Song of the day – 166: The Concretes
There’s a new Concretes album coming out. It’s been awhile. They’ve been off having kids, and meeting penguins. I still miss Victoria. I still like The Concretes, though. This new album sounds muted. There’s a nice thumping bass that runs through most of the songs that reminds me of Blondie circa the instrumental section of […]
note on Big Sound
(This one is for the handful of folk who’ve emailed me saying, “see you at Big Sound next week”.) I haven’t been invited to either attend or participate, so I figure I’m not welcome. And I rarely go to places I’m not welcome.
Song of the day – 165: The Black Angels
Holy Bangs, but they get it. Many bands have tried to use Spaceman 3, or perhaps 13th Floor Elevators, as a leaping off point. They all fucking miss it. Almost every single one. Indeed, just about the last band I caught that did get it was Queens Of The Stone Age, circa their first album. […]
i never thought i’d be recommending you listen to Arcade Fire but
This site really is pretty fun. You type in your own home address, or your old home address – and bingo! Your own personalised Arcade Fire video centered around the street you grew up in, or the street where you live now, or the street where you stalk that girl, utilising imagery via Google Maps. […]
Song of the day – 164: Armedalite Rifles
So some guy reads my piece on Australian garage bands and decides to contact me on Facebook, asking if I’d like to hear a CD of his band. I say, direct me to your music first, so he does. I give it a listen. I like it. It’s all spark and fire: rhythms like Captain […]
Song of the day – 162: Dolly Mixture
There’s a new Dolly Mixture box set out. Hand on heart, I’m not sure you’ll be purchasing it. It’s 20 quid, which doesn’t seem so bad for three CDs, 56 songs, a 32-page booklet and sweet Mod packaging, and it includes the Demonstration Tapes album and all the singles and B-sides of course, and it’s all […]
Song of the day – 161: Darren Hayman
Down the Kelvin Grove street market yesterday, I was chatting to the folk on the ukulele stall, seriously thinking about buying one. They’ve got such a beautiful sound, the ones with proper acoustic bodies, and – crucially – they’re easier to play than guitars. I only require one for texture, fill in the background, make […]
Song of the day – 160: Frankie Rose And The Outs
The exact point where Dum Dum Girls meet Vivian Girls… which is barely surprising as Frankie Rose has drummed with both, and for Crystal Stilts as well. If this makes it sound like I’m only begrudgingly recommending this group to you because I think I ought to, think again Methuselah, think again. Those reverb-saturated harmonies! Bangs […]
my newest pop crush, 2
Once again, I’m driven to slightly revise my opinion on a band. I’ve written about Allo Darlin’ before. And I’m sure I will again. But this song, everything about this song, the frame of reference that I can so relate to, the mentions of Bondi Beach and St Kilda and Talulah Gosh and The Maytals, […]
