Nineties Revisited: Up the Kyber (Little Drummer Boy)

Original video located here. Accessed 23rd December 2018

Song title: Up the Kyber (Little Drummer Boy)

Artist: Hoodoo Gurus

Year: 1991

Why I like this song:

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Nineties Revisited: Asshole

Original video located here. Accessed 18th December 2013

Song title: Asshole

Artist: Denis Leary

Year: 1993

Why I like this song:

Twenty years on and I still know every single word XD

Choon of the Month: Song for Zula

Original video located here. Accessed 3rd March 2015

Song title: Song For Zula

Artist: Phosphorescent

Year: 2013

Why I like this song:

Sometimes songs take time to reach you. And this was one such case.

I guess because sometimes it takes some life experiences to make one connect with a particular song. And the humiliation and disappointment is strong with this one...

The Asian Connection: The Key of the Twilight

Original video located here. Accessed 10th April 2020

Song title: The Key of the Twilight

Artist: Emily Bindiger / Bee Train

Year: 2002

Why I like this song:

.hack//SIGN seems destined to remain a divisive series. It's critics slam it for being slow moving, dialogue heavy and frequently spending an awful lot of time building up something that turns out to be pointless.
But you wouldn't say a bad word regarding it's soundtrack. It's a compelling blend of folk, electronic and layers of female vocals. All through the guiding hand of one Yuki Kajiura.
Its just the thing for any high fantasy adventure and wouldn't have been out of place in any MMORPGur. 

Personally, I don't know what kind of creative juices Kajiura is running but I want some of it.

Choon of the Month: Lazer Gun Show

Original video located here. Accessed 12th September 2013

Song title: Lazer Gun Show

Artist: Hey Geronimo

Year: 2013

Why I like this song:

These guys grabbed my attention and now they've upped the ante. This charges out the door with energy and enthusiasm and I think I like it.

Nineties Revisited: True Tears of Joy

Original video located here. Accessed 13th November 2013

Song title: True Tears of Joy

Artist: Hunters and Collectors

Year: 1992

Why I like this song:

Well I heard Hunters and Collectors' What's a Few Men album so why not keep that train going and address the Cut album?

This was a song I remember quite distinctly from my youth in the early nineties and it always stuck out for me. Yes I already knew of Hunters and Collectors but this was different from what I heard previously from them, being more restrained and reflective. 
And I still feel the same way twenty years later. And listening to a lot more Hunters and Collectors didn't hurt.

We Are Live: The Unguarded Moment

Original video located here. Accessed 11th November 2013

Song title: The Unguarded Moment

Artist: The Church

Year: 1981

Why I like this song:

Recently I saw Steve Kilbey and his band live. Its not quite The Church but it'll do.

It was a good show too. Given that he was performing under his own name one would think he would play a lot of solo stuff but, surprisingly, nearly half his set was Church songs. But that isn't a bad thing. He even snuck in a Jack Frost song too (Jack Frost being a supergroup he formed with Grant McLennan of the Go-Betweens fame).

This Song Rocks: Crazy World

Original video located here. 6th November 2013

Song title: Crazy World

Artist: Ladyhawke

Year: 2008

Why I like this song:

I really enjoy the music of Ladyhawke as she is, like me, an Aspergian. Thus I'm posting this video here because whenever things are getting chaotic at least there is a song with a chorus of "We're part of a / We're part of a / We're part of a crazy world..."</

The Asian Connection: An Angel's Promise

Original video located here. Accessed 28th August 2020

Song title: An Angel's Promise

Artist: Mai Fukuda

Year: 1998

Why I like this song:

I have found that the further I get from my teen years, the less interested I am in Neon Genesis Evangelion. His and Her Circumstances however is an anime I have plenty of time for.
I knew it was Hideaki Anno's follow-up to Eva but I wasn't expecting a rom-com. And even then I finally saw it, it was still a surprise that it was really good. 

And such a mindset is conveyed in this opening. Its fun, bright and worlds apart from Eva. Somehow, its the fun one's that stick in your mind....

Obituary: Perfect Day

Original video located here. Accessed 30th October 2013

Song title: Perfect Day

Artist: Lou Reed

Year: 1972

Why I like this song:

R.I.P. Lou Reed

Is this about heroin addiction? Is it about a good day in general? Maybe - but the mark of a good song is that anyone can see it and draw their own conclusions. 
And in that sense, I have found it a helpful song to have around. So I'm glad you could share it with us Lou.

Choon of the Month: When the Night

Original video located here. Accessed 20th February 2017

Song title: When the Night

Artist: St Lucia

Year: 2013

Why I like this song:

I got the album of the same name and thought it was great. But, as is often the case, the best moment comes at the end,
It's a burst of energy that's for sure: If this doesn't make you want to get out your seat, run out of the house and into the outside world then I don't know what will.
Except maybe the thought of running back to the house as you left the front door open and someone might break in and pinch your stuff. 

Classics: Superstition

Original video located here. Accessed 25th October 2013

Song title: Superstition (Sesame Street version)

Artist: Stevie Wonder

Year: 1995

Why I like this song:

This came recommended to me by a friend (thanks Dent!) He was right to do so

Classics: December 1963 (Oh What a Night)

Original video located here. Accessed 13th April 2020

Song title: December 1963 (Oh What a Night)

Artist: Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons

Year: 1975

Why I like this song:

First time I heard this song? My grade 6 disco/social. And for weeks afterward I was singing: 'Oh what a Night / Late July back in '93..."
(and I still do XD)

This Song Rocks: Days Are Gone

Original video located here. Accessed 21st October 2013

Song title: Days Are Gone

Artist: Hiam

Year: 2013

Why I like this song:

Its different to a lot of girl groups I've heard previously but that's part of the appeal. Its like if the girl groups for the late nineties/early2000s decided to abandon the method that made them famous and headed onto the road less travelled doing everything in their power to do the complete opposite.
And honestly? It works wonders.

We Are Live: Sandy

Original video located here. Accessed 29th December 2017

Song title: Sandy

Artist: Beaches

Year: 2008

Why I like this song:

Earlier this year, I went and saw the all-woman guitar band Beaches.
And as it happened, they rocked hard: Going flat out and, as is often the case, producing songs that sound tonnes better than what was committed to the recording. Top stuff.

Back to the Eighties: Do You See What I See?

Original video located here. Accessed 14th October 2013

Song title: Do You See What I See?

Artist: Hunters and Collectors

Year: 1988

Why I like this song:

Recently I've been listening to the Hunters and Collectors album What's a Few Men? / Fate.

It's aged pretty well and still has fire. And, as the above song proves, still works as rabble-rouser. 
And I still remember....

Obituary: Thousands Are Sailing

Original video located here. Accessed 6th September 2017

Song title: Thousands Are Sailing

Artist: The Pogues

Year: 1988

Why I like this song:

R.I.P. Phil Chevron
It may have been tricky to make your song-writing capabilities heard when you have to compete with Shane McGowan but to come up with this, a description of the troubles facing an Irish immigrant to the U.S., is something to be proud of.

Nineties Revisited: Regular John

Original video located here. Accessed 24th September 2022

Song title: Regular John

Artist: Queens of the Stone Age

Year: 1998

Why I like this song:

Recently I got a hold of the Queens of the Stone Age self-titled debut.

It seems fair to say that this has become forgotten in the wake of the one-two punch of Rated R and Songs for the Deaf. Looking back, this does seem like the first steps of a new band that's trying to forge it's own identity.
But, with hindsight, the strengths of this band already seem place: The guitar work, Josh Homme's distinctive vocals and his drive. It's a solid foundation and worth building upon...

The Asian Connection: Read or Die theme

Original video located here. Accessed 4th October 2017

Song title: Read or Die theme

Artist: Taku Iwasaki

Year: 2001

Why I like this song:

Yes it may be a pastiche of the James Bond theme, but damn it does it so well. So well one would think it transcends it's intent and becomes a theme that the James Bond movies would be envious of.
And much like it's parent anime, it has enough clout to make any nerd feel like a badass.

Choon of the Month: Strong

Original video located here. Accessed 27th September 2013

Song title: Strong

Artist: London Grammar

Year: 2013

Why I like this song:

It may be brittle and vulnerable but still has a strength and defiance. A tricky balancing act to be sure but it works.

Nineties Revisited: Cannonball

Original video located here. Accessed 24th September 2021

Song title: Cannonball

Artist: Breeders

Year: 1993

Why I like this song:

If 1979 was a revelation, then discovering this was something else entirely.

Once 14 year old me discovered the wonders of alternative rock and raised there was indeed a world beyond that i was familiar with, i made the effort to seek out the very first Triple J Hottest 100 compilation, to find out what had passed me by years earlier. And I did indeed find some songs that were new and exciting to me.

And then there was Cannonball.

I could say that this song is the quintessential nineties song but many more have done that before me. So what i will say is that i will never tire of this song. It is the sound of a band firing on all cylinders and using every trick at their disposal: The bassline, distorted vocals, strange noises, vocal harmonies, a guitar doing a lot with very little, a rousing chorus and stop/start techniques.

There's a lot here to grab attention and, some twenty five years later, still sounds exciting.

Nineties Revisited: Can You Forgive Her

Original video located here. Accessed 25th May 2023

Song title: Can You Forgive Her

Artist: Pet Shop Boys

Year: 1993

Why I like this song:

More explorations with the Pet Shop Boys.

I remember this, and Go West, as being huge hits at the time. Also there was a lot of buzz going around at the time that these guys were still getting hits even when they were of the previous decade and were supposed to have been cast aside in the changing of the guard. Obviously Neil and Chris didn't get the memo and instead mastered the house music of the time and made some strange videos that utilised early CGI.

That aside, Very is quite a strange album: the gay sub-context of Behaviour has now come to the forefront. This is due to Neil coming out of closet prior to the album and, from the sounds of it, he certainly seems happy about it. But then again, perhaps the Pet Shop Boys had exhausted their melancholy with Behaviour so the only direction left to go was to make something exuberant. 

Such an approach shouldn't work in pop music but here it does.

Nineties Revisited: My Country

Original video located here. Accessed 14th September 2021

Song title: My Country

Artist: Midnight Oil

Year: 1993

Why I like this song:

This song is pretty much what one can expect from Midnight Oil: A song based around a riff (in this case the piano figure), some loud drums, furious guitar and a delivery from Peter Garrett that's both passionate and pissed off. So yeah, playing to one's strengths.

What I find particularly interesting is that this song's parent album, Earth Sun and Moon, is not well regarded by the Oils fans, with common criticisms being that it sounds like a band not only standing still but taking root. Me? I think it's one of their best. It certainly has aged better than the production-heavy eighties efforts and, as this song demonstrates, still holds relevance in this current era (unfortunately).

The Asian Connection: You're in the Battlefield

Original video located here. Accessed 4th September 2013

Song title: You're in the Battlefield

Artist: Sekiria

Year: 1998

Why I like this song:

Further proof for my hypothesis that you can slip an anime track into a playlist and no one will notice. 
Some old school BGC fans may lament how the metal of the original's soundtrack got replaced with electronics in the revamp that is 2040. But that is hardly a bad thing: The BGCT2040 has a soundtrack that boasts some great moments and this is one of them/
Yes it sounds very much like any other drum and bass act but who cares? It's energetic and will get anyone pumped to get fighting. Or do a World of Warcraft raid.

We Are Live: Song From the Sixteenth Floor

Original video located here. Accessed 2nd September 2013

Song title: Song From the Sixteenth Floor

Artist: Paul Kelly

Year: 1994

Why I like this song:

I had the pleasure of seeing Paul Kelly live recently. It was a birthday present from my sister.
I am Australian and being an Australian it is near inevitable that one would see Paul Kelly once in their lifetime. And this time was my time.

The support act was Urthboy. No doubt this was due to Paul's (surprising?) interest in hip-hop but he did a good job and was fun to watch on stage

It was an interesting show: For the first half, he played his latest album, Spring and Fall, in full. It should be noted that the audience was seated. It wasn't bad but the audience was somewhat cold - no doubt through being presented with, dare I say, unfamiliar tunes?
But then came the second half: Where the audience were encouraged to get out of their seats, come up the front and rock out to Paul playing all his best known songs: Before Too Long, Leaps and Bounds, Dumb Things, How To Make Gravy. It was crazy to see the audience respond so strongly to all these songs that they have no doubt heard many times before.
However the best part came at the end: For an encore, Paul's band abandoned their instruments, came forward around the one microphone and they all sung Song From the Sixteenth Floor. Magic in simplicity indeed. 
All in all, Paul certainly was a charismatic presence and he knew how to hold an audience relying on years of experience. Great show indeed.

Nineties Revisited: Fade Into You

Original video located here. Accessed 31st August 2021

Song title: Fade Into You

Artist: Mazzy Star

Year: 1993

Why I like this song:

Back in 1999, I went out and purchased the CD Compilation Triple J's Hottest 100 no.2. One could say it was to fill a gap as I had volume 1, my brother had volume 3 and my sister had volumes 4-7. Also, I looked at the track listing and only recognized half of the names there so there was indeed some curiosity on my part. And in amongst those unfamiliar names was Mazzy Star - I played it and was immediately greeted with the voice of an angel.

Given that this came out during the height of grunge, this still sounds like nothing else. It is dream pop at it's finest and if you told me this inspired a baby boom, i would believe it XD

Choon of the Month: Rah Rah Radio

Original video located here. Accessed 26th August 2013

Song title: Rah Rah Radio

Artist: Delta Riggs

Year: 2013

Why I like this song:

These guys got my attention and they again deliver the goods, sounding as raucous as I have now come to expect. More please!

Nineties Revisited: My October Symphony

Original video located here. Accessed 20th May 2020

Song title: My October Symphony

Artist: Pet Shop Boys

Year: 1990

Why I like this song:

I am currently doing more explorations with the Pet Shop Boys. It seems their three best albums are Actually, Behaviour and Very. And yet, for a quintessentially eighties act only one of them was realised in the eighties

So Behaviour: It is a moody album to be sure - clearly the eighties were done, the party was over, and the ills of the world can't be ignored. But this album works as a document of it's era: The Cold War was over and a new bunch of concerns have emerged. And it certainly fits in with the dance music of it's time - and with the passage of time, perhaps has even aged better. 

Behaviour may be a downer of an album, compared to Actually, but it's the quite the beautiful one. 

This Song Rocks: Alfie

Original video located here. Accessed 28th August 2018

Song title: Alfie

Artist: Lily Allen

Year: 2006

Why I like this song:

I'm watching Game of Thrones at the moment and I am continually reminded of this

Back to the Eighties: Grey Day

Original video located here. Accessed 7th August 2013

Song title: Grey Day

Artist: Madness

Year: 1982

Why I like this song:

Lately I've been listening to Madness. 

Funny thing: I, like many people, may know Madness through they fun sounding songs - House of Fun and Baggy Trousers - but less is said about the quality of songwriting in their catalogue. And this is a prime example: How something that should sound depressing actually comes across as not the case,

Explorations: There She Goes

Original video located here. Accessed 8th May 2013

Song title: There She Goes

Artist: The La's

Year: 1990

Why I like this song:

Heard this song which I haven't heard in years and now I can't stop playing it. Today has been a good day

The Asian Connection: Daijoubu

Original video located here. Accessed 14th August 2023

Song title: Daijoubu

Artist: Aki Maeda

Year: 2000

Why I like this song:

Sometimes all you need is a show-stopper of a riff and this song delivers. 
So yeah, it's all in the piano part. I also like the accents provided by the sitar

Choon of the Month: Stay This Way

Original video located here. Accessed 29th July 2013

Song title: Stay This Way

Artist: Evan and the Brave

Year: 2013

Why I like this song:

Very much a summer vibe in this one. Makes me forget it's winter outside...

Nineties Revisited: Ordinary World

Original video located here. Accessed 26th July 2021

Song title: Ordinary World

Artist: Duran Duran

Year: 1993

Why I like this song:

I remember this song being a big deal back in the day and as such, it clearly has left a sizable impression on eleven-year old me.

On paper this seems like an oddity: A band who once defined the eighties, who recently descended into joke status (indeed that's how i came to know them in the late eighties) having a big comeback hit? And in the middle of the grunge era when Duran Duran and their ilk should've been swept aside completely? Who would've thunk it?

But yes, as stated above, this song did leave an impression on me. And in the years since, It has been a handy song to have around when things were looking grim. I will admit I am sucker for a motivational song (put a pin in that) but this isn't one of them - more like a 'dust yourself off and keep going' song. And that's plenty enough for me.

Back to the Eighties: Rent

Original video located here. Accessed 10th June 2023

Song title: Rent

Artist: Pet Shop Boys

Year: 1987

Why I like this song:

I will admit: I have no control over my tastes in music. As such I tend to go in very strange and unexpected directions. But sometimes, the unusual path can lead to something I wouldn't have otherwise thought of.

That being said, I have been recently looking into the music of the Pet Shop Boys.

For me, and no doubt many others, the Pet Shop Boys are the quintessential eighties act. They had multiple hits and exemplified the bombastic synths that proliferated throughout the decade. Think eighties pop and you'd think of Neil and Chris' material. Or at least that's the clique: For in the years since, I have discovered that eighties music isn't as narrow as one would like to believe. So having dabbled in metal, college rock, early house, Australian rock and more, where do I stand with the pop that 'made' the decade? Was there something I originally missed?

Turns out a lot: I got a hold of the Actually album and found it chock full of some stellar song-writing. Get past the synths and you find some well constructed songs (from Chris) as well as some superb wordcraft (from Neil). And no better example of this comes from the above song. A moody piece accompanying a picture of a rather unhappy situation. 
And they say these guys' brand of pop lacks depth....

Nineties Revisited: All Apologies

Original video located here. Accessed 6th July 2020

Song title: All Apologies

Artist: Nirvana

Year: 1993

Why I like this song:

I was never into Nirvana when i was a kid. I would have been 9/10 when they hit it big of the strength of Smells Like Teen Spirit. At the time i was like: "Yeah Whatever" but I could not, for the life of me, understand why people were losing their minds over it. And I would fail to do so in the years to come.

But of course, i turned out on the wrong side of history: Nirvana completely changed the course of popular music, their success gave new credibility to the alternative rock I came to relish and Kurt Cobain would be canonized (even though I doubt he would have appreciated it). A revolution happened and i slept through the whole thing.

But despite being baffled by Nirvana, I do have a soft spot for this song. I can imagine this song inspires different reactions to different people - which I imagine what Kurt may have been going for - but I like this song for a) the sense of resignation b) the distortion-filled climax and the post climax where the drums keep going and the refrain that brings the song to the end.

The Asian Connection: Tomorrow

Original video located here. Accessed 5th July 2019

Song title: Tomorrow

Artist: Mikuni Shimokawa

Year: 2002

Why I like this song:

The openings for the Full Metal Panic anime are all pretty good but the first one is the best one. 
Much like a lot of anime openings, I have no idea what is being sung (language barriers amirite?) but in a way I don't need to. It is still enjoyable regardless and its certainly difficult to refuse something so effervescent. 

Choon of the Month: My God is the Sun

Original video located here. Accessed 28th June 2013

Song title: My God is the Sun

Artist: Queens of the Stone Age

Year: 2013

Why I like this song:

Roaring back to life with the fire and fury that we've come to expect from Josh and his cohorts. Top stuff

Nineties Revisited: World Turning

Original video located here. Accessed 16th September 2015

Song title: World Turning

Artist: Yothu Yindi

Year: 1993

Why I like this song:

Lately I have been listening to Yothu Yindi's Freedom album. 

I was in primary school when Yothu Yindi got huge. And, like a lot of people, they were my first exposure to the music of Indigenous Australians. Granted it came presented with a gloss of dance beats but it was different and generated an interest in a culture I knew next to nothing about. 

So whilst I have previously heard the Tribal Voice album I decided to go to the follow up.
And it pretty much follows the same formula: First Nations peoples singing about their lives and culture using their song structures with accompanied by dance beats. There are guest contributions from Neil Finn, David Bridie and Andrew Farriss (INXS) and there are some spectacular results. Sure the anger towards the white man has been toned down - perhaps a wise career move - but this is still a band that identified their strengths and are working with them.

As for the above song, I loved it in 1993 and I still love it now. Funny how it seems to fit in the post-Cold War period of the time...

Nineties Revisited: Happy Birthday

Original video located here. Accessed 11 June 2013

Song title: Happy Birthday

Artist: The Ramones

Year: 1993

Why I like this song:

Its that time of the year again....

This Song Rocks: Conventional Lover

Original video located here. Accessed 3rd April 2023

Song title: Conventional Lover

Artist: Speck

Year: 2009

Why I like this song:

I came across this song through Rock Band2 and it still cracks me up every time I hear it. A song loaded with geek references? What not to like?

Obituary: Tribal Voice

Original video located here. Accessed 18th September 2013

Song title: Tribal Voice

Artist: Yothu Yindi

Year: 1991

Why I like this song:

R.I.P. M. Yunupingu

I remember hearing a lot of Yothu Yindi's music in the early nineties. They had a sizable number of hits that were largely inescapable - certainly my school thought so too as they were regularly played on the PA to signal the end of lunch. I guess it was vital for the kids to become aware of First Nations art and culture as well as Keating government throwing their support behind Yothu Yindi. 

Still this song rocks hard and, as a call to arms, leaves a legacy to be proud of.

The Asian Connection: My Place

Original video located here. Accessed 3rd June 2014

Song title: My Place Daiou

Artist: Manzo

Year: 2004

Why I like this song:

Years ago, I watched the anime Genshiken with some buddies of mine - pretty much the only way one can watch it. And, like a lot of other people, I watched this cast of characters and thought: "I know these people". Since then, I have a soft spot for the anime.

And as for it's opening theme? It's fun, energetic and I've played it many times on the way to many a anime convention XD

Choon of the Month: Distance

Original video located here. Accessed 27th May 2013

Song title: Distance

Artist: Beaches

Year: 2013

Why I like this song:

At first listen one would think this is a driving song. And that would be for me but not the kind of driving song one would think: Less about the open road and more heading into the desert with no idea whether or not you'll be coming back...

We Are Live: Don't Let's Start

Original video located here. Accessed 15th May 2013

Song title: Don't Let's Start

Artist: They Might Be Giants

Year: 1987

Why I like this song:

I recently had the pleasure of seeing They Might be Giants when they came to Hobart.

For such a quirky band one would think their live show would be just as bizarre. And that certainly is the case: A sock puppet routine mid-show? Splitting the audience in half and getting opposing chants happening? 

Still it was a fun show with all the recognisable songs: New York City, Don't Let's Start, Istanbul (Not Constantinople), Dr Worm, Ana Ng, Why Does the Sun Shine?, and Birdhouse in Your Soul. What is particularly surprising - at least to me - is that they played some lesser known album tracks: Letterbox and Dead. I didn't thank they were that well-regarded but still... 

Also John Flansburgh is truly an energetic guitarist. 

The Asian Connection: Free Bird

Original video located here. Accessed 6th May 2013

Song title: Free Bird

Artist: Kou Otani

Year: 2002

Why I like this song:

Haibane Renmei is an anime I have fond memories of watching - not least of which is it's opening theme. Very Celtic and truly sets the stage of it's parent anime, with its combination of whimsy and mystery,

Choon of the Month: Get Lucky

Original video located here. Accessed 26th April 2013

Song title: Get Lucky

Artist: Daft Punk with Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers

Year: 2013

Why I like this song:

I am at a loss for words: It may be a revamp of seventies disco but it does it so well, with not a single note out of place. Certainly seems a strange progression from the duo that made Homework but it's  welcome one.

This Song Rocks: Human Spring

Original video located here. Accessed 24th April 2013

Song title: Human Spring

Artist: Buchanan

Year: 2013

Why I like this song:

It charges out the speakers with so much force that it's difficult to ignore.

Obituary: I Touch Myself

Original video located here. Accessed 22nd April 2013

Song title: I Touch Myself

Artist: Divinyls

Year: 1991

Why I like this song:

R.I.P. Chrissy Amphlett

I must've been nine years old when this song hit big. At the time, it made me giggle with the opening line. This was due because I had already heard the phrase 'They love themselves' and knew it has used in anything but a positive manner (of course, it was only years later that I picked up on what being 'self-absorbed' means).  
Needless to say, it took me some considerable time before I latched onto what this song was trying to convey.

Still it's a snappy song and part of the appeal is Chrissy's performance, playing the true provocateur and enjoying every minute of it.  

So here's to you Chrissy

The Asian Connection: Duvet

Original video located here. Accessed 26th April 2021

Song title: Duvet

Artist: Boa

Year: 1998

Why I like this song:

Back in 2000, I watched all of Serial Experiment Lain in one sitting.
It effectively turned my brain to custard but it did have a really unforgettable opening theme.

Given that this is by a western band, does this count as Asian pop? Maybe not but I can only wonder how many people got into Boa through Serial Experiments Lain. 

Choon of the Month: Diane Young

Original video located here. Accessed 10th June 2013

Song title: Diane Young

Artist: Vampire Weekend

Year: 2013

Why I like this song:

Very strange but kinda fun.
And I'll give Vampire Weekend credit for clearly not wanting the same stuff twice.

Nineties Revisited: Time Machine

Original video located here. Accessed 22nd February 2017

Song title: Time Machine

Artist: Joe Satriani

Year: 1993

Why I like this song:

This came out during the height of grunge. It may have stuck like an anachronism at the time but I will argue this has aged better than a lot of what was popular at the time. Largely because nothing says 'off to new adventures' quite like this. 

This Song Rocks: Thickfreakness

Original video located here. Accessed 6th March 2013

Song title: Thickfreakness

Artist: Black Keys

Year: 2013

Why I like this song:

Given my recent interest in the Black Keys, it would be inevitable that I would come to their debut album. The one that announced them to the world and was, famously, written, recorded and produced in the space of fourteen hours. 

The rawness is unmistakable and that's what makes it so compelling, lurching out like a behemoth crushing all in it's path. Certainly sounds worlds apart from their more recent material - and naturally the less refined approach packs a greater punch. 

The Asian Connection: Sound Life

Original video located here. Accessed 4th March 2013

Song title: Sound Life

Artist: Aja

Year: 1998

Why I like this song:

Some songs set a particular mood. This is one of them.

....Wandering a desert as the sun is coming up.......

Nineties Revisited: Help Me To Believe

Original video located here. Accessed 1st March 2013

Song title: Help Me To Believe

Artist: Moby

Year: 2012

Why I like this song:

Play may have given Moby an enormous hit album but did it inspire anyone to seek out some of his earlier stuff? 
Well, I did: I hunted down his first album based on hearing some positive things about it. 

And it took me by surprise: Certainly it sounds very much a product of it's time - early nineties techno - but it sounds very different from the stuff that would win him success. It's energetic but there are moments, like the one above, where it is more subdued - kinda suggesting the point where ambient electronic music began.

This Song Rocks: Home

Original video located here. Accessed 3rd August 2018

Song title: Home

Artist: Vanessa Carlton

Year: 2007

Why I like this song:

And now, to close out this month's clutch of love songs, this gem.

I'll say it up front: Bugger A Thousand Miles - This is better.

Classics: Annie's Song

Original video located here. Accessed 10th August 2018

Song title: Annie's Song

Artist: John Denver

Year: 1974

Why I like this song:

History has not been kind to John Denver with his repertoire making him look a real wimp. Matters are not helped with that urban legend that he was a sniper.

But personally, I view this song as the kind of love song that other songwriters can only dream of writing. They say sincerity is difficult to convey in a song but somehow, against the odds, it works here.
Truly this song is lightening in a bottle

Nineties Revisited: You and Me Song

Original video located here. Accessed 22nd August 2018

Song title: You and Me Song

Artist: The Wannadies

Year: 1994

Why I like this song:

Like a lot of people I know this song through the Romeo+Juliet soundtrack. And it's a fitting song as the source material is about a whirlwind teen romance. And if this song set out to represent the troubles and joy of teen romance then it succeeded with flying colours.

Got it Covered: Baby I Love Your Way

Original video located here. Accessed 20th February 2013

Song title: Baby I Love Your Way

Artist: Big Mountain

Originally Done By: Peter Frampton

Year: 1994

Why I like this song:

Yes the original may be more restrained and direct. And yes this cover is a prime example of 'cod-reggae' but I have a greater attachment to the cover. Most likely due to me coming across it first. And it certainly has the summer vibe going on that adds to it's favor. 

Classics: Love is in the Air

Original video located here. Accessed 18th February 2013

Song title: Love is in the Air

Artist: John Paul Young

Year: 1978

Why I like this song:

It's that build up that leads to a euphoric chorus How can one say no?

This Song Rocks: Amazing

Original video located here. Accessed 15th February 2013

Song title: Amazing

Artist: Alex Lloyd

Year: 2001

Why I like this song:

Another one of those songs that can never be worn down through overplay or bad cover versions. 
A true classic

This Song Rocks: Everytime You Need Me

Original video located here. Accessed 10th October 2016

Song title: Everytime You Need me

Artist: Fragma

Year: 2001

Why I like this song:

Another song I got into through my best friend at the time. Euro/trance at it's finest and I love the sentiment.

This Song Rocks: Hanging by a Moment

Original video located here. Accessed 11th February 2013

Song title: Hanging By a Moment

Artist: Lifehouse

Year: 2000

Why I like this song:

Behold: A song that grew on me.
I didn't think much of this song when it was originally released due to a) the mindset that anything on commercial radio is the enemy b) the mindset that anything on commercial radio is going to be overplayed to death and c) nearing the end of my 'grumpy teenager' phase.

Still this song did win me over but to this day I'm not sure how. Maybe because my friend at the time liked it?
I don't know what I'm diving into indeed....

Classics: Love is All Around

Original video located here. Accessed 8th February 2013

Song title: Love is All Around

Artist: The Troggs

Year: 1968

Why I like this song:

Forget that Wet Wet Wet cover, you can't beat the simplicity of the original.

Nineties Revisited: You Are Not My Friend

Original video located here. Accessed 14th February 2016

Song title: You Are Not My Friend

Artist: Frenzal Rhomb

Year: 1999

Why I like this song:

Every time my no. of friends on Facebook goes down, I always think of this song

Classics: Everlasting Love

Original video located here. Accessed 10th February 2018

Song title: Everlasting Love

Artist: Love Affair

Year: 1968

Why I like this song:

Another song with that timeless quality to it. And I especially love those rhyming couplets

Also that singer was seventeen years old at the time. Damn....

The Asian Connection: Making of a Cyborg

Original video located here. Accessed 4th February 2016

Song title: Making of a Cyborg

Artist: Kenji Kawai

Year: 1995

Why I like this song:

The Ghost in the Shell may be one of the most widely seen anime worldwide so this would be immediately recognisable.
But it is still an odd way to start an anime: By utilising a Bulgarian Women's choir. And they're performing a piece of medieval Japanese text. 
However if the intent was to make something sound timeless in a science fiction setting, then they succeeded better than anyone could've hoped for.

Classics: Brown Eyed Girl

Original video located here. Accessed 3rd February 2013

Song title: Brown-Eyed Girl

Artist: Van Morrison

Year: 1967

Why I like this song:

Some songs that have a timeless quality that still sound fresh decades later.
This is one of them.

Great for a mass singalong too

Nineties Revisited: I am in Love

Original video located here. Accessed 20th February 2017

Song title: I am in Love

Artist: Crowded House

Year: 1993

Why I like this song:

It's February and with February comes the month of love/Valentine's Day/Singles Awareness Day/whatever you want to call it.
So I'm going to try something: for this month I will post a clutch of love songs that I like in the hope that you, the person reading this, will end up liking them to.
Probably won't happen but you never know....

So lets start with this: A song from the pen of one Neil Finn.
It baffles me how this song was never released (until the collection Afterglow). It's truly a gem and the type of song that illustrates what it feels like to be in a relationship - and how exciting, and scary, it can be.

This Song Rocks: Antillas

Original video located here. Accessed 30th January 2013

Song title: Antillas

Artist: El Guincho

Year: 2008

Why I like this song:

This has been another album I have been after for a long time but it is only now I'm getting around to it.

This song, and it's parent album, is a lot of fun to listen to. The tech involved may seem simplistic but it has a party atmosphere that other acts can only dream of. 

Choon of the Month: My Number

Original video located here. Accessed 28th January 2013

Song title: My Number

Artist: Foals

Year: 2013

Why I like this song:

Funky indeed. It's guitar pop par excellence

Explorations: Hoedown

Original video located here. Accessed 25th January 2013

Song title: Hoedown

Artist: Beaches

Year: 2008

Why I like this song:

So I got that book, 100 Best Australian Albums, and I had a look through out. And one name stood out to me that I had never heard before: Beaches. Apparently they are a five woman guitar instrumental band. Curious I sought out their self-titled album.

And as it turns out, it's exactly what it was: Whilst not a completely instrumental band Beaches still rock hard - perhaps even better than the fellas - and can put in some great guitar work, combing elements from shoegaze and surf rock.. 
Given this is right up my alley, I wonder why I didn't hear of them sooner...

This Song Rocks: Gold on the Ceiling

Original video located here. Accessed 23rd January 2013

Song title: Gold on the Ceiling

Artist: Black Keys

Year: 2011

Why I like this song:

Some further exploration of the Black Keys has led me to pick up their blockbuster album El Camino. 
It certainly rocks hard and plays up to their strengths. 
Now that I think of it, can one reach a wider audience without giving up what made them interesting? Its a difficult balancing act but not impossible. 

This Song Rocks: Fester

Original video located here. Accessed 21st January 2013

Song title: Fester

Artist: Dutch Uncles

Year: 2013

Why I like this song:

Must be that keyboard figure. It's an earworm and a half

This Song Rocks: Stupid Now

Original video located here. Accessed 28th December 2014

Song title: Stupid Now

Artist: Bob Mould

Year: 2008

Why I like this song:

I listened to Sugar and fell in love with it. So it is only natural that I seek out some more of Bob Mould's oeuvre. And so I came across this, his solo album District Line, having heard some good things about it.

And what do you know, the album is superb. The use of electronics is odd but it works. And this, the opening track, rocks hard. It may sound like Bob has a song-writing formula at work but if that is the case, said formula has yet to disappoint. 

This Song Rocks: My Delirium

Original video located here. Accessed 7th January 2013

Song title: My Delirium

Artist: Ladyhawke

Year: 2008

Why I like this song:

I've been aware of Ladyhawke, through her songs, so I decided to get off my slack arse and get her debut album.
It's pretty damn good, making good use of the electro-pop genre (or whatever it's called) and interesting lyrical themes of alienation. Indeed, it doesn't surprise me that Ladyhawke is on the Autistic spectrum as such themes sound familiar...

It's a pop song par excellence

The Asian Connection: Asia

Original video located here. Accessed 4th January 2013

Song title: Asia

Artist: Kenji Kawai

Year: 1993

Why I like this song:

A moody masterpiece that happens right in the middle of the movie Patlabor 2.
Just the thing to listen to when your government returns to martial law.