting in, you really have to be kidding me.... shhh steph) BUT THERE IS STILL TIME! SEE YOU NEXT TIME FOR 1996!