History Lesson: Ed Kuepper

Ed Kuepper

Original video located here. Accessed 31st May 2010

2002 heralded the commencement of my anime geek phase. At this time, my tastes in music expanded into unknown, and unlikely, territories. It may seem a bit odd that I started listening to anime soundtracks at this time but I was actually surprised by the usage of genre and the ability to create snappy and memorable tunes. But whilst new frontiers were begin forged that’s not to say my attention was directed in that direction. For 2002 was also the year I started listening to Australian Rock icon Ed Kuepper.

It is indeed a shame that Ed never really got anywhere further beyond being a Triple J favourite. Lord only knows why. The strength in Ed’s music is his ability to write a song based on a simple chord progression and adding all types of layers on top. Also noteworthy is his use of muscular drumming and some killer guitar work. Indeed listening to Ed Kuepper feels like a natural progression from my interest in both The Cure and Midnight Oil. But what makes Ed in a class of his own is his willingness to try something new with each album and his guitar work: Acoustically, he tries some of the most unorthodox methods and tricks. Electric, he roars like nothing else.

Key Album: Honey Steel’s Gold (1991) I’ve already described Ed’s strengths and this album, on his best, really encapsulates them all. I love the fact that he has the balls to have a multi-layered opener that lasts for ten minutes (!), the atmospherics used throughout, the stunning guitar work and, of course, his signature song The Way I Made You Feel.

Choon of the Month: Time to Wander

Original video located here. Accessed 28th May 2010

Song title: Time to Wander

Artist: Gypsy and the Cat

Year: 2010

Why I like this song:

Listening to this, I get some major MGMT vibes. I guess that happens: one act gets successful and a whole of soundalikes emerge in their wake.
But who cares? This is great! The synths are great and it gives the vibe of going of on a journey (hence the title). And if said journey sounds this fun then who wouldn't want to head out into the unknown?

History Lesson: Salmonella Dub

Salmonella Dub

Original video located here. Accessed 26th May 2010

Another constant through my University years, Salmonella Dub also represents an unusual reggae flavour to my tastes in music. I’ve always liked the structure of reggae in that the guitar puts down the changes in the music, the drums and bass are pushed to the forefront and given the freedom to do what they want and many more colours are added on top. What makes Salmonella Dub interesting is that they incorporate many other genres into the mix: Rap, Electronics and a general chill-out vibe throughout. They also deliver a spectacular live show.

But what Salmonella Dub represent for me was yet another progressive step in my musical tastes. At the time, 2001, my brother Cameron had packed his bags for Melbourne. As he had been a key source of musical encouragement and the means of getting me into numerous bands, I was on now my own but still able to make my own decisions on music.

Key Album: Inside the Dub Plates (2001). As well as the fusion of genres I’ve described above, I love this album for its atmospherics, making it another ideal soundtrack for chilling out to on a summer day. Also I perceive this album to be the perfect soundtrack to go wandering through the Tasmanian wilderness in. This perception is best represented by the track Push on Thru: A magic moment inspiring images of going on a journey, a sunset behind you and no one else around.....

History Lesson: DragonForce

DragonForce

Original video located here. Accessed 22nd December 2022

I like music in all forms - even to a point of going out and exploring unfamiliar territory, Yet metal has always been approached with caution. Sure there have been flirtations (like Led Zeppelin, Queen and to a lesser extent Pink Floyd) but all else came across as intimidating. When I was in Primary and High School it struck me that all the tough kids listened to metal and with good reason. Indeed, it has been said, in order to describe the genre, that 'When drinking blood be sure to have it chilled or else it will curdle". That being said, as Metal attracts the types who approach their love with disturbing seriousness, insisting that the evilness of metal should remain that way (thus making the controversy of Elvis' hips in the 1950's seem tame by comparison). Why, I remember being nine years old, hearing Metallica's Nothing Else Matters for the first time and thinking: 'Who's this?! This song's absolutely fantastic!' - but since then, NEM has been looked down upon by die-hards. Coupled with the disdain the metal community have for posers, it thus isn't hard to see how a card-carrying music geek like myself can be intimidated (additionally, hearing a singer sound like he's channeling Cookie Monster doesn't really help).

Which now brings me to Dragonforce: back in 2002 my friend Al got me to listen to this mp3 he'd gotten a hold of insisting that it rocked. Reluctant at first, I eventually agreed - but what happened next was something I wasn't expecting: Thunderous music accompanied with masterfully executed guitar work, a lead singer who can actually sing and lyrics that dealt with positive and inspiring themes. This was Power Metal in all it's glory and I think I liked it. Finally, here was a metal band that actually made sense! Since then I have heard more metal bands but I owe those walls being broken down to Dragonforce. Plus I have the satisfaction of saying I got into them before Guitar Hero was even invented.

Key Album: Sonic Firestorm (2004) Ridiculous and inspiring in equal portions. Al described it as Battle music and indeed this really does work best as a soundtrack to a video game. Sure that's pretty much it but it does it's job and it does it well. What more can you ask for?

History Lesson: Dirty Three

Dirty Three

Original video located here. Accessed 31st March 2012

And so, come 2002, I left my goth phase behind in favour of taking up the mantle of an anime nerd. But I did give that particular phase of my life a glorious send off in the form of the Dirty Three. Interestingly enough, as I got older, my tastes in music matured. Whilst I used to enjoy lyrics (particularly if they were angry and had the forbidden swear words in them), I then became interested in the other side of the coin: the instrumentation. This seemed a progressive step as punk music is based on the minimal use of musical chords.

However, through musicianship I gained a new appreciation of instrumentals. Because in some cases, an instrumental can say more than any lyrics-based act could ever hope to. And this theory is best exemplified with the Dirty Three. A three piece of guitar, drums, violin and no singer, their music touches so many emotions. And once again this is music that demands full attention in order to get the most out of.

Key Album: Horse Stories (1996). Regarded as their best album and rightly so. There are some great songs on this but the album itself is best defined for the fourth song: I Remember a Time When Once You Used to Love Me. In the space of over six minutes it goes from despair to rage in the blink of an eye. It sounds like a demented waltz one would hear when loading up the shotgun to kill a unfaithful wife. Indeed, I like to use this album as a point to show up any emo bands as the whimpy, whinny, emotionally bland rubbish that it is. This album has rage, fury, sadness and hope. And all of this without a word being spoken. Beat that My Chemical Romance!

History Lesson: Queens of the Stone Age

Queens of the Stone Age

Original video located here. Accessed 19th May 2010

During my University years, my CD collection was growing in size. At this time, I was listening to a lot of Britpop music (Doves, Gomez and Travis) so I went out looking for something a bit tougher and meaner. Enter the Queens of the Stone Age. What made them for me was that they satisfied my need f or some hard rock whilst showing an experimental, and indeed different, side many similar acts lack AND they swelled my keenness in atmospherics, proving that sometimes it can be found in the unlikeliest of places. Like Led Zeppelin, the Queens taught me that metal can do a bit more than roaring guitars and brutal lyrics. Likewise, they showed a strength in creating a sense of mood which is again a largely untouched zone for metal. Such was my admiration for the Queens, and their willingness to take risks and disregard the metal rulebook, that they followed my throughout my University years and beyond. They rock live too.

Key Album: Songs for the Deaf (2002) Whilst I may not remember the year 2002 fondly, I do however recall this album for it's role in keeping me on the rails. Again, this is one of those great albums that has no dud songs. I particularly love that nightmare of a closer A Song for the Deaf. Now some songs are bad but this one is just plain evil.

History Lesson: Gomez

Gomez

Original video located here. Accessed 17th May 2010

I thought Gomez were a bit odd to start off with. But within time I came around and saw them for the great band that they are. What makes them special? Several things: One, it’s their modern take on blues music. Two, it’s their ability to work on a structure of a pop song. Three, it is their ability build up a song around a simple guitar hook played out on an acoustic guitar. Four, it’s the guitar playing that ranges from searing and aggressive to playful and fun. Five, it’s the use of bizarre sound effects and pounding percussion and finally it’s the use of three singers of three different qualities – a drawback one might think but it still manages to make Gomez sound like Gomez (something that really needs to happen more often).

Key Album: Bring it On (1998) Along with Lost Souls and Thirteen Tales of Urban Bohemia, this was part of the ‘big three’. It was these three albums I listened to throughout my first year at University and pretty much defined that particular time and place. It’s also great listening for chilling out on a hot summer’s day

History Lesson: Joy Division

Joy Division

Original video located here. Accessed 31st March 2015

Aside from being one of the best years of my life, 2000 was also a turning point: I was in University, I had hit age eighteen and I was entering adulthood. Subsequently, my interest in punk music, the musical genre that had propelled my teen years, was grinding to a close. Still, there was always room for one final grand gesture: Along with the afore-mentioned Sex Pistols, there were these guys: Joy Division. In a way it was fitting because, historically, Joy Division were more post Punk: They were taking the lessons learnt from the punk bands from that era and doing something more with them (which is always a winner in my book). Indeed it was the end of Joy Division that effectively ended the punk era – both historically and for me. Plus there was Love Will Tear Us Apart: one of those timeless songs that still pleases no matter how many times one hears it.

Key Album: Closer (1980) I was listening to Joy Division at the height of my ‘Goth’ phase. I was drawn to them initially as they were highly regarded by the Goth crowd. But then again so was Marilyn Manson (at the time) but I can tell you Closer is a different beast from Mr. Warner and essential listening for any true goth. With Closer Joy Division’s strengths are evident: The use of the bass and the drums in a dominating role and the afore-mentioned use of punk rock into something new. Also, there is the surprising use of synthesizers and its effective use (thus pinpointing the band’s evolution into New Order). But there’s also the final three songs: The triptych of Twenty Four Hours, The Eternal and Decades: A harrowing glimpse into the fractured mind that was Ian Curtis. No other band would have the balls to close an album with these three. No one but Joy Division.

History Lesson: David Bridie

David Bridie

Original video located here. Accessed 31st March 2013

I came into David Bridie through buying his first solo album, Act of Free Choice, on a whim. Funny thing how whims turn out: I went in not knowing to expect and was subsequently blown away with what I was hearing. Here was something restrained, without bluster and somewhat curious. I have since gone to explore David’s earlier work and emerged quite impressed. I love Not Drowning Waving’s fusion of world music, multi-layered percussion, unrestrained bass and mind-blowing guitar. I equally love My Friend the Chocolate Cake’s use of acoustic instruments and modern take on the chamber music concept. But it was David’s solo work that got me there.

Key Album: Act of Free Choice (2000) Previously, I found the Whitlams and the Cure to be perfect soundtracks to a rainy day. But Act of Free Choice still comes out on top. It really has the best atmospherics and really goes to show that sometimes the right environment can work for the right album. Aside from the great production techniques used throughout, the interesting use of samples and noises, and the use of my beloved atmospherics. I really find a sense of wonder with this album. It’s like peering into a world that one never knew existed. Which is my philosophy on music to a tee. This album, along with it’s follow up Hotel Radio, was a constant listen throughout my University years.

History Lesson: Dandy Warhols

The Dandy Warhols

Original video located here. Accessed 29th March 2014

Another example of my brother playing something to me on the insistence that it was ace. Upon hearing Come Down, I thought there were, well, weird (little did I know what was going to happen in the years to come). Yet there were some gems there: Not if You Were the Last Junkie and Everyday Should Be a Holiday were pop songs par excellence. Orange and Good Morning were wonderful exercises on sinister atmospherics. These came across as being the two key strengths of the Dandys and represented an acumination of the musical knowledge I had been building up over the years. In the years that followed, it may have became a challenge finding gems in amongst the weirdness but when the Dandy’s hit the bullseye, it certainly hits. Their humour doesn’t hurt either.

Key Album: Thirteen Tales of Urban Bohemia (2000) Again, this is an album that, for me, represents a particular time and place. This came out when on my first year at University and pretty much became a frequented listen. This is my music for that Sandy bay campus, Art School, watching anime, making new friends, and for the first time feeling I was accomplishing something. Sure Bohemian Like You is the most recognisable song on it but I prefer the atmospherics (like Mohammed and Asleep) as being far more vindictive of the Dandy’’s strengths.

History Lesson: Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin

Original video located here. Accessed 24th March 2022

I can’t exactly pinpoint where I got into the mighty Led Zeppelin but I’m glad I did. Intrigued by the Tea Party and their use of exotic instruments and pummelling guitar riffs, it was therefore a logical step to go to what inspired them. When first coming to Led Zeppelin was knowledge that they were the fore-runner to many a metal band. What I wasn’t expecting though was to find an interesting degree of depth that I had never found in metal in the form of blues influences, an understanding of folk and the incorporation of Middle Eastern experimentation. I had always had an interest in metal but the more I heard it, the more it became clear that many of the acts sound the same. Thankfully, Led Zeppelin taught me the genre can try anything and still call itself metal. Besides, how can you say no to Jimmy Page’s musical prowess?

Key Album: IV (1971) Undoubtedly the toughest album in my collection. It still has bite after all these years and still charges ahead of many of the metal bands around. But the most satisfying thing of all about IV was this was finally an album myself and my father could both enjoy with unbridled glee./p>

History Lesson: Sex Pistols

Sex Pistols

Original video located here. Accessed 22nd March 2013

Considering my interest in punk music, it was somewhat inevitable that I would come across the genre’s roots. And it indeed unfortunate that no punk band since has really replicated the sense of mayhem, attitude, chaos, end of the world sensation, disgust, outrage, attitude, rage, defiance and oh I did I mention attitude? Like many teens before, this was a perfect representation of my teenage disgruntlement.

Key Album: Never Mind the Bollocks (1977) No contest really. Although my teens are well behind me, I can still listen to this and it works wonders. It provides a demented sense of glee in hearing the music rulebook torn up and well established conventions being left in the dust. This is the sound of the world coming to an end. The fact that it irritated my father was an added bonus.

History Lesson: Doves

Doves

Original video located here. Accessed 19th March 2015

2000 was one of the best years of my life (insofar). I had started University, my interest in anime was growing legs and I had found some long awaited romance. I had been given a fresh start and I was keen on facing the new millennium with eagerness and a smile. But in spite what has happened in the world since, I remember those halcyon days whenever I hear the Doves. It is indeed a testament to music when it can transport you to places and places you can still recall fondly. So what is it about the trio who once called Sub Sub? I’m not entirely sure. Maybe it’s the textured layers in their songs. Maybe it’s the musicianship. Maybe it’s because they gave up commercial success for alt-rock integrity (Sell –ins like this need to happen more often). But what matter is hearing something you can pick up straight away. And that’s what important for me.

Key Album: Lost Souls (2000) One of my favourite albums in my entire CD collection. And considering the size of it, that's saying something. This is one of those rare albums, where there are no dud songs and every one of them is a winner. But props must go to the monumental The Cedar Room, which has so many magic moments encapsulated in it's seven minute plus running time. The pounding percussion, hearing the guitar chords, for the first time, drifting in like a postcard from a dream, the second guitar bursting into life at the end of the second chorus, the backing vocals throughout the song.....