CAST YOUR MIND BACK: Episode 2, 1994 ('cause I'm a dimwit)

This post carries on from original post here!

OK. I am stupid and have no sense of time. When googling the Triple J Hottest 100 lists I naturally worked back a year, keeping in mind that all hottest 100 countdowns are announced in the new year. My last blog post was about 1993, not 1992. I used that M.I.A. reference all for nothing. I am sorry for being a total dickhead. 
Also, if you're viewing on your mobile, please click on the links to watch the videos, as for some reason the embeds didn't come up on phone screens last time. Never been a better time to switch to Tumblr!

199FOUR was the year that Cranberries nailed the top spot, The Offspring's "Ixnay on the Hombre" was everyone's most played album, and Silverchair turned up fresh off the highschool bus and became instant heartthrobs. 

The countdown list suggests that Triple J listeners WERE better back then, OR the music was better, because people voted BEERCAN (#29) above LOSER (#45) by Beck which I am assuming was a song much less flogged. HUGE songs such as "Mm Mmm Mmm Mmm" by the Crash Test Dummies or "Stay" by Lisa Loeb, were only a measly 69 and 100 respectively, and the most mainstream tune that made it in was probably Warren G's "Regulate" featuring Nate Dogg (which is kinda rad really). My memory is sharper of this time and music was becoming much more a part of my world, but I will stick with 15 songs for you. 

Blur - "Girls And Boys (Remix)" (coming in at #96... should have been higher!)

I remember pairing this song at the time with East 17's awful cover of "West End Girls", because they both talked about boys and girls, had similar-ish filmclips, and were good looking. Except no one remembers that song and everyone remembers Blur's song, which you can still hear played at Ric's on a Saturday night. BLURPLEASECOMETOAUSTRALIARIGHTNOWOKTHANKSBYE.

Dave Graney 'n' the Coral Snakes - "I'm Gonna Release Your Soul" (#79)

One my parent's favourites at the time (or so my memory tells me), Dave Graney hit pretty big with this song. It was damn catchy and stuck in your head immediately, with a bit of sex appeal that was most definitely lost on 8 year old me. I think it mostly annoyed me, but I can naturally appreciate and enjoy it in my adult life. 

Frente - "Bizarre Love Triangle" (#56)

Frente! was one of the first bands I ever got into as a very youngster, and they were very appropriate for a 7 year old to get into as "Accidentally Kelly Street" sounded like a song from Play School. This song however was a very popular, sweet cover of the New Order tune, that I thought at the time was an excellent original (remember how old I was guys). I can remember my dad remarking on the video "that girl's got something up her schnozz", and nothing more... not even bothering to tell me that this wasn't an original song. SHAME ON YOU FRANCO.


Ed Kuepper - "La Di Doh" (#55)

For some reason I really liked this song as a kid, and I don't really know why- maybe it was just my parents going nuts over it and thus modelling was the culprit. SHAME ON YOU AGAIN FRANCO. It is a really good song though, a thousand times better live rather than this kind of abrupt recording. 

Christine Anu - "Monkey and the Turtle" (#43)

Remember Christine!? She was all 'My Island Home' and 'Why don't you come join ma parteh' and before those songs got big she did this song, which was a million times better than those two. So groovy and joyous and easy to sing along. Probably danced to this in my room one time too many. 

The Prodigy - "Voodoo People" (#37)

I definitely danced to this in my room ten times too many. 

Tori Amos - "Cornflake Girl" (#35)

What was she singing about?! What was she saying half the time!? Peel out the walch wear? Who knew! All I knew is whenever I had cornflakes for breakfast, I too was a cornflake girl, and this song was in some way partly responsible for my desire to play piano some day. 

Kylie Minogue - "Confide In Me" (#30)

Remember when Kylie Minogue had some good songs? This was even before her 'Impossible Princess' Indie-queen era, during which  she also had some good songs. This was a pretty great song, and if anyone disputes that well then I don't care. It also opened up my vocabulary a bit. 

Underground Lovers - "Losin' It" (#19)

This song kills me every time. IT IS SO GOOD. Back then I was a bit saddened by it, as it sounded so mournful and hopeless. But since then its catch and hook and danceability weirdly uplifts me despite the lonesome subject matter. Underground Lovers were totally underrated. They toured recently but DID I GO? NO BECAUSE I SUCK. 

Nick Cave - "Do You Love Me" (#11)

Nick Cave's two big songs at this time, this one and "Red Right Hand", took over the airwaves and took myself to a dark, scary place with no light at the end of the tunnel. Somehow I was okay with this, (again, my parents probably had a lot to do with that... FRANCO!) and would sing along to this song in the living room. I obviously didn't listen too deeply to the lyrics. Great job Nick!

Severed Heads - "Dead Eyes Opened (remix)" (#10)

"I'm not going into details. It's too horrible." There are many many versions of this song on youtube, as it has been remixed a hundred times, and was first released in 1984. The song's sample of a British man reading an excerpt from what I read was a book called "Death on the Crumbles" made it a huge hit- it was fascinating and ghastly. Along with the addictive electronic beat, the song is almost timeless.

Max Sharam - "Coma" (#8)

I remember this filmclip EERILY well. It's not a great clip, but the song was probably my favourite ever at the time. The sense of insanity was so present, even if I was too young understand the concept of stalking and heartbreak. In a way I related to that sense of coming apart and being in a coma-esque funk, as I was a pretty anxious young girl at the time. Max Sharam was a one wonder at the time, cleaning up at the ARIAs then disappearing, but wikipedia tells me she is crowdfunding a new record. 

Veruca Salt - "Seether" (#6)

I have a distinct memory of my mum and dad watching this clip and endlessly debating what the "Seether" in the song was. "It's a cat!" "NO it's a human!" "Oh maybe it's a dog?" "No it's definitely a cat!" One of those classic 90's girl rock bands, the rawness of this song hooked me, and left me to wonder for hours how you'd try to cram a child/person back into a person's 'mound' or 'mouth', if you want to believe LyricsFreak. 

Silverchair - "Tomorrow" (#5)

It is simply quite amazing how far Silverchair came, growing up out of their Pearl Jam/Nirvana emulating beginnings and into an artistic, critically lauded band. I can't say I was a fan of them all the way through (and felt sometimes the 'artiness' was a bit gratuitous), but listen to something like Dissociatives (in which frontman Daniel Johns collaborated with Paul Mac of Itch-E and Scratch-E, another 1994 fave), and its hard to believe they're the same band. This was a perfect rock song that gave them huge exposure, whether they wanted it or not.

The Cranberries - "Zombie" (#1)

"IN YUR HEEEEAAAD!! ZAHHHHMBEHHH-YEH" Having NO concept of the Protestant VS Catholic conflict in Ireland, I of course just thought this song was about zombies and enjoyed singing along to what I thought was a hilarious tune. It was damn hard to escape this tune and it's despairing tones, and it was no surprise when it became number one. 

THAT'S ALL! I believe the countdown for Triple J's Hottest 100 songs of the last 20 years is next weekend. Do you think I can complete this blog project by then? NO WAY! I will forever be harping on about last years news. As long as someone reads it, I don't care... I SHALL CARRY ON. See you soon for Part 3, 1995!

Oh my Blog! 2012 is Over!

Well, this is awkward.

It's been a ridiculously busy year of lots of things happening, since August 2012 at least when I last spoke to the internets world. I thought I'd have a few spare moments to blog while on the christmas holiday break, but   it was over in a flash and I've only just had the chance to sit down now, after I've been back at work for 3 days already. And so much has happened! Which means I've had some re-assessing to do as to the future of this blog, for if I'm going to let it go for 4 months then I need to find some way to do better. It may just turn into a blog for lots of general stuff... I may blog about gigs, albums, movies, books, things that are on my mind grapes, TV shows, dinner and drinking destinations, sports (ahahahah oh god no, that's not going to happen), politics (watch out Campby), health, psychology. Or it may stay the way it is! Who knows! It's like a kinder surprise!

Nonetheless, I do want to do a round up of all the gigs I went to after my Campbell rant, and also pay very special attention to Radiohead's two (2) shows I went to on their australia tour, because they could literally be the best live show in the universe and best band in the history of the universe. I am kidding, but only half. 

For now though, I thought I'd let you know what my favourite albums and songs were of 2012. 2012 was a pretty shit year for music if you ask me, with not many real standouts that wowed everyone, and lots of established bands having to attempt to top their last awesome release. Not a lot grabbed me and as a result, this is a rather mediocre list. I don't even know if I'm going to vote for the Triple J Hottest 100 yet!! Considering I've managed to vote every year since I was like, 12, this is significant stuff in the life of Steph. 

Ok so here goes. In no particular order 'cause I can't pick a number 1:

Tame Impala's "Lonerism" was a hit for pretty much everyone- Triple J, 4ZZZ, Nova, Pitchfork, my family, every man and his bloomin' dog. For great reason: it's a flowing tapestry of awesome, and very quickly addictive. Their sophomore release does not change up much from their debut, their 70's psychadelic summery sound is all over the thing, but it really seems to work for them. Tame Impala just know how to create continuous catch, even while everything sounds a bit the same. A perfectly timed summer album, solidifying Tame Impala as one of Australia's internationally respected wonder-bands (and one I like a lot to boot). Also if I were to get high, I would get high to "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards", immediately.

Grizzly Bear's "Shields" had a lot to live up to, as 2009's "Veckatimest" was made love to over and over again by critics and music fans alike. Luckily, it's pretty amazing. It took a bit to grow on me, as it's lush instrumentation ebbing and flowing requires attention to process, but once I had the focus, it stood out as an exquisite album. I got to see them at Harvest Festival this year (my 3rd time seeing them omg glooooat) and the songs were beautifully translated live onstage, making me appreciate this album a little more. I'm glad this album could show they weren't just a hipster flavour of the month and actually have so much more to offer the music world.

Oh look, speaking of hipster flavour of the.... lifetime of Pitchfork, here comes Animal Collective, with "Centipede Hz". Universally recognised as perhaps the worst album cover of the year, the album inside it is a rollercoaster of colour and texture, highs, lows and awkward messes, like most AC albums are... It doesn't have quite the pop value (and new-fan-creating abilities) of 2009's "Merriweather Post Pavillion", and does have a few slightly-almost-skippable moments bordering on annoying. However, there is some fantastic stuff on the album, and a couple of new favourite songs that sound a bit more like band member Panda Bear's solo stuff (and one of which: "New Town Burnout", was written for his last solo album, so go figure), as well as their leading single "Today's Supernatural". 

Actually not called "Huh?", but "Sweet Heart, Sweet Light"... This album by Spiritualized is only the second I own as a relatively newer fan, and so I only have "Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space" to compare it to (which is close to a perfect album). This album does have a very similar feel to that one however, and I found it very easy to love for that reason. Opening single "Hey Jane" is a killer, and hooked me in completely, one of my favourite songs of the year. Similar to "Ladies and Gentleman" the album hovers between grinding, lazy rock anthems, and sweet, loving melancholic ballads, culminating in bittersweet "So Long You Pretty Thing". Frontman Jason Pierce/Spaceman's voice seems lazier and with less effort on each song, but it's kind of the singing that works for the album, and as a result, I have come back to it a lot this year.

Grimes' "Visions" is also another very well played album for me. It was very difficult to ignore the melodically pleasurable singles "Oblivion" and "Genesis" from this album, which is the third in Grimes' catalogue, but the first to make such an impact on the music world. Particularly teenage girls who have suddenly developed blunt fringes, pony-tailed hair and bindies on their foreheads, coincidentally similar to Grimes' 24 year old mastermind Claire Boucher. The album is full of dark, dirty electropop with Claire's pixie-mated-with-a-chipmunk voice spilling over the top of it, and caused me to launch into impromptu dance in the kitchen many times. 

I really like Spoon, a lot... but here's a secret, I never got the whole Wolf Parade obsession quite as much as everyone else. Luckily, both bands collaborated, and created Divine Fits, made an album called "A Thing Called Divine Fits", and I like it a lot. It combines the passionate, catchy pop of Spoon with the darker, complex indie rock dimensions of Wolf Parade, to create a very nice selection of songs, highlights being the radio friendly "What Gets You Alone" and "My Love is Real". The only downside is a completely unnecessary cover of one of my favourite songs ever written, Rowland S. Howard's "Shivers". Nothing is added to it and I don't understand why they needed a cover song in there at all, they were doing quite fine without it! But nonetheless, you should hear this album anyway. 

I've only been a casual fan of Santigold (or The Artist Formerly Known As Santogold), and recently downloaded this album, "Master of My Make Believe" after being very impressed by her performance at Harvest Festival this year. Santigold has that kind of gruff, in your face yell-voice that Nicki Minaj is even worse at, and for that reason I kind of need breaks in between Santigold listens, and have to be in THAT kind of mood. This album seemed to get me at the right times as I found it quite refreshingly appealing in it's upbeat, heaving progression from beginning (Karen O howls in "Go!") to end (tribal mayhem with "Big Mouth"). I think what I was looking for this year was music with a great hook, and a lot of songs fit that description here. 

Well that's all! Just 7 albums! Notable mentions (i.e. Albums I've heard a few times and enjoyed but not enough to rate yet), include: 

Frank Ocean - Channel Orange, 

Alt J- An Awesome Wave 

M. Ward - A Wasteland Companion, and 

David Byrne & St Vincent - Love This Giant. 

On that last one, I just love the album cover, and must show you for this reason.. It's just so WEIRD and bizarre like they are. Look at it! The chins! The cheekbones! The expressions! David! Sigh. 

And finally, my top 10 songs of this year. With youtube video!

1. Frank Ocean - Super Rich Kidz

It sounds like Benny and the Jets and it won't get out of my head. 

2. Spiritualized- Hey Jane

So good while driving. Try it! (p.s. this film clip is messed uuuuuuuuup.)

3. Grimes - Genesis and/or Oblivion

They're both interchangeable in their similar awesomeness, I can't pick which I like best.

4. Alt J- Breezeblocks

I'm confident this is an opinion shared by many others and it will be in the top 10 of the hottest 100. If not there is no justice and I give up on everything. 

5. Grizzly Bear- Sun In Your Eyes

Epic, beautiful, explosive, and the perfect closer of their album.

6. Beach House - Lazuli

Very "Beach House" and very pretty and addictive. 

7. Tame Impala - Apocalypse Dreams

Also good while driving! I dare you.

8. Dirty Projectors - Gun Has No Trigger 

A band I should listen to more of. A subtle, foreboding song that has snuck in and haunted my subconcious

9. Santigold - Disparate Youth 

Just listening to it now makes me want to dance with a deadpan expression on my face

10. Animal Collective - New Town Burnout

I love the passion in Panda Bear's voice, even though he's not really singing about anything. 

Special mention to Ben Folds Five- Michael Praytor, Five Years Later, for not being shit.

Well that's all for now bitches! I am so glad to have done this finally and I hope to do more soon. I can count on you guys to prod me if I slack off again. THANKYOU FOR READING! SLACKER OUT!

Fleet Foxes, Tivoli Theatre, 11th of January 2012

Well folks, I was all set to transfer this blog over to Wordpress when either I clicked something to make it better or Blogger just suddenly got better. I am currently using an interface which doesn't suck and this is making an already satisfactory week even better. Congratulations for reading my thoughts blogger! (We'll see how long this lasts, and if I've broken the internet by typing the word 'blogger' into blogger.).

Now, remind me never to use the word 'folks' again, folks. 

Wednesday night was the second night of Fleet Foxes' Brisbane tour, on the back of their critically favoured second album, 'Helplessness Blues'. I'd heard just enough of the new one to discern a few enjoyable favourites, although I would describe the new one as "very Fleet Foxes", without quite as much magic as their 2008 self titled debut. Anyway, I arrived with gig posse just in time for support act Grand Salvo to start his slot, being a bearded folk singer with naught but his acoustic. As he commenced I noticed that the crowd was a quite distinct mix of old and new, with a fair serving of black-framed-glasses hipsterosity. So much so that the lady in front of us walked up to a black-framed stranger, thinking he was her black-framed husband for a few too many seconds until she found him standing on the other side of her. 

Grand Salvo with a boat

Back to the performance! While showing obvious talents on the strings of his guitar, and a sweetly tuned voice to accompany it, the consistently themed tunes he played us were also consistently melancholic-ally dull. It was clear he was chosen for the finger plucking melodic sounds that the Fleet Foxes share, but the interest value was very lacking, and I felt lulled to sleep more than pumped for the headlining band. Perhaps I'd enjoy him better as background music on a wintry afternoon. 

There was very little time to wait before the Fleet Foxes followed his departure, luckily, and frontman Robin Pecknold and company graced the stage with a visual image of stars trailing behind them. A bit of a fumble and they launched into "The Plains/Bitter Dancer" from the new record. Suddenly we were all awake, awed by the powerful crescendo of lushness, and amazingly strong harmonies, broken up by the perfectly synchronised verse chants. Another bit-too-long fumble later and they continued with "Mykonos" from their 'Sun Giant' EP. The band's pauses between songs were a little longer than expected, probably due to their preparation for each special arranged tune, as some members switched from mandolin to guitar, from double bass to flute, and so on. This was noticed by a few crowd douchebags who screeched out songs for them to play as they got ready, and most embarrassingly boganesque "YEAHYEAHH!!!"'s, dog calls, and the kind of yelling reserved for Rage Against the Machine gigs. I don't know if the perpetrators did this to be ironic or as a joke on the band, having been dragged there by others perhaps, but it wasn't funny and it even lead to Robin saying something like "That's not the way to behave in such a tasteful venue as the Tivoli theatre". Robin, drummer Joshua, and other guitarists (view fail.) were pleasantly engaging during these pauses, with relaxed banter and conversation about badly treated cymbals and the Brisbane heat. 

Christian Wargo (bass) and Robin Pecknold (beautiful, beautiful vocals)

Skuler Skjelset (lead guitar) and Morgan Henderson (most other things)

The sensational music continued with highlights from 'Helplessness Blues', including "Sim Sala Bim", "Battery Kinzie", and the lovely opening track "Montezuma". I can't express enough how perfect their harmonies and intricate instrumentals interacted together to create the most fantastic replications of their album songs. It was pristinely clear and completely un-faultable, and in combination with Robin's earnestness in his performance, was even better than on record. An array of visual patterns were projected to support the songs from time to time, and the continual rising of stars made the band look as if they were floating towards us, powered by their music. (I'm a wank.)
My favourite moments were their selection of songs from their first album, including harmony heaven "White Winter Hymnal", the brilliant "He Doesn't Know Why" (with that all powerful bridge "THERE'S NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTHING I CAN DOOOOOOOOOOOO..." projected to utmost satisfaction) and rollicking "Ragged Wood". To finish off before their encore, they decide to replicate the end of the new album, firstly "The Shrine/An Argument", in its layered, almost schizophrenic glory, and the quiet "Blue Spotted Tail" preluding the energetic "Grown Ocean". 

Circle of Robin

It didn't take long for them to come out again for a bit more fumbling and then a nicely packed encore. They treated us to  a lovely bunch of self-titled album songs, including constantly requested "Oliver James", (you lucky pesks), "Sun it Rises", and "Blue Ridge Mountains". Finally, as I had predicted to myself, they left us with their title song, "Helplessness Blues", which powered along fantastically leaving me slightly bittersweet that it was all about to end. Naww.
The crowd trudged out of the Tivoli with great difficulty, and a kind of speechless cloud was over me as I exited. What an amazing start to the year this performance was! Exclamation! The bar is totally set high by the FF's, and it's going to take a lot of perfection to beat this gig. My bittersweet thoughts appear to be shared, as a fellow gig attendee reported on facebook later "That was inspirational and upsetting. Acceptable and infuriating." Agreed.


9 snow topped trees out of 10. Please imagine these trees as we embrace this searing hot summer. Ahhh.