Wireless Cranium

2011: A Year In Music [Part 4 of 4]

2012-01-18T13:30:00.002+11:00

5. Morrissey - Bona Drag

The few Morrissey albums that I had prior to this one (Your arsenal, Vauxhall and I, You are the quarry) are all good (the latter) to excellent (the first two), but were still in a different ballpark to most of the work he did with his former band The Smiths. Bona drag is a compilation of his non-album singles, with the exception of Suedehead and Everyday is like Sunday which both also appeared on his solo debut Viva hate (anyone who has heard Ryan Adams' debut album Heartbreaker will find this little tidbit amusing). Consider it his Louder than bombs, if you will.

Anyone who has several Morrissey solo albums but doesn't own this compilation isn't getting the full picture of his solo career, and that makes this essential listening. Some of his finest moments are here -- November spawned a monster, The last of the famous international playboys and of course the aforementioned Viva hate singles.

The highlight of the album for me is Hairdresser on fire, a typically camp Morrissey number with a melody to die for and lyrics detailing the frustration of trying to make an appointment with his hairdresser. It all sounds typically over-the-top, but it's a fantastic song that would have sit quite nicely on any of the Smiths albums.

4. Ringo Starr - Ringo

Ahhh, Ringo. Always the punchline of Beatles jokes, but we know Ringo will have the last laugh when he is the last surviving member (and you know he will be). And for a short time in 1973, he demonstrated that he too could release a great album, with a little help from his friends of course.

This solo Beatles album is special, as it's the only one which all of the ex-Beatles appeared on. Ringo was probably the most diplomatic and likable Beatle, which is probably why he didn't have a falling out with any of them. Each of the ex-Beatles wrote a song for him -- I'm the greatest (Lennon), Six o'clock (McCartney) and Sunshine life for me / You and me babe (Harrison). George Harrison also helped Ringo co-write Photograph, one of my favourite solo Beatles songs, which made it to number one in the US singles charts.

The production on the album is amazing, with the crowd cheers on the opening and closing tracks reminding me of George Martin's production work on Sgt. Pepper's (and fitting in well with the theatrical feel of the album cover). This is a fun album with incredibly catchy songs which is a pleasure to listen to. While it's not as deep as Imagine or All things must pass, it's an album I can see myself returning to again and again.

3. Loudon Wainwright III - Attempted Mustache

With the purchase of this album, I think the Wainwrights' may be the biggest musical family in my CD collection (Loudon's children being the folk singers Rufus and Martha).

This is Loudon's 4th album (from 1974), and is best described as folk music with a sense of humour. Opening track The swimming song is a catchy, banjo-driven number which is memorable from the first listen and only gets better with age. Bell bottom pants and I am the way are hilariously cynical portraits of the hippy-era and religion respectively (the latter being based off a Woody Guthrie song, but with updated lyrics).

I already knew the amusing ballad The man who wouldn't cry as Johnny Cash covered is on his American recordings album (Cash's version is quite similar to the original here). Nocturnal stumblebutt is a song about Loudon trying to find his keys and cigarettes in the dark without waking up his partner. The closing song Lullaby is about how his baby boy Rufus was keeping him up at night, and includes pearlers such as "You're a late night faucet that's got a drip".

Suddenly, the vitriol that Martha Wainwright expressed in her song Bloody mother fucking asshole (apparently an ode to her father) is starting to make a lot more sense.

2. Galaxie 500 - On Fire

Indie publications like Pitchfork and the like have been praising the work of Galaxie 500 for a while, in particular this album from 1989. Galaxie 500 were part of the "slowcore" movement, bleak music with languid tempos and often heavy use of reverb. I bought this album with much trepidation, expecting an album that had been surpassed by the work of bands who it had influenced. It took several listens to make me realise that I was dealing with a very special album.

The songs tend to blend into each other on the initial listens, but over time the nuances of each track appear. The beautiful harmonies on Tell me, the whining, desperate vocals of Snowstorm and Strange and the stunning, minimalistic landscape of Decomposing trees (one of the few tracks from the 80s which has a sax-solo and doesn't sound the least bit dated). It is all capped off with a cover of George Harrison's Isn't it a pity, a radical reinvention that gave me a renewed appreciation for the song.

1. Nina Simone - Sings The Blues

I didn't really think I was a big fan of the blues, but it took a masterpiece of a record from one of the greatest vocalists of the 20th century to sway me.

Like Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley, Nina Simone is known more for being an interpreter of songs rather than a songwriter, and that is reflected in the track-listing of this album where only 4 of the songs were composed by her. I'm glad to say that 3 of the songs that she did compose here (Do I move you?, Real real and I want a little sugar in my bowl) are probably the finest on the album, so calling her an amazing singer is still doing her a massive injustice!

Opener Do I move you? begins with seductive verses before exploding into a wonderfully shambolic chorus. Real real is my favourite number here -- it swings, it bops, it gets the blood pumping through your veins. It's a delightful number, and like all of the songs here, is a perfect showcase for Simone's uniquely androgynous vocals. Her interpretation of the traditional The house of the rising sun (made famous by The Animals) reinvents it as a fast-paced number. The album alternates between slow-paced torch songs and more rhythmic numbers, and it never fails to hit all of the emotional notes.

Disclaimer: There are several versions of this album available -- I have the one called The blues (from 1991) which has a different cover than the one above and appends 6 bonus tracks to the end. Normally I'm not a big fan of this, but the bonus tracks are all high quality (in particular the drug ode The pusher) and it's easy enough on the iPod to separate the bonus tracks from the album proper.

That concludes the list of my musical discoveries of 2011 -- I hope you have enjoyed reading it.

What did you enjoy listening to throughout the year?

2011: A Year In Music [Part 3 of 4]

2012-01-17T13:30:00.001+11:00

10. Rolling Stones - Singles Collection: The London Years

The Stones didn't really become an "album band" until Beggars banquet in 1968 (although some may argue that their first great album was Aftermath from 1966). I have their 4 classic albums released between 1968 and 1972, and a few other recommended works, but there was a giant hole in my CD collection where Satisfaction, Paint it black, As tears go by, Jumpin' Jack Flash, and Honky tonk women needed to sit (many of which were released as stand-alone singles, as was the style at the time).

For a long time I have been researching about the best way to plug the gaps in my Stones collection. I considered the 2CD Hot rocks set (which was my first exposure to the Stones, via my brother's CD collection) and also their Big hits (High Tide and Green Grass) collection from 1966. Hot rocks is a killer set, but overlapped a bit too much with their classic run of albums; Big hits omitted a lot of their later classics (such as Ruby Tuesday) as it was released earlier in their career.

Further research eventually led me to this 3CD set, considered by many critics (Allmusic included) to be the definite Stones singles collection. While not as tight as Hot rocks (which is all killer no filler), there's no denying the breadth of this set. The first CD focuses more on their early blues-based material, the second CD covers their mid-late 60s work (my favourite of the set) and the third CD overlaps most with their 1968-1971 albums and was the least essential to me.

There's an abundance of brilliant material here, but it was also great discovering lesser-known hidden gems like The spider and the fly, Dandelion and The lantern. Just a warning - most of the songs here are in mono; if you want stereo versions you may want to stick with Hot rocks. This doesn't bother me so much; that's how the songs were released originally so it feels authentic.

9. Neil Young - Harvest Moon

Harvest moon was considered to be the long-awaited sequel to Young's most commercial successful album Harvest, released 20-years later in 1992. Harvest has never been one of my favourite Young albums; I preferred his music when it became less MOR and "headed for the ditch" as he so eloquently put. For this reason, I never considered Harvest moon an album which was worthy of attention.

I'm glad to say now that I own it that I was wrong; this may just be in my top-5 Neil Young albums (and there's a lot of competition!). This is a very rootsy country-folk-rock album and quite a change in sound from his previous raucous affair, Ragged glory from 1990. It's easy-listening, but never bland. Neil is in fine voice throughout and the performances are all impeccable. My favourite cuts are the political War of man, and the epic live finale Natural beauty which doesn't outstay its 10-minute running time and is one of the most beautiful songs Young has released to date.

8. Hank Williams - 40 Greatest Hits

Harvest moon has a great song on it called From Hank to Hendrix, which provides a nice segue into this album. Hank Williams was obviously a country music legend, a man who died very young but left an indelible impression on the music industry. I read about this compilation in a Rolling Stone (magazine) countdown of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

To be honest, I wasn't expecting much. The songs on this compilation were recorded between 1947 and 1953 (the year that Hank died, on New Year's Day). With the exception of Robert Johnson, this is the oldest music in my collection. I was expecting this to have more historical value than music I would enjoy listening to; an album that wouldn't get a lot of spins but fill an imaginary void in my collection.

While I expected the music to be dated and cheesy, instead I got an honest singer-songwriter performing songs that anyone can relate to. So many of the songs on this collection have been covered enough times to be considered standards -- Lost highway, I'm so lonesome I could cry, Hey good lookin' and Your cheatin' heart amongst others.

Almost every song in this collection is worth listening to -- Jambalaya (on the bayou), Kaw-liga, the poignant I'll never get out of this world alive (sadly, the last single released during Williams' lifetime). This is an amazing retrospective of a musical legend.

7. Lyle Lovett - Pontiac

Most will remember Lyle Lovett as the unattractive man with the funny haircut who Julia Roberts married in 1993. I'm not sure what made me investigate his music, but I started reading about his music and his 2nd album Pontiac (from 1988) was commonly accepted to be his masterpiece. $3 later on eBay and the album was in my possession.

This is a folk singer-songwriter album with elements of country, and a lyrical quirkiness that's not too far removed from the early work of Tom Waits. If I had a boat is a charming opener with cute, nostalgic lyrics that sets the scene for the rest of the album. Other great songs include the Dylan-sque murder ballad L.A. county and the misogynist She's no lady.

The latter part of the album changes the pace considerably, with the jazz textures of Black and blue, the beautifully understated melody of Simple song and the poignant portrait of a WW2 veteran in Pontiac. A short and sweet album that's worthy of your ears.

6. Leonard Cohen - New Skin For The Old Ceremony

Prior to picking up this album, I had a few early Cohen albums from the late-60s/early-70s (Songs of Leonard Cohen, Songs of love and hate) and his excellent late-80s record I'm your man. His early work is very understated, with acoustic guitar, subtle string sections and Cohen's monotonic (yet powerful) baritone delivering lyrics that can only be described as poetry. I'm your man introduced some 80s production elements, but it's to Cohen's credit that only a few of the songs come across as dated now; his composition abilities and delivery are able to transcend the era.

New skin for the old ceremony was his 4th album, released in 1974, and provides an early indication of his evolving sound. New instruments are introduced here, including banjo and mandolin, giving the album a much fuller sound than the earlier records. Cohen's "sexually religious" lyrics as usual steal the show -- from the odd metaphors of the opening track ("You were K.Y. jelly / I was vaseline") to the hotel-act captured on Chelsea hotel #2, one of the finest Cohen tracks (supposedly about his affair with Janis Joplin).

Closer Leaving green sleeves is a reworking of the traditional folk song; in typical Cohen fashion it ends with him screaming the lyrics while the music fades away. This is an incredibly underrated album and probably the Cohen album I have enjoyed listening to most.

2011: A Year In Music [Part 2 of 4]

2012-01-16T17:42:00.001+11:00

15. Gram Parsons - Grievous Angel

Gram Parsons, considered by many to be the godfather of alt-country music, only released 2 solo albums in his lifetime. Combining this with his work with the Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers and International Submarine Band, he left behind a remarkable oeuvre which influenced countless bands in the subsequent decades.

I picked up his 2-albums-on-1-CD set which included his solo debut G.P. and his swansong, the posthumously released Grievous angel. Both are very solid albums, but Grievous angel hits a few more emotional chords with me -- from the lucid storytelling of the opening semi title-track, to the poignant closer In my hour of darkness (with chanteuse-for-hire Emmylou Harris sharing vocal duties), via the emotive honesty of centrepieces Brass buttons and $1000 wedding, this is music with heart and soul from a talented musician who left the world way too soon.

14. The National - High Violet

I'd been putting off buying this album for a while, but I'm very glad I caved in and bought it. Their previous album, Boxer, was a real slow-burner for me -- an album with some immediate standout moments but others which took a bit longer to reveal their deeper layers to me.

I think that I may prefer High violet even more. I've talked a lot about how claustrophobic production can affect my enjoyment of music, but this is one of those albums where the production actually adds to the vibe of the album. Where Boxer was more about rhythms and textures, this album puts frontman Matt Berninger in centre stage where his haunting vocals take the spotlight on most of the songs here.

Opener Terrible love is a bit of a false start for me; it's a song where the production hinders rather than improves the song. The mid-album peak of the ominous Afraid of everyone and single Bloodbuzz ohio (with the outstanding lyrical imagery of "I was carried to Ohio in a swarm of bees") seems like it would be hard to beat, but the lower-key ballads on the latter-half of the album (Runaway, Conversation 16, England) all maintain that beautifully eerie tension that makes The National one of the better bands releasing music these days.

13. Phil Spector - Wall Of Sound Retrospective 12. Phil Spector - A Christmas Gift For You

Other than Gary Glitter's Rock and roll which I have on "The Full Monty" soundtrack, this may be the first time I own a CD by a convicted felon (okay, I'm prepared to be corrected on this one). Ignoring his recent murder conviction and incarceration, forgetting about his psychotic behaviour throughout the 60s and 70s (including keeping musicians in the studio at gunpoint until he got the take he wanted), there's no doubt that he is the most famous and influential music producer of the last 50 years.

I needed a Phil Spector primer in my collection, or at least a way to get a copy of the Ronettes' Be my baby (one of the great pop singles in musical history). I picked up the 2 CD box-set which contains a retrospective of his infamous "Wall of sound" production numbers, and his secular holiday album A Christmas gift for you.

Wall of sound retrospective contains many of the classic songs of the era from his favourite girl bands including The Ronettes, The Crystals, Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans and Darlene Love. It's capped off with a few songs by The Righteous Brothers (You've lost that lovin' feeling, Unchained melody) and the song which he considered to be his finest moment (but a commercial flop in America) -- River deep, mountain high by Ike & Tina Turner. It's all essential listening; an important part of musical history.

A Christmas gift for you is often considered as one of the great holiday albums. The formula is simple -- take some famous songs from Christmas time (Rudolph the red nose reindeer, Santa Claus is coming to town), add some of Phil's favourite girl bands, cover the songs in dense wall-of-sound production, and listen to the magic. I have never celebrated Christmas, and I don't have the nostalgic attachment to these songs that I'm sure a lot of others would. But listening to this album makes me wish I did, just so I had an excuse to play it at that time of year. Christmas (Baby please come home) by Darlene Love is a stunning number and one of my musical discoveries of the year.

11. NRBQ - At Yankee Stadium

Despite the name, this isn't a live album. It's a tongue-in-cheek name from a band who you probably haven't heard of, who were certainly not afraid to have a bit of a laugh.

NRBQ stands for New Rhythm & Blues Quartet, a band with rotating lineups who formed in 1967 in Miami, Florida. It's hard to describe their music, but if you imagine a pub band who delve into jazz-rock, power-pop, swing and R&B, you'd have a pretty good idea of their sound.

I think I read something about this band when doing a bit of research about Brinsley Schwarz, Nick Lowe's former band. NRBQ were mentioned as a very underrated and under-appreciated band, and this album was singled out as a "lost classic" worthy of consideration.

There are a few covers here -- country-blues chugger Get rhythm (made famous by Johnny Cash), the rock 'n' roll classic Shake, rattle and roll, the R&B number The same old thing -- but the heart and soul of the album rests with the original NRBQ numbers. Just ain't fair is one of those songs that you feel like you've known forever; I love her, she loves me is a beautiful love ballad.

At Yankee Stadium is a tight, filler-free and fun rock album that doesn't outstay its welcome and makes you pretty goddamn happy for 35 minutes. What more can you ask for?

2011: A Year In Music [Part 1 of 4]

2012-01-13T13:30:00.004+11:00

I purchased 56 albums in 2011, and only 2 were 2011 releases (Build a rocket boys! and The king of limbs). There's a few more albums on my "to purchase" list from 2011 -- in particularly Bad as me, 50 words for snow and The whole love. Needless to say that, similar to previous years, most of my musical enjoyment has come from discovering gems from the past.

Here is my top 20 list of my album purchases / musical discoveries of the year.

Enjoy the list - and happy new year!

20. Bob Dylan - Self Portrait

A bit of an odd choice, really. It's now been 50 years since Bob Dylan's self-titled debut album, and the man has one of the most expansive back catalogues in history. Once you have gone through the classics (Blonde on blonde, Blood on the tracks, Highway 61 revisited -- amongst many others) and uncovered some of the lesser-known gems, where does a Dylan fan go? You go to an album that was (and still is) considered by critics to be the nadir of the Dylan catalogue, an album which destroyed the near-flawless streak of albums that Dylan released in the 60s.

This was released in June 1970, and the whole package, from the album title, the cover, the long running time (73 minutes) is all somewhat tongue-in-cheek. If you try not to take this album seriously (a mean feat considering that it's about 2/3 covers, sung in Dylan's Nashville skyline croon) -- one can uncover many hidden gems here. Days of '49, Belle isle, Copper kettle, The mighty quinn and Minstrel boy are all great songs (the latter even sounding like it may have influenced Tom Waits' work).

I'm pretty sure that if this album didn't begin with All the tired horses -- a 3 minute repetitive dirge where the same line is repeated again and again by a female backing group -- history would have been a bit kinder to this album. Getting past that song, I look at this as just another facet in Bob Dylan's fascinating musical output.

19. The Lemonheads - Car Button Cloth

Let me get this straight first -- if you don't have a copy of the Lemonheads' 1992 album It's a shame about Ray, go and get it now. It's a flawless album of pure, hummable, lyrical, toe-tapping alternative pop/rock which is looked upon now as one of the absolute gems of the 90s. Their follow-up album, Come on feel the Lemonheads, had its moments but it was overly long and lost a bit of steam by the end.

Car button cloth was released in 1996 and it was their last album before they broke up in 1997, before reforming in 2005. I was already familiar with If I could talk I'd tell you as it got a bit of airplay back in the day and I had listened to it on one of those Triple J compilation CDs. I bought this album with some hesitation but was pleasantly surprised.

Like much of the Lemonheads' work, there is a dark undercurrent to a lot of the lyrics here (Break me, Hospital) which is understandable considering frontman Evan Dando's history with substance abuse. The outdoor type is another killer cut, a humorous alt-country ballad about hating the outdoors and wanting to spend all of your time inside. C'mon daddy is another great song, apparently about Liv Tyler discovered who her real Dad was.

18. Nirvana - Unplugged In New York

I'm not usually a big fan of live albums, but this is an interesting piece of work. It's an intimate recording of acoustic songs recorded by a band who were known for turning the volume up, recorded only a few months before the frontman committed suicide.

What is most fascinating about it is that almost half of the album is made up of cover versions, including a 10-minute mini-set of songs by cult Arizona band Meat Puppets (a big influence on Cobain). Another thing to note is the exclusion of their biggest hit, Smells like teen spirit. Maybe they felt that an unplugged version wouldn't do it justice.

I wasn't a big Nirvana fan at the time, so wasn't affected by Cobain's death. But I could imagine what this album must have been like to fans when it was released in November 1994, 7 months after Cobain's suicide. An emotionally charged album which shows Cobain's songs in all of their stripped-back glory.

17. Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning

My friend Pete lent this to me back in 2005 with strong recommendations. I wasn't particularly blown away at the time, but maybe I hadn't given it the chance it needed. I had subsequently picked up his 2002 album Lifted and was very impressed, and I eventually picked this one up too.

Bright Eyes is a bit of a polarising musican, and the new-Dylan tag which the musical press attached to him probably didn't help a lot. Looking past the image and his unfortunate (and unfair) connection to the emo musical genre/lifestyle, this is a great indie-folk album full of clever lyrics and toe-tapping melodies.

At 45-minutes, consider it a compressed version of the long (but still incredible) Lifted. Don't let the spoken-word introduction to the opening track put you off; there is music here to be enjoyed!

16. Sparklehorse - It's A Wonderful Life

It's saying a lot (especially coming from me) when the worst track on an album is a collaboration with musical genius Tom Waits. Dog door, also included on the Tom Waits compilation Orphans, is a decent (but not brilliant) Tom Waits song, but it stands out on this album like a sort thumb and completely destroys the flow of it.

With the exception of that song, this is a very lo-fi recording of the late Mark Linkous' fragile vocals, dark lyrics and spare intrumentation. Various special guests (including PJ Harvey) show up on a few tracks in more subtle roles than Waits', but this is Linkous' show. It's heartbreaking stuff in light of what happened to Linkous 9 years after its release.

I have a few Sparklehorse albums -- their debut Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot, the Danger Mouse/special guest collaboration Dark night of the soul -- but this one is their most stunning piece of work and the one I would recommend to newcomers.

Pulp gig [29th July 2011 @ Festival Hall]

2011-08-12T12:58:00.002+10:00

Sheffield indie pop/rock outfit Pulp formed in 1978, then had a fairly underground following for most of the 80s before they started to hit the big time in the mid-90s in the heart of the Britpop movement. Their 1995 album Different class is one the best albums of all time, one of the few records from the Britpop era which still sounds just as great now as it did then. It's a top-to-bottom classic of intelligently catchy songs oozing with sleaze and debauchery.

Attending the mens' room before the gig, I overheard a seemingly tipsy fellow say to his friend at the urinal that he was excited to be seeing Pulp and that he had a bit of a "man crush" on frontman Jarvis Cocker. Lanky, nerdy and middle-aged, Cocker is an unlikely mainstream sex-symbol, but perhaps not too far-fetched for those who spent their free time at school studying in the library.

The gig started in a very interesting fashion, with a light-show where words were projected above the stage enticing the crowd and revving them up for the show that was about to unfold. Just when you thought that the words would come to an end, they kept on going. It was the ultimate gig-tease, and a perfect opener for a band as deliciously sleazy as Pulp. The stage was set up with the PULP logo in big neon letters, and you could be forgiven for thinking that you'd stumbled upon the flux capacitor and had been beamed back to the mid-90s during their heyday.

Opening with the His 'n hers anthem Do you remember the first time?, Jarvis and company entertained the crowd with a blistering 2-hour set which focused mainly on their peak late-90s output. Jarvis was easily the most entertaining and charismatic front-man I have ever seen, his anecdotes and chatter between songs being as much part of the entertainment as the music itself.

Upbeat anthems Disco 2000 and Babies got the crowd into party mode, while the more provocative numbers like Pencil-skirt, I spy and This is hardcore reminded us of all those times we disobeyed the band and read along with the lyrics while listening to the CD (most Pulp albums have fine-print in them asking the listener to not read-along while listening to the music).

The first set closed with their most famous song, Common people, an anthem for the hundreds of fans who were crammed into the poorly-ventilated "Festy hall". Returning for a short encore (including the lesser-known B-side Like a friend and glammy Hardcore single Party hard), they concluded the show the same way I first heard Pulp on CD -- by playing Mis-shapes, the rocking call-to-arms opener of Different class.

Sometimes when bands reform in their middle-age, it tarnishes their legacy. Pulp have aged very gracefully, and this gig was an excellent trip down memory lane.

[For the first gig in a while, I went-easy on the bootleg multimedia and tried to enjoy the moment more, which turned out to be a good move. There's only so much grainy footage we need on YouTube.]

2010: A Year In Music [Part 5 of 5]

2011-01-25T13:31:00.003+11:00

We now come to the epic finale of the list of albums which made my 2010, at least from a musical point of view. Enjoy!

Soundgarden -
Superunknown
Badmotorfinger

I've recently had a bit of an early-90s revival, as is probably evident from the presence of other albums on this list. Of course, no 90s revival would be complete without delving into the grunge genre, which reached mainstream popularity in Seattle in the early-90s. I have been expanding my collection of grunge albums over the past year or so, picking up Pearl Jam's Ten (which I covered in the 2009 end-of-year series), Alice In Chain's Dirt, Faith No More's Angel dust and in 2010 these two albums by Seattle's Soundgarden.

The first album I picked up, Superunknown, was their commercial and critical peak. I knew a few songs before I bought it: the superbly melodic Black hole sun, the mellower Fell on black days and the fun rocker Spoonman. I went into the album expecting these songs (in particular Black hole sun) to be the clear standouts. Like Blood sugar sex magik, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of all of the songs on this 73 minute album.

Chris Cornell is an amazingly versatile rock vocalist, and the rhythm section (in particular the drumming of Matt Cameron) is up there with the best. Some standout tracks on this album (other than those mentioned previously) include the swampy rocker Mailman, the eerie and atmospheric Head down, the anthemic The day I tried to live and the catchy single My wave. Despite the "grunge" tag, there's a lot of diverse sounds on the album exemplified by the powerful production; get a load of the middle-eastern elements of the instrumental Half.

I enjoyed Superunknown enough to pick up their previous album Badmotorfinger, which some friends had suggested was a better album; at 57 minutes it is certainly more concise. While it falls a fraction short of Superunknown for me, it's still an excellent record. Opener Rusty cage (later covered by Johnny Cash) kicks off with one of the finest guitar riffs of the 90s, before Chris Cornell enters the stage with a fine vocal performance, singing lyrics of torment and oppression ("I'm gonna break my rust cage and run", "I'm burning diesel burning dinosaur bones", "It's raining icepicks").

Elsewhere, Outshined astounds with its stunning harmonies, Room a thousand years wide is a kick-ass rocker with a stunning rhythm section and Holy water has a chorus that grabs you from the first listen and doesn't let go. Badmotorfinger is overall a much heavier and less diverse album than Superunknown, but it's a solid slab of early 90s rock music.

Van Halen - Van Halen

One of my first musical memories was choreographing a dance routine to Van Halen's hit Jump with my next door neighbour in the mid-80s. That, and We built this city. But I digress. This was Van Halen's debut album released in 1978. It was a groundbreaking album at the time, with guitarist Eddie Van Halen influencing a new decade of guitarists with his innovative playing style (in particular his tapping technique where he used his right hand as well as his left hand to fret notes).

Despite the fact that many of the songs from this album are regularly played on the radio, I must have been living under a rock for the past 30 years because I wasn't overly familiar with a lot of them. The exception to this was the stunning instrumental Eruption, an absolute highlight of the album and an aspiring guitarist's wet dream.

Elsewhere, Runnin' with the devil and Ain't talkin' about love are great rock songs which have aged remarkably well, combining the passionate vocals of David Lee Roth, guitar prowess of Eddie Van Halen, and the solid rhythmic foundation of bassist Michael Anthony and drummer Alex Van Halen (Eddie's brother).

Jamie's cryin' influenced many an 80s power ballad, while Little dreamer slows things down a little bit and allows us to appreciate David Lee Roth's fine vocals. There's a few magic moments throughout, like the doo-wop breakdown of I'm the one and the acoustic intro to the blues standard Ice cream man (one of the two covers on the record alongside the Kinks' You really got me).

All this, and it was their debut album! A highly recommended listen.

Various Artists - "The Blues Brothers" Soundtrack

The Blues Brothers is a cult classic and a movie which I consider endlessly watchable. It has comedy, memorable quotes, action and a helluva lot of destruction. But the icing in the cake is the music, and it is compiled here on one of the greatest soundtracks ever released.

Many of the musicians on this CD make cameos in the movie. James Brown plays a priest whose rendition of The old landmark convinces Jake to get the band back together. Aretha Franklin plays a waitress/diner owner who sings Think to her husband (guitarist Matt Murphy) when he decides to ditch the apron and join the Blues Brothers band on the road. And who can forget Ray Charles, the owner of the music store, who sings Shake a tail feather to prove that the keyboard still has life in it?

This is simply a perfect soundtrack -- the performances are flawless, the tunes are hummable (Theme from Rawhide, Minnie the Moocher) and bluesy (She caught the Katy, Sweet home Chicago) in equal measure. They remind you of the best parts of the movie, but it also works perfectly as a standalone album.

Tom Waits - The Black Rider

I have an interesting history with this album, which is technically a soundtrack to the theatre play of the same same; it is one of the few albums that I bought twice. Allow me to elaborate. When I first started getting into Tom Waits, I decided pretty quickly that I had to buy everything the man had ever released. I stumbled upon this album on sale in 2003 and decided to pick it up.

I gave it a few listens and just couldn't get into it. There didn't appear to be anything to grab on to, and I found it too impenetrable. So I decided to return it for something a little more accessible (Jack Johnson's On and on, an album which couldn't be more different if it tried).

Shortly after this I picked up Bone machine, arguably one of his most "difficult" albums. That was an album which took a lot of time for me to get into, but is now in my top 5 Tom Waits albums of all time. In 2010 I picked up The black rider again. It's amazing what a difference 7 years make. Where before it was a mess of disjointed rhythms, cookie monster vocals and no sense of cohesion, now it was a beautiful piece of work.

How did I miss the beauty of songs like November, The briar and the rose and I'll shoot the moon before? Then there's the epic "film noir" atmosphere of songs like Just the right bullets and Crossroads which would sit happily alongside Black wings (from Bone machine) on a western film soundtrack.

There's a few oddities scattered about, from the beatnik William S. Burroughs' vocal performance on T'aint no sin to the chaos of Oily night. And there's also some gorgeous instrumentals like Russian dance which help to break up the album and ironically also provide a sense of cohesion.

Endlessly imaginative, experimental and quirky; file this next to Bone machine in your Tom Waits collection.

And thus we reach the end of my musical discoveries of 2010. Until next time, compadres.

2010: A Year In Music [Part 4 of 5]

2011-01-20T13:32:00.002+11:00

Here are five more choice albums that I discovered in 2010.

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik

It was pretty commonplace in the late 80s and early 90s (when compact discs became more prevalent) for albums to be over-stuffed with filler just because they could. While early CDs could hold 74 minutes of music, some musicians didn't adhere to the "less is more" philosophy and this often resulted in disjointed listens that you would be less inclined to revisit.

This album's running length of 73:49 was one of the reasons why I hesitated to pick it up earlier. Sure it had a lot of critical acclaim, but I honestly expected to get an album of classics like the beautiful ballad Under the bridge and funk masterclass Give it away surrounded by lots of carbon copies. It turns out that I was wrong; this is a brilliant album that deserves all of the praise that is thrown at it.

This album is a never-ending party, from the moment opener The power of equality hits top gear, through to the fun throwaway cover of Robert Johnson's They're red hot that closes the record. Most of the songs fit the upbeat funk template that RHCP have made their own, but there are a few quieter moments (Breaking the girl, I could have lied and of course Under the bridge) which give the listener a chance to catch their breath.

Every song is different enough to warrant inclusion -- some of the lesser-known classics are Funky monks, Mellowship slinky in B major, Apache rose peacock and the epic (almost) finale Sir psycho sexy (get a load of that melodic coda).

The star of the show is Flea, whose melodic bass lines take centre stage in every song. As great as the musical performances are, they wouldn't be worth anything if they were lost in a sludgy compressed mix. Luckily, this 1991 album is pre loudness war; Rick Rubin's production is air tight but incredibly dynamic, allowing you to pick out individual elements in the mix. It's a pity he didn't maintain the same standard of production on subsequent compressed abominations Californication and Stadium arcadium.

Casual RHCP listeners will probably only need one of their albums; make sure it is this one.

Archie Roach - Charcoal Lane

There was a poll in 2010 where people were able to vote for their favourite Australian album of all time (you can see the results here). What I found more interesting than the actual list (which didn't have too many surprises) was the discussion on various message boards where Aussie music fans nominated albums that they felt missed the cut. This 1990 debut album by indigenous singer-songwriter Archie Roach was an album which was mentioned a few times, so I decided to pick it up. I can now say without hesitation that it is one of the great Australian albums.

The most well-known song on the album is the haunting ballad Take the children away, about the Stolen Generation. This is a topic which is very close to Roach's heart, as he and his sisters were taken from his family by the Australian government and placed in an orphanage. It's a sad
and powerful song about a very sad part of Australia's history, and rightfully considered an Australian classic.

Elsewhere, the album doesn't miss a beat. Most of the songs are sparse folk numbers which allows Roach's powerful voice and poignant lyrics to take centre stage; there are also a few upbeat numbers (Down city streets, No no no) which give the album some much needed diversity. The title track talks about the restaurant of the same name in the Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, where Aboriginal and disadvantaged people were given a chance to work in apprenticeship positions.

Elsewhere, closer Summer of my life is an incredibly heartbreaking story of an old lady reminiscing about an old man (who had presumably passed away) looking back on his life from his hospital bed. It's moments like this that elevate Archie Roach to the upper echelon of Australian singer/songwriters.

Bob Seger - Stranger In Town

Not exactly the hippest album in my collection (check out that cover), but what a great record of American heartland rock. Night moves is commonly considered to be his masterpiece, and it's a fine record; I think I may prefer this one even more.

There's quite a few popular songs scattered around, from the driving opener Hollywood nights, the beautiful (albeit a little schmaltzy) ballad We've got tonight, the overplayed cover Old time rock and roll and the wistfully nostalgic Still the same.

But he might save the best until last with the final two songs: the multi-part Brave strangers and the wide-screen epic The famous final scene. Not much else more to say; this is not the most ground breaking or innovative album ever released, but if you're in the mood for classic 70s rock, it doesn't get much better than this.

Paul Simon - There Goes Rhymin' Simon

This album may almost take the record (pun intended) for the longest time on my "to buy" list. For many years, the only Paul Simon albums that I owned were his classic and influential Graceland and his underrated Latin-influenced 1990 album The rhythm of the saints (which I picked up in a 2-for-1 pack in the mid-90s). I also have a handful of Simon & Garfunkel albums.

Quite a few years ago, I decided to expand my Paul Simon collection. Most of the research that I did pointed to this 1973 album (his 2nd solo effort) being one of his best. In the meantime, I had picked up a few more Simon albums: the excellent Hearts and bones (1982), Brian Eno collaboration Surprise (2006) and Grammy award winner Still crazy after all these years (1975). In 2010 I finally picked up There goes rhymin' Simon.

This is possibly Simon's most eclectic album -- there's great pop songs (Kodachrome, the fun sing-along One man's ceiling is another man's floor), poignant ballads (the superb American tune, St. Judy's comet, Something so right), low-key jazz numbers (Tenderness), horn-inflected dixieland (Take me the mardi gras), reggae (Was a sunny day) and even gospel (Loves me like a rock). It all sounds a bit of a mess, but it holds together as a great album.

On a side note, don't you love albums where each song is represented by a picture in the artwork?

Simple Minds - New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84)

Simple Minds will forever be associated with their 1985 #1 hit Don't you (forget about me) from the soundtrack to the John Hughes movie The breakfast club. A hit like this can often me a double-edged sword for a band; it gave them much deserved commercial success, but it also changed their music path towards a more "80s pop" commercial sound.

New gold dream was their 5th studio album, released in September 1982. With the exception of the more radio-friendly hit singles Promised you a miracle and Glittering prize, the album is made up of lush, synth-based new wave numbers. Unlike many albums by their contemporaries, this album still sounds remarkably fresh today; many critics indicate that this is due to their use of real drums rather than electronic drum machines which were so common at the time.

Like mid-late 80s Cure, the songs are densely epic and elicit strong emotional feelings from the listener. Opener Someone, somewhere in summertime lures you into the world of this album. Big sleep starts out with a circular synth riff which is repeated throughout the song. Jim Kerr's emotionally effective vocals take centre stage, and the instrumental repetition and vocal wails in the 2nd half of the song puts the listener in a trance-like state. Most of the other songs are just as effective, and even the more pop-oriented singles fit in well.

This album is a prime example of well aged 80s new wave pop, an album which has stood the test of time in a decade which was not devoid of throwaway pop fluff.

2010: A Year In Music [Part 3 of 5]

2011-01-18T13:26:00.003+11:00

And so we continue...

Foo Fighters - The Colour And The Shape

Foo Fighters are one of those bands that are very easy to take for granted. Their songs have always just been there, and no matter how many times one hears them on the radio, they manage to maintain their freshness. Their music has achieved great cross-over success, satisfying grunge fans who were mourning the death of an era, metal heads, classic rockers, and even being melodic and accessible enough to lure in pop music listeners.

I decided I was well overdue for a Foo Fighters album in my collection, and this seemed to be the (almost) unanimous pick for their best album. First of all, let's count the hits -- Monkey wrench, My hero and Everlong. That's three great radio-friendly rockers right there. Beautiful ballad Walking after you was also included on the X-Files soundtrack, albeit a slightly different version.

Dig a little deeper, and you find several coulda-been hits like Hey, Johnny Park and Up in arms. There's a great eclecticism to the proceedings, with stunning ballads (Doll, Walking after you) interspersed amongst dynamic rockers (New way home, My poor brain). There's even some quirky moments (See you) sitting on the same bus with thrash numbers (Enough space). My personal favourite (February stars) starts out as a ballad before it changes halfway into a feedback drenched and emotionally charged number.

Despite the variation in styles and sounds, it's all very accessible and easy to listen to, without resorting to cheap hooks or lacklustre songwriting. Commercial music doesn't have to be shallow or bland, and Dave Grohl and co. show you how on this excellent album.

Al Green - Greatest Hits

I don't understand why it took me so long to pick up an Al Green album. His stunning ballad Let's stay together (famous for its inclusion on the excellent Pulp fiction soundtrack) is rightly one of my favourite songs of all time. I guess I just considered him just another soul singer (TM), with Marvin Gaye, Sly & The Family Stone et. al. able to satisfy the need for that music in my collection.

For an artist as prolific as Al Green, a compilation seemed to be the way to go, and when an expanded 2CD edition of his Greatest hits was released, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to get more into his music. This purchase contradicts one of my previous blog posts about compilations, where I specifically mentioned avoiding two-disc sets. Let's just say that Al Green has the talent and discography to justify such a sprawling collection.

So what about the music? The majority of the songs on this collection are some of the finest soul/R&B songs ever released. They have groove, funk and passion and they are all topped off with one of the finest vocalists of the past 50 years.

Highlights are everywhere, but I'll reel off a few: Let's stay together (of course!), Tired of being alone, I'm still in love with you, Oh me, oh my (dreams in my arms), Call me, I gotta be more (Take me higher), the ultra-funky Love ritual and the more recent recording Starting all over again. That's only a short list, but the majority of the songs on this collection are as high in quality.

Even the covers (The Box Tops' The letter, The Doors' Light my fire and The Bee Gees' How can you mend a broken heart?) are fantastic re-inventions of songs which (with the exception of The letter) didn't sound like soul songs to begin with.

Al Green is a legendary artist, and this compilation is a great entry point into his vast catalogue.

Kings Of Leon - Youth & Young Manhood

It's a pity that it took a song as bland and generic as Sex on fire to give this band commercial success. Their first two releases were lean, well-produced albums that had instant appeal but more importantly had subtlety and longevity. Sure, their sound owed a lot to their influences (Stones, Creedence, The Allman Brothers) but they had the passion which made it great to listen to and the back-story which made it real.

You can almost picture the record company meeting where one of the big-wigs told them that if they cleaned up their rough edges and polished their sound, they could make it big. It's unfortunate in this day and age that there is often a conflict of interest between making good music and paying the bills, but I'm not a musician so who am I to complain?

Anyway, enough ranting about what they became; this great debut album is what they were and it's a great listen. They mix up the bluesy rockers (Red morning light, Wasted time) with the more catchy upbeat numbers (Happy alone, California waiting, Molly's chambers) and a few scratchy ballads (Trani, Dusty) which give the album a lot of light and shade. Unlike a lot of recent albums, the production by Ethan Johns maintains a wonderful sense of dynamics, allowing the music to breathe without overwhelming the listener.

Even the hidden track at the album (Talihina sky) is a lovely and melodic number. I wasn't expecting this album to be this good, but it was a pleasant surprise.

Mr. Bungle - California

I've become a bit of a broken record lately when talking about the lack of dynamics in modern music. Needless to say, I have had to find creative ways to discover new music, and most of the time this has involved investigating a lot of pre-2000s music that I missed the first time around.

Mr. Bungle was one of the many side projects of Mike Patton (the singer from Faith No More) where he unleashed some of his more experimental music. I remember hearing their 2nd album Disco volante when I was younger, as my brother was a fan and played it quite a bit. I was definitely a lot less open-minded when it came to experimental music back in those days. Then one of the music blogs which I subscribe to gave a retrospective review to California, their 3rd and most-accessible album. The review intrigued me enough to pick it up.

Like any of the Mr. Bungle albums, California is all over the place, encompassing a wide variety of genres from metal, doo-wop, funk, surf-rock, and late Tom Waits era carnival music. Some songs, like opener Sweet charity and Pink cigarette are fairly immediate. Others, like the psychotic closer Goodbye sober day and the stupendous Retrovertigo take a few more listens to reveal their charms.

The songwriting and performances are great, but it's the amazing production which pushes it into "brilliant album" territory for me. There are quiet parts which make the loud parts all the more powerful, and there's always subtle elements in the mix which reveal themselves more with each listen.

Frank Zappa may have died in 1993, but his spirit lives on in this great piece of work.

Neon Neon - Stainless Style

Concept albums can be mighty pretentious, can't they? This one is an exception for a few reasons. Firstly, it was written and performed by Gruff Rhys, the quirky genius front-man of Welsh band Super Furry Animals (in collaboration with electronic artist Boom Bip). Secondly, it's a concept album about John DeLorean, the man behind the car used for the time machine in Back to the future. As an 80s kid, the Back to the future trilogy are three of my favourite movies of all time, so anything connected with those movies will get an immediate thumbs-up from me.

The album juxtaposes 80s-style pop with a few hip-hop songs that help expand the story of John DeLorean and his troubled life. Throughout the CD, we hear about his love affairs (Raquel, I lust you), the founding of his company (Dream cars) and some of dark elements of his past (Sweat shop, Luxury pool). As an 80s pastiche it works incredibly well, with great melodies and beats throughout. My only criticism is that the hip-hop songs, while being effective in telling the story, detract significantly from the flow of the album. They stand out a bit too much.

This is a very accomplished album from one of the greatest songwriters and musicians from the past two decades, a man who can seemingly do no wrong.

2010: A Year In Music [Part 2 of 5]

2011-01-13T17:19:00.003+11:00

We now continue my list of musical discoveries of 2010. Enjoy!

Lloyd Cole & The Commotions - Rattlesnakes

I mentioned in the first post that this list wasn't in any sort of order, but if I was to order this list, this would most definitely be my album of the year. I haven't gotten as excited about an album since I first heard Cold fact by Rodriguez.

I first heard about this album when I read in a review that the Camera Obscura song Lloyd, I'm ready to be heartbroken was an answer song to Are you ready to be heartbroken? from this album. I started reading reviews about Rattlesnakes and the acclaim that I read quickly let me to add it to my list of albums to pick up (check out the reviews on Amazon where there isn't a single rating of less than 5 stars).

Released in 1984, this is a definitive "lost classic" album which deserves to be heard by anyone with even a passing interest in good music. I would compare the sound of this album most to 2 bands - The Smiths and The Go-Betweens. The melodies are gorgeous (get a let of that guitar riff on Charlotte street, or the chorus of Down on mission street) and the vocal performances are spot on (Patience, Rattlesnakes).

The lyrics are literary in the same vein as Robert Forster, injected with lots of pop-culture references (She looks like Eva Marie Saint in On the Waterfront / She reads Simone de Beauvoir in her American circumstance) and wit (She's got cheekbones like geometry and eyes like sin / And she's sexually enlightened by Cosmopolitan). It looks pretentious on paper, but like some of Jarvis Cocker's best material, Lloyd Cole has the talents to pull it off to perfection.

A shamelessly flawless album which is recommended to anyone with ears.

Died Pretty - Doughboy Hollow

Australian alternative rock band Died Pretty formed in 1983 in Sydney. Led by the charismatic vocalist Ron Peno, this album from 1991 (the year that grunge broke) is often considered to be their finest effort. I first read about this album in a magazine where various Australian musicians were asked to name their favourite Australian albums, and this album was mentioned a few times.

Equal parts atmospheric ballads (Doused, Turn your head, The love song), anthemic rockers (Sweetheart, Godbless) and melodic pop numbers (D.C., Stop myself) -- this is an eclectic yet cohesive album which isn't too far removed from the music that R.E.M. were making in the late 80s and early 90s (when they transitioned to the Warner Brothers label).

The core of their sound is a combination of the chiming guitar of Brett Myers and powerful vocals of Ron Peno. It's a filler-free and well-sequenced album which deserves a place in the great Australian albums hall of fame.

The Dukes of Stratosphear - Chips From The Chocolate Fireball

Chips from the chocolate fireball is a compilation of the 1985 EP 25 O'clock (pictured above) and 1987 album Psonic psunspot released by The Dukes of Stratosphear in 1987. The Dukes of Stratosphere was a pseudonym for the British post-punk/pastoral-pop band XTC, who were probably best known for their hit singles Senses working overtime and Making plans for Nigel.

When this album was released, it was never revealed who the Dukes of Stratosphear were, and only those with keen detective skills (and a good ear) figured out that it a cheeky little side project of XTC. It was a clever piece of musical marketing; just like the Beatles had done 20 years earlier with Sgt Peppers, XTC had re-invented themselves by pretending to be a completely different band. What was the most pleasant surprise was the exceptional quality of all of the material on this compilation, with many of the songs being better than some of the "real" XTC songs.

It was a detour sonically, allowing Andy Partridge and co. to experiment with the sounds of late 60s psychedelia. Most of the songs wear their influences proudly, from Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd (Bike ride to the moon), Nuggets-esque rockers (25 O'clock), cockney Small Faces-esque pop (Have you seen Jackie?, Albert Brown) and of course post-Revolver Beatles (almost everything).

The absolute highlight is saved until last with the gorgeous Pale and precious, one of their many tributes to the music of Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys circa Pet sounds. It's a stunning piece of work and possibly their finest 5 minutes.

Bob Dylan - The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3 (1961-1991)

This classic compilation has been on my list of box sets to buy for a long time, and it took the Australian dollar reaching a long-term peak for me to finally decide to pick it up on eBay. I'm not sure what I can say about this compilation that hasn't already been said many times ad nauseum, but I'll say it again. If you consider yourself a Bob Dylan fan, and only have his studio albums, you ain't heard nothing yet. There are songs on here which are not only some of Mr Zimmerman's finest, but some of the finest songs released in the past 50 years.

The 58 songs on this 3 CD set include material from a span of just under 30 years, from his youthful folkie days of the early 60s, through to his classic mid-60s Highway 61 revisited and Blonde on blonde era, his mid-70s Blood on the tracks era, and his "born again Christian" era of the late-70s and early 80s. It's a fascinating collection, documenting his growth as a musician and a songwriter, and his unwillingness to sit still or confine himself to a particular genre of music

There are outstanding folk songs (He was a friend of mine, No more auction block, Let me die in my footsteps, Who killed Davey Moore?, Moonshiner), most of which are better than some of the material released on his first 4 albums.

There are interesting experiments like the surreal spoken word poem Last thoughts on Woody Guthrie and funny instrumental Suze (The cough song) where Bob breaks down in a coughing fit at the end of the song.

There are also the original versions of some of the Blood on the tracks songs, before Dylan decided to re-record them with new musicians. And there are some delightfully catchy outtakes like the Blonde on blonde era She's your lover now and live Seven days which will probably edge their way into your top 20 Dylan songs.

I haven't even mentioned Blind Willie McTell, an absolute highlight of this set: a haunting ballad which for some bizarre reason Dylan didn't include on the Infidels album, an album which was not devoid of filler. This compilation is a dusty collection of hidden gems that you find locked away in the attic; I look forward to discovering and re-discovering these songs for many years to come.

Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

Critics raved about this album when it came out in 2008. I'm getting much more cynical of hype as I get older, and I figured that it would be one of those "flavour of the month" albums that would get old pretty quickly. I finally picked it up when I was in London in late 2009, and it has been an album which has stood the test of time well for me.

Sure, they are not the most original or inventive band around, and in fairness they should probably be donating half of their royalties to Brian Wilson. But what their music lacks in originality it makes up for in passion and talent, and they pull off the baroque pop sound better than most other bands in recent memory.

Highlights include the gloriously epic White winter hymnal, the beautifully understated ballad Tiger mountain peasant song and the gorgeously addictive He doesn't know why. There are little magic moments throughout, like the change halfway through Ragged wood which turns it into a completely different song. A highly recommend album.

2010: A Year In Music [Part 1 of 5]

2011-01-11T13:24:00.007+11:00

In previous years, my end-of-year ramblings were epic affairs where I discussed my favourite albums and songs of the year, my musical discoveries of the year and a re-evaluation of the previous year.

I only purchased two albums from 2010 - Shadows by Teenage Fanclub and Teen dream by Beach House. Lists of two aren't fun for anyone, so let's cut to the chase, and where my passion for music lies these days. I'm living in the past, man. Here were my choice aural discoveries of 2010 (sorted alphabetically, because orders are so arbitrary). It will be spread over 5 posts to ensure you don't get musical indigestion.

AC/DC - Back In Black

A few people will laugh at seeing the epitome of cock-rock in my list. A former workmate asked me a few years ago whether I had any AC/DC in my collection, and I informed him that they were a band I was yet to get into. This was the first album released after the death of original frontman Bon Scott, and I'm sure this choice will annoy the purists who say that replacement Brian Johnson was no match for the late singer.

There's no doubt that this is an adrenaline charged rock album with all the power riffage, misogynist lyrics and melodies that you need to get your blood pumping. Other than the more well known songs (You shook me all night long, Back in black and Rock and roll ain't noise pollution) there are some lesser-known classics like Have a drink on me, Shake a leg and Shoot to thrill which make this an incredibly solid rock album.

Antony & The Johnsons - The Crying Light

Long time readers of this blog may or may not remember that this band's 2005 album I am a bird now was my #1 album of 2005, as well as taking pride of place in my top 5 albums the 2000s. I had since picked up their debut (self-titled) album, which was also excellent but didn't quite reach the heights of I am a bird now.

The crying light was released in early 2009, and it has been on my list for a while to get. In 2010 I finally picked it up, and I am very impressed with it. Where I am a bird now was quite a diverse album (mainly due to the presence of several guest vocalists), what The crying light lacks in diversity it makes up for in subtle and cohesive beauty. Antony's haunting vibrato is one of my favourite instruments in recent memory, and he is able to convey so much emotion with his enunciation and phrasing.

From the stunning opener Hey eyes are underneath the ground, the playful Kiss my name, the eco-epic Another world and gorgeous closer Everglade, this is an album which deserves your respect and time. Challenging, yet oddly accessible.

The Avalanches - Since I Left You

This album by the Australian electronic dance collective was only released 11 years ago but is now considered a classic Australian album. Electronica, techno and dance is not generally "my bag baby" but after this album was featured on the excellent Classic Albums Podcast, I was convinced to pick it up. After all, these were two guys who generally reviewed indie, rock and pop music, but they also referred to this album as a masterpiece.

I'm glad I picked it up, because this was a wonderful addition to my music collection. A patchwork quilt of samples, sounds, melodies, beats and atmosphere; this is an album to get lost in. The tracks segue into each other until they no longer stand out as individual moments but as chapters in a never ending party. Yes, it's an album that needs to be listened to from start to finish, but there are also some gorgeous standouts: the opening title track sets the scene (with a great Madonna sample thrown in for good measure), Frontier psychiatrist is a piece of melodic sampling genius (crazy in the coconut?) and Two hearts in 3/4 time is a mesmerising chill-out number.

Just like Kind of blue and It takes a nation of millions to hold us back did for the jazz and hip-hop genres, this is an electronic album for people who don't generally like electronic music. A stunning musical achievement: but how can they follow it up?

The Beach Boys - Today!

The Beach Boys' 1966 masterpiece Pet sounds is rightly considered to be one of the best albums ever released. They also have some other great albums released in the late 60s and early 70s which are worth exploring, like Friends and Sunflower (please check them out if you haven't yet).

Like many people, I was falsely under the impression that Pet sounds seemed to come out of nowhere and most of their pre-1966 material was the cheesy surf music which tends to dominate the radio, giving the false impression that they were a bit of a novelty band. But like their friends across the Atlantic (The Beatles), The Beach Boys demonstrated a steady artistic progression during the mid 60s which hinted the way towards their masterwork.

The Today! album was released in 1965 and demonstrated Brian Wilson making huge artistic strides in both his songwriting and production talents. The first half of the album has some great individual moments like Don't hurt my little sister, When I grow up (to be a man) and the non-single version of Help me, Ronda (note the omission of the 'h' which was added to the single version). The two "dance" songs on the first half (Do you wanna dance? and Dance, dance, dance) don't sound too different from some of their earlier material, but most of the other songs have a sense of maturity and progression.

It's the second half of the album that provides the signpost towards Pet sounds - a stunning, gorgeously melodic suite of harmony laded love ballads with tinges of sadness and longing. The harmonies are exceptional and it all adds up to a eargasmic side of music.

Jackson Browne - Running On Empty

You would probably have to be living under a rock to not know the title track from this album. Just turn your radio dial to an oldies station and you would be guaranteed to hear it within the hour.

I had one other Jackson Browne album before this one -- Late from the sky -- an album which has some beautiful moments but didn't quite gel to a complete album for me. I decided to pick up this album when I did a bit of research about it, and I found several fans and critics refer to it as a "classic road album" in the same vein as Rattle & hum and New adventures in hi-fi.

I can't think of a better phrase for describing this album than this. From the scene-setting opening title track, themes of travel and being on the road permeate every sound and lyric of this excellent record. Most of the songs were recorded in hotel rooms, backstage in concerts and live on stage; the sound, production and vibe of the album are perfectly suited to the lyrical themes of travel, groupies, drugs, roadies and being far away from home.

One of the things I love about the album is those little touches -- how The road transitions seamlessly from a lo-fi hotel recording to a live recording, those wonderful harmonies during the chorus of Shaky town (courtesy of Danny Kortchmar) and the seamless segue between the roadie tribute The load out and the closing sing-along Stay. This is an album which isn't afraid to get a bit of dirt under its fingernails.

Oh Captain, My Captain: Captain Beefheart 1941-2010

2010-12-20T12:17:00.000+11:00

I was saddened to open up the Pitchfork web page on Saturday afternoon and see the headline at the top: "R.I.P. Captain Beefheart". It was accompanied by a sad photo of the Captain from his (now) final 1982 album Ice cream for crow.

I first stumbled upon the music of the eccentric Don Van Vliet (the Captain's real name) after reading an interview with Simpsons creator Matt Groening, who named the 1969 album Trout Mask Replica as his favourite record of all time. Being a long time Simpsons fan, I respected the opinion of Matt Groening, so I sampled a few songs like Ella Guru and Dachau Blues from Trout Mask Replica. It was a little while later that I purchased the album, and to this day it remains one of the strangest and most enigmatic 78 minutes of music in my extensive collection.

I have since picked up many more of his albums: Safe as Milk, Strictly Personal, The Spotlight Kid and Clear Spot. While they are all much more "normal sounding" than Trout Mask Replica, this term is used very relatively. They are all avant-garde blues-rock creations that helped pave the way for much musical experimention and boundary-pushing in the decades to follow. If it weren't for the work of Van Vliet, Tom Waits may not have made the dramatic (and much needed) stylistic u-turn in 1983 when he released Swordfishtrombones.

Rest in peace, Captain Beefheart. May the dust blow forward, 'n the dust blow back.

"Moonlight on Vermont" (from Trout mask replica)

"Big Eyed Beans From Venus" (from Clear spot)

"Yellow Brick Road" (from Safe as milk)

Manic Street Preachers gig [20th November 2010 @ The Forum]

2010-11-25T12:46:00.000+11:00

James Dean Bradfield in the heat of the moment

I last saw Welsh alternative rockers Manic Street Preachers back in 1999 at the Prince of Wales in St. Kilda, for their This is my truth tell me yours tour. At the time I only had two of their albums -- the highly underrated This is my truth (1998) and anthemic post-Richey classic Everything must go (1996). This made that a gig of two halves for me; the recent songs that I knew and loved, and the older songs which the die-hard fans were screaming over, but I hadn't heard.

This time I had all of their albums bar their latest, Postcards from a young man, which I have listened to but have yet to purchase. It was also at The Forum in Flinders Street, my favourite gig venue as I have stated many times on this blog.

I met up with my mate Pete, his brothers and work-mate at the venue after leaving early from a bucks night which I was attending. I had consumed a few ales at the bucks night, so this was the first gig in what seemed like a long time that I attended in a less-than-sober state.

We missed the support act, and shortly after 9pm the Manics took to the stage. Opening with one of their Richey-era anthems, You love us, they covered a very diverse section of songs from most of their 10 albums released over a 19-year span. There were old-skool fan favourites like Motorcycle emptiness, Faster and Motown junk, some now mid-career classics like If you tolerate this and The everlasting and a few surprises like Suicide is painless (a.k.a. the theme song from MASH, albeit with lyrics).

Vocalist/guitarist James Dean Bradfield chatted a little with the audience between songs, but it was the flamboyant bassist Nicky Wire who stole the show, returning to the stage part-way through the gig wearing what appeared to be a pink skirt, sailor hat and a shite-load of make-up. He clearly deserves the title of the most camp heterosexual musician in the world.

The biggest disappointment for me was that they didn't play a single song from their superb 2009 album Journal for plague lovers. Easily their most impressive album of the 2000s, it would have been great to hear a bit of Jackie Collins existential question time or Virginia state epileptic colony, but alas it was not to be. They didn't play any songs from their more synth-heavy 2004 album Lifeblood, but that didn't bother me so much.

Closing the set with their sing-along 1996 anthem A design for life, Bradfield and co. farewelled the Melbourne audience. Like fellow Welsh statesmen Super Furry Animals, and legendary English metalheads Spinal Tap, the Manics don't believe in encores. Which suited me quite well; my prior over-consumption of beer wasn't sitting very well, and the fresh air outside the Forum was just was the doctor ordered.

Bootleg media

Nicky Wire before his costume change

All aboard...Nicky Wire after his costume change

Performance of one of their early 90s classics, "Motorcycle emptiness"

RIP: Pete Quaife 1943-2010

2010-07-16T10:28:00.000+10:00

[Hardly breaking news]: Pete Quaife, the original bassist for British invasion band The Kinks, passed away last month at the age of 66. This makes him the first of the original four band members (including Ray Davies, Dave Davies and Mick Avory) to no longer be with us.

The Kinks formed in 1964 and first hit the charts with their classic rock song You really got me. Over the remainder of the decade they demonstrated tremendous musical evolution not unlike their contemporaries, a little known Liverpool act known as The Beatles.

They released several fine conceptual albums in the late 60s and early 70s -- Face to face, Something else, Village green preservation society, Arthur and Lola. Their 1971 album Muswell hillbillies is my personal favourite, an underrated and lost classic which you should definitely pick up if you get a chance.

At the core The Kinks were a very singles-dominated band and picking up one of their many singles compilations is the best way to get into them. From the power chords of All day and all of the night, the wry character portraits of Well respected man and Dedicated follower of fashion, the gorgeous story-telling of Sunny afternoon and the perfect pop of Dead end street and Lola, they left a remarkable legacy on the British musical landscape.

Their work influenced countless bands in subsequent decades, and they were in many ways the Godfathers of Britpop.

Rest in peace, Pete.

Wilco gig [5th May 2010 @ The Forum]

2010-05-08T22:59:00.001+10:00

Jeff Tweedy in action

[Photo courtesy of MarkP]

American alternative rock band Wilco last played in Australia a few years back, touring for their Sky blue sky album. At the time I had decided to give the gig a miss, a decision which I regretted when some of my other gig mates went along and subsequently raved about their live performance. When I heard recently that not only were Wilco returning to Melbourne, but they were playing at The Forum (easily my favourite musical venue) it was an opportunity too good to pass up.

A few days before the gig my mate Mark informed fellow gig mate Matt and myself that there was going to be even better "bang for the buck" because Liam Finn was supporting Wilco. Regularly observant readers may remember that I named his 2007 debut album I'll be lightning as one of my favourite albums of the 2000s. Needless to say, I was very pleased when I heard that he would be playing support.

While Liam had quite a reputation for rocking out in his live performances, I don't think anyone was expecting the utterly surreal performance of his act that night. While I usually gloss over the support act in my gig reviews, his set almost overshadowed the night for me.

It deserves a review of its own.

Liam Finn

Liam's set opened with a couple of songs from I'll be lightning -- the beautiful ballad Fire in your belly and Better to be. While the former was played in a fairly conventional acoustic fashion, for the latter he used a device which I hadn't seen before. He basically played the rhythm guitar part and then activated a machine to loop the same part continuously. This gave him the rhythmic foundation of the song (necessary since he was playing alone), allowing him to overlay the sound with lead guitar noodling and improvisation.

He had some strange mannerisms while playing guitar, sometimes closing his eyes like he was in pain or having a seizure. There was something a bit David Helfgott about it all.

After playing a couple more songs (On your side and Remember when), the set all got much weirder. He told the audience a story about a man (Connan Hosford) who he has met in New Zealand as a "wandering spirit". Connan had lived with Liam for a while, sleeping in his bed because "it was the only place he could" (although the impression was that their relationship was platonic). Then Liam invited Connan to come on the stage to perform in a few songs, and we were introduced to him as a sleight, youthful and fairly shy man with wavy blonde hair and an almost child-like demeanour.

Liam Finn and Connan Hosford
[Photo courtesy of MarkP]

Liam told the audience about how Connan and himself had co-written a song in tribute to actor Leonardo DiCaprio called Leo, and they performed this on stage. Liam sung the bizarre song with his normal voice, with Connan singing in a high falsetto, performing some strange vocal tricks by using his finger to vibrate his larynx. It was a bizarre display, with many audience members including me finding it all very amusing. When Connan finally did speak, he appeared to have a fairly normal voice.

Connan stayed on stage for the remainder of the set, providing the high backing vocals for the title track from I'll be lightning. Apparently Connan co-wrote the song with Liam and performed backing vocals on the studio version. It was interesting making the connection between the vocals on the studio version and this man on stage.

When he wasn't singing, Connan was dancing really awkwardly to the music. He appeared to be very nervous, but overall he came across as a bit of a Bez (of Happy Mondays fame). The set list ended with a cover of Devo's song Gut feeling, where Liam Finn went off with the help of a mini joystick-shaped theremin.

It was one of the most memorable supports acts I have ever seen; I wish all support acts were this interesting live. I would definitely see him live again if I had the chance.

Wilco

Now who was I here to see again? That's right -- Wilco! Shortly after Liam left the stage, an announcement in a semi-computerised voice came over the PA system instructing fans not to take photos or video. Then Wilco took to the stage to the cheers of the already hyped-up crowd.

Wilco (the band) opened with Wilco (The song) from their most recent studio release Wilco (The album). Could there be an any more appropriate opening song? While the song is a bit of a throwaway, they managed to turn it into the perfect signature song to introduce all of the members of the band. They shone a spotlight on each band member in turn, stating their name; at the end it was all capped off with a single word: Wilco. It was an incredibly effective way to open the gig, showing that the band had a great sense of humour and showmanship.

The first half of the gig consisted mostly of songs from their last 4 studio albums, the albums where they moved away from their alt-country roots to embrace more alternative influences (although admittedly their last 2 albums were a return to a more conventional sound). Highlights of this part of the set included the beautiful Muzzle of bees, the dynamic At least that's what you said and the epic Handshake drugs (which worked much better in a live setting for me).

But the climax of the first half was undoubtedly the awesome Impossible Germany, where lead guitar virtuoso Nels Cline, Jeff Tweedy and the youthful looking Pat Sansone jammed like it was going out of fashion. It was an incredible display of interplay and duelling guitar, and it rawked the house down.

Jeff Tweedy and Pat Sansone trading guitar licks during "Impossible Germany"
[Photo courtesy of MarkP]

The second half of the gig began when bassist John Stirratt took to the microphone to sing the beautiful country song It's just that simple from their debut A.M. While this is (as far as I know) the only song on any of their studio albums not sung by Jeff Tweedy, I wasn't aware that the singer of that song was still in the band. It was a surprise inclusion in the set list.

The majority of the second half of the gig consisted of material from their albums prior to their breakthrough Yankee hotel foxtrot, and music from this era had a much more of a country feel to it. Their performance of Via chicago from Summerteeth was nothing short of amazing, where the mellow verses suddenly disappeared in blasts of dissonance and feedback while Jeff Tweedy and the backing vocalists continued singing as if it was business as usual. It was a sight (and sound) to behold.

The beautiful ballad Jesus etc. provided a chance for the audience to participate, where Jeff Tweedy encouraged everyone to sing along. The crowd definitely did the song proud, singing most of lyrics correctly and rarely missing a beat. I was actually a little disappointed that I didn't get to hear Jeff sing more of the song; he only came in with his vocals in the last verse.

They finished their set with a duo of rockers from their 2nd (double) album Being there -- Monday and Outtasite (outta mind). When they returned to stage for an encore, they played a duo from their 2004 album A ghost is born -- The late greats and the live favourite rocker I'm a wheel, which concluded the gig on a very positive note.

They played for about 2 1/2 hours, and my overall impression of the band can be summed up by two words: class act. They are such consummate professionals who are masters at what they do, and they do nothing short of rocking your socks off when they play live. It was such a pleasure to see such professional musicians performing; they are true entertainers.

Jeff Tweedy is an incredibly charismatic frontman, coming across as a guy you would like to have a beer and a chat with. He engaged the audience throughout the gig, taking requests for songs, telling stories and joking around; but never forgetting that you were there to rock and/or roll.

There are so many pretenders out there, but Wilco perform like a classic 70s rock act, and are (together with My Morning Jacket) one of the best examples of bands I have seen who are able to capture the spirit of that bygone era.

Bootleg media

I made a mistake of taking my camera out too early, during the Liam Finn set. A security guard tapped me on the shoulder and kindly told me that photography was not permitted. After that, I was too scared to bring the camera out again (figuring that since he had given me a warning, he had a valid reason to kick me out or confiscate my camera if he caught me again).

Since my friend Mark hadn't been warned, he was courageously able to take photos during the remainder of the gig (when the crowds were bigger and there was less chance of being caught). Thank you to Mark for all of the photos throughout the blog post. Here's a few more.

Is that you on the left Nigel Tufnel? No it's just Nels Cline.
[Photo courtesy of MarkP]

Drummer Glenn Kotche going off
[Photo courtesy of MarkP]

Spoon gig [30th April 2010 @ Billboard]

2010-05-04T13:27:00.001+10:00

Indie band Spoon (who hail from Austin, Texas) are one of my favourite bands from the last decade. Despite getting into them quite late (when I bought their 5th album Gimme fiction in late 2005), I have since purchased most of their albums. It didn't take long for their unique breed of minimal piano-driven rock/pop to get under my skin. With a back catalogue of 7 albums and several EPS, they had a plethora of excellent material to populate a solid set list, and I eagerly awaited the gig.

Taking to the stage with very little fanfare, they opened with the slow burner Before destruction, the opening track from their latest album Transference. Their set covered a vast spectrum of their back catalogue, with bias towards their last album and its predecessor Ga ga ga ga ga (their commercial and arguably artistic peak).

Highlights throughout the set included a groovy rendition of Me and the bean (a cover of a song by Austin band The Sidehackers, included on their Girls can tell album), beautiful ballad I summon you and the Motown pastiche of You got yr. cherry bomb. The crowd seemed to respond best to the Ga ga ga ga ga material; a great cross-section of that album was included, from the anthemic Don't make me a target, atmospheric The ghost of you lingers and groovy numbers Rhthm & soul [sic] and The underdog.

There weren't too many surprises in the song line-up, but front-man Britt Daniel introduced one song as "a Wolf Parade song" before launching into an admirable cover of Modern world from their Apologies to Queen Mary album. Stay don't go (from Kill the moonlight) was also nice to hear, sans the beat-boxing which is integral to the rhythm of the studio version.

Unfortunately Britt Daniel appeared to have a few voice issues, apologising on several occasions and asking the audience if he sounded a bit hoarse. Many of the songs were punctuated with bursts of feedback during the peaks and fade-outs; initially I thought that these were accidents, but my gig mate Matt believed that maybe they were done on purpose to hide his limited vocal range. I certainly didn't think they added anything to the music, so hopefully he was just having an off-night. The sound quality wasn't great in general, but that's probably a criticism directed more at the venue (and possibly sound engineer) than the band.

No songs were played from A series of sneaks (Metal detektor and Metal school would have gone down particular well), and the selection from Girls can tell was also quite lean (the poppy Everything hits at once and down-tempo 1020 AM would have added a bit more variety to the set list). But the biggest disappointment of the night was not getting to hear The way we get by live; not only is it my favourite Spoon song, but it's one of my favourite songs of all time.

Britt Daniel's stage presence at times reminded me of the late Ian Curtis, front-man for the influential post-punk band Joy Division. I'm not sure if it was the almost-robotic way in which he carried himself, but it was especially apparent when he ended the gig after epic finale Written in reverse; he said goodbye to the audience and just dropped the microphone from the height at which he was holding it. It just seemed like something Ian Curtis would have done.

Overall it was a respectable gig, but one marred by technical issues and a (slightly) disappointing set list. Maybe I've just been spoilt by other excellent gigs from recent memory.

Bootleg media

Britt doing his best "Joe Strummer" impersonation.

Britt strumming away.

Performance of I summon you from their Gimme fiction album.

My 50 favourite albums of the 2000s [1]

2010-04-02T16:05:00.010+11:00

1. Augie March - Sunset Studies (2000)

Augie March formed in 1996 in Shepparton, a country town almost 200km north of Melbourne. They released a few EPs in the late 90s, the patchy Thanks for the memes (1998) and the excellent Waltz (1999) which included their early hit Asleep in perfection. Waltz was a very accomplished EP which has held up very well over 10 years later, with several of the songs (Rich girl and The mothball) still part of their live setlist.

Waltz was a delicious appetiser, but I wonder how many were expecting the sumptuous banquet that Augie March unleashed on their full-length debut album Sunset studies. You don't even have to hear a note of the album to realise that you are dealing with something very special here; just look at the elegant cover art and a flick through the tasteful booklet. It is a labour of love.

Epic opener The hole in your roof takes its time with a very long, droning fade-in before vocalist Glenn Richards enters the scene: "What do the men say / To the women when they lay down at night / All naked of arms from the old imagined flight?". This was the first Augie March album I bought, and the combination of Richards' ethereal vocals, deeply enigmatic lyrics and the slow-burning intro piqued my interest on the first listen. The song is an exercise in tension and release, building to a stunning climax near the end of its 7 minutes.

Follow up Maroondah reservoir opens with more Glenn Richards poetry "To be / A bee, a moth / Four wings spread for the soft last touch of glory sun" before latching on to an amazing melody that sounds unlike anything you have ever heard before, but will have you humming it after only one listen. It is one of the few songs on the album that loosely fits within the constaints of the tradition verse/chorus structure which most popular music feels the need to be bound to. Most of the songs are quite happy to meander and wander, dancing around the ebb and flow of Richards' remarkable poetry and streams of consciousness.

While most of the music here is progressive and boundary-pushing, there are a few accessible anchors to keep the listener grounded on those all too important initial listens. There's the heart-breaking piano ballad There's no such place, featuring the late Rob Dawson on backing vocals and piano. There is the lyrically dense The offer, which despite breaking the fourth wall on a few occasions ("This is a song, not like the other ones") turns out to be one of the catchiest songs they have ever released. Asleep in perfection is also included despite its presence on the Waltz EP, but it fits in perfectly amongst its peers.

Then there's the slow burners which didn't blow me away on the first listen, but after a few listens they became some of my favourite moments. The stunning ballad Tulip and the pastoral folk of The good gardener (on how he fell) both start off as fairly subdued affairs before reaching transcendent climaxes. The cinematic title track, with its aristocratic imagery ("You are the queen of the dustbowl / Ex to a crier in a town of ashes") will hit you on the 4th listen, I promise you. The inner voice in your head will say "I'm not worthy!" while you try to keep those goose-bumps under control.

Sunset studies is a very long album at 76 minutes, and I think the best way to manage it is to abstract it into an album of 3 parts:

Part 1 (The hole in the roof - Tasman awakens) introduces the various facets of their sound -- slow burning epics, melody, groove, beauty and finally the folk of Tasman awakens.

Part 2 (Believe me - Heartbeat and sails) sees them branching out in odd directions, from the sample-driven interlude of Believe me, the old school folk of Men who follow spring the planet 'round, and the odd and haunting drone of Angels of the bowling green (which seemed like 5 minutes of filler until I realised how lyrically macabre it was).

Part 3 (The offer - Owen's lament) ends the album on a more accessible note with four very melodic songs, before the stupendous closer Owen's lament shoots the album into the stratosphere. This is one of my favourite songs of all time, and after more than 20 listens I am still blown away by it every time I hear it. It is musical perfection, and mirrors the epic opening track in how aptly it bookends the album.

Their follow-up Strange bird (2002) was a perfect sequel, fully deserving of its high placement in this list. Trying to choose between the two albums was incredibly difficult, as they both mean a lot to me. Sunset studies just edged its way to the top because it was the album which introduced me to their music (thanks for the recommendation Pete); for that reason it will always hold a special place in my heart.

I bought this album during a time of my life when I was getting into a lot of new, exciting music, and it helped to create a life-long obsession for me. It is one of the albums which made me realise that music didn't have to be immediate or formulaic to be engaging. It made me realise that looks can be deceiving and the rewards are there to be reaped if you put in the time and effort to let a work of art reveal itself to you. It is the antithesis to what I dislike so much about a lot of modern music.

It is my favourite album of the 2000s.

Here's a statistical breakdown of my top 50:

Country	# albums
United States	23
England	10
Australia	8
Canada	2
Wales	2
Germany	1
New Zealand	1
Ireland	1
Sweden	1
Scotland	1

Year	# albums
2002	13
2001	12
2003	7
2000	4
2005	4
2007	4
2004	3
2006	1
2008	1
2009	1

My biggest surprise here was that the majority of albums were by American musicians. I have always considered myself a fan of primarily British music, but even when I total the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales) and Ireland counts it still falls short of the American total.

I am not surprised that 2002 was the best year of the decade -- I once gave it the coveted title of the best year for album releases many moons ago. However, I was surprised that 2005 and 2007 (both great years for music) didn't appear higher in the list. I'm definitely not surprised that the last couple of years didn't appear much in the list, as I definitely curbed my purchasing of new releases over the past few years.

Thanks for reading my top 50 albums of the 2000s.

You can read the previous posts in the series here.

My 50 favourite albums of the 2000s [1]

2010-04-01T08:30:00.001+11:00

1. Australian Idol - The Final 13 (2005)¹

I realised when I started to pre-compile my list of the top 50 albums of the 2000s that it was an incredibly difficult task. "Albums of the decade" lists are a dime-a-dozen, and I really wanted my list to stand out amongst the crowd. Then it hit me: most lists like this are incredibly subjective, the opinions of mere music reviewers. Maybe I could stand out from the crowd by applying some sort of science to it. I knew there must be a more objective way to choose the best album of the 2000s.

Then I had a revelation -- the reality show franchise Australian Idol had already done the hard yards for me. Host James Mathison (and former co-host Andrew G) said in almost every episode "It's time to vote Australia" or "Australia has voted". Australia's population (which currently stands at about 22 million) is a pretty large sample size. Could the population of Australia help me choose the album of the decade?

At the end of each season of Australian Idol, the winner releases an album in time for the Christmas buying season. They also release a compilation of songs recorded by all of the contestants who made it to the finals. By definition, each year includes 10-13 finalists who are the best musicians in the country. That means all I had to do was pick the best season in Australian Idol history, and the album (or compilation) of the decade falls right into my lap. Take that, Pitchfork!

Picking my favourite year for Australian Idol was a tough decision. Should I go for season 1, which introduced both Guy "Like a virgin" Sebastian and Shannon "Nollsy" Noll to the world? It was a very tempting choice, as the compilation also included the legendary Rob "Millsy" Mills singing a version of Dirty girl, which one can only assume was dedicated to his flame at the time Paris Hilton (who broke his heart when she stopped returning his phone calls).

Season 2 was also a contender; not only did it introduce the pint-sized Anthony Callea and the prolific winner Casey Donovan to the world, but in a strange self-propagating twist, it also found a future co-host for the show in Ricki-Lee Coulter when James Mathison decided to quit the show recently. Take that, space-time continuum!

In the end, I had to go with season 3 from 2005. Just like the classic animated sitcom The Simpsons, the Australian Idol franchise reached its inevitable peak in this season. While you could argue that the young Bendigo lass Kate DeAraugo was the major contributor to this (whose take on bogan chic was as patriotic as you could get), we must not discount the talents of the über-polished Daniel Spillane, who managed to suck all of the testosterone out the classic AC/DC rocker T.N.T. to allow him to grow that little tuft of hair on his chin. And who can forget the young rocker Lola Forsip, whose rendition of The Who's Won't get fooled again scored a touchdown from judge Mark Holden?

Season 3 was also the first season that resident bad-boy Kyle Sandilands appeared as a judge, replacing Ian "Dicko" Dickson, who decided that food interested him more than music when he became the host of My restaurant rules. While Dicko was a music mogul from way back, Kyle Sandilands was dating Tamara Jaber from reality show band Scandal'us (formerly known as Bardot), which immediately gave him the credentials to judge and criticise music.

Anyone who made it to the top 13 (and hence this CD) had to pass through the Kyle filter, and while it was an incredibly gruelling task, he ensured that any of the girls who were carrying a bit too much "baggage" were quickly dismissed from the show. After all, we didn't want those "tuck shop lady arms" getting in the way of the musical performances.

But what really elevates season 3 all of the other seasons is the talent of one very special person.

Lee Harding.

Come on people, this is a guy who wore a T-shirt of the US punk band The Misfits without having any idea who they were. He also wore a pair of Mötley Crüe shoes despite the fact that he could hardly name any of their songs. Step aside Iggy, the real Godfather of punk is right here.

Unfortunately some of his detractors have accused him of being a sellout bubblegum punk, a try-hard emo kid who wants to take the quickest possible road to fame. But isn't his behaviour as punk as it really gets? The original punk philosophy was about distancing yourself from the mainstream and the bombastic excesses of stadium rock. So what better way to show your punk credentials than appearing on a reality show? Surely 10,000 screaming and texting 12 year old girls cannot be wrong. Stick it to the man!

While many Australian musicians are taking the slow road to fame by playing the pub circuit, writing their own songs and actually dedicating their lives to music, the top 13 performers represented on this CD provide the real heartbeat of the Australian music scene.

It's my patriotic choice for the best album of the 2000s.

¹In case you're wondering why I have created a new post with a new number 1 album, you may want to take note of the date of this post.

My 50 favourite albums of the 2000s [2]

2010-03-30T11:54:00.001+11:00

2. Badly Drawn Boy - The Hour Of Bewilderbeast (2000)

While compiling this top 50, I noticed that there were quite a few debut albums on the list which the respective artist or band was never able to top. This album is a prime example; while Badly Drawn Boy (a.k.a. Manchester singer-songwriter Damon Gough) has released some respectable music since his debut, nothing has even been in the same league as this experimental and multi-faceted masterpiece.

I first read about this album in the UK music magazine Q. They had one of those full-page advertorials about this album, with a picture of the cover and several quotes from rave reviews. I remember initially being really impressed with the album cover, an eye-catching homage to Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian man.

Since I had never heard any of his music before, I listened to a sample from Amazon -- Once around the block -- which I thought was pretty catchy and oddly reminded me of Jamiroquai (I guess there's a vague resemblance in its white-boy funk melody).

I decided to pick the album up, and while I don't remember it blowing me away immediately, I knew that there was a lot of promise beneath its restless diversity that it wore so proudly. Some songs were immediate (Once around the block, Disillusion, Pissing in the wind), but most of the songs revealed their charms slowly over repeated listens. Eventually, hidden gems like the subtle jazzy melody of Stone on the water got underneath my skin. Further listens revealed other favourites.

As great as most of the songs are on an individual level, it probably wouldn't be the masterpiece that it is without the conceptual unity that ties all of the songs together into an oddly cohesive long-player. There's the "water trilogy" of Fall in a river, Camping next to water and Stone on the water. There's the gorgeous instrumental interludes (Bewilder, Bewilderbeast, Blistered heart) which act as a form of delectable musical glue that binds the album together.

Then there's those little surprises in the deep crevices of the album: the hidden song at the end of Cause a rockslide, the splash at the end of Fall in a river (boom tish) and the trippy stereophonic panning of This song (which I love despite the subtle feeling of nausea it gives me). Not all of the experiments work (I could have lived without the 45 second interlude that is Body rap), but you have to take your hat off to the sheer audacity on display here.

There's also a conceptual lyrical arc that runs over the course of the hour-long album, beginning with the infatuation of The shining ("I'm dying...to put a bit of sunshine in your life") and concluding with the regretful melancholy of Epitaph ("Please...don't leave me"). A lot of the other songs hint at feelings which are felt during an intense love affair, from the lust of Everybody's stalking, the romanticism of Magic in the air and the giddy confusion of Disillusion.

A diverse mosaic of sounds, textures and moods, The hour of bewilderbeast is an anarchic labour of love from the incredibly fertile and imaginative mind of Damon Gough. Like a Jackson Pollock painting, he threw all of his musical ideas at a blank canvas and ended up with a work of art. A decade on, one can look at it as a creative master-stroke from a very talented musician who probably reached his creative peak way too soon.

My 50 favourite albums of the 2000s [3]

2010-03-26T13:37:00.002+11:00

3. Augie March - Strange Bird (2002)

The transition that Melbourne band Augie March made between their debut album Sunset studies and this one was akin to Dorothy's entrance into the land of Oz. The same characters were there -- lead singer Glenn Richard's poetic lyrics, his unique vocal delivery, and the stunning musical chops of the other band members -- it was just a little bit more colourful.

While Sunset studies was an organically mellow affair, Strange bird doesn't mind straying beyond those stylistic boundaries, following their muse to see where they end up. From the baroque pop of lead single The vineyard, the raucous hoe-down of This train will be taking no passengers (which wouldn't sound out of place on a Pogues album), the brass-inflected Little wonder and the lo-fi folk of Sunstroke house -- there isn't a wasted moment to be found on this hour-long album. It is a tour de force of musical styles and sounds that fit together seamlessly into a cohesive whole.

Strange bird also includes some darkness and shade with rockier moments (Song in the key of chance), brief but beautiful musical interludes (O mi sol li lon, Up the hill and down), avant-garde experiments (O song) and wide-screen epics (the perfection of Brundisium which may just be their finest moment). There's also a thematic thread throughout the record, with a few songs referencing "strange birds" or bird-related imagery in the lyrics.

While the whole band demonstrate their talent on every track, there's no doubt that front man Glenn Richards is the star of the show; his deeply enigmatic lyrics and versatile vocal style (ranging from a mournful croon in This night is a blackbird to the scream of "Train!" at the end of This train will be taking no passengers) always steal the show.

The attention to detail in the packaging is immaculate, from the vintage feel of the album cover, to the booklet accompanying the album which is more like a poetry anthology (even including an index of the first lines of each song). The care and elegance on display here prove to me that owning a digital version of an album will never be able to replace the real thing when there are still bands out there who care as much as these guys do.

Augie March confirmed on this album that they are one of the greatest bands of this generation. While their follow-ups have been relative disappointments, I am hopeful they they will be able to re-ignite the spark and deliver another great album like this in the near future.

My 50 favourite albums of the 2000s [4]

2010-03-24T13:20:00.003+11:00

4. Antony and the Johnsons - I Am A Bird Now (2005)

Antony and the Johnsons is primarily a vehicle for the work of Antony Hegarty, an androgynous singer-songwriter originally from England but now based in New York City. I am a bird now was their second album of delightfully twisted baroque chamber music, following their self-titled album from 2000.

I am a bird now is an idiosyncratic masterpiece, and one of the few albums which I have heard that deserves to be treated as a contemporary work of art. It's an album to be torn apart, analysed and re-constructed again; I am hopeful that one day art scholars will be studying it as part of their curriculum.

Like many pieces of contemporary art, this album is not for everyone. You will probably decide within the first few seconds of the opening track whether it is for you. Antony's unique vibrato vocals are not for everyone, and if you are able to develop an appreciation for them then you are already halfway there to developing a taste for this remarkable record. If you are familiar with any of the work of jazz legend Nina Simone, you will definitely hear parallels between her vocals and Antony's.

The music is very understated, piano-based cabaret music; as wonderfully lush and produced as it is, Antony's lyrics and delivery are the real star of the show. Lyrically heartbreaking, the album covers a gamut of emotions from fear of death (Hope there's someone), being trapped in the wrong body (For today I'm a boy) and emotional companionship (You are my sister).

There are a plethora of guest stars: Boy George (You are my sister), Rufus Wainwright (What can I do?), Lou Reed (Fistful of love) and Devendra Banhart (Spiralling). While one can cynically look at guest spots as cross-over opportunities, here their performances fit in seamlessly with the vision and lyrical themes of the album (in particular Boy George).

Whilst the first half of the album spans many intertwining and depressing lyrical themes, the second half (beginning with the Rufus Wainwright vocal performance What can I do?) is more hopeful. The punchy Fistful of love (the most upbeat and optimistic song on the album) is punctuated by saxophone and an upbeat rhythm section, adding some much needed relief to compensate for the darkness of the other songs.

By the time the album concludes with the brief interlude Free at last and euphoric Bird gerhl, you know that Antony has reached a content state of redemption and enlightenment. We don't know whether he has become completely comfortable in his own skin, or whether it's just a façade. We are just glad that he exposed his soul to us and allowed us to accompany him on this emotional journey.

My 50 favourite albums of the 2000s [5]

2010-03-22T13:37:00.002+11:00

We are now, as Matt kindly pointed out in the comments section of this post, at the "pointy end" of the countdown. To prolong the inevitable, I will be only doing a single album per post for the top 5.

I hope you enjoy the rest of the countdown!

5. Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002)

This album ticks many boxes in the as-yet-unwritten "classic albums" criterion.

It was a pretty radical reinvention
If this was the first Wilco album you had heard, you would find it pretty hard to believe that they started out as an alt-country band.

Wilco formed in 1994 from the ashes of Uncle Tupelo. They had subtle progression over the course of their first 3 albums: AM (1995) was as alt-country as you could get, Being there (1996) was an ambitious and genre-hopping double album, and Summerteeth (1999) added a lot of studio polish and overdubs to their sound (there were also a few collaborations with Billy Bragg on the excellent Mermaid avenue albums).

From the moment the surreal opener I am trying to break your heart hits your speakers or earphones, you know that your ears are in for a treat. Where previous albums were at their core collections of well-written and performed "pop songs", Yankee hotel foxtrot is a multi-faceted and complex masterpiece. Each listen reveals new sounds deep in the mix, yet it is still melodic enough and remains a pleasure to go back to again and again.

It was the band's best to date
Where each of their previous albums had their share of filler material, the quality level rarely dips here. There are catchy and accessible numbers (War on war, Heavy metal drummer, Pot kettle black), mellow laments (Radio cure, Reservations) and even some songs which hint at their country past (Ashes of American flags and the superb Jesus, etc).

There are also elements deep in the mix which constantly surprise the listener, from the titular CB radio transmission at the end of Poor places, the quirky instrumentation in I am trying to break your heart and the way some of the songs end abruptly in a sea of static. On the first few listens I actually thought something was wrong with my CD when this happened; I soon realised that it was intentional.

It's the intersection of accessibility and innovation which made this album so impressive when it came out, and it still remains a compelling listen today.

Later albums couldn't match this one
I've talked briefly about their earlier albums, but this album still stands head-and-shoulders above anything they have since released. A ghost is born (2004) came pretty close but sometimes got caught up in its own pretension, and some songs were clearly big mistakes. Sky blue sky (2007) was too MOR for my liking. I have only heard their latest Wilco (The album) (2009) a few times and I'm not convinced it is going to give this album a run for its money.

I will be pleasantly surprised if Wilco ever manage to top this career peak.

It had an awesome back story
To cut a long story short: their previous record label (Reprise) refused to release this album when they heard it in 2001, considering it too left-field and not commercial enough. Wilco subsequently left the label, acquiring the rights to the record. After a particularly dark period (captured in the awesome documentary I am trying to break your heart) they sold the distribution rights to Nonesuch records.

So why is this so interesting? The whole story is particularly amusing because both the Reprise and Nonesuch record labels are operated through the same parent label of Warner Brothers. Indirectly, Warner Brothers paid for the same album twice.

Jim O'Rourke
This album was co-produced to perfection by the legendary musician/producer Jim O'Rourke, who was once a member of Sonic Youth and has also released a few critically-acclaimed solo albums. I have written before about the nasty industry trend of dynamic range compression, and Jim O'Rourke is one of the few producers out there who is "keeping it real" in his production work.

And you can hear it in the mix of this album; O'Rourke treats the music with utmost respect, allowing the instruments to breathe, maintaining the dynamics of the sound and ensuring that every recorded note remains a pleasure to listen to. O'Rourke set an incredibly high production benchmark for the decade here, which makes the downward spiral of production quality over the remainder of the decade even more difficult to handle.

Just listen to the opening song a few times, and be prepared to notice things on the third listen that you weren't even aware of the first time around. It subtle touches like this that elevate this album from merely great to one of the best of the decade.

RIP: Alex Chilton 1950-2010

2010-03-18T15:13:00.002+11:00

Alex Chilton, former front man for 70s power-pop pioneers Big Star, has died in New Orleans at the age of 59. Chilton was also well known as the vocalist for the 60s blue-eyed soul band The Box Tops, whose biggest hit The letter reached number 1 in the US in 1967 (when Chilton was still in his teens).

I became a fan of Big Star in 2003 when I picked up their classic 2-for-1 album set of #1 Record and Radio City. I later picked up the dark, tortured Third/Sister Lovers which was basically an Alex Chilton solo album in all but name (former member Chris Bell had already left the band by this stage).

Alex Chilton made the news in 2005 when he went missing in New Orleans after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Thankfully, he was found safe a few days later.

Alex has left behind a wonderful musical legacy which has influenced countless musicians.

RIP.

Here are a few of my favourite Big Star songs with Chilton on vocals:

The Ballad Of El Goodo was included in my top 100 favourite songs of all time.
Thirteen is probably their most famous song, and has been covered by Elliott Smith and Wilco, amongst others.
Blue Moon is a stunning ballad from Big Star's dark final album Third/Sister Lovers.

MP3: Big Star - The Ballad Of El Goodo [Link removed]
MP3: Big Star - Thirteen [Link removed]
MP3: Big Star - Blue Moon [Link removed]

Update: Song links removed.

My 50 favourite albums of the 2000s [10-6]

2010-03-17T13:37:00.002+11:00

10. The Notwist - Neon Golden (2002)

Forming in 1989 in Bavaria, German band The Notwist released four albums during the 90s which evolved from a rough punk/hardcore sound into a more electronica based sound by the end of the decade. Neon golden was a cross-over success for them, breaking through to indie music fans (like me) who read rave reviews about it on Pitchfork Media and other influential publications.

The sound that the Notwist achieve on Neon golden is one that I would best describe as a fusion of influential synth-pop pioneers Kraftwerk and Stuart Murdoch, the lead singer of the legendary Glasgow band Belle & Sebastian (who lead singer Markus Acher has an uncanny resemblance to). As accurate as this description is, I also think it's under-selling what they achieved on this remarkable album.

Opener One step inside doesn't mean you understand sets the scene perfectly with what sounds like a banjo strumming at the start, after which Acher's shy subdued vocals enter the scene. It's all very minimal and intimate, and about one minute into the song the sound of what appears to be wooden blocks hitting together come into the mix, providing a very effective rhythm to the song. Organic and worn-in, it's a perfect opener: warm, inviting and innovative.

Pilot is one of the more upbeat and conventional songs on the album, with a consistent electro beat and a fairly traditional verse/chorus structure. It's probably one of the least interesting songs on the album for me, but it's still an excellent song.

The trilogy of Pick up the phone, Trashing days and This room is, to put it simply, twelve minutes of musical bliss. Each song sounds like nothing you've ever heard: all gorgeously melodic, cinematic and multi-layered. This is some of the best electro-pop you are likely to hear.

The second half of the album contains the eastern pastiche of the title track (which George Harrison would be proud of), the very catchy rock of One with the freaks, and the stunning closer Consequence, a breathtaking song with an outstanding vocal melody that makes you just want to play the album all over again. And you will.

9. The Streets - Original Pirate Material (2002)

This debut album from Mike Skinner (aka The Streets) received a lot of attention in the indie rags. I wasn't sure if its amalgamation of hip-hop, electronica and garage was really for me as I wasn't really into these respective sub-genres. But I saw it on sale and decided to give it a go, and it was another one of those risks that I didn't regret.

Say what you want about the music (and it is great); this album all comes down to the charisma of Mike Skinner. Just as Jamie Oliver made it big as a celebrity chef partly due to his personality, this album wouldn't work as well if Mike Skinner didn't let his personality shine through in every song, both in the lyrics and the delivery of them.

You may get confused by all of the UK slang (birds, geezers) but wasn't Clockwork orange still a masterpiece despite its dialogue, in a language that sounded like a cross between English and Russian?

Every song lets us into Mike Skinner's world, from the epic call-to-arms opener Turn the page, the faux-radio transmission of Has it come to this?, the working class anthem Geezers need excitement, the mourning (yet beautiful) break-up song It's too late and the lyrical master-stroke and character study of The irony of it all.

Mike Skinner became even more ambitious on the follow-up, the concept album A grand don't come for free. But in my mind he was never able to top the youthful energy, innovation and genre fusion which he achieved on this stunning piece of work; an artistic triumph which holds a well-deserved place in my top 10 albums of the decade.

8. The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow (2003)

Albuquerque band The Shins had an interesting history prior to the release of this album. They formed in 1997 as Flake (later known as Flake Music), releasing several EPs and a full-length low-fi LP When you land here, it's time to return to very little acclaim. At the turn of the decade they had changed their name to The Shins and signed to the famous Sub Pop label. Their debut album Oh, inverted world was released in 2001, receiving excellent reviews. It was a solid debut album with moments of brilliance (New slang), mixed together with some less inspired moments.

There was lots of anticipation for their follow-up album, and Chutes too narrow was finally released in October 2003. Opinions about the album appeared to be very positive, but some fans thought that it was a relative disappointment after their debut.

2004 was a great year for the band, appearing on the Garden State soundtrack and being named-checked in the same movie by über-babe Natalie Portman ("This band will change your life"). They also had a few of their songs appear in the emo-sitcom Scrubs, joining the ranks of bands like Death Cab For Cutie who had been able to cross-over through similar means.

Where Oh, inverted world owed a lot to its influences (mainly late-60s psychedelia and pop, a la The Zombies), Chutes too narrow saw them developing their own unique style. Where Inverted was often distant and obtuse, Chutes was delivered in a much more direct, intimate and personal manner, even if the lyrics were still a bit cryptic at times. Many of the bells and whistles which cluttered the production of its predecessor were also stripped back, allowing James Mercer's amazingly emotive vocals to take centre stage in the mix.

Almost every song on this album fights to be the best track on the album, from the quirky opener Kissing the lipless (which begins with a yelp), the baroque harmonies of Saint Simon, the infectious power-pop of Fighting in a sack, the intimacy of Pink bullets and the country-influenced Gone for good.

My personal favourite song is Young pilgrims, with its juxtaposition of deeply surreal lyrics ("There is this side of me that wants to grab the yoke from the pilot and just fly the whole mess into the sea"), vocal intimacy, and uncluttered instrumentation. It is an elegant composition which strips music back to first principles, and a stunning encapsulation of the "less is more" aesthetic that they achieved on the whole album.

The length is perfect -- at 10 songs and 33 minutes, there isn't a wasted note on the album. It is sequenced like an old LP: 5 songs per side, side A running from Kissing the lipless to the epic closer Saint Simon, and side B beginning with the corker Fighting in a sack and closing with the sparse Those to come. Bands and artists who cram too many mediocre songs on to a CD just because they can could learn a lot from what The Shins achieved on this superb album.

7. Liam Finn - I'll Be Lightning (2007)

[This review is copied almost verbatim from a recent blog post. My opinion about the album hasn't changed since I wrote that review a few months ago.]

I've stated many times on this blog that I have become quite disillusioned with a lot of modern music. Which made the recent discovery of this album an even more pleasant surprise. In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have been surprised. After all, his dad is none other than Neil Finn (of Crowded House and Split Enz fame). With a musical pedigree like that, how can you go wrong?

Released in 2007 (a great year for music), this was the debut album for the (at the time) 24-year-old Finn. It it interesting to note that 2007 was also that year that Crowded House's reunion album Time on earth was released. While I do enjoy that album (it was in my top 5 albums of 2007), it has nothing on the quality of this release. Let's hope that Neil's pride in his son overshadows any jealousy that he may have that his son outdid him in the songwriting department.

Liam wears his influences proudly on his sleeve, but mixes them up in a way which is thoroughly unique, and it never feels like mere pastiche. The influences range from Paul McCartney whimsy (Energy spent), darker alcohol-influenced Elliott Smith (This place is killing me) and Chutes too narrow era Shins (Wise man). He rocks out on occasion (Lead balloon) and there's even a bit of Split Enz art-rock in there (the title track which took me about 5 listens before I realised how amazing it was).

It's all wrapped up in layers of melodic beauty which ensure that it remains grounded; other highlights include Wide awake on the voyage home and Gather to the chapel, the latter of which is apparently an ode to the late Crowded House drummer Paul Hester.

I'll be lightning is a three dimensional album where certain tracks jump out on first listen, while others take several listens to reveal their charms. It's one of those albums which finds a rare balance between immediacy (to lure you in) and musical depth (to keep you going back to it).

I'm glad to say that the genius Finn gene has lived on; let's hope he can maintain this level of quality on his next full-length album.

6. The Sleepy Jackson - Lovers (2003)

Luke Steele is now more well-known as the front-man for synth-pop band Empire of the Sun, but before forming that band in 2007, many knew him better as the main guy behind indie pop outfit The Sleepy Jackson. The Sleepy Jackson (who are still officially together) have released two full-length albums to date -- debut Lovers (2003) and the clumsily-titled follow-up Personality - One was a spider, one was a bird (2006).

Where Personality is a fairly conceptual album in nature, maintaining a consistent "lush" sound throughout, Lovers is more of a hodge-podge of musical styles, pastiches and genre experiments.

Good dancers is heavily influenced by both John Lennon's #9 dream and The Flaming Lips. Fill me with apples, with its computerised vocal, sounds a bit like Fitter happier from Radiohead's OK computer. Rain falls for wind is an 80s influenced pop song with an uplifting chorus that you'll be humming after one listen. Morning bird is a lullaby sung by a young girl (!) but strangely, it works. Tell the girls that I'm not hanging out is an upbeat dance number. Don't you know (my favourite song on the album) is a 70s-influenced duet with a female singer which is simultaneously emotional and life-affirming in its delivery.

I've only mentioned a handful of songs, but the rest of the album is equally diverse. Each song sounds like it could be by a different band, yet it all manages to hold together as an album; a true testament to the quirky genius of Luke Steele. Each song is a microcosm of a particular musical genre, but the passion, melody and song-writing skills on display turn each moment into a definitive song of the genre.

This is not to say that The Sleepy Jackson are merely an accomplished tribute band, as this is doing them a disservice. There are some moments on here (Acid in my heart, This day, Come to this) which are harder to pin-point the influences on, so lets just call them Luke Steele-esque.

If the aliens ever arrive and want you to make them a mix-tape of some good music released in the past decade, just give them a copy of this album. Luke Steele has already done the hard work for you.

My 50 favourite albums of the 2000s [15-11]

2010-03-15T13:25:00.003+11:00

15. Broken Social Scene - You Forgot It In People (2002)

The Arcade Fire's Funeral (2004) didn't blow me away as much as it did for others, and I think one of the main reasons for this was that several years earlier, the Toronto collective (with membership numbers edging close to 20, they are more than a mere band) Broken Social Scene released what I consider to be one of the definitive albums of the indie-rock genre.

A magnum opus of interwoven sounds and textures, You forgot it in people mixed together elements of alt-rock, chamber pop, surf music, lounge, post-grunge and electronica. They integrated all the sounds into a musical collage that was weird enough for the hipsters and elitists to enjoy, but accessible enough to cross over to music fans who stumbled across it accidentally in their travels.

The presence of multiple vocalists turn this into an album that you will unlikely tire of, and tracks which previously seemed to be minor efforts will surprise you on subsequent listens. My personal favourite include the dynamic rocker KC accidental, anthemic Almost crimes, mid-album chill-out of Looks just like the sun and Pacific theme and the stunning Lover's spit which sounds like a lost Radiohead B-side (and I mean that in the best possible way).

Mediocre albums released under the banner of indie rock are a dime a dozen nowadays, and I think that the reason why most of them don't impress me is that this album already set the benchmark way too high. This is an album which is worth all of your time, and the rest.

14. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois (2005)

The first Sufjan Stevens album I bought was Michigan, the first release in his 50 states project. Some background information: Sufjan has the ambitious goal of releasing a concept album about every single state in the United States. I don't think he's going to follow through with it, but all I'm hoping is that he releases New York before he throws the towel in.

Michigan didn't really blow me away. There were some beautiful songs on the album, but there were also some really annoying over-the-top twee songs which sounded like he had to cut down on the caffeine a bit. When its sequel Illinois was released in 2005 (Seven swans being released in between), it received absolutely rave reviews but I still wasn't convinced.

Then the controversy struck. The album cover included an image of Superman, and apparently the record label Asthmatic kitty got into some legal strife with DC comics over the reproduction of this. They briefly recalled the album, releasing an updated version of the album, sans Superman. I noticed at my local record store that they still had a few copies with Superman on the cover. I quickly snapped one up, hoping that even if I didn't like the album, it may still be a collector's item one day.

Well, it was a double bonus, because I love the album. Consisting of 22 tracks running over 74 minutes, this is an epic work which could have quite easily sunk under the weight of its own ambition. Luckily, Sufjan's songwriting and performance had improved exponentially from Michigan, and at no point during this album does it ever feel boring or uninspired.

The album alternates between traditional chamber pop numbers (Come on! Feel the Illinoise!, Chicago, The man of Metropolis), lush instrumentals (The black hawk war), minor-key banjo-led folk numbers (the stunning Casimir Pulaski day) and haunting historical ballads (the masterpiece John Wayne Gacy, Jr). There are a few brief (less than 30 second) interludes on the album which help maintain its conceptual feel, simultaneously annoying those who listen on an MP3 player without gapless playback.

The attention to detail in his lyrics is mind-blowing, with some songs sounding like researched Wikipedia articles put to (stunning) music. Add in some of the most pretentiously-long song titles in music history (surely just to piss off users of Last.fm), and you quickly realise that Sufjan Stevens deserves to sit up on the pedestal, or indie throne, that his fans have put him up on.

13. Radiohead - In Rainbows (2007)

Radiohead, arguably the most restlessly creative band of their generation, have spent their career re-inventing themselves. After a few left-field excursions into electronica (Kid A and Amnesiac), they partially returned to their guitar driven sound on 2003's Hail to the thief. Where could they go from here? Why not stick up a middle finger to greedy record company executives by re-inventing how music could be distributed?

Of course, you'd have to be a band as big as Radiohead to take on the risk they did -- allowing fans to download the album (prior to its physical release) and pay whatever price they think is fair. Just like Apple had managed to achieve on a mass scale with its iTunes business model (what, make people pay for something that they could previously download illegally?), Radiohead's social experiment was a resounding success. It was also a big "fuck you" to those who failed to realise that markets were shifting and the business models of yesteryear couldn't be followed indefinitely.

It's unfortunate that the discussion of the music on In rainbows often comes as an after-thought, because this album deserves more than that. This is in essence their most accessible album since OK computer; an album of stunning music which is simultaneously cerebral, progressive and (unlike some of their clinical and detached moments on Kid Amnesiac) full of heart.

The rockers (Bodysnatchers and the stunning Jigsaw falling into place) are some of the best of their career: groovy, rhythmic and melodic. There are a few ballads (Nude, Faust arp and House of cards) which remind you that Thom Yorke is still one of the best vocalists of the past decade. And then there's the stunning Reckoner, which sounds unlike anything they have ever released, but ironically couldn't have been recorded by anyone but them.

I think that's the genius of Radiohead -- while so many of their contemporaries are constantly trying to meld their influences into a sound which is distinctly their own, Radiohead are at the forefront of their own musical research & development department. Endlessly evolving, never stagnating: they are the band of our generation.

12. Elliott Smith - Figure 8 (2000)

I first heard about Elliott Smith through a friend Avi whose taste in music I respected very highly. It was around the time of my 21st birthday, and I had received a few music vouchers. Looking around the music store, I noticed that Elliott Smith's latest album Figure 8 was available. I hadn't heard any of his music before, but the album cover intrigued me. Of course, I'm not one to judge an album by its cover, but coupled with the recommendation from a friend I had a fairly convincing case to purchase the album.

I loved the opening song Son of Sam from the first listen. It had a great melody, and I really liked his vocal style which I thought had a lot of similarities with Neil Finn. When I heard the next song, the lilting and catchy Somebody that I used to know, I knew I was on to something very special here.

And as great as those opening two tracks are, the quality rarely drops over the rest of the album. Every song combines the sheer song-craft of a Paul McCartney tune with the intimacy and darkness of Nick Drake's best work. Hooks abound (Stupidity tries, Junk bond trader, Wouldn't Mama be proud?) and there are several moments of introspective beauty like the stunning Beach Boys influenced Everything means nothing to me and the dark Color bars.

This album made me fall in love with the music of Elliott Smith, and I now consider him one of my favourite musicians of all time. I eventually picked up all of his previous albums, working backwards from his major label debut XO (1998) through to Roman candle (1994). I even picked up the last album released by his former band Heatmiser, the very solid Mic city sons.

It all ended in tragedy just over three years after this album was released, when Elliott Smith committed suicide at the age of 34. This makes the closing two tracks on this album all the more poignant. Of course anyone can read into something with the benefit of hindsight, but the dark Can't make a sound (with the opening line "I have become a silent movie") and the minimal closing instrumental Bye seem to be a very appropriate farewell to a life cut way too short.

11. Interpol - Turn On The Bright Lights (2002)

This was another risk which paid high dividends for me. I think it was my friend Pete who said that he had read about Interpol, telling me that they had been compared to Marquee moon era Television. Being a big fan of that cult 70s classic, I decided to pick the album up without hearing a single note (being the long-haired risk-taking lout that I was at the time, sans the long hair).

It took me a long, long time to warm to this album. I think I had given it about three listens and was considering returning it for a refund. None of the tracks (except for the This charming man riff-stealing Say hello to the angels) really jumped out at me as anything special. But I decided to persevere, and it was probably the 5th or 6th listen where the deep layers of this album started to reveal themselves to me.

I wrote a blog post back in 2006 talking about albums that have the "vibe", and this one was included on the list. There's a great late-night, sepia-tinged feeling to most of the songs on this album, from the atmospheric opener Untitled, the slow-building stunner Hands away and angular rockers Obstacle 1 and Say hello to the angels. Little moments reveal themselves after repeated listens, like the brief, spoken-word intro to Stella was a diver, the last few stunning minutes of PDA and the understated melody of closer Leif Erikson (named after the first European to land in North America).

Many comparisons have been made between the vocal styles of Interpol singer Paul Banks and the late Ian Curtis of Joy Division. There's no denying that there are similarities, but the sound that Interpol achieved on the stunning debut still manages to be their own despite their breadth of influences.

The follow-up Antics was a bit of a disappointment for me, and what I have heard from Our love to admire didn't excite me much either. I have a feeling that history will put Interpol in the same league as bands like The Strokes: those who were never able to follow up an excellent debut album with an equally promising career.

My 50 favourite albums of the 2000s [20-16]

2010-03-10T13:32:00.004+11:00

20. The Wrens - The Meadowlands (2003)

New Jersey indie rock band The Wrens released a couple of albums in the 90s to little accolades before releasing this intensely emotional masterpiece after 7 years in hiatus. It received a lot of critical praise from influential online publications Pitchfork and AllMusic, allowing this underrated band to get some much deserved attention that had previously eluded them.

This is an incredible, densely-layered slow-burner of an album which continues to reveal new surprises on every listen. Beginning with a lovely minimal piano-based song (The house that guilt built) and concluding with an almost a capella number that ends in screaming (This is not what you had planned), the 13 tracks on this album cover a wide emotional palette: the infatuation of the stunning She sends kisses, the intense rock of Hopeless and Faster gun and the epic, widescreen 13 months in six minutes.

Interspersed amongst the more obviously personal songs are some very catchy and melodic numbers (Thirteen grand, Ex-girl collection, Everyone chooses sides) where the music often belies the dark undertones. As deep as the lyrics are, it's the melody above the melancholy that makes the album such a pleasure to return to again and again.

They haven't broken up yet, so it will be very interesting to see if they can ever top this stunning piece of art.

19. My Morning Jacket - At Dawn (2001)

Kentucky indie-country-rock band My Morning Jacket are a pretty different band now than they were in the early part of the noughties. While their last two albums (Z and Evil urges) were quite scatter-shot affairs, mixing together elements of alt-country, pop and rock, their first few albums owed a lot more to the southern rock of Lynyrd Skynyrd and early Neil Young.

At Dawn was their second album after the lo-fi (and at times excellent) debut The Tennessee Fire from 1999. From the moment that the opening title track hits your speakers, with its elongated and slow burning instrumental intro, you immediately realise that they have succeeded in refining their sound into something truly special. This is before the stunning, reverb soaked vocals of Jim James enter the picture; they are the magic ingredient with turn this band from impressive into transcendent.

The album is close to flawless, from the catchy southern pop of Lowdown, to their (now) signature song The way that he sings, the minimal, acoustic Bermuda highway, sing-along Xmas curtain and the atmospheric, macabre closer Strangulation! (that punctuation is part of the song, but I share similar enthusiasm for it).

At almost 74 minutes, it's their longest album to date, but it never becomes meandering or pretentious. It's probably good that they didn't continue to mine their sound from the ghosts of Crazy Horse and The Band, because the schtick may have worn a bit thin over time. But at least we have this amazing record to remember how great they once were: a remarkable document of a band at the height of their powers.

Oh yeah, and they are still one of the best live acts around at the moment.

18. Art Of Fighting - Wires (2001)

This debut album from Melbourne band Art Of Fighting is a breathtaking work of introspective, ethereal beauty. Released in 2001 to little more than a cult following, it's an album that would have fit in very well in the short-lived UK nu-folk movement of the early noughties. There's also a good chance it wouldn't be gathering dust in the homes of the indie kids, like those Turin Brakes and Kings of Convenience LPs.

Vocalist Ollie Browne has a quiet falsetto voice which never strains too hard, and the rest of the band maintain an almost jazz-like ambience throughout the recording. The music rarely shifts out of 2nd gear, but every now and then the listener will be surprised with a radical crescendo which puts the hairs up on the back of the neck. They're a bit like Sigur Ros in their juxtaposition of ethereal beauty and dynamics, with less progressive overtones and with the added benefit that English speakers can understand the lyrics.

It's difficult to isolate single tracks as stand-outs, as it begs to be listened to as a whole. But I would definitely single out the opening trilogy of Skeletons, Give me tonight and Akula, which is as good as this sort of music gets. Later songs Just say I'm right and Something new start out minimal, but build to glorious climaxes by the end. Find you lost is an ambient number which initially seems like a waste of 7 minutes of your life, but you just wait until it grows on you. It will.

In many aspects of life, from painting, photography, cooking and music, it is often said that "less is more". This album is a testament to that.

17. The Strokes - Is This It (2001)

From the Smell the glove aping album cover (well the original version), to the leather jackets, to Julian Casablancas' Lou Reed vocal technique, to the cooler-than-thou band member names (Casablancas, Valensi, Hammond Jr., Fraiture, Moretti -- are these guys musicians or fashion designers?) -- New York band The Strokes made quite a splash when they unleashed this debut album in 2001. Yeah, you could argue they were the indie-rock equivalent of the Monkees, but that's missing the point. They captured the zeitgeist like no other band of the early noughties, and their garage rock proved to be extremely influential to other up-and-coming bands of the era.

It all would have been senselessly superficial posturing if this album didn't kick so much god-damn ass. The sound that the Strokes' achieved on this debut is the perfect amalgamation of rock, dance, melody and attitude. Every song here works on one level or another, from the rush and adrenaline of The modern age, the catchier-than-thou Soma and Someday, the indie rock anthems Last nite and Hard to explain and the controversial New York city cops (cut from the US version as a sign of respect after the 9/11 attacks).

Their critics accused them of lack of innovation, and they are one hundred percent correct. There's nothing on here than other bands like the Velvets and Ramones hadn't already done. These guys were just incredibly lucky with their timing; coming in at the start of a new decade with a new, empty musical landscape ahead of them, they helped define an era rather than become the product of one.

They inspired many bands, some good (The Walkmen, Interpol) and some bad (Jet). They were never able to top this album; how could they? Room on fire was a respectable follow-up, but First impressions of earth was an over-bloated attempt at remaining relevant in a world that had already, in many ways, moved on.

Luckily we'll always have this stunning debut album to return to; 36 minutes of lightning captured in a very stylish package.

16. Machine Translations - Venus Traps Fly (2004)

Many bands reach the point in their career where they tone-down their artiness and experimental tendencies just enough to simultaneously release the best and most accessible album of their career. What separates the good bands from the others is the ability to do this without selling out. The Go-Betweens did it with 16 lovers lane. Pink Floyd did it with Dark side of the moon. And Machine Translations did it with Venus traps fly.

Machine Translations (a moniker for the Australian singer/multi-instrumentalist/songwriter J Walker and his band of session musicians) released a few albums of organic lo-fi indie-folk-electronica-pop prior to this one, most notably Bad shapes (2001) and Happy (2002). Both mixed and matched minimalistic, melodic folk (Rule bound, River of darkness, Amnesia, She wears a mask) with more progressive mood pieces (The world is sick, Arabesque, A most peculiar place). Happy also dabbled quite a bit in electronica, with some songs that wouldn't sound out of place on French duo Air's "difficult second album" 10,000 Hz legend.

Venus traps fly succeeds in evolving their sound by stripping back some of the electronica of Happy, in favour of a more organic and melodic core. Many songs on the album (Venus traps fly, Bee in a cup, Stray dog) possess almost nursery-rhyme melodies and lyrics, giving the listener a feeling of familiarity and comfort even after hearing them for the first time.

There are a few songs that hint at their more experimental tendencies (If the water runs dry, An hour is long), but where similar efforts on previous albums tended to feel difficult for the sake of it, here they are concise and focused, not feeling out of place amongst the more melodic moments. The album's undisputed centrepiece is the 5-minute run which includes the stunning instrumental Twilit and the musically gorgeous (albeit lyrically disturbing) Not my fall, which gives a chance to appreciate J Walker's underrated vocals.

There are a few minor missteps -- the Claire Bowditch duet Simple life doesn't quite fit in with the rest of the album, and the grating Scretch doesn't really work on any level for me -- but this is minor nit-picking. This is a accessible yet challenging work from an artist who deserves a lot more than just a minor cult following.

George Michael gig [3rd March 2010 @ Etihad Stadium]

2010-03-07T13:36:00.001+11:00

While I'm not a big fan of George Michael, it was my wife's birthday earlier this year and she is quite a fan so I surprised her with tickets to this concert at the massive Etihad Stadium (formerly known as Telstra Dome) at the Docklands in Melbourne.

We arrived at about 7:30pm and George Michael entered the stage at about 8:30pm. Despite promises of "and special guests" on the tickets, I'm not quite sure who the special guests were; maybe his backing band?

The concert began with the acoustic ballad Waiting sung off-stage before he appeared to the cheers of the almost 50,000 fan crowd. Kicking off the first set with some his biggest hits Fastlove and I'm your man (recorded with his former band Wham!) was a good move, and definitely succeeded in getting the audience moving and the adrenaline pumping.

He slowed down the pace a bit with the beautiful ballad Father figure. While he is definitely a master at the dance-pop genre, I generally prefer his slower-paced material as it gives a chance for his amazing vocals to take centre stage. Say what you like about his music, but you can't deny that he is a brilliant singer; it was a pleasure to hear that his voice was in fine form even without all the bells and whistles of a recording studio.

There was a 20 minute interval in the middle of the set, which gave fans an opportunity to go to the toilet or fill up on severely overpriced food. $5 for a bottle of water -- seriously?

Then he returned with the superb second set, kicking off with arguably his finest pop moment -- the classic Faith from the 1987 album of the same name. A few well-selected covers, of the jazz standard Feeling good and a slowed down version of the Police song Roxanne added some diversity to the mix. A few later period hits like Amazing and Outside (influenced by his infamous "public toilet" incident of the late-90s) rounded out the end of the set nicely, before leaving the stage.

His encore included the glorious Careless whisper (still arguably one of the best pop/R&B songs of all time) and Freedom 90 (that's the solo song, not the cheesy Wham! song with the same name). The saxophone solo in Careless whisper never fails to bring a smile to this 80s child's face.

Of course, no review of this gig would be complete without a mention of his Spinal Tap-esque moment where he shouted "Come on Sydney!" to the crowd, not realising that he was actually in Melbourne. We let him get away with it the first time, but when he did it again, the patriotic crowd weren't very happy -- starting a chant of "Melbourne! Melbourne!" in the vain hope that the penny would drop.

It eventually did, when he started talking about the last time he was in Australia back in 1985, and how he was so happy to be back in Melbourne. He admitted his faux-pas later on in the gig, jokingly stating that he was actually talking to his monitor engineer (named Sydney). Needless to say, we didn't buy it.

All in all, a surpisingly enjoyable gig. I'm not generally a big fan of gigs at big stadiums (lack of intimacy, ridiculously over-priced tickets) but George Michael put on a good performance.

Bootleg media

Being a big stadium, I wasn't able to get any good photos of the gig with my 3x zoom Canon Ixus 70 compact digital camera. The best I could do were the photo at the top of the post, and this one:

My 50 favourite albums of the 2000s [25-21]

2010-03-05T13:13:00.002+11:00

25. Radiohead - Hail To The Thief (2003)

This was one of the most highly anticipated albums of the decade for me. After a few classic guitar-based albums in the 1990s (The bends and OK computer), the 2000s were a decade of re-invention for Radiohead. Both Kid A (2000) and Amnesiac (2001) eschewed guitar-based music in favour of a more electronic sound, and while they were both left-field and boundary-pushing releases, they left me craving a return to their 6-string sound.

I first heard about this album from my friend Pete who had acquired a leak of it. These days, it's rare for an album not to be leaked before its official release, but in 2003 being able to get a copy of this album before it was officially available to buy was very exciting.

From the first moment that I played Hail to the thief, I knew it was something special. First track 2 + 2 = 5 may just be the best album opener of any of their albums to date -- a kick ass, dynamic rocker which starts out quite mellow before that special moment when it kicks into gear and rocks out like it's 1995 all over again.

This album holds a unique position in the Radiohead discography. While most of their albums do a fairly good job at sustaining a similar mood throughout, this is quite a schizophrenic recording which mixes rock and electronic elements from their previous albums into a whole which isn't particularly cohesive but works as a great collection of individual songs.

I would even go so far to say that its high points -- and there's lots of them -- are some of the finest songs to bear the Radiohead name. In particular, the aforementioned rocker 2 + 2 = 5, beautiful ballad Sail to the moon, anthemic There there, minimalistic I will, funky A punchup at a wedding and surreal closer A wolf at the door are all A-grade Radiohead songs.

My biggest gripe with this album is that with some judicious editing, it could have been ever better; at 14 songs over 56 minutes it's a bit too long, and if they trimmed off some of the lesser songs like The gloaming, Backdrifts and Myxomatosis it would probably be able to fight it out against OK computer as the best album they ever released. As it stands, it's merely an excellent album by arguably the best band of our generation.

24. The Exploding Hearts - Guitar Romantic (2003)

Tragic back-stories have become a bit of a music critic cliché, but here we go. Portland, Oregon pop-punk band The Exploding Hearts formed in 2001 and released only a single album in April 2003 (this one) before 3 of its 4 members died in a touring van accident only a few months after the album was released.

As sad as this story is, at least we have this wonderful album to remember them by. If you were in a record store and picked up the CD without ever having heard of The Exploding Hearts, the album cover would probably convince you that they were a late-70s punk band who you had somehow missed in their heyday.

If you then started playing the CD, your opinion wouldn't really change. But while it is hardly an innovative piece of work (owing a lot to the late-70s and early-80s pop-punk work of the Buzzocks, New York Dolls and Only Ones), what it lacks in originality it makes up for in heart and soul.

Of course, heart and soul will only get you so far. You need to have the songs to make the listener want to return to it! From the "I don't care" refrain of opener Modern kicks, to the stop-start punk-soul of Sleeping aides & razorblades, to the catchy pop of Jailbird, every song says exactly what it needs to and gets out of your way. Adam Cox's vocals have a youthful exuberance to them, the production is raw and loose and the melodies are plentiful.

The whole album has the vibe of a lost garage punk recording found in the attic of someone's house, dusted off and packaged for future generations to discover and enjoy.

23. Blueline Medic - The Apology Wars (2001)

I first read about this album in a copy of the Blunt rock music magazine. They were interviewing various Australian musicians about what they considered to be the best Australian albums of all time. Alongside the popular choices like Midnight Oil's 10...1 and AC/DC's Back in black was this unknown album. I noticed that a few respectable musicians had mentioned this album as one of the greats, so it got me quite interested in it.

This is a wonderfully textured rock album that reveals more with each listen. While a lot of the songs (in particular Making the Nouveau Riche) are quite accessible and commercial sounding, a lot of the other songs can sound quite unremarkable on the first listen but they quickly grow on you after repeated spins.

Maybe it's my patriotic side coming out, but I'm a sucker for any music where you can hear the Australian accent shine through in the vocals (Paul Kelly being one of the prime examples of this). Vocalist Donnie Dureau never tries to hide his accent, and it's so refreshing to hear that he doesn't try to Americanise his vocals to appeal to a wider audience.

Highlights include the Smiths-influenced ballad At least we had the war, shuffling pop of Somnambulist, kick-ass rocker Up against the fault and moody closer Welcome paradox.

Simultaneously melodic, powerful and atmospheric -- this is definitely one of the great Australian rock albums of the decade.

22. ..And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Source Tags & Codes (2002)

For someone who is traditionally into the mellower end of the musical landscape, there's quite a few rock albums in this part of the countdown. This album became quite well known in the indie/alternative rock community when it received a perfect 10.0 score on the review website Pitchfork Media. Did I buy into the hype? Bloody oath I did.

I had to be open-minded when listening to this album. It lures the listener in with the beautiful short instrumental piece Invocation, and then you're thrown into the deep end with the heavy and relentless It was there that I saw you. The vocal style of Conrad Keely doesn't exactly placate the listener either, meaning that a lot of people (like me) who don't generally like this sort of music may quickly give up on this album.

Don't give up! Another morning stoner slows things down a bit, adding some much needed melody to the mix as well. The stomping Baudelaire gets you moshing, before the thrashy Homage throws you into the fiery pits of hell.

From here on in, you've paid your dues, and it's time for a bit of a breather. Things get (relatively) mellower in the middle of the album, with the epic How near how far and Heart in the hand of the matter luring you in with their bombast. Monsoon, probably the mellowest non-instrumental track on the album, almost sounds like a lost Doves track (at least in the vocal performance). Days of being wild gets back to thrashing Homage territory.

The album ends with the best of the lot, with the incredibly catchy single Relative ways, segue into After the laughter, and epic pop of the title track concluding the proceedings. Like the ending of any great album, they make you want to re-live the entire experience again.

My main gripe with this album is in the production, which is brick-walled in many parts. But I'm starting to sound like a broken record so I'll shut up now. This album is the epitome of textured, complex and atmospheric rock music.

21. Mike Noga - Folk Songs (2005)

Mike Noga is the drummer for the critically-acclaimed Australian blues-rock band the Drones, joining the band in 2005 after the release of the superb Wait long by the river... album. This album of mellow, erm, folk songs was released in the same year. What would your expectations be for a solo folk album by a drummer from a blues-rock band?

Well, to paraphrase Seinfeld, you can "stuff your expectations in a sack". This is a brilliant piece of work that deserves a lot of recognition, but alas it will probably remain one of those "cult classics" that is heard by few, but adored by everyone who hears it.

Produced to perfection by J Walker of Machine Translations, this album is brief (11 tracks in 30 minutes), but what it lacks in scope it makes up for in emotionally direct song writing and performances. Noga's voice is quintessentially Australian, giving all of the songs an authentic feeling: this is folk stripped down to first principles, with no pretensions or ego to be found.

In lesser hands, this album could have become quite boring and repetitive, but Noga is a master of his craft and there are subtle variations between the tracks which keep things interesting over repeated listens. There's the cinematic, almost Pogues-like vibe of The battle. The charming way he enunciates his words in The day we almost died. The lo-fi "radio transmission" of Strange town.

Almost every song here has a special moment that makes the album a pleasure to hear again and again. Let's just hope that he doesn't spontaneously combust behind the Drones drum kit, or die in a freak gardening accident; we want him to follow up this great album! Okay, the drummer jokes end here.

My 50 favourite albums of the 2000s [30-26]

2010-03-03T12:56:00.002+11:00

30. Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid (2008)

When Elbow released their debut Asleep in the back in 2001, I put them in the same category as fellow Mancurians Doves, who had released their debut Lost souls a year earlier -- dark, mellow and textured indie music with subtle elements of progressive music thrown in. In a comparison that sounds incredibly odd with the benefit of hindsight, they were even a bit like Coldplay with a slightly more experimental edge.

At the time, I never thought they were quite as good as either of those bands, who both released follow-ups (The last broadcast and A rush of blood to the head) that were much more impressive albums than both Asleep in the back and its successor Cast of thousands. Elbow looked like a band who were destined to fade into obscurity.

After one more solid but not world-changing album (Leaders of the free world), it looked like Elbow were quite content to stick to their formula. This was a pity, because while they had definitely demonstrated talent on individual tracks (Red, Powder blue, Fugitive motel), they had yet to release a back-to-front kick-ass album. The seldom-seen kid would luckily change all of that.

This was the album which proved to me that Elbow were truly one of the best bands of our time. Kicking off with the wonderfully dynamic Starlings (which shows how amazing music can sound when it isn't brick-walled), Guy Garvey and his band of merry-men take us on a 55 minute journey through a wide variety of sounds, genres and textures.

From the kick-ass rocker Grounds for divorce (with an equally impressive film clip), to the epic balladry of Tower crane driver and Some riot, to the fun caper of The fix (a duet with Richard Hawley) -- this is their most eclectic, accomplished and consistent album to date.

Elbow may have been heading down a stylistic cul-de-sac before this album, but here they proved they could play in the big league without selling out or sacrificing any of their individuality. If only Guy Garvey could have had a few quiet words with Chris Martin circa-2003.

There's not many bands I can say this about, but I'm truly excited to hear what Elbow surprise us with next.

29. Tom Waits - Alice (2002)

While many artists who have been around for this long are quite happy to rest on their laurels, Tom Waits is an artist who not only re-invents himself between albums, but between songs on the same album. He is a enigmatic genius who releases constantly challenging music that rewards patience and repeated listening.

Most of the songs on Alice date back to the early 90s -- Tom had written them for the play Alice, which was based on the forbidden love between Alice in Wonderland writer Lewis Carroll and young girl Alice Liddell (who Lewis had written Alice in Wonderland for). For whatever reason, Tom decided not to release an album with the songs until 2002 -- a year in which he also released another LP, Blood money.

Unlike Blood money (a dark and harsh album, summed up by both its eerie album cover and its song titles like Misery is the river of the world), Alice is a subdued, mourning album which consists mainly of funereal ballads injected with the standard Tom Waits quirk.

The stunning opening title track sets the scene perfectly with its wonderful poetic lyrics: "To go skating on your name, and by tracing it twice, I fell through the ice of Alice". Tom throws in a few curve balls to keep the listener on their feet, with the quirky Everything you can think and oddball carnival music of Kommuienezuspadt (which sounds like it's in German, but is apparently complete gibberish).

Elsewhere, we have a depressing ballad about a man who was born with the face of a woman on the back of his head (Poor Edward), a Louis Armstrong style jazz number about a man born without a body (Table Top Joe) and a Shakespeare-esque tragedy about a bird and a whale who fall in love, but realise that it will never work because the bird "cannot live in the ocean" and the whale "[can never] live in the sky" (Fish and bird). Who else writes songs like this but Tom Waits?

There's no denying that this stuff is an acquired taste, but he is one of the true musical geniuses of our time. Put aside some time and effort and acquaint yourself with this true visionary of American music. It could go one of two ways -- you will continue to find his music un-listenable, or you will need to hear everything he has ever released. There is no in between.

28. Eels - Blinking Lights And Other Revelations (2005)

You can put this album alongside other classics like The Beatles (a.k.a. The White Album), Exile on Main Street and Blonde on Blonde as a double album which also represented a creative career peak. Okay, so it's not quite as great as those albums, but what is?

Running for just over 1.5 hours and 33 tracks, this album is home to some of the most personal songs that Mark E. Everett (E) has ever written (except for most of the stuff on the mourning Electro-shock blues). These 33 tracks were recorded over an 8 year period from 1998 to 2004, with various Eels line-ups, backing musicians and guest musicians (including Peter Buck and Tom Waits).

Considering the long recording period, it holds together remarkably well, flowing together like an autobiography of E's life (beginning with the life-affirming From which I came / A magic world, and ending with the poignant Things the grandchildren should know). Interspersed throughout the album are instrumental reprises of the title -- Theme from Blinking lights, Blinking lights (for me), Blinking lights (for you) and even a cheeky nod to Tom Waits on Bride of theme from Blinking Lights. These instrumentals, while simple, are very effective at maintaining a sense of continuity on the otherwise diverse record.

Other than his standard mope-indie-folk fare, E and his musicians try their hand at a few other genres including country (Railroad man, Ugly love), epic balladry (Dust of ages), new-wave dance (Going fetal) and life-affirming pop (Hey man (now you're really living)).

But overall, it's the lush and beautifully dark songs which are the Eels trademark, and this album has them in spades: Theme for a pretty girl, Checkout blues, If you see Natalie, The stars shine in the sky tonight and Things the grandchildren should know are some of the most emotional and touching songs in their oeuvre.

This album is a remarkably consistent, eclectic and personal work of art from one of the most underrated musicians of the last 15 years.

27. Blur - Think Tank (2003)

Even though Blur haven't "officially" broken up yet, it's getting more and more likely that this 2003 release will become their swansong. If this is the case, it's a great way to end their career -- a wonderful refinement of the left-field art-rock from their previous two albums (Blur from 1997, 13 from 1999) where they toned down some of the arty pretensions in favour of actual songs. If I was to make an analogy to another band who constantly re-invent themselves (Radiohead) -- if Blur was their Hail To The Thief, and 13 was their Kid A/Amnesiac, Think Tank was their In Rainbows (chronology notwithstanding).

Think Tank opens with the wonderfully atmospheric Ambulance, where frontman Damon Albarn confidently croons "I ain't got nothing to be scared of". By this stage, he certainly didn't have to be scared of any competition with former rivals Liam and Noel Gallagher (of Oasis); remember lads, if you choose to be a band who remains stagnant, you have to make that the horse you're flogging isn't dead. Luckily Blur had realised that this Britpop thing could only be stretched so far, and the proof is in the pudding of their late-career albums.

The songs on Think Tank find the perfect balance between melody (Out of time, Good song, Sweet song) and trip-hop beats (On the way to the club, Brothers and sisters, Gene by gene). There are a even a few oddities thrown in for good measure (We've got a file on you, Moroccan peoples revolutionary bowls club, Jets).

There's a few longer mood pieces which are similar to some of the mellower moments on 13 (the aforementioned Ambulance, Caravan), but where the songs on 13 were arty for art's sake, these songs seem to fit in with the big picture of the album as a whole. The only song which doesn't work is the grating Fat Boy Slim collaboration Crazy Beat, which to my cynical mind was the token single added on request of the record company.

The album ends with the wonderful Battery in your leg, the only song with the presence of original guitarist Graham Coxon, who had left the band in 2002 after a dispute. His guitar line adds a chilling beauty to the song's lyrics ("This is a ballad for the good times, another dignity we held"). One can't help but interpret these lyrics (and Coxon's presence) as an epitaph for one of the most restlessly inventive bands of their era.

26. Ben Folds - Rockin' The Suburbs (2001)

This was Ben Folds' first solo album after the break up of his former band, Ben Folds Five, in 2000. It's not a radical departure in sound for fans of the previous band -- piano based pop with very catchy melodies and a touch of trademark lyrical and vocal quirk thrown in for good measure. Ben Folds has often been referred to as an indie Elton John, and I think this is a pretty fair comparison.

I have always considered the optimum album length (in number of tracks and duration) to be 12 tracks running for 45 minutes. 12 tracks works well because it allows you to divide the album in half, three or four quite easily; years of research have also led me to believe that 45 minutes is the happy medium between feeling ripped off and unsatisfied (which short albums give you) and an album being too long to comfortably hear in a single sitting.

This 12-track album runs for about 48 minutes which makes it pretty close to perfect for me. The icing on the cake is that, unlike some of his later efforts, there isn't a bad song in the bunch -- every song is a remarkable composition of catchy melody, tight performance and deep, personal lyrics. Every song is a highlight, from the upbeat and hook-laden Annie waits, the toe-tapping Zak and Sara, the poignant character study of Fred Jones Part 2, the classical-influenced arpeggios of The ascent of Stan and the suicide lament of Losing Lisa.

When I first heard the title track, I considered it a cheap throwaway and a transparent attempt at commercial success. It was only after a few closer listens to the lyrics that I realised it was an ironic satire against middle-class white bands like Limp Bizkit who pretend that they have it harder than they do. I feel silly for mis-interpreting this song, but I'm sure I wasn't the only one. File it next to Born in the USA and Every breath you take as songs which are bound to be misinterpreted by silly people like me.

Closing track The luckiest is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard -- a touching, heartfelt love song that will bring a tear to the eye of anyone who is in love, or has been in love. It's one of the most direct songs that Ben Folds has ever penned, stripping away the layers of cynicism that he often coats his songs in, exposing the vulnerability and intense feelings one feels in any deep relationship. It may just be the best song he has ever written.

My 50 favourite albums of the 2000s [35-31]

2010-02-26T01:30:00.002+11:00

35. The White Stripes - White Blood Cells (2001)

I'm fairly sure that I am in the minority when I say that I prefer this album to its more critically acclaimed successor Elephant (from 2003). While I would probably nominate Elephant as the more cohesive of the two albums, this is the one I find myself wanting to return to more.

Why? Because it has the tunes! Yes, Elephant has the wonderful Seven nation army (probably their most well-known song). But I'd controversially argue that Hotel yorba and Fell in love with a girl are better songs.

There's some lesser-known tracks throughout which have amazing melodies, in particular I'm finding it harder to be a gentleman, The same boy you're always known and I can't wait. The chord progression and lyrics of Offend in every way never fail to make me happy whenever I listen to it. We're going to be be friends sounds musically like a lost Kinks song, with its lyrics something that we can all relate to: the nervous excitement of the first day of school.

Then there's the song fragments, like Little room, Expecting and Aluminum. You could argue that they are needless filler, but for some strange reason just add to the charm of this record.

And talking of charm? Dig the middle section of The union forever where Jack White just decides to start singing There is a man from Citizen Kane, a song which was also parodied in The Simpsons. And what about the dynamic theatrics of I think I smell a rat? Wonderful stuff. These moments give the record a fun unpolished feel, making it sound more like an amazing jam session than a record that has been approved for release by a record company.

This is a great garage rock record which doesn't take itself too seriously.

34. Super Furry Animals - Rings Around The World (2001)

The early noughties were an exciting time for Super Furry Animals fans. They had just released 4 albums of quirky Welsh pop: highly acclaimed debut Fuzzy logic (1996), career peak and masterpiece Radiator (1997), eclectic mix-tape Guerrilla (1999) and the gothic folk of Mwng (2000), the latter of which was recorded entirely in their native tongue of Welsh. For those keeping count at home, that's 4 incredible albums in 5 years. That's close to what the Beatles achieved during the 60s.

Then they were signed to a major label (Epic), a well-deserved move for a band who deserved much wider acclaim. Rings around the world was their major label debut. I was already a big fan by this stage (thanks Pete!), so this was high on my "most anticipated" albums list. When I heard that it was going to be the first album to be released simultaneously on CD and DVD (in glorious 5.1 surround sound), the anticipation levels rose even more.

Major label debuts can often be disastrous for bands who don't know how to use the extra money and studio facilities tastefully. Thankfully these quirky Welshmen found a good balance between their earlier DIY sound and pushing forward in new sonic directions.

Every song on this album is a perfect microcosm of what makes SFA so great and what differentiates them from almost every other band on the planet. Book-ended by its two mellowest tracks (Alternate route to Vulcan Street and Fragile happiness), Gruff Rhys and co. take us on an eclectic adventure through a wide palette of sounds: Beach Boys on acid (the title track), bouncy pop vs. caveman death metal (Receptacle for the respectable), dark folk vs. epilepsy-inducing techno (No sympathy), synth-pop re-imagined for the 2000s (Juxtaposed with u), and the alt-country of Run! Christian, run!

Even the songs which sound more wide-screen and accessible than anything they previously released (It's not the end of the world?, Shoot Doris Day, Juxtaposed with u) could hardly be called sell-outs, as they still fit in with their M.O. of delivering quirky Welsh pop to their legions of fans.

The album is gloriously topped off by Presidential suite, their response to the Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky scandal of the late 90s. That they are able to juxtapose such a filthy lyric with such a stunning melody is testament to their quirky genius. This song would be the highlight of a lesser band's entire career: here it is merely a cheeky highlight of an album full of them.

33. Something For Kate - Echolalia (2001)

Critics often refer to the concept of a "sophomore slump", where a band who released an accomplished debut album fail to follow it up with a high quality second album. In many ways, I think the 3rd album is more important: you can quite easily forgive a band for resting on their laurels for their 2nd album (they are probably tired from all the touring!) but they better not release a carbon copy for album number 3 if they don't want to feel the wrath of the critics (I'm looking at you, Strokes!¹)

Something For Kate were thankfully a band who didn't peak too soon. Debut album Elsewhere for 8 minutes (1997) was a fairly lo-fi and rough affair with a few really great songs (Captain, Pinstripe), but I'd be lying if I said it didn't sound like a debut album.

Follow-up Beautiful sharks (1999) showed how they had matured since their debut, learning how to use lightness and shade to stunning effect. It's an album where you knew that they could go the distance. All ears were open to hear if they could follow it up with an equally impressive effort.

Then they released Echolalia (2001), their first album of the new decade and millenium. From the moment the stunning opener Stunt show started playing on that first listen, all doubts were quickly put to bed. You could hear straight away what gigantic leaps they had made in the songwriting (and particular melody) department.

Beautiful sharks had some superb songs on it, but a lot of the appeal of that album was also in its intangible vibe which grew over repeated listens. Echolalia showed that Paul Dempsey and co. could write songs which stood on their own merits -- in particular, Three dimensions, Monsters and Say something are some of the finest rock songs of the last 10 years.

As good as those songs are, there really isn't a duff moment on the record. From the dark character study of Jerry, stand up, to the exciting dynamics of Feeding the birds and hoping for something in return, to the understated beauty of closer White, this is a remarkable effort from a great Australian band who showed that they could play in the big league.

¹Okay, So First impressions of earth wasn't exactly a carbon copy, but it was definitely a patchy affair.

32. U2 - All That You Can't Leave Behind (2000)

There's a lot of albums which appeal to me because they evoke memories of certain times of my life, and this is one of them. A lot of the songs on this album bring back memories of the early years when my wife and I started dating. Romantic nostalgia aside, this is an album that I still find myself returning to often. While not as innovative as their superb career peak Achtung baby (1991), it has aged a lot better for me than their critical darlings The Joshua Tree (1987) and War (1983), amongst others.

Humility has never been one of Bono's strongest traits, and what makes this album play so well for me is that it eschews the political in favour of the personal. Other than its token cringe-worthy moment (Peace on earth), most of the songs are about things that we can all relate to on one level or another. Almost every song is a highlight -- there's the storming opener Beautiful day, the touching Michael Hutchence tribute Stuck in a moment you can't get out of, the romantic In a little while (with one of Bono's best vocal performances) and the atmospheric story-telling of New York.

This album will go down in history as one of Bono's rare moments of lucidity in a sometimes pretentious discography. You don't always have to change the world.

31. The Libertines - Up The Bracket (2002)

The Libertines (fronted by Pete Doherty and Carl Barât) only released two albums in their short career, and this storming debut remains one of the great indie rock albums of the decade.

Simultaneously powerful and melodic, this album is evidence of Doherty's talent -- if only he could stay off the drugs for a while, who knows what else he could accomplish? Credit needs to be given to producer Mick Jones (formerly of The Clash) who managed to find the perfect balance between their rock (Vertigo, The boy looked at Johnny), pop (Up the bracket, Horrorshow) and more subdued (Radio America) sides. The diversity of the sound which the band and Jones achieve on this album, and its sense of dynamics, is what makes it such a pleasure to return to time after time.

But what makes this more than just "another indie rock album by the latest flavour of the month" is the story-telling ability and vocal delivery of all of the songs here. Like Mike Skinner of the Streets, Doherty and Barât know how to engage the listener: each song is a self-contained gem which puts you (the listener) in the middle of the action. From the "please kill me" refrain in Death on the stairs, to the class struggles depicted in Time for heroes, to the New York (Soho) tribute in The boy looked at Johnny ("everybody goes La de di la de di da diddy") -- there isn't a boring moment on the whole album.

Full of remarkable twists, turns of phrase and more hooks than a pirate convention -- this album is the dog's bollocks.

My 50 favourite albums of the 2000s [40-36]

2010-02-23T13:27:00.003+11:00

40. The National - Boxer (2007)

[This review is copied almost verbatim from a recent blog post. My opinion about the album hasn't changed since I wrote that review about a month ago.]

This was one of the most critically acclaimed albums from 2007, which was a great year for music. I came to the party a bit late on this album, finally picking it up last year. I had a fear that it was going to be one of those albums which didn't live up to its hype, but I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was.

Boxer is a very subdued affair, with only a few songs (Mistaken for strangers, Squalor Victoria) which rock out a bit more. Most of the songs are a vehicle for the baritone vocal pipes of frontman Matt Berninger, who sounds not unlike Nick Cave. But the real star of the show is drummer Bryan Devendorf who lays down some amazing drum patterns which are pushed high up in the mix for maximum impact.

This album has a fantastic drunk-at-3am vibe to it; the lyrics are personal, the vocal delivery is fatigued and the backing instrumentation is generally restrained but not afraid to up the tempo when needed. Highlights include lovely opener Fake empire, ultra-catchy Brainy and lovely ballads Green gloves, Start a war and Racing like a pro.

An album which didn't hit me until about the 5th or 6th listen; this is a grower in the true sense of the word.

39. Kelley Stoltz - Antique Glow (2003)

With his second release Antique glow, American singer-songwriter Kelley Stoltz crafted a lo-fi and understated record. This is not an album which will impress you a lot on first listen; it takes several listens for its subtle hooks to get underneath your skin. But trust me, it will happen.

Perpetual night is an epic opener which lures you into Kelley's world, his lazy vocals and dense instrumentation (including tinkling bells) setting the scene for the remaining 45 minutes. His influences range from Nick Drake (Jewel of the evening), Leonard Cohen (Mean Marianne -- so long, eh?) and even some of the lo-fi work of Bad shapes era Machine Translations (Tubes in the moonlight).

This album of lo-fi folk/blues was recorded on reel-to-reel tape in Kelley's apartment, with the man playing all of the instruments himself. It's a true DIY effort, even down to the limited-edition artwork (shown above) which was also painted by Mr Stoltz.

This is real music recorded with passion and integrity by a quirky tune-smith who knows how to "keep it real", while still toning down his self-indulgences just enough to keep listeners returning to it. Give it some time and love and you too will be able to experience its subtle charms.

38. Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose (2004)

[This review is copied almost verbatim from a recent blog post. My opinion about the album hasn't changed since I wrote that review about a month ago.]

It's unfortunate that country music has such a bad stigma associated with it. Yes, there is a lot of really bad commercial country music which has given the genre a bad name. But when done properly, it exhibits a lot of heart, integrity and soul; many traits that are absent from a lot of contemporary music.

This album received universal acclaim when it was released in 2004. Produced by Jack White (of the White Stripes and Raconteurs), this album was a chance for the 70-year-old Lynn to re-ignite her career with the help of a very popular contemporary artist, hopefully reaching a wider audience in the process.

It could have all gone very wrong, but she succeeded beyond all expectations. The song Portland Oregon (where she trades vocals with Jack White) even got a lot of play on Triple J, an alternative radio station in Australia with a predominantly youthful audience.

Portland Oregon is a highlight on an album full of highlights. This album ticks three very important boxes for me: songwriting, performance and production. The lyrical themes are dark and personal, the performances honest and heartfelt and the production is appropriately minimalistic, allowing Lynn's amazing vocals and the band's subtle instrumentation to shine through.

There are upbeat numbers (High on the mountain top, Have mercy), dark ballads (God makes no mistakes, Women's prison) and touching laments about her past (Miss being Mrs, Family tree). Don't let this miraculous album pass you by; this is one case where you can believe the hype.

37. Manic Street Preachers - Journal For Plague Lovers (2009)

[This review is copied almost verbatim from a recent blog post. My opinion about the album hasn't changed since I wrote that review about a month ago.]

While I enjoyed 2007's Send away the tigers, nothing prepared me for how much of a return to form this album was. I'd heard various tidbits in the pre-release chatter: how they were using lyrics left by late founding member Richey Edwards, how they had Steve Albini on board as producer, how it was the thematic and spiritual successor to their masterpiece The holy bible.

I certainly didn't want to get caught up in the hyperbole, but when the universally positive reviews started rolling in, I couldn't really help myself and bought it on the day of release.

And it's an amazing album! The combination of Richey's tortured lyrics and Steve Albini's primal production is a match made in heaven, reinvigorating a band who many had given up on. It's an incredibly well-balanced album, incorporating disparate strands of their 20+ year career: there's the raw punk of their Richey-era (Peeled apples, Marlon J.D.), melodic but dark pop (Jackie Collins Existential Question Time, Virginia State Epileptic Colony) and moments of acoustic beauty (This joke sport severed, Facing page: Top left).

It's a bit too early to tell whether history will put this album alongside the classics The holy bible and Everything must go, but in the meantime I'm happy to call this a remarkably accomplished effort from a band who many had probably given up on.

36. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (2007)

The late, infamous DJ John Peel once described Mark E. Smith's band The Fall as "Always different, always the same". I think this quote could quite easily apply to Texas indie-rock band Spoon too.

Over the course of the noughties, they released 4 excellent albums of minimalistic and funky indie rock/pop: Girls can tell (2001), Kill the moonlight (2002), Gimme fiction (2005) and finally Ga ga ga ga ga (2007). Each album followed a fairly similar formula: incredibly catchy piano based melodies, tight rhythm section, all topped by Britt Daniel's nasal rock-star vocals. Each album could almost be considered interchangeable with all of the others, but they always evolve in subtle ways between records to keep things interesting.

Ga ga ga ga ga is probably their most accessible, diverse and pop-oriented record, a musical response to those who criticised Gimme fiction for lacking diversity and losing quality on the 2nd half (myself included).

They mix it up a lot here, adding Motown horns to introduce a new-age soul sound (Cherry bomb, The underdog), an almost-acapella vocal experiment which works as a show-piece for Britt's fantastic pipes (The ghost of you lingers) and more densely produced numbers which would make George Martin proud (Finer feelings, Black like me).

Always the same? Their critics may have a case there. But as long as they can continue to fine-tune their sound in subtle ways between records, they will never commit that cardinal sin of bands who simply refuse to break up: becoming boring.

My 50 favourite albums of the 2000s [45-41]

2010-02-19T13:30:00.006+11:00

45. Beck - Sea change (2002)

Beck surprised most of his fanbase when he unleashed this dark and melancholic piece of work in 2002. Prior to this album, Beck's work could best be described as quirky folk-pop which mixed elements of lo-fi (Mutations), 80s-era Prince (Midnite vultures) and everything-but-the-kitchen-sink (Odelay). While he had received a lot of critical acclaim (the overrated Odelay is one of the most revered albums of the 90s), this was the album which to many will probably stand the test of time.

Inspired by the breakdown of a relationship, this was Beck's Blood on the tracks or Pink moon. Minimal, yet quietly melodic, its subdued mood rarely lifts over the course of the album. While some songs are bordering on depressing (the beautiful Round the bend), the foundation of the album is built on indie folk of the highest order: The golden age, Guess I'm doing fine and the stunning Lost cause are some of the finest songs of his career.

This album is completely timeless; when the flavours of the month are past their use-by date, it will remain a compelling piece of work.

44. Muse - Origin of symmetry (2001)

I have known to be quite critical of Muse in the past few years, but this album of progressive space-rock remains an impressive piece of work, and has passed the test of time for me.

While their debut Showbiz was a collection of (sometimes) great songs (in particular Muscle museum and Cave), it didn't quite gel into a cohesive album for me. Their sound was very developed for a debut album, but they couldn't sustain the quality over all of the tracks (especially towards the end).

From the opening piano arpeggio of New born, you can hear the growth on this follow-up album. Every song has something to say, from the modern Pink Floyd of Bliss, the air-guitar riffage of Plug in baby, the crazy operatic vocals of Micro cuts, the note perfect cover of standard Feeling good (made famous by Nina Simone), and the grandiose scope of Citizen erased and Megalomania.

This is pretentious noughties prog-space-rock at its very best.

43. The Soundtrack Of Our Lives - Behind The Music (2001)

Noel Gallagher fuelled the hype machine when he called this "the best album to come out in the last six years". Counting back 6 years leads us to 1995, the year that (What's the story) morning glory? was released, which we can only assume was the benchmark Mr. Gallagher was using. Cocky bastard.

While this album from the 6-piece Swedish outfit is certainly a product of its influences (Pink Floyd, The Who, Beach Boys, The Beatles), they meld them all into a thoroughly entertaining 60-minute album where every song has something to say and sounds unlike any other song on the album.

As good as the songs are, it's those special moments that make the album for me -- the way Ebbot Lundberg sings "You're such a lightweight after all" on Broken imaginary time, the gorgeous vocal performance and piano on Tonight, the way it all goes crazy at the end of The flood and the ethereal humming during In your veins. And it's all topped off by Nevermore, one of the greatest Beatlesque anthems of the decade.

42. Joanna Newsom - Ys (2006)

Joanna Newsom's debut album (The milk-eyed mender) was an impressive effort, but it wasn't too far removed from the work of some of her contemporaries in the freak-folk movement (Devendra Banhart, Will Oldham, et al.) From the moment that the Ys opener Emily hits your speakers/earphones, it is the sound of your expectations shattering.

This hour-long 5 track album is more than just an album: it is a world of Joanna's creation to inhabit and immerse yourself in. The shortest song of the album (Cosmia) is 7 minutes long; the longest (Only skin) is 17 minutes long. Epic is a word which is often used to describe the sound that artists achieve on albums, but the widescreen palette that Joanna employs here justifies (more than any other album of recent memory) the use of such a word.

None of the songs follow any sort of conventional structure, each consisting of multiple movements with different lyrical themes, time signatures, instrumentation and moods. Take a listen to Emily, which sounds like something from Alice in Wonderland before it goes off on a tangent, returning to the recurring theme of meteorites, meteors and meteoroids. This is sheer bloody poetry set to some of the most exquisite music imaginable.

Produced to perfection by the legendary Van Dyke Parks, and engineered by none other than Steve Albini, this is a lush musical time capsule which rewards repeated listens more than any album of recent memory. Call it generation Y's Astral weeks, if you may.

41. The Arcade Fire - Funeral (2004)

I'm pretty sure that this album wins the award for the most critically hyped album of the decade. The music industry had started to get into a rut in the mid-2000s, and we needed an album like this to show that there was still vitality and creativity in what appeared to be a stagnating musical landscape.

There's a certain sort of romanticism to it all: debut album with a tragic back-story, seemingly coming from nowhere, from a relatively unknown band from Montreal. Many critics and fans included this in their top 5 albums of the decade, while opinion of its follow-up Neon bible generally falls into the "It's no Funeral" camp.

So, does it live up to the hype for me? Well, as you can probably tell from the position on this list, not quite. Don't get me wrong -- there are some fantastic songs on this album (Tunnels, Laika, Wake up and Rebellion all get 5-star ratings on my iPod). There's also a great conceptual flow to the record, with the whole Neighborhood suite on the first half and its nostalgic themes of childhood and adolescence.

My problem is simply that not all of the songs work for me. I've never quite loved Power out as much as everyone else does; it seems to be missing that special something which other kick-ass indie anthems like Wolf like me and Banquet have. Kettles and Haiti don't really seem to go anywhere for me, although Haiti has definitely taken on a deeper meaning in light of recent world events. Une année sans lumiere is a decent interlude in the Neighborhood suite, but it seems to be more of a breather between the rocking numbers than a self-contained song of its own.

The great songs on this record are really, really great. If only some of the lesser songs were a little more developed, this album would have been much higher in the list. Still, a very impressive debut album.

My 50 favourite albums of the 2000s [50-46]

2010-02-17T13:32:00.002+11:00

Since it's currently the flavour of the month to be releasing lists of the albums of the 2000s, I figured that it was a timely opportunity to post my list. Yes, pedants, I realise that the decade doesn't end until the end of 2010; that's why I said albums of the 2000s, not albums of the decade.

I unconditionally recommend any album from this list. If the description sounds interesting, don't be afraid to pick up the album (legally) and support the dying music business.

50. Bob Dylan - Love and theft (2001)

This was the 2nd episode in his so-called "comeback trilogy" (beginning with Time out of mind from 1997, and concluding with Modern times in 2006). I guess that makes this the Empire Strikes Back, Back to the future II or Godfather 2 of the trilogy; but while those movies are definitely the darkest of their respective trilogies, the opposite is true here: this was Dylan at his chirpiest we had heard him in years. Of course, it helped that the previous album was one of his darkest, both lyrically and musically.

While many Dylan albums are a product of their cohesion and sequencing, this one is more about individual moments than anything else. There's a lot of diversity on this album, from the upbeat country & western of opener Tweedle dee & tweedle dum, to the nostalgic folk-rock of Mississippi (later covered by Sheryl Crow) and the traditional blues of High water. Bob even throws in a few curve balls, with the breezy Bye and bye and crooning torch song Moonlight being unlike anything he had ever released.

While it's possible he still has another classic album in him (I'm one of the few who found his follow-up Modern times very overrated), this may turn out to be the last great album from one of the best songwriters of the last 50 years.

49. The Delgados - Hate (2002)

Scottish indie band The Delgados had a remarkable run-rate in the 2000s, releasing 3 albums (The great eastern, Hate and Universal audio) to high critical acclaim. I got into their music in reverse chronological order, which turned out to be a good move; Universal audio is probably their most accessible (or poppy) album and a great entry-point into their catalogue.

Hate (as its title suggests) is a much darker album; it lives in its own melancholic world which is both enchanting and strangely hopeful. Lead vocal duties are shared between Alun Woodward and Emma Pollock, which adds diversity to the sound and keeps it interesting over repeated listens. The instrumental tracks are lush and complex, augmented by minor-key piano chord progressions and strings to suit the mood of the songs (the eerie backing vocals on Woke from dreaming sounding like something from one of Kate Bush's more experimental albums).

The first 6 songs in particular (The light before we land through to Child killers) are some of the most beautifully subdued indie folk songs I have heard in many years. Lyrically dark and musically symphonic, this album is highly recommended to anyone who likes intelligent indie music.

48. Spoon - Kill The Moonlight (2002)

Spoon were one of the most critically acclaimed bands of the 2000s. Review aggregator website Metacritic recently gave them the crown of the top overall artist of the decade, based on the average score for all of their albums released in the noughties.

Kill the moonlight was their 4th album, and their 2nd release of the decade. If you've ever heard a Spoon song before, there's nothing particularly surprising here. The album alternates between more catchy melodic numbers -- the perfect pop of The way we get by, the beat-boxing of Stay don't go -- and more groove-oriented affair like Small stakes, Paper tiger and You gotta feel it.

Britt Daniel's nasal rockstar vocals is their biggest asset, but it's the fusion of his delivery with the tightness of the rest of the band which makes them one of the greatest bands of recent years. This is minimalistic indie rock/pop music at its best.

47. Badly Drawn Boy - About A Boy (2002)

2002 was a big year for Damon Gough, a.k.a. Badly Drawn Boy. He released his 2nd album proper (Have you fed the fish?) which was a decent indie pop album, but most would agree that it was overshadowed by his soundtrack to the film adaptation of Nick Hornby's About a boy.

Alternating between some very catchy songs (with Gough on vocals) and lush, melodic instrumentals (about half of the album is score), this soundtrack is incredibly cohesive and consistent. Some of his finest songs are on here -- Something to talk about, Silent sigh and A minor incident, which is possibly my favourite BDB song. The instrumentals are often equally stunning -- the lush I love N.Y.E. and upbeat Delta (Little boy blues) being the highlights.

The album also has the right amount of quirk and schmaltz (File me away, A peak you reach), demonstrating Damon's offbeat sense of humour without going overboard like he did on some of his later albums.

This is one of those rare soundtracks that works equally well out of the context of its parent film; music fans will be enjoying these tunes when the film is a distant memory.

46. Ed Harcourt - Here Be Monsters (2001)

My first memory of Ed Harcourt was hearing the opening song from this album, Something in my eye, on the radio. A few days later, I heard Hanging with the wrong crowd. When his name was back-announced, I realised that both songs were by the same artist.

I immediately made note of it and did some research on him. It turned out that his debut full-length album was highly acclaimed by critics, and was even nominated for the Mercury Prize. That was enough to convince me to pick it up at HMV in the city.

What I like about this album is that it doesn't sound like a debut. All of the songs are fully formed (granted, rough drafts of some appeared on his prior Maplewood EP); the composition and craft on display here sounds like the work of a songwriting veteran, not a 24-year-old releasing his debut album.

This is an album of 3 parts. The opening 6 tracks (Something in my eye to Apple of my eye) are the more accessible songs, with the gorgeous Those crimson tears in the middle to add a bit of darkness and shade. God protect my soul is the undisputed highlight of this section, and the album.

Beneath my heart of darkness and Wind through the trees provide a 15-minute breather, or mood piece, in the middle of the album. They take a while to grow on you, but eventually their beauty shines through after many listens. Ed's vocal resemblance to Glenn Richards (from Augie March) in the last minute of Wind through the trees is eerie.

Finally, the last 3 songs (Birds fly backwards to Like only lovers can) return to the accessible and melodic sound of the opening songs, book-ending the album nicely.

There isn't a dull moment on this 52-minute album -- one of the great debuts of the decade.

2009: A Year in Music [Part 4: Re-evaluation of 2008 list]

2010-02-09T13:32:00.001+11:00

Time to re-evaluate my top 5 albums of 2008, just over a year later.

This was my top 5 list as published in that post:

1. Brian Wilson - That lucky old sun
2. Al Green - Lay it down
3. Elbow - The seldom-seen kid
4. Augie March - Watch me disappear
5. Oasis - Dig out your soul

Recent 2008 purchases

I'll now talk about the 2008 albums which I have purchased since making that list.

Nick Cave – Dig, Lazarus, dig!!
This is a very solid late-period Nick Cave album. It finds a nice balance between his late-career rockier material (We call upon the author, Lie down here) and his trademark balladry (Hold on to yourself, Jesus of the moon). All up, it's pretty much Nick Cave by numbers; there's nothing particularly new or innovative here, but it's still an enjoyable album.

Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
This album has received rave reviews since it was released. Did it live up to the hype? It's definitely a remarkably solid album influenced by The Beach Boys, Love and many other late-60s/early-70s bands who knew how to use harmonies to great effect. Is it innovative? Not particularly; they are definitely a sum of their influences. But there is no denying that there are some fantastic songs on this album -- stand-outs for me include White winter hymnal, Ragged wood, Tiger mountain peasant song and He doesn't know why (make sure you check out the awesome video clip for this one).

Pete Molinari – A virtual landslide
Your opinion on this album will come down to whether you like Pete Molinari's voice. He's got that early Bob Dylan whiny nasal folk voice down perfectly, and in an alternate universe this album would have been pretty big in 1962. It took me a few listens to warm to this album, mainly due to his voice, but eventually the gems started coming out of the woodwork.

People certainly don't write or record songs like this anymore, and that alone makes it worth investigating. My favourite songs include the gorgeous One stolen moment, catchy Look what I made, longing Sweet Louise and the stunning Dylan-esque protest song closer Lest we forget.

My Morning Jacket – Evil urges
I'm a big fan of My Morning Jacket (you may recall I saw them in concert a year ago). I got into their discography backwards, starting with the breakthrough album Z, and working back through the amazing It still moves, career highlight At dawn and debut album The Tennessee fire.

I wasn't in a hurry to pick up Evil urges when it was released, mainly because the reviews from critics and friends weren't that great. I finally got it, and I would call it a minor disappointment. There's some nice songs on here, but it's a bit all over the shop musically; it sounds like they threw all of their influences into a blender and poured the result on to CD.

There are definitely stand-out moments: Touch me I'm going to scream (Parts 1 & 2), I'm amazed, Sec walkin and Librarian are all decent songs, but they don't gel into a cohesive whole. And what's the deal with Highly suspicious? What were they thinking?

The Notwist – The devil, you + me
An album only let down by its remarkably talented older brother (Neon golden from 2002), this album had pretty big shoes to fill to be in the same league as that stupendous album. Of course it wasn't as good, but saying that is doing this album a disservice. All said and done, this is a beautifully produced and performed album from this highly underrated German band.

While Neon golden was an album of individual moments which combined together into an amazing whole, this album is less about individual stand-outs and more about sustaining a mood over a 45-minute album. I struggle to remember which songs I like from this one by the titles alone, but Boneless is a beautiful number.

The Walkmen – You & me
This album hasn't had a chance to grow on me properly, but it sounds very promising. I already had their debut Everyone who pretended to like me is gone (which never hit me as being amazing). I am also a huge fan of rock monster The rat from their 2nd album Bows & arrows. This is a very subdued effort overall, and it has a great late-night vibe to it. Highlights from initial spins are On the water, In the new year, Canadian girl, The blue route and the stunning I lose you.

Paul Weller – 22 dreams
Many critics raved about this album. Like the Walkmen album, the jury is still out on this one. It's a very long listen (70 minutes) where Weller mixes and matches heaps of genres and musical styles ranging from rock, soul, jazz, blues, spoken-word and pop. You could say it's his "White album", if you want to borrow a reviewer cliché. While not all of it works, it hangs together quite nicely; you have to admire his ambition here. I'm suspecting that this album will grow on me more over time.

Updated top 5 list

With all of the recent purchases in mind, this would be my updated top 5 albums of 2008:

1. Brian Wilson - That lucky old sun
2. Elbow - The seldom-seen kid
3. Al Green - Lay it down
4. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
5. Augie March - Watch me disappear

In summary:

Elbow moved up to 2nd position (it really is a fantastic album)
Al Green moved down to 3rd position (still great, but it was elbowed-out...sorry)
Fleet Foxes snuck in at 4th position
Augie March got pushed down to 5th position (it hasn't aged for me as well as their first 2 albums)
Oasis finally got given the boot (it wasn't really that good; it was just filler on the previous list because I hadn't purchased enough albums)

I hope you have enjoyed my musical summary of 2009. A belated happy new year!

New music discussion forum

2010-02-05T13:28:00.003+11:00

Just writing to let you know that I have set up the Wireless Cranium discussion forum as a companion to this blog. You can find it at the following URL:

http://wirelesscranium.stackexchange.com

The mission statement of the Wireless Cranium forum is:

A discussion forum for music lovers all over the world. If you have passion for listening to music of any form, please join and contribute to this community.

So really, anything goes; just keep it music-related. The emphasis of the forum is more the appreciation of music than the playing of music.

This forum utilises the superb Stack Exchange framework, a generic platform created by the founders of Stack Overflow, a programming Q&A website. Stack Exchange is currently in beta, which means that they want people to try it out for free before its public launch (and before they start charging to use it).

If we can build up a nice following, I might consider registering it when it goes out of beta.

Unlike the Stack Overflow trilogy of websites (which includes the system-admin focused Server Fault and general computer focused Super User), I don't expect most questions on the Wireless Cranium forum to have a definitive answer.

While subjective questions are generally discouraged on the Stack Overflow sites, the focus of the Wireless Cranium forum will be subjective questions.

Note that the voting system still applies:

Voting up a question means "I find the question interesting".
Voting down a question means "I don't think this question adds much to the community".
Voting up an answer means "I agree with this answer".
Voting down an answer means "I disagree with this answer".

Registration is optional, using Open ID. While you can do many things on the forum without registering, doing so will allow you to participate in other aspects of the site.

Enjoy!

2009: A Year in Music [Part 3: Musical discoveries (ii)]

2010-02-04T13:38:00.002+11:00

I'll continue my summary of 2009 with more of my musical discoveries of the year.

Morrissey - Vauxhall and I

I already had a few Morrissey albums before this one -- Your arsenal from 1992, and the more recent You are the quarry from 2004. Your arsenal in particular is a very solid album that has grown in stature for me over time. I did some research and a lot of fans picked this follow-up album from 1994 as one of his best albums, so I decided to pick it up.

It's a much more subdued effort than the glammy Your arsenal; an immaculately produced album with just the right amount of sonic eclecticism to keep it interesting over repeated listens. Opener Now my heart is full gives Morrissey a chance to show off his amazing vocals; Why don't you find out for yourself is one of his most melodic moments; Lifeguard sleeping, girl drowning is a fantastic mood piece; epic closer Speedway is one of finest songs he has ever released, up there with some of the best songs by The Smiths.

A classy effort all around.

The National - Boxer

This was one of the most critically acclaimed albums from 2007, which was a great year for music. I came to the party a bit late on this album, finally picking it up in 2009. I had a fear that it was going to be one of those albums which didn't live up to its hype, but I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was.

It's a pretty subdued album overall, with only a few songs (Mistaken for strangers, Squalor Victoria) which rock out a bit more. Most of the songs are a vehicle for the baritone vocal pipes of frontman Matt Berninger, who sounds not unlike Nick Cave. But the real star of the show is drummer Bryan Devendorf who lays down some amazing drum patterns which are pushed high up in the mix for maximum impact.

This album has a fantastic drunk-at-3am vibe to it; the lyrics are personal, the vocal delivery is fatigued and the backing instrumentation is generally restrained but not afraid to up the tempo when needed. Highlights include lovely opener Fake empire, ultra-catchy Brainy and lovely ballads Green gloves, Start a war and Racing like a pro.

An album which didn't hit me until about the 5th or 6th listen; this is a grower in the true sense of the word.

Fred Neil - Bleecker & MacDougal

Fred Neil is best known for writing the classic Everybody's talkin', a song which was made famous by Harry Nilsson when it was included on the soundtrack to the classic film Midnight cowboy. I picked up a 2-for-1 CD that included the albums Tear down the walls (a collaboration with Vince Martin) and Bleecker & MacDougal, Neil's 2nd solo album. While Tear down the walls has its moments, it's also quite dated in parts (mainly due to Martin's vocals). Bleecker is definitely the pick of the two albums.

Fred Neil has an amazing baritone voice not unlike Johnny Cash, and this album is an incredible amalgamation of folk, blues, country and rock which has very little filler on it. Almost every song has something to say, and it's all done with integrity and lots of heart. The highlight is probably Other side of this life, which has become a bit of a folk standard since this album was released.

This is very soulful music from a very talented songwriter, singer and performer.

Pearl Jam - Ten

Talk about coming to the party late -- about 18 years too late! Of course I already knew a lot of songs on this 1991 album, mainly through radio play but also because my brother was a big fan at the time and I was constantly exposed to this music in my teen years. I had a few of their other albums (Vs and No code) but I finally decided to pick up their debut album.

A lot of people criticise the production on this album as a bit dated, but I for one love it. Yeah, there's a bit of reverb on Eddie Vedder's voice which makes it sound a bit late-80s, but I love the wide open feel to this album; certainly a far cry from much of today's rock music which is over-compressed and too loud. That doesn't mean this album isn't powerful; quite the contrary. Turn the volume up and it rocks!

This album has more than its fair share of classics: Even flow, Alive and Jeremy being the most well-known. Then there's gorgeous ballad Black which I always knew but didn't quite realise how amazing it was until I bought the album. What elevates this album to make this list is some of the lesser-known tracks, the hidden gems if you will. In particular, the anthemic Garden, moody Oceans and epic closer Release all do a lot for me.

I don' t think Pearl Jam will ever top this amazing debut.

Pet Shop Boys - Very

I feel like I have to preface this review by saying it's a "guilty pleasure", and not the type of music I normally listen to. But why do I need to do that?

I already had their fantastic compilation Discography, and liked it so much that I decided to get one of their albums. Reviews told me that this album from 1993 is considered by many to be their finest effort, and it also had no overlap with Discography (which was released in 1991). This made it a very attractive purchase.

If I had to describe this album to the uninitiated, I would label it a perfect pop album which finds the ideal intersection of dance-ability and melancholy. From the moment the opening synth riff of Can you forgive her? kicks off the album, you know you're in for something special. The melodies never cease, with the AIDS lament Dreaming of the queen and the (erm) theatrical sound of The theatre adding just the right amount of emotional depth to stop the album becoming too sickly.

It all ends with their amazing cover of Go West by The Village People. How can you go wrong?

Prince - Dirty mind

The Prince albums I had before this one were the critically acclaimed ones: Purple rain and Sign 'o' the times. This album is nowhere near as high profile as the aforementioned albums, but it gets a lot of love from those who know it. Which makes it a bit of a "cult classic" when all is said and done; just my type of album.

This was Prince's 3rd album, released in October 1980. Like Michael Jackson's Off the wall album released a year earlier, it found the perfect fusion of funk, pop, rock and dance that allowed him to appeal to a wider audience. When it was released, it was described by Rolling Stone as being "one of the most radical 180-degree turns in pop history". They were referring to the change in sound from his previous album, the more commercial Prince.

For an album released in 1980, this album still sounds amazingly fresh. Unlike a lot of albums released at the time, this wasn't overly embellished with dated synth sounds which would have aged it must faster than it has. The title track in particular is minimalistic funk. When you were mine is a classic pop song, which was later covered by Cyndi Lauper. Then there was the controversial Head and Sister, whose lyrical themes dealt with oral sex and incest respectively.

There isn't a wasted note on this 30-minute album; put it on and get the party started.

Josh Rouse - Nashville

Josh Rouse is one of those unsung heroes of indie-country-pop. He releases quality albums every few years to little commercial success, but he still has a loyal fanbase awaiting his next release. Nashville, from 2005, is considered by many to be his finest release to date.

This is a great album of emotional honesty with just the right amount of musical diversity to keep it interesting. The triptych of It's the nighttime, Winter in the Hamptons and Streetlights is one of the greatest opening runs of recent memory. Later highlights include the emotional My love is gone and the gloriously epic Sad eyes.

While there's nothing particularly innovative here, Josh Rouse does this sort of music better than anyone else in recent memory.

Sigur Ros - Ágætis byrjun

An album which has been on my list for a long time, and I finally picked it up in 2009. In fact, by sheer coincidence I picked it up in the same week that Stephen said he was going to cover it in the next episode of the Classic Albums Podcast.

I already had their album ( ), which is an amazing soundscape, but one which I feels tails off a bit towards the end. Its predecessor Ágætis byrjun is remarkably consistent all the way through, and it's one of the greatest musical achievements of the past decade.

I recall Stephen describing this album as "glacial beauty" (sorry if I misquoted you here Stephen, but I definitely remember the word 'glacial' being used). This is a better description than I can come up with, so I'll borrow that from him. This is an album of epic, experimental, adventurous, progressive music which sounds like it was made by people from a different planet, all sung in a fictional language called Hopelandic (because no other language could do the music justice).

The album is of a piece and it's difficult to single out tracks, but special mention needs to go to the cinematic Sven-G-Englar, stunningly beautiful Starálfur and haunting Hjartaõ Hamast (Bamm Bamm Bamm).

If you are in any way becoming jaded with modern music, buy this album and be blown away.

Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend

I already had a Matthew Sweet album before this one -- 100% fun (1995), which I have always considered to be a great mid-90s pop album. His third album Girlfriend (1991) is often mentioned by critics as his best album and one of the defining albums of power pop, so of course I had to pick it up.

It took me a long time to warm to this album; while some tracks jumped out at me on the first few listens (I've been waiting in particular), it seemed to be a bit all over the shop musically and I didn't feel like I had anything to grasp on to. That it opens with Divine intervention, a five-and-a-half minute rock song with a weaker melody than most of the other tracks, didn't help its case either.

Eventually the charms of this album started to reveal themselves, both from a melodic and lyrical point of view. Underneath the power-pop exterior, there's quite a few dark lyrical themes here; the album also has an emotional arc throughout the track listing, ranging from the initial infatuation at the start of a relationship (I've been waiting), to the final break up (Nothing lasts). In between are just over a dozen pop gems with just the right amount of darkness and shade to cut through the (sorry) Sweet-ness of it all.

Highlights are the folky Winona, the gloriously catchy Looking at the sun, the mid-album darkness of Thought I knew you, You don't love me and I wanted to tell you, and the stunningly intimate Your sweet voice.

This is an incredible album from an artist at the top of his game.

2009: A Year in Music [Part 2: Musical discoveries (i)]

2010-01-29T18:10:00.001+11:00

Here's the first part of my "musical discoveries" of 2009. These are the best albums which I purchased in 2009 (or late 2008) that weren't actually released in 2009.

Ryan Adams - Love is hell

Ryan Adams is an artist I have been meaning to get into for a while. Heartbreaker has been on my list of "albums to get", but I haven't purchased it yet. A few friends, namely Peter and Adam, have separately recommended him to me. I finally took the plunge this year, and purchased both Love is hell and Gold. They are both very solid albums, but while Gold has a little bit of filler near the end, Love is hell is almost filler-free (a remarkable feat for an almost 70-minute album).

Love is hell was originally released as 2 separate EPs, before they were combined into an LP with the addition of Anybody wanna take me home, which appeared in a shorter version on his previous album Rock n roll. It's considered in some circles to be the "least country" of his albums, opting for more of an indie singer-songwriter sound.

Overall, it's a very eclectic album which never gets boring for me; there are always new songs to discover. Highlights include the Smiths-esque numbers This house is not for sale and Anybody wanna take me home, stunning mid-album ballads Avalanche and World war 24 (the latter of which sounds like a lost Ed Harcourt number) and the evocative closer Hotel Chelsea nights, which owes a lot to Prince's classic Purple rain.

The Byrds -
Mr tambourine man
Sweetheart of the rodeo

I had a few Byrds albums prior to 2009 - Younger than yesterday and The notorious Byrd Brothers, considered by many critics to be some of their finest works. While I do enjoy those albums, in many ways I also find them a little dated. Definitely a product of the late-60s when they were released, steeped in psychedelia and the drugs of the era.

I decided to pick up a few more Byrds albums, and after doing some research picked up 2 albums which bookend their classic era: debut album Mr tambourine man (1965), and landmark country-rock touchstone Sweetheart of the rodeo (1968).

Mr tambourine man is a classic debut album, a time capsule of that mid-60s chiming guitar sound. Roger McGuinn had obviously been listening to a lot of Help!-era Beatles, because his guitar sound owes a lot to the sound George Harrison achieved on that album (in particular Ticket to ride).

It's amazing, listening to this album retrospectively, how much it influenced so many bands that I love: Big Star, The Smiths, R.E.M., Teenage Fanclub and any other indie band who has used that jangly-guitar sound to such amazing effect. Highlights on the album include the glorious title track (written by Bob Dylan of course), Gene Clark's I'll feel a whole lot better (later covered by Tom Petty) and the amazingly catchy You don't have to cry.

Sweetheart of the rodeo (recorded with the late Gram Parsons) is a different beast entirely. Book-ended by two Basement tapes era Bob Dylan covers (You ain't going nowhere and Nothing was delivered), this is a ramshackle feel-good country-rock album of toe-tapping delights. The songs are played with conviction by the talented line-up, the harmonies are flawless, and it's amazing how original it all sounds considering that only 2 of these songs are original compositions. Don't let the country-rock tag put you off, this is how country-rock should sound.

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Déjà vu

Gee, with all of these country-influenced albums, I should probably invest in a good pair of cowboy boots shouldn't I? I think I've been turning a lot more to "rootsy" music as an antidote to so much fake modern music that I have grown disillusioned with. It just feels more real, y'all?

I already had this collective's (sans Young) self-titled debut album, and while it's a good listen, it's definitely a product of its Woodstock era. This follow up was released as the new decade rolled around, and shades of the emerging singer-songwriter movement can be heard through the cracks of the songs on this album.

The album is book-ended by two Stills compositions (Carry on and Everybody I love you) which are probably my least favourite songs on the album. The remaining eight songs on the album are practically flawless, shared amongst the 4 singers and songwriters (with 1 cover). Nash deals with anti-war protest (Teach your children) and domestic bliss (Our house). Crosby's songs cover the demise of the hippie dream (the anthemic Almost cut my hair) and drug-fuelled nostalgia (the haunting, psychedelic Déjà vu).

Young's songs aren't that different from his solo material of the era (Helpless and the epic Country girl). Stills doesn't let the side down with his haunting ballad 4+20, and the group's cover of Joni Mitchell's of Woodstock is rock solid.

The album is proof that these four men together were indeed a supergroup.

Fairport Convention - Unhalfbricking

The 3rd album by British folk-rock outfit Fairport convention is a thing of pastoral beauty. I got into this band through the work of band member Richard Thompson, who later released some amazing albums with his wife Linda Thompson (including I want to see the bright lights tonight and Shoot out the lights), as well as having a distinguished solo career.

They don't make music (or albums, for that matter) like this anymore. Consisting of 8 songs, 40 minutes and not an inch of filler, this album is grounded in the minimalism of the instrumentation and the purity of Sandy Denny's vocal performances. Three of the songs are Bob Dylan covers, but the outfit demonstrate that they are incredibly underrated songwriters too.

In particular, Who knows where the time goes (one of my favourite songs of all time) shows that Denny could write as well as she could sing, while Genesis hall and Autopsy are further evidence of the talent of Thompson and Denny respectively.

The album ends on a wonderfully fun and ramshackle note with Dylan's Million dollar bash, where different members of the band take turns on vocals. I wish they still made music like this.

Liam Finn - I'll be lightning

I've stated many times on this blog that I have become quite disillusioned with a lot of modern music. Which made the discovery of this album an even more pleasant surprise. In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have been surprised. After all, his dad is none other than Neil Finn (of Crowded House and Split Enz fame). With a musical pedigree like that, how can you go wrong?

This is one of my favourite albums of the last 5 years. Released in 2007 (a great year for music), this was the debut album for the (at the time) 24-year-old Finn. It it interesting to note that 2007 was also that year that Crowded House's reunion album Time on earth was released. While I do enjoy that album (it was in my top 5 albums of 2007), it has nothing on the quality of this release. Let's hope that Neil's pride in his son overshadows any jealousy that he may have that his son outdid him in the songwriting department.

Liam wears his influences proudly on his sleeve, but mixes them up in a way which is thoroughly unique, and it never feels like mere pastiche. The influences range from Paul McCartney whimsy (Energy spent), darker alcohol-influenced Elliott Smith (This place is killing me) and Chutes too narrow era Shins (Wise man). He rocks out on occasion (Lead balloon) and there's even a bit of Split Enz art-rock in there (the title track which took me about 5 listens before I realised how amazing it was).

It's all wrapped up in layers of melodic beauty which ensure that it remains grounded; other highlights include Wide awake on the voyage home and Gather to the chapel, the latter of which is apparently an ode to the late Crowded House drummer Paul Hester.

I'll be lightning is a three dimensional album where certain tracks jump out on first listen, while others take several listens to reveal their charms. It's one of those albums which finds a rare balance between immediacy (to lure you in) and musical depth (to keep you going back to it).

I'm glad to say that the genius Finn gene has lived on; let's hope he can maintain this level of quality on his next full-length album.

Paul Kelly - Hidden things

This album has been on my "to buy" list for a long time; it was recommended to me by my good friend Dean, who is a big Paul Kelly fan. I also have quite a few Paul Kelly albums, and I'm glad I bought this one because it might be one of his finest albums.

While it's officially considered a studio album, it feels more like an odds-and-sods collection than a proper album; it contains alternate versions of some of his classic songs (Sweet guy waltz), live songs (Yil lull) and cover versions (Reckless, made famous by Australian Crawl and James Reyne).

For a 70-minute album, it maintains a remarkable sense of consistency, and some of the songs on this album are some of the finest he has released (and that's no mean feat for someone as prolific as Paul Kelly). Highlights include Other people's houses (a 7-minute song which almost feels like a novella), Special treatment (an ironic song about Aboriginal hardship in Australia), Beggar on the street of love (one of his catchiest efforts), Bradman (which I already had on his excellent best-of Songs from the south) and Hard times (with another singer on lead vocals).

For overseas readers who haven't heard of Paul Kelly, he is one of the finest Australian singer-songwriters and someone who deserves international recognition. His musical eclecticism and lyrical themes have often resulted in him being compared to Bob Dylan, and while this is over-simplifying his contribution to Australian music, I don't think the comparison is too far off the mark.

Together with Songs from the south, this album would be a great entry-point into the Paul Kelly catalogue, and a highly recommended purchase to any existing Paul Kelly fans.

Nick Lowe - Jesus of cool

I first heard of Nick Lowe through his association with Elvis Costello, who I am a huge fan of. Lowe produced most of Costello's early (best) records on the Columbia label, and was also the writer of Costello's early hit (What's so funny 'bout) love and understanding -- he originally wrote and performed this song while in the pub-rock outfit Brinsley Schwarz.

This album has been on my "to get" list for a long, long time; it's only in late 2008 when I finally snapped up a copy on eBay for a decent price. Many reviewers absolutely rave about this album, and because of this my expectations were very high; I don't think it quite lived up to my expectations (it's no This year's model) but it's an amazingly accomplished new wave pop/rock album all the same.

Highlights include the bouncy I love the sound of breaking glass, the catchy-beyond-words So it goes, and the wonderful marriage of dark lyricism and new wave pop that is Marie Provost. But my absolute favourite is Rollers show, which sums up everything I love about music in about three and a half minutes; it's a perfect pop song which concludes the album on a perfect note (even though it's technically a bonus track).

Loretta Lynn - Van lear rose

I've certainly been getting into a lot of "rootsy" music lately. I say "rootsy" when really I should be saying "country", but I don't want to put people off. Country music has such a bad stigma associated with it. Yes, there is a lot of really bad commercial country music which has given the genre a bad name. But when done properly, it exhibits a lot of heart, integrity and soul; many traits that are absent from a lot of contemporary music.

This album received universal acclaim when it was released in 2004. Produced by Jack White (of the White Stripes and Raconteurs), this album was a chance for the 70-year-old Lynn to re-ignite her career with the help of a very popular contemporary artist, hopefully reaching a wider audience in the process.

It could have all gone very wrong, but she succeeded beyond all expectations. The song Portland Oregon (where she trades vocals with Jack White) even got a lot of play on Triple J, an alternative radio station in Australia with a predominantly youthful audience.

Portland Oregon is a highlight on an album full of highlights. This album ticks three very important boxes for me: songwriting, performance and production. The lyrical themes are dark and personal, the performances honest and heartfelt and the production is appropriately minimalistic, allowing Lynn's amazing vocals and the band's subtle instrumentation to shine through.

There are upbeat numbers (High on the mountain top, Have mercy), dark ballads (God makes no mistakes, Women's prison) and touching laments about her past (Miss being Mrs, Family tree). Don't let this miraculous album pass you by; this is one case where you can believe the hype.

Lynyrd Skynyrd - (pronounced lĕh-'nérd 'skin-'nérd)

I first discovered Lynyrd Skynyrd through the inclusion of their southern anthem Sweet home Alabama on the seminal Forrest Gump soundtrack. This is their debut album from 1973, and is considered a classic album of the southern rock genre.

Consisting of 8 tracks over the space of 43 minutes without an ounce of filler, they simply don't make 'em like this anymore. Every song has something to say, and there's a perfect balance between rootsy rockers (Gimme three steps, Poison whiskey), heartfelt ballads (Tuesday's gone, Simple man) and honky-tonk (Things goin' on).

And just when you think you're already in "classic album" territory, it all ends with the anthem Free bird, possibly the definitive southern rock song and one of the best songs of the era. Try to stop yourself air-guitaring to this number over its 9 minute duration! It's no wonder that this song has become such a cliche, where music fans at any live gig will yell out "Free bird!" in the vain hope that the band they are seeing will play it.

Whenever you're in the mood for pure southern American rock, this album will hit the spot every time.