Music and Rantings from the South Pacific

Ah Yeah, a great Dre hit

2008-06-09T14:51:00.001+12:00

See more funny videos at CollegeHumor

The Next Big Useless Comparison

2008-05-20T12:32:00.000+12:00

Not to put too blunt a criticism on the music press, but can't they come up with some decent analogy's? I mean sure, music is a pretty hard thing to pin down, and I respect a lot of what they're trying to achieve by making comparisons. But the biggest shortcut to thinking has got to be the labelling of some new band or singer as "The Next XXXXXXXX" or "America's answer to XXXXXXXXX"

As I said, its pretty hard for reviewers to continually come up with new ways of describing music. Some do it well. Pitchfork (despite all their hipstery) the AV Club, and Drowned In Sound all put out good reviews. And don't get me wrong - theres value in making comparisons, it allows us to have a point of reference.

What I'm getting at is those reviewers who dismiss something instantly. Put in in a "same" box without weighing its own merits. Specifically, new UK Soul Singer Duffy seems to have fallen into this trap. Its not hard to see comparisons between Duffy and Amy Winehouse, they both sing Neo-Soul, have a retro sound and look, and to be completely fair, both released fairly similar hooky singles.

But a quick listen through Duffy's album, 'Rockferry' reveals an altogether different artist. Whereas Winehouse pulls a retro soul influence in her style, and lavishes in a rebellious image, Duffy actively seems to be trying to BE a soul singer of old. Amy Winehouse might be channeling the spirit of 60's and 70's northern soul, but Duffy appears to want to carve herself a place among them.

So, calling Duffy "The Next Amy Winehouse" sells everyone short. Winehouse, who's music has its own merit, Duffy, who is trying to build a career in an insanely competitive industry, listeners who need good commentary to make a decision, and most of all the writers themselves, who come across as having made a lame shortcut instead of actually trying to come up with something constructive and intelligent to write about an artist.

Anyway, here's something from Duffy...

Since I haven't finished my next proper post yet

2008-05-16T11:05:00.001+12:00

Here is something to amuse you.

Poor little, oft neglected blog

2008-05-08T11:32:00.002+12:00

It's been a while, but these fingers have been putting themselves to better use. Sorta. I've been doing a lot of letter writing to friends at home and abroad. Just cos.

Anyhoo, now I'm back, feeling particularly sarcastic and with a head full of 90's metal to give you an insight into my roots, such as they are.

Yes, the simple truth of it is, I was a teenage metaler. Sure, in the late 80's I was listening to what most 10 year olds listened to. A random selection of crap that I saw on TV and liked the videos for. Yes good ol' RTR Countdown. In fact as I started intermediate I was favouring the current style of pop/r&b - Color Me Badd, Snap and countless other atrocities that represented popular music circa 1990.

Then I met a dude who share with me the delights of metal.

Ozzy Osborne was first, rapidly followed by Iron Maiden and Motorhead. I was enthralled. Sure, I'd heard metal before. I was a fan of Def Leppards Hysteria, and of course Guns N Roses had released Appetite for Destruction a couple of years earlier, but never to this scale.

I started getting into other metal acts, more of the time. Faith No More, Prong, Sepultura, White Zombie and Pantera. Oh yes, groove metal. Turns out that I got into metal just at the right time. The bad old days of 80's Glam were behind us, and the unspeakable horror of nu-metal hadn't even been conjured up by the evil sods in corporate music HQ. There are those who argue that metal reached its zenith in the 80's with the powerhouses of thrash - Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer. I would argue that those people live in an alternate reality where they don't understand what good metal is. I would also argue that most of those bands released their best work in the 90's. Anthrax pulled the intense 'Sound of White Noise' out of the bag. Megadeth's 'Countdown to Extinction', and Slayer unleashed 'Seasons in the Abyss'.

Older legends of the genre aside, a new new breed of metal was forming. Inspired by the 80's thrash scene, Pantera released 'Cowboys from Hell'. Machine Head, Sepultura and White Zombie all put out brilliant albums in this style.

Nirvana's emergence as the 'next big thing' (oh how I loathe Corporate music HQ) signalled the beginning of some of the best hard music of the decade - Soundgarden and the fantastic Alice In Chains all led the charge, and other more punk influenced hardcore like Biohazard and Helmet stayed underground.

And after than it all fell apart. Bodycount influenced rap metal and all of a sudden the decade was drawing to a close and we had the abomination that is nu-metal.

Heres a wicked track called 'Walk' off Panteras best album 'Vulgar Display of Power' to get you rockin.

Backtracking

2008-04-15T12:18:00.003+12:00

Recently I had a discussion with a friend, who was introducing me to some new-old music. I'd played on our radio show a track by Stevie Wonder - "If You Really Loved Me", and he asked me if I'd heard the track "As". I confessed that I had not (or thought I hadn't) and admitted that I was pretty unfamiliar with Stevie Wonder as a whole. He played "As" which it turned out I had heard, but never associated with the braided, cheesy slightly cliched Pop/R&B artist I knew in the 80's. He suggested that I become familiar with Stevie Wonder's back catalogue, something which I'm getting great pleasure out of doing at the moment.

This made me think of 2 things which have been rattling around in my head lately. The first being; the methodology of going back to find out more. OK so that sounds pretty boring, but there's a huge reward to be had by starting at a point in musical history and tracing its roots. Theres obviously a huge number of ways about going about this - hitting wikipedia, checking out similar artists, stylistic roots, tracking down the music (god bless itunes) and giving it a spin. Going to a record labels website and finding out what they do. That probably works better in the case of smaller record labels, but I'm hoping that if you're reading this you're musical interest extends beyond what SONY/BMG is pumping this month.

There's always the old fashioned "recommendation" but apart from brief encounters with the few people I know who KNOW music, thats a pretty mute point personally. Maybe you know people who give a shit about music. Maybe you are one - in which case... any suggestions?

My tastes are eclectic, even by modern standards. I'll listen to (this mornings selection for example) Emerson, Lake and Palmers "Brain Salad Surgery" album, followed with Christian Prommer's Drumlession, Radiohead (Airbag/How Am I Driving EP in case you're wondering) Atmospheres "Strictly Leakage" which you can get here, and finally Stevie Wonder's "Songs In The Key of Life". I love all of those records, all for their own reason, and no, I don't have a problem with that. So if you've got something you think I might like or should listen to, PLEASE feel free to offer something.

I think this is my point here - I'm pretty hard to recommend stuff to unless you know your shit, because I've probably either heard it and given it a place in my heart (or on my ipod) or already have a pre-disposition to it. Which brings me on to the 2nd thing I want to crap on about - the bad ol' 80's and the way that my opinions are jaded or shaded by artists recording then.

As it turns out, Stevie Wonder is a prolific cat. He's been making pretty damn good music since 1962. When he was like 12 or something. At the ripe old age of 21 his contract with motown rolled to a close, so this dude went out on his own, recorded "Innervisions" an album so damn fine that, (remember that I've only just gotten into him so I don't have a pre-formed opinion to his early material. Mostly I haven't heard it before) to me this sounds fresh, funky, exciting and considerably better than todays piss poor excuse for R&B.

Arguably, anyone who had never heard a Michael Jackson record from the early 80's might think the same, but my issue here is that I grew up in the 80's, so my first impressions of a lot of artists (Jackson excluded because I don't think anyone will deny the brilliance of "Thriller" or "Off the Wall") was them floundering with stylistic and technological changes that took place in the 80's pop scene.

In the instance of Stevie Wonder, we're left to consider "Ebony and Ivory", a trite cliched duet with another seasoned artist trying to find relevance, Paul Mcartney. It seems that a swag of musicians got swept along in this trend. I can cite most established rock and pop acts here. Music just started doing its own thing. Sure, many artists did well, but they were almost universally artists who performed within the new styles, having never recorded previously. Shit, the entire GENRE of jazz turned into a pale mockery of itself.

Its been true since too. Veterans struggle to re-invent themselves and thus remain relevant. Madonna, an 80's superstar floundered in the electronic pop scene of the 90's. I can scarcely even think of a 90's artist that's remained relevant through until today.

That doesn't exclude their previous body of work. In fact I'm suggesting quite the opposite - that back catalogues CAN be relevant today, and could indeed be more so if it weren't for that particular artist tarnishing their output by getting too carried away but whats current.

Anyway, thats enough rambling for today - heres some Stevie, sounding amazing.

Did you pass the test?

2008-03-31T08:46:00.001+13:00

Modern Pop Life

2008-03-27T12:52:00.002+13:00

Am I missing something?

What is with the state of "pop" music these days. Oh god I know I sound like a grumpy old man - and that may be closer to the truth than I'm prepared to accept, but seriously, the division between the musical "enlightened" and the masses seems to be widening. And this at a time when most music-files happily acknowledge themselves as having eclectic tastes.

I'm not sure if I should be happy or sad. Am I missing out on anything worthwhile by excluding myself from the realm of pop? Any precursory glance tells me that I'm not, but surely the current charts hold at least the occasional gem.

Respected and revered names in the music press (not least of all those marvelous chaps at the AV Club) seem to insist that there are more than a FEW gems to be found. Although I tent to disagree, I do note that the AV Club heaps all contemporary releases together in a broader sense. They're quite happy to review, say the new Raconteurs alongside Snoop Dogg.

While both of these artists fit within the Pop lexicon in a broader sense, neither make music specifically for the pop market (maybe Snoop does, but thats a different story altogether). What I'm taking exception to is the swag of "artists" in the Pop/R&B/Hip-Hop genres pumping out samey music year after year. It makes me think of some kinda chinese forced labour factory where producers and ghostwriters are forced to sit in appalling conditions churning out cheap knock-offs of REAL music.

Its not like the whole "ghost writing" technique isn't a valid or successful means to a musical ends. I don't (unlike many others) think that musical talent lies solely in the songwriting. A talented musician may be just that, and to no less credit to themselves. What I'm talking about is the generic rabble that fills the current charts. Synth/Hip Hop beat, R&B vocals and over-sexualised dancing. Everyone from Britney Spears to Chris Brown is caught in this web.

Maybe its the target demographic - without wanting to slam on any particular age group its easy to see how young people are easily sold on image, but that seems like a cop out. Young men will always listen to rebellious music (in my day it was Green Day and The Offspring) and young girls will always be wooed by pop sweet-hearts and crooners, but it wasn't always this bad.

Pop in the 60's can still be entertaining, and fun. The 70's showed their worth with the lingering influences of soul, funk and to an extent, punk rock. The 80's featured (despite being an overall ridiculous decade - but thats the topic of another post) a swag on artists who hold their own to this very day. That seems to be when it all fell down - pun intended.

People seem all to ready to accept that the "poor old" music industry is going through some turmoil. Few seem ready to accept that its the industry itself thats the cause. Why should people go out and buy new music when its just so banal at the moment. Pop SHOULD be enjoyable, not drivel. Try something new instead of pumping pointless fads, or samey junk.

Mostly, burn those Britney CD's.

You Poor Darlings

2008-03-19T10:55:00.004+13:00

OK, I know its been AGES since you last heard from me. I wish I had been able to write sooner, but things have been a little out of control over here in creative land.

Mostly, I got an upgrade to my Mac, but in doing so had to delete my iTunes Library. "No Problems", I thought, I'll just back it up again off my ipod. And what happens when I plug my ipod in...

Crash.

No more ipod, no more music. Gone.

Ok, so I have backups - scattered across the land on DVD, but not a complete set. The hours of love and toil I'd put in to making a cohesive library all gone.

I did NOT break down - I am a man of action, so I hunted and probed and studied and experimented and rebooted many-a-time.

And this morning - Success! There are still some bad sectors on the ipod, and I've lost a few tracks, but for the most part we're back in business. As we speak (well... as you read and as I type) order is being restored. 2nd back ups will be made. You'll have to make do with this as your only pre-easter post, but because I love you all - heres a little entertaining piece to keep you happy till my return. Peace.

... speechless? Cos NOTHING says Badass like one leg in the air.

The Rise and Fall of Calvin Broadus Jr.

2008-03-06T12:07:00.001+13:00

Calvin Broadus Jr. - better known as Snoop Dogg (formerly Snoop Doggy Dogg) EXPLODED onto the music scene in 1992 on the back of the highly anticipated solo debut of Dr Dre. Featuring some of the hottest beats and best rhymes around "The Chronic" showcased Snoop's ultra smooth flow on top of Dre's hot G-Funk production.

Suddenly the world took notice:

"The Chronic" featured as much of Snoop's rapping as Dre's and helped set the stage for the release of "Doggystyle" a year later. Within weeks "Whats My Name" had shot to the top of the charts, and "Gin and Juice" was getting heavy rotation on Radio and MTV. The album hit number 1 on the Billboard (knocking out Pearl Jam's "Ten") and Snoop was the hottest act around.

"Tha Doggfather" was released 2 years later to mixed reviews, despite featuring a more evolved flow, and some bumpin' production by Daz Dillinger.

Trouble within Death Row records saw Snoop looking for a new label, eventually signing with No Limit Records. A couple of sub-par releases owing to poor production and lack-luster guest vocals meant that the spotlight was off Snoop for a few years, and it looked like he was fading into obscurity with rest of the 90's rappers(Wu Tang excluded).

Then - hailed as a "return to form" he releases "R&G". Stylistically, its a complete change of direction, featuring more soul and R&B style production helped out but the Neptunes, and a HUGE single "Drop It Like Its Hot".

Ok - so I grant you that its an awesome single. The album is hard to listen to from start to finish, and Snoops rhymes struggle to match up to the production. Then "Tha Blue Carpet Treatment" comes along featuring the most unlikley guests in the business. Akon??? Come off it. R Kelly??? SERIOUS??? Dang.

Then...this:

Snoop, dogg, I dig you man. You were the first hip hop artist I got into properly. I have nothing but respect. I'll keep buying your records, and admiring your durability in a fast turning industry, but bro... You GOTTA drop the vocal adjuster. Its a gimmick dude.

Local Boy Does Good.

2008-03-04T11:56:00.003+13:00

Things are pretty exciting in the ol' NZ music scene at the moment. Lots of great new releases and a bunch of successful acts heading to the "greener" pastures of the US and UK.

Its not necessarily a good thing - at least for us still in Kiwiland. Artists are forced into making some tough choices if they wish to live off what they do. Financially its just not an option to stick around hoping to do well of album sales and touring locally. So its either take a knock to your credibility and sell some of your songs to advertisers (Recloose, SJD) or hit the road in the hope of making it big in the international market (Mint Chicks, Liam Finn...).

They both have major drawbacks.

Say you decide that you want t o hang around, and you sell a song or 2 to advertisers. The ads play on heavy rotation in prime time, and your credibility is shot, your song becomes played to death, or you end up forever associated with some product. A huge hurdle to get over. If you're a new or up-and-coming artist is can forever tarnish your reputation.

So say you take the other route. Head off to the UK on the back of a decent release and some touring at home. You spend months away from home, usually at enourmous cost to yourself, with only a small hope of getting "noticed". You might have been able to eek out a living in NZ touring, but in Europe no-one has heard of you and no-one is booking you to play.

Still, there are some decent success stories:

Liam Finn recently ROCKED the Late Show with David Letterman

Katchafire head over to the US on the back of some decent success in Hawaii, starting with a SXSW spot at the end of this month.

Recloose has just released a sterling new album, despite having a song thrashed in a Telecom commercial a couple of years ago. (It was Telecom right?)

SJD's brilliant "Songs from a Dictaphone" album continues to be the under-rrated masterpiece of the last couple of years, never mind turning up on the Buy NZ Made campaign ads, and the Monteiths commericals.

The biggest tragedy is that the artists are forced into these corners. I'd love to hear of more NZ musicians successes.

Jazz - For and Against

2008-02-19T11:19:00.002+13:00

I was chatting to a buddy on the weekend, and he mentioned that he didn't "get" Jazz. Fair enough I thought, maybe he never gave it a go, maybe he associates Jazz with experimental fusion, or beat. Then I realised that I was talking to a man who I KNOW understands music. He likes Hip Hop (as well as a huge swag of other music) He actually REVIEWS music. Theres no reason not to at least appreciate some Jazz. I thought I'd explore this concept a little - Why should someone with a varied musical background write off a huge branch of music.

1. Jazz can be weird.

No Doubt. I actually listened to Miles Davis fusion behemoth last night - Bitches Brew. I've listened to it several times, and I'm probably only just coming round. I enjoy it at times, but its hardly accessible. Despite Miles making some of the better Jazz of the last 40 years, helping to bring be-bop out of swing, and make jazz that was still relevant in the burgeoning music scene of the 60's. In the 70's he just plain old went weird. To the uneducated this would be an obstacle, but plenty of music goes weird. Rock turned all Hair Metal in the 80's. Hip Hop still seems caught up in Crunk. Trance and Electro used to be Happy Hardcore. Weird doesn't mean its not good.

2. Jazz is dead.

OK so thats just plain wrong. "Straight" jazz may not be so popular currently, but its still around. A lot of the better hip-hop comes from jazz. Jazzanova, Blue Note Trip, Shades of Blue, and The Verve Remix all push forward the genre, albeit with a more modern, dancey slant. You've just got to listen to Café Del Mar or St Germain to here where jazz lives in the contemporary realm.

3. Jazz turned to shit in the 80's

...and for that Kenny G must be punished. Every second prick in a band was hiring a saxophonist to make up numbers, but that ain't Jazz. Thats rock with some prick on a Sax.

4. Jazz isn't cutting edge.

Jazz by its very definition is cutting edge. Check out the latest break-beats. Check out Madlib. Check out Giles Peterson. Jazz is fucking cool.

5. I just don't get it.

Theres no argument against this. For me, I just don't get Opera. But I say, give it a go. Jazz is worthwhile and rewarding.

Besides... what do you think Fat Freddies Drop are influenced by? Huh?

Just a Quickie

2008-02-13T15:21:00.000+13:00

Just a quick wee post today - pretty busy for some reason.

A video by Okkervil River, who are coming to Auckland on the 4th March. Enjoy.

Over-rated. Yeop.

2008-02-11T10:08:00.000+13:00

In todays music scene, its hard to see why so many reviewers and critics get swept along in the hype surrounding a new release. Surely the market isn't so lacking that when lack-luster albums come out the industry types fall all over themselves to praise a less than spectacular piece. Surely? Theres a huge stack of great music that gets over looked, for sure, but thats bound to happen. We're effectively spoilt for choice in most branches of the musical tree. That doesn't excuse anything less than stellar having praise heaped upon it by every music reviewer around. I'm going to look at a few recent over-shoots, and maybe even suggest an alternative...

Exhibit A: Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Rising Sand.

This so-so release surprised me by rocketing up the charts and into end of year lists. Any fan of Alison Krauss should feel let down by her contributions, considering the strength of her work with Union Station and the way her albums seemed to have jumped from strength to strength. Any fan of Robert Plant should be asking then what the fuck he thinks he's doing. Ok, I'm not going to begrudge him some indulgence, he's earned the right to dabble in anything, but that doesn't excuse the enormous ass-kiss this CD received upon release. It lacks the spirit of bluegrass, and the catchiness of pop. Lost in a void. NOT genre breaking. OK, so it stands up to repeat listens, and it is an OK album, no doubt. Nothing More. Suggested Alternatives. $olal - The Moonshine Sessions. Gillian Welch - Time (The Revelator)

Exhibit B: Gnarles Barkley - St Elsewhere

I was so disappointed when I heard this that I wanted to cry... and punch. No doubt, Crazy (despite being played to death on radio) is a brilliant track, showcasing Dangermouse's mastery of production and Cee-Lo's vocal talents and lyricism. But what happened to the rest of the album? Over-indulgence in the production and hit and miss vocals lost me after the first listen. This should have been a musical masterpiece. I still hold high hopes that they get together to do it again, and get it right. Suggested Alternative's. Dangerdoom - The Mouse and the Mask, Freddie Cruger - Soul Search

Exhibit C: Jack Johnson

Ok, so maybe he's not exactly a critic favourite, but his enduring and mystifying popularity has lead to sub-par album after sub-par album. Jack Johnson's appeal lies in his accessibility. Hes safe and he's easy. After Ben Harpers success the industry would have been trying to catch this new wave of soft alternative fans. But Jack "Every Song Sounds The Same" Johnson is a one trick pony, and should never have been given a multi album contract. He's makes the kind of by-the-numbers fire-on-the-beach sing alongs that any stoner with a guitar can bash out in minutes. He's the kind of musician that you'd only ever pay to listen to because hes the friend of some chick that you were trying to score and she'd promised to support him. And he has the audacity to call himself a singer/singwriter. Pah. Suggested Alternatives - Matt Costa - Songs We Sing, Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans, Elliot Smith.

Exhibit D: Bruce Springsteen - We Shall Overcome, The Seeger Sessions

It pains me to knock an album by The Boss. In my opinion the man is a long standing genius, up there with Neil Young as a defining American Songwriter. Tragically, We Shall Overcome - Springsteens renditions of traditional folk songs written by Pete Seeger - lacks the execution to give these songs any real sensitivity. I'm disappointed that instead of the soft and emotionally complex Springsteen from Devils and Dust giving weight to these tracks, we have the more rocking Boss, blasting his way through in an almost rambunctious manner. Oh, hes clearly having fun, and the album isn't lacking any energy, but the material gets lost in the delivery. Not a bad album, but certainly nothing amazing. Suggested Alternatives - Rouges Gallery (Various), Southern Journey, O' Brother Where Art Thou (OST)

Right, thats me for today. I'd love to here from you if you've got any suggestions of your own.

I'm not one to generalise...BUT...

2008-02-08T10:39:00.000+13:00

Ok, so having just returned from a lil' international adventure I'm once again reminded of the some of the worst behaviour amongst other travelers. Ignorance.

Whenever I go abroad I endeavor to adapt and learn about other's cultures and customs - in fact I find it one of the many joys of experiencing other countries. Learning a little of the language, and respect for foreign customs goes a long way amongst the locals. It helps to experience the most of a new place. I am constantly astounded by those who seem to have the opposite attitude.

Those who travel to far off exotic locations, only to be obnoxious and disrespectful towards the locals. Those who treat their vacations as opportunities to drop common courtesy in favour of abusive and insensitive displays that I'm sure they would never consider at home. Every country has these. The English are known across Europe for being drunken louts. Aussies and Kiwis are renowned for behaving like animals on the fabled "OE". Germans and northern Europeans are renowned for hitting beaches nude at any opportunity, even if it deeply offends. Americans, aside from being loud and obnoxious have a nasty propensity for disrespect. You know the ones - they treat the locals like servants, or worse, slaves.

In my mind, the least you can do when overseas is treat the locals like equals. They're humans too. They might not speak your language, but that does not make them retarded. They might have strange customs, but believe me, your customs are equally as bizarre to them.

The beauty of strange places is that they are STRANGE. Enjoy that.

That aside, experiencing this big, amazing world is one of the most enriching things a person can do. Get out there, learn and love and respect all cultures and differences. Its our differences that make us interesting.

Back in Business

2008-02-07T09:05:00.000+13:00

Well I'm back. My summer has been awesome, filled with exciting personal events, some travel, lots of sun and booze.

So from now I'll attempt to keep this blog up dated a bit more regularly, hopefully gather a few more readers, and definitely rant on about some of the better music I've stumbled across recently.

On that note, I'd like to give a hat-tip to Colin, over at Lovers Waltz Records, firstly for running a brilliant blog, and secondly for posting me as a guest contributor for January. Its an honour. His site is great, with lots of great music in the Alt. Country, Folk, Rock and Indie realm, and thanks to him I've discovered a load of great new music.

Also - on the musical tilt, this Sunday at 7.30am (early, I know!) you'll be able to hear some of my musical selections as I hit the airwaves on George FM. Being a Sunday morning, and being a dance music radio station, I'll be keeping it light and bouncy, with a bit of funk and hip hop thrown in for good measure.

Peace, all the best for '08 and you'll hear from me soon.

I'm Back and I'm Blah

2008-01-08T12:44:00.000+13:00

Lordy Lordy, isn't being back at work a drag? No more mid morning swims, or mid afternoon beers. Gone are the evenings spent playing Risk till 2am. Farewell to Afternoon Naps (though admittedly I was never much of a fan).

Though I am pleased to see the internet again, oh sweet web, how I've missed thee.

So rock on 2008 eh? I had a great break, drank a lot of decent wine, swam with some dolphins in the Far North, and pretty much just enjoyed the company of friends and family for a couple of weeks. Its what a kiwi summer holiday is all about.

So since I'm in such good spirits at the moment there will be no cantankerous rant. Not yet. Nothing has pissed me off so far this year and I plan to bask in that for a while. Call it a calm before the storm, if you will.

Meantime, this summer has so far proved itself to be a diverse one - musically speaking. Loved Samuel Flynn Scotts "The Hunt Brings Us to Life" and SJD's "Songs From a Dictaphone" which I kindly received for christmas. Also in there was the Mamaku Project and Pitch Black's newest album, which I loved, but thought it sounded a bit too much like Salmonella Dub. Really enjoying Burial's dubstep masterpiece "Untrue" right at this moment, and rather excited about the swag of awesome bands hitting our shores over the coming months. The MUST SEE for me is Iron and Wine, but theres Sonic Youth, Kings of Leon and rumoured Wilco heading out way. The (now reformed) teenage bogan within me is impressed with the lineup at Rock2wgtn over easter. Does it get better than Kiss, Alice Cooper, Ozzy and Whitesnake? For nostalgia purposes only of course. Well it does, a cool band from Orewa called Sonic Altar are playing too, and they have the whole 80's metal thing DOWN. Screaming and all. Sure, none of its my usual bag, but I'm an openminded kinda dude and like I said, I'm feeling the summer lovin' at the moment.

So peace for 2008, all the best. Enjoy the good times while they roll cos soon enough it'll be that same old shit-storm you remember from last time.

It was the best of times…

2007-12-20T11:16:00.001+13:00

Dang, its been busier than a child labourer in sneaker season. My clients seemed to have all gotten together and decided that now is the time to try and get as much word done as possible. "Send it all to print" they chorus!

Heres a bit of a boozy roundup of the year, which saw me move even more towards the finer Craft beers. I Got back into white wines after a bit of a spell on the red's, I also sampled many wonderful cocktails. Props to fouriiiis for the idea.

Best Craft BeerEmersons Pilsner

This wee gem of a beer has lovely malts perfectly balanced against some distinctive Saaz hops. NZ's first organic Pilsner too.

Most Disappointing Craft BeerHawkes Bay Independent Breweries Special Reserve

Supposedly honey sweetened and infused with cinnamon, this beer has a watery body, and is overly sweet. Rather unpleasant.

Best New/Seasonal

Macs Sundance

Monteiths had this corner of the market nailed for a long time, but Macs go one-better with this sublty spiced wee gem. I can see a great few of these being sampled over the holiday break.

Worst New/Seasonal

Steinlager Pure

Steiny had it right - their recipe could use some improving on. Unfortunately this isn't it. Flavourless, and dull. I guess I shouldn't have expected different from a 2nd rate Heineken knock off, but the marketing was so good.

Best of the Supermarket Six-ersMacs Hop Rocker

Packed with flavour this outstanding brew has been a staple of 2007. Hopsy, great body, and a touch bitter this is a fantastic beer.

Worst of the Supermarket Six-ers
Pirate Beer

Although not strictly a 6-er (Comes as singles or in a 4 pack) Pirate beer is easily the worst beer around. At 8%abv You expect something robust and with character. Instead you get a watery slop that makes Ranfurly draft seem good.

Best Wine

Cable Bay 2005 Savignon Blanc

Newly opened on Waiheke, but grown in Marlborough, this distinctive Sav offers the best of NZ's whites. Fruity but with a reasonable body.

Worst Wine

So I don't hate any wine enough not to drink it, but Mcguigan Estate N/V Semilion is particularly nasty. Cooking Wine Only. Someone's booze-hag mum is probably thinking its the business, but she's a goddam booze hag who thinks nothing of drinking the cooking sherry when the Country Dry White cask runs out.

Best Cocktail

Old Fashioned

Recently usurping the title from an extra dry Vodka martini, straight up with a twist. Classy, Strong, Manly and damn fine. Props to Mea Culpa on Ponsonby for making a shit-hot Chocatini. Only place I'll drink one.

Worst Cocktail

Aussie Mozzie

Once again, I'll pretty much drink it if its got alcohol in it, but this is just nasty. 1 Part Creme De Menthe, 4 Parts OJ. Tastes like a cup of Raro after you've brushed your teeth.

I'm pretty interested in cocktails at the moment so if you've got any you'd like to share...

On The Bandwagon

2007-12-12T12:51:00.000+13:00

Nearly time for the big ol' wind-down that is the summer break. Since all the cool bloggers post end of year lists, I figured I'd keep with tradition and post my own. Musically, as far as 2007 went I think it was more important on a personal level, than overall. This year I discovered a swag of artists that I've come to love, heard some interesting new sounds, lauded some and loathed others. I've cringed as I watched the ongoing exploitation of the music industry and the manufacture of stars. I realised that I love americana and bluegrass, and loving something new is always exciting.

So... 10 albums that made this year a winner, in no particular order

Levon Helm - Dirt Farmer
Solo work from the former singer from The Band. You can FEEL this music.

The Phoenix Foundation - Happy Ending
Sam Flynn Scott and Luke Buda and co come back for their 3rd winning album. Possibly their best.

Jason Isbell - Sirens of the Ditch
Former Drive By Trucker's solo album is part rock, part country, part awesome.

J Dilla and Busta Rhymes - Dillagence
I love J Dilla, I never really got into Busta. This changed my mind, its a winner.

Pharaohe Monch - Desire
Hailed by Critics, ignored by a lot of fans. YOU WASTED YOUR MONEY ON CLIPSE FOOL'S

Talib Kweli and Madlib - Liberation
I nearly shit myself with excitement when this dropped in January. Talib AND Madlib on a release. Oh HELL yeah.

Radiohead - In Rainbows
Not quite the return to form it was hailed to be, this album is the evolution of Radioheads experimentation rejoining with their song writing sensibilities. It is awesome.

Mad Caddies - Keep It Going
Ska's finest, still making top notch albums.

Iron and Wine - The Shepard's Dog
Coming to NZ in March, I can't wait!

Eddie Vedder - Into the Wild
So underrated, Eddie's Solo effort, and the soundtrack to Sean Penn's movie is memorable, haunting, striking and just fantastic.

Overall I felt that this year lacked for decent hip hop releases, but other than that wasn't too bad.
Any that I've missed?

Why do they talk?

2007-12-11T11:35:00.000+13:00

Pondering, as I do, I occasionally am struck with the absurdities of modern life. The way things are done. The way things are said. Common phrases amaze me, why do we put certain words together? Why are we ever simplifying our vocabulary, using broader meanings for fewer words? Why do we tolerate media that feeds us this blanched mockery of our language?

Probably because its easy, but thats no excuse.

Why would we assure someone that our relationship was purely platonic? Do those words belong together or are we just used to the statement being phrased that way that we emulate it happily like lexicon-sheep? Why am I asking so many questions? Hopefully to encourage you to think for yourselves.

Advertising is even worse. Often not even written to be read, just to meet marketing approval or validate some plebs right to a corner office by making sure the BRANDNAME® is written enough times. Cast the language of advertising aside. No more "NOW WITH…" or "MAY DIFFER" or "NEW AND IMPROVED". How the fuck can something be both NEW and IMPROVED???

Impersonal printed material attempting to "speak to me" just annoys me. No, you don't know me. Don't presume you do. Those products are NOT my favourite, how the fuck would you know.

They're clever though. They create the impression that they connect with me. That I should identify with their demographic. That I should use their brand image to define myself. All part of their enslaving of humanity. Corporations are evil. DO NOT FORGET. DO NOT TRUST.

DBT Frenzy

2007-12-07T14:05:00.000+13:00

So lately I've been getting into Drive By Truckers a whole bunch. I got their 2nd album "Pizza Deliverance" off a mate a while back and quite liked it. Nice toonz, a little country but very rocking. Then I stumbled across a little bootleg of theirs called "Dirt Underneath Iowa" which is an acoustic set and also mucho goodness. Thats when I started to find out more.

DBT are considered cow-punk for some reason. To me they're more like 70's southern rock. They're more than decent songwriters led by Patterson Hood. They have a pretty hard rocking sound courtesy of 3 guitars (The 3 Ave Attack, as its called in the trade) and I'd guess a fair amount of time listening to Skynard, Neil Young, AC/DC and other rocking music from the late 70's and early 80's. They're rather stomping. They started out pretty garage, had a bit of a line up change, recruited a young upstart called Jason Isbell and recorded some kick ass albums. They're most well known for an ambitious double concept album called "Southern Rock Opera" which is basically a tribute to growing up in the southern states in the 70's and 80's.

After tracking down Jason Isbells awesome album "Sirens of the Ditch" and loving every minute of it I was hooked. (Yeah, we all know I'm a music addict, but its always great to come across something that gives a new kick) I hit amazon and got "Dirty South" and Pattersoon Hood's solo joint "Killers and Stars". Now "Killers and Stars" isn't amazing, its acoustic, very personal - dealing with his break up and low times following - but its a worthy effort. Its touching, if not rocking. "Dirty South" on the other hand is fucking amazing. Go get it, right now. Its that good.

If you don't like rocking country, you're entitled to your opinion, however wrong that opinion is. I'm not gonna call you an idiot, because you're clearly smart enough to read this blog. I am gonna suggest you give it a bash. You MIGHT like it.

Anyhoo, heres a killer little track from "Dirty South".

Stupid Learning

2007-12-06T12:39:00.000+13:00

Well, clearly I've been absent. I know I stated that I would be updating most days, then straight away I disappear. I know this ain't cool. Deal with it.

I went on a course which served to educate me on 2 things. Photoshop and Human stupidity. I'm going to assume that by reading this you don't fall into the broad and growing category of "Human Stupidity". Maybe you're familiar with Photoshop, but thats not important right now.

Some woman deemed it fit to pose a question to the speaker. Thats great, usually with questions you get more info than in a goodly chunk of the speakers speal. Fine.

"How do I make that black and white?"

Um WHAT?

Oh fuck no. You didn't just ask that. Besides the fact that the lecturer was talking about something entirely different, if you don't know that you need to make all your objects black and white, make sure your text is in the black channel and export it to a pdf on one plate, you shouldn't be here. You're in the wrong fucking seminar retard.

Maybe she should have just pushed the black and white button? Fuck. If you want something to be black and white when it goes to print YOU GOTTA MAKE IT BLACK AND WHITE FROM THE START.

A GROUNDBREAKING Remix

2007-11-29T16:36:00.000+13:00

Some of you might know of my pet peeve about GeorgeFM up here in Aucks. For those who don't GeorgeFM is a radio station specialising in dance music. Great, I can enjoy a bit of electronica and I ever really dig some stuff, Dub especially. George even some some fantastic shows- mostly on the weekend. Hell, my mate Tone hosts (and co-hosts) a great little show on Sunday mornings (7.30 - 10.00 if your interested). My problem lies with the day-to-day DJ's.

I'll completely leave Peter Urlich out of this, since my issues with his show run oh-so deep, and focus solely on the regular daytime programming.

Its a bit of a mixed bag really, but the focus seems to be on selecting the most annoying or repetitive or commercial tracks and playing them to death. The seem to prefer electro, which we all know is a musical style which involved sticking a microphone in the engine bay of a badly tuned car. Revving seems to be optional.

On top of this they hire semi retarded, yet excitable DJ's to ramble between tracks. Today I heard a statement which made me want to punch myself in the face. The DJ proudly announced "This is a GROUNDGREAKING Remix".

Yeah, some re-hash of someone else's song, groundbreaking, sure. ITS THE SAME FUCKING SONG YOU ASSHOLE! Its just a different version. Fucking retard.

I'm not hating remixes, they can be excellent, sometimes even better than the original, but groundbreaking, go fuck yourself you retard. The first remix was groundbreaking. That one. Thats it.

If George mirrored the quality of their weekend line up during the week it would be a brilliant station. This would require them shifting their target audience from Pretty Blond Shore girls and boys to real people. This might prove a problem for them since their advertisers are keen to take advantage of that demographic. Yep, Young, Rich and Stupid. Ideal target market. I don't see things changing any time soon.

Intelligent People Shouldn't Tolerate…

2007-11-28T14:33:00.000+13:00

I was walking through Parnell today tripping over the absurd amount of sidewalk advertising and listening to the fantastic Summerteeth album by Wilco. As I stumbled over a sign advertising the latest issue of Womans Weekly I happened to glance down and see a headline: Surprise Baby! It occurred to me that one would have to be at least slightly retarded (or absurdly obese, and there might not be a difference there) for a baby to be a surprise. What… do you shag someone, wake up 9 months later, look down at your enlarged belly and think "HOLY FUCK HOW DID THAT HAPPEN???". OK, so maybe thats a plausible scenario, you somehow ended up in a coma, for those people this rant doesn't apply. Anyone else has no excuse. I began to think that the whole concept of "womens magazines" is pretty fucked up. Weekly tomes dedicated to which star or starlet was seen where doing what or whom. Were they on drugs? Did they have make-up on? Are they struggling under the burden of stardom? Why the fuck do we even care? Intelligent People Shouldn't Tolerate Womens Weekly.

Alternative - Save the trees, they're worth more than any New Idea will ever be.

Stupid as the Sun

2007-11-27T09:10:00.000+13:00

Don't fuck with a bluegrass fan.

Simple advice you would think, considering stereotypes of hill-billy's with shotgun's all hopped up on Uncle Jed's moonshine. Even putting those aside, theres something dark and threatening to be found behind the Upright Bass and the Banjo. So WHY would anyone think that confronting a banjo player in the middle of the night would be a good idea? It smacks of horror movie storyline. Its not that a banjo is a scary instrument, but close your eyes and imagine a quiet night in rural New South Wales. Perhaps evoking the movie Ned Kelly will help. A dark lonely silence pierced by the mournful twang of a banjo from your neighbours.

You have choices.

Ignore it and hope it goes away.
Call the local authorities.
Approach the tattooed, shotgun wielding perpetrator and confront the motherfucker yourself.

Yep, easy decision to make I reckon.

As you can tell there doesn't seem to be much going on in NZ at the moment. We're also obsessed with the Aussie Elections, and Sally leaving Home and Away.

Wu Banga 101

2007-11-22T12:40:00.000+13:00

As an update to yesterday's post about the Wu-Tang Clan, I just got the 8 Diagrams mixtape from Loud.com.

This joint is BANGIN'! The production is lush, lots of horns and 70's soul sounds, and the raps sound better than ever. Raekwon raps slow on "My Corner" and he's never sounded better. Wu Banga 101 Remix is brilliant, Ghostface's verse is a standout, Meth's Intro track is decent.

If this is what 8 Diagrams is going to be like I'm buying that as soon as it hit the stores.

Beats the crap out of the shitty Twista CD I won off Base FM last week. I couldn't even listen to that thing from start to finish.

An Open Letter to Aucklands Pedestrians

2007-11-22T09:48:00.000+13:00

To Whom It May Concern,

You will have no doubt noticed that petrol prices have risen again. A lot. I commend you on your choice to walk to your destinations. You are the smart ones. A number of you are even walking to and from public transport, this is also rather wise. Exercise and saving money, while being kind to the environment. Everyone wins. Yes, a clever bunch indeed.

Perhaps it is because of this wisdom that I see in you all that I am so disappointed. You see, our fair city of Auckland, when they aren't busy having logo's designed left right and center, deem it fit to place cycle lanes around the city. More smart moves. Now we cyclists may traverse our isthmus
in relatively safety away from the suicidal conditions on the roads. A good number of the inner city cycle lanes are shared pedestrian lanes, marked with little cycle images on the ground, and in some cases even signposts to suggest that both cyclists and pedestrians be aware and exercise caution.

This would seem to be a brilliant idea. Extra wide pavements separated by painted or tiled lines, marked for your ease and convenience. Alas no. You pedestrians seem to forget that there will be bicycles sharing this space with you. You step out, oblivious to us until we swing past you and give you a fright. Honestly we don't mean to do this, but when you have no idea that we're here and you move into our path without warning we do what we must to avoid hitting you. We're not speeding down these shared pavements. Just sedately and cautiously making our way to our destinations.

To be honest, I'm terrified I will crash into you one day.

You'll be strolling along, txting your friend, oblivious to the world around you. Without looking you suddenly turn right. I'll have seen you from 50 meters back. I've watched the direction you're taking and choose my path to avoid you. I keep my eye on you but as you turn its too late. I clamp down on the brakes but you're just too close. No Warning. BAM.

I weigh 88kg, and my bike weighs a further 7. I'm traveling at a leisurely 20kmph. Heres a little bit of physics.

F = m Dv/Dt

Thats: Force = mass x velocity / time of deceleration.

95x20/5 (seconds, the time it takes between when we connect and when we stop) x0.475 = 800

Yep. 800kg of me and my bike crashing into you.

You don't want that and I don't want that. Please, pretty please, if you're walking in a cycle lane (which I have no problem with) BE AWARE.

Clan in da Front

2007-11-20T15:54:00.000+13:00

Which Wu?

The impending release of Wu Tangs new album has encouraged me to go back through some Wu favourites, and there are HEAPS of them. Like "Enter the Wu-Tang 36 Chambers" with each member of the clan spitting rhymes like their life depended on it. RZA's beats coming through sparse and almost scary, like a dark alley in the Wu's home - Stanten Island. This was the breakthrough.

Then the solo albums came, and these were outstanding too. GZA's "Liquid Swords", with deft rhymes, full of imagery from martial arts movies (and several excellent samples too) but reflecting street life; Raekwon's "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx" with soul samples, huge contributions from Ghostface and leading a new sub-genre of "Mafioso Rap". Both of these showcased RZA's production and increasingly, his diversity. RZA himself joined up in a seemingly unlikely collaboration with Prince Paul (best known for producing De La Souls "3 Feet High and Rising") and formed Gravediggaz. Their debut "6 Feet Deep" is a hidden gem in Wu's enormous back catalogue to this day. These were underground hits though mostly considered classics today.

Then... well then it went to pack.

Wu-Tang Forever was sprawling, sure it had some singles and the production was better than ever, but 2 disks is almost universally long for a hip hop album. Even a Wu-Tang joint. There are those who disagree, but 2 disks and over 2 hours later it gets tired. The solo albums became notoriously hit and miss, with the exception of Ghostface. Most notably though, RZA produced the score for the film Ghost Dog.

Fastforward to '07. Ghostface and RZA seem to be the only ones who've grown and developed. RZA went from strength to strength, Bobby Digital, Kill Bill Soundtrack, The World According to RZA all the while experimenting with his production style, never getting pinned into a corner. Ghostface built up from his average Ironman to the brilliant Fishscale.

So Wu, what will your 8 Diagrams bring?

R.I.P. Big Baby Jesus

Answers To Your Questions

2007-11-19T08:56:00.000+13:00

What is with the news lately? Front page on the NZ Herald site is an article about Peter Davis commenting publicly on the Electoral Finance Bill. Who cares? The Electoral Finance Bill shouldn't have been made news in the first place, at least not to the extent it has been. No, its not an attack on Democracy as published last week. No, it isn't the government exerting control over the public. This bill is about trying to prevent private supports from buying elections. Of course the National Party don't like this, we all know what happened last election with the Exclusive Breathren. But really, if the PM's Husband wants to get up and say that the Herald have it all wrong, he can right? No? And wait, lets have a little poll to see if our readers think so to. Of course. You conservative twats. If Mr Davis wishes to make political commentary its his right.

Of course not.

Our esteemed newspaper has been on a continuing downward spiral for many years now. They're more concerned with profits that facts. How many stories seem to come straight off Reuters? A good many. Even local stories can take hours, sometimes days to turn up, after being on Stuff or The SMH or The Melbourne Age. I'm aware that we're not exactly spoilt for choice here in NZ, and we pretty much have to take whatever the media conglomerates give us, but surely we won't buy into every little piece of crap they serve up.

A beacon of hope remains. And luckily, theres no shortage of astute commentary to help up wade through the sludge. Thanks Hard News, you keep me sane.

That was fun, but you know whats not fun?

2007-11-15T14:58:00.000+13:00

My bro sent me this. Its funny.

Kicking Televisions

2007-11-15T11:50:00.000+13:00

I really dig Wilco. They're not my favourite but they're pretty damn cool. I didn't get into them until a couple of years ago when a friend lent me a 4 CD, 2 DVD bootleg of them in concert. I was initially impressed with the catchy songs, and Jeff Tweedy's laid back demeanour while maintaining a strong stage presence. I wanted more.

I'd never been a fan of Ryan Adams, but after researching Wilco, seeing their roots lay in Alt. Country heroes Uncle Tupelo, I started tracking other artists down - The Handsome Family, The Silver Jews, Drive By Truckers, anything that was remotely non-mainstream country. Americana. Whatever. Its not exactly a "genre" in the strict sense of the word. The point is that Wilco started something big with me. I always enjoy discovering new things in music, turning over new stones to see whats underneath. Wilco was like discovering a whole new type of goodness.

Sure, there are similarities with other awesome bands. They're a little similar to Dinosaur Jr. Noisy guitars, weird solos, hints of country influence. They're songs are pretty non-linear and they work the loud/quiet dynamic well, so in that way they're similar to Pixies and like I said, the songs are catchy as fuck.

Their albums are a challenge to get into from the outset. Complex melodies, lots of feedback and non-standard solo's don't help, but get past that and you discover music which evokes a bleak North America, from the prairies to the bustling but lonely cities. They're from Chicago but Tweedy (and previous members of Uncle Tupelo) were based in St Louis.

Tweedy himself is almost a contradiction. In a lot of ways he fits the stereotype of anguished Rock and Roller, maybe not quite as well as Ryan Adams, but I digress... Known for being a tad temperamental, somewhat controlling and a fraction tortured, he would seem on first glance to be your typical front man. Look deeper and you find a shy and unassuming frontman who treats his profession as a craft. Something rare in todays music industry filled with disposable pop heroes and disposable songs.

So check them out - if you enjoy the likes of Pavement, Pixies and Sonic Youth; head straight for Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, otherwise start off with the excellent Kicking Television live in Chicago. Heres a vid.

Drunk By Noon

2007-11-15T08:49:00.000+13:00

I finally did it. I'd been pondering for quite some time: the usual apprehensions, first time jitters, would I have enough to go the distance? How would I compare to the others?

Only one way to find out, so here we go. Here you will find an array of my rantings, on whatever topics interest me at the time. Its a strange day to start doing this, but then, which day isn't at least a little strange? So... WELCOME.