In honour of U2’s latest album No Line On The Horizon leaking from its own record label 2 weeks before its released I present you with my U2 mixtape!
1. City of Blinding Lights
2. Beautiful Day
3. Angel of Harlem
4. With or Without You
5. All Because of You
6. Vertigo
7. Desire
8. Mysterious Ways
9. Sunday Bloody SundayPride (In The Name)
U2 Mixtape
Classic Album of the Month; The Doors- Self Titled
Just years before the rock monolith known as Led Zeppelin arrived via flaming Hindenburg The Doors slid quietly in the backdoor with their debut album released in February 1967 . This is often regarded as one , if not, of the most complete debut albums ever.
Although released in February ’67 the album didn’t explode until June & July that year. By July 29 ‘Light My Fire’ was sitting atop the Billboard charts, a remarkable achievement during a time when charts were intangible. The debut only produced 2 official singles; it included many anthems, particularly ‘The End’ which featured prominently in Apocalypse Now. ‘Break on Through’ was the first single released by The Doors and it was dark and brooding journey a perfect example of The Doors ‘sound’.
The Doors arrival was a perfect display of the free spirited 60’s and the dark foreboding 1970’s. The mystical Jim Morrison sauntered around onstage with a mythical prowl while keyboardist and chief musician Ray Manzarek met the eccentric nature of Morrison with avant-garde jazz rock fused together with a bluesy garage rock. This bluesy pulsating jazz rock infiltrates the entire LP. Characters like Jim , Kurt Cobain, Elvis and Daniel Johns have the ability to relate the unrelated in a strange but coherent manner. They are enigmatic characters, their charisma sucks us in and their journey swallows us.
The 1st half of the LP concludes with the full uncensored unedited 7 minute ‘Light My Fire’, including guitar and organ solo’s. The album concludes with “End of the Night” & ‘ The End’ . “End of the Night” is a eerie ghostly ramble which might be the only blemish on this album. While ‘The End ‘ is the crescendo this album deserves, an intense, bitter, poetical conclusion. Its 11-minute progression is honest and brutal in delivery dispelling any idea that The Doors were a manufactured pop group. Its interesting to note that this group of dark avant-garde rock musicians battled the sugary synthetic pop of the Monkee’s atop the charts. In the same month that this album was released the Monkee’s reigned supreme with ‘I’m a believer’. This is a fantastic example of battle of musical ideologies and standards prevalent in the late ‘60’s. This is one of my favourite albums of all time, although, I’m biased. This album goes beyond an album and represents a crucial piece of musical culture, it should be enjoyed and marveled.
VB.
"Can you see me? Can you hear me?"
Mike Skinner, Forum Theatre, Sydney, 05/02/09
Mike Skinner, Forum Theatre, Sydney, 05/02/09
I am crouched in the front row of the Forum Theatre, being crushed by the crouching masses behind me, and I couldn't be happier. The beat comes back up, and our fearless leader, Mike Skinner, rises from the ground, setting off a frenzy of dancing from the crowd and, yes, me.
I have seen The Streets once before at Big Day Out 2007, and even then Mike and his talented support crew proved to me their ability to get a crowd going. But his performance at the Forum Theatre was a completely different beast and anyone at the gig who says they didn’t feel personally involved in the fun is a liar. FACT.
Unsurprisingly, about half of the track list for the night came from the latest album, Everything is Borrowed, with the title track leading the band out and other tracks such as The Escapist, Heaven for the Weather and On the Edge of a Cliff scattered throughout. The remainder of the set list comprised of a mix of the group's three previous albums, including crowd favourites Don't Mug Yourself, Let's Push Things Forward, Fit But You Know It, and Dry Your Eyes. Mike Skinner's vocally talented right hand man, Kevin Mark Trail, even pleased the crowd with a rendition of Glasvegas' Daddy’s Gone.
The Forum Theatre was a great venue for such a lively show, with the feeling of intimacy adding to the experience.
Mike Skinner has proven once again that he is a master of showmanship - whether it was a knowing look to a fan on the top balcony, or attempting to throw a full cup of beer two metres to the girl in the front row (and one time succeeding), he could do little wrong.
So, just because I was in the mood, here is some live Streets for you:
CB
After the news of angry fans lining up for hours at the Melbourne St. Jerome's Laneway Festival, I was a little nervous about what to expect from the Sydney staging of the event this year. I have very fond memories of Laneway last year, because it was so completely different to any festival I had been to before, and provided an ideal stage to showcase some great up and coming Australian bands.
The good news is my fears were not to be realised, as the Sydney organisers had clearly learnt their lessons from the Melbourne fiasco, and worked hard to make sure things were running as smoothly as possible. That's not to say there weren't lines...The Basement, the famous jazz and blues club and one indoor stage for the day, was a bottleneck throughout the whole festival and you had to be pretty dedicated to a band to stick around and wait. But all in all, the crowds were nowhere near enough to put a dampener on the day.
The Sydney version of the St. Jerome's Laneway Festival, originally a strictly Melbourne item that has now become a national roadshow, is set in the heart of the city - tucked in behind Circular Quay at Reilby Place. The joy of this festival is that it relishes in the urban surroundings, and mixes together the grittiness and gloss of city living.
But of course the reason I was at the festival was for the music, and it was definitely worth the entry ticket. Philadelphia Grand Jury and The John Steel Singers were great bands to kick off the day, and other highlights for me were Tame Impala and Cut Off Your Hands.
The headliners for the festival were Architecture in Helsinki, followed by Girl Talk. Architecture put on a powerful and always energetic performance, bringing a new take to their hits songs from the back catalogue, a few interesting covers (Ain't Nothing Going To Break My Stride) as well as giving us a taste of things to come with That Beep.
With the energy running high, the crowd shifted into the laneway stage of Reilby Place for Girl Talk. I must confess I haven't been the biggest fan of Girl Talk when he has released albums, but the songs always have a 'party starter' feel to them. But as a live act, he was fantastic. Playing an hour long set, he brought together music from across a wide range of genres to make music that you just had to dance to...and he didn't stop playing for that full hour (which, of course, meant the dancing also was an hour long. By the end my legs were killing me, but it was some good exercise...maybe Girl Talk can bring out a workout album next?)
Despite a few minor drawbacks, the Laneway Festival lived up to, and in many ways exceeded my expectations. Food was typical festival fare, and alcohol was sold at a typical festival price, but I recommend it to anyone in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, or Perth, and you can bet that I will be back there again next year.
CB
Wolfmother returned to the Australian spotlight with a ‘secret’ gig last night in Sydney. It was a night of high anticipation, particularly considering that its been 3 years since we have heard any new material from Wolfmother and almost 6 months since the band was fractured just after Splendour in the Grass 2008. First let me say bravo to Die! Die! Die! for warming up a very edgy crowd beforehand. Kudos goes out to the lead singer who burned up the stage and even getting out into the crowd and jumping around. This all helped break down the barrier between band and patron. It’s hard to describe Die! Die! Die! but there are definitely shades of Rage Against The Machine, some punk and some real solid rock and roll , definitely a band that will make some noise in the local Sydney scene in 2009. Wolfmother hit the stage after a 40-minute wait, but that only heightened the anticipation. Bursting onto the stage with a brutal new track, its clear that Wolfmother are back and they want to blow you away. They are now a four-piece, with another guitarist being added. The set included the usual Colossal, White Unicorn, Woman, Dimension and Joker & The Thief. But what caught me off guard was the intensity and all out balls to the wall attitude that Wolfmother played with, it was as if they were a new band with something to prove. There is a new track of theirs that is soooo heavy it sounds like it could have been part of the Metallica back catalogue. Its going to be a big couple of months for this band as rumours are floating around that the new Wolfmother will record a new album very soon. I hope there is some truth to this because last night they were brilliant! VB.
White Feather AKA Wolfmother play secret show at Sydney’s Oxford Art Factory
0 comments Posted by TwoBears at 11:14 AM
This Sunday Wolfmother in disguise make a welcome and anticipated return to the stage performing at the Oxford Art Factory setting the stage for a rather epic come back gig.
Ive got my tickets so come Monday morning there will be a full report and keep your eyes out for CB’s review of the Laneway Festival happening this Sunday in Sydney.
The new and improved… we hope… Wolfmother debut a new line up and with baited breath some brand new tunes @ the Adelaide Clipsal 500 in March 2009.
Check out the link for more details:
http://www.fasterlouder.com.au/news/local/16773/Wolfmother-returnsat-Clipsal-500.htm
It is one thing to make an album that is critically acclaimed for its technical brilliance and genre defining in its variety, and it is quite another thing to re-create this music for a live environment.
Yet TV on the Radio have not only mastered what is required to make an impressive studio sound, they have applied their own special brand of genius in making a live set that harnesses the energy of each song and sends it pumping out to the dancing masses in the crowd.
Playing for close to an hour and a half, TVotR kept the crowd constantly wowed by the vast sound they managed to produce, and the ability to take so many different musical elements and bring them all together so flawlessly. Throwing in a spattering of songs from previous albums, the majority of the set focused on tracks from the critically acclaimed 2008 hit, Dear Science.
The Metro Theatre yet again proved itself to be an intimate venue, where every audience member can feel close enough to the action to really feel a part of it, and there is no doubt in my mind that the venue played some part in producing an animated connection between the charismatic lead singer Tunde Adebimpe and the crowd.
Oh, and as a side note for those who haven’t seen TVotR live (or even a YouTube video of a live performance), Adebimpe’s dancing alone makes seeing these guys worthwhile...R.E.Ms Michael Stipe definitely comes to mind.
The Arctic Monkeys are a band that ought to be proud of their status as a live band, considering how they rose to stardom via free demos given away at gigs, and the subsequent file sharing that followed. These guys are my age and have already achieved a lot, with two albums out and another on its way this year, and experience from having played to loyal fans around the world.
The boys from Sheffield know how to keep a crowd happy, and carefully chose songs from the two albums that would keep the crowd going. But I was happy to see that they were willing to play plenty of their new stuff. Every since hearing that Josh Homme was producing the new record, and that recording had taken place at the famous Rancho De La Luna, I have been eager to hear what the new album will be like. The answer? Darker. I won’t say too much about the songs except to say that they are considerably more mature than anything I had heard from the Arctic Monkeys before. New tracks played included: Dangerous Animals and Would you Like Me To Build You A Boat, as well as a cover of Nick Cave’s Red Right Hand.
The only sour note of the night came when some dickhead in the front of the crowd decided to show his enormous gratitude by throwing a 50-cent coin at lead singer Alex Turner mid song. After pointing out that this was “not cool”, the band continued the rest of the song before stopping to further discuss the issue. As Alex pointed out, throwing currency is never a good idea, “particularly considering the current economic conditions.”
In my opinion, the Hordern Pavillion is only a good venue for people that manage to get in the front 15 or 20 rows of standing, and everyone else sought of misses out. That is not to say that I didn’t enjoy myself or the music, but there are simply better venues in Sydney, even for a band as popular as the Arctic Monkeys.
While it is clear that the Arctic Monkeys are not going to be the next Beatles, there is no doubt in my mind that if they keep their sense of fun about them both in the music they make and in their stage presence, they will enjoy stardom for years to come.
Hottest 100 2009
Aussie artists in red
1. Kings of Leon – Sex On Fire
2. MGMT – Electric Feel
3. Kings of Leon – Use Somebody
4. Empire Of The Sun – Walking On A Dream
5. MGMT – Kids
6. The Presets – Talk Like That
7. Pez – The Festival Song (feat. 360 & Hailey Cramer)
8. The Presets – This Boy’s In Love
9. The Ting Tings – That’s Not My Name
10. Drapht – Jimmy Recard
11. Ladyhawke – My Delirium
12. Pnau – Embrace
13. The Herd – The King Is Dead
14. The Rapture – No Sex For Ben
15. Cut Copy – Lights and Music
16. Ben Folds – You Don’t Know Me (feat. Regina Spektor)
17. Dizzee Rascal – Dance Wiv Me (feat. Calvin Harris and Chrome)
18. MGMT – Time To Pretend
19. Flight Of The Conchords – Business Time
20. Birds Of Tokyo – Broken Bones
21. Bon Iver – Skinny Love
22. Birds Of Tokyo – Silhouettic
23. The Living End – White Noise
24. Kings of Leon – Closer
25. Kaiser Chiefs – Never Miss A Beat
26. Ladyhawke – Paris Is Burning
27. Josh Pyke – The Lighthouse Song
28. Architecture In Helsinki – That Beep
29. Josh Pyke – Make You Happy
30. Vampire Weekend – Oxford Comma
31. Cog – Bird Of Feather
32. Vampire Weekend – A-Punk
33. The Kooks – Always Where I Need To Be
34. The Grates – Burn Bridges
35. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
36. Death Cab For Cutie – I Will Possess Your Heart
37. British India – I Said I’m Sorry
38. Cold War Kids – Something Is Not Right With Me
39. Ida Maria – I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked
40. Bliss N Eso – Eye Of The Storm
41. Soko – I Will Never Love You More
42. Emiliana Torrini – Jungle Drum
43. Laura Marling – Ghosts
44. Art vs Science – Flippers
45. Muscles – Ice Cream {triple j live acoustic version}
46. Lily Allen – The Fear
47. Little Red – Coca Cola
48. Something With Numbers – Stay With Me Bright Eyes
49. Mystery Jets – Young Love (feat. Laura Marling)
50. Ash Grunwald – Breakout
51. Birds Of Tokyo – Wild Eyed Boy
52.The Killers – Human
53. The Butterfly Effect – Window and the Watcher
54. Pnau – Baby
55. Ween – Your Party
56. The Presets – Yippiyo-Ay
57. Santogold – L.E.S. Artistes
58. Vampire Weekend – Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa
59. The Getaway Plan – Where The City Meets The Sea
60. Flight Of The Conchords – The Most Beautiful Girl (In The Room)
61. Bliss N Eso – The Sea Is Rising
62. Faker – Sleepwalking
63. The Herd – 2020
64. Does It Offend You, Yeah? – Dawn Of The Dead
65. Fleet Foxes – White Winter Hymnal
66. Children Collide – Farewell Rocketship
67. Flight Of The Conchords – Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros (feat. Rhymenoceros and the Hiphopopotamus)
68. Empire Of The Sun – We Are The People
69. Hot Chip – Ready For The Floor
70. Kings of Leon – Crawl
71. Vampire Weekend – One (Blake’s Got A New Face)
72. Band Of Horses – No One’s Gonna Love You
73. The Killers – Spaceman
74. Black Kids – I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You
75. Tame Impala – Half Full Glass Of Wine
76. Yves Klein Blue – Polka
77. Drapht – Falling
78. The Ting Tings – Shut Up And Let Me Go
79. Sparkadia – Jealousy
80. The Grates – Aw Yeah
81. Weezer – Pork and Beans
82. Franz Ferdinand – Ulysses
83. The Grates – Carve Your Name
84. Rise Against – Re-Education (Through Labor)
85. Gyroscope – 1981
86. Muph & Plutonic – Beautiful Ugly
87. Jack White & Alicia Keys – Another Way To Die
88. Metallica – The Day That Never Comes
89. Kanye West – Love Lockdown
90. Lily Allen – Guess Who Batman? (Aka F**k You)
91. Lisa Mitchell – Neopolitan Dreams
92. Pendulum – Propane Nightmares
93. Sigur Ros – Gobbledigook
94. Bliss N Eso – Woodstock 2008
95. Wiley – Wearing My Rolex
96. Dizzee Rascal – Flex (Dave Spoon Reflex)
97. Cog – Are You Interested?
98. Lyrics Born – I Like It, I Love It
99. Muph & Plutonic – Don’t Worry About Nothin’
100. Dukes Of Windsor – It’s A War
2. MGMT – Electric Feel
3. Kings of Leon – Use Somebody
4. Empire Of The Sun – Walking On A Dream
5. MGMT – Kids
6. The Presets – Talk Like That
7. Pez – The Festival Song (feat. 360 & Hailey Cramer)
8. The Presets – This Boy’s In Love
9. The Ting Tings – That’s Not My Name
10. Drapht – Jimmy Recard
11. Ladyhawke – My Delirium
12. Pnau – Embrace
13. The Herd – The King Is Dead
14. The Rapture – No Sex For Ben
15. Cut Copy – Lights and Music
16. Ben Folds – You Don’t Know Me (feat. Regina Spektor)
17. Dizzee Rascal – Dance Wiv Me (feat. Calvin Harris and Chrome)
18. MGMT – Time To Pretend
19. Flight Of The Conchords – Business Time
20. Birds Of Tokyo – Broken Bones
21. Bon Iver – Skinny Love
22. Birds Of Tokyo – Silhouettic
23. The Living End – White Noise
24. Kings of Leon – Closer
25. Kaiser Chiefs – Never Miss A Beat
26. Ladyhawke – Paris Is Burning
27. Josh Pyke – The Lighthouse Song
28. Architecture In Helsinki – That Beep
29. Josh Pyke – Make You Happy
30. Vampire Weekend – Oxford Comma
31. Cog – Bird Of Feather
32. Vampire Weekend – A-Punk
33. The Kooks – Always Where I Need To Be
34. The Grates – Burn Bridges
35. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
36. Death Cab For Cutie – I Will Possess Your Heart
37. British India – I Said I’m Sorry
38. Cold War Kids – Something Is Not Right With Me
39. Ida Maria – I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked
40. Bliss N Eso – Eye Of The Storm
41. Soko – I Will Never Love You More
42. Emiliana Torrini – Jungle Drum
43. Laura Marling – Ghosts
44. Art vs Science – Flippers
45. Muscles – Ice Cream {triple j live acoustic version}
46. Lily Allen – The Fear
47. Little Red – Coca Cola
48. Something With Numbers – Stay With Me Bright Eyes
49. Mystery Jets – Young Love (feat. Laura Marling)
50. Ash Grunwald – Breakout
51. Birds Of Tokyo – Wild Eyed Boy
52.The Killers – Human
53. The Butterfly Effect – Window and the Watcher
54. Pnau – Baby
55. Ween – Your Party
56. The Presets – Yippiyo-Ay
57. Santogold – L.E.S. Artistes
58. Vampire Weekend – Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa
59. The Getaway Plan – Where The City Meets The Sea
60. Flight Of The Conchords – The Most Beautiful Girl (In The Room)
61. Bliss N Eso – The Sea Is Rising
62. Faker – Sleepwalking
63. The Herd – 2020
64. Does It Offend You, Yeah? – Dawn Of The Dead
65. Fleet Foxes – White Winter Hymnal
66. Children Collide – Farewell Rocketship
67. Flight Of The Conchords – Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros (feat. Rhymenoceros and the Hiphopopotamus)
68. Empire Of The Sun – We Are The People
69. Hot Chip – Ready For The Floor
70. Kings of Leon – Crawl
71. Vampire Weekend – One (Blake’s Got A New Face)
72. Band Of Horses – No One’s Gonna Love You
73. The Killers – Spaceman
74. Black Kids – I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You
75. Tame Impala – Half Full Glass Of Wine
76. Yves Klein Blue – Polka
77. Drapht – Falling
78. The Ting Tings – Shut Up And Let Me Go
79. Sparkadia – Jealousy
80. The Grates – Aw Yeah
81. Weezer – Pork and Beans
82. Franz Ferdinand – Ulysses
83. The Grates – Carve Your Name
84. Rise Against – Re-Education (Through Labor)
85. Gyroscope – 1981
86. Muph & Plutonic – Beautiful Ugly
87. Jack White & Alicia Keys – Another Way To Die
88. Metallica – The Day That Never Comes
89. Kanye West – Love Lockdown
90. Lily Allen – Guess Who Batman? (Aka F**k You)
91. Lisa Mitchell – Neopolitan Dreams
92. Pendulum – Propane Nightmares
93. Sigur Ros – Gobbledigook
94. Bliss N Eso – Woodstock 2008
95. Wiley – Wearing My Rolex
96. Dizzee Rascal – Flex (Dave Spoon Reflex)
97. Cog – Are You Interested?
98. Lyrics Born – I Like It, I Love It
99. Muph & Plutonic – Don’t Worry About Nothin’
100. Dukes Of Windsor – It’s A War
Thats a pretty amazing representation of Aussie acts complied from over 800,000 votes, congratulations everyone.
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