Levity Liasons

I'm not sure if they've always existed, but the presence of 'fashion bands' seems to be rapidly expanding. These are the bands whose popularity derives not just from the quality of their music, but from the sense that it's somehow cool to like them. It's not the fashion side of things that bothers me. If bands want to dress weird and fans want to copy them, good for them. It's the fact that certain members of these bands seem to think they're so damn hot that they're actually better than others and can do and say whatever they please. What's almost worse is that people keep coming to see these jerks, fueling their egos and widening the gap between their music and their image. Don't do it people! These individuals need help. Watching and supporting them is only going lead to a greater inflation of their sense of self and even more pain when they realise just how shallow they are. Do what's best for them and for the wider musical community. Quietly turn away.

Alright then! Sorry for the rant. The actual topic of today's post are the two bands signed to Levity Records: Mercy Arms and Cut Off Your Hands. Now when a band is signed to a label that grew out of a jeans brand, I can't help but yell "fashion band!" (hence the tie-in). But I know both of these bands from earlier days and I know they are capable of making good music. There is hope. By pure coincidence, I've had the chance to see both these bands in the last week. Did their music stand up on its own or were people just there for the social pages?

Mercy Arms
Cut Off Your Hands

New Sigur Ros

Sigur Ros are certainly creating quite a stir at the moment. They're heading out here for Splendour in the Grass, they've put out a single that deviates significantly significantly from their traditional formula and they're offering free streaming of their soon-to-be-released album. It's almost to good to be true!

The single in question, Gobbledigook, is behind much of the buzz. Not only is it a 'song', in traditional structure terms, but it's also a 'single', perfectly suited for radio play. Now to the uninformed, this might seem rather unspectacular, but to anyone who knows Sigur Ros, it's BIG. I personally love it. I've always found their recorded work distant, but with this track, it's engaging. Very refreshing indeed.

Gobbledigook

However, early indications would suggest that this song is an exception. The rest of their new album, titled Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust, appears to stay true to their traditional sound. I think this is a good thing. When you hear these guys live, you'll know what I mean. Listen to the album on their website, or to a better quality version last.fm.

As I mentioned, Sigur Ros are coming out for Splendour in the Grass, as well as a sideshow. Get excited. Whatever you do, don't miss out on seeing one of these shows. When I saw them about a year ago, I was blown away. It was at a festival, I was standing on a slope and I knew none of their music, yet it still rates as one of the greatest shows of my life. The power and spectacle of their performance is amazing. See them before its too late. You won't regret it.

| myspace | website |

The Future

I've have returned with a renewed vigor to post regularly! I was browsing through Sydney blogs and was quite disappointed to see so many of them dying. What's happening people!? There's nothing worse than returning to a blog, only to find that the newest post is the same as month ago. I hate this, and yet I've been doing it myself! Well not anymore. Uni's as good as over (exams you say?) and the world is ripe with new music. Let's see how long this lasts!

I also found something I wrote a while back and thought I'd share it with you. It's rather amusing. It would also be pretty cool to one day make it happen.......

Music Problems

Here’s a couple of conundrums to contemplate over breakfast

Problem 1) Music Tastes

When someone asks you “what music do you like”, it’s impossible to answer such a question, without doing yourself injustice. With movies or TV shows you might be alright. You could usually rattle off 5 or so and have most bases covered. But with music it’s completely different. Most people have dozens of artists they would consider favourites, so trying to pick just few is too much of an ask. Things get even more complex when you enter social situations and have to consider whether the other person will recognise a certain band, let alone approve of them. If only there was a way to encapsulate your entire musical tastes into a single breath……..if only.

Answer) Music Colour

The most obvious way to solve the above problem, would be to assign some sort of score. But why stop there? Why not make things interesting and assign a colour? The RGB colour scale offers the perfect solution. Every band would shift the balance in some way (e.g. Spice Girls = severe blue shift) and once you add together the influence of all your favourite bands, you would be left with a colour that defines your tastes completely. It’s not perfect but hey, it’s a start. At least you’ll know not to even bother with the small chat when you meet someone from the indigo crowd.

Problem 2) Genres

Currently music is categorised according to genres. This is troublesome because it overlooks the individual differences between bands. You can try inventing finer and finer categories, but you will always be trying to arrange a continuous spectrum of styles into distinct groups. It will never work. But having a continuous spectrum brings you back to square one. You no longer have any way of indicating what a band sounds like. That is, unless you map every band onto a planet! (makes sense right?)

Answer) Music Globe

The concept is quite simple really. Similarity between two bands is represented by geographical closeness. If two bands are really alike, they have houses next to each other. The genres of old become countries. Sub genres become cities. Similar genres like ‘indie’ and ‘pop’ are manifested as neighbouring countries. Heavy metal is on the other side of the globe. Sigur Ros is an island in the middle of nowhere. If only they showed kids this globe at school, we’d all be better off.

The Octopus Project and why you should pay more attention to your music.

I’ve always been one who sees the allure of vinyls, indulge yet I’ve also done my best to avoid getting swept up by them. I do this because I know that it is neither practical nor affordable to listen to everything on vinyl, no matter how much better it sounds. Yet in recent times, my standards have been slipping a little and I’ve been indulging myself. The most striking thing I’ve noticed is how different the listening process is. The fact that you have to physically turn the record over, just to get through an album, means it is generally more involving. You’re far more likely to pay attention to the music coming out of your turntable, than the queued up mp3s on your computer. The reason this was so striking was that it made me realise how little attention I pay to the music I listen to. I consider myself devoted to music because I listen to it all the time, but in actual fact, I’m hardly listening at all. It is merely sitting in the background, failing to register as I attend to whatever else I’m doing. And I wonder why it takes me so long to decide whether I like something or not. I need at least three of these half-hearted attempts before an image of the song begins to form in my brain. I know most people out there probably don’t offend as badly as I do, but every now and then, I recommend you try actually LISTENING to your music. You’ll find it to be much more enjoyable, even if you do lose all that time that could have been spent multitasking.

Now all this might seem irrelevant, but it partly thanks to The Octopus Project and their latest album, Hello, Avalanche that I came to this revolutionary conclusion. I was at my computer, doing the motions, listening to their album for probably the third time. However, after a 3am session of listening to the White Album and playing Uno the night before, I was getting rather tired. I decided to leave the album going as I gave my eyes a rest. It was here I discovered just how great it is. Being a (largely) instrumental band, it makes sense that The Octopus Project pay a fair amount of attention to detail. So as I lay there, concentrating on nothing but, I was able to experience this in all its glory. Each song is delicately crafted, gradually layering one riff on top of other until it builds into a spectacular climax, or else floats off in another direction. It really is quite a special album and this is coming from someone who usually shies away from instrumental music. There really isn’t any stand out tracks because each just carries on perfectly from the last. I must admit, I picked a nice album to lie back and relax to.

An Evening With Rthrtha – Then again, after listening to this song, you’ll probably wonder how I could ever call the album relaxing. But as you pay close attention, hearing the changes as they evolve, it does end up rather peaceful.

I Saw The Bright Shinies – This song impressed me so much, it made want to copy it. The patch they use does a brilliant job of replicating haunting vocals, especially how each notes peaks just after you’d expect it to.

Label | Website | Myspace

The Hopetoun Hotel's Melbourne Menagerie!

Just in case you didn't have enough great shows to go to in January, here's another one. This Saturday, three of Melbourne's finest indie-pop bands are coming up to Sydney to play one special show at The Hopetoun Hotel. It's an overdose of super sweet sounds. Melbourne really does beat us hands down when it comes to making warm, energetic and fun music. It's sure to be a treat. Here's some samples by each of the bands:

The Zebras - You Look Ready
Summer Cats - Discotheque
The Motifs - Backwards

Sydney band, Our Monk, will also be opening on the night.

More details here

Can't wait!

Sound Emissions

I’m not sure if I’m supposed to clarify this anymore, but for those who don’t know, fbi is a Sydney radio station. The basic premise they have going is that they play 50% Australian music, with 50% of that being from Sydney. This works out pretty perfectly because not only do you get exposed to a healthy serving of local music, but this is balanced by the best from across the world.

For me radio is like a reserve. Most of the time I’ll listen to my own music, but occasionally when this gets boring or I’m just feeling lazy, I’ll flick on the radio. However it’s important to actually have a good radio station to turn to and if it wasn’t for fbi, this wouldn’t be the case. Triple J is ok at times, but it seems to have been overrun by punk music. It may be what the people want, but it’s not what I want. As for commercial radio, let’s just say that the one time I was forced to listen to it, I was evaluating the pros and cons of ending my life.

For this reason it’s vitally important that fbi remains afloat. Currently they’re doing a ‘Dump Toxic Radio’ promotion, which I can definitely sympathise with. They do one of these supporter drives every six months or so and I must admit, it’s probably the worst part about the station. There’s nothing worse then having them continually asking people to sign up, especially when you already have. But when you consider that the station is run by volunteers, has barely any ads and plays great music then hey, I’m willing to forgive them.

It’s funny how they manage to time these supporter drives. For the whole of the last year I barely listened to radio and yet in the last month, just when my subscription is about to end, I’ve been listening to them near constantly. As they talk of all their financial woes, I can’t help feel a little guilty and will no doubt end up forking the money out again.

It feels like some sort of scam, but at least you do get something out it. The amount of prizes they’re giving is simply ridiculous and many of these are worth 100s of dollars. I can’t be bothered going into detail but you can find it all here. The best part is that everyone who signs up stills gets something. This is great news for people like me who never seem to win competitions. This loser package includes all sorts of goodies such as free downloads, environmental light bulbs (yay) and best of all, a Sound Emissions CD.

I was intrigued by this CD from the first time they mentioned it. Nothing like a free (well kind of) mix tape. To anyone who is looking to get a taste for local Sydney music, this is a pretty great way. Everyone who signs up gets one so not only will your money be going to a good cause, but you’ll also get a nice dose of Sydney music in return. It’s probably what will tip the balance towards me renewing my supportership. Damn you fbi! Here’s what you get:

1. Holy Chord - Dappled Cities 4:23
2. Morning Light - Sparkadia 3:21
3. Number One - Stick Figures 4:31
4. Hazy Elevator - Telemetry Orchestra 3:45
5. Leonard's Lesson 3 (edit) - Comatone 5:15
6. Song We Don't Spreak Of - The Seabellies 4:59
7. Alone Again - Teenager 4:23
8. Night Is Only Young - Rand And Holland 3:09
9. Arks - The Small Hours 4:00
10. Trust (Clue To Kalo Remix) - Fourplay 4:08
11. Little Tapioca (Part Timer Remix) - Underlapper 4:19
12. Everywhere Nowhere - Ollo 4:09
13. Cash - Ghosts Of Television 4:53
14. Line Up The Happiness - Jordy Lane 3:43
15. Baguette En Potage Francais D'Oignon - Caviar 2:32
16. Untitled 3 - Robert Luke 3:32
17. Eight Hr Valentine - The Instant 4:06
18. Mad Love - Belles Will Ring 4:34
19. Bear In The Big City - Warhorse 4:49

Mmmm, pretty tasty.

Layout

You may have noticed that recently I've been playing around with the layout. If anything is not displaying properly, please tell me. Similarly, if there's something you don't like or if you have a suggestion, let it be known!

Sandwiches For Everyone!

As far as Aussie music blogs go, The Sandwich Club are the heavyweights. They’ve got a respectful following and a name that’s actually recognised in the real world. They’re dedicated to supporting the underdog and with a team ten strong, they can keep the content flowing on a regular basis. I’ve always checked in on their site to see what they’re rambling about, but I recently realised that I was never downloading the songs. This was partly because I’m restricted to dial up most of the time (the pain!), but still, that’s no excuse. I was instantly forgetting about the bands they recommended, putting all their effort to waste. And so I decided to go on a treasure hunt, downloading every song I could and seeing which took my fancy. Here are the choice picks:

Favourite Favourites
Like everybody, The Sandwich Club have their select group of underprivileged bands which they like to champion. If Sandwich Club rave is any measure to go by (and it is) you should really check these guys out.

Poly And The Statics – Symphony
I’ve heard so many good reports about this band that every moment I have to live without them pains me. Their sound is so diverse, it borders on ridiculous. This song could probably be classified as The Strokes song, but their music covers territory all the way out to Pavement. The good news is that this Adelaide bunch will be treating us with their presence on May 4th with support from The Seabellies. Must see gig!

Tic Toc Tokyo - Everything I Told You Was A Lie
Ignore the fact that they’re yet another Tokyo band, these guys have got potential. They have a dark, energetic indie rock sound, which they seem to have nailed down really well. Just like Poly, I can’t wait to see these guys live.

Exotic Discoveries
These are a few songs that would really grab my attention when they went through. They’re not perfect but they’ve all got that spark that promises much to come. Finding unknown gems like these can be extremely difficult, but The Sandwich Club make it look easy.

The Coshercot Honeys – Mr Dangerous
This band comes from Auckland meaning we can pretty much call them our own. I know little (ie nothing) about them beyond this song, but I’m definitely intrigued. I love it when that chorus erupts.

Cajun Dance Party – Colourful Life
These guys are a mere 17 but they’re already beginning to create a buzz over in the UK. Their normal sound is a bit rockier (see there debut single: The Next Untouchable), but this gleeful number shows they’ve got a bit of depth.

Plastic Palace Alice – Empire Falls
You’ve gotta give this band credit, purely for the amount of rhyming and alliteration they’ve got going in their name. The intro to this song is interesting to say the least. For the first few seconds I think it’s Bishop Allen, then all of a sudden it sounds like The Temper Trap. However testimony to its quality, it is gradually overwriting my memory so that it has become the norm. Great song all round.

You could hardly consider yourself a collective of any weight unless you had a regular band night. The Sandwich Club have just that. On the last Thursday of every month they take over Candy’s Apartment in Kings Cross and present the public with a platter of scrumptious local talent. Apart from being a lot of fun, they can also be a launching pad for little known bands. It’s nice to see their power being used for good and not evil (hey baby, I run a music blog about sandwiches). Well if you thought that was impressive (and I did) you were wrong, because The Sandwich Club have gone one step further and will be holding their very own mini festival (for those whose eyes hadn’t already wandered 5cm to the left). This festival is great for me because not only does it contain a number of bands I’ve been meaning to check out (Dead Letter Chorus, Marching Room, Walrus) but also a few which I’ve seen only once and crave more….

Brian Campeau – Montreal
This guy must be seen to be believed, his recordings simply do no justice to his on-stage performances. He is an entertainer in every sense of the word. Not only does he have an incredible voice and way cool guitar skills, but when I saw him, he was expertly tapping his acoustic for percussion. Genius.

Cuthbert & The Night-Walkers – Red Frogs
Similarly, I doubt that recordings are where these guys excel. With 10 members, including a 5-piece choir, Cuthbert & The Night Walkers are all about the spectacle. When I saw them, I only caught the last few songs songs, so ever since, I've been wanting more.

Well. This was never meant to be such an extensive puff piece (looking back, it sure is extensive and puffy), but I guess I got carried away. However, hopefully the message still got through. Whenever you read a music blog, be it this or any one of the other excellent blogs out there, don’t just read, nod and forget. Regularly gather all the songs you can and give them a thorough listen through. This is why I always prefer downloads to streams; our brains (well mine at least) require excessive repetition before they get the point. Chances are, there’s a wealth of great music sitting right under your nose!

To the Sandwich Clubbers: Thanks (retrospectively) for letting me rehash your material. While you may be using your influence for good, I’m still disappointed that you haven’t taken control of Tasmania yet. Keep up the good work.

Basics Giveaway

One band that has me very excited at the moment is The Basics. Their style is one that harks back to the glory days of The Beatles and RnB (you know, RHYTHM and BLUES), so as you can imagine, their music is a treat. You can catch them in Sydney tonight, Brisbane tomorrow and Melbourne on thursday in support of their upcoming album, Stand Out/Fit In, which comes out early May. To celebrate its release, I have three copies to give away. But of course, if you want one, you're gonna have to work for it.

My challenge to you is to write a spoof piece for this website. I'm quite aware that my writing style is far from professional and will often follow predictable patterns, so I want you to make as much fun of it as possible! Thats right, pick a band/album/song to review and let rip! Excessive exaggeration is encouraged! Those who make me laugh most will have the album sent to their doorstep. Don't be afraid to enter, you can always hide your true identity if you wish! Send your entries to openyoureyesblog@gmail.com. I will send a short reply to verify it was received.

Note: Unfortunately CD's can only be sent within Australia, but if you live overseas, enter anyway (I'm sure I could work something out for you)

You have 10 days. Entries close 9pm May 5th. Good Luck!

Fire Fire Fire

So it appears Dappled Cities (cough*Fly*cough) are fighting to have their Fire Fire Fire video added to MTV's playlist and they need our help. If they succeed, they are pretty much guarenteed super stardom and will be playing in stadiums in no time. Which makes me think, do I really want them to get this? They sound so great when they play small, intimate settings and besides, I don't want want no MTV hipsters listening to MY band. Nah just kidding. I wish the boys all the best

Vote for them and watch the video here

V Festival - Sydney 2007

Last Saturday saw the inaugural V Festival take place in Sydney. The line-up was interesting to say the least, featuring massive acts from across many genres. These acts were arranged by genre into various streams, which may have suited those with very particular tastes, but left those with wider interests feeling short changed. Something about the way it was organised made it feel very short compared to other festivals and from the very beginning, the end seemed to be approaching far too quickly. But other than that it was quite an impressive day and I can’t wait to see what they come up with next year.

Things began early for me as I wanted to catch the first band, The Seabellies. After an annoying 45min wait for the gates to open, I headed across the vast open fields to where they were playing. It was quite amusing to see a band who is usually fighting for space, spread out on this gargantuan stage. The performance was powerful as always and I was quite surprised that they sounded so good in the outdoor setting. It was probably one of the most impressive midday festival sets I've seen in a while.

The rest of the morning proceeded rather casually as I waited for the big bands to begin. I caught bits of Mercy Arms and The Temper Trap, though not really enough to pass judgement on. I also saw my first international act for the day, The Softlightes. They sound a lot like Death Cab For Cutie and while it was nice to see their songs translated to stage, it was nothing spectacular.

Things really got going when Phoenix hit the stage. I was a big fan of their music and expected the show to be good, but their performance exceeded all expectations. They all walked out looking so clean and reflected this in the precision with which they played. It was full of energy as the drummer belted his kit harder than I've ever seen and the singer put on plenty of theatrics. He even climbed into the audience at one point and it was funny to see the look of bewilderment on the other band member's faces, as if they had no idea what he was up to. But of course they kept it together and finished things off nicely. It was a performance in every sense of the word and overall very satisfying. Even the stereotypical French guy on the right added to the experience, just because it was funny imagining how thick his accent must be.

After Phoenix, I went to see a bit of Nouvelle Vague just for the novelty factor. Seeing French women sing samba style covers of 80s New Wave is just something you shouldn't miss out on in life. After that, I headed to New Young Pony Club, which was probably my biggest mistake of the day. I find their music rather drab so why I chose them over New York Dolls is beyond me. The worst part was the crowd, with all the ‘fashionable’ types out in force. Like everything Modular has their hands on, this band makes me wonder whether their popularity lies in their music or their image.

After the worst hot chips of life (apparently you CAN do chips wrong) I headed back into the crowd to see The Rapture. I wasn’t exactly blown away by them, but it was still a heap of fun. Like you would expect, they got the whole crowd moving and it was good to finally get some dancing done. Once the cowbelling had subsided, it was time to head to the main stage and begin the Pixies countdown.

I managed to catch the last few songs of Jarvis Cocker who seemed rather energetic, making me question my decision to miss him. It was quite hilarious to see him turn to his guitarist, midway through a song and tell him to stop playing because he was out of tune. Such British wit is sorely missed these days.

Beck followed after a painful 45 minute break and to be honest I found it quite boring. I’m not the biggest Beck fan, but I still expected him to put on a better show with a reputation such as his. There were some interesting bits such as a crazy dancing guy, live puppet show and dinner table orchestra, but overall it felt like it was lacking intensity. Even my friends who were big Beck fans said they found it disappointing.

As the night was drawing to a close, I was beginning to feel the effects of being on my feet all day. I’m just one of those weak people who struggle to make it through an entire festival. In fact if I had money, I would probably never go to a festival and instead just see the sideshows, which are nearly always superior. But of course, as those who know me are aware, I don’t have money and find myself pouncing on these value-packed festivals whenever I can (then again, this festival wasn't exactly what I'd call cheap). So with a 30 minute wait ahead of me and my legs already starting to hurt, I was beginning to wonder whether my Pixies experience would be ruined. How very wrong I was.

I managed to pass the time quite well by occupying myself with all sorts of useless conversion. It ranged from whether Frank Black would fit on the stage (even funnier if you saw it) to when Richard Branson was going to jetpack in and sing guest vocals. Finally the moment came when they walked out stage and the crowd (myself included) went nuts. Kim opened with the words “In heaven…” and couldn’t have more accurately described how I felt. The first two songs were rather slow and the crowd just stood, singing along, but on the third song, they launched into a heavier number and all hell broke loose.

Previously I had been blocked by an impenetrable wall of people, about 10 rows back, but as soon as this song hit, I managed break my way through and enter the eye of the storm: the area with all the angry men going crazy. These would be my brothers for the night. I was jumping about, throwing my head around like a lunatic and it felt so good! I would have covered an area of about 20 metres squared as I was tossed around by the crowd, but I couldn’t care less because I was so absorbed in the music. This was how the Pixies should be experienced.

I really can’t express how good it was. There was never a point when I was waiting for a particular song or disappointed with what they chose to play. Instead, each time they started something new, I would think “YES!!, THIS ONE!!” and proceed to dance and yell like an idiot. There’s not many bands out there with a back catalogue as flawless as theirs. And the best part about this was that the whole time, I didn’t feel the least bit sore. The euphoria had taken over my body like a drug and given me a massive burst of energy. At the end of it I was running round in circles and I hadn’t even had a drink all night!

The moral of this story is that if Phoenix or The Rapture come to town, do your best to get down there. But if Pixies are playing a show nearby, sell your house car and kids; whatever it takes to go see them. Happiest moment of my life.

Pixies - Gouge Away [live]

Back To Business

The holiday (if you could call it that) is now over and I'm about to start doing new posts again. If you're amongst the many hungry Hype Machine readers that found their way here over the last month, than I welcome you and hope that you continue to enjoy this site. Posts aren't quite as regular as they have been, but that's because I am just one person with a very busy schedule. For those long time followers out there, you'll be interested to hear that I'll be taking this opportunity to mix things up a bit. Despite continuing to live my life through albums, I'll be restricting myself to just one album review a week. On top of this I'll be doing a weekly mix, not too dissimilar from what you've been seeing this month, with 5 songs and a short word on each. These songs will mostly be stuff I enjoy that isn't attached to a revieworthy album, but will also consist of covers, b-sides, live tracks and any other obscure tracks that I can find. Basically it's way of allowing me to get as much of my favourite music out there in as little space as possible. On top of those two, I will also do at least one more post a week, which could range from band profiles to live reviews to gig guides and even to election coverage should it seem appropriate. I just figured it was about time I diversified my portfolio. Hopefully you enjoy what you find and be sure to look out for my review of Modest Mouse's new album this Tuesday.

March

I AM TAKING A MONTH OFF. Yes, you heard right, over the course of March, I won’t be posting any new material. Pretending to be knowledgeable can be quite tiring and it’s about time I took a break. But don’t think I’m going to be throwing away my near-perfect record of bringing you music-related ramblings on time, every time. Throughout this month I will actually be posting once a day (yes, that’s more than usual!), however all the material will recycled from previous material of mine. So in the end everyone wins; I no longer have to think and you get copious amounts of useless information, coupled by copious amounts of slightly more useful mp3s. The month will unfold as follows:

Open Your Eyes Podcast

1) Welcome Listener(s)
2) Chilly Chimps
3) She Says
4) Big Cop Out
5) Freakin' Wolf References
6) Indie Kids United
7) Reprezent
8) The Exceptional
9) TBA
10) Fin

Get With The Times

11) Bigger Better Boy Bands BEATLES
12) Rebellious Punks
13) The Dark Ages
14) Second Coming
15) Mass Murderers
16) Rock AND Roll
17) Definitive Compilations
18) Legendary Weirdos
19) 24 Hour Party People
20) Made In Australia
21) Catalysts For Collection
22) Of Forest Fame
23) Tough As Nuts
24) The Serious Performers
25) Heavyweights
26) Festival of Talent
27) Unloved Gold
28) Abstract Happiness
29) Early Bloomers
30) Second-Hand Talent
31) Good Riddiance

Enjoy!

The Playground Weekender

Speaking of festivals, The Playground Weekender is also due to take place very soon. It's part of the increasingly popular trend of festivals that are geared as much towards the atmosphere as they are towards the music and it promises to be a rich cultural experience. Taking place over 3 days and situated 1.5 hours out of Sydney, it definitely seems to be marketing itself as a nice, relaxing escape. But regardless of all the frilly extras, a festival will nearly always boil down to the music and here The Playground Weekender does not disappoint with a formidable collection of local and international acts, spanning a diverse range of genres. If you're poor like me, you'll be glad to hear that the folks over at Twelve Major Chords have 10 double passes to give away. The rest of you 'employed' people can get your tickets over at the official website.

Laneway

In just one week the Laneway Festival will be arriving in Sydney. It’s about as close as Australia will ever get to an indie goldmine and if you haven’t already got your ticket, I strongly suggest you do. The line-up is pretty much blemish-free, which is quite amazing, with a great mix of local and international acts. Unfortunately this means there’ll be plenty of clashes, especially with 3 stages all operating independently. For those who are attending, you may be interested in this timetable I put together that allows you to visualise such clashes and plan your day.

Below is a collection of mp3s that approximately represents what my day will consist of. Many great bands will have to be ignored, but there is just so much competition. I’ll mainly be attending the international acts as you can never guarantee they’ll come back. Dappled Cities Fly, you can live without me. For more information about this festival (bands, tickets etc.) try the official website. It all takes place at Circular Quay on March 4. Hope to see you there!

The Crayon Fields – Impossible Things
Dan Kelly – Get High On Your Own Supply
The Temper Trap – Sirens
Love Is All – Busy Doing Nothing
Camera Obscura – Suspended From Class
Youth Group – Forever Young
The Walkmen – Good For You’s Good For Me
Snowman – You Are A Casino
Peter Bjorn & John – Amsterdam
Yo La Tengo – Mr Tough

2006 - A Year In Review

Sure it’s a bit late, but I thought that nothing would be more appropriate than to review the entire year of 2006, seeing what music I listened to and how I felt about it. It is also an opportunity to take a look back at this blog’s first year, even if it did only begin in May. This list may be rather extensive but in no way is it a complete snapshot of the past year. It’s missing EPs, albums I’m yet to discover, albums I’ve forgotten, albums I ignored and of course old albums that I only just discovered. But at least it will at least give you a general idea of what were some of last years biggest albums and which you should perhaps check out. Click the band name to find out more (courtesy of myspace) and click the album to see what I wrote about it.

LOVED

Belle & Sebastion - The Life Pursuit
The Crayon Fields - Animal Bells
CSS - Cansei De Ser Sexy
Dappled Cities Fly - Granddance
The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
Figurines - Skeleton
Midlake - The Trials of Van Occupanther
Peter Bjorn And John - Writer's Block
Red Riders - Replica Replica
The Sleepy Jackson - Personality
Sparklehorse - Dreamt For Lightyears...
Tapes 'n Tapes - The Loon
Yo La Tengo - I Am Not Afraid Of You...


THOROUGHLY ENJOYED

...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - So Divided
Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am….
Band Of Horses - Everything All The Time
The Capes - Hello
The Chalets - Check In
Evangelicals - So Gone
The Grates - Gravity Won't Get You High
Hilotrons – Bella Simone
Islands - Islands
The Kooks - Inside In / Inside Out
Lily Allen - Alright Still
The Long Blondes – Someone To Drive You Home
The Lovely Feathers - Hind, Hind Legs
Maritime - We, The Vehicles
Mates Of State – Bring It Back
Oh No! Oh My! - Oh No! Oh My!
The Panda Band - This Vital Chapter
Phoenix - It's Never Been Like That
The Pipettes - We Are The Pippettes
The Rapture - Pieces Of The People We Love
The Strokes – First Impressions Of Earth
Tap Tap - Lanzafame
TV On The Radio - Return To Cookie Mountain
Wolf & Cub - Vessels


LIKED

Augie March – Moo, You Bloody Choir
Be Your Own Pet – Be Your Own Pet
Beirut - The Gulgag Orkestar
Ben Kweller – Ben Kweller
Candy Bars – On Cutting Tigers In Half…
Camera Obscura – Let’s Get Out Of This Country
Cold War Kids - Robbers & Cowards
The Dears – Gang Of Losers
Danielson - Ships
Delays - You See Colours
Final Fantasy - He Poos Clouds
The Futureheads – News & Tributes
Gerling - 4
Guillemots – Through The Window Pane
The Hidden Cameras - Awoo
Howling Bells – Howling Bells
I’m From Barcelona – Let Me Introduce My Friends
Jack Ladder – Not Worth Waiting For
Jet - Shine On
Joanna Newsom - Ys
Kasabian - Empire
The Killers - Sam's Town
Love Is All - Nine Times That Same Song
The Mint Chicks – Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No!
Muse – Black Holes And Revelations
The Raconteurs – Broken Boy Soldiers
Razorlight - Razorlight
Starlight Mints - Drowaton
Sure Juror - Smut
The Vines – Vision Valley
The Walkmen – A Hundred Miles Off
Youth Group – Casino Twilight Dogs
The Zutons – Tired Of Hangin’ Around


DIDN'T LIKE

Beck - The Information
Destroyer - Destroyer's Rubies
Girl Talk - Night Ripper
Hot Chip – The Warning
Junior Boys – So This Is Goodbye
Liars - Drum's Not Dead
Scissor Sisters - Ta-Dah
Sunset Rubdown – Shut Up I Am Dreaming
Swan Lake – Beast Moans
The Thermals – The Body The Blood The Machine
Thom Yorke - Eraser
Thunderbirds Are Now! – Make History
Xiu Xiu – The Air Force

Ah finished. Finally I feel like I can put 2006 behind me and concentrate on the new year. Not only was that 83 albums, but even more ridiculously, it was 83 myspace links. If you missed some of these albums, CHECK THEM OUT. And I know it should go without saying, but if you find something you like, consider buying the album or going to a show and keep supporting those artists!!

2006 - Best?

Once upon a time I looked at end-of-year lists as an easy way find the best new music. These days I’m considerably more up to date and these lists are now populated mostly by albums I’m already familiar with. Now the only really purpose of these lists (though still relevant) is to give me an interesting insight into the tastes of others. It is around this time that I begin to notice all the albums that received plenty of praise but which I never liked. I usually go back to make sure I didn’t miss something, but many of these ‘best of 2006’ albums remain as duds in my mind. Over the course of the year, you’ve found out what albums I did like, now it’s time to see what I didn’t like. You may have thought I’ve missed quite a few of this year’s biggest albums; perhaps I just hated them? There’s various degrees of dislike here, from ‘enjoyed it but was lacking something’ to ‘what couldn’t anybody possibly see in that’. I should also note that none of these albums have just been heard once and then dismissed. I have listened to each of them many times, tried my hardest to like them, but just been unable to. And the losers are...

CONTROVERSY WILL ENSUE! While I hope this feature will challenge peoples' perceptions of what this year's best albums are, it really is more about me noting some of the albums I didn't like. This doesn't necessarily mean they're bad, and if you liked them, feel free to challenge my challenge. To each his own...

Honourable Mentions

These are some more albums that I liked to varying degrees, but not enough to warrant them a full review.

I’m From Barcelona – Let Me Introduce My Friends
This 29-piece promised to be the next Polyphonic Spree with this euphoric album. Sadly it contained a few too many flaws, the first of which being they weren’t from Barcelona at all.
MP3: We’re From Barcelona

The Dears – Gang Of Losers
I was all ready to write about this, but when I went to do so, the words just didn’t come out. This lack of inspiration made me realise that maybe I didn’t like it as much as I thought.
MP3: Death or Life We Want You

Camera Obscura – Let’s Get Out Of This Country
This album is enjoyable from start to finish and the perfect anthem for mindless wandering. Unfortunately however, it lacks the spark to raise it to the next level
MP3: Lloyd, I’m Ready To Be Heartbroken

The Hidden Cameras - Awoo
This album was lively, fun and at times downright silly. It could have been great, if not for the few serious songs which for me just ruined its charm
MP3: Lollipop

Guillemots – Through The Window Pane
I really liked this album at times ,but while the lead singer may have a great voice, I felt he relied on it a bit too much; enough to put me off
MP3: Trains To Brazil

Dishonourable Mentions

And now for some more albums that I didn't enjoy. Yay!

The Thermals – The Body The Blood The Machine
This album isn’t horrible, but something always turns me off. The spoken vocals? Repitition? Forced delivery? Probably a combination of the lot
MP3: Pillar Of Salt

Sunset Rubdown – Shut Up I Am Dreaming
It seems Spencer Krug has a few too many projects and this is one I don’t much care for. Give me Wolf Parade any day
MP3: They Took A Vote And Said No

Hot Chip – The Warning
This was a real hit and miss CD for me. It’s hard to really get into an electro-pop band when the pop parts are all you’re interested in.
MP3: And I Was A Boy From School

Thunderbirds Are Now! – Make History
With such a cool name and the song below, this band promised to be massive. Unfortunately, this album turned out to be possibly the biggest let down album of the year.
MP3: The Veil Comes Down

Xiu Xiu – The Air Force
I’d heard of this band before, but this album was the first I listened to. All in all a thoroughly unpleasant experience.

Junior Boys – So This Is Goodbye
This album confirmed what I always suspected; that I neither understand or enjoy electronic music

Swan Lake – Beast Moans
‘Supergroup’ eh? Well considering I only like one of three members, Spencer Krug, and I didn’t even enjoy his latest project, this album stood little chance.

Jukebox

I am proud to announce that the Jukebox is cracking and very near completion. Choose your playlist over on the left and enjoy! If you want to know more (or have plenty of spare time), you can read the guide.