This past week Underworld have dug out a couple oddities from their audio cupboards (read: hard drives) and made them available for fans to buy. The first bundle is called 020202 and features two different mixes (made seven years apart) of the same track that for whatever reasons never made it onto an Underworld album. It’s a solid track and features the characteristic Underworld sound.

Stream
Underworld – 020202

Strangely the title is the clue here. Dating back to the “100 Days Off” sessions 02-02-02 contains elements that found their way onto the album while this track was never mastered. Over the years 02-02-02 has been pulled out of the vaults, dusted off and fired up at Lemonworld more than once; you might have heard it broadcast on underworldlive.com, but as Led Zep said “The Song Remains The Same”.

The second bundle is called Phonestrap. As a single piece, Phonestrap is more slight than 020202 but, arguably, much more interesting. Rick and Karl have made various incarnations of the track available (six in all) and it’s pretty fascinating from a geeky point of view to see how Underworld build up a track in the studio.

Stream
Underworld – Phonestrap

The Phonestrap collection is what happens when you begin with one idea, pop it in your suitcase and stay up late in hotel rooms across three continents. Starting with a simple voice and guitar recording Phonestrap deconstructs and grows again until it’s absorbed into a version of the urban soap-opera ‘Autotrader’.

I never thought an Underworld song could begin life as a little guitar based piece.

You can buy 020202 and Phonestrap direct from the Underworld shop for just 1 pound. Support Rick and Karl; they make amazing music and are at the forefront of embracing the internet for music distribution without the middleman.

The long, long wait until New Years Eve continues.

Massive Attack are taking their sweet ass time finishing off LP5/Weather Underground/Insert New Album Title Here. The band toured earlier this year, played a whole ton of (amazing, Mezzanine-esque) new stuff, and yet the album continues to elude us…

On January 4, 2006 I wrote:

Because it’s Massive Attack the record isn’t scheduled for release until next February (that’s 2007 not 2006)

Yeah, that didn’t happen.

On February 16, 2007 I wrote:

Because it’s Massive Attack, here I am a year later saying that the new record may very well not be out until 2008.

That isn’t going to happen either. Seriously, this record better be immaculate whenever the hell it does get released. Dare I say 2009? I dare. 2009!

Until then, tide yourself over with this little oddity. Apparently Massive Attack, under the guise of 100 Suns have put a track together with Snoop Dogg for the film In Prison My Whole Life which chronicles the story of Mumia Abu-Jamal (he of “Free Mumia” fame).

You can stream the track here or download it below.

Download
Massive Attack – 100 Suns vs. Snoop Dogg

You can stream another new Massive Attack soundtrack contribution…

Stream
Massive Attack – Herculaneum

The wait for LP5 continues…

Free music is great.

The Guardian are giving away this live, intimate version of Goldfrapp’s Clowns, one of my favourite songs of the year. Apparently, there will be more giveaways from the Guardian all week.

Download
Goldfrapp – Clowns (live from Union Chapel)

I’ve seen The Drones a number of times since moving to Australia in 2005 and every single time I’ve left the gig absolutely floored by the intensity and brilliance of this band. I’ve already proclaimed them The Only Australian Band That Matters recently so it comes as no surprise that their gig last night at the (very full) Metro was another night to remember.

Over the course of the 90 minute set the band ran through most of their stunning new record, Havilah. Since many of these songs feature acoustic arrangements, the band spent parts of the night in acoustic strum mode, a far cry from their loud LOUD electric bombardments. I wondered how these songs (The Drifting Housewife and Your Acting’s…,for example) would gel with the rest of heavier songs but I had nothing to worry about. In fact, the varied nature of The Drones material just makes their live set all the more memorable.

I’m not going to blather on too much because I could describe every song as “amazing” so I’ll just mention that Nail It Down kicked ass and Locust opening up the encore was a great little surprise. Six Ways To Sunday’s bassline killed and I Am The Supercargo was monumental. The set ended with a blistering version of I Don’t Ever Want To Change followed by the jaunty, country-tinged Your Acting’s Like The End Of The World; it was certainly a slightly lighter end to a Drones show than I’ve been used to in the past. Once again, The Drones proved themselves to be an absolute force on stage. I’m already looking forward to the next time they hit Sydney.

Setlist
Nail It Down
The Minotaur
I Am The Supercargo
Oh My
Six Ways To Sunday
The Drifting Housewife
Cold And Sober
Jezebel
Luck In Odd Numbers
Shark Fin Blues
———
Locust
I Don’t Ever Want To Change
Your Acting’s Like The End Of The World

A few photos are up here. I had a couple Drones newbies along with me last night and they were both left a bit deaf and pretty amazed by what they saw. Hopefully their ears have stopped bleeding today. The download below is for them.

Download
The Drones – Cortez The Killer (live)

UPDATE
A kind soul recorded this show and has posted the mp3s here. THANK YOU.

I generally don’t write about records/bands on A Reminder that I don’t really enjoy; it’s just not worth the effort when I don’t even have enough time/energy to write about every piece of music I do like. But I’m making an exception for the new Augie March record, Watch Me Disappear.

Watch Me Disappear is, quite simply, a dull record. When I put it on I found myself struggling to pay attention to it all the way through. By the time I got to the end of the record it had all blurred into one uninteresting, mid-paced, strum-along song. In fact, I can’t even isolate a single aspect of the record I didn’t enjoy as absolutely nothing stood out.

The reason this concerns me enough to write about is that once upon a time, Augie March made engaging (if overly long) records. Sunset Studies and Strange Bird are records that have some peaks and troughs, some light and shade. These records were evidence that Glenn Richards was one of Australia’s more gifted songwriters working today. So what the hell happened?

Moo, You Bloody Choir came along next and was way too long and, like the new one, too many of the songs were samey; the middle of the album just kind of blurs together. Sure, One Crowded Hour deserved all the praise it got; it’s a fantastic song that marries a great melody with clever lyrics, always a recipe for critical and, sometimes, commercial success. The last track on Moo, Vernoona, is another great song, partly because it’s so short (it’s beautiful as well). I remember commenting to people that if Moo had been 4 songs shorter and had more songs like Vernoona, I’d be thrilled.

So now, Augie March have returned with Watch Me Disappear. I was optimistic: 11 tracks! 45 minutes long! They listened to me! Unfortunately, it just made the averageness of the album all the more disappointing. I can’t excuse the record for being long this time.

This band are capable of so much more than making the Safest Record of All Time.

This is an Australian music blog and last night was Australia’s biggest music awards night so I feel obligated to say something. I watched a whole ten minutes of the ARIA’s last night as I was waiting for Californication to come on and here are my thoughts:

1. Gabriela Cilmi
I’m willing to admit that Sweet About Me is a pretty catchy pop song. And her voice is kind of interesting. But my God…that girl cannot speak. The one acceptance speech I saw was a total trainwreck. Clearly, this is a girl who should not have been removed from school.

2. The Presets
Their performance was bad/good. It looks like they were just taking the piss out of the whole thing. The one acceptance speech of their’s that I saw was rather genuine and gracious if a tad long (you ain’t Scorsese up there, boys). The shout outs to community radio were awesome. Well done, boys. Unfortunately, that acceptance speech was for Album of the Year.

W.T.F.

Methinks the ARIA’s are desperately trying to seem “cool” and “hip” and “with it, yo.”

3. Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Anyone with a brain knows Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! deserved Album of the Year. How the hell The Presets won this award is BEYOND me. Recycled dance music vs. genuine genius should never be a contest. But Nick Cave refuses to play the ARIA game, so kudos to him.

Those are my thoughts. Jonny’s are almost the same but funnier and more comprehensive.

Did any of you sit through that ceremony? The Grates liveblogging it was much more interesting.

When The Dears rolled through Sydney about a year and a half ago, everything seemed to be going well for the band.

Apparently not.

Between that gig at Home in 2007 and the release of their new record – Missiles – this weekend The Dears have, seemingly, gone through a lot of shit. Of the band that made and toured the fantastic (I don’t care what you say Quinn!) Gang Of Losers only lead singer Murray Lightburn and keyboardist Natalia Yanchak remain (it might help that they are married). In addition, Missiles is being released by Dangerbird Records (American home to our very own Dappled Cities), not the ubiquitous Arts & Crafts who released the last one.

So Missiles marks the birth of The Dears version 3.something…I don’t know. And how does it sound?

Well, not much like the last one; in fact, someone told me that it reminds them of the “classic” Dears sound, whatever that means. I think it’s a beautiful, slow motion record that takes you in ever so slowly. In fact, the first time I heard it I wasn’t all that impressed but with each listen to Missiles I’ve found something new to love: a haunting little synth line in Berlin Heart, the backing vocals on Money Babies, or that penultimate guitar solo in Lights Off. Take your time with this record (and headphones are highly recommended). I’ll be interested to see how this album is received…

Stream
The Dears – Meltdown In A Major

Natalia also keeps a blog which is pretty interesting reading. Her post regarding the leak of the record was, I think, rather gracious.

The band are currently on the road getting stuck into the new material. Touring with them are Jason Kent, Lisa Smith and Laura Wills (from Pony Up), Yann Geoffroy (from Kill The Lights) and Christopher McCarron (from Land of Talk).

Hopefully, the band return to Australia before too long.

There is an epithet that is often (still) associated with The Clash: The Only Band That Matters. The title originally proclaimed The Clash as The Only British Band That Matters and was, in fact, created be a member of their A&R team (street cred, yo). Fans, however, took the phrase over to give it its more famous, and lasting, incarnation. The epithet effectively captures a moment in time when a little British punk band actually did encapsulate a lot of the social unrest, urban degradation, racism and other politically charged issues that were shaping England in the late 1970s. While other bands may have stolen the headlines by swearing on television or sending pigs into the sky, The Clash mattered.

The Drones matter. In fact, The Drones are The Only Australian Band That Matters. Like The Clash, The Drones are making music that comments, informs, and challenges. This is not music to put on while you do the vacuuming. This is music that demands your attention.

Havilah, their recently released fourth album is another masterpiece of Australian music. Songwriter Gareth Liddiard is not only one of Australia’s finest songwriters, he is one of the most devastating songwriters making music today. Anywhere.

I’m not even going to write a proper “review.” The record is brilliant and every time I listen to it I discover something new inside one of the songs that makes me shake my head in wonder. This band are a treasure and if it takes a Canadian to tell you that The Drones are fucking special, then consider yourself told. Havilah is one of the albums of the year.

Her hair was wet
Her shoes were damp
And as she travelled on the weather licked her like a stamp
- Nail It Down

There’s nothing she can do
He does not talk, he does not move
He spends all day looking at porn
Or playing fucking Halo 2
- The Minotaur

I was more worried about taxes
When my lovely red-eyed bride
Became a hairsplitting believer
That I should be vilified
- The Drifting Housewife

You want to make good with a cannibal?
You’ve got to show him how to freeze a priest
- I Am The Supercargo

And who would ever dream
That a laptop and caffeine
Could leave you colder than the voice
Inside an answering machine
- Careful As You Go

So don’t go casting no dispersions in the street
‘Cause the half the world that starves
Will know the half you’re in
Does not deserve to eat
- Oh My

And the night time slides
And the morning light comes shining
Through all the bottles laying drained and empty
In resignation ’round you
- Cold And Sober

The times you only feel one way
Are times that you remember most
But then you’re wrong ’cause most those times
You really have been feeling both
- Luck In Odd Numbers

The Eagle too, man’s greatest feat
Miraculously intact
All acute angles, knees and elbows
Squats in golden underpants
- Penumbra

I ain’t here to say I’m sorry
It wouldn’t help you if I did
Your pain was just too great to bear
And I was just a kid
- Your Acting’s Like The End Of The World

Ancient Greeks and Romans deified their poets because they considered them to be bountiful sources of knowledge that citizens could turn to for guidance. Some things never change.

Be sure to catch the Drones are The Metro next week or somewhere else in Australia this month.

The lineup for the 2009 St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival has been announced and it is, sadly, Wolf Parade free. The acts announced so far include (bold = bands I’m excited about to varying degrees):

* Girl Talk
* Stereolab
* No Age
* Jay Reatard
* Four Tet
* Architecture In Helsinki
* The Drones
* The Hold Steady
* Cut Off Your Hands
* Spiral Stairs
* Tame Imapala
* El Guincho
* Buraka Som Sistema (DJ/MC set)
* The Temper Trap
* The John Steel Singers
* Canyons
* Pivot
* Port O’Brien
* Holly Throsby
* Born Ruffians
* Mountains In The Sky
* Tim Fite
* Still Flyin’
* Daedelus

Personally, I feel that lineup lacks the punch of a proper headliner but I’m sure it will still sell a lot of tickets very quickly. The festival has a (well-deserved) great reputation which means people like me, who may not be overly thrilled with the lineup, will probably still buy tickets. It looks like a festival where I can just hang back and check out a bunch of acts I have some interest in rather than running around making sure I catch acts I must see.

Dates/Locations
Saturday, Jan. 31: Alexandria St off St Paul’s Terrace, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane
Sunday, Feb. 1: Lonsdale St, Caledonian Lane and Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne
Friday, Feb. 6: Cultural Centre, Northbridge, Perth
Saturday, Feb. 7: Fowler’s Live, Northern Terrace, Adelaide
Sunday, Feb. 8: Macquarie Park & Reiby Place, Circular Quay, Sydney

Nice to see the Sydney location remain the same after rumours that they’d be moving to a new locale. Hopefully the organizers don’t oversell it (last year was too packed in my opinion).

Tickets on sale October 27

(Sorry to all my Tumblr peeps who got all excited about Wolf Parade over the weekend. Don’t murder me.)

Download
No Age – Eraser
No Age – Teen Creeps

Spiritualized have announced two ATP sideshows in Sydney and Melbourne in January. Reading this news last night made me very, very excited. Spiritualized are one of my favourite bands and I haven’t seen them live in aaaaaaaages.

January 8 – Hi-Fi Bar, Melbourne
January 13 – Powerstation, Auckland
January 16 – Metro, Sydney

Tickets for the Sydney show go on sale Oct. 17. Silver Apples will be supporting.

Download
Spiritualized – Smiles (live Peel session 1991)

Not really my thing but My Morning Jacket have also announced a sideshow at the Metro. It will happen on January 22. (Thanks to Albert for the tip.)

Is this the 2009 Laneway Festival lineup?

(Probably not.)

How about this lineup? (Probably.)