Lidge's Official Bring Back Basia Bonkowski Action Faction Thread (III)

[The Other Dean]

As always, brilliant work Deano!! Excited to add these to the playlist and get listening. Love the clip (and song) for the So So Glos!

Cheers, man. Appreciate it.

And right there with you on the So So Glos - fantastic clip, fantastic song.

Awesome Deano. Plenty to get my theeth into there.

From the sounds of that, I'm assuming you wear dentures.

Not even a HM for Black Mountain - IV?

Simply didn't end up getting around to it properly.

You also left off Naps - The Most Beautiful Place on Earth. Only an EP but thought it would be up your alley.

EP's were excluded, but I wasn't actually aware of this anyway.

Pretty cool stuff. Will investigate further.

Every time I put this on I couldn't help but think they'd just made a new Strokes album. But yeah, really grew on me. I'll allow it.

Ha, you're too kind. I can see the comparison (and I'm by no means anti-Strokes), but CSH's guitar fuzz has a much more authentic, less manicured feel to it. And for yours truly that makes all the difference. Like I said, for mine it shares a lot in common with Kleenex Girl Wonder. (And I wasn't kidding about that 'Ponyoak' album, either. Best album Guided By Voices never released. Used to be a hard beast to track down. Not sure about now.)

Also some stuff from elsewhere in the world:
Imarhan - Imarhan
North African Tuareg-based funk, modernised and very groovy.

Africaine 808 - Basar
German duo with a French name and African influences. Like Imarhan, ideal stuff for headphone time at work.

5 embeds per post so I'll limit myself to 3 Italian albums.

Bugo - Nessuna Scala Da Salire
Bugo is getting a bit old for an enfant terrible these days but is always fun. Not a million miles away from Beck at times, he's always mixed dance beats with world-weary and ironic lyrics, and this album really roots the sound in an '80s vibe without sounding dated. I think I probably preferred 2011's Nuovi Rimedi Per La Miopia but this is a good addition to the catalogue.

Dente - Canzoni Per Metà
Laid-back, thoughtful indie pop. 20 tracks, half of which are under 2 minutes. A bit like Ryan Adams maybe?

Vinicio Capossela - Canzoni Della Cupa
Capossela's a wayward genius, a a bit like a hyper-literate Tom Waits (in fact, frequently works with the likes of Marc Ribot and Greg Cohen, as well as Calexico and others). I've seen some of his fans implore him to "step away from the bookcase and just play the damn music". This album is his Chinese Democracy, sitting half made for years and finally polished up for release. It mixes southern Italian folk with mariachi, Waits-y junkyard percussion and mythological themes for a challenging and engrossing piece of work.

Excellent stuff, Rob. As I've mentioned to you previously, I know 3/5ths of f.a. about the Italian scene but on the strength of some of that (and your recommendations) I'm going to do some further investigation. Nice one.

About the best I can offer on the subject is that I used to be into an Italian band (fronted by an ex-pat Canadian) by the name of Settlefish. Had a bit of an early Modest Mouse thing going on. Alas, they've split up now.

 

[Istanbul Roo]

TOD, much appreciated. Just by chance I was stuck on a plane from Sydney to Melb today, and listened to some of the albums on Virgin's system. Discovered WACO, thought they were okay. But out of the ten albums I listened to, most of which were just ho hum, one stood out for its unexpected skill, Hoops by the Rubens. Seems like a band to watch out for.

One more serious comment - its great getting your lists of new albums and new bands. But 60 years of music now means that its really hard to innovate much, and I did find that quite a lot of the songs you put up were for me poorer versions of earlier bands/songs ...
That could just be my age of course, maybe we all like bands of our youth in some way but, even so ... when I was in Year 10 Drums and Wires by XTC came out ( a friend thai-dyed it on his tee-shirt). Now I'm listening to it again (and Black Sea and the English Settlement) I honestly feel that some of the songs on those albums put into the shadows (I really need an aural metaphor) many of the songs that you've selected.
I know, music is personal, but what about one year if you did the same thing (top 10 Oz and 10 ten other) from all years? After all, if I'm not listening live, why should I listen to new albums that seem pretty derivative, with songs that one can feel the next musical moves before they happen, compared to albums that are the best in what they do ...

 

[Istanbul Roo]

Also some stuff from elsewhere in the world:
Imarhan - Imarhan
North African Tuareg-based funk, modernised and very groovy.

Africaine 808 - Basar
German duo with a French name and African influences. Like Imarhan, ideal stuff for headphone time at work.


5 embeds per post so I'll limit myself to 3 Italian albums.

Bugo - Nessuna Scala Da Salire
Bugo is getting a bit old for an enfant terrible these days but is always fun. Not a million miles away from Beck at times, he's always mixed dance beats with world-weary and ironic lyrics, and this album really roots the sound in an '80s vibe without sounding dated. I think I probably preferred 2011's Nuovi Rimedi Per La Miopia but this is a good addition to the catalogue.

Dente - Canzoni Per Metà
Laid-back, thoughtful indie pop. 20 tracks, half of which are under 2 minutes. A bit like Ryan Adams maybe?

Vinicio Capossela - Canzoni Della Cupa
Capossela's a wayward genius, a a bit like a hyper-literate Tom Waits (in fact, frequently works with the likes of Marc Ribot and Greg Cohen, as well as Calexico and others). I've seen some of his fans implore him to "step away from the bookcase and just play the damn music". This album is his Chinese Democracy, sitting half made for years and finally polished up for release. It mixes southern Italian folk with mariachi, Waits-y junkyard percussion and mythological themes for a challenging and engrossing piece of work.

Hey Rob Zombie, thanks Buddy, some interesting stuff there.

 

[ferball]

On the Cunners thread I mentioned Rabbit Junk.

I actually want to make a video of his don't argues to this song (but I lack the skill and software). Naturally its called Beast.



I reckon bits of that song sound like what running into him feels like.

 

[Snake_Baker]

Damn!

Basia needs a crank up.

Turn up the volume folks! :thumbsup

 

[Snake_Baker]

1. Take hypnotic of choice
2. Put on headphones
3. Enjoy

 

[Snake_Baker]

A little something I brought back with me from the mountain top.

Very good for soothing your base chakras.

 

[Zondor]

Exactly Snakes.

Here Ye is a blast of the past with my old mate The Zebra and his best bud Northbhoy prancing about with a couple of cut n shuts. :stern look

 

[blackshadow]

1. Take hypnotic of choice
2. Put on headphones
3. Enjoy

My favourite live band of the last few years.

Played an awesome set after work on Easter Tuesday on the rooftop at Curtin House.

Mind totally blown!

Sent from my F8331 using Tapatalk

 

[The Other Dean]

TOD, much appreciated. Just by chance I was stuck on a plane from Sydney to Melb today, and listened to some of the albums on Virgin's system. Discovered WACO, thought they were okay. But out of the ten albums I listened to, most of which were just ho hum, one stood out for its unexpected skill, Hoops by the Rubens. Seems like a band to watch out for.

One more serious comment - its great getting your lists of new albums and new bands. But 60 years of music now means that its really hard to innovate much, and I did find that quite a lot of the songs you put up were for me poorer versions of earlier bands/songs ...
That could just be my age of course, maybe we all like bands of our youth in some way but, even so ... when I was in Year 10 Drums and Wires by XTC came out ( a friend thai-dyed it on his tee-shirt). Now I'm listening to it again (and Black Sea and the English Settlement) I honestly feel that some of the songs on those albums put into the shadows (I really need an aural metaphor) many of the songs that you've selected.
I know, music is personal, but what about one year if you did the same thing (top 10 Oz and 10 ten other) from all years? After all, if I'm not listening live, why should I listen to new albums that seem pretty derivative, with songs that one can feel the next musical moves before they happen, compared to albums that are the best in what they do ...

Hey, IR. Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to this.

I was originally going to write a lengthy, detailed post traversing the genealogy of rock 'n roll (with most roads eventually leading back to the early Blues legends like Robert Johnson and Son House), but somewhere along the line I decided that was a s**t idea and lost all interest.

Why? Because ultimately it all comes back to what you said about music being a matter of taste.

Well, that and the fact that tons of stuff has been written on the subject already, often by people who explore the subject in a far more proficient and articulate fashion than I ever could.

But here's a few thoughts anyway....

(1) The 60's through to, say, the mid 80's was truly a golden age for music. A time when many of the musical genres that are still popular today were widely explored and quite often perfected. No argument there.

(2) Saying that, there have been a number of musical genres/sub-genres that have sprung up since that time. A whole bunch of them in fact, from Grunge to Math-Rock to Dubstep. While it may indeed be harder to innovate circa now, innovation in music is by no means dead.

(3) I believe that the masses of music readily available to the average music fan these days makes it more difficult to really grab a hold of new music. In that sense, I reckon the lay of the land dilutes the impact many excellent bands would otherwise have.

(4) There are still a whole heap of quality artists operating at the top of their game (or close enough to it) within their chosen genres. To pick a couple of examples - Wilco continue to be an active cornerstone of the Alt.country genre and are far from a tapped out commodity. Fantastic singer-songwriters like Elvis Costello, Rufus Wainwright, the recently-departed Lenny Cohen, the criminally under-recognised Aimee Mann, and a man who made last year's 'Best Of' list in Nick Cave are still making consistently compelling music.

(5) A lot of the 'legendary' bands are adored and revered because of a sustained level of excellence in their musical output. But there are hundreds of examples of apprentices outshining the masters on individual occasions. For instance, largely forgettable UK band The La's are not seen as a cornerstone of the jangle-pop genre that they inhabited, but their song "There She Goes" most certainly is. The Shout Out Louds are no Cure, but they have definitely penned the odd tune that easily rivals Fat Bob and Co at their best. And the list goes on. I enjoy exploring new music (and undiscovered nuggets from the aforementioned 'golden age' that the digital age has now made more accessible) in the hope of unearthing more of these musical treasures. Love a good tune just as much as I love a band I can rely on.

(6) Speaking as someone who has the 'Drums & Wires' logo tattooed on their arm, you don't need to sell me on the genius of XTC.

And as for my sorry-ass annual attempts at 'Best Of' lists, you can rest easy. After the fairly disinterested response I received to this year's effort, I think it safe to say I've penned my last 'Best Of' list on Bigfooty.

 

[The Other Dean]

Damn!

Basia needs a crank up.

Turn up the volume folks! :thumbsup

Noice.

Recently been listening to ECSR-related band, the Ooga Boogas. Features a couple of the ECSR guys and a dude from the Onyas (great band!). Kind of started out as more of garage-punk thing but their subsequent stuff has been more tuneful and bears a bit of a surf influence. They're no ECSR, but they go alright.

Early single....



And a more recent (and WAY more sedate and melodic) track....

 

[Snake_Baker]

Exactly Snakes.

Here Ye is a blast of the past with my old mate The Zebra and his best bud Northbhoy prancing about with a couple of cut n shuts. :stern look

Pretty boys. Say where are those two?

& pharro?

& kangalicious?

My favourite live band of the last few years.

Played an awesome set after work on Easter Tuesday on the rooftop at Curtin House.

Mind totally blown!

Sent from my F8331 using Tapatalk

You first put me on to them and I will be forever grateful.

If they offered me a job carrying their guitars, I would be gone tomorrow.

 

[Snake_Baker]

Noice.

Recently been listening to ECSR-related band, the Ooga Boogas. Features a couple of the ECSR guys and a dude from the Onyas (great band!). Kind of started out as more of garage-punk thing but their subsequent stuff has been more tuneful and bears a bit of a surf influence. They're no ECSR, but they go alright.

Early single....



And a more recent (and WAY more sedate and melodic) track....

Noice.

Quite a metamorphosis.

From punk to what appears to be a strong Go Betweens influence.

 

[Twinkletoes]

A little something I brought back with me from the mountain top.

Very good for soothing your base chakras.

An interesting exercise in 3 hour sleep therapy was watching this clip in full just prior to nodding off. It was like a 3 hour acid trip. Halucinogenic!

Pretty boys. Say where are those two?

& pharro?

& kangalicious?

The phaz is LT Smash and still around while kl had to steer clear once she gained a role with The Huddle. She now does her best work on FB after moving on from The Huddle to a bigger role with The Scanlan Foundation.

 

[Snake_Baker]

The phaz is LT Smash and still around while kl had to steer clear once she gained a role with The Huddle. She now does her best work on FB after moving on from The Huddle to a bigger role with The Scanlan Foundation.

Okey Dokey.

I always figured Zebs & NB were a pair of pretty boys and now the hellish one has confirmed it.

 

[Twinkletoes]

Okey Dokey.

I always figured Zebs & NB were a pair of pretty boys and now the hellish one has confirmed it.

NB is another who had to withdraw from here due to taking on a role with the club and Zebs is an enigma, cancelling his account following one too many rounds with mods elsewhere.

 

[Snake_Baker]

Great movie
Great song
Great clip

 

[ferball]

This is only in here cos of the title.

 

[The Other Dean]

This is only in here cos of the title.

Harsh. I happen to be quite fond of the song, too. Very nice lilt in the 80's AM radio-channeling chorus that has an appealing kind of Talk Talk-meets-China Crisis feel to it.

Fantastic, influential band who - along with My Bloody Valentine and Ride - formed part of the Holy Trinity of UK bands who pretty much wrote the template on shoegaze. Also a big fan of frontman Neil Halstead's excellent post-Slowdive band, Mojave 3. He's released a few fine solo albums, too.

Was stoked to hear that Slowdive had reformed and in this music fan's humble opinion, the new album is an excellent listen.

 

[ferball]

I've never really got into slowdive, Ride and MBV tho... JaMC (forgot the double )

They were alright I spose just never listened to 'em much.

I actually don't mind that song I posted. Possibly a bit crisp and not fuzzy enough but its ok. The song title is a winner tho. Should post it on Kanye's thread.

 

[The Other Dean]

I've never really got into slowdive, Ride and MBV tho... JaMC (forgot the double )

They were alright I spose just never listened to 'em much.

I actually don't mind that song I posted. Possibly a bit crisp and not fuzzy enough but its ok. The song title is a winner tho. Should post it on Kanye's thread.

'Souvlaki' album in particular is worth any shoegaze fan's time, IMO.

The new album is a little more on the dream-pop side of the shoegaze equation. Bit more stripped-back, more nuance in the songwriting. I think they were conscious not to simply drop a shoegaze paint-by-numbers affair. More power to them.

Yep....JAMC. :big thumbs up (And from the same period, HM's to Chapterhouse, Pale Saints and House Of Love. Could probably chuck The Boo Radleys in there, too.)

Of the aforementioned Holy Trinity, Ride are my pick. Pretty sure I posted 'Twisterella' semi-recently in Basia, so I'll give this legendary tune a run instead.




As a rule I generally prefer a bit of grunt in my shoegaze rather than the more finespun stuff, so I've always been a big Swervedriver fan. In songs like 'Son Of A Mustang Ford' and 'Never Lose That Feeling' they really gave the genre that shot of heft that it had (mostly) previously lacked.

Love this song so much. Throws up about a dozen different subtle chiming guitar hooks and all of them are freaking excellent. And to think it's hidden away as the last song on 'Ejector Seat Reservation'. Insane.

 

[ferball]

I just went and had a listen to JAMC for old times sake.

Early stuff - April Skies from Darklands



And a slightly more obscure song from one of their b side compilations.

 

[ferball]

I love that Ride song.

Don't listen to it often so it takes me right back to 1990 - hence the JAMC nostalgia.

 

[The Other Dean]

I love that Ride song.

Don't listen to it often so it takes me right back to 1990 - hence the JAMC nostalgia.

Cool thing about JAMC is you get the longevity/large volume of material.



Changing tack completely....I was listening to the soundtrack to the 80's ABC series, Sweet And Sour, today. As you do. Nah, I saw a clip from the show the other day and it struck me by how hella cheesy it was. Terrible acting (looking at you in particular, David Reyne), ridiculous dialogue, and a very wholesome, inauthentic vibe. So that led me to ponder how well the music from the show held up after all these years.

Kinda forgot that the entirely awesome Deborah Conway did the lead vocals (subbing for actress Tracy Mann) for the show's pretend band - The Takeaways. So that was a plus. Unfortunately, I found most of the music backing her fine voice to be pretty freaking awful, despite having a whole bunch of big names on board. Tracks were written by Don Walker, Chris Bailey, Reg Mombassa, Martin Armiger (Sports), Mark Callaghan (GANGgajang) and other luminaries of the Australian music scene but the material they came up with is largely boring and dated with a generic "rock" sound. (Although to be fair, that may have been partly intentional.) Dull, plodding songs full of truly horrid saxophone fills. Very 80's but not in a good way.

Sadly, the large number of talented musicians that play on the album can't do much to salvage the situation. Too many people played on the album to mention but for the trivia buffs, the vocals for the other girl in the band were done by Cathy McQuade from obscure-ish 80's band, Deckchairs Overboard. And David Reyne's vocals were done by John Clifforth from the same band.

Caveat - I am prepared to cut the title track some slack because it has an incredibly catchy chorus. (That song was penned by Sharon O'Neill.)

Aaaaaanyway.....only real shining light was in the form of a couple of tracks written by David McComb of The Triffids.

Here's one, complete with clip o' cheesiness. Certainly not McComb at his best, but a darn sight better than the dross surrounding it.





Now let us never speak of this again.

 

[ferball]

That's a great song.

Usually.