Australia’s version of the Shortlist/Mercury/Polaris prize, The AMP, announced its shortlist today. On March 7, one of the following acts will be taking home Australia’s most presitgious album award:
As Across The Rooftops noted, the AMP people have Gotye’s album incorrectly titled on their page. Weak. I’ve heard five of the nine records and am at least a bit familiar with two more…so I am confident in saying that Gotye is going to win this thing. I’d even put money on it. The Drones record is brilliant too, but they won last year and there’s no way the AMP people are going to have the same band win the first two awards. What say you?
OK, this is a few days late. Last Thursday after Amanda and I had our minds blown by Joanna Newsom we walked down William Street past the hookers and made our way to Candy’s for Sandwich Club’s first party of the year. Now I forgot my iPod at home so I wasn’t able to drop the Bon Jovi on the partygoers, but I did get the chance to finally check out one of Sydney’s hottest young bands, Walrus.
I missed them slay Mike and Jonny’s double birthday bash a few months ago…I arrived after the cops shut them down. But since then they’ve played a lot of gigs around the city and are now getting regular spins on Triple J (or so I’m told). After seeing them live I get all the buzz. These guys put on a great rock show. Three different singers and all of them bring a little something different to the mix. At times they reminded me of Nirvana…at times of The White Stripes: bluesy, dirty, punky…a little bit of everything. And they were a lot of fun to photograph. One of the guitar players also might be insane/on drugs…he was very random (but in the enjoyable way). Anyway, watch out for these guys. They have a gig at Spectrum on Wednesday that you may want to check out.
The Russian Brides opened the show and I thought they were a bit shit. They absolutely destroyed Supergrass’ Richard III and then topped it by molesting Sam & Dave’s Hold On, I’m Comin’. Regardless of that little hiccup, thanks again to the SClub crew for putting on a great night. Can’t wait for the next one. More photos of the mighty Walrus here. Amanda also has some up here.
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Totally unrelated…but The Good, The Bad & The Queen covered The Clash’s Guns of Brixton last night according to the NME. I’m just a teeny bit interested in that…has anyone seen it online yet? If so, hook me up. If you’ve heard the album what are your thoughts? I’m actually REALLY loving it.
Following Joanna Newsom was no easy task but Andrew Bird managed to impress the hell out of me too. I’m not all that familiar with his work beyond his last record but I was enthralled with his live performance from the moment he stepped onto the stage at The Basement last night. Playing without his percussionist, Andrew Bird built up his songs using a violin, a guitar, a xylophone, whistling and a small army of effects pedals. So while there was only one man on stage, it sounded like a small orchestra. And his voice…wow. On record it’s not nearly as powerful as it is live.
He opened the show with an instrumental piece which flowed into Sovay and then A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left. From there he continued to play tracks from his last record, his new album due in March (entitled Armchair Apocrypha) and some older work as well. The 90 minute set proved that Andrew Bird is a musical genius. He’s playing tonight at the Brass Monkey in Cronulla and I strongly urge you to get down there if you have the means. Photos from last night here.
Intro
Sovay
A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left
Measuring Cups
Imitosis
Why?
Glass Figurine
Plasticities
Dear Dirty
Cataracts
Scythian Empire
Skin Is, My
Dark Matter
———
Action/Adventure
There was likely a few more songs in there too…I seem to remember him playing Heretics off the new record as well but I can’t recall for sure at the moment. Speaking of Heretics, you should definitely check it out thanks to Fat Possum.
Sydney’s Jack Ladder opened the show. I’ve mentioned my dislike of his solo performances here before but last night he played with his band (featuring members of Pivot and Decoder Ring) and he was SO much better. I still wouldn’t call myself a fan but he was not the trainwreck he normally is when he’s on the stage by himself.
…and Gotye in at #8 and #94! I’m not the hugest Augie March fan, but the number one song could have been much worse. I still can’t believe TV on the Radio were so low. Good to see The Grates get four in there too. What’d you think? Shit list? Alright? Are Triple J relevant at all?
1. Augie March – One Crowded Hour
2. Eskimo Joe – Black Fingernails, Red Wine
3. Hilltop Hoods – The Hard Road
4. The Killers – When You Were Young
5. Scissor Sisters – I Don’t Feel Like Dancing
6. Gnarls Barkley – Crazy
7. Snow Patrol – Chasing Cars
8. Gotye – Hearts A Mess
9. Muse – Starlight
10. The Grates – 19-20-20
11. Little Birdy – Come On Come On
12. John Butler Trio – Funky Tonight
13. My Chemical Romance – Welcome To The Black Parade
14. OK GO – Here It Goes Again
15. Lily Allen – Smile
16. Peter Bjorn & John – Young Folks
17. The Grates – Science Is Golden
18. Muse – Supermassive Black Hole
19. Lupe Fiasco – Kick, Push
20. Regina Spektor – Fidelity
21. Youth Group – Forever Young
22. Tool – Vicarious
23. Hilltop Hoods – Clown Prince
24. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Gold Lion
25. Placebo – Meds
26. Camille – Ta Douleur
27. The Strokes – You Only Live Once
28. The Saboteurs – Steady As She Goes
29. Tool – The Pot
30. Arctic Monkeys – When The Sun Goes Down
31. The Killers – Bones
32. Butterfly Effect – Gone
33. The Cops – Call Me Anytime
34. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Dani California
35. Lily Allen – LDN
36. Bob Evans – Nowhere Without You
37. Bob Evans – Don’t You Think It’s Time
38. Josh Pyke – Memories & Dust
39. Butterfly Effect – A Slow Descent
40. Basement Jaxx – Take Me Back To Your House
41. Hilltop Hoods – What A Great Night!
42. The Grates – Inside Outside
43. Angus & Julia Stone – Paper Aeroplane
44. Lady Sovereign – Love Me Or Hate Me
45. Karnivool – Roquefort
46. AFI – Miss Murder
47. Pony Up! – The Truth About Cats & Dogs (Is That They Die)
48. Regina Spektor – On The Radio
49. Arctic Monkeys – Fake Tales Of San Francisco
50. The Strokes – Heart In A Cage
51. Something For Kate – Cigarettes And Suitcases
52. The Herd – Unpredictable
53. The Living End – Wake Up
54. Eagles Of Death Metal – I Want You So Hard (Boy’s Bad News)
55. Wolfmother – Woman (MSTRKRFT Remix)
56. Hilltop Hoods – Stopping All Stations
57. Josh Pyke – Private Education
58. Sarah Blasko – Always On This Line
59. Placebo – Song To Say Goodbye
60. Hot Chip – Over And Over
61. Foo Fighters – Everlong (Acoustic Live)
62. Justice Vs Simian – We Are Your Friends
63. TV On The Radio – Wolf Like Me
64. Something With Numbers – Apple Of The Eye
65. Bloc Party – The Prayer
66. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Phenomena
67. AFI – Love Like Winter
68. Darren Hanlon – Happiness Is A Chemical
69. Beck – Nausea
70. Ben Folds – Such Great Heights (Like A Version)
71. The Grates – Lies Are Much More Fun
72. Jet – Put Your Money Where Mouth Is
73. Matisyahu – King Without A Crown
74. Snow Patrol – Hands Open
75. Ben Kweller – Sundress
76. Jet – Rip It Up
77. Hilltop Hoods – Recapturing The Vibe
78. Placebo – Infra-Red
79. Sarah Blasko – Explain
80. Wolfmother – Love Train
81. Gnarls Barkley – Gone Daddy Gone
82. Freestylers/Pendulum – Painkiller
83. Butterfingers – Get Up Outta The Dirt
84. Thom Yorke – Black Swan
85. Infadels – Love Like Semtex
86. Kanye West – Touch The Sky
87. Ben Harper – Better Way
88. Pendulum – Tarantula
89. Arctic Monkeys – Mardy Bum
90. Jurassic 5 – Work It Out (Feat. Dave Matthews Band)
91. Panic! At The Disco – The Only Difference Between Martyrdom & Suicide
92. Lily Allen – Alfie
93. Lily Allen – Everything’s Just Wonderful
94. Gotye – Learnalilgivnanlovin
95. Eskimo Joe – New York
96. Red Riders – Slide In Next To Me
97. Pearl Jam – Worldwide Suicide
98. Gossip – Standing In The Way Of Control
99. Audioslave – Original Fire
100. Blue King Brown – Come And Check Your Head
Oh man. Joanna Newsom absolutely blew me away tonight. Easily the best show I’ve been to in months and months. The venue – The Famous Spiegeltent – was perfect: unique, tiny, and everyone seated silently…the crowd literally hung on every word that came tumbling perfectly from Joanna’s mouth. While she has been playing with a band and/or an orchestra for a while now, tonight was her first gig on her own and I was a bit concerned going in. Would we lose some of the impact of the Y’s tracks without any instrumentation beyond a harp and a voice?
No. No we did not.
I thought the Y’s tracks were perhaps even better performed solo and she performed most of them (except Only Skin as she wasn’t feeling up to it apparently). Emily was stunning and Sawdust & Diamonds was perfect. She bookended the Y’s material with older songs including set opener Bridges and Balloons and a one song encore of Peach, Plum, Pear. No Sprout and the Bean though…hopefully you weren’t there to here “that song from the Visit Melbourne ad.” She also dropped in an “old Scottish song” Ca’ the Yowes to the Knowes…I’ve got no idea if she’s going to release that or not. Maybe it’s on the upcoming live EP?
The entire set I was stunned at how complete Joanna Newsom’s performance was. Every note plucked on the harp was essential to the song while her voice is even better live than on record. And with the exception of Jonsi from Sigur Ros, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a singer whose voice is best described as an instrument. And what makes that fact even more staggering in this case is that Joanna’s lyrics are, obviously, brilliant and able to stand on their own (unlike Jonsi’s Hopelandic). And we were sitting pretty close so I was also constantly amazed at her harp playing…who knew you could pluck strings like that? So yeah, this could very well be gig of the year for me. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. Check out some photos of the gig here.
Setlist:
Bridges and Balloons
The Book of Right On
Ca’ the Yowes to the Knowes
Emily
Monkey & Bear
Sawdust & Diamonds
Cosmia
Sadie
Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie
———
Peach, Plum, Pear
Just because I love the record and have been waiting for some sort of official mp3, Pitchfork have put up a track from the forthcoming Do Make Say Think record You, You’re A History in Rust. If you’ve not heard this yet, be sure to check it out.
Bright Eyes has also put up an official mp3 from the new Four Winds EP that is preceding new LP Cassadaga. It’s not his best EP but I am looking forward to the record.
Also Pitchfork related, I missed it when it went up a couple weeks ago, but someone at Pitchfork praised the work of Melbourne’s Faux Pas. Great to see independent Australian artists getting some recognition overseas.
Thursday night. Friday’s a holiday. You have NO excuse not to come out to SClub’s first party of the 07 at Candy’s in King’s Cross. Walrus will be playing and I’ve heard LOTS of good things about this young Sydney band who are likely going to take off this year. The Russian Brides will also be playing. I don’t know much about them but they do have a cool name. And as if that wasn’t enough, the SClub crew are throwing down Podwarz (< ---- looks all kinds of awezome with the Z guys). I'm not really sure what this is going to entail, but you are encouraged to bring your iPod (or your Zune! haha of course not! you're no loser) on down. I'm 90% certain this isn't some scam in which someone will be robbing you of your iPod. I think it means you get a chance to DJ. I'm going to light the place up with a little Bon Jovi. BE THERE.
Also tomorrow, Joanna Newsom plays her first of three sold out shows in Sydney. Amanda and I will be there before heading down to Candy's. If you want tickets I think you can snag a few from the Sydney Festival box office tomorrow morning in Martin Place. Should be a great show as the Spiegeltent is one hell of a unique venue. Cannot wait.
Thanks to Brown Cardigan for the head’s up that Gotye was voted the best album of 2006 by Triple J listeners. How awesome is that? Wally took out My Chemical Romance…who obviously should not have been in the Top 1000 albums of 2006. Congrats to The Grates too for placing well too. Full list below:
10. HILLTOP HOODS – The Hard Road
9. YEAH YEAH YEAHS – Show Your Bones
8. AUGIE MARCH – Moo, You Bloody Choir
7. LITTLE BIRDY – Hollywood
6. ARCTIC MONKEYS – Whatever People Say I Am That’s What I’m Not
5. THE GRATES – Gravity Won’t Get You High
4. MUSE – Black Holes & Revelations
3. TOOL – 10,000 Days
2. MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE – The Black Parade
1. GOTYE – Like Drawing Blood
You can listen to or download a very short mp3 of Richard Kingsmill going through the Top 10 below:
Voting for Triple J’s Hottest 100 ended last night at midnight…did you get your votes in? I’d never voted before but I did this year. I can’t recall all my votes but Gotye got a couple, Thom Yorke got a couple, Young and Restless, TV on the Radio….and a few others. What’d you vote for?
It’s been a while since Radiohead last updated fans on their progress finishing up LP7. But this week the band returned to the studio to continue recording sessions as Thom informed us on Dead Air Space:
back at werk
so we have staRTed up again had a good today
working on a version of 15step and rebuilding our studio
in the wind
15 Step is one of only two songs from the recent tour that I would absolutely guarantee will show up on the next record (the other being Videotape). It is definitely a song I appreciated more after seeing it live in Los Angeles. Here’s a recording of 15 Step I posted a while back but I’ll upload again (it’s from the final show of the 2006 tour):
Thom also updated Dead Air Space again today. He seems to be in love with YouTube as he’s praised it in interviews and now he’s found a video of Sasha playing a remix of The Eraser live at some crazy ass party in Manchester. Here’s the video Thom linked to on DAS in a post titled ‘bangin’:
And in my final bit of Radiohead news, Ade let us know that Deerhoof (heart) Radiohead. Deerhoof’s drummer had this to say about touring with Radiohead last summer:
“Everybody knows what an uncommon live group they are, and even with years of buildup and knowing there was no way they could live up to the legend, they were so much better than even my highest expectation that my whole outlook on the world had to be immediately revised. But what people might not know is that they are so great in person. All five of them, and everyone in their enormous crew, were all so sweet to us. They really supported our music. If one of John’s pedals got busted, someone from their crew would immediately offer to help. Someone from the band watched us from the side of the stage almost every night. Phil brought us cupcakes. Jonny brought us champagne and offered to play on our album, until he heard some rough mixes and said it already sounded done. Jonny did our light show in Amsterdam. He even used the strobe light which wasn’t allowed. Ed asked us how we got our guitar tone, [because] he wanted to steal it. When Radiohead had a night off in Dublin, and Deerhoof had our own show in a small club, how did Thom spend his free time? He came to our show and danced like crazy. Colin kept taking our picture and posting pictures of us on Radiohead’s website, and he’d imitate Satomi’s dance during their show. Jim Warren, who does their sound mix, said he’d be happy to do ours as well and went and studied one of our albums to research what we wanted our mix to sound like. I do not expect this sort of treatment from any band, let alone a band on the level of Radiohead. They are disproving every truism about how famous people are supposed to act, and that taught us a beautiful lesson.”
I’ve still yet to get into Deerhoof and I’m not sure I ever will. But I may give their new record a shot as they will be coming through Sydney soon with a show at the Annandale on April 3.
