Original video located here. Accessed 30th May 2017
Song title: The Last Australian Guitar Hero
Artist: TISM
Year: 1997
Why I like this song:
If anyone's bothered by swearing then they are advised to skip this one.
But for the rest of you, may I present a lyrical masterpiece that was confined to a B-side. Still funny, and surprisingly relevant, twenty years on.
Gotta love the TISM monologues and this is one of their best.
Original video located here. Accessed 22nd May 2017
Song title: M.O.R.
Artist: Blur
Year: 1997
Why I like this song:
I always thought this was a lot better than Song 2 but it would seem that i am in a minority of One.
Oh well *kicks back, puts feet up and opens a beer*
Still, it rocks hard and the video is neat too (spot the Sydney location!).
Original video located here. Accessed 20th May 2017
Song title: Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)
Artist: Lee Perry and Quindon Tarver
Year: 1997
Why I like this song:
I think I speak for a lot of people when I say when i first heard this i found it inspiring. And I think I also speak for a lot of people when I say that after hearing it countless times, it stopped being inspiring and came across as corny.
But given twenty years of distance from this song and two decades of accumulated wisdom and life experiences (not to mention a parody by John Safran), I once again find this song inspiring. Funny how some distance can do that.
And hey, there's some good advice here. I wear sunscreen. And I'm good to my siblings
Song title: My Wave
Artist: Soundgarden
Year: 1994
Why I like this song:
R.I.P. Chris Cornell
This is perhaps my favourite song of theirs. And a stunning example of what Cornell could do with his voice.
No one sings like you any more indeed....
Original video located here. Accessed 17th May 2017
Song title: Tundra
Artist: sleepmakeswaves
Year: 2017
Why I like this song:
There are so many ways to pick up new music these ways that sometimes the simplest ways are often the most effective.
I heard this on the speaker at my local JBHifi and was impressed. So much so I got the album there and then.
I am a sucker for a good instrumental - moreso a strictly instrumental band - and this one does indeed deliver.
Original video located here. Accessed 12th May 2017
Song title: Children
Artist: Robert Miles
Year: 1996
Why I like this song:
R.I.P. Roberto Concina
Proof that Dream pop and House could make for a fruitful combination. For me it was a standout at the time when I was enjoying a lot of angry guitar music. And still works now.
Song title: Ashes to Ashes
Artist: Faith No More
Year: 1997
Why I like this song:
Something with a bit of personal resonance. In 1997, i was in my final year of high school. At the time, my school had a fund-raiser going on with a lucky door prize going for the student who put in their money on that particular day. Lo and behold i won! I was offered a number of prizes and I selected a music voucher. Which i subsequently used to get Faith No More's Album of the Year.
And for the rest of the year, i would listen to a lot during schoolwork, play it a lot to my drama class and find it a way to bond with the guy I sat next to in IT class.
Original video located here. Accessed 6th November 2020
Song title: Beautiful World
Artist: Utada Hikaru
Year: 2007
Why I like this song:
Funny thing about this one: I heard it and was taken in by it. It was only later that I found out that it's the end credits theme to the Evangelion rebuild movies. But it was easy to not realise this as I was not watching them (EDIT: But within time I eventually did).
But this is a indeed a gem and one I keep coming back to. It's just the thing to listen to while watching a sunset on a summer's night.
It's only love....
Original video located here. Accessed 4th May 2017
Song title: You're Not Alone
Artist: Olive
Year: 1997
Why I like this song:
I will admit this song made a sizable impression on fifteen-year-old me - hence me talking about it years later. That may seem something of a surprise seeing as I was listening to a lot of energetic stuff at the time. If anything, this was something of an oasis of calm in a desert. In fact that I remember it more than numerous other songs of 1997 speaks volumes of it's appeal.