Original video located here. Accessed 14th January 2015
Song title: This world can make you happy
Artist: Amaya Laucirica
Year: 2010
Why I like this song:
Its oddly comforting. I'm not sure if this was the intent but I've found this is useful to have when things are grim
Song title: Come With Me
Artist: ceo
Year: 2010
Why I like this song:
It's a masterclass in synths and production. Pure pop perfection (alliteration FTW!)
Song title: Great to be a Nerd
Artist: Arrogant Worms
Year: 1999
Why I like this song:
It sure is
Rolling Stones
Finally, to wrap this up, one of the pioneers of modern music. Much like Kraftwerk, This band for me represents another point in time: it was relocating to Melbourne and spending an incalculable amount of time on the train - where I listened to the Stones a lot (and boy was I spoiled for choice!). Listening to them, it seems to encapsulate everything I had picked up before coming to them. The energy and mischievousness of punk, the boldness of experimentalism, the application of atmospherics, snappy lyrics, the usage of exotic instruments and world music and the power of a growling guitar riff. It seems everything I have learnt has brought me here and yeah, I’m happy for it.
Key Album: Exile on Main Street (1972) It starts through the best opening trio of songs I have ever heard and carries on through excellent song after excellent song. Listening to it, I can’t help but think that Bob Seger was right: “Today’s music ain’t got the same soul / I like that Old Time Rock N Roll”
Kraftwerk
This band for me represents another point in time: it was when I moved to Melbourne. I had finally got a job and, eventually, my own apartment. I was learning to do a lot for myself and I’d experienced a change in character that was for the best. I was spending lots of time riding on a train listening to my mp3 player and I was making new friends. Indeed, it was spending those long times on the train that I listened to Kraftwerk a lot. Considering I have held a long-standing interest in electronic music, it is indeed a natural progression that I should eventually come to the fore-runners of the genre. Indeed, Kraftwerk made a perfect soundtrack to train journeys: With the processed drumming, the well-crafted songs, and the rhythmic structures, I will always associate those nutty Germans with the sight of watching the scenery of Melbourne drift past. They may have written songs about Europe but to me they could be about anywhere.
Key Album: The Man Machine (1977) From the same country that brought you Rammstein! I could have picked Trans-Europe Express but instead I went with this: it's their most accessible album but it strikes a delightful middle-ground between conventional pop songs and some fantastically realised soundscapes. Plus it has the immortal The Model which by itself is worth every cent.
David Gray
2008 was a year I commenced a romance with a woman named Kathleen. Throughout the year it went through its share of ups and downs, touching each emotion one can think of. Indeed, this is what one would expect with romance and for me this was an engaging step into a field which has always been a consistent disaster area for me. Being with Kath felt, for me, like a mute person being given a voice and saying everything they’ve always wanted to say. And like any romance it had its soundtrack in the form of David Gray. Each of the emotions touched in his music struck a chord with this growing romance and was a delight to behold.
Key Album: White Ladder (1998) It seems as I get older I can’t recall exactly what compelled me to pick up certain albums. This album may seem an unlikely choice considering what I’ve referenced before but this is one album I’m glad I got into (whatever it was that got me there). For the beauty of this album lies primarily in Mr. Gray’s ability to convey genuine emotions without any treacle, falsity or sappiness. And to do that in a pop song is a feat in itself. The songs on this disc run from joy, optimism to genuine feeling seamlessly. I particularly love This Year’s Love: Now there’s the perfect track for any romantic.
Dan Rumour and the Drift
For those not in the know, Dan Rumour was the lead guitarist in seminal Australian rock band The Cruel Sea. For some years I have had an interest in the Cruel Sea, drawn to them buy the guitar work, the fantastic musicianship, the ability to take the listener’s mind away to places, and being able to provide the ultimate soundtrack for a summer’s day (whether spent chilling out or not). That being said I often found their instrumentals more interesting than Tex Perkins (sorry ladies). So when I heard that Dan was releasing an album made up exclusively of instrumentals, I quickly sought it out. Needless to say I wasn’t disappointed. Like the Dirty Three, this is a shining example of how an instrumental can say more than any song with lyrics and also represents, for me, a sign of how my tastes in music is maturing.
Key Album: Dan Rumour and the Drift (2007). This album came out at an important moment in my life: I’d got my driver’s license, I got my very first car and I was learning to live by myself. Thus, I will always remember going for a spin in my beloved Spike-mobile, the summer sun shining high and the gliding guitar taking my every step of the way. It’s a still a pleasure hearing it now even though every time I do I feel like dropping everything and heading for the beach (not easy to do when one now lives in Melbourne).
The Go-Betweens
Original video located here. Accessed 26th April 2015
And with the arrival of 2006 (a ‘bad’ year) a new phase in my life came with it. In this case it was the commencement of a gamer geek phase. Yes, 2006 was the year I got off my arse and did something I’ve been wanting to do for a while: Buy a Sony Playstation. This gave me long hours of entertainment, became a talking point among friends and even helped in social situations. Why I remember bringing along my PS2 to a LAN and it getting a lot of usage through Soul Calibur 3 matches. All of this has nothing to do with the Go-Betweens but it does say a lot about what I was feeling in 2006: It was a time of pure elation. A number of things were going my way and a lot of the Go-Betweens’ music represented that fact. Once again, going into the Go-Betweens felt like natural extension from my years of interest in punk music. But here, what appealed were superb songs with deeply romantic themes, some great guitar interplay and a very sunny disposition. Indeed, it certainly came as a sweet relief during the frustration of unemployment.
Key Album: 16 Lovers Lane (1988) Widely regarded as their greatest album. What was been said about 16 Lovers Lane that hasn't been said before? Well, for me I started listening to it the same time I was involved in my first true romance with a woman named Red. Thus 16 Lovers Lane became pretty much the soundtrack to the entire relationship - from the joy of Love Goes On! to it's conclusion with Dive For Your Memory. Indeed, I recall listening to the latter many times after the romance ended with the knowledge that Robert Forster sung like he understood everything.
The Stone Roses
2005 was a year of changes: My phase as an anime geek was coming to it’s conclusion, I made a long-lasting friendship with fellow writer/Games Workshop nut called Andy, and I went back to University to study a post-graduate course. During this phase, it was perhaps fitting that I listened to the same kind of Britpop I was into when I originally started University. But in this case it was reaching into it’s roots (in a sign perhaps of everything coming full circle?). And for me, the Stone Roses represent those changes and taking a step into the real world. Indeed, it was that time when I had made some serious considerations towards my future and worked to get there.
Key Album: Stone Roses (1989) That’s the joy with bands that release one good album: That’s pretty much all you need. The best thing about this album, I’ve found, is in its instrumental prowess. Indeed, this represents everything I have liked, and picked up, about musicianship. It has a bass that’s constantly pushed to the front, it has a talented guitarist in the form of John Squire and it has an equally talented, not to mention spontaneous, drummer with Reni. Indeed, this philosophy is best represented in that stunning epic closer I Am the Resurrection (listen to it and you’ll understand). Again, I consider this album essential listening for spending a nice summer day outside, whether it be in the car or going to the beach.
Masterplan
In this life I will not be confined to just one interest: I want to experience as many things as I possibly can in my time. Thus I have been many things and have been involved with many things that have been outlets to satisfy my varied interests. I make it a point to let these individual interests succeed as separate entities and not try and mix them up. That being said, being in the middle of an anime geek phase does not mean that anime music influenced my tastes in ‘normal’ music. There was one exception however and Masterplan was it.
Masterplan are a power metal band from Germany whose (English) lyrics deal with (mostly) uplifting themes. So how did an anime geek became aware of them? Well, their best known song, Spirit Never Dies, used for a fan-made music video. Although the video was stunning by itself, I was taken by the music and how it exhibited a sense of motivation and inspiration I have not in any metal band whatsoever. Considering this was married with the power and energy from metal, this was a shot in the arm. It made me want to go out and do things. Thus, it became a major source of motivation and inspiration in 2005 when I went back to University to study post-graduate. More significantly, when I conquered my personal demons (chronicled in essay no.2), I listened to this album, with it’s lyrical themes and punching music, constantly afterward. Really, I can’t explain the emotional weight in singing each and every word to Spirit Never Dies like you mean it.
Key Album: Masterplan (2003) This is the sound of five musicians, each from other metal bands, having the time of their lives. This, along with the lyrics, have always struck me as the most significant thing about this album. Like the Dirty Three I use this album as an antidote to the whinging emo bands around (who avoid a sense of well-being like the plague). Also, it shows a degree of experimentalism metal bands rarely show and plays up on keyboards (which are usually disregarded by metal bands). Additionally, I have fond memories of singing the words to this album with my best friend Sammi.
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Like most people I first became aware of Nick Cave through his Murder Ballads period – or to be specific, his collaboration with Kylie Minogue, Where the Wild Roses Grow. Stumbling upon, I was freaked out about hearing this disturbing tale of a romance ending with the woman being bludgeoned to death. Since then, it has been difficult to listen to and, as such, it took me a while before I could take that man with the scary voice seriously.
For me, Nick Cave will forever represent a time in 2004: I was out of Uni and into the fun world of unemployment. I'm not sure why I picked his Best Of compilation disc but in retrospect it certainly seemed a good time to as he delivered the superb Abattoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus later that year. Musically, Nick succeeds with his understanding of punk and the blues, his use of my old friend atmospherics (particularly on Tupelo), his willingness to try new things beyond the basic formula, his talent of creating something resembling total utter chaos (The Mercy Seat) and his ability to do something different with each album. He also has the benefit of being surrounded by talented musicians in the form of the Bad Seeds. Likewise, lyrically Nick sets a standard few can touch. He understands the power of an opening line, he can construct a compelling narrative, he populates his songs with the most colourful of characters and he incorporates the blackest of humour. But for me Nick succeeds on his love songs. Some of them convey so much emotion that they are staggering. Beautiful, intimate and jaw-dropping – Nick’s romance songs does all of these. And as a poet, one who’s always told his strengths lie in HIS romantic material, I take my hat off to Mr. Cave. Best of all, whereas other artists in their fifties tend to slow down, Nick is instead cranking it up a notch.
Key Album: the Boatman’s Call (1997) That’s the problem with prolific artists: they have released so many albums it’s hard to choose one. Yet whilst Tender Prey, Let Love In, Abattoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus and Dig Lazarus Dig!!! are all excellent albums in their own right, I have decided to go with the Boatman’s Call. Whilst many die-hards loathe this album, I instead feel it best represents Nick’s ability to craft the finest of love songs. Also intriguing is Nick singing about such personal matters without flinching. And so I give Nick his due for few can write the persona of a broken-hearted man convincingly. Fewer still can do it without the audience yelling: “Get over it!”