workingclassdan

[workingclassdan]

Moved my site - danforrestal.net and danforrestal.com.au will get you there.

[workingclassdan]

Do you wanna see Dan’s junk?

I’ve moved most of my junk to danforrestal.squarespace.com and then probably to danforrestal.com.au

[workingclassdan]

2018 music half year report

(To 16/6) Albums listened: 113 Catchups from 2017: 15

Top 10 so far from 2018 Sarah Blasko - Depth of Field Underrated in Australia. Maybe as she can come across cold or slightly humourless but this is a towering artist. Another great album worthy of more attention.

Gurrumul - Djarrimirri Wow! Classical arrangements of Aboriginal music to back Gurrumul’s one of a kind voice. An exotic fusion that after five years of toil has paid off as a monumental swan song.

Ty Segall - Freedom’s Goblin Prolific rock dog Ty Segall is always good value. I love his fuzzy take on Every 1’s a Winner. Killer riff, which is kind of Ty’s stock in trade.

Amen Dunes - Freedom This guy perfected a droney style he’d been crafting over 2 or 3 previous albums. Not sure how to describe the music without sounding like faint praise. It sounds like bedroom crafted with layers and monotone vocals but it’s actually quite emotional and stands up to repeat listens. See, it deserves bigger praise than that.

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - Hope Downs Brisker than brisk tempos and plain spoken vocals. Bit of the Go-Betweens, bit of The Feelies, a bit Strokes before they went to shit. Plenty of local references (hello Sydney Road, Bellarine etc), this is going to go global like Courtney Barnett.

Half Waif - Lavender She keeps putting more distance between her and her previous outfit Pinegrove who still haven’t managed album number two. This is better anyway.

Gaz Coombes - World’s Strongest Man The first half of this album in particular shows Gaz has lost nothing with age. In fact, he’s gained a depth that’s infinitely interesting to listen to. So there might not be another ‘Alright’ but there never could be.

Tropical Fuck Storm - A Laughing Death in Meat Space Confronting, brutal, Aussie AF. Gareth Liddiard and his buds have made a cracker. It’s actually kinda scary. Makes The Drones sound practically sedate. Still the best band name this side of Big Walnuts Yonder.

Young Fathers - Cocoa Sugar I’m not sure if this is hip-hop, or electronic or what but it sounds fully original to me. Different textures that comes from this faction of British music. But the thing is, the tunes are all there and it’s incredibly musical, they’ve got a couple of the best single tracks of the year right here (see In My View).

LUMP - LUMP Laura Marling is always good, I’m sure she’ll still be making albums 30 years from now. But after a few middling albums, her music could have done with a shakeup. And that’s what this collaboration does by handing over the music to someone else (Mike something, I don’t care), but it also loosens up Marling’s lyrics. Just the challenge she needed.

Might get upgraded by year-end: Loma Snail Mail Laura Veirs Mia Dyson Joan as Policewoman Beach House Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Düngen & Woods Neko Case (excellent album marred by the worst album cover of the year, possibly decade.) Yo La Tengo Screaming Females

Tracks: Mitski - Geyser QOTSA - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Rolling Blackouts - Mainland, Talking Straight Ty Segall - Every 1’s a Winner Laura Veirs - Everybody Needs You Amen Dunes - Skipping School Young Fathers - In My View Mogwai - Donuts Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Haunt Wild Beasts - Big Cat (live) Okkervil River - Call Yourself Renee Jon Hopkins - Feel First Life Eels - Coming Back Gurrumul - Djolin Arctic Monkeys - Four Out of Five

[workingclassdan]

Friday Five - 18/5/18

New footage of Prince

This video of Prince that accompanies a newly released studio recording of Nothing Compares 2 U rewards a close watch. I take out not only his immense talent and passion inherent in the song (although Sinead will always have the definitive version) but the hard work that went into rehearsing his band (and presumably his other bands too). 

Aurora Australis

These shots of the aurora in Tasmania are beautiful. I didn’t know they could be quite so vivid that far north. 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-29/tasmani-aurora-australis-pictures-facebook-hobart-skygazing/8567888

KISS guy with Foo Fighters

This did the rounds but it really puts a smile on my face. 

Big ideas for the environment

I love a clever idea and I’m also idealistic and optimistic enough o think that humans can solve their problems. Two ideas came up recently, one an enzyme that eats plastic and another that makes clean drinking water out of thin air. 

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/16/scientists-accidentally-create-mutant-enzyme-that-eats-plastic-bottles

https://www.energymatters.com.au/renewable-news/solar-powered-water-extract-clean-drink/

Take on a creative project

Setting yourself a task for each day can focus your creativity so you train yourself to better spot new ideas. It’s amazing the way this can set your brain to work in the way that is so enjoyable. 

https://petapixel.com/2018/05/01/photo-a-day-projects-improve-well-being-study-finds/

GQ Comedy Issue - “Mistake were made.”

Look closely. Link about it below. 

http://adage.com/article/media/what-gq-has-to-say-about-its-comedy-issue-cover/313558/

[workingclassdan]

Big music list 2017

As years go, I think 2017 set a pretty high standard for music. My taste this year  = Middle-aged indie legends, brokenhearted female singer-songwriters, proggy metal and overly ambitious locals.

*Number of 2017 albums listened to:* 260. (Full list in separate post)

*Top 10*

1. Afghan Whigs - In Spades 2. St Vincent - Masseduction 3. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Flying Microtonal Banana/Murder of the Universe/Sketches of Brunswick East/Polygondwanaland/(unnamed fifth album) 4. Phoebe Bridgers - Stranger in the Alps 5. LCD Soundsystem - American Dream 6. Ryan Adams - Prisoner 7. Broken Social Scene - Hug of Thunder 8. The National - Sleep Well Beast 9. Fountaineer - Greater City, Greater Love 10. Father John Misty - Pure Comedy

Who would have thought a band that seemed to have peaked with SubPop’s mid-90s boom would have my favourite album of 2017. It’s got shades of grunge but Afghan Whigs’ In Spades is no grunge album, they add brass and strings to go with a still emotionally wrought howl.

St Vincent is still putting out twisted pop. She’s picked up grammies but while she enlisted Jack Antonoff to help produce but the result is poppy but it’s more messed up and artful than anything you’ll find in the charts. There’s elements of heartbreak and obsessive compulsion.

King Gizzard deserve special mention again. By December 10 they’ve put out 4 of the 5 albums they promised in 2017 and each has its own concept: Flying Microtonal Banana - microtonal tuned instruments. Murder of the Universe - heavier with spoken word narrative throughout. Sketches of Brunswick East - a collaboration with Mild High Club. Polygondwanaland - back to their psych freakout but the album masters were released for anyone to make their own pressing and profit from it. An incredibly consistent output. Banana and Polygondwnaaland especially keep the standard extra high but many people could have found a way to get into Gizz this year.

I loved Phoebe Bridgers album. Suited my mood a lot. LCD Soundsystem might have been the album I listened to most this year, it just makes me happy. Ryan Adams and Father John Misty had early high points in 2018. The National had another solid album and Bendigo’s Fountaineer might just be Australia’s equivalent of The National.

*Albums that didn’t get their due* Holy Holy - Paint Tim Rogers - An Actor Repairs Depeche Mode - Spirit Ben Wright Smith - The Great Divorce

*Best New Band Name* Tropical Fuck Storm Big Walnuts Yonder

*Best Album Title:* Broken Social Scene - Hug of Thunder

*Best/Worst Album Title* Doug Tuttle - Peace Potato

*Weirdest album I listened to:* Bob’s Burgers soundtrack. 100+ tracks from the TV show.

*Best soundtrack* Baby Driver - I loved the movie and the soundtrack was stellar. Reminded me of what a perfect song Easy by the Commodores is. Hans Zimmer - Blue Planet 2

*Least essential* Ben Gibbard covers Teenage Fanclub’s Bandwagonesque in its entirety Sun Kil Moon shat on his legacy some more with another album filled with songs that sound more like trolling than an album. I’m over that guy.

*Best Re-releases* The Beatles - Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (50th anniversary) Radiohead - OK Computer (OKNOTOK) REM - Automatic for the People (25th anniversary)

*Surprise of the Year* Arcade Fire doesn’t matter any more. Everything Now was nearly ok but its major achievement was making Reflektor sound pretty decent is retrospect. Easily their weakest album. Chastened, I’m prepared for them to abandon irony and return in 2020 with a sincere new album called All That You Can’t Leave Behind.

*Close to the top:* Julien Baker - Turn Out the Lights Spoon - Hot Thoughts Pony Face - Deja Vu Penguin Cafe - NIN - Add Violence ep Smith Street Band - More Afraid fo You Than You Are of Me Thurston Moore - Rock n Roll Consciousness Pond - The Weather Aimee Mann - Mental Illness Perfume Genius - No Shape BNQT - Volume 1 Elder - Reflections on a Floating World London Grammar - Truth is a Beautiful Thing Haim - Something to Tell You Waxahatchee - Vagabon - Infinite Worlds Manchester Orchestra - A Black Mile to the Surface Grizzly Bear - Painted Ruins Gang of Youths - Go Farther in Lightness Rostam - Half-Light Torres - Three Futures Taylor Swift - Reputation Love Migrate - Somewhere, Over the Mangroves Kamasi Washington - Bjork - Utopia Mavis Staples - If All I Was Was Black

[workingclassdan]

All albums I listened to in 2017

1. David Bowie - No Plan (ep) 2. Ryan Adams - Prisoner 3. Gone is Gone - Echolocation * 4. The xx - I See You 5. The Flaming Lips - Oczy Mldy 6. Cloud Nothings - Life Without Sound 7. Japandroids - Near to the Wild Heart of Life 8. Foxygen - Hang 9. Ty Segall - Ty Segall 10. Camp Cope / Cayetana - Split EP 11. Cuddle Magic - Ashes/Axis 12. Hand Habits - Wildly Idle 13. Son Volt - Notes of Blue 14. Sun Kil Moon - Common as Light… (notable for shitness) 15. PVT - New Spirit 16. Steve Vai - Modern Primitive 17. Dirty Projectors - ST   (little bubble) 18. Middle Kids - EP 19. Father John Misty - Pure Comedy 20. The Waifs - Ironbark 21. Bruce Springsteen - (Odds & Rarities) 22. Thundercat - Drunk 23. Animal Collective - The Painters EP  (kinda bonkers) 24. Los Campesinos - Sick Scenes 25. Grandaddy - Last Place  (lost machine) 26. Methyl Ethel - Everything is Forgotten 27. Kingswood - After Hours, Close to Dawn 28. Holy Holy - Paint 29. Vagabon - Infinite Worlds 30. Spoon - Hot Thoughts  (do i have to talk you into it 31. Brian Eno - Reflection 32. The Shins - Heartworms 33. Laura Marling - Semper Femina * 34. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - The French Press EP * 35. Temples - Volcano 36. Roy Buchanan - Telemaster Live in 75 37. Real Estate - In Mind 38. Depeche Mode - Spirit * 39. Mastodon - Emperor of Sand * 40. Drake - More Life  (Passionfruit) 41. Ben Wright Smith - The Great Divorce 42. Sleepmakeswaves- Made of Breath Only - (hailstones) 43. Aimee Mann - Mental Illness 44. Jesus and Mary Chain - Damage and Joy 45. Steel Panther - Lower the Bar 46. Evyltyde - Rising 47. Spiral Stairs - Doris and the Daggers 48. Julia Holter - In the Same Room * 49. Boss Hog - Brood X 50. British Sea Power - Let the Dancers Inherit the Party 51. Anjou - Epithymia 52. The Melker Project Remix 53. New Pornographers - Whiteout Conditions 54. Future Islands - The Far Field 55. Craig Finn - We All Want the Same Thing 56. Smith Street Band - More Scared of You Than You Are of Me 57. Cold War Kids - La Divine 58. Clark - Death Peak 59. The Black Angels - Death Song 60. Arca - Arca 61. Luke Howard - ? 62. Kendrick Lamar - DAMN. 63. Prince - ep 64. Incubus - 8 65. Amy Shark - Night Thinker ep 66. Mew - Visuals 67. Gorillaz - Humanz 68. Ryan Adams (b-sides) - 69. Tim Rogers - An Actor Repairs * 70. Feist - Pleasure 71. Bill Baird - Easy Machines 72. Bill Baird - Baby Blue Abyss 73. Thurston Moore - Rock n Roll Conciousness 74. Colin Stetson - All This I Do For Glory 75. Bob Dylan - Triplicate 76. Pond - The Weather 77. Alice Coltrane - The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane 78. San Cisco - The Water 79. Doug Tuttle - Peace Potato 80. Big Walnuts Yonder 81. Perfume Genius - No Shape 82. Penguin Cafe - 83. Mac Demarco 84. Afghan Whigs - In Spades 85. At the Drive-In - interalia 86. Slowdive - Slowdive - falling ashes 87. Dead Letter Circus - The Endless Mile - Lines 88. Nick Murphy - Missing Link ep 89. Bob’s Burgers - s/t 90. Fleet Foxes - The Crack-Up 91. BNQT - Volume 1 92. Do Make Say Think - Stubborn Persistent Illusions 93. The Beatles - Sgt Pepper's 94. Dan Auerbach - Waiting on a Song 95. Ben Ottewell - A Man Apart 96. Bernard Fanning - Brutal Dawn 97. Roger Waters - Is This the Life We Really Want 98. Underground Lovers - Staring at You Staring At Me 99. Elder - Reflections of a Floating World 100. Half Waif - form/a ep 101. The Kills - Echo Home non-electric ep 102. Bleachers - Gone Now 103. Amber Coffman - City of No Reply 104. Marika Hackman - I’m Not Your Man * 105. Husky - Punchbuzz 106. U2 - (some bootleg of latest tour) 107. Alt-J - Relaxer  (3WW) 108. Beach Fossils - Somersault 109. Mount Eerie - A Crow Looked at Me 110. London Grammar - Truth is a Beautiful Thing 111. Lindsay Buckingham/Christine McVie - 112. Phoenix - Ti Amo 113. Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner, Nico Muhly, James McAlister - Planetarium 114. Big Thief - Capacity Mythological Beauty 115. Kirin J Callinan - Bravado 116. The Magpie Salute - The Magpie Salute (Live) 117. Portugal. The Man - Woodstock 118. Lorde - Melodrama * 119. Royal Blood - How Did We Get So Dark? 120. Ride - Weather Diaries 121. Cigarettes After Sex - s/t 122. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Flying Microtonal Banana 123. Jeff Tweedy - Together at Last 124. Tara Jane O’Neil - s/t 125. Baby Driver soundtrack 126. UNKLE - The Road pt1 127. Silicon Valley soundtrack 128. Haim - Something to Tell You 129. Broken Social Scene - Hug of Thunder 130. Jay-Z - 4:44 131. Tex, Don & Charlie - You Don’t Know Lonely 132. Oh Wonder - Ultralife 133. Radiohead - OKNOTOK 134. Waxahatchee - Out in the Storm 135. U2 (live Vancouver) 136. Japanese Breakfast - Soft Sounds from Another Planet 137. DJ Shadow - The Mountain Will Fall 138. Vera Blue - Perennial 139. Lana Del Rey - Lust for Life 140. Nine Inch Nails - Add Violence ep * 141. Singles soundtrack deluxe 142. Arcade Fire - Everything Now 143. Boris - Dear 144. Perera Elsewhere - All of This 145. Manchester Orchestra - A Black Mile to the Surface 146. The Murlocs - Old Locomotive 147. Dan Sultan - Killer  (fire under foot, kingdom) 148. Fountaineer - Greater City, Greater Love 149. Benjamin Gibbard - Bandwagonesque 150. Juanita Stein - America 151. Saskwatch - Manual Override 152. Kid Koala with Emiliana Torrini - Music to Draw To: Satellite 153. David Rawlings - Poor David’s Almanac 154. Damian Cowell's Disco Machine - Get Yer Dag On! 155. Jen cloher - s/t 156. Queens of the Stone Age - Villains * 157. Paul Kelly - Life is Fine I smell trouble 158. Davey Lane - I’m Gonna Burn Out Bright 159. Mogwai - Every Country’s Sun 160. Alvvays - Antisocialites 161. Ben Frost - The Centre Cannot Hold 162. Grizzly Bear - Painted Ruins 163. Iron and Wine - Beast Epic call it dreaming 164. Gang of Youths - Go Farther in Lightness 165. Gold Class - Drum 166. King Gizzard and Mild High Club - Sketches of Brunswick East 167. Steven Wilson - To the Bone 168. The Preatures - Girlhood 169. Filthy Friends - Invitation 170. The War on Drugs - A Deeper Understanding 171. Chris Forsyth and the Solar Motel - Dreaming in the Non-Dream 172. LCD Soundsystem - American Dream 173. Cloud Control - Zone rainbow city 174. Liars - TFCF 175. Neil Finn - Out of Silence 176. Deerhoof - Mountain Moves 177. Jake Bugg - hearts That Strain 178. Gordi - Reservoir 179. Meg Mac - Low Blows 180. The National - Sleep Well Beast 181. Beaches - Second of Spring 182. Chad Vangaalen - Light Information 183. Nothing But Thieves - 184. Foo Fighters - Concrete and Gold 185. Tori Amos - Native Invader 186. The Belligerents - Science Fiction (Sorry to Say) 187. Rostam - Half-Light 188. Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions - Until the Hunter 189. Ariel Pink - Dedicated to Bobby Jameson 190. Davey Lane - Back/Here/Forward 191. Lisa Mitchell - When they Play That Song ep 192. Tired Lion - Dumb Days 193. Mastodon - Cold Dark Place ep 194. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Luciferian Towers 195. Lee Ronaldo - Electric Trim 196. Neil Young - Hitchhiker 197. The Killers - Wonderful Wonderful 198. Hyla - Osaka 199. Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross - The Vietnam War 200. Moses Sumney - Aromanticism 201. British India - Forgetting the Future 202. Matt Cameron - Cavedweller 203. Hammock - Mysterium 204. Ben Frost - Threshold of Faith 205. Philip Selway - Let Me Go 206. Prophets of Rage - s/t 207. Phoebe Bridgers - Starnger in the Alps 208. Pearl Jam - Let’s Play Two 209. Wolf Alice - Visions of a Life 210. Torres - Three Futures 211. Ibeyi - Ash 212. Wolf Parade - Cry Cry Cry 213. Liam Gallagher - As You Were 214. Andrew Bird - Echolocations: River 215. Bladerunner 2049 soundtrack 216. The Horrors - V 217. St Vincent - Masseduction 218. Kurt Vile & Courtney Barnett - A Lotta Sea Lice 219. Beck - Colors 220. Robert Plant - Carry Fire 221. Alex Lahey - I Love You Like a Brother 222. Destroyer - Ken. 223. William Patrick Corgan - wpc 224. Custard - The Common Touch 225. Love Migrate - Somewhere, Over the Mangroves 226. Protomartyr - Relatives in Descent 227. Polish Club - Alright Already 228. Ecca Vandal - s/t 229. Grooms - Infinity Caller 230. Lean Year - s/t 231. Kevin Devine - Instigator 232. King Krule - The Ooz 233. Portico Quartet - Art in the Age of Automation 234. Weezer - Pacific Daydream 235. Hans Zimmer et al (Blue Planet ll soundtrack) 236. Fever Ray - Plunge 237. Julien Baker - Turn Out the Lights 238. Jim Lawrie - Slacker of the Year 239. REM - Automatic for the People (25th Anniversary) 240. Angel Olsen - Phases 241. Stranger Things 2 (Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein) 242. Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats - Live at Red Rocks 243. Tame Impala - Currents (deluxe) 244. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Polygondwanaland 245. Sharon Jones - Soul of a Woman 246. Bjork - Utopia * 247. Aldous Harding - Party 248. David Gilmour - Live at Pompeii 249. Queen - News of the World (deluxe) 250. Stella Donnelly - Thrush Metal ep 251. U2 - Songs of Experience 252. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds - Who Built the Moon? 253. Taylor Swift - Reputation 254. Kamasi Washington - Harmony of Difference 255. Wand - Plum 256. Weaves - Wide Open 257. Mavis Staples - If All I Was Was Black 258. Neil Young and Promise of the Real - The Visitor 259. Pony Face - Deja Vu 260. The Orbweavers - Deep Leads

Stray tracks: Hans Zimmer & Radiohead Lisa Hannigan - Oh! You Pretty Things Jarvis Cocker & Chilli Gonzalez Jack Whiter Glen Hansard (2) John Butler Trio Ryan Adams - back in your head Brian Eno & Kevin Shields Tropical Fuck Storm (2)

2016 catchups:

Ryley Walker & Charles Rumback Alex Isenberg Lisa Hannigan Margaret Glaspy Catfish and the Bottlemen Badbadnotgood 1 Mile North Chris Forsyth Peep Tempel Tash Sultana Rogue Wave Damien Jurado Love Migrate - Luke Howard Kaleo

[workingclassdan]

Top songs of 2017

Afghan Whigs - Demon in Profile / Birdland Hans Zimmer & Radiohead - Bloom Dirty Projectors - Little Bubble Ty Segall - Break a Guitar Tim Rogers - The Umpire’s Boy Marika Hackman - Boyfriend Haim - Something to Tell You Radiohead - Man O War Phoebe Bridgers - Motion Sickness Perfume Genius - Slip Away St Vincent - New York Grizzly Bear - Four Cypresses Grandaddy - Lost Machine BNQT - Failing at Feeling Spoon - Do I Have to Talk You Into It Sleepmakeswaves - Hailstones Methyl Ethel - Ubu Depeche Mode - Going Backwards Smith Street Band - Death to the Lads Thurston Moore  - Smoke of Dreams Slowdive - Falling Ashes Fleet Foxes - Beck - Dreams Alt-J - 3WW NIN - Less Than Dan Sultan - Kingdom / Fire Under Foot London Grammar - Rooting for You Big Thief - Mythological Beauty Lorde - Green Light Royal Blood - Lights Out King Gizzard - Rattlesnake Waxahatchee - Never Been Wrong / Silver Fountaineer - Onomatopeia Paul Kelly - I Smell Trouble LCD Soundsystem - Call the Police Cloud Control - Rainbow City Iron and Wine - Call it Dreaming The National - Day I Die Pony Face - Justine Aimee Mann - Goose Snow Cone The Beatles - Strawberry Fields Forever (Take 7) Mogwai - Coolverine Gang of Youth - What Can I Do If the Fire Goes Out? Holy Holy - Willow Tree /  Gilded Age Rostam - Bike Dream Robert Plant - Keep it Hid Aldous Harding - Imagining My Man Japanese Breakfast - Soft Sounds from Another Planet The Belligerents - Sorry to Say Lisa Hannigan - Oh! You Pretty Things

[workingclassdan]

When you need to check your phone the second you get out of the shower. (at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)

[workingclassdan]

2017 AFL season preview

How will your team go this year? Find out in my 2017 AFL season preview.

ADELAIDE CROWS The Crows defied everyone’s expectations in 2016 by thriving despite losing Dangerfield. Can they keep it up this season? Their brand of footy is really exciting, which aren’t words often used in relation to Adelaide.

BRISBANE LIONS The Lions’ women’s team won the right to host the grand final then lost it as a million Adele fans hell-bent on wanton destruction mangled the Gabba turf. If the men’s team want to win more than a handful of games, they could do a lot worse than drafting some women.

CARLTON BLUES Bryce Gibbs was so desperate to leave Visy Park he tried to go to Adelaide. Poor guy. The way the Blues played the pre-season I don’t think anyone wants to be there. A few players are just showing up to collect a pay cheque, especially Daisy Thomas.

COLLINGWOOD MAGPIES The Pies will have to do without Travis Cloke this year. How will they ever replace all those behinds he kicked? Pre-season highlight was Jordan De Goey who claimed he broke his hand “playing with his dog”, by which he meant punching on in a nightclub.

ESSENDON BOMBERS Should be a different team this year as a couple of dozen players get un-suspended this year. Can call on Mick Gatto to put the wind up a few opposition players the week before they play the Bombers.

FREMANTLE DOCKERS On the plus side the Dockers get Nat Fyfe back. Fyfe is a free agent after this season, so look to him to dominate to drive his price up. On the down side, they’re still coached by Ross Lyon, so best to look anywhere but at the Dockers.

GEELONG CATS Will have high hopes this year. Not for the premiership, but high hopes they’ll get another sponsor after Joel Selwood lost his licence for speeding and the TAC hightailed it out of Geelong like the Dukes of Hazzard.

GOLD COAST SUNS What’s going on at Gold Coast? Dunno. Who cares?

GWS GIANTS The only thing standing in their way of the premiership is that everyone has picked them for the premiership. The same people thought the Dockers had a good shot last year.

HAWTHORN HAWKS After years of dominance, the Hawks decided to share their stars with the other teams. To keep up the goodwill, they also rubbed out Hodgey for Round 1. Positive: Roughy returns after battling cancer. Negative: They drafted Ty Vickery, who is battling PTSD after years at Richmond.

MELBOURNE DEMONS The Dees might just win some games this year, but someone tell them the pre-season now counts for even less than it used to. Prediction 1: Jordan Lewis will learn what it’s like to lose more than four games in a season. Prediction 2: Sad Jack Watts memes will become the new Sad Keanu.

NORTH MELBOURNE KANGAROOS The Roos cleared room in their salary cap by retiring several of their champions. Maybe they’ve tanked earlier than any team ever has before. They didn’t draft anyone to take their places, so I guess the Roos are just sitting this year out to be well rested for 2018.

PORT ADELAIDE POWER You know what is more boring than Adelaide? Port Adelaide.

RICHMOND TIGERS Richmond fans have been waiting on a premiership since 1982. Their only hope might be if Dustin Martin’s dad has Mick Gatto’s phone number and they can have the opposition experience some “unfortunate accidents” like he’s working for Essendon.

ST KILDA SAINTS Saints fans have been waiting for a second flag since 1966. This group might actually be going places…mostly to Etihad, not to the MCG on grand final day. Geez, don’t get ahead of yourself.

SYDNEY SWANS We can say the same thing about the Swans every year – They’ll be up there again. And once again Buddy Franklin will make you feel like a thoroughly inferior human being. *Cries into an overpriced plastic cup of Carlton Draught*

WEST COAST EAGLES “We’re the Eagles, we’re flying high”. Seems like the Eagles of the early 2000s took the theme song a little too literally. Sam Mitchell is football’s version of Bruce Willis in The Sixth Sense, he’s a ghost caught in limbo, his career is over but his body is stuck in purgatory for 12 months (Actually Perth is more like Hell). But there’s still some life left in the old boy, looking forward to him delivering a few lace out to Josh Kennedy.

WESTERN BULLDOGS Last year they kicked enough goals to win the flag. With Travis Cloke they can look forward to kicking a lot more behinds as well. Can they win another flag for Bob Murphy returning in defence? I expect Bob to do his other knee in the prelim to inspire the Dogs to win for their captain, and then Bevo will hand him a second premiership medal as Murph wheels his wheelchair into the steps of the grand final staging. Someone please install a ramp for Bob!

[workingclassdan]

Friday Five 17/3/17

TV: Netflix is launching Season 11 of Mystery Science Theatre 3000 on 14 April. It’s pretty wacky and does take a fair bit of wrapping your head around the concept, which admittedly looks a little hokey and low budget by today’s standards. But that’s its charm. I’ve been getting into it and can see why it’s become a cult classic when people were passing around VHS tapes of it. Before the new episodes start, Netflix has 20 of the best to get us started and here the AV Club gives you a synopsis of a few http://www.avclub.com/live/5-mystery-science-theater-3000-episodes-stream-net-252119/entry/228 

Music: Spoon - Hot Thoughts. Spoon are ever reliable and they’ve dished out another taut album with a couple of deadset hits along with a more than solid album of guitar pop minimalism augmented by electronics based around a skeleton of snapping drums and jagged keyboards. Do I Have to Talk You Into It sounds like a NIN track put through the cool classic pop filter of Spoon. 

Course: I signed up for Steve Martin’s Comedy Masterclass. Not sure who is behind these masterclasses but they’ve got the top people teaching their special subject. The lists are incredible. Aaron Sorkin teaches screenwriting, Serena Williams teaches tennis, Frank Gehry teaches architecture etc. I don’t have a particular desire to do standup but any help to be funnier and write funnier from Steve is probably worth $90US. Starts 1 May but you can join at any time. 

Midlife crisis: Instead of a convertible I’ve been overhauling my hi-fi system to an audiophile-worthy rig with an upgraded amp and turntable so far. Vinyl is going to keep me very poor. I could still add a high-end digital hard drive and/or streaming component...we’ll see. 

Blast from the past: The music site Tone Deaf posted the ARIA chart below as part of a post about how Ed Sheeran had wrecked this week’s top 50 singles by having 18 tracks from his album boosted into the charts based on streaming play. It was quite incredible that this was a pivotal week for my musical development and essentially my life. Probably the week before this was the first week I’d watched Rage and discovered the top 50. Without older siblings to pass down music, it took a chance listening to commercial radio to discover music beyond my parents’ meagre record collection. I had an epiphany. I started writing down the chart every week and watching the singles countdown every weekend with religiosity. That personal revolution and musical gluttony lasts until this day. This chart took me right back to the where it all started.  

[workingclassdan]

[workingclassdan]

Friday Five 17/2/17

Podcast: My Dad Wrote a Porno. 

Very naughty. Very funny. Try not to laugh out loud on the bus/train/in the library/at a porn cinema.

Music: Ryan Adams - Prisoner

Sounds 80s, Springsteen, MOR soft rock, luscious. Only criticism is that some of the songs in the back half sound very similar. 

Concert: Bruce Springsteen. 

The dude is 67 and does a 3-hour show singing his guts out, playing guitar, goofing around for the crowd. Brilliant. I went twice. 

Browser extension: 

The Daily Show turns Trump tweets into the scrawl of a 7-year-old. Seems appropriate. http://mashable.com/2017/02/15/daily-show-browser-extension-trump-scribbles-tweets/?utm_cid=mash-com-fb-main-link#8DMUMhYvD9qk

Instagram: Bethdrawsthings. 

Mental illness and cartoons, my favourite combination. https://www.instagram.com/bethdrawsthings/?hl=en

[workingclassdan]

#bornthisway

[workingclassdan]

Today was like...

[workingclassdan]

Massive music post for 2016

Pretty early in 2016 I had an inkling that it was going to be a very good year for music. Going through my listening for the whole year bears this out. Often I’ll get a list of about 15 top albums for a year, this year I have 25 top albums and 15 or 16 more that are worthy, close or worth further listens. A closer inspection bears out that while a few of these are excellent, most fall into a good-very good basket. So 2016, lots of very good, few standouts.

 Total albums listened: 210.  

 Catch-ups from 2015: 15

 Trends: Visual albums and stage managed deaths

Beyonce and Frank Ocean released “visual albums” this year. I guess we shouldn’t be surprised that people are making the visuals as important as the music itself.

2016 was obviously a terrible year for musician deaths, none managed it better than Bowie, whose masterful exit included an incredible album loaded with Easter eggs and filled with references to his impending demise. Leonard Cohen gave an ominous interview with The New Yorker before his death and on the release of his latest excellent album, although he later was forced to claim he was healthy then died shortly after. Prince almost managed it with what turned out to be his final tour, and it might still turn out that George Michael’s final album was ready to go at the time of his death,

  My favourites:

 1. Radiohead  - A Moon Shaped Pool

I describe my musical taste as being “uptight white guy music” and was there any album that sums that up more than this?

After the slight King of Limbs and their Hall of Fame status secured, Radiohead could have been forgiven for just popping out another solid album of their electro noodlings and we’d lap it up, but AMSP goes way further. Prompted by his relationship breakup, for the first time in a long time Thom Yorke looks inward and we get the rewards of his turmoil. Only Burn the Witch (the way leaders prey on our fears) and The Numbers (climate change) look to world affairs. It’s not the woe is me of the first two albums but more resignation (“it’s too late, the damage is done”, regret (“Different kinds of love are possible”) and self-directed blame (“You’ve really messed up everything”).

Everywhere you go spirals of reverbed pianos wrap themselves around your ears and this was what I used as balm for my soul this year.

  2. David Bowie - Blackstar

Not going gently into that goodnight, Bowie went out with an album that has moments that stand up to his best. The title track is ten minutes of avant jazz mayhem that somehow is completely listenable and brilliant. Final track I Can’t Give Everything Away is another highlight that gains weight following the singer’s death.  Also: Check out band leader Donny McCaslin’s album Beyond Now to hear why Bowie chose them as his backing band for this one.

 3. King Gizzard and the Wizard Lizard - Nonagon Infinity

Another year, another great Gizz album and this is their best so far. Nonagon is an album that plays on an infinite loop, this time the songs are catching up to their ambition. But speaking of ambition; they have five albums on the slate for next year.  

 4. The Drones - Feelin Kinda Free

This seemed to slip through the cracks this year (I don’t think they’ll win the Australian Music Prize again). But this was angry, weird and solid. I Once Used to Love You is raw and heartfelt.

 5. Camp Cope - Camp Cope  

Criticised for being in the same vein as the plainspoken suburban poetry of Courtney Barnett. But that’s exactly what makes it so good, or better. It’s a fine line with this kind of unschooled musicianship but the songs get it over the line and it’ll be interesting to see where they go from here. There’s a lot of focus on the lyrics but check out the bass playing – high melodic basslines that call to mind Peter Hook’s best.

  6. Mitski - Puberty 2

Home made grungy pop music, like an unpolished St Vincent. This could probably rate higher in my top ten. Listened to a lot this year, probably only second to Radiohead in listens.

 7. Nick Cave - Skeleton Tree

Riddled with grief. Nick Cave barely sings on Skeleton Tree, it’s no time for singing. At times he barely manages to get the words out at all. Warren Ellis swaps his mournful violin for a MicroKorg synth and the atmosphere is thick and heavy.

 8. Esperanza Spalding - Emily’s D+Evolution

This surprised me. Hard to describe really. Have a listen to this.

 9. Pinegrove - Cardinal

Kinda like Death Cab and early Wilco had a baby. (More uptight white guy music).

 10.           Bon Iver - 22, A Million

Glitchy and still toting the vocoder, Justin Vernon reactivated Bon Iver after 5 years and out another very different record that was still clearly a product of his mind.

  The ones that were close:

 11.           A Tribe Called Quest – We’ll Take it From Here.

12.           Gang of Youths - Let me Be Clear (EP) 

13.           Cass McCombs - Mangy Love (bum bum bum, opposite house)

14.           Wilco - Schmilco

15.           Ed Harcourt - Furnaces

16.           Sweet Jean - Monday to Friday

17.           Yeasayer - Amen & Goodbye 

18.           Frightened Rabbit - Painting of a Panic Attack

19.           Beyonce - Lemonade

20.           Hamilton Leithauser & Rostram - I Had a Dream That You Were Mine

  The others that were close:

  21.           Avalanches - Wildflower

22.           Steven Wilson - 4 1/2

23.           Savages - Adore

24.           Ray Lamontagne - Ouroborous ** Hey No Pressure

25.           Violent Soho - WACO  (Low)

26.           The Veils - Total Depravity  **

27.           Shearwater - Jet Plane and Oxbow  ** 

28.           Ty Segall - Emotional Mugger  **

29.           Dr Dog - The Psychedelic Swamp *  (Holes in My Back)

30.           Suede - Night Thoughts *

31.           Explosions in the Sky - The Wilderness **

32.           Deftones - Gore ** (Xenon)

33.           Paul Dempsey - Strange Loop ** 

34.           Steve Gunn - Conditions Wild ** 

35.           Wye Oak - Tween ** 

36.           Garbage - Strange Little Birds ** 

37.           Nothing But Thieves - s/t **

38.           The Panics - Hole in Your Pocket **

39.           Metallica - Hardwired to Self Destruct ** 


40.           Big Smoke - Time is Golden  (Best of You)

41.           Japanese Breakfast - Psychopomp **

42.           Westworld soundtrack **


43.           Run the jewels – RTJ3

  Reissues:

Led Zep continue to kill it with their massive reissue program. The BBC Sessions unearthed some new tracks and The Garden Tapes pulled out all the excesses of The Song Remains the Same.

Black Sabbath signed off for good with a great deluxe reissue of Paranoid.  

  The standout songs:

 Big Smoke - Best of You

Maximum Balloon - Let it grow

Super Furry Animals - Bing Bong

Trent Reznor - Juno 

Radiohead: True Love Waits, Daydreaming, Identikit

David Bowie: Blackstar

Pinegrove - Old Friends

Violent Soho -  Low

The Drones -  I Once Used to Love You 

Camp Cope - Lost, Jet Fuel Can’t melt Steel Beams

Mossy - Electric Chair

Stranger Things theme

Radiohead - Ill Wind/Spectre

Ray Lamontagne - Hey No Pressure

Mystery Jets - Telomere    

Wild Nothing - Reich pop

Black Mountain - Mothers of the Sun

Andrew Bird - Capsized

Mogwai - Ether

Parquet Courts - One Man No City (Byrds meets television)

The Boxer Rebellion - Redemption

Henry Wagons - Santa Fe

Gersey - For those that remain

Wolf Parade - Automatic

Jimmy Eat World - Sure and Certain 

 * To be honest, tons more

  Can we talk about: PJ Harvey

This might be a little controversial considering she’s won another Mercury Music Prize fairly recently, but I think it’s been a while since PJ Harvey released something that was listenable. The Hope Six Demolition Project was a ‘journalistic’ album, which is

admirable, but even when you’re reporting genocide you still need to bring some tunes. Skronky sax or beginner piano have made her albums tough listens for many years now.

   2016 – The full list

 1. David Bowie - Blackstar (blackstar)

2. Ennio Morricone - Hateful 8 soundtrack

3. Magical Cloudz - Wait and See EP 

4. Daughter - Not to Disappear

5. Shearwater - Jet Plane and Oxbow  ** 

6. Eleanor Friedberger - New View

7. Mystery Jets - Telomere    * (telomere)

8. The Besnard Lakes - A Coliseum Complex Museum

9. Steven Wilson - 4 1/2

10.           Field Music - Commontime

11.           Savages - Adore

12.           Ty Segall - Emotional Mugger  **

13.           Black Sabbath - The Ultimate Collection

14.           Paul Gilbert - I Can Destroy

15.           Massive Attack - Ritual Spirit EP

16.           Panic at the Disco - Death of a Bachelor

17.           Sia - This is Acting

18.           Rihanna - Anti

19.           Dr Dog - The Psychedelic Swamp *  (Holes in My Back)

20.           Wild Nothing - Life of Pause * (Reich pop)

21.           Suede - Night Thoughts *

22.           Nevermen - Nevermen

23.           Porches - Pool

24.           Kanye West - The Life of Pablo

25.           Iggy Pop - Post Pop Depression

26.           Wolfmother - Victorious

27.           Animal Collective - Painting With

28.           Ray Lamontagne - Ouroborous ** Hey No Pressure

29.           Kendrick Lamar - untitled unmastered

30.           The Jezabels - Synthia

31.           Black Sabbath - Paranoid (deluxe) ** 

32.           Matt Corby - Telluric

33.           Black Mountain - IV  ** (Mothers of the Sun)

34.           Andrew Bird - Are You Serious (Capsized)

35.           The Drones - Feelin Kinda Free (I Once Used to Love You) 

36.           Doug Tuttle - Falling to Believe

37.           The Murlocs - Young Blindness

38.           Violent Soho - WACO  (Low)

39.           Explosions in the Sky - The Wilderness **

40.           Grant-Lee Phillips - The Narrows

41.           Yeasayer - Amen & Goodbye **

42.           The Last Shadow Puppets - Everything You’ve Come to Expect 

43.           Mogwai - Atomic ** (Ether)

44.           Brian Eno - The Ship

45.           King Gizzard and the Wizard Lizard - Nonagon Infinity

46.           Parquet Courts - Human Performance (One Man No City) (Byrds meets television)

47.           Deftones - Gore ** (Xenon)

48.           Steven Wilson (reissue) - Insurgentes

49.           Frightened Rabbit - Painting of a Panic Attack

50.           Future of the Left - The Peace & Truce of Future of the Left

51.           Lumineers - Ophelia **  

52.           Bombino - Azel

53.           PJ Harvey - Hope Six Demolition Project

54.           Yuck - Stranger Things

55.           Jeff Buckley - You + I

56.           Beyonce - Lemonade

57.           White Denim - Stiff **

58.           The Arcs - Molt ** 

59.           The Boxer Rebellion - Ocean by Ocean **  (Redemption)

60.           Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool

61.           Henry Wagons - After What I Did Last Night ** (Santa Fe)

62.           White Lung - Paradise

63.           Melody Pool - Deep Dark Savage Heart

64.           Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker (deluxe)

65.           Gersey - What You Kill  (for those that remain)

66.           Paul Dempsey - Strange Loop ** 

67.           Modern Baseball - Holy Ghost

68.           Sweet Jean - Monday to Friday

69.           Car Seat Headrest - Teens of Denial

70.           Wolf Parade - EP4 - Automatic

71.           Eric Clapton - I Still Do

72.           Flume - Skin

73.           Radiohead - (Live Bootleg)  (Lotus Flower/Talk Show Host) 

74.           Marissa Nadler - Strangers

75.           Nicholas Allbrook - Pure Gardiya

76.           Gemma Ray - The Exodus Suite

77.           Band of Skulls - By Default

78.           The Kills - Ash & Ice

79.           The Strokes - Future Present Past (EP)  

80.           Paul Simon - Stranger to Stranger

81.           Band of Horses - Why Are You Ok

82.           Steve Gunn - Conditions Wild ** 

83.           Pinegrove - Cardinal (Old Friends)

84.           Wye Oak - Tween ** 

85.           Air - Twentyears

86.           The Temper Trap - Thick as Thieves

87.           Garbage - Strange Little Birds ** 

88.           Red Hot Chili Peppers - The Getaway

89.           Deerhoof - The Magic

90.           Bob Evans - Car Boot Sale

91.           Jake Bugg - On MY One

92.           Swans - The Glowing Man

93.           DJ Shadow - The Mountain Will Fall

94.           The Avett Brothers - True Sadness

95.           Thee Oh Sees - A Weird Exits

96.           Bat for Lashes - The Bride

97.           Avalanches - Wildflower

98.           M.Craft - Blood Moon

99.           Mitski - Puberty 2

100.        Weval - The Battle

101.        The Living End - Shift

102.        Stonefield - As Above, So Below

103.        Peter Garrett - A version of Now

104.        Emma Louise - Supercry

105.        Esperanza Spalding - Emily’s D+Evolution

106.        Nothing But Thieves - s/t **

107.        Dinosaur Jr - Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not

108.        Big Thief - Masterpiece

109.        Gang of Youths - Let me Be Clear (EP) 

110.        Titus Andronicus - S+@dium Rock

111.        Bernard Fanning - Civil Dusk

112.        Nels Cline - Lovers

113.        Angel Olsen - My Woman

114.        Thee Oh Sees - Live in San Francisco

115.        Ball Park Music - Every Night the Same Dream

116.        Morgan Delt - Phase Zero

117.        Stranger Things soundtrack vol1 - theme song

118.        Frank Ocean - Blond

119.        The Amazing - Ambulance

120.        Guppy 

121.        The Veils - Total Depravity  **

122.        Cass McCombs - Mangy Love (bum bum bum, opposite house)

123.        Mike Noga - King 

124.        Wilco - Schmilco

125.        Mossy - S/t  (Electric Chair)

126.        Cymbals Eat Guitars - Pretty Years

127.        Big Scary - Animal


128.        Steven Wilson and Derrick Series

129.        Bon Iver - 22, A Million

130.        Eluvium - Curious Things

131.        Kav Temperley - Hope Street (ep) 

132.        Nick Cave - Skeleton Tree

133.        Okkervil River - Away

134.        The Head and the Heart - Signs of Light

135.        Jack White - Acoustic Recordings

136.        Allah-Las - Calico Review

137.        The Dear Hunter - Act V

138.        SPC ECO 

139.        Preoccupations - Preoccupations

140.        Ed Harcourt - Furnaces

141.        Regina Spektor - Remember Us to Life

142.        Opeth - Sorceress

143.        Opeth - ep

144.        Pixies - Head Carrier

145.        Hamilton Leithauser & Rostram - I Had a Dream That You Were Mine

146.        Daniel Lanois - Goodbye to Language

147.        Deap Vally - Femejism

148.        Warpaint - Hesdsup

149.        Passenger - Young as the Morning Old as The Sea

150.        Joe Bonamassa - Blues of Desperation

151.        Beach Slang - A Loud Bash of Teenage Feelings

152.        David Bowie - Gouster

153.        Led Zeppelin 

154.        Camp Cope - Camp Cope  Lost, Jet Fuel Can’t melt Steel Beams

155.        Survive - RR7349


156.        Weezer - White Album

157.        Hiss Golden Messenger - Heart Like a Levee 

158.        The Panics - Hole in Your Pocket **

159.        Devendra Banhart - Ape in Pink Marble

160.        Jenny Hval - Blood Bitch

161.        Kings of Leon - WALLS

162.        Jenny Jacklin 

163.        Conor Oberst - Ruminations **

164.        Lisa Mitchell - Warriors

165.        Paul Kelly and Charlie Owen - Death’s Dateless Night

166.        Ian William Craig - Centres

167.        Jimmy Eat World - Integrity Blues Sure and Certain 

168.        Lady Gaga - Joanne

169.        Donny McCaslin - Beyond Now

170.        Jordie Lane - Glassellland

171.        Big Star - Complete Third

172.        Before the Flood soundtrack - A Minute to Breathe

173.        Vdelli - Out of the Sun

174.        Blackberry Smoke - Like An Arrow

175.        Mouth Tooth - Group Therapy

176.        Jim James - Eternally Even

177.        Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions - Until the Hunter

178.        All India Radio - The Haunted World

179.        Empire of the Sun - Two Vines

180.        Big Smoke - Time is Golden  (Best of You)

181.        Metallica - Hardwired to Self Destruct ** 


182.        Mars soundtrack - Nick Cave & Warren Ellis

183.        Sting - 57th & 9th

184.        Dungen - Haxan **

185.        Rammstein - Xxl Klavier

186.        Martha Wainwright - Goodnight City

187.        Thee Oh Sees - An Odd Entrances

188.        R.E.M. - Out of Time (25th anniversary)

189.        Radian - On Dark Silent Off

190.        Gillian Welch - Boots No.1 The Official Revival Bootleg

191.        The Last Shadow Puppets (EP) - The Dream Synopsis

192.        Japanese Breakfast - Psychopomp **

193.        The Rolling Stones - Blue & Lonesome

194.        Sturgill Simpson - A Sailor’s Guide to Earth ** (in bloom)

195.        Westworld soundtrack **


196.        Lost Animal - You Yang


197.        Childish Gambino - “Awaken, My Love!"

198.        Teenage Fanclub - Here

199.        Twelve Foot Ninja - Outlier

200.        Ben Newski 

201.        Dr Dog (2) - Abandoned Mansion

202.        Mild High Club - Skiptracing

203.        Kevin Devine - Instigator


204.        Solange  - A Seat at the Table

205.        Ryley Walker -

206.        Rogue One soundtrack

207.        Nine Inch Nails - Not the Actual Events

208.        Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross - Patriots Day

209.        Nine Inch Nails - The Fragile Deviations 1

210.        Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 3 - 

  Loose Singles: 

Maximum Balloon - Let it grow

Super Furry Animals - Bing Bong

Trent Reznor - Juno 

Gang of Youths

Massive Attack

Jinja Safari

Father John Misty

Dungen

Radiohead - Ill Wind/Spectre

Jim James

Butterfly Boucher

  2015 catch ups 

  John Williams 

Bjork

Carly Rae Jepsen

Wolf Alice

Thundercat

Desparacaridos

Wombats

Dave Rawlings Machine

Young Fathers

Mark McGuire - 

Hamilton Leithauser

Diane Coffee

The Arcs

Dungen -

Gang of Youths

[workingclassdan]

Get confident, stupid!

[workingclassdan]

Friday Five: 9/9/16

1. I just finished reading Patti Smith’s memoir ‘Just Kids’. It’s about her years with Robert Mapplethorpe. I loved it, especially the first few chapters where her energy and poetic style permeate the prose. It reminded me somewhat of Bob Dylan’s Chronicles Vol.1, as in it’s a memoir by someone who normally writes in poetry or lyrical forms. I can also hear almost every line delivered in her distinctive accent. I bet the audiobook would be great too. Bonus: It cost me $6 from The Book Grocer. 

2. This year has been a cracker for music already. Something I’ve started coming back to that has grown on me over the year is Mitski’s Puberty 2. Her vocal phrasing is very much like St Vincent and there’s a lot of charm is these fairly unpolished recordings (the odd click track bleeds through in places.) Other parts bring in the crunch of Weezer. The new Bon Iver and Wilco albums are some of the other recent listening I’ m digging, Beck and Nick Cave haver albums due that I’m hanging out for. 

3. TV: Like everyone, I enjoyed bingeing on Stranger Things, and yup, it scared me in parts. The soundtrack was brilliant, the intro a deadset classic. The group who did the synthy soundtrack, SURVIVE, have a new album due out soon called RR7349. Catchy title! I also really loved the whole series of Bojack Horseman. Really looking forward to the new series of Upper Middle Bogan. 

4. I read a great article from GQ about how the cops trace guns in the USA. Amazingly, the NRA prevents the government from having a computer database of gun ownership. Crazy. I also couldn’t believe this has come from GQ (thought they were bikini girls, grooming and ads for watches). *golf clap* This is long but eye-opening and you’ll meet some real heroes. http://www.gq.com/story/inside-federal-bureau-of-way-too-many-guns?mbid=social_cp_fb_tny

5. Enjoying a podcast called Song Exploder. They recently did an episode on Mitski’s Best American Girl and before that they did this dissection of the Bojack Horseman theme, rather unusual by them to tackle a TV theme instead of indie and pop songs. https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/song-exploder/id788236947?mt=2&i=373710526 It’s a cool podcast for music geeks.