My Fucking Opinions of 2011 Part II: The Earballs
Brought to you by a 1 litre bottle of Midori, lemonade and distractions. Writing about music is a hell of alot harder and more wanky than talking about film, I'd rather just kidnap people and force them to listen to a mix CD. But since the law still has a long way to go in regards to this, the below concentrates more on my reaction to the music than any objective point of view as your more fancy music snot people would write.
There's no real order to any of this and nor once again did I respect the laws of temporality. But I hope you find something new you like and will listen to them and be compelled to pay it forward (with money to the artists).
The Graveyard Train are a six-piece from the wide brown land of Melbourne who play something akin to country-alt-folk-alt-ghost-blues. They are also possibly the best live band in Australia at the moment. Someone linked to Ballad for Beezelbub on the SA unknown artists thread, I loved the song, ordered both albums, and by Friday I had dragged two friends up to the Mountains to see them play the Katoomba RSL. Then later on we got to drag more people along with us and saw them play the Oxford Art Factory. They seem to alternate between chain-dude or washboard-dude when they travel north, but it meant both shows had virtually completely different set-lists and lot's of stuff not on the albums. More importantly, both were a hell of alot of fun and much dancing and singing was had by all. Special mention to the asshole in the dumb hat and his fat wife who kept yelling out WHERE'S ADAM because the chain guy was missing and the fat wife yelling out WITCHES because she wanted to hear the song that was about her being the enchanted wiccan fuckwit that she most likely is I'm sure you both went home feeling like oh hey we totally brought some audience participation to that gig they loved us but no you're both sad apologies for genes in the pissbowl of life shut the fuck up don't go outside anymore. Wow that was mean, this midori angers up the blood. There were two grandmas at the Katoomba gig who stood up out of their seats and arrhythmically punched the air as they danced, they were much cooler.
Anyway no other band set the soundtrack for the year better. The two albums were playing on repeat whilst I studied for the Finance exam that I ended up getting a distinction in even though I understood nothing. They were also the only soundtrack to our weekend away at the Hunter Valley since we couldn't hook our iPods up to the stereo but I did for some reason have the CD's with me. The first one "The Serpent and the Crow" is more Birthday Partyish in my (fucking) opinion, but does contain the amazing previously mentioned Ballad for Beezelbub, Boneyard and the just utterly joyous Death Pt 2 and 3. The sophomore (American for 'after the first') "The Drink the Devil and the Dance" is alot more shiny and dare I say it fun, Mummy (which if you don't like it here be assured it sounds more alive in person) A Tall Shadow, Lover's Leap, oh fuck it they're all great. They're about to do another tour in the next two months and will be releasing a new album in 2012 so for the love of shit keep an eye out. As the lead guy said to us, referencing the fellah's up the back, one day you're all gonna die.
http://graveyardtrain.bandcamp.com/
+ ADDENDUM:Â BROTHERS GRIMM AND THE BLUE MURDERS
At both these gigs we had the opportunity of being entertained by the Brothers Grimm and the Blue Murders. The lead brother knowing exactly how to work the crowd with a voice like honey and gravel and an awesome Ned Kelly beard. They released an album this year which for the most part I liked but didn't listen to it as much as other things. The Oxford Art Factory gig was the launch for the album, which was good but they opened with their good fast-paced songs and then after that it was a bit of a hard slog to get through the rest. Playing Silver Tongue Devil and Dirty Dog right after one another didn't help since it just made the songs sound like poor copies of one another. In any case, they're usually supporting or being supported by Graveyard Train on account of seeming to share a drummer so be sure to see them if you get a chance.
http://www.reverbnation.com/brothersgrimthebluemurders
If I was going to bother rating everything then Creep on Creepin' On would get my top spot for album of the year. Whilst my first thoughts were "oh good more doo-whop whilst I wait for Ryan Gosling to stop being brooding and make a new Dead Man's Bones album" it quickly grew on me. It's just a great album with its own unique style that I found on repeat so much since the day I traveled into the city to find it and found out that Redeyerecords had moved the bastards. Listen to this, this, this and then this. I have no words to justify my choice or great metaphor upon which to drag the carcass out and examine it, it's just a fantastic solid album. Leave me alone. I'm reasonably sure they have an Australian label so I'm patiently waiting for a tour to see how it translates live.Â
So many times I tried to listen to this album. It appeared on NPR's First Listen and I would play through the opening instrumental, then his voice would appear and I would close it absolutely hating it. I did this twice as I am forgetful. Then it started getting great reviews from everyone and I once again tried and failed. But one of these many times I either got lazy or couldn't find the x button and I managed to listen to all of Queen of Hearts and found myself awash in fucking joy. When I heard that hardcore voice screaming HELLO MY NAME IS DAVID, YOUR NAMES VERONICA, LET'S BE TOGETHER, LET'S FALL IN LOVE! I finally became over that method of singing and could appreciate the album. I really only listen to about the first half of the album, with it being a bit long and indistinguishable but it is a fantastic achievement. I also then had the pleasure of finding their amazing second album "Chemistry of Common Life" upon which Son the Father blew my nuts off with the greatest opening in the history of what I remember at this point of the Midori bottle. Then later in the year I got to see them in person and, apart from some dipshit security guards, it was fantastic and I WAS FRONT ROW FOR SON THE FATHER AND THE BASSIST LADY WAS LIKE 30 CM'S AWAY FROM ME AND LIKE WOW. But overall, they helped me overcome my prejudice towards the screaming type of singing and now I am a racist no more.
When I realised oh hey that type of singing is not synonymous with shitty metal music my ears got to appreciate some different things and one of the very last things I discovered for myself in the dying days of 2011 was the farewell EP from Down I Go. They have one of the best videos of this or any year and to emphasise this I am making this whole sentence a link believe it or not. I did but hear them pass me by, but I'll love them til the day I find something else. In their last act as a band they released a farewell song with the haunting and complex reason documenting why they can no longer provide the art they once toiled so hard for "We live in different countries"
http://shelsmusic.bandcamp.com/album/gods
Snowman's debut self-titled is the greatest debut album from an Australian artist ever and if you disagree you are terrible and I will fight you. I know Pitchfork and the rest of the world blew their load off at The Horse the Rat the Swan but c'mon whilst it had moments of aweinspiringsmackmyface greatness it was also filled with alot of shit that just didn't go anywhere especially in the second half. The last time I saw them live was them performing the whole album in full and it did not change my mind one iota. They did at least play Wormwood as the encore and my friend Jonno got one of Joe's yelps in his face which he later remarked was surprisingly minty fresh.
Anyway at the commencement of 2011 the band announced they had broken up and were releasing their last album called Absence. If I were to use an extended metaphor like those fancy music journalists I hear about in the films, the first album was the just built Snowman, it was tight with no filler, second was starting to melt, whilst it still had moments of brutal tribalness it was also beginning to morph into something more horrific and ethereal, and the third one is now the melted snowman, staring at the puddle and hearing the whispered cries of regrets. The EP doesn't fit into this metaphor, let's say it's the attempt to make a pair of balls for the Snowman which doesn't fit on properly so gets pegged at your face. Absence is a slower synth driven album which I thought I would hate since that type was my least favourite part of the second but I ended up really enjoyed it. The excited screams of Andy which so excited me at the first Regurgitator gig so long ago are gone (Hey I just remember after the 'Gurge's set they all came on stage again and he with a pillow on his head shouted incoherently into the microphone and ate a bannana it was fucking awesome) but it's replaced by his (I'm assuming all of this) falsetto matched against Joe's deeper bass. Just listen to this and see what I mean, to me it's the soundtrack of having too much candy whilst being lost in the woods.Â
Apparently Joe and Andy are doing solo projects now, what that will turn into who knows. But I will always remember Snowman as they were, the guys I drunkenly tried to talk to in the basement of that Kings Cross club who just looked at me uncomfortably. Godspeed!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/SNOWMAN/179597222052?sk=wall
I like her new stuff better than her old stuff. In fact I nearly didn't even listen to LET ENGLAND SHAKE because I was never a fan of her old grungy stuff. But oh how pleased I was when I finally looked it up and was met with the most meaningful and creepiest pop album of the year. Apparently her way of singing is only a recent development but I just love it. It's an album about the horrors of World War I but not told in the obvious "war is hell oh woe" tone that one would assume it has to be but in some omnipotent and almost detached third person voice describing the war in all its horrors whilst not embellishing it more than it was. It's an interesting experiment and I really enjoyed it. The Glorious Land was one of the most intense songs I heard this year when you finally fully realise what the lyrics are about.
The above isn't the best description, it's one of those just listen to it and experience it thankyou and leave me alone. Also holy shit am I angry for only finding out how good this album was after her Sydney Festival appearance went on sale after seeing this. Bah.
Friends, life is pain. The Earth revolves on its axis once every 365 and a bit days as it will continue to do for millions of years and not give a solitary fuck what happens to you or me. What is the point of going on? None. There is absolutely none. Another birthday, another candle on the cake, another wrinkle, another failure. The only end to the pain is death. Kill yourself.Â
But wait friends! The above has been written set in an alternative universe where every September/October Electric Six do NOT release a new album to make living for another year to find out what they've been up to worth it. As I said in last years instalment they've been releasing a new album every year since 2005 which is an impressive achievement, and this year was no different with Heartbeats and Brainwaves arriving in my mailbox and ears. Whilst it's not as good as Zodiac which I still rate as their pinnacle, the amount of replay value I've had with this album is testament to its ability to make sweet love to your earholes. It Get's Hot is the best 90s song of the 10's or whatever we're calling them. There's also a girls vox added to alot of the songs this time which I enjoyed, most notably on Interchangeable Knife which I agree with the general sentiment I've read in that I WISH THIS SONG WAS LONGER! See what I did there? Ahhh you're no fun. So anyway throw out your bathtubs and toasters as you will need them no more, as any time you are feeling sad remember that there's only so many more months to the new Electric Six.
On a sadder note it is still six years since they were down here at the Metro where Mr Valentine declared 'next year' they would be rocking at the Opera House. Lies. All lies. Surely now that the Opera House is being opened up to music like the Cure and OFGWTKGFKWITS some enterprising young promoter who needs a tax loss could redeem Mr Valentine's honesty? ...Anyone?
Bright and Vivid is another album I found thanks to NPR's First Listen dealy. This time though there was no screaming lyrics to become accustomed to and I was hooked on the lush pop as soon as it was served to me on a plate of wonder. Again one of those albums I have nothing to say about except it's wonderful and pleasant and makes you want to fall in love with clouds. I love you Midori. Youtube keeps taking down the rest of the album which is a shit since the first single was the lowpoint of the album for me, but they just released a video for Turn A Light On and it's absolutely lovely. SMS someone that you love them right now.Â
Unfortunately there's no Bandcamp or other download service apart from iTunes which is shit so I threw it on an Amazon order to avail my guilt at downloading it illegally. What you yourself do is between you, Kathryn Calder, God and your own bottle of luminescent alcohol.
PS. her first album is lovely too
After Root! decided to call it quits Mr ex-Tism guy decided form a new joint venture called the DC3 with a focus more on the synth than country. I loved Root! alot more than the later TISM stuff because he managed to capture the drudgery of the working life and the state of society in a distinctly Australian voice, not just random pop-cultural references that TISM had devolved into. DC3 continued this which was great, especially in Station to Station, I hate Mondays Tuesdays Wednesdays and Fridays, and my favourite the story of love found and lost Dani from Dan Murphy's all listenable here on their bandcamp, horribly overpriced. Also it was strange that the actual song Future Sound of Nostalgia which isn't on the album and 'apparently' was only available to pre-orders was not included as it's one of the best actual sincere songs about the joy of music ever written and I absolutely love it. I also bought for some reason the album that only came with a copy of the MONA hardcover book for a ridiculous amount of money I'm not going to mention. Because it had the shut the fuck up song on it. Cough. I'm a shit reviewer and I don't care.
I saw a hell of alot of good concerts this year. Big Day Out 2011 whilst everyone bitched about how the bands were 'recycled' *snort* it was the most fun day out at a festival I've ever had. Andrew WK, Die Anterwood, fucking Rammstein and Grinderman. There was also Tool but they did nothing different and Maynard was bored enough to take out his iPhone and film the crowds during a slow bit. It's not providing something for the fans it's just him being bored and not putting 100% into any of his gigs anymore, as much as the fanboy still beats within I won't be supporting any of his wine-subsidising activities again for a while. Exceptions possibly for a Puscifer tour.Â
Also Harvest came which as a nice chilled out concert. The National were absolutely fantastic, so was Bright Eyes which was a nice suprise, and whilst I had a shit view for the Flaming Lips Do You Realize was as wonderful as I was hoping. Outside of that apart from all the bands already mentioned there were two brutal servings of Future of the Left which just made me want the new album more and more and MORE.
Finally I also got to see Les Savy Fav twice which was great. Once at the Laneway Festival where Tim Harrington did this which defied all physics, and the other in the confines of the Manning Bar. Let's just put the cards on the table: Tim Harrington is the new Buddha. Being raised Catholic I've only ever had two so-called spiritual experiences none Jesus related, one is a Carl Sagan anecdote I'll use as a metaphor in my long awaited autobiography, the other happened at this concert. For the last song, after coming out in that giant shaggy carpet outfit and playing Sweat Descends and being painted in silver underneath, he got everyone on the main dance floor to lie down with him as he sang some song which noone has been able to tell me what it was and I really really wish someone recorded it so I could remember the words. But it went slower and slower, until suddenly the drums hit back up and he got back up and everyone got back up and everyone just fucking danced and sang and la la la'd and I was the most joyful I had ever been at a concert and just wanted to hug everyone in the room. Thus is the power of Tim Buddha Harrington. If you want to experience the joy and happiness of being at one with the Universe you can either sit in silence in Tibet for a decade or so, or just go to a Les Savy Fav concert and dance your fucking ass off.
Matt on the other hand got bumped by him as he was making his way through the crowd and took it personally and didn't have a good time and that is why Matt is a robot.
Julianna Barwick - How does an album composed almost entirely of looped vocal samples grab you? Yes? No? Farts? I fell asleep to this album alot this year which no is not an insult, it's ethereal and warm and something different. Also a good soundtrack for if you are in a scheme where you are trying to trick a rich millionaire that he's in heaven so it's fine for him to sign over his life possessions or something I'm not sure it's your scheme and frankly far too convoluted. Listen here.
Giles Corey - Maybe you're not particularly interested in hearing a man work through his depression through music, then this is not for you. The package came as a CD and a book documenting how the music was made which made a very uncomfortable experience consuming them at the same time on a trip to Uni in the morning. It's creepy, atmospheric and most of all honest. Links:  No One Is Ever Going To Want Me , Empty Churches
Cults - So I was like oh this is the new retro thing is it and snorted and drank some wine and spew cheese at it or something but then I realised I was enjoying it so maybe I should shutup. It's an enjoyable pop record and you should consider playing it at your next shindiggery of socialboxes. Bandcamp here.
tUnE-yArDs - This was a cool song maybe you will like it or maybe you will not that is the nature of music have a nice day.
AND TIL NEXT DRINKS GOODNIGHT.
