moimoi's W I D E world of Oceanic music

Here for the Wiggles.

I only really listen to AC/DC via my carefully selected and sequenced playlist, 95% of which is from the Bon Scott years. And I have to tune out their wilfully stupid and unwoke lyrics. But they can boogie all right - the last 90 seconds of a load of their songs are up there with the last 90 seconds of the best.

Brian Johnson is an actual Geordie, too. You can tell by the flat cap he sports.

Sadly, we don't roll our Rs, but it's a fairly endearing accent all the same, I think. We have a flat and honest approach to vowels, for instance.


 

I wonder at the degree of strain that Scott’s vocal chords have suffered across so many years of shrieking.

This is an internet forum wherein I might think there will not be any leeway granted for aspersions cast; however, Hell's Bells do manage to keep the bogan spirit alive and well from a wee Woop Woop called Seattle.

I can't stand Brian Johnson era AC/DC. I much prefer Bon Scott's weird but at least interesting style of singing. (Come on now, "Big Balls" is hilarious.) Anyway every song is pretty much the same and Brian Johnson blows. They fall into that same category that KISS does for me. Capable musicians, juvenile boring songwriting (with a few exceptions). For nostalgia or plain ole' mindless rock and roll's sake I won't argue with anyone's choice of listening to either band. But color me unimpressed.

I'd like to add my voice (light baritone) to the choir of 'ACDC? Meh..."

Doesn’t have a hook, eh?

I’ll have to relisten. It doesn’t rock very hard, no, but I find it more entertaining than you. I wonder if this may not bode well for The Go-Betweens.

I'll have to give these characters another listen. I had a Best Of at one point, if such a thing isn't hopelessly incongruous, but it was a little bit ... abrasive, to say the least. Even with the Bad Seeds, I'm happier a couple of albums in, once he's calmed down a little. But I shall revisit.

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - The Good Son as suggested by Dellarigg

Background: The Good Son is the sixth album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released in 1990.
After two dark and harrowing albums with Your Funeral... My Trial (1986) and Tender Prey (1988), The Good Son was a substantial departure with a lighter and generally more uplifting sound. The change of mood was greatly inspired by singer Nick Cave falling in love with Brazilian journalist Viviane Carneiro, and an apparently salutary spell in rehab which purged much of the despair and squalor reflected in the previous two albums. Cave later said, "I guess The Good Son is some kind of reflection of the way I felt early on in Brazil. I was quite happy there. I was in love and the first year or two was good. The problem I found was ... in order to survive you have to adopt their attitudes towards everything, which are kind of blinkered."

"Foi Na Cruz" is based partly upon the traditional Brazilian Protestant hymn of the same title. The title translates roughly as "It Happened on the cross".
"The Good Son" has an opening chant is based loosely upon the African-American traditional song "Another Man Done Gone". A recording of this traditional song, by Odetta, later appeared on Original Seeds Vol. 1, a compilation of material that influenced Cave. The Biblical story of Cain and Abel is an obvious influence on the song, which describes a "a tiller and he has a tiller's hand" like Cain, a farmer who feuds with and kills his brother.
"The Witness Song" is based loosely upon the traditional American gospel song "Who Will be a Witness?".

Existing Prejudices: I like Nick Cave; I think he's a fine singer and a compelling front man. I think some of his stuff works better than others, as far listen-ability. Same goes for Mick Harvey and Blixa Bargeld. 

Track by Track Impressions

1. Foi Na Cruz - Ugh, campfire sing along music. Nick Cave has never sounded more toothless, old, and white. He might as well be wearing a bolo tie. The strings and piano are too much for such a simple tune - this is verging on Mannheim Steamroller. The touch of organ is okay, though. They should have stuck with that.

2. The Good Son - The opening had me worried that this was going to be an embarrassing, gospel-aping sing-along, but no - once it gets going, this is a really solid title track. It's cinematic and stirring, with judicious use of organ!

3. Sorrow's Child - This one continues in the same vein as the last, which makes me wonder if it might sound better toward the end of the album.

4. The Weeping Song - Yup, this would have made a better track three. It's more uptempo, with some flamenco handclaps and thunder-cracking percussion.

5. The Ship Song - This is pleasant and endearing, with a video of Nick Cave harmlessly cavorting with little girls. I would have placed this one toward the end of the album as well.

6. The Hammer Song - This is more like it - reminiscent of Mick Harvey's Serge Gainsbourg covers with a touch of "Red Right Hand". It's slinky and cool.

7. Lament - I like this one. The songwriting is strong and it seems like a plausible Nick Cave take on Leonard Cohen/Roxy Music: smooth and louche, but also menacing.

8. The Witness Song - A good place to bring back the organ. We get some nice theatrics in the gospel breakdown toward the end. 

9. Lucy - I like the simplicity of this: a strong tune well-sung without too much embellishment and a lovely coda. 

General Impressions: Based on their subsequent careers, I get the impression that the Birthday Party broke up because somebody pointed out to Nick Cave that (unlike most postpunk frontmen) he can actually sing. Rowland S. Howard wanted to make dark, wiry postpunk with titles like "I Burned Your Clothes", whereas Cave's singing and songwriting suggested a much brighter future as a crooner. Clearly, Mick Harvey shared this interest, so off they went in a pretty fruitful direction. I mean, there are other artists like Nick Cave in various ways, but he still occupies his singular niche.

How Good Is It? Quite good, aside from that first track. I'll blame that on the 'blinkering' of love. 

Summed up in Aussie Slang: This one's straight to the poolroom. 

Lord Lucan There's nothing wrong with Seeger doing campfire songs - that's mainly what he's known for. It's just hard to imagine the likes of Bad Seed/Einstürzende Neubauten frontman Blixa Bargeld doing stuff like that with a straight face. I am somewhat surprised that you're getting into Junkyard, though, since it's such a dark record. My favorite tracks on that are "Kiss Me Black" "6" Blade" and "Junkyard". On The Good Son, I'd say my favorite tracks are "The Good Son", "The Hammer Song" and "Lucy". 

The Avalanches - Wildflower

Background: The Avalanches are an Australian electronic music group, formed in Melbourne in 1997. They are known for their two studio albums, Since I Left You (2000) and Wildflower (2016), as well as their live and recorded DJ sets. Three future Avalanches members started as a noise punk outfit inspired by Drive Like Jehu, The Fall, and Ultra Bide . Their current lineup consists of just Robbie Chater and Tony Di Blasi with most of the original line-up leaving under acrimonious circumstances.

Since I Left You was a critical and commercial success, receiving multiple awards, and has been considered both one of the best Australian albums of all time and best albums of the 2000s. After its release, the Avalanches toured and continued to produce music. For over a decade, the group worked on a wide variety of projects, producing new tracks while also collaborating with multiple artists for their next album. The album was described in 2005 as "ambient world music", and by early 2007, the band was considering over 40 tracks. The record's production was stalled due to Chater being ill for three years, and the group had also become more involved in separate projects which pulled them away from the album. Some of their most time-consuming work included the score to a musical, King Kong (2013), and an animated musical film described as a "hip hop version of Yellow Submarine" which lost funding and was never completed. Wildflower features many remnants from these projects and was compiled using these tracks in a similar fashion of making a mixtape. Wildflower features extensive sampling, especially from 1960s psychedelic music, and relates to the era through themes of counterculture and anti-establishment. Chater described the album's structure as a road trip from a hyperrealistic urban environment to somewhere remote and far away while on LSD.

Existing Prejudices: I first heard the Avalanches on the in-store mix when I moonlighted at the Express. My $24k annual salary as a youth counselor couldn't cover my credit card bill and studio rent in Lincoln Park, so I had to hustle. "Since I Left You" (which has one of the greatest music videos of its era), along with "Flawless, "Take Me Home", and "In Praise of the Sun" were the highlight of my shift. At the time, I was much more of a post-collegiate party gal, so I listened to lots of club music: Basement Jaxx, Daft Punk, Felix Da Housecat etc. Since I Left You is one of my all-time favorite albums - a kaleidoscopic masterpiece that still holds up to the point that I can't even do track-by-track impressions. I really wish they hadn't cancelled at Pitchfork last year because Spank Rock (their touring MC) had a family emergency.

Track by Track Impressions

1. The Leaves Were Falling - This is just a :15 intro.
2. Because I'm Me - I believe this samples the best part of "The Want Ads" by the Honeycomb - not too obscure, but not too popular - exactly the kind of soul sample you want to hear more. This will uplift your whole day. And Camp Lo is so underrated.
3. Frankie Sinatra - I did not like this when it came out and I still don't. It's like wannabe Gorillaz, instead of wannabe "Frontier Psychiatrist", which it also resembles. I'd go so far as to call this disappointing. Why they put this out as the first single is beyond me. The rest of this album is so much better. The only part I like is the swirly bit of "My Favorite Things" - that could have made a less "Clint Eastwood" derivative base for the song. But MF Doom, you say? Danny Brown? Not even MF Doom could save this.
4. Subways - Smooth and funky. Reminds me of French house with its funky bass.
5. Going Home - Blends into the previous track...
6. If I Was a Folkstar - Chilled out, as befitting Toro Y Moi's involvement. This reminds me of their countrymen Cut Copy in that it never drags. It's an easy groove to ride.
7. Colours - Unsurprising that this one shares some DNA with the Chemical Brothers "Private Psychedelic Reel" - specifically, the involvement of Jonathan Donahue of Mercury Rev/Flaming Lips. It's not the strongest single they could have released, but I dig it.
8. Zap! - Dubby wonkery. This might make a nice album intro, but it's not needed here.
9. The Noisy Eater - I fear we have another outtake from the Gorillaz' first album. Though Biz Markie is always welcome.
10. Wildflower - A breather, a throwaway. I rather expected more from the title track!
11. Harmony - Ah, that Association sample! The Avalanches and I have very similar tastes, I must say.
12. Live a Lifetime Love - This is more like it: a slower-paced hip hop number that doesn't sound like Gorillaz. This still properly sounds like the Avalanches: dense and psychedelic, but also melodic.
13. Park Music - This sounds like Cornelius. Very...organic.
14. Livin' Underwater - I wish this one were longer. I think they could have done more with this than just lead into...
15. The Wozard of Iz - Again, this is a better integration of hip hop into the Avalanches' sound than aping (heh heh) the Gorillaz. This would have made a better single than Frankie Sinatra or Colours (edited of course).
16. Over the Turnstiles - Um, :42 of handclappy goodvibes. Moving on...
17. Sunshine - Damn, that's a sweet sample, though it does remind me of their first album. This gets lovelier as it unfolds. If you pull from a bunch of different time periods, the effect is timeless...unless you're Fatboy Slim? The jury is still out, I think. 
18. Light Up - This should probably be the outro. This album is going on too long now.
19. Kalaidoscopic Lovers - This sounds a bit dated. A little too High Llamas. Or Baths, I suppose, but Baths would do this better.
20. Stepkids - Okay, this is weird in the contemporary fashion. But again, is it necessary?
21. Saturday Night Inside Out - Nice blown-out groove. Wonky in the right ways, kind of haunting. A nice closer.

Overall Impressions: Wikipedia calls the Avalanches' style "plunderphonics", though I have to admit that I have never heard anyone use this term. I prefer "sampledelic", the term popularized by Deee-Lite, because it captures the sense of fun and the soul that electronic artists put into music like this. To me, 'sampledelic' sound collages and hypnogogic pop (Simon Reynold's term for stuff like Ariel Pink) are for people who really love sound in all forms. It really is like painting with sound, producing a somewhat abstract and impressionistic take on modern urban life. It is not, as some would charge, glorified party DJing - that's Girl Talk. Not every track has recognizable crowd-pleasing samples - in fact some of the most recognizable source material like the Beatles is almost completely obscured. Overall, I am glad they released another album - though dare I say, they needed to do some editing: specifically tracks 8, 16, 19, and 20.

How Good Is it? Well worth your time. 

Summed up in Aussie Slang: Going off with bonzer tunes up the wazoo.

RE. The Chills. Lesser-known ladies of the Dunedin Sound: Look Blue Go Purple. Check'em out. I hear whispers of Black Tambourine.

On a scale of one to Lennon, how Lennon is it?

Alternatively: how much more Lennon could this be?