My Morning Jacket gig [27th January 2009 @ Billboard]

It's been a long time between drinks. My last gig was Crowded House all the way back in November 2007.

My Morning Jacket are a 5-piece indie-country-rock band from Kentucky. They formed in 1998 and have released 5 studio albums in that time. Their first two albums The tennessee fire and At dawn were humble lo-fi efforts that made up for their lack of production polish with amazing songwriting and passionate performances. They increased in popularity a little bit with It still moves, where they accentuated the stadium rock side of their sound more. Their breakthrough album Z was a bit of a change, where their sound mellowed out a bit and the production all became a little more professional (but they weren't afraid to rock out at times). Finally, their most recent album Evil urges saw them expanding the sonic palette introduced on Z.

Billboard is a small venue in Russell Street in the Melbourne CBD, and this gig was the first time I had been there. Thankfully, it had air conditioning which was very much appreciated by the attendees, being quite a hot summer evening in Melbourne. The suspense built up as the fans were kept waiting (to the strains of what I think was Miles Davis) until about 9:45pm, when they finally took to the stage.

They opened with the first two songs from their latest album -- the falsetto-laden title track (Evil urges) and progressive-sounding Touch me I'm going to scream Pt. 1. They mixed it up a little bit with the earlier At dawn classic The way that he sings, almost a signature-song for them, and one of my favourite MMJ songs to date. Another early gig highlight was Off the record, one of their more recent "poppier" songs which has an incredibly catchy riff repeated throughout.

They played a decent cross-section of their discography, but generally focused on their two most recent albums Z and Evil urges. While they only included a couple of songs from my favourite album At dawn (the aforementioned The way that he sings, and the beautiful acoustic Bermuda highway which was part of the excellent encore), they included quite a few songs from their 2003 album It still moves. And with very few exceptions, it was the songs from that album which were the absolute gig highlights.

Mahgeetah was already a great opener on the album, but in a live setting it was even more impressive. I always loved Dancefloors on the album as an enjoyable pop song with rocky overtones, but at the gig it absolutely rocked the audience's socks off. The outro of this song had the most amazing display of dual guitar, bass, drums and keyboard interplay that I have ever seen at a live gig. The drunken lament of Golden slowed things down, emphasizing lead singer Jim James' amazing falsetto, and Run thru turned into another amazing adrenaline-fuelled jam session. The songs which they played from It still moves were designed to be played live, and after hearing them at this gig I have a lot more respect for that amazing album.

Jim James didn't talk to the audience a lot during the gig, but when he did it was mainly about the surreal architecture of Melbourne (I think they had visited Federation Square), and how he had witnessed vandals "spray painting a cathedral". He proved to have an interesting stage persona, donning a cape over his head for many of the songs, and turned his back on the audience to face the drummer during the many jam sessions which the songs turned into. And jam they did -- the Z closer Dondante runs for about 8 minutes on the studio version, but they turned it into a 15-minute epic when played live. Did I mention the epic Lynyrd Skynyrd southern riffage of Lay low? I think I just did.

Sonically, this was quite easily the loudest gig I had ever been to. It must have been the combination of small venue + huge speakers + instruments turned up to 11, but my ears were ringing many times during the gig despite the fact that I was wearing protective ear plugs.

Any notable omissions? It would have been nice to hear Xmas curtain, Lowdown, The bear or some of their other early-career highlights. But there was really little to complain about -- they played for 150 minutes and only rarely did they lose momentum during this time; when they did, it was usually during the Evil urges material which didn't seem to go down as well as the older songs.

One big holiday (with its Marquee moon-esque riffage) proved to be a perfect closer to the encore and gig, leaving the audience literally breathless. It's certainly been a long time between drinks, but I'm glad that I fell off the wagon with these amazing musicians and performers.

Bootleg multimedia

Jim James crooning away

Lead guitarist Carl Broemel rocking on

It's 1975 all over again

Performance of "The way that he sings"

Jam at the end of "Run thru"

2008: A Year in Music [Part 6: Re-evaluation of 2007 list]

And now it's time to re-evaluate my top 5 albums of 2007, posted at the end of that year. The intent of this post is to close the loop on the whole musical evaluation process, which allows me to:

• Include albums from 2007 that I purchased after the year was over, and hence didn't include in the original list;
• Factor in grower albums which didn't hit me initially, but over time have revealed their hidden charms;
• Factor in [shrinker?] albums which I thought were pretty impressive albums originally, but over time have become boring or shown to lack considerable depth to keep them interesting to listen to.

Here were my top 5 albums from 2007 in my original post:

1. Radiohead - In rainbows
2. The Arcade Fire - Neon bible
3. The Good, the Bad & the Queen - self titled
4. Spoon - Ga ga ga ga ga
5. Crowded House - Time on earth

And here's the 2007 albums which I have purchased since I published that original list (in order of purchase):

Robert Wyatt - Comicopera
Joe Henry - Civilians
Sunset Rubdown - Random spirit lover
Ben Harper - Lifeline
Patrick Wolf - The magic position
Von Südenfed - Tromatic reflexxions
Josh Pyke - Memories & dust
Levon Helm - Dirt farmer
PJ Harvey - White chalk

(I also purchased the excellent Death proof soundtrack which was released in 2007, but is ineligible for inclusion in the new list because it's a compilation made up entirely of previously-released material.)

So, do any of these more recently purchased albums (or indeed the albums which I included in my cutting room floor post of 2007) cause the line-up to change?

Robert Wyatt's Comicopera is a very difficult avant-garde listen which lives up to its name, as it is structured like an opera in 3 parts. Opening with its two most accessible tracks (The beautiful cover Stay tuned, and gorgeous duet Just as you are) is an interesting technique to reel the listener in, but there are very few islands of accessibility on the rest of the album (A beautiful peace is a notable exception). The last 5 songs aren't even in English, which is supposed to be symbolic of Wyatt's disillusion with Western culture. To sum it up: an intensely challenging avant-folk opera summing up the performer's thoughts on the Bush years. Some more melody may have helped here; it may grow on me one day, but hasn't yet.

Joe Henry is quite a renowned record producer who has also released a few solo albums of his own, with Civilians being his most recent release. I first heard about this album when I read a raving 5-star review of it in The Age. I picked it up shortly after, and it's a very solid album overall. The music is tight, the lyrics are meaningful, and it strikes a nice balance between depth and accessibility. My only gripe with this album is that it could have done with a little more diversity in its sound to keep it interesting; after almost an hour some of the songs tend to blend into each other. Highlights are the introspective Parker's mood and lovely closer God only knows (not related to the classic Beach Boys song with the same name).

Sunset Rubdown are the spin-off band of Spencer Krug, better known as one of the founding members of Wolf Parade. Where Wolf Parade are more grounded in the mainstream part of alternative indie-pop, Sunset Rubdown is the much more progressive and challenging outfit. Many listeners have raved about their 2nd album Random spirit lover; I have tried to get into it, but with the exception of a few tracks (the gorgeous Stallion), this album is a bit too over-the-top for me.

I have already talked about Ben Harper's excellent album Lifeline in my 2008 musical discoveries post, so no need to repeat myself here. Needless to say I was very impressed with this one.

The jury is still out on the remaining 5 albums, as I haven't had them for long enough. Here's a quick summary of my impressions at the moment:

The magic position - Upbeat chamber-pop with some soft moments thrown in for good measure. This reviewer compared it to David Bowie's Hunky dory which is kind of appropriate in its feel, but he has big shoes to fill to live up to that classic.

Tromatic reflexxions - Mark E. Smith (The Fall) ranting over techno beats. Not quite my taste in music, and if Mark E. Smith wasn't involved I wouldn't have purchased it. The rhinohead is a fine song, though.

Memories & dust - Critically acclaimed effort from Josh Pyke, a popular Australian singer-songwriter. There's more melodies here than you can throw a shoe at, but needs a few more listens before I can comment more on it. Enjoyable nevertheless.

Dirt farmer - the latest solo album by Levon Helm, the sole American in the legendary Canadian group The Band, this is an album made entirely of folk covers and standards. His voice is a long way away from his glory days with The Band, but there's some really beautiful moments on this one.

White chalk - I have only given this one listen so far. Very different from her last 2 albums, this is brooding, minor-key, piano-based gothic music. Not your upbeat party album, but I'm hoping the melodies will shine through on subsequent listens.

So...where does this leave my top 5 albums of 2007 list? Well I'm happy to say that in this particular case, my original list top 5 list has stood the test of time and I will not be updating it.

If I were to extend it to a top 10, it would look a little bit like this:

1. Radiohead - In rainbows
2. The Arcade Fire - Neon bible
3. The Good, the Bad & the Queen - self titled
4. Spoon - Ga ga ga ga ga
5. Crowded House - Time on earth
6. Ben Harper - Lifeline
7. Gruff Rhys - Candylion
8. Joe Henry - Civilians
9. Manic Street Preachers - Send away the tigers
10. The Shins - Wincing the night away

Thanks for reading my musical summary of 2008. I hope you have enjoyed reading it.

It's a few weeks late now, but happy new year! Hope you have a great 2009.

2008: A Year in Music [Part 5: Musical discoveries]

The previous posts in my 2008 wrap-up suggest that I didn't buy a lot of music last year. Quite the contrary, I bought 113 albums in 2008. That's an average of 2 albums purchased per week! With only 8 albums from 2008, there's still 105 other albums I purchased during the year. The cream of those 105 albums is going to rise to the top, forming the basis of this post: my musical discoveries of the year. This is the post which I enjoy writing the most; if I can introduce at least one reader to one of these excellent albums, I'll consider it mission accomplished.

The albums here are listed in order of purchase.

The Divine Comedy - Promenade

I actually bought this album at the tail end of 2007, but I decided to cheat and include it in this list anyway. Casanova was in my list of 2007 musical discoveries, but Promenade was the Divine Comedy album I really wanted to buy for a long time. Unfortunately, it has been out of print for a long time, meaning that I had to resort to buying it off eBay second-hand. Thankfully, I found it for a very reasonable price.

There are many adjectives I would use to describe this music. The best phrase to describe it that I could come up with is lush, literate and romantic chamber-pop. If this description sounds in any way attractive to you, you will thoroughly enjoy this album.

Lyrically, the album could be described as a concept album, telling the story of a day in the life of two young lovers. Each song is a self-contained vignette covering a particular point in their day, but there is also a story arc over the course of the record.

There are highlights scattered throughout, but I particular enjoy The booklovers (basically a list of the lovers' favourite authors, which sounds boring but isn't), The summerhouse (a nostalgic ode to youth), the quirky A drinking song (where the lovers get drunk) and the optimistic and feel-good closer Tonight we fly.

This is one of those albums where there isn't a note out of place throughout its 45-minute running time. A stunning album.

MP3: The Divine Comedy - The summerhouse [Link removed]

Ed Harcourt - The beautiful lie

I bought Ed Harcourt's 2001 debut album Here be monsters shortly after it was released, and it quickly became one of my favourite albums of that year. I haven't purchased his subsequent albums From every sphere and Strangers because they are corrupted with that blasted Copy Control technology, which EMI thought was a great idea in the mid-noughties but have thankfully discontinued now. Luckily, his excellent 2006 album The beautiful lie is free of that feeble attempt at copy protection.

Ed Harcourt is a brilliant singer-songwriter from England who deserves a lot more acclaim than he is getting. His lyrics are slightly quirky (the result of a subtle Tom Waits influence), his voice is full of character and emotion, and his musical composition and piano playing are out of this world.

While I loved Here be monsters, Ed has shown a lot of progression in the five years since that album was released. The album generally alternates between upbeat jazzy rockers (Visit from the dead dog, Shadowboxing, Revolution in the heart) and late night laments (You only call me when you're drunk, The last cigarette, Good friends are hard to find). Rain on the pretty ones is stupendous, one of the most beautiful songs I have heard in the last five years. And Braille is a beautiful, haunting, duet with his wife Gita Harcourt.

If you are a fan of Jeff Buckley and lament most of the singer-songwriter fare released this decade, give Ed Harcourt a listen. You won't be disappointed.

MP3: Ed Harcourt - Rain on the pretty ones [Link removed]

New Order - Technique

Everyone knows New Order for their hits (Blue monday, Bizarre love triangle, True faith), but not many know that they also have some pretty good studio albums as well. Prior to purchasing Technique, I had Substance (their best-of from 1987), Power, corruption & lies (their 2nd album from 1983) and Low-life (their 3rd album from 1985). I enjoyed Substance, but those other two albums seemed a bit patchy to me (although there were definitely some great moments on each).

Technique is a different beast entirely. Partially recorded on the island of Ibiza, it incorporates a lot of acid-house influences that were prevalent in the late 80s. The change of scenery had a very positive effect on the band, refreshing their sound while still not losing what made them so good to start with.

Opener Fine time is a bit of a red herring, emphasizing dance and beats a little too much over catchy pop. But from All the way until closer Dream attack, this album is a non-stop party. It's melodic, hooky, and you can dance to it. And most importantly, it makes you happy while you listen to it. A very impressive album.

MP3: New Order - Round & round [Link removed]

Various Artists - "Death Proof" soundtrack

To be honest, I wasn't particularly impressed with Quentin Tarantino's latest film Death proof. It was okay, but his movies seem to be getting a little cliched and lacking the spark that made Reservoir dogs and Pulp fiction so amazing and some of my favourite films of all time.

Despite my thoughts on the movie, the soundtrack is another gold Tarantino compilation of unearthed gems. I don't know how he does it, but Quentin is always able to uncover these hidden classics from the 60s and 70s and compile them in such a way to make an endlessly listenable and brilliant soundtrack.

What I love about this soundtrack (and pretty much all Tarantino soundtracks) is how he eschews the obvious and well-known songs that would work well in a car chase movie, simultaneously enthralling the listener and introducing them to music they would otherwise probably never hear.

The soundtrack consists of some great soul numbers (Staggolee, The love you make, Down in Mexico), moody instrumentals (The last race, Paranoia prima, Sally and Jack), glam (Jeepster), early 60s power-pop (Hold tight) and even a bit of quirky bubblegum (Chick habit). And no Tarantino soundtrack would be complete without the trademark movie dialogue scattered throughout at appropriate moments (although I'll admit the dialogue is much less memorable this time around).

Even if you haven't seen Death proof, I wouldn't hesitate recommending this soundtrack to anyone. This was one of my most listened albums of the year.

MP3: The Coasters - Down in Mexico [Link removed]

Paul & Linda McCartney - Ram

I had read about this album a lot over the years, and eventually purchased it in 2008. Released in 1971 (a great year for music), it is considered to be one of his best solo albums. To be honest, I was a bit sceptical about the album before I purchased it. I already had his best-of compilation All the best!, and while there are undoubtedly some amazing tracks on there, I was suspicious that he couldn't maintain brilliance over the course of a whole album. I'm glad that I can now say that I was completely wrong.

Ram is up there with All things must pass and Imagine as a brilliant and fully realised Beatles solo album. While All things must pass showed that George had so much more to say (if only John and Paul had let him), and Imagine was an intensely personal masterpiece by John, Ram was a quirky and immaculately recorded window into Paul's creative mind in the early 70s.

It doesn't have many hits on it (Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey excluded), the lyrics certainly didn't have the depth of Lennon's (apparent in the Beatles' music as well), but what it lacks in depth it makes up for in heart. This is an endlessly listenable album, where each song has a purpose, and it's just old fashioned fun music.

The highlights? The semi-title track Ram on is a stunning, minimalistic number that sounds like it would fit nicely on the White album. The aforementioned Uncle Albert is a quirky number that can't help but make you happy. Monkberry moon delight is a crazy singalong that sounds like it would have been a big influence on Tom Waits. And the best is saved till last -- Back seat of my car is a multi-faceted masterpiece that is as good as anything the Beatles ever released.

MP3: Paul & Linda McCartney - Back seat of my car [Link removed]

James Brown - 20 all time greatest hits!

The first James Brown album I bought was Live at the Apollo, which is considered to be his masterpiece, and one of the great live albums of all time. I'm generally not a big fan of live albums, but there are always exceptions. Even though I have listened to Apollo many times over the years, it has never really hit me as being as brilliant as everyone says it is.

For such a soul legend as James Brown, I thought the most logical next step was to pick up a compilation that represented his most well-known songs. There are a lot of James Brown compilations out there, and I didn't want to just pick up any compilation. So I did a bit of research, and this one was mentioned many times as the pick of the bunch. Unfortunately for me, it seemed to be out of print and unavailable in Australia. In May 2008 I was on a business trip in Vancouver, and managed to find this CD in a downtown second-hand CD store.

For a man who has had so many classic singles scattered across different discs, a great compilation like this was easily the best way to appreciate his genius. This is a funk and soul odyssey, kicking off in brilliant fashion with I got you (I feel good), upping the ante with Sex machine, making a few rest stops (It's a man's man's man's world) and uncovering some lesser-known gems (Get on the good foot) along the way.

Put this on, crank it up, and bathe in the genius of the Godfather of soul.

MP3: James Brown - It's a man's man's man's world [Link removed]

Mansun - Attack of the grey lantern

I was a big fan of the Britpop genre in the early to mid 90s, but there were a few bands who I had missed along the way. The Britpop train definitely left the station in about 1997-1998; while I can still appreciate albums from that era with a sense of nostalgia, it's always scary coming to the party late because without the memories of enjoying that music at the time it can be a futile attempt to appreciate music which might very well be of its time.

I recently read many reviews praising this album (Mansun's debut) which was released in 1997, one of the greatest years for music. I managed to find it for $5 on eBay, picking it up with very little risk if it turned out to be a bit on the shite side. Luckily for me, there are no disappointments here. This album actually holds up remarkably well, and I think it's because Mansun don't emphasize their British-ness as much as some of the other Britpop bands of the era (e.g. Menswear).

This album has a bit of a glam-rock feel to it in places, reminding me a little bit of a more grounded version of Suede's amazing album Dog man star. The sound is simultaneously epic (The chad who loved me, Dark Mavis), upbeat and dancy (Taxloss, Stripper vicar), anthemic (Wide open space) and at times quite reflective (Disgusting). Even the hidden track is great; a clever piece on how obsessive fans read too much into lyrics.

MP3: Mansun - Wide open space [Link removed]

Various arists - Tropicália: A Brazilian revolution in sound

Tropicália is an art movement that arose in the late 60s in Brazil. There was a more sinister political side to the movement (which you can read about here), but musically this was a highly creative era which influenced many musicians in subsequent generations.

I first became aware of this great compilation when I saw a very high score next to it on MetaCritic. It was enough for me to do a bit of investigation, and I snagged it up on eBay in 2008.

This is the first CD of its kind that I have in my collection, and it goes to show how much great music one can miss out on when they limit themselves to more conventional genres. This music is simultaneously exciting, passionate, political, complex and multi-layered. It doesn't matter that I don't understand a word on the whole album (with the exception of the superb Take it easy, my brother Charles, the only English song); the music speaks for itself, saying more with its musical passion in 5 seconds of music than a lot of modern English-language music can do over the course of an album.

The compilation is made up of several songs by key artists from the movement -- Gilberto Gil, Os Mutantes, Gal Costa, Caetano Veloso, Tom Ze and Jorge Ben. The packaging is wonderful, including a wonderfully thick booklet describing the movement and what it meant in the context of the time.

Be open minded and give this great CD a listen.

MP3: Gilberto Gil e Os Mutantes - Domingo no parque [Link removed]

Martha Wainwright - Martha Wainwright

With a few notable exceptions such as Kate Bush, I generally prefer male vocalists of female vocalists. I'm not sure why, but it's just a personal preference that hasn't changed a lot over the years. Every now and then, a female vocalist comes along that I fall in love with. Martha Wainwright is one such example.

Martha's voice is a stunning, bluesy instrument which conveys a tremendous amount of emotion. Combining this with her dark and sometimes tortured (Bloody mother fucking asshole) lyrics makes for a compelling listen. This is an intensely personal album, with each song sounding like a diary entry from a woman who has many skeletons in her closet.

Martha has music in her blood -- her father is legendary folk/blues musician Loudon Wainwright III (and apparently the bloody mother fucking asshole who she dedicated that lovely song to), her mother is Canadian folk musician Kate McGarrigle, and her brother is baroque indie popster Rufus Wainwright. While I have never really gotten into Rufus' music (sorry Adam), Martha's work is a different story entirely.

To think that this is only her debut album -- this woman has lots of potential. She's already released her 2nd album, and it's definitely one I will be picking up in the future.

MP3: Martha Wainwright - Bloody mother fucking asshole [Link removed]

The Boo Radleys - Giant steps

No, this isn't a re-recording of John Coltrane's infamous landmark 1960 jazz album.

The Boo Radleys were someone who I always categorised as "just another Britpop" band, and they did become that way in the late-90s. But when I did a bit more digging, I saw this album constantly come up in lists of "lost classic" albums. And lost classic is exactly what this album is.

This is an epic record, alternating between melodic gems (I hang suspended, Wish I was skinny, Best lose the fear, The white noise revisited), distorted shoegaze numbers (Upon 9th and Fairchild, Leave and sand, I've lost the reason) and even dubby reggae-influenced numbers (Lazarus).

All of the sounds are woven into an epic whole, and the end result is an album which is simultaneously accessible and challenging. Some songs jump out at you on the first listen, and others creep up to you on the 10th listen, and you wonder how you ever missed them in the first place. Overall, this album achieves the perfect balance of pop sensibilities and musical depth, and highly deserves its status as an underrated classic of the early 90s.

MP3: The Boo Radleys - Upon 9th and Fairchild [Link removed]

Ocean Colour Scene - Moseley shoals

I'd like to give a shout-out to Stefan, who recommended this great album to me, which prompted me to purchase it. I already mentioned in my review of the Mansun album that there were a few Britpop classics from the mid-90s which I had somehow overlooked in my appreciation of the genre back in the end. Well, Moseley shoals is another example of such an album.

This album is only Britpop by definition, as it's not really poppy at all. Opting instead for a mod-blues sound, this music is more influenced by Paul Weller, Traffic, Faces and The Who than anything by The Beatles. Singer Simon Fowler has a great voice which suits the music really well, and the rest of the band are a very tight unit as well. Because their style of music isn't really Britpop at all, it has aged really well despite the fact that it was released 13 years ago now.

There are many highlights -- opener The riverboat song is propelled by a fantastic riff, The day we caught the train and The circle complete the opening trifecta in a stunning fashion, and One for the road would make a great roadtrip song.

This album was big in the UK, but it deserves a much bigger audience.

MP3: Ocean Colour Scene - The riverboat song [Link removed]

Ben Harper - Lifeline

Thanks to my friend Brett, a lifelong Ben Harper fan, for recommended this great album to me. I own all Ben Harper studio albums except There will be a light and Both sides of the gun, both of which I never purchased because they are cursed with that infernal Copy Control technology. This one is thankfully free of that.

In my loudness war post, I mentioned how Lifeline was a great example of a contemporary album which had been beautifully produced. You only need to listen to the opening track on this album to hear how refreshing the production on this album is compared to a lot of other so-called music released nowadays.

Musically, this is Ben Harper's inevitable soul/R&B album. He had always dabbled in this genre before on his previous albums, but this is the first time he had dedicated (almost) an entire album to that style. Ben is in fine voice throughout this album, and the Innocent Criminals continue to be one of the best backing bands of recent times.

Brett mentioned to me that the first time he heard Fool for a lonesome train, he was convinced that was a cover of an old soul classic, and was surprised to find that it was a Ben Harper original. I have to agree with him; this is a brilliant song, and likely to become a soul/R&B standard in many years to come.

While the last two songs don't seem to really fit in with the vibe of this album (another point I was made aware of by Brett), I don't think they detract from the album as a whole. Instead, I think of them more as a fantastic encore to the songs which preceded them. The final title track Lifeline has one of his final vocal performances to date, and the album is richer due to its inclusion.

MP3: Ben Harper - Fool for a lonesome train [Link removed]

Carole King - Tapestry

For many years, I had delayed picking up this landmark singer-songwriter album because I had the silly impression that I wouldn't like it (mainly due to radio overplay, and the general dated feel of some of the songs).

Silly, silly Jiggy! This is a masterful album by one of the greatest singer-songwriters of our generation. Many of the songs on this album were already classics before this album was released, being recorded by other artists such as Arethra Franklin and The Shirelles. But the versions on this album are great for two reasons -- Carole King has a remarkable soulful voice, and we get to hear the song by the person who [co-]wrote them, emphasizing the personal nature of the lyrics.

As good as the well known songs on this album are (and there are lots of them -- I feel the earth move, It's too late, You've got a friend, Will you love me tomorrow? and You'll make me feel like a natural woman), it's the quality of the lesser-known tracks which really surprised me. In particular, Beautiful is a wonderful number which puts me in a great mood, Smackwater Jack is a fun story song and the title track is a beautifully evocative stunner.

And every time I hear Where you lead, I can't help but picture Lorelei and Rory Gilmore eating in Luke's Diner.

MP3: Carole King - Beautiful [Link removed]

Sam & Dave - The very best of Sam & Dave

My first exposure to legendary soul duo Sam & Dave was through Elvis Costello's cover of I can't stand up for falling down, on his classic 1980 album Get happy!! While Elvis' version was an upbeat toe-tapping number, the original version (included on this compilation) is a slow-paced ballad. It's always interesting when you hear a cover of a song before the original, and in this case it was particularly surprising.

Most people would know Sam & Dave's classics Hold on, I'm a comin', Soul man and Soothe me, all of which are included on here. This is 60s R&B at its finest. While they didn't write their own songs (most were written by the legendary Isaac Hayes together with David Porter), they were true interpretors and excellent performers whose voices complemented each other perfectly.

This is a great compilation, without an ounce of filler, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone who wants to expand their soul/R&B collection.

MP3: Sam & Dave - Soothe me (Live) [Link removed]

Stevie Wonder - Hotter than July

Stevie Wonder's 5-album run of genius, by most critics' accounts, starts at Music of my mind (1972) and ends at his magnum opus Songs in the key of life (1976). I have the 5 albums from that era and can highly recommend them as some of the finest music ever released. I had always heard that Hotter than July (from 1980) was another brilliant album that fell just outside the classic period, but had never purchased it.

I'm not sure why I waited so long, because this album (to me anyway) deserves to be included amongst the best albums he has released. Three classic singles (Master blaster, Lately and Happy birthday) provide the album with its foundation of familiarity, but they are just the tip of the iceberg of musical enjoyment that is to be had on this album. Each song is funky, catchy, musical, vocally fascinating, and everything else that you come to expect of Stevie's work.

Less well-known highlights include the beautiful Rocket love, too-catchy-for-its-own-good I ain't gonna stand for it (try getting this song out of your head) and the funky little Cash in your face. But it's all good, and in a way I'm glad I only bought this album now because it's exciting discovering another amazing Stevie album that I didn't even know existed. My only gripe is the title of the album, which doesn't work so well in the southern hemisphere.

MP3: Stevie Wonder - I ain't gonna stand for it [Link removed]

Midnight Oil - 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

This is a classic case of an album which I had heard a few times in its entirety (many years ago), knew it was a classic which I should have in my collection, but had for some reason never purchased it. I already owned two Oils albums -- the excellent compilation 20,000 Watt R.S.L. and classic Diesel and dust. 20,000 Watt R.S.L. contains a lot of tracks from this era, and could have quite easily cannibalised 10...1 (making it less attractive to purchase), but for some strange reason two hits from this album (Short memory and Read about it) weren't included on that compilation. The only way I could get those great songs would be by purchasing this album.

I'm glad I did, because this is an album in the true sense of the world. It has an excellent flow to it, a conceptual unity to the lyrics, and not a dud song in the bunch. Opener Outside world has a fantastic mood and atmosphere, and for some reason I hadn't picked it as a standout all those years ago. But it is, and as an opener it fulfils its mission of "reeling the listener in" perfectly.

Follow-up track Only the strong has one of Peter Garrett's finest "angry" vocal performances. This song is pure energy, with the last few minutes of the song being a fantastic come-down. The aforementioned hits Short memory and Read about it follow, being as fascinating musically as they are lyrically. It's depressing that the political lyrics still mean as much now as they did in the early 80s. Scream in blue ends side A (as it was in vinyl) in a fascinating fashion -- the opening half being a feedback-laden instrumental, and the second half being a beautiful piano-based ballad.

Side B kicks off with two more hits which were on the best-of compilation -- U.S. forces and Power and the passion, the latter of which includes an excellent drum solo from Rob Hirst which is up there with Moby dick on Led Zeppelin II. We get a bit political with the last three tracks, with Marilinga being a particularly powerful song about the plight of the Aboriginal communities who were affected by the nuclear testing in the 50s.

This is an immensely powerful album lyrically, but what I find most fascinating about listening to it now is how experimental the music is. I had always considered Midnight Oil to be a fairly commercial band who had something interesting to say, but I can say after coming to this album late that they were also an incredibly tight band during this era, who weren't afraid to do things which were quite anti-commercial. They could have quite easily opened the album with Power and the passion (or one of the other hits), but choosing to open with the oddity Outside world showed how left-field and dedicated to their art they were.

This is a fantastic album which deserves its place amongst the greatest Australian albums of all time.

MP3: Midnight Oil - Outside world [Link removed]

Various artists - 101 80s hits

I have already discussed this compilation at great length in this post, so there's no need to repeat myself. Needless to say that it gave me much musical enjoyment in 2008, and it was also very educational, introducing me to lots of songs from the 80s that I should have known better than I did.

MP3: A Flock of Seagulls - I ran [Link removed]

Jens Lekman - When I said I wanted to be your dog

Jens Lekman is a twenty-something Swedish singer-songwriter who writes and performs quirky, funny, honest and unabashedly romantic folk songs mainly about girls and his (often failed) romantic conquests. Most of the songs on this 2004 album (his debut) sound like diary entries from a lovesick teenager.

Musically, the strongs are stripped-back and quite simple in their structure, sometimes embellished with strings and horns to increase their emotional impact. But it's the lyrics where Jens shines, elevating him to a higher place than "just another indie singer-songwriter". Get a load of the opening lyrics to album highlight You are the light:

Yeah I got busted
So I used my one phone call
To dedicate
A song to you on the radio

I don't know what it is, but the thought of a twenty-something man getting caught by the fuzz and using his phone call to dedicate a song to his crush cracks me up every time I hear it. I'm not normally a lyric man, but the lyrics in Jens Lekman's music hit me in ways that a lot of other music doesn't.

I won't hesitate to say that his music is up there with early Belle & Sebastian, and I look forward to picking up his more recent album Night falls over Kortedala.

MP3: Jens Lekman - You are the light (by which I travel...) [Link removed]

Elton John - Captain Fantastic & The Brown Dirt Cowboy

I had a couple of Elton John albums before this one, but this is the first one that I have truly loved (and it's still growing on me after about 5 listens). The first one I bought was Goodbye yellow brick road, which is widely considered to be his classic album, but to me feels a bit overlong and bloated. Then I bought Tumbleweed connection, one of his earlier and more country albums. While that albums has some excellent songs on it, something that I can't quite put my finger on puts me off that album -- I think it may be the slightly-cheesy female backing vocals on some of the tracks.

Even from the first listen, I could tell that Captain Fantastic was a different sort of album. Firstly, at 46 minutes it's very concise and doesn't leave a lot of room for filler. Secondly, it has a conceptual unity both musically and lyrically (yes, it's a concept album). Thirdly, it has some of the finest songwriting of Elton's and Bernie Taupin's career. And to top it off, the vocals and performances on this album are some of the best I have ever heard. Did I mention the production? That's great too.

Lyrically, the concept of the album is about the struggle that Elton John and lyricist Bernie Taupin went through in the mid-late 60s before Elton hit the bigtime. The album covers a lot of ground lyrically, but the album flows remarkably well; it's one of those works of art where not a note feels out of place.

I also have a confession to make. While I knew of the classic song Someone saved my life tonight, for some reason I had never heard it (or at least remembered it) before I picked up this album. I'm not sure how I missed this classic piece of songwriting and performance, because it's one of the best songs I have heard in a long time. Based upon a true story of Elton trying to kill himself (and Bernie saving him), the song builds and builds musically, reaching many crescendos during its 7-minute running time, but never for one second does the listener lose interest.

It is an amazing composition that sits comfortably amongst the finest songs released in the last 50 years. On a lesser album, the other songs would have been so overshadowed by the brilliance of this one number that they would have quickly become forgotten. It's a testament to the power of this album that this doesn't occur.

MP3: Elton John - Someone saved my life tonight [Link removed]

Update: Song links removed.

RIP: Ron Asheton 1949-2008

Ron Asheton, guitarist and co-songwriter with Iggy Pop in the proto-punk band The Stooges, has died at the age of 60.

The Stooges were a major influence to the punk movement of the late 70s. The original line-up released 3 albums in the late 60s and early 70s, all now considered classics: The Stooges (1969), Fun house (1970) and Raw power (1973). They recently re-formed, releasing The weirdness in 2007 to mostly negative reviews.

I personally own Fun house and Raw power, but the self-titled debut is on my list of CDs to purchase.

Fun house is a fantastic album which didn't do a lot for me on initial listens, but eventually grew on me. It's got an amazing vibe to it which is hard to explain but easy to appreciate. As an album it has a crazy structure -- it starts out fairly traditional hard rock, but by the end it completely dissolves into chaos. A crazy album that is definitely worthy of purchase.

The original version of Raw power was produced by David Bowie, but Iggy Pop personally remastered it in 1997. The Iggy Pop remaster (which I own) is turned up to 11 for the entire running time, and is considered by many to be the loudest album ever, although I have a feeling that Metallica's Death magnetic may have recently overtaken it. The opening two tracks, Search and destroy and Gimme danger, are classic proto-punk songs.

Rest in peace, Ron. Your riffage will live on.

MP3: The Stooges - Gimme danger [Link removed]

Update: Song links removed.

2008: A Year in Music [Part 4: Top 5 albums of the year]

Happy new year! It's 2009 already, and I'm still talking about 2008. Talk about living in the past. Anyway, time for my my top 5 albums of 2008.

5. Oasis - Dig out your soul

The fact that this album did make the cut of my top 5 list is a pretty good indication that 2008 wasn't a great year for me for newly released music (or it at least indicates that I didn't buy a lot of new music).

Here are very short reviews of all of the previous Oasis albums:

Definitely maybe - One of the best debut albums of all time! This is a masterpiece and all-time classic.
Morning glory - This album made them huge. It plays like a greatest hits compilation; the songs are that good! Another masterpiece.
The masterplan - An amazing B-sides compilation. Nay-sayers, listen to this before dissing Oasis!
Be here now - Coke-fuelled, over-long and self-indulgent. But there are some amazing songs here as well.
Standing on the shoulder of giants - A career low-point. There are a few good songs on here, but a lot of filler as well.
Heathen chemistry - A pretty solid album overall. This album showed that they still had something to say.
Don't believe the truth - A step up from HC where they took some risks. A great comeback!

So where does Dig out your soul fit in their discography?

Let's start with the good. There are some great songs on this album! The opening two tracks Bag it up and The turning really rock, and they have great singalong choruses which I would imagine would absolutely go off live. In particular, the "shake your rag doll" line from the latter stands out as as a very memorable Oasis moment. I already mentioned The shock of the lightning in my top 10 songs of the year post; it's a classic Oasis number that sits comfortably amongst their finest moments.

I'm outta time is a pretty and melodic ballad written by Liam, although it's a little cliched even by Oasis' standards. All in all, it's probably Liam's finest songwriting moment together with Songbird from Heathen chemistry. It includes a sample from John Lennon's last interview which is used quite poignantly in the song, also working as a cheeky smirk to those who call them Beatles rip-offs (as if the endless stream of ripped-off lyrics wasn't enough). Falling down also works in a weird kind of way, sounding quite different from anything they have released before.

Now for the bad. Waiting for the rapture (which contains the first Noel lead vocal on the album) rips off the opening riff from the Doors' Five to one, but doesn't seem to really go anywhere. The lyrics are tiring, the melody is boring; it's just not memorable. Similar comments apply to (Get off your) high horse lady, the 2nd song on the album with Noel on lead vocals. With a few exceptions (Acquiesce), Noel's voice has always worked a lot better on ballads (Talk tonight, Half the world away) than on rockers. He just doesn't have the rock-star voice that Liam has.

The last four tracks of the album (two written by Liam, the other two written by the other band members) are where the album really sinks into mediocrity. Almost all Oasis albums have some degree of filler material, but by leaving the four least memorable tracks until the end, it makes the bad material stand out more and leaves the album way too top-heavy. If only the closing track was as good as Let there be love was, it could have redeemed the 2nd half of this album.

And I haven't even discussed the production values yet. Many critics have gone out and said that this is the best Oasis sounding album to date. The overly compressed production of this record does not deserve such praise. Granted, most Oasis albums have had pretty bad production values. Maybe this is the first time I have noticed the production, and it has affected my enjoyment of the album. I know what they mean now when they say that ignorance is bliss.

4. Augie March - Watch me disappear

I made the analogy not long after buying this album that Watch my disappear is to Augie March what 16 lovers lane was to The Go-Betweens. This is a bit of a loose analogy; 16 lovers lane is a masterpiece of an album which I would probably include in my top 20 albums ever made, while Watch me disappear is a long way away from that. It isn't even close to being my favourite Augie March album.

What I do mean when saying this is that they have toned down some of their more experimental tendencies (present on their earlier albums Sunset studies and Strange bird), refining their sound into a more polished, accessible and concise album which may or may not give them some more commercial success. At a mere 44 minutes in length, it's also the shortest album of their career (their previous three albums being 76 minutes, 62 minutes and 66 minutes in length).

All of this reeks of a pretty major sellout, but this is not quite true. While some songs (Pennywhistle) come close to twee indie-pop, two very important things make this album stand out from their contemporaries -- the dark and literary lyrics (always one of their strong points), and Glenn Richards' always amazing vocals. In this age of overly loud and compressed records, the spacious production in this album is also a welcome sigh of relief.

And what about the songs? The opening title track is quite unlike anything they have ever released; a dark, atmospheric number that for some reason (which I can't quite put my finger on) reminds me a bit of Eskimo Joe. Becoming Bryn and City of rescue sound a bit like Nick Cave and The Pogues' more raucous moments, while The Glenorchy bunyip is a toe-tapping rocker in the spirit of This train will be taking no passengers from Strange bird, albeit not as successful.

Farmer's son begins with a guitar line that may be one of their most accessible and melodic song openings they have ever had, and for me provides a great analogy of what Glenn and the gang have achieved on this album -- making literate, intelligent indie pop accessible to a larger number of people.

Overall, this album works better for me than their last one Moo, you bloody choir. Moo found them at a crossroads, staring commercial success (One crowded hour) in the eyes while still trying to keep their experimental tendencies intact. In light of this, it came across as a slightly unfocused and transitional album.

Watch me disappear shows what happens when they take the other road; as a self-contained capsule of accessible songwriting and musicianship, it succeeds in achieving everything it set out to do. These guys have worked hard at success and deserve all the accolades that come their way. While I fear they may eventually sell out and lose their more complex and experimental tendencies of their earlier work, I have confidence that they have enough artistic integrity that they won't let this happen.

3. Elbow - The seldom seen kid

It's amazing how your perceptions of a band can change over the course of a few albums. Many years ago, I picked up Elbow's debut album Asleep at the back after reading some over-hyped reviews in Q magazine. This was back in my less cynical days when I used to buy into a lot of critical hype. While that album has some standout tracks on it, it never really impressed me a lot overall. I liked their follow-up Cast of thousands better, as it was a bit less claustrophobic sounding and the tunes were better.

Earlier in 2008, I picked up their 3rd album Leaders of the free world and it was an even more subtle progression. I'd read a lot of reviews of The seldom seen kid, their 4th album, many praising it as one of the albums of the year. And I can honestly say that this is one album that has truly lived up to my (very high) expectations.

This is the album where Elbow started firing on all cylinders. They have always been a band with the potential to be brilliant, but each of their previous albums was a little bit scattershot. For every stunning moment (Red, Fugitive motel, Picky bugger), there were other moments which lacked a little in songcraft (Little beast, Fallen angel, Crawling with idiot).

This is the most consistent Elbow album to date. Unlike previous efforts, every song on this album seems to have a purpose. Starlings is a stunning and quirky opener, The bones of you is simultaneously complex and entertaining and Grounds for divorce may be one of their catchiest songs to date (and it really gets under your skin after a few listens). Then there's Audience with the pope (apparently their "James Bond" song) and The fix, a brilliant duet about a caper with Richard Hawley. Even One day like this, which seems to be their attempt at an epic lighter-waving stadium ballad, works better than it should. The album's stunning closer Friend of ours is a gorgeously understated tribute to their dearly departed friend Bryan Glancy.

While Coldplay were busy adding Brian Eno touches to their latest album in an attempt to get street cred, Elbow went back to first principles and showed what happens when amazing songwriting, performance and production collide.

2. Al Green - Lay it down

Lay it down, lay it down, lay it down
Put your head on the floor

So begins the opening title track from Al Green's remarkable new album. The Reverend is 62 years old now, and he's still showing the plethora of contemporary "R&B and soul" pretenders how it's done. For a man who has released so many classic songs over the years, he doesn't really have to prove anything anymore. What he has proven on this album, without a shadow of a doubt, is that he is still the master of the genre.

Allow me to make myself perfectly clear here. This hot little CD, this one right here, is how to write, record and produce a contemporary R&B album. There's hardly a wasted note over the 11 tracks and 45-minute running time. He brings in a few younger singers, including Anthony Hamilton, Corinne Bailey Rae and John Legend, to duet with him on some of the songs. Their presence isn't really necessary (Al Green's vocals are still amazing) but they add a bit of variety to the mix and help him appeal to a younger audience. I'm hoping that fans of the current "pseudo R&B" that clogs our airwaves listen to this album, so they can see how a master does it.

There are too many highlights to mention, but I'll name a few. The opening title track is gorgeously seductive and sets the scene perfectly; No one like you has an amazing groove which is highly contagious; Too much possesses one of the most fragile vocals on the album; Standing in the rain is an upbeat Otis Redding-esque number which closes the album on a high note.

Al Green has a huge smile on the front cover, and quite understandably. He has released one of the albums of the year.

1. Brian Wilson - That lucky old sun

I think Pet sounds proved without a shadow of a doubt that Brian Wilson was never able to match the beauty of an album with an equally beautiful record cover. That lucky old sun, Brian Wilson's 8th solo album, continues this oddball tradition. Unless it's a subliminal message to get us to eat more citrus?

That lucky old sun seemed to come out of nowhere for me. With the exception of SMiLE, I'd never considered looking into Brian Wilson's solo discography as I had always thought of it as a pale imitation of his golden years with the Beach Boys. This may well be the case, but this album is as good if not better than many of the albums that Brian Wilson recorded with his former band.

The album opens with a beautiful rendition of the title track, a 1949 popular song made famous by artists as diverse as Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Louis Armstrong, Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson. The title song is reprised (lyrically and instrumentally) at several key points on the album, giving a conceptual unity to the record.

Also interspersed throughout the album, breaking up the longer compositions, are some poems written by Van Dyke Parks (but recited by Brian) which almost sound like beatnik poetry. Many critics have dismissed these poems as pointless self-indulgence, but I find that they work really work in breaking up the album and also tying together the various lyrical themes.

And what about the lyrics? I mentioned some of the songs on my top 10 songs post, but the overruling feel of the album lyrically is one of nostalgia (Southern california), romance (Forever she'll be my surfer girl, Good kind of love) and acceptance (Midnight's another day). While this sounds like your standard lyrical fare, Brian manages to intertwine the themes together in such a way that makes each moment sound like a vital piece in a musical mosaic.

Musically, it's incredibly rich and diverse as well. Sure, there's some kitschy moments (Good kind of love) but they have such hummable melodies that you can't help but feel a rush of adrenaline when listening to them. The ballads are exquisite, with the trademark Beach Boys harmonies you have come to expect from the songwriting genius of Brian Wilson.

Many have dismissed Brian Wilson's voice, saying that it is past its prime. I'm not one to argue with this; his voice is definitely nowhere near as great as it was in the late 60s and early 70s. But the man is 66, so it's a bit unfair to judge his voice in this way. Many older singers would give one of their kidneys (if they hadn't already destroyed them) to sound as good as Brian Wilson does on this album.

This is going to be a controversial comment, but this album works better for me than SMiLE did. SMiLE had the weight of 37 years of expectations resting on its shoulders, and many studio outtakes from the era where Brian Wilson was in fine voice and had the the world at his feet. As successful as the official SMiLE album was, it could never quite match the expectations that were thrust upon it.

That lucky old sun, on the other hand, seemed to come out of nowhere. Nobody was expecting Brian Wilson to release such an amazing album after all these years. If this is the last we ever hear from him, it will prove to be a very fitting epitaph and a spectacular bookend to a remarkable career.