There are some days when I wake up and I think that New Order’s Age of Consent is the greatest song ever written. Today might be one of those days. That bassline, the punchy guitars and synth lines, Stephen Morris going nuts on the drums…all the elements combine to create New Order’s finest minutes and sixteen seconds.

Watch: New Order – Age of Consent (live, 1983)

Age Of Consent has been getting some live love from a couple well known Canadian musical outfits in recent years.

Download:
Arcade Fire – Age of Consent (live)
Kevin Drew – Age of Consent (live)

If you don’t own New Order’s Power, Corruption & Lies (which Age of Consent opens) I suggest you get out there and pick it up. Probably New Order’s best record. Be warned, however: the recent reissues had major sound problems and are being recalled. I’d wait a while before buying them to make sure the new versions are on the shelves.

I had major issues getting to Spectrum last night. By the time I arrived, an hour late, I was in a foul mood which was compounded by the fact that I completely missed Ohana’s set. I was worried that I’d leave the venue in exactly the same mood as I arrived. Thankfully, that was not the case.

Die! Die! Die! absolutely slayed at Spectrum last night. Like their last visit to Sydney, the band absolutely tore through a set filled with tracks from Promises Promises while the crowd just lost themselves in the energy and chaos. The line between stage and crowd is completely blurred at a D!D!D! gig as the band welcome the madness to surround their tension-filled sound. One of the highlights of last night’s set was the inclusion of Blue Skies, my favourite song off the album, which was not played last time I saw them. I could listen to that song all day and the live version was even better.

Seeing Die! Die! Die! live is, as Jonny might say, the balls.

While disappointed in missing Ohana (whose record I still need to hear), I was pleased that I managed to arrive in time to see the Ripping Dylans. A bit sloppy but still engaging, the trio worked through their set in a manner that made me think, they just don’t care. Not in a bad way…just in the “We’re going to play these songs and you will like them or not we don’t give a shit” sense. And for that I think they’re on the right track. They ended their set by living up to their name and covering Dylan’s Ballad Of Hollis Brown. Fun times.

So thanks to Ripping Dylans and Die! Die! Die! for transforming a very pissed off me into a very pleased me last night. I owe you guys a beer or something.

A few of my photos are here.

Download:
Die! Die! Die! – Auckland is Burning
Die! Die! Die! – 155

Tim: “It wasn’t that good, but it wasn’t that shit. Or was it?”
Wally: “You’ve just written the review of this gig, Tim.”

The Basics have spent the past seven weeks touring the lethal, red heart of Australia. Playing schools and driving across deserts, the band that turned up at the Annandale on Thursday night appeared tired and a tad edgy with each other. At times the joking on stage seemed to be hiding some deeper frustrations within the band.

However, I really hope I’m wrong about that. If you read this blog regularly you’ll know I’m a huge fan of The Basics and I happen to think they are one of the best live bands in Australia; I really don’t want to them to disappear. Despite the exhaustion, Kris, Tim and Wally still put on an entertaining show. Mixing up some new songs with the “classics,” the band played for about an hour. As always, Wally was a machine on the drums all night long.

The new songs, which I’ve seen live a few times now, are growing on me more. One of them, She’s The Executioner, is a totally different style of song for the band and it’s great to see them taking chances on songs outside their comfort zone. Of the oldies, My Baby and Rattle My Chain were particularly killer. The band also threw in a few covers including a version of The Sonics’ Shot Down and closing the night with a Wally-led take on Roxanne by The Police.

Setlist
Yeah Yeah
Second Best
Have Love Will Travel
Hey There!
Just Hold On
Shot Down
What Do You See In Me?
Money (Gimme, Gimme)
Like A Brother
She’s The Executioner
My Baby
Rattle My Chain
Call It Rhythm And Blues
———
I Could Be Happy
Roxanne

Joining The Basics on this leg of the tour are The Bawdies who can most easily be described as a Japanese version of The Basics. Unlike The Basics who were suitless, the boys in The Bawdies took to the Annandale stage in style in matching Beatles-suits and Beatles-boots. Over the course of their set they managed to really endear themselves to the audience with their straight-up 1960s British Invasion hooks.

In contrast with The Basics, The Bawdies seemed to be having the night of their lives. They were constantly engaging with the audience, chucking coordinated guitar poses, and smiling throughout the entire set. Fairly unknown, I believe, back in Japan, The Bawdies seem to be finding a second home here in Australia as The Basics have taken them in under their wing.

All in all, a pretty enjoyable double-bill. Be sure to catch them on the remaining dates if you have the chance.

My photos from the gig.

“HalloweenHead” RA solo Bedroom from Wilson Wolf on Vimeo.

Being away from Vancouver for over three years now means I have really lost touch with the local music scene back home (not that I was ever that great at keeping up with it anyway). It seems lots of new Vancouver bands have been cropping up over the past couple years that, to me, signal a slight rebirth in the Vancouver scene. Maybe. Quinn?

Said The Whale are one of these newish bands that I’m pretty excited about. I’ve only heard a couple EPs (available for free on their website) and one song from their debut but I’m already clamouring for more (need to get that album!). Hearing their songs, which are drenched in west coast life, make me miss my hometown; but it’s great to hear some music so firmly borne of Vancouver’s soaking soil.

I’m really not sure how much of a following they have back in Vancouver or throughout Canada but just this week they were inducted (via online vote) into CBC Radio 3′s R-30 Hall Of Fame. They are the second band to be inducted (after The Weakerthans) and they beat out some pretty hefty competition to get there: Arcade Fire, New Pornographers, Stars, and someone else I can’t recall. Not bad, boys!

Download:
Said The Whale – This City’s A Mess

I’m getting my End Of Year albums list ready at the moment and I think Montreal’s Land Of Talk are just going to miss out making my Top 25 albums of 2008 with their record Some Are Lakes.

Some Are Lakes isn’t a record that I was immediately drawn to. I kind of slept on all the Land Of Talk hype a couple years ago and I was only familiar with a few songs from the EP before hearing the new album. I was aware that lead singer Elizabeth Powell is currently playing female lead in Broken Social Scene which, stupidly, had me a tad more excited for Some Are Lakes than anything else.

So how is the record? Well, it’s a damn good one. It’s not as immediately enjoyable as their earlier stuff but it’s a record of great maturity and depth. At the forefront of the whole package is Powell’s voice; she may not be Nina Simone but over the course of a few listens I’ve found her voice to be deceptively powerful and, at times, crushing. Not sure what it is really. I just love it.

Like many records I end up loving, every time I listen to Some Are Lakes I like it more and more. Unassuming opener Yuppy Flu has a guitar part I tap on my leg long after the song has ended while the title track has an infectious strum-along opening before Powell’s vocal takes you over in the chorus.

While it may not top many end of year lists, Some Are Lakes is a strong debut record. Word.

Download:
Land Of Talk – Some Are Lakes
Land Of Talk – Corner Phone

Australia’s best band, The Drones rolled through much of Australia last month to launch their absolutely stunning new album, Havilah. I attended the Sydney gig at the Metro and was (once again) totally blown away by the band’s intensity on stage.

If you’d like to relive the memories or see what you missed you can watch the complete performance here (thanks to Moshcam!). I haven’t watched it all yet but what I’ve seen has been great. Nice to have that as a little memento of a pretty special gig.

You can download a different recording of the gig here. If anyone finds the above video feed ripped as mp3s, please let me know.

Download:
The Drones – The Cockeyed Lowlife of the Highlands (live)

Ryan Adams and The Cardinals have announced a tour of Australia and New Zealand for early 2009. Easily one of the best live acts around if you catch them on the right night. I am very much looking forward to this.

25 January – Metropolis, Perth
27 January – The Tivoli, Brisbane
29 January – Enmore Theatre, Sydney
30 January – Forum Theatre, Melbourne
3 February – Opera House, Wellington
4 February – Powerstation, Auckland

Which Ryan is going to show up this year? The polite and focused Ryan of Enmore #2? Or the angry and condescending Ryan of Enmore #1?

The more pertinent question is actually which crowd is going to show up. Drunken d-bags constantly requesting Come Pick Me Up? Or a polite, into it crowd who are ready for anything? Please let it be the latter.

(And for the record, so far this year Ryan and the Cards have played Come Pick Me Up a lot. If someone yells for it they may very well skip it over. Just sayin’.)

Check out some live jams from recent shows below.

Download:
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals – Come Pick Me Up
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals – Grand Island
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals – Off Broadway
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals – Born Into A Light

All songs taken from the November 16 show at the Corn Exchange in Cambridge.

Time once again for A Reminder’s annual poll of the top/best/hottest/whatever bands from Australia and New Zealand. A few weeks back I sent out an email to a ton of other music bloggers, DJs, and music nerds requesting a list of their favourite acts from our part of the world. I then tallied the results which is what you see below.

I’m pretty excited about this year’s list as there are a ton of artists who were very low on last year’s list or not on it at all; some surprises maybe but it was pretty clear from all the people I polled who the #1 band is. They kind of destroyed the field this year. And it was well deserved.

28. I Heart Hiroshima
“My favourite Australian band.”
Download: Punks // Surgery
MySpace :: Hype Machine :: Last FM
2007 position: 24

27. The Panics
“They’re just one of those bands who you’d always see when they’re in town. Can’t go past them.”
Download: Get Us Home
MySpace :: Hype Machine :: Last FM
2007 position: 25+

26. Little Red
“A little bit daggy but lots of fun. The musical equivalent of an Owen Wilson movie.”
Watch: Coca Cola
MySpace :: Hype Machine :: Last FM
2007 position: N/A

25. Ned Collette
“Ned, it was either you or Jack Ladder.”
Watch: The Country With A Smile
MySpace :: Hype Machine :: Last FM
2007 position: N/A

24. The Lucksmiths
“They’re back! They’re baaaa-aaaack. The new album is awesome.”
Download: A Sobering Thought // Up With The Sun
MySpace :: Hype Machine :: Last FM
2007 position: N/A

23. Bang! Bang! Eche!
“They won the EMJ Best Up and Coming Band Award last year and now they are touring America, which is a very huge achievement for a New Zealand band.”
Watch: Time Mismanagement
MySpace :: Hype Machine :: Last FM
2007 position: N/A

22. You Am I
“Legends.”
Watch: Beau Geste
MySpace :: Hype Machine :: Last FM
2007 position: 25+

21. My Disco
“Sweet math rock, love them a lot.”
“Head-thumping. In a good way. Fuck it – when is head-thumping not good? I mean, my lady wakes me up almost every night at like one in the morning and asks if I want a good head-thumping and no matter how tired I am from mining, pillaging and writing ‘code’ I am always up for it. I normally first put My Disco’s new album on though. They are good at time and my lady (as much as I lust her) is pretty hopeless at that.”
MySpace :: Hype Machine :: Last FM
2007 position: 25+

20. Thought Creature
“They finally released their debut album in 2008 and it was my favourite album worldwide. They are also one of the best live bands in New Zealand.”
MySpace :: Hype Machine :: Last FM
2007 position: N/A

19. The Ruby Suns
“Animal Collective do tiki music… did I just steal that from Pitchfork?”
“The international impact the Ruby Suns have had, will hopefully be met to similar degrees here. *Fingers crossed*”
Download: Tane Mahuta
MySpace :: Hype Machine :: Last FM
2007 position: 25+

18. Cloud Control
“This is purely based on last year’s EP and their most recent single… really wonderful pop music. The Blue Mountains is the new Portland, Oregon I think.”
“The addictive hooks and swooning harmonies are just too good to resist.”
Download: Vintage Books // Into the Line (Sulo rmx)
MySpace :: Hype Machine :: Last FM
2007 position: 25+

17. Charge Group
“Slow, melodic, emotional music has to be REALLY REALLY good to sucker me in. There is no middle ground. Charge Group’s album won me over fairly quickly and even revisiting months later was still just as powerful.”
“When it comes to creating immensely powerful, vastly expansive soundscapes, Charge Group has no rival. Their music reaches such emotional highs, you’re left in awe.”
Download: Vice’d
MySpace :: Hype Machine :: Last FM
2007 position: 25+

16. Spod
“One of the most funnest and raddest dudes in this industry – top bloke! Oh, and his record is quite a gem.”
“The one man excitement machine released an incredibly tight new album this year and his live show is still the most fun you can have with your clothes on and/or without being ‘coked up to the eyeballs’.”
Watch: Dead
MySpace :: Hype Machine :: Last FM
2007 position: N/A

15. The Presets
“They just blew up. Everywhere.”
Watch: Talk Like That
MySpace :: Hype Machine :: Last FM
2007 position: 25+

14. The John Steel Singers
“The missing link between Sgt. Pepper’s-era Beatles, Searching For The Young Soul Rebels-era Dexy’s Midnight Runners, and Wisenheimer-era Custard! My money is on them to be the next big thing next year, and possibly even make it overseas.”
Download: Rainbow Kraut
MySpace :: Hype Machine :: Last FM
2007 position: 25+

13. Theredsunband
“The year began with a Laneway performance, moved on to some great singles and culminated in a sophomore album. In every case, Theredsunband delivered rich, powerful music.”
Watch: Heartbreaker
MySpace :: Hype Machine :: Last FM
2007 position: 25+

12. Cuthbert & The Night Walkers
“I just really love what they’re doing. I’m consistently amazed by how many people that normally wouldn’t go make an effort to see music, but are excited every time they hear Cuthbert and his crew are playing another show.”
Watch: Red Frogs
MySpace :: Hype Machine :: Last FM
2007 position: 25+

11. The Basics
“They’re still one of those bands that make music for everyone and do it with exceptional flair. I’ve never had someone see a show and walk away disappointed.”
“I never ever ever want to miss The Basics.”
Watch: Memory Lane
MySpace :: Hype Machine :: Last FM
2007 position: 4

10. Baseball
“Not only did they release the best Australian album of 2008, but they are truly sensational live.”
Download: Mozart And The Whale
MySpace :: Hype Machine :: Last FM
2007 position: N/A

9. The Grates
“They really surprised me this year and their new album is A LOT better than I thought it would be. They have matured, not a lot BUT they have undeniably moved their sound forward.”
“Storms & Fevers and Earthquake back to back = awesome.”
Watch: Aw Yeah
MySpace :: Hype Machine :: Last FM
2007 position: 25+

8. Cut Copy
“Another great album. Stepped up their electro-pop with artful production and more guitars.”
“Even though they have plenty of hipster cred (glowing Pitchfork review, BFF’s with James Murphy etc), I still think they make music that’s kinda sucky and lame…but at the same time really great…if that makes any sense at all. I’ll hate this album in 2 years time and then realise how good it is again in 10 years.”
Watch: Hearts On Fire
MySpace :: Hype Machine :: Last FM
2007 position: 15

7. Die! Die! Die!
“Still the best live band in the world.”
“Imagine how I’d feel about them if I saw them live.”
Download: Sideways Here We Come // Whitehorses // Blinding // A.T.T.I.T.U.D.
MySpace :: Hype Machine :: Last FM
2007 position: 19

6. Pivot
“Simply exciting music – like nothing I’ve ever heard from any other Australian group.”
“I could watch/listen to their drummer drum all day.”
Watch: In The Blood
MySpace :: Hype Machine :: Last FM
2007 position: 25+

5. Eddy Current Suppression Ring
“It’s about time an Australian band has made a great album from start to finish – these boys deserved the ARIA.”
“Primary Colours is a fantastic album. Plain and simple. The energy in it is one of the best and their live show is equally as exciting. Not only are the songs great but they have the best front man in Australia (this side of 40 anyway).”
“These guys seem to have no separation between their sound and their lives and this makes them an incredibly engaging band.”
Download: Get Up Morning
Watch: Which Way To Go
MySpace :: Hype Machine :: Last FM
2007 position: N/A

4. Dappled Cities Fly
“It’s Dappled. Enough said. Three mighty fine performances was more than enough to thrust them right up here.”
“Even in a dormant Dappled year, they still managed to excite me.”
Download: Within Hours
MySpace :: Hype Machine :: Last FM
2007 position: 6

3. Snowman
“Brilliant. They deserve much more recognition – can’t wait to see what they do next.”
“Their album was unsettling, disturbing, brilliant in parts. Just like their live shows.”
“They released the best Australian album since The Drones’ Wait By The River…”
Download: We Are The Plague
Watch: Daniel Was A Timebomb
MySpace :: Hype Machine :: Last FM
2007 position: 25+

2. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
“They put out the best album of their career – and I have loved these guys for a long time and I really love some of their old albums but this is the best.”
“Beyond comparison.”
Download: Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
Watch: More News From Nowhere
MySpace :: Hype Machine :: Last FM
2007 position: 25+

1. The Drones
“Exceptional. And profound.”
“I have never left a Drones concert in anything but awe. So energetic and powerful.”
“They really took it up a notch on their new album. Mature, raw and honest. Unbelievably engaging. They have found the perfect balance between the dualing sides of their sound – the emotive pain soaked ballads and the raw, head-smashing insanity.”
“The only Australian band that matters.”
Download: Jezebel (live)
Watch: The Minotaur
MySpace :: Hype Machine :: Last FM
2007 position: 12

Thanks to the all the kind folks who took the time to send me their lists and for including comments that were at times passionate and at times hilarious. All the comments in the above post come directly from the keyboards of the following:

Marc, Oz, Joe, Chucky, Ro, Syms, Nick & Sarah, Wayne, Gav, Matt, Sophie & Jerry, Matt, Peter, Amanda, Jonny, Cara, Graham, Angus, and Geoff.

You all rock.

So, what’d you think of the list. Please comment away!

Last week before kicking off their European tour, Ryan Adams and a couple of the Cardinals dropped by the BBC for a chat and some music. During the session Ryan covered the Foo Fighters song Times Like These. Ryan has always covered a wide variety of artists (Spacemen 3, The Smiths, The Dead, Sonic Youth, etc) but I can’t say I ever thought he’d be a Foo man.

Download:
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals – Fix It (live on the BBC)
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals – Times Like These (live on the BBC)

You can download the complete session with the interview here. And if you can handle it, you can follow Ryan’s ramblings on Tumblr.

Sorry for the lack of posts this week. I’ve been busy working on the Top Aussie/NZ Band list for 2008. It will be up in a few days. Hopefully.