ICECREAM!

haha, look at the icecream i found today!



yum!

Going to Perth

haha, how much does it make us look/sound like a real band?

direct from melbourne...

promo shots

saturday 27th may

Refused - Refused Are Fucking Dead

Refused are fucking dead. It’s as simple as that. After recording one of the most important punk albums of the last ten years, Refused promptly fell apart on the following tour. Taking its name from one of the songs on that album, Refused Are Fucking Dead documents the final year of the band.

Refused have a knack for basic and accurate titles. Their final album, 1998’s The Shape of Punk to Come is widely credited with bringing life, urgency and a potent social voice back to a punk scene which had become all about skate-boards, whiney voices and the one drumbeat. It also kick-started the post-hardcore/screamo styles of music. It truly was the shape of punk to come. The manifesto was a song called New Noise. From the opening question “Can I scream?”, it was a call to arms. A reminder that punk was never meant to be about the right look or trying to sound like every other band around.

How can we expect anyone to listen
If we’re using the same old voice?
We need new noise
New art for the real people

We dance to all the wrong songs
We enjoy all the wrong moves

But like so many other great bands, the manic energy which made them great was intrinsically tied to their inevitable downfall. The volatile nature which created such excitement and tension within the band also made them unstable. Refused consisted of four people who had been the leaders of their previous bands. They found themselves in a situation where they believed in what they were doing but no longer felt they had control over it. Especially once other people began to notice and the movement became bigger than the band itself.

After the band broke up, guitarist Kristofer Steen became a filmmaker and it is he who has put together this film. Rather than rely on archival footage of the events, which is terribly scarce (after all at the time, no one knew the impact this album would have), he has put together a beautifully shot piece of storytelling. Panoramic shots of the landscape of Refused’s native Sweden are interspersed with interviews and newly shot situational footage of the other band members – vocalist Dennis Lyxzen (now in The (International) Noise Conspiracy), guitarist Jon Bronnstrom and drummer David Sandstrom (as the documentary focuses only on the final year of the band, members from their original lineup are not included, nor is bassist Magnus Bjorklund, who left during the recording of The Shape of Punk to Come).

Steen himself does not appear in the film, other than in the few bits of archival and live footage which are included, but his voice is still quite strong throughout, as much of the interviews with other band members feel like a conversation between them and him. Steen’s skill as a filmmaker is also on show, with the overall visual style of the film being stunning, while the editing and combination of Rikard Borrgard’s musical score and Refused’s live performances creating strong feelings of tension and excitement.

The live performances are worth noting too. Unlike many other music documentaries recently, Steen realises that after talking about it for so long, all the audience wants to do is finally HEAR some music and see what the fuss is all about. Mercifully he has included full performances of Circle Pit, Life Support Addiction and New Noise throughout the film at relevant moments. Also included is some brief footage of the song Rather Be Dead, captured at the final Refused concert as the police pushed through the crowd, tellingly stopping the band before they could reach the song’s refrain “but I’d rather be alive.“

Refused Are Fucking Dead is a must for fans of the band, or anyone with even a passing interest in punk, hardcore or any of their variations. However it will appeal to lovers of any kind of music, purely for the passion of the band members, their unwavering belief in what they’re doing, and the artistic direction of the film itself. It should also serve as an eye-opener to anyone who dismisses the post-hardcore scene as “whiney-emo-shit”, to see just how powerful, important and vital it can be in the right hands.

Bonus features on the DVD are a mixed bag. Video clips for Rather Be Dead and New Noise are a welcome addition. The idea to try and include live performances of as many songs from The Shape of Punk to Come as possible doesn’t work as well as could be hoped though. While it is exciting to have them there, most are shot from hand held cameras by the side of the stage, using inbuilt microphones (again, at the time no one could have known how significant the band would become posthumously). The amateur camerawork and distorted sound, from which you can often make out only the drums and one guitar, mean this stuff is for hardcore fans of the band only. However in this case, the main feature really is worth the price of the disc.

(Originally published on FasterLouder)

i hear they can wail

in the past week i have watched wayne's world 1 & 2. at the gig last night ted had emo glasses with no lenses in them, which i borrowed for a while (along with everyone else really). i didn't feel like doing anything constructive tonight.

all of the above may have been contributing factors in the creation of this. whether any of them explain and/or justify it is another issue altogether.

refused are fucking dead

i just watched the new refused documentary "refused are fucking dead". i was really really amazed by it. it's put together by the guitarist, and the visuals he uses, the music, and the way it's all mixed to create tension and excitement is just beautiful.
probably the fact that i consider them such an important and influential band helps, but really this is one of the best music documentaries i've ever seen, and i think everyone should see it at some stage.

the busy month of april

oh yeah,
the big news is that we're going to ballarat for a gig on the 28th of april. roadtrip.

gonna be one hell of a month.
7th - sinatra's eyes at fringe fest
9th - the (international) noise conspiracy
15th - sinatra's eyes arthouse gig/chris's 21st
20th - sinatra's eyes green room gig
21st - xiu xiu at northcote social club
22nd - the mad feeling at rob roy/chris's 21st party in the evening
24th - MY BIRTHDAY (let's party!!!!!! because the day after is:)
25th - ANZAC day - public holiday
28th - sinatra's eyes ballarat gig (we'll probably try and find somewhere to crash overnight in ballarat i reckon).

and that's just the ones i can remember off the top of my head.
i'll let you know what's happening for my birthday when i decide what to do. but it should be good.
or you could come celebrate it a little early with me at the green room gig, because that's gonna be a really good one.

From First To Last - Heroine

Given the age of lead singer Sonny Moore when recording From First to Last’s debut album Dear Diary, My Teen Angst has a Body Count, it would be unfair to describe the sound on Heroine as a more mature effort. Unfair because it might focus attention on age only, and not on the huge musical evolution From First to Last have made as a whole. (And don’t blame ME for bringing up Moore’s age, if it wasn’t so prominently raised in the bio which accompanied this album, I wouldn’t have mentioned it either).

Also according to the bio, the debut album was as much a parody of scene politics as it was inspired by the scene around it. Unfortunately most people didn’t notice. For all Dear Diary’s tongue-in-cheek ribbing of the emo/screamo/post-hardcore genres – through tracks like Featuring Some of Your Favourite Words (“Here’s to playing tug of war with my vocal chords / Maybe I can give this another shot or sing about a broken heart / Or imitate the way it feels if this is happening for real”) – stylistically it didn’t bring anything new along with its complaints. The music was catchy and well written, but it still had a lot in common those who were around them (although perhaps this was needed for their point to get across?).

Heroine corrects this imbalance. Guitarists Travis Richter and Matt Good have driven the band’s sound into a much different territory this time around. The albums first two tracks are the closest to what would have been expected had they continued on the one path. But the first indication of something new is there in the end of Mothersound where a “solo” alternates between notes, feedback and the sound of someone chocking their guitar, as well as the soaring background vocals of Jaqueline Marie. The overall feel of the album is a lot darker and atmospheric, while still keeping the band’s passion alive. Think the change from Deftones’ Around the Fur to White Pony, or Finch’s What it is to Burn to Say Hello to Sunshine (although much more cohesive musically than the latter).

A lot more effort has been put into the production of this album too. The work of producer Ross Robinson almost feels like an extra instrument on the album due to the clarity and space given to everything that is going on. It also means the newly discovered industrial elements fit in seamlessly. The quiet guitars of Waves Goodbye are joined at the end by breakbeats and glitches, while The Levy features programming courtesy of Atticus Ross (12 Rounds, Error and engineer on the most recent Nine Inch Nails album). There are a few notable guest appearances on the album with Ross’ fellow Error member and full time Bad Religion member Brett Gurewitz providing backing vocals on Mothersound (Gurewitz also runs Epitaph records to which FFTL are signed), and the band’s vacant bass slot being filled by Wes Borland (Limp Bizkit, Black Light Burns).

But despite this calibre of guests, their input is used to enhance, rather than as a significant element. The real star of the album is the stronger song writing of From First To Last as a whole. When Moore sings of falling on The Levy, “the distance grows as the ground approaches”, the guitar attack suddenly drops out at the end of the line, even though we’re only a minute into the song. The feeling of a fall and sudden stop this evokes is such that it’s difficult to tell whether the lyrics or the music came first. The highlight track for me though is The Crows are Coming for Us. The slow build up goes from a subdued and eerie verse to a chorus which starts out with Moore’s wail, surround only by light guitars and Derek Bloom creating a crescendo on his cymbals before the full drum and guitar aspects come in. Then we move into an industrial whispered section with high pitched guitar and lots of echo, before a final sing along of:

The crows are coming for us
Let ‘em in, Let ‘em in

Heroine is definitely an evolution for the band. The direct cynicism of Dear Diary has been left behind and replaced with a more poetic, darker and atmospheric sound. Having both these weapons in their arsenal should be a significant benefit to From First to Last.

(Originally published on FasterLouder)

Atreyu - A Death Grip on Yesterday

Atreyu’s first album Suicide Notes & Butterfly Kisses, was a straightforward hardcore album – raw, loud, full of energy and shouting. Their breakthrough second album The Curse was a bit of a surprise for most people. Finally the photos of band members in Motley Crue t-shirts made sense as the Atreyu sound was mixed with a generous dose of 80s hair metal. Surprisingly, long solos, sweetly sung choruses and hand pumping rhythms melded well with the existing base and provided a refreshing contrast to the straight-up hardcore which was starting to get a bit tired under the weight of so many clone bands. So well in fact that a cover of Bon Jovi’s You Give Love a Bad Name included as a bonus track on some versions of the album didn’t even make an impact on the flow.

The band’s latest effort falls somewhere between the two. It would be wrong to say it was a return to the early sound, as there is still more variety in rhythms and sounds than there was on the first release. The crisp sound quality of The Curse has been kept too, this time at the hand of producer Josh Abraham. At first listen the solo’s seem to have been ditched too, but after a while you notice them hiding away in tracks such as Ex’s and Oh’s and Shameful. What has been toned down is the cheese factor. Whereas The Curse delighted in mildly tongue in check over-the-top riffs, there are no shouted sing-along’s a la Five Vicodin Chased with a Shot of Clarity, nor the jump out of your seat and clap along intro of Right Side of the Bed.

A Death Grip on Yesterday is a more streamlined, focused attack. The subject matter is familiar as Atreyu still deal largely in broken hearts and regrets (for example see Our Sick Story) but they still do it as well as anyone else and with their ability to write a catchy tune you too will find yourself yelling out “does your body still scream my name?”

The Theft slows things down a bit more, and as with the ending of Untitled Finale (fortunately this is a full song and not just a cleverly titled outro as is becoming too common in this genre) adds an epic element to the album’s sound. But the highlight’s are single Ex’s and Oh’s and My Fork in the Road. Ex’s and Oh’s brings a rock feel to the sound, which is reflected in the lyrics. “Suck me down it’s time to Rock ‘n’ Roll / Let’s hit the bar, let’s lose control” goes the chorus, and this new element to the Atreyu style makes you want to dance. My Fork in the Road on the other hand is symptomatic of the focused and aggressive Atreyu. Sure there’s a harmonised guitar beakdown hidden in there, but it leads straight into one of the albums most direct messages to an ex-lover.

The streamlining continues to the length of the album. With only 9 tracks on A Death Grip on Yesterday, it clocks in at just over half an hour. But considering the quality of these songs compared to the left over track Her Portrait in Black which was recently released on the Underworld: Evolution soundtrack, it seems we’ve been given only the quality songs and spared any filler.

(Originally published on FasterLouder)

vonnegut

"all persons, living and dead, are purely coincidental"
-kurt vonnegut.

Sepultura - Live in Sao Paulo

What better way to celebrate 20 years since Sepultura’s first release, than with a concert in São Paulo, Brazil? Not just the country’s biggest metal band, but also one of the most successful Brazillian bands of any genre, the support of their home has always been integral to Sepultura’s identity, and the loyalty of their fans is on display through t-shirts, tattoos and before concert footage of people who have camped for days at the entrance to the venue. Such support allows Sepultura a visually extravagant backdrop for this live showcase of one of the most respected back catalogues of heavy metal.

Unfortunately this doesn’t always seem to translate to the DVD. The intro footage gives you a taste of the lighting setup, the video screen, the giant S logo behind the drums and the silhouettes of band members printed on the floor as well as the size of the crowd that came to see them. From the moment they start, the focus shifts to the band, as it well should, but the choice of camera angles is rather pedestrian and becomes rather repetitive by the end. There are also issues with the sound quality. The stereo mix is quite soft and rather muddy. Fortunately this is fixed in the surround sound channels which come through much clearer, but it could still do with a stronger guitar attack.

But these are technical faults. Much harder to fault is the performance. The setlist draws from every album the band have released during their career and it’s easy to see why they have been such a commanding force throughout that time. Particularly impressive is the tribal influenced drumming of Igor Cavelera which defines so much of the Sepultura sound. He is joined by bassist Paulo Jr. and guitarist Andreas Kisser who moves around stage as a blurring mess of hair while still shifting effortlessly between solos and the heavy riffs that make up the meat of the songs. The only member to come under criticism, perhaps unfairly, is singer Derrick Green. As a singer in his own right, Green is very good and had he rose to fame in another band, he would have been treated as such. But by taking on the role of the “new guy” in Sepultura he has always had to live in the shadow of Max Cavelera, who left the band in 1997 to found Soulfly. When performing songs from any of the three albums since Cavelera’s depature, this is not an issue, and songs such as Sepulnation, Apes of God and Choke hold their own in the setlist, showing that Sepultura was always more than a one man band. But when playing classic songs such as Territory, Refuse/Resist and Troops of Doom, many may find themselves wishing for Max’s distinctive drawl and powerful roar. Both Live in São Paulo and Soulfly’s 2005 DVD The Song Remains Insane feature live versions of the most well known Sepultura song Roots Bloody Roots, and it is Soulfly’s version which comes out on top of the two largely due to the vocal performance (and despite the stage attire of Soulfly guitarist Marc Rizzo earning it the nickname “Backpack Bloody Backpack”).

The connection between the band and their homeland is also highlighted by the number of guest musicians who join them on stage including original guitarist Jairo “Tormentor” Guedes and Alex Kolesne from Krisiun who join the band for Necromancer off the very first Bestial Devestation EP, and hip hop artist Bê Negão who provides some Portuguese verses to a cover of Public Enemy’s Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos.

Special features on the disc are rather varied. The “Making Of” featurette provides a sense of how respected the band are in their homeland, while Disc 2 contains a documentary shot by Derrick Green which provides his viewpoint of joining the band and developing a kinship with the Sepultura tribe. Overall Live in São Paulo is a strong show, which unfortunately hasn’t been captured as well as it could have been. This is further highlighted by the extra live footage and video clips also contained on Disc2. The studio versions of songs such as Bullet The Blue Sky and Choke are much fuller than the live ones, while extra footage from an earlier concert has more interesting edits from what seems to be a fewer number of cameras.

(Originally published on FasterLouder)

Henry Rollins - Talk is Cheap Volume 2

Having just completed another of his frequent visits to our country, now does seem an ideal time to release a new recording of Henry Rollins’ spoken word show, even if this particular show is a little old. Talk is Cheap Volume 2 (as the name suggests), is the second in a series of double CDs released at a reduced price, with part of the proceeds donated to the Hollygrove home for abused and neglected children in Los Angeles, and was recorded live at the Enmore Theatre in Sydney on April 24, 2001.

If you’ve ever seen Rollins in a spoken word show, you know what to expect. If you haven’t, you’ll soon discover that public speaking is certainly one of his fortes. Rollins delivers his monologue at such rapid fire that you suspect he must have much of it planned already, even as he claims to have been inspired by TV he was watching before starting the show. It is a mix of jokes and humorous anecdotes from Rollins own life and observation of the world, but always delivered with an underlying political message of free thought, tolerance and a refusal to be pushed around by close-minded politicians.

Despite the performance being almost five years old, much of what Rollins says is still relevant. Often when visiting musicians start preaching their politics from stage to Australian audiences it can be a little patronising, but at least Henry has done his homework. His opening tirade against Pauline Hanson (who at the time was trying to use the media to reshape herself in a friendly image) is spot on. Other prime targets include reality TV and a brief swipe at John Howard’s inability to say “sorry”.

At the time Rollins had just turned 40, and his increasing age becomes the main focus of the night. An extended story of his initiation to the world of Kiss (after the other band members of The Rollins Band dragged him along to the Kiss farewell tour), provides a lot of laughs as Rollins pokes fun at the pomposity of Kiss and the redneck fans, but ultimately concludes with a lot of respect and inspiration drawn from a band who at 50, still put on a show which rocked out and impressed Rollins more than any of the other bans he played with on the subsequent Rollins Band tour.

The night concludes with a more serious reflection on the responsibilities of growing old and continuing to kick up a fuss at injustice, his decision not to have children, and the lasting impressions of the poverty seen during his visit to India.

It’s difficult to review a spoken word disc without giving away the best parts or jokes of any of the stories, but if you’re a fan of Rollins, all you need to know is this disc is as good as any of his other spoken words, and if you’ve never heard them before, as a discounted double disc, this may be the place to start.

(Originally published on FasterLouder)

why i love music.

OH.
MY.
GOD!
(and i don't even BELIEVE in god!)

i don't want to be a pain in the arse to anyone by bragging, but i know anyone reading this is here because they are musically inclined, and tonight was one of THE BEST nights of music i've seen. EVER.

every band was completely different, but the were all amazing in their own right. certainly i have never lost my faith in music, but if anyone ever did, a night like tonight would clearly prove to them how wrong they are. same with any notions of punk being dead. HA! not one of these bands followed any kind of "punk" musical formula, and coming from all around the world they all sounded very different to each other, but if you believe at all that punk is an attitude rather than a style, then you should have been there tonight.

the thaw come from sydney, and were a kind of atmospheric, soft, spacey band, with some screamo (in the best tradition of saetia, i hate myself, circle takes the square, etc) thrown in to make sure you understand the importance of what they're doing. then came sabot from the czech republic, laying down some hard, fuzzy instrumental bass grooves for a solid half an hour with only two pauses to catch their breath. then ni-hao! from japan (yes, ni-hao is chinese, but perhaps one of the best quotes of the night was "konichiwa, we're ni-hao from japan"). two
basses and a drumkit, it was oh so cute japanese music, until they just decided to switch to rock-the-fuck-out mode, with no warning, and then back again. and then baseball. guitar, bass, drums, violin, singing, screaming, and a general whirlwind of intensity.

seriously.
OH.
MY.
GOD!

the whole thing was filmed for a dvd too. i hope i can get a copy.

i just went along to see baseball and for a bit of a laugh thinking that if the bands had come that far they'd at least be good for interest purposes/novelty value, even if i didn't enjoy them, but i got one of the best musical nights you could ever hope for. and all for entry by donation. i LOVE melbourne (even though the bands didn't all come from here, i love that we can attract them and get them to play in some weird upstairs area with dingy couches and a p.a.). i will write a proper review when i'm less drunk/tired, but i just wanted to share how excited i am by what i just saw.

and saturday night at pony, ni-hao! and the thaw. i think i'll be there.

sit down honey, let's kill some time. rest your head on this heart of mine.

OH MY FUCKING OMFG!!!

sleater-kinney were fucking awesome. so rocking. i am in love again and again and again.

and the supports were both really good as well (the grates and baseball), so all up one of the best shows i've been to in a while.

Big Day Out @ Princes Park, 29/01/06

The Big Day Out is one of the most economic ways to have a great time seeing heaps of great bands. Unfortunately due to the scheduling clashes inherent in such a massive event, it’s also the easiest way to be disappointed at the awesome bands you had to miss.

Another great way to miss a band is to get held up in queues on the way in, and so it was that we arrived just in time to hear The Grates thank their audience for helping them get over their nerves about the day. This year saw a new venue for the Melbourne leg of Big Day Out, with Princes Park filling in nicely for the still-being-renovated Showgrounds. The capacity was smaller, giving the day a milder feel, and the closer proximity of the stages made it easier to see, or at least hear, a lot more bands.

The biggest difference between venues was the positioning of the smaller green and purple stages next to each other under a giant tent, and running them at alternating times to avoid sound clashes, like a miniature version of the main stages. So arriving at the end of The Grates also meant turning up at the start of The Greenhornes. A nice early-rock/R’n’B influenced introduction to the day, it wasn’t long before the crowd warmed to them, even if most in the audience seemed to be having their first taste. Drummer Patrick Keeler’s enthusiasm lead the band through an energetic set, especially the closing James Brown cover.

Gerling took to the orange stage with flannel shirts and guitars, looking like a long lost grunge band. The following set was heavily focused on their more rock and guitar songs, and considering the last time I saw them at BDO it was a largely electronic set (with shirts and backpacks), it was nice to see the other side of the band showcased this time around. They also beat a certain much-hyped-afro-led band to the punch, sneaking in the opening riff to White Unicorn, which saw a few of the idle crowd turn their heads in a moment of confused excitement. Meanwhile, Sarah Blasko had the tent completely packed out when she hit the green stage, thanks no doubt to her growing exposure on Triple J.

Magic Dirt have to be one of the most regular bands to appear on the Big Day Out tour, and their consistent sets show why. They covered newer tracks like I Love the Rain (which saw Adalita don an acoustic guitar, definitely something new in the Magic Dirt universe), through to a feedback drenched rendition of She-Riff. The highlight was a strong version of Vulcanella. The first time I’ve seen this song live, it was everything I’d hoped for as Adalita prowled the barriers in front of the crowd and the rest of the band threw themselves around to the distorted music on stage.

The already mentioned scheduling conflicts meant Mudvayne had to be skipped in favour of Sleater-Kinney back in the tent; a hard decision to make, but ultimately a good one as I witnessed one of the standout performances of the day. Drawing mainly from their recent album The Woods, the set was an example of how rock should be done. The interaction between Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein (both playing guitar and vocals) is fascinating to watch live, as is Janet Weiss’s unique drumming style. These were best shown off in tracks like Jumpers, where Tucker’s vocals soar, the bouncy Step Aside and What’s Mine is Yours where Brownstein’s guitar solo is literally a show stopper.

Wolfmother have made an appearance at every major festival over the last six months, and wherever they are so are the legions of Wolfmother t-shirts. So it was no surprise that they hit the blue stage to a large, and appreciative audience. And it was no surprise that like every Wolfmother show, it was loud, it was fuzzy and it was powerful. It was the 70s all over again. They stormed through hits like Apple Tree, and Woman, but if their Hottest 100 results are anything to go by, just about EVERY song is a hit.

Next it was back to the tent for The Go! Team, and a manic performance it was. Fleshing out an album composed largely of sampled bits and pieces to a six piece live band provided a greater feeling of life to the songs, with members jumping as needed between instruments as diverse as recorders, xylophones, keyboards, harmonicas and the more conventional guitar, bass and drums. Lead vocalist Ninja also displayed great diversity as she switched seamlessly between rapping and singing, and her “dances from around the world” during Ladyflash were a big hit with the crowd.

The positioning of the smaller stages next to each other also made for greater exposure to bands as there was a fairly constant stream of music coming from the shared speakers at any given time. And so it was that I heard End of Fashion while waiting for Henry Rollins. I can’t say I was too impressed with their music. O Yeah was a hit with those watching them, but that’s always the way with the single. They played well, but I had trouble finding anything about their songs that made them stand out from the others or grab me in any way.

A spoken word show in the middle of the nation’s biggest travelling rock concert seems like a bit of a weird concept. But if anyone was going to pull it off, it was going to be Henry Rollins. The iconic singer of Black Flag and The Rollins Band managed to entertain a respectable sized crowd with stories about his plan for peace in the middle east via Ramones albums and the importance of the true King of Rock, Iggy Pop (a little teaser for what was to come later).

The Beasts of Bourbon then took to the purple stage next door. It was a strong performance and although not quite the “fuck off” band of their glory days that Rollins had raved about minutes earlier, their passion for what the do is still there. By the time they finish with Let’s Get Funky though, it’s clear that most people in the tent are now waiting for The Mars Volta.

As soon as the Beasts leave the stage the chant goes up: “VOLTA! VOLTA!”. And they live up to everything that’s expected of them. Starting off with Cygnus… Vismund Cygnus, it’s not long before the eight-piece stage version of the band begin to show their chops. Eyes are predominantly on Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala (formerly of At The Drive-In), but the entire band got a chance to show off their skills. More impressive was the way all members (now including Paul Hinojos, also an ex-At The Drive-In member) managed to communicate with each other through musical cues so that no matter what territory extended versions of L’via L’viaquez or Drunkship of Lanterns were taken in, everyone was able to reign it back in together with great precision. It was heart-breaking to leave during an extended version of Roulette Dares, but there’s only one chance in my lifetime I’m going to get to see Iggy Pop and The Stooges.

Pop did manage to live up to Rollins glowing praises, traipsing about the stage in exactly the energetic and erratic manner that his reputation and the reports from other Big Day Outs have led us to expect. The Stooges showed a high level of energy too, clearly excited to be back out playing their songs after 30 odd years. But it was definitely Pop who had the audience mesmerised. He called for people to come on stage and “dance with The Stooges”, and many did. Somehow one of my friends lost both his shoes in the scramble over the barrier, but he said it was worth it just to be on stage with Iggy, and to surprise him with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Late highlights in the set came from tracks like Funhouse and closer I Wanna be Your Dog, with Iggy screaming when on stage, and at other times jumping down to run in front of the crowd and pass the microphone out for the chorus, before jumping back on stage to pose like a stripper and show off that lean physique and bit of ass-crack just above his skin tight jeans. For those down the front this truly this was an evening WITH the stooges, not just watching them.

Then came The White Stripes. Recent hit Blue Orchid got things pumping early in the set and for a two piece they still managed to provide a fairly eclectic mix of sounds. Starting and stopping songs almost on a whim and combining many into medleys, Meg White kept a steady beat, while Jack White roamed the stage, jumping between guitars, pianos and a xylophone, often mid-song and at one stage Meg even took the vocals for a bit. Highlights included Dead Leaves on the Dirty Ground combined with Passive Manipulation off current album Get Behing Me Satan, and a brief burst of There’s No Home for You Here before Jack went to the back of stage, placed his guitar down and took up on the xylophone for The Nurse, during which he’d allow feedback from the still plugged in guitar to ring out during the louder breaks. And of course a rendition of Seven Nation Army at the end of the set was lovingly welcomed by the crowd.

With The White Stripes finishing a touch early, there was just enough time to rush over and catch the last two songs by Shihad. Another of the bands to consistently rock the Big Day Out, it was a shame they had to compete with the headliners for an audience tonight. But those who were there looked like they’d been enjoying themselves. Shirtless, stick thin and now long-haired, singer Jon Toogood seems to be giving his best emulation of Iggy Pop, throwing himself around as energetically as ever. At the close of My Mind’s Sedate (a perfect way to whip the crowd into a frenzy as you say goodbye), Toogood pulled apart the drumkit, then leapt into the crowd with the bass drum and rode it around. It was a contrast to Jack White’s humble ‘thank you for watching me and my sister’ speech, but then that just illustrates the diversity of this year’s Big Day Out, which once again was celebrated and enjoyed by all.

(Originally published on FasterLouder)

volume 3

ooh, ooh! i found it!

01. m83 - moonchild
02. refused - tannheuser / derive
03. murder by death - killbot 2000
04. isis/agorophobic nosebleed - boris (melvins cover)
05. sleepytime gorrilla museum - 1997
06. liars - if you're a wizard then why do you wear glasses?
07. the books - s is for evrysing
08. richard harris - macarthurs park
09. the blood brothers - 1,2,3,4 act two: now you're the bitch
10. melt banana - everybody wash
11. atreyu - demonology and heartache
12. my chemical romance - vampires will never hurt you
13. the dwarves - better be women
14. jello biafra and the melvins - we are the locusts
15. thursday - tommorrow i'll be you

volume 4

i kinda gave volume 3 away without thinking to note down what was on it. but it was pretty good. but here's the newest mix (which is also pretty good):

01. the cure - fascination st
02. the grates - sukkafish
03. david bowie (with maynard james keenan & john frusciante} - bring me the disco king (loner mix)
04. the dandy warhols - love is the new feel awful
05. architecture in helsinki - the owls go
06. the blood brothers - while the party was kissing
07. the dillinger escape plan - honey bucket [the melvins cover]
08. team sleep - ever (foreign flag)
09. joanna newsom - sadie
10. catherine - milkshake
11. zolof the rock 'n' roll destroyer - don't mope
12. sinatra's eyes - cut me
13. the dillinger escape plan - phone home
14. coheed and cambria - apollo i: the writing writer
15. every time i die - guitarred and feathered
16. marilyn manson - the bright young things
17. bullet for my valentine - hand of blood
18. my ruin - rid of me [p.j. harvey cover]

Korn - See You On The Other Side

After guitarist Brian “Head” Welch left last year in favour of a life dedicated to Jesus, many people questioned whether Korn, now twelve years on from the release of their debut album, would continue on. Welch’s departure was the first line-up change in the bands career, which most critics feel has passed its peak and 2005 had also seen the completion of their contract with epic records by the release of a greatest hits album (even if it was sub-titled Volume 1).

When it was announced the band were going to continue, the new question was how would Welch’s absence affect the Korn sound. The answer is, it didn’t make a difference. See You On The Other Side certainly sounds different to the Korn albums of the past, but the sound is of a band attempting to make their sound more accessible to recapture an audience rather than a band trying to fill a void. The biggest sign of this is that for the first time ever, every track is co-written with people out side the band. But not just any people. For See You On The Other Side Korn have worked with The Matrix, the writing team behind the hits of Avril Lavigne and Hillary Duff, amongst others. That’s not to say that the bandhave gone all teen-girl-pop-ballad-y on us, but it would lead you to expect an album with more than the usual amount of hooks designed to reel the listener in.

Sadly this is not the case. See You On The Other Side largely falls flat. Part of what made the band so brilliant to begin was the rawness of their self titled debut and the follow up Life Is Peachy. These albums had an immediacy and passion which gave them their edge. The heavy involvement of The Matrix as production team leaves the new album with more in common with a release like Untouchables, which suffered from an overuse of studio trickery. This is same mistake made by many of the bands such as Static-X and Linkin Park, who tried to follow in Korn’s footsteps. There is not the depth or contrast between parts which made things exciting at the beginning, instead everything sounds flat and cold.

Lead single and album opener Twisted Transistor is a great example of this. Remaining guitarist James “Munky” Shaffer’s main riff is based more around a guitar effect than the actual notes played, while the vocals are heavily chorused. Perhaps the biggest departure from the early Korn sound is mixing Jonathon Davis’s scream into the background, so it sounds more like a grumble. Also lacking is the more percussive tones which were the signature of bassist Fieldy.

Second track Politics is also pretty disappointing. Aside from the music being as forgettable as any other track on the album, it has the added bonus of a stupid chorus.

Don’t wanna talk about politics
Refuse to talk about politics
Don’t make me talk about politics
Don’t give a shit about politics

What Korn seem to have missed is that in this day and age, even writing a song about political apathy is making a political statement. As Davis himself sings:

it’s in religion, sex and everything we do and say.

Without any sense of irony, the next track is called Hypocrites. This may have the most interesting and actually memorable chorus of the album. Says Davis, “I’m telling a story, and it’s very fucking Broadway – I love that shit, it’s what I grew up on, and those influences have finally come out. The reason I got into rock ‘n’ roll was because of the Jesus Christ Superstar.” And for once, the press release that accompanied this album was actually accurate.

Not so accurate was its description of the new Korn direction as “an industrial-strength alter ego that’s been suppressed – until now.” The album is often referred to as an industrial Korn album, thanks to the band also working with Atticus Ross for a number of songs. Ross has previously been a member of 12 Rounds, Error, and most recently was the right-hand man to Trent Reznor for the recording of Nine Inch Nails’ With Teeth. But sadly Ross’ influence seems to have been restricted to the soundscapes between songs, rather than adding a noticeable industrial tint to any songs. Sure there’s weird noises and programmed sounds, but again it lacks the harshness of industrial music, everything is just too smooth.

Even the final track Tearjerker fails to stir up any real interest, despite being co-written with The Matrix, Atticus Ross AND his brother Leopold Ross, also a member of Error. This is truly surprising and a little disappointing since Error’s self-titled EP in 2004 was one of the most vitriolic and exciting releases in years, which took punk and hardcore music and made an industrial electro version which sounded like the ultimate battle between man and machine. Had these two worked with one of the most innovative modern metal bands during their prime, it could have been scary. But now it just sounds like wrapping paper on a not so interesting present.

No band should ever be expected to re-release their same album over and over again – although many would argue that’s what Korn have tried to do from Follow The Leader through to Take A Look In The Mirror. Even See You On The Other Side maintains many of the old Korn tricks. But when a band abandons what made them good, and ends up in a space occupied by the bands who made careers from copying them, the results are no more innovative or interesting.

(Originally published on FasterLouder)

Mudvayne - Forget to Remember

Forget to Remember is the third single from Mudvayne’s Lost & Found. Lacking the force of Determined or the hooks of Happy?, Forget to Remember is not likely to bring Mudvayne to any unsuspecting audiences, but ahead of their upcoming Big Day Out tour, it is a great reminder of what this band can do.

All of the bands strengths are on display. The opening riff is crunchy and heavy, a glimpse of what’s to come, before it all drops away and Greg Tribbett’s lone guitar leads us into the verse. As the rest of the band join him, Ryan Martinie’s bass proceeds to play around the guitar line rather than with it, while Chad Gray’s clean vocals have gotten better with each album. The pre-chorus is one of the song highlights, switching around established song dynamics to bring the response before the call:

Thoughtlessness (I feel)
Selfishness (I feel)
Hopelessness (I feel)
We’re all dead

The second verse is where drummer Matt McDonough gets to shine. The more straightforward drum beat of the first verse is replaced with a far more complicated rhythm. For the listener this gives the feeling of something which is familiar but slightly unsettling, and only after a few listens do you figure out what has changed. It’s kind of like one of those spot-the-difference pictures, but with music.

Then we hit the chorus, and the energetic release promised in the intro is what comes through. This and the bridge allow the power of Gray’s screams to become the focus. With all bases covered, the band brings it home with another chorus and a few more screams. Forget to Remember doesn’t change any of the conventions of heavy music, or even of Mudvayne, but in this case the focus seems to have been on writing a strong song instead. With a catchy chorus and all the bands strengths included, what better way could they advertise what to expect on their upcoming visit?

(Originally published on FasterLouder)