Elliot Smith - Either/Or

Aha! cheating already you say. A day gone, an album downloaded and nothing to say! well to the two people who care, you can both calm down because all i've done is combined the two albums into one post. An ingenious idea i know, which will help no end in getting through the remaining 9000 days of albums or whatever i have left. On a sadder note i missed Elliott Smith when he first came along. I was wearing flannelette shirts and listening to eddie vedder garble on about whatever the hell it is he garbles on about when Smith released these two albums. Of course i wasn't the only one, they snuck under the radar a bit and it wasn't till his more commercially successful album Figure 8 in 2000 that a lot of people became interested in his previous releases. His untimely death three years later ( age 34 ) led to the interest becoming an obsession in some and he has a legion of insane fans who now treat his music as some sort of religion. Oh yeah, and i'm thinking of converting. Elliot Smith is a genius. He is brilliant. In fact stop what you are doing right now and go and listen to either of these two albums and tell me otherwise. I wont write another word until you do.

Elliott Smith - Roman Candle

At the drive in - Relationship of Command

Well i've been given my first sledge by one of my readers, which has now made me completely paranoid about checking everything i write twice. In case you hadn't noticed i'm quite a sloppy writer, i never use spell check, and i rarely re-read what i have written given that i hate reading anything that i write. sort of makes it hard to proof when you can't stand reading your own thoughts. I prefer the whole stream of consciousness style which is why i'm a big fan of Kerouac, Burroughs and Faulkner. Anyway i'll try to keep the mistakes to a minimum to give my readers less chance to poke fun at me. And because of that i'm not going to write anything at all about At the drive in I'm not going to tell you that there are some great hardcore post-punk inspired tunes, with some brilliantly phrased, desperate and angry lyrics delivered by a screaming, wailing Cedric Bixler. You don't need me to tell you that you will hate most of this album, you'll realise that after about 50 seconds. but it's worth hanging in for 'pattern against user', radio hit 'one armed scissor' and Quarantined. It's anti-establishment rage for smart young people, and i'm not any of those things so the rest of it is wasted on me.

Empire of the Sun - Walking on a dream

Look, i know you're suprised that i would download this album. I was too. But i have to like you're at a beaadmit i quite like all the Empire of the Sun singles that i have heard so i thought i'd give this album a go. And, due to the non-australian nature of the MP3 site i download from opportunities for local music are rare so that gave me another reason. Overall, i'd have to say i was pleasantly suprised. The album starts with the three radio singles 'Standing on the Shore', Walking on a Dream' and 'We are the people' and a fourth equally good track in 'Half Mast' possibly the best on the album. It's a strange album, a concept album of sorts, there's a tropical, eastern feel to the album, almost seaside ambience, with a very similar sound and concept to Chicane's year 2000 Album 'Behind the Sun'.There's also a homage to 80's space synth pop throughout the album with various well known 80's synth lines, not so much sampled as re-imaged within a number of songs. Lead singer Luke Steele's voice ranges from Bowie to Gary Numan to Gene Ween, whilst the music slides between the 80s' hooks, the ambience of Air and catchy dance pop similar to EOTSs second collaborator Nick Littlemore's other band Pnau. And i apologies for that being the worst constructed sentence of all time, but it's late and i want to go to bed.

PJ Harvey & John Parish - A Woman A Man Walked By

Look i have to admit first up that i don't own a PJ Harvey album. Thought i'd get that off my chest. I don't know how i've gone all this time without one. I had 2000's Stories from the city.. on mp3 at some stage and gave that a good flogging until it disappeared in the ether. And i'm familiar with 1993's rid of me but for the most part i'd have to say that i'm not even close to being a PJ harvey expert. What i do know though is that her vocal can range from beautiful and breathy, to a tortured wail, and everywhere in between. A Woman A Man... re-unites Harvey and John Parish who collabarated once before on 1996's Dance Hall at Louse Point ( Music by Parish, Harvey Lyrics and Vocals ) It's an interesting album that spans a various range of influences and styles that both artists have experimented with in their careers. The Opener 'Black Hearted Love' is a cranking sonic youth style angst ridden anti-ballad. 'Sixteen, Fifteen, Fourteen' Melds Middles Eastern style strings with Harvey's on edge semi-shouts. There's traces of Fugazi, The Pretenders, Goldfrapp ( who Parish has also collaborated on ) on the remainder of a well put together album that starts big but fades towards the end. If anything the title track is the biggest let down of the album, Harvey's spoken and ( screams ) vocals seem forced and Parish's dynamic experimentations seem to go too far. But overall its a good start to my PJ Harvey collection.

Beck - Seachange

I should've mentioned at the start that while there is a long list of reasons relating to why i personally wont complete this project there is a big blog ending possibility that sits out of my control. That is the future of my generous and slightly dodgy russian MP3 provider. If the offer of unlimited downloads was not a blatant grab for quick cash before shutting down its doors forever than i don't know what is. Of course these suspicions should've stopped me from handing over anymore cash in the first place but if you can't trust the russians who can you trust? The bottomline is any day now i could log into the site to find that the url no longer exists or that it has moved to evendodgiermp3.com and that unfortunately my previous account is no longer. In the meantime i'm downloading like Mad Jack McMad so that i at least get some value out of this while it lasts. So filling up my library with never owned gems is one of the main tasks in these early days. The weird stuff can wait. I've always been a Beck fan, he is quite the musical genius and has made some cracking songs. But i have to admit that some of his stuff has gone over my head and other stuff has just, well, downright annoyed me. Seachange is a Beck i very much get. It's a beautifully orchestrated album, the use of a full string section ( real, not electronic ) on some songs gives it a big band feel whilst remaing intimate and personal. The slide guitar on 'guess i'm doing fine' and 'end of the day' melds perfectly with Beck's slow almost country drawl. It's a quiet album, with none of the electronic 'noise' that Beck likes to meddle with, but it still has some oomph to it. For me it's an instant classic.

Badly Drawn Boy - One plus One is One

I've been raving on a lot lately about my love of the folk/alt-country genre and expected that this album would give me more things to bore you with on the subject. I haven't heard much badly drawn boy ( aka Damon Gough ), but what i have heard i have really liked. The film score for About a Boy is a pleasant, country-tinged, wistful experience, and with this album from 2004 i was expecting more of the same. What i got, though musically similar, was a lacklustre snore-a-thon casued by a voice that sounds completely disinterested in what it is singing. It doesn't seem like Damon Gough is trying to put any feeling in his vocal. It's an externely monotone performance. Yes, Gough does naturally have a baritone range, and yes this is his 'sound', but the fact is his other work has feeling to it, where as this album sounds like he is just spitting out the words without any meaning. Compared to this even Nickelback sounds interesting..... ok i take that back.

Iron & Wine - The Creek drank the Cradle

The amount of new music i'm subjecting myself to now means that my brain needs to be some sort of sponge in order to absorb as much as possible. Unfortunately all sponges have a capacity and after taking so much, some starts to leak away. Couple that with the fact that my brain feels more like a cinder block than a sponge and you will start to realise that a lot of the stuff i'm listening to isn't sinking in. It's just merely passing through, across the surface and then sliding off the other side. There are exceptions of course. I've already waxed lyrically about some of the great music i've come across. The kind of music that just feels good to listen to, and takes over from anything else in your day. I have my guard up for most new albums, not prepared to let anything through unless it does something special. Then i usually listen to it again, and again to the point of obsession until i know it back to front and have to stop myself from listening to it further for fear of ruining it. When i first heard Iron & Wine's "The Shepherd's Dog" in 2007 it instantly became one of those albums. It's rolling, warm, muddy sounds were so different to everything else i was listening to ( and becoming disheartened by ) at the time. So i've gone back to where it started for Iron & Wine ( aka Sam Beam ) to see if i can find some more inspiration to continue this process. The Creek drank the Cradle is a much simpler, stripped back album than Shepherd's dog. There's no band, no backing vocals, and only a guitar, occasional banjo and Beam's vocal. It's a folky, alt-country sound reminiscent of Nick Drake, that i know and love. The finger strummed guitar and double tracked slightly distorted vocals give it that dulled, soft edged sound ( that some may call snooze inducing ) that makes you close your eyes and think of being somewhere warm and calm, somewhere in the outdoors with the sun on your face, kids playing in the distance, not a care in the world. At least that's what it does for me. and that's all that matters

British Sea Power - Do you Like rock music?

Some of my many, many readers have been suggesting albums which i may wish to listen to for which i am thankful. I have no real plan at this stage for the remaing 340 odd days of listening so any ideas are much appreciated. Of course the chances of me staying the distance are very very slim. I don't have a big track record on following through on things and am possibly one of the laziest people ever when i put my mind to it. I have a list in my head of albums i should listen to but when it comes to the crunch sometimes i can't bring myself to listen to something with enough of an open mind to not skip to the next track halfway through a song i don't like. Whilst some albums grow on you the more you listen to them, others grate more and more the longer they are played. I find i get very angry at music ( one time i threw Powderfinger's Vulture Street out the window of my car on Parramatta Rd i was that annoyed by how bad it was ) probably because it irritates me when a band that i know is good releases drivel, Or people who try to make 'arty' music just make 'crappy' music. So when British Sea Power ask me Do i like rock music? my answer to them is, well give me about 45 minutes and i'll be able to tell you. This is your standard British Indie fair ( think infadels, detroit social club, artcic monkeys ) with some standards (Waving Flags, Lucifer ) and some stand-outs ( Great Skua, Open the Door, Lights our for darker skies ) It's good indie rock and it doesn't try to be anything it's not. While not quite reaching the standard of 'bloc party' or 'the rakes' British Sea Power do make some good music, i don't find myself needing to skip songs halfway through, and it doesn't make me angry listening to it, so i suppose if this is rock music, then yes, i do like it.

U2 - No line on the Horizon

I feel bad because i'm about to say some very mean things about a band i love. I was brought up on U2, they are my rolling stones. I have every U2 album and some of those albums define perfectly particular moments in my life. I probably know the lyrics of more U2 songs than any other band and could list the tracks in order off every album. I rate their 1997 concert at the Sydney Football Stadium as the best live performance i have ever seen. Having said all this i would never describe U2 as my favourite band. I have always enjoyed their music and a few albums would be in my top 100, but perhaps the fact that they are still going, and making music that nowhere near compares to what they have done in the past has tainted my opionion of them. U2 have had several re-births, their early work was raw, angst ridden rock'n'roll, and some of bono's ( a notoriously bad lyricist ) best lyrics. Then came some more polished pieces in the Bian Eno produced masterpiece Unforgettable fire, and then the bluesy Joshua Tree. They re-invented themselves with 1991's Achtung Baby embracing industrial distorted sounds and then 93's Zooropa a concept album of sorts based around Bono's Mephisto character from the Zoo TV tour. With Pop in 1997 they continued further into the realm of electronica and created another different sound that polarised their audience and had low sales but critical acclaim. Their 10th Album in 2000 was a return to their late 80's sound that for most has become synonomous with U2. Followed up 4 years later by a very similar album that despite some power chords in the singles maintained that soft rock jangly guitar sound. So here we are 5 years later with No line on the Horizon and well, nothing much has changed. Bono is possibly writing the worst lyrics he has ever written ( if you don't belive me listen to 'cedars of lebanon' ) the edge is running out of ways to make 3 chords sound exciting whilst larry mullen and adam clayton may as well be studio muso's such is the lack of oomph in the rythm section. Whilst there is some radio friendly, typical U2 in 'Magnificent' and 'get on your boots' It takes till track 10, 'Breathe' for the album to actually give you something to sit up and take notice of. The introduction of keys, strings and a punchy rythym give this a bluesy feel reminiscent of 'manic street preachers' or more recently Jack White's 'Racontuers'. Why they couldn't tranfer this enthusiasm into the rest of the album i don't know. Everything else just meanders by, and if i hear one more chorus of ooohs or ooowws from bono i may scream. Apparently a follow up album with songs that didn't make the cut for No line.. is due later this year. Hopefully it's more songs in the style of 'Breathe' otherwise i shudder to think how much worse it could get.

Bjork - Volta

I should mention here, in case anyone stumbles across this blog accidentally, that i don't claim to be a music expert, i don't claim to be a good writer, i don't want you to agree with everything that i write and a certainly don't want you to take anything i say as the absolute truth. All i am trying to do here is listen to music and give you my interpretation of it. Having said that i am trying to make sure that i do a bit of research on the artists i'm writing about before i bring you my thoughts. In fact my main problem with this whole album a day concept is not the downloading or the listening, but trying to read as much as i can about what the music meant to the person who made it, why they made it, and what it's supposed to mean. The great thing about music is that interpretation varies from person to person, and for some things i'd prefer to not know what a song is about, as i've given it my very own personal association of what it means and don't want that to be ruined by the truth. Sort of like when you read a book and have a picture of the character in your head, and then they come along and make a crappy movie version and it ruins that book forever because the character now looks like jude law or matthew macoughnahey ( who am i kidding what book would i read that he would be in the movie version? ) I don't know what the hell Bjork is on about most of the time, here lyrics are so expressive and explicit yet sometimes so bizarre that you can't quite get a handle on whether she is using amazing metaphor or just a mad woman. Most people would suggest the latter, as she is probably more famous to the gen pop as the zany swan dress wearing pixie woman who punches photographers. She is however responsible for some of the most brilliantly written music you're ever likely to hear. Songs like Human Behaviour, Big time Sensuality, Hyperballad are thick, layered, intelligent songs, with Bjork's voice turning every word she sings into something of Beauty. Her two early 90's album's Debut and Post are usual inclusions in any top 100 all time album lists. This is her 6th album following on from 2004's mainly acapella Medulla and possibly her most collaberative. 2 duets with english singer Antony Hegarty and 2 tracks produced by Timbaland. It's no departure from her normal style, but perhaps the inclusion of some more industrial style electronic tracks is a re-visit to early experimentations in 1997's Homogenic In the main though Bjork can pretty much do what she wants because her brilliant vocal range ( how is it possible to get so many itonations out of a one syllable word? ) means that any music plays second fiddle to what she is doing up front. and that is bewildering you with her madness, or is that genius..

Bonny 'Prince' Billy - The Letting Go

I go through times when in just hate music. I can't find anything that i want to listen to. The radio angers me, as everything on it is garbage. Even the stuff i love seems somehow tainted or stale or i don't know what, it's unexplainable. Nothing is inspiring, music is dead, there will never be another good album. etc. etc. Then there are times when i hear something that changes everything i ever thought i knew about music. Like when i first heard a Bob Dylan Album, David Bowie, Radiohead, Arcade Fire or Tool. All different types of music all completely shattered my perceptions of what good music was. All made me love music, all made me want to listen to everything these artists had ever made and to everything that inspired these artists to make this sort of music. I cannot believe i had never heard of Will Oldham ( aka Bonny 'Prince' Billy & Palace Music )until recently. He has almost 15 albums to his name and he writes the sort of music that astounds me. how can someone be this good? how can someone just write simple music and tell a story with that gets you caught up in the journey and forget about whatever it is you were thinking about previously. This is music for late at night, with a bottle of red. Or for cold winter afternoons. It's earthy and warm, its tone is soothing, its melody is medicinal.

Brian Jonestown Massacre - Methodrone

It's funny how some music just allows you to instantly recall a particular period or moment in your life and bring back not only memories but actually feelings and senses of that time. I find that some music actually produces tastes and smells and knots in my stomach or heart when i hear it. When i hear john farnham i think of primary school and the playground at lunch time prince or billy joel i think of being a fat little kid sitting in my room playing video games on the pc, guns and roses makes me think of high school ( and shudder ) red hot chilli pepper's 'one hot minute' was the album that summed up the end of school for me. and so on and so forth...Even though i've listened to those albums and artists countless times since then i still remember a specific time or occasion when that album was lost in a 'moment' and that means even if i don't want to, i get that image or sensation when i listen. The music has become a package and if i want to listen to it i have to accept the feelings that will come with it. I never really got into Brian Jonestown Massacre and listening to them now i really struggle to understand why. I mean this album 'Methodrone' pretty much made me fell like i did in 1995 ( the year it was released ) when i was heavily into pearl jam, nirvana, soundgarden etc. Whether intentional or not, this album lives up to its sarcastic name, and encapsulates the feeling of being on heavy pain killers or sedatives. It's not a bad thing, it just gives you that warm feeling, that humming inside that you get when all your senses have been dulled, and you absorb the music more than listen to it. If i had've listened to it years ago i just know that this album would be in my top albums of time.

Depeche Mode - The Story of the Universe

I start this blog with some reservations as one of my readers has told me that he will only remain a follower if i never review another pet shop boys album. as i only have 4 followers this equates to 25% of my readership and therefore is a threat that must be taken seriously. So i'm wary as i don't know how close Depeche Mode falls to PSB on the 'little fat kid from Hey Dads' do not review list. Both seminal 80's synth pop bands, both have continued to make music over a 20 year span, both have many albums to their name ranging from god awful to critcally acclaimed, and both are very old and should've probably stopped years ago. Depeche Mode has had a few hits since their peak period in the 80s and early 90s. Moving towards a more electronic, house feel they've had a few dance floor hits via remixes, Kruder and Dorfmeister's remix of 'Useless' a prime example. I know this because i had a brief dalliance with club culture in the late 90's. There's some good songs on this album, the opener 'In Chains' is a fine example of how to write a spacial, atmospheric, interesting song and is a great start to the album, 'In Sympathy' is a perfect example of the new wave style that a tonne of artists have recently tried to re-create. I mean these are the original masters so surely they have a head start.. However tracks such as 'Wrong' ( while i get the concept it fails miserably ) and 'Corrupt' ( trying for Pink Floyd, but sounding more like Primus ) stop this from being a great concept album. But it is a good one. And worth a listen. Well for some of my readers...

And You Will Know us by the Trail of Dead - So Divided

Ever have one of those one song albums? you know the ones i mean, there is one really good song you like from a band, so you go buy the album, but end up listening to that one song you like over and over and ignoring the others. Fortunately this digital age means that there's less 'musical waste' floating around because we have the option of only downloading the songs we like, cos we get to preview them all first online in some form or another. To me 'And You will Know us by the Trail of the Dead's' 2002 album 'source tags and codes'was a one song album, i could not get past the brilliance of 'another morning stoner' to take in the remainder of the album. So i was a bit hesitant to download this album, their 5th, as i wasn't particularly sure that i even liked the band. I mean how can you base your assumption of an artist on merely one song? This is a good album, it's punchy, it's rocky, it's a good variety of sounds, there's some great moments, but over all there's no stand out song that you want to listen to over and over again. So what is it best to be known for? Having that one song that was amazing in a bunch of mediocre, or having some decent songs and producing a quality album?? what would an artists prefer? I'd hate to be one of those bands that have people shout out at concerts for the one hit, whilst they trawl through the 900 other songs they have written. But then again i'm never going to be on stage let alone have a hit so i'd take what i could get. I'm not at all saying that AYWKUBTTOD ( good acronym huh? ) are mediocre, they have many fans who probably think all their songs are 'standouts' and received critical acclaim for 'source tags and codes' but to me there's nothing there that makes me sit up and listen. and i wouldn't be shouting out at a concert for them to play my favourite song, because i wouldn't be there. i'd be at home listening to it on repeat.

Elbow - Asleep in the Back

I first heard Elbow back in the days of Napster. Remember those good old days when illegally downloading music wasn't as illegal? Napster was effectively a peer to peer file sharing service devoted totally to music, and in essence far more legal than the site i'm currently using to download all this music. Unfortunately Napster was based in the US so as soon as the copyright police got invloved it was shut down. Sure there are millions of peer to peer websites still in existence but these days who knows what you are going to get when you click to download that britney spears song. Back in the Napster days the internet was still innocent. The files people uploaded were accurately labelled and you got what you (didn't) pay for. The beauty of Napster was that it opened my musical horizons, i downloaded shedloads of stuff that i would not have bought ( who would risk $30 on potentially 60 minutes of garbage? ok besides matchbox 20 fans ) and heard a plethora of artists that would never have come across my limited radar. Elbow was once such artist and when i first heard the song 'Scattered Black and Whites, the closer to this album, i was blown away. This is music so good it hurts. It makes you want to cry and scream out at the same time. It's not everyone's cup of tea, some call this music slow, or boring. i call them idiots. How i have not had this album in my collection ( i have their other 3 ) until now is a mystery. But thankyou semi-illegal russian website for allowing me the privilege and thankyou Napster for opening my eyes.

Faith No More - Album of the Year

Faith No More were an influential band of my young adult life. However most of their music was made whilst i will still in high school, and when 'Epic' was release in 1989 i was still listening to Prince and Billy Joel ( that's a story for another time ) 95's 'King for a day' was my introduction to them, and as it was more of a rock album than their previous experimental funk and hardcore albums I found it instantly accessible. The follow up 'Album of the Year' had some of that same familiar FNM sound but with some subtle electronic inclusions, and some softer more mellow tunes than had been tried before. This turned out to be the last FNM album as the band split not long after. Lyrically the songs themselves show the signs of a band that was stuck in a rut and couldn't make the album that they wanted to make. The second single "Last cup of sorrow" suggests that Patten himself had had enough of FNM's dark aggressive rambling as he seems to tell the listener that it's time to move on. "this is getting old and so are you" and "it's your last cup of sorrow, what can you say, finish it today". In 'Ashes to Ashes' he seemingly assumes full responsibility for the bands breakdown in communication; "i want them to know it's me, it's on my head". FNM weren't happy with the release and gave it the ironic title of "Album of the Year". That's not to say it's a bad album though, there are some great tracks, i challenge anyone to write a better song that 'Stripsearch', it's just not what the band wanted to do and hence they gave the game away. I just heard recently though that they are reforming for some festivals this year, whether they will play anything off this record though is yet to be determined.

Gym Class Heroes - The Quilt

Up until about my mid twenties i used to love writing. I'd write pages and pages of stuff whenever i could about nothing in particular, just because i felt i had to put words on paper so i never lost whatever it was that was in my head. I'd fill up note books, diaries, spend hours typing on computers about random thoughts, ideas, musings pretty much anything that came into my little brain. And then suddenly it stopped. As if a tap that was flowing had just been turned off, i literally could no longer write. Every time i put pen to paper or finger to keyboard it just felt wrong. I hated every single word that i wrote. I struggled to even read words back without feeling sick. I could no longer construct a sentence that i was happy with so i just gave up. And it's been that way ever since. So for what bizarre reason i decided that writing a daily blog was a good idea i do not know. But now that i'm seven days in i have to admit that whilst it seems near impossible that i will keep this up for a whole year, i'm prepared to try. What this means however is that i have to write something everyday no matter how i'm feeling or how little i have to say about the album i've listened to. I don't like the sort of music Gym Class Heroes make. I don't know what led me to believe i would. Their style is 'Alternative Hip Hop', pioneered by such artists as De La Soul, Busta Ryhmes and Disposable heroes of hiphoprisy ( Busta makes a guest appearance on the Gym Class Heroes album ) and while i appreciate some of this stuff from the late 80's and mid 90's i find myself easily bored with it now. I mean i'll listen to it, i don't find it offensive like i would say Sonia Dada or Fall out Boy, but when you find the music so uninspiring that you can't think a a single thing to write about it? move on, bring on the next one...

Morrissey - Years of Refusal

I wonder if Steven Patrick Morrissey, the man synonomous with teenage angst, ever thought he be still around at 50, singing the same type of music that made him an idol of teenagers all over the world in the 80's. Morrissey was more than just a music idol, sure kids looked up to him, boys wanted to be like him, girls wanted to be with him ( or the other way round, i can't remember ) but he also had that connection with his audience, that on some level he was singing about the same things they were going through, like he'd come into their lives, taken a look at the confusion and pain a teenager goes through and written a song just for them, where the words were as personal to the listener as they were to Morrissey. Whilst i'm jumping the gun a bit at his half century stand ( he still has 7 more days of being in his 40's ) Morrissey has come a long way from being "a small fat child in a welfare house" and in fact may have come to the end of his career. There are many moments in this album when you feel like Morrissey is making peace with himself and his listeners and doing it in a far more lighthearted way than the darkness that surround the album 'Vauxhall and I' which many thought would be his last. From the first line of the opening track "i'm doing very well, i can block out the present and past now" to the tongue in cheek outro to 'all you need is me' where Morrissey sings "you don't like me but you love me either way you're wrong, you're gonna miss me when i'm gone" and finally his statement on the album's closer 'Im okay by myself' that "After all these years, i find i'm okay by myself, and i don't need you". There is definitely an air of acceptance, without any bitterness or regret and it's a good album to go out on if the signs are correct. The song "it's not your birthday anymore" is as good as any in Morrissey's solo career but i'm not even going to try and attempt any comparisons to previous work here as that should probably be saved for a later time, when i have, i don't know, 10 hours spare.

Pet Shop Boys - Yes

The good thing about Ipods ( or any personal music player, i have no corporate affiliations ) is that your musical guilty pleasures are generally kept a secret from the outside world. For all you know that long haired guy with the piercings and trenchcoat on the train is listening to Rammstein when really he is tapping along to Dido. Everyone has their own musical guilty pleasure, i'm somewhat ashamed to admit that i think madonna's 'confessions from a dance floor' is one of the greatest dance albums of all time, and i listen to it regularly. I happen to know for a fact that my dad thinks 'd:reams' "you're the best thing" is possibly the best song every written. So in the spirit of these revelations i'll go ahead and say this; i like the pet shop boys. There, i've said it. now we can all get on with our lives. It was with some intrigue that i decided to listen to PSB's latest effort, i mean my whole basis for liking the is from two 80's albums, 'Please' and 'Actually' plus their 1993 effort 'Very', so my knowledge of what they had done in the 16 years since is pretty vague. And whilst they have had numerous releases in this time and many collaborations the basis of their music hasn't changed; moody electro pop, the breathy voice of neil tennant, some atrocious rhyming lyrics and overall some catchy songs. The single "love etc." is PSB at their best. So are the pet shop boys still a guilty pleasure? Australia's hottest 'electro' outfit 'The Presets' won wide acclaim last year for making what was effectively an album that sounded a lot like PSB. If the mocking i got from my colleagues when they found the album on my Ipod is anything to go by then the answer to that question is yes. definitely yes.

Noisettes - Wild Young Hearts

Continuing on from my movie vs music analogies, i'd like to discuss what music means to people and what we want from the music we listen to. Using the movie example again, really good movies to me are the ones that do something to me. i.e the ones that punch me in the throat, or tear my heart out or make me cry or make me laugh so hard i want to vomit. I want to feel some emotion when i watch a movie, i don't just want a story, i don't just want to be entertained, i want to walk out of a movie feeling weaker because of what it has taken out of me. Look at movies like trainspotting, donnie darko, three colours blue, joe verses the volcano.... these movies are epic because of what they do to your brain, your heart, your very being. I get shivers when i think of certain scenes from these movies. But it's not all doom and gloom, a movie doesn't have to make me want to slit my wrists to be good. i love comedies as well, and i'm not just talking about laugh out loud, custard pie in face comedies, a good comedy is one that makes you smile inwardly throughout, makes you marvel at how clever someone can be and makes you think the world isn't so bad after all if there are people out there that think the way you think and can poke fun at things in a way that you appreciate. Of course not all people need to have an epiphany each time they go to the movies or watch a dvd. some people like the escapism, they like being told a story, they are happy to give up 90 minutes of their lives if they get a good yarn. It gives them a chance to stop thinking about their lives for a while and if they get a happy ending, with everything resolved they walk away content. These are generally the same people who like their music fun and user-friendly. They don't want a commitment when they buy an album. They don't want to have to immerse themself in the mood of a singer, to understand their anguish or their pain or whatever they are angry with in the world. They want a beginning a middle and an end, and to walk away content and not give it a second thought. The Noisettes are the type of band that fits this category, and i'm not being nasty, i'm not saying they are bad i'm just saying that they are a nice, safe, non-confrontational band who make fluffy songs that commercial radio stations would love. Like fellow brits Morcheeba and Grove Armada they've created the sort of album that you are likely to hear playing in the background at a semi-cool bar or cafe, and two singles that you're likely to hear on the radio, or on an ad for a mobile phone or soft drink fairly soon. And if you listen to the album you'll like it, you'll walk away feeling content, and most likely you wont be giving it a second thought

Neal Casal - Roots & Wings

If you're not already aware i'm a big Ryan Adams fan. 3 of my top ten live music moments of all time have been at Ryan Adams gigs. I rate "Heartbreaker" as one of the greatest albums off all time. I have more Ryan Adams songs in my itunes collection that any other artist. get the picture? Although Neal Casal has 9 solo albums to his name i only know of him because he now plays in Ryan Adams' band 'The Cardinals', which he joined in 2006. He is an amazing guitarist and his vocals work in perfect sync with Ryan Adams. In the most recent Sydney cardinals concert his voice almost stole the show, during the night he channeled Gillian Welch, Emmylou Harris, Norah Jones and Noel Gallagher with such sweet backing vocals that Ryan had to try twice as hard just to remain the focal point of the show. Here's a funny thing though, halfway through the concert the band decided to play a "new song" with Neal on lead vocals. What can i say...it was ...well... absolutely god awful....
Ryan Adams writes the type of music that if you're a fan of country and western you might enjoy. Neal Casal writes the type of music that only fans of country and western will enjoy. I really tried Neal, I gave this album a red hot go, but i'm sorry to say i just can't do it. I really struggle to listen to your country twang song after song, line after predictable line, banjo solo after banjo solo... you get my drift. If you like Keith Urban, you will love this. Neal is a better singer, better guitarist and he writes much better songs. but i can't Neal, i just can't.

Adele - 19

I've always thought the difference between making a movie and making music is that where the movie maker is happy if someone goes and sees their movie just once, the music maker expects the audience to listen to their music more than once. A good album should be one that you can listen to over and over again and not get bored. If you're skipping songs it means that it's not a good album. It's just an album with some good songs. Of course over time a once adored album can get a bit tired, just the fact that you've listened to a certain song hundreds of times can mean that it has lost its appeal. But the truly great ones are the ones that can go on again and again, either just in the background, in the car, at work or at a party without your love for them diminishing in the slightest.
Memo: Amy Winehouse, Adele has stolen your voice, and your band and has made a much better album. You can also actually listen to it without feeling dirty, or needing to wash your hands of it afterwards. Of course i jest, as to label her as an Amy Winehouse clone would be both misleading and very very unfair to Adele. Whilst the vocal similarities are obvious Adele has made a much smarter, much more composed, and less showy album than either of Winehouse's LP's. There's the obvious elements of Soul, Jazz and gospel that her album shares with those of Winehouse, but the folk element is where Adele shines, and puts her on more of a parallel with another of her fellow country women Duffy. And while Adele may not have the showmanship of Winehouse or the hipness of Lily Allen or the radio friendly appeal of Duffy, she has a voice that cuts through the music, becoming the sole instrument in a song. Her voice is never over engineered in the mix allowing the nuances to be heard not hidden. I'm not suggesting that this is one of those truly great albums but it is certainly one of those ones that you would happily put on repeat a few times and not get tired of it.

The Doves - Kingdom of Rust

I like to think i have a broad knowledge of music, not just the genres i am interested in the most, and i like to listen to new things, new sounds, new ways of creating music. I hope to try and get a wide range of music to listen to and most importantly pass on my opinion of, in the next 12 months. Occasionally i come across an artist that i should know about and that i should've heard but haven't. Often i am asked ( by people obviously way cooler than me ) what i think of the new so and so album or have i heard of the somebody or others? Usually too proud to admit i haven't, i mumble something about having heard a song on the radio or "i've got the album but haven't had a chance to listen". I then scurry off to look them up on the internet and find out what all the fuss is about, so next time i see that person i can go, "yep, the so and so's are pretty good...". I should know about "The Doves" and someone probably has asked me what i think about them, and i probably did lie to them and say i've heard them, but then never followed up and gave them a listen. That's turned out to be a mistake.. I really like this album, it's new order, stereophonics and wilco rolled into one 11 song ball of fun. But having only now heard them ( on their fourth album ) i almost feel that i shouldn't write anything about them until i've heard the rest of their music. I like comparison and i like to know where a band is coming from before i really assess what they are doing right now. So expect to see another Doves album in here soon...

Bat for Lashes - Two Suns

The one thing i really didn;t think through with this whole -'album a day' concept was the fact that in order to write something even slightly meaningful about each album i would have to actually listen to an album a day. and not just once, as i feel that to grasp the true meaning or quality or atrocity of an album you have to listen to it at least three times. possibly more. I do most of my music listening in the car, on my commute to and from work, which is quite short so it's going to be a struggle to get through all these albums that i am intending to listen to. the problem i normally have is that no matter how much new music i have on my ipod i inevitably end up listening to the same albums over and over again. so i'm taking a stand. i'm removing everything off my ipod except my recent acquisitions in order to force myself to listen to new music. i'm starting to make this whole experience sound rather unenjoyable...
You cannot listen to Bat for Lashes (aka Natasha Khan ) without immediately thinking of Tori Amos. Her voice has similar sonic qualities and much of her work is accompanied by piano. but she also channels some other recognisable voices in this album; Beth Orton, Annie Lennox, Tori Amos, Sinead O'Connor, Tori Amos, Bjork, Tori Amos... did i mention she sounds like Tori Amos??
It would be an injustice though to dismiss her voice as merely an incarnation of one of these other singers, as her work (and voice) stands on it's own for its beauty and its flexibility. Two Suns is her second album and pairs her wonderful voice with a mixture of piano and radiohead like electronic soundscapes. If you're familiar with Australian artist 'New Buffalo' you'll know what i mean. It's a very beautiful album, calming and inspiring at the same time. The world would be a better place if there was more music like this.

Weezer - Pinkerton

I've decided to mix up my daily downloads between new or at least recent albums, and old albums. Some of the older albums will be ones that i have at one stage owned but have since been borrowed, stolen, lost, or eaten. Some will be albums that i've always meant to listen to but never had and finally some will be albums that i know cover to cover but have never had in my personal collection. "Pinkerton" is one of these. I've always been a fan of weezer, and much like 'silversun pickups' they have their own sound which they've stuck with through half a dozen records. You probably either get it or you don't. Weezer have had a number of what could loosely be called 'hits'. "buddy holly", "sweater song" but i'm sure many people went out and bought the album based on the hit and didn't really get the rest. Not that there is much to get. It's just simple distorted guitars, pleasant and well crafted harmonies and a bit of occasional thrash. But it can wear thin if you're not a fan. "Pinkerton" was book-ended by the more commercially succesful 'Blue' and 'Green' Albums but has possibly their best song in "El Scorcho". I've kind of struggled with their most recent stuff. Maybe i'm not getting it anymore??

Silversun Pickups - Swoon

This is the second album from Silversun pickups. I loved their debut "carnarvas" and the single 'lazy eye' was possibly my favourite song of 2007 ( i think that is when i first heard it ). Although i must admit the first ten times i listened to it i wasn't sure if the lead singer was male or female. Brian Aubert is in fact male ( the name is a dead giveaway ) and has a very Billy corganesque tone to his voice. In fact the first album was compared to early smashing pumpkins stuff like "Gish" and small parts of "Siamese Dream". So they definetely have a 'sound', all distorted guitar, brooding tones and melancholy lyrics. This second album is not a departure sound wise from the first but i think it is far moodier and darker at the start before easing up a bit by the final few tracks. Single "Panic Switch" is great as is the opener "There's no secrets this year".

Soundgarden - Down on the Upside

This is an album i have owned before but one that has gone missing over time. I have lost countless cd's to friends who've "borrowed" them to burn but hopefully gained as many back under the same pretense. The question is whether it's an even balance of loss to gain, at least now that music has been taken out of the physical realm, all these albums will stay with me forever, or until my computer/hard drive/ipod dies and takes all my music with it.
This was a big album for Soundgarden. Their previous two albums ( bad motorfinger and Superunknown ) had been huge, particularly SuperUnknown which had commercial success with "black hole sun" and "spoonman". So this follow up, 2 years later had the capability to set the tone for them to become one of the biggest bands in the (alternative) world. It sort of worked, they had their 15 minutes, but internal bickering meant that they didn't record another album together. Chris Cornell went on to have a few solo "hits" but mostly sucked at everything he tried.
The album wasn't as popular as Superunknown and the singles not as powerful but there are still some good tracks. 'Pretty Noose' and 'Blow up the Outside' world are memorable moments.