GastlyHaunterGengar

Michael Atkinson Resigned!!

2010-03-21T15:52:00.002+11:00

So, even though he won the seat of Croydon in SA's recent elections, Michael Atkinson MP has resigned from the front bench of the SA House of Representatives, in turn sacrificing his job as the Attorney-General of South Australia.

Michael Atkinson was the only man blocking the passing of an R18 rating for video games in Australia. Hopefully, the new person won't be a puppet of Atkinson's. As well as that, gone is a man who is a prominent supporter of the Internet Censorship scheme, as well as the man who introduced a law stating that all internet bloggers commenting on politics must put their real name and post code after their comment, then backflipped on this law upon realising how stupid it was.

So, he's finally retired. Maybe the new Attorney-General won't be so oppressive?

R.I.P. Mark Linkous (1962-2010)

2010-03-11T16:03:00.003+11:00

I'm a little late, but I only just heard about this, and I can't not write a tribute.

Mark Linkous was a brilliant, brilliant musician. Under the name Sparklehorse, Linkous wrote some of the best music I've ever heard, and although he never achieved any commercial success, Linkous counted Radiohead, PJ Harvey, the Flaming Lips, Death Cab for Cutie, Patti Smith, Steve Albini, and many more famous figures amongst his fans.

He always did have one of the most emotionally charged voices. Apparently all he sung about was true.

Mark wrote some beautiful music, and his final solo album as Sparklehorse especially ("Dreamt For Light Years In The Belly Of A Mountain") is one of my favourites of all time. It is beautiful. We were lucky to have him, even for the short time that we did.

Rest in peace, Mark. You will always be missed.

20 Best Albums of 2009

2010-02-28T01:54:00.007+11:00

Yeah, I know, it's been a long wait, but finally, here are my twenty best records of 2009. I listened to as much as possible, obviously I'm sure that there's a few I just didn't know about or something, but I tried my best, promise. Sorry for the delay.

I know that no one will read this, especially with the huge delay in its release – but feel free to comment, argue, etc. Also, if anyone who lives near me wants a copy of any of these, just gimme a yell.

Before I start, I want to mention a few records that were released this year but didn’t make the final cut, probably because I couldn’t quite squeeze them in:

"Journal For Plague Lovers" by Manic Street Preachers
"Them Crooked Vultures" by Them Crooked Vultures
“Wolfgang Amadeus Pheonix” by Pheonix
“No One’s First And You’re Next” by Modest Mouse (missed out because it’s an EP.)
“The High End Of Low” by Marilyn Manson
“I Wanna Hld Yr Handheld, Vol. 1” by 8-Bit Operators
“Above The Earth, Below The Sky” by If These Trees Could Talk
“Desperate Living” by HORSE the band
“Veckatimest” by Grizzly Bear
"Sound Awake" by Karnivool
“The Other Truths” by Do Make Say Think
“Dark Night Of The Soul” by Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse
“A Real Diamond In The Rough” by Buckethead
“Sagarmatha” by the Appleseed Cast
“Octahedron” by the Mars Volta
“Dark Side Of The Moon” by the Flaming Lips, Stardeath And White Dwarfs, Henry Rollins and Peaches
“Merriweather Post Pavilion” by Animal Collective (really, not all it’s cracked up to be.)

There was definitely heeeeaps of records to be listened to, and cutting it down to just 20 was impossible (just look at all my ‘honourable mentions :P). I have no idea how I’d have managed 10 as was my original plan.

Anyway, time to get into the real deal:

20. “Backspacer” by Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam’s ninth effort was released well after their 1991 breakthrough “Ten” (obviously, I know it was a stupid thing to say, but I had to start somehow). Earlier in 2009, we saw a re-release of their classic “Ten” – maybe this meant we were going to see a return to their original, raw, rock/grunge style of music? Alas, we did. Their latest has some of the heaviest songs of their career, as well as the best ballad since Black. (Which is Just Breathe). A nice, raw rock album. Plus, it has some of the coolest art of the year.

19. “The Crying Light” by Antony & The Johnsons
I’d go so far as to call them the most original, unique artist in music today. Hegarty and his band have continued their eerie, odd, cabaret style in their third LP. They are minimal yet packed with texture, uplifting yet depressing, haunting yet hopeful. Hegarty’s voice is one of the most powerful and emotionally charged voices I’ve ever heard, and he doesn’t change this on this album. The Crying Light is certainly a fitting follow-up to their amazing 2005 sophomore.

18. “Live at Reading” by Nirvana
I’ll admit it, at first I was a little hesitant to include a live album on this list, especially when it’s just an official release of a concert and 90% of Nirvana fans have bootlegged anyway. But even though it’s live, and even though everyone already has a sub-par quality copy of it, it’s still amazing. Live at Reading really highlights Nirvana at their best as a live grunge band that acts like they’re a punk band. They fuck up on stage, and laugh about it with each other, and that happens a lot more than you’d expect from the world’s biggest band. This has all the famous songs and all the fan favourites. Essential, for any Nirvana fan, from those just dipping their toes in the water to those already drowning.

17. “And So I Watch You From Afar” by And So I Watch You From Afar
Yeah, I know, it’s a really, really cool band name. This Irish quartet have been labelled under ‘post rock’ by the music press, but their unique brand of instrumental music is something different to that. Sure, it’s epic, and sure, there’s no vocals, but it hasn’t got that majestic quality that other p-r bands like Mono have. ASIWYFA are more of an intricate, complicated rock band, without a singer. And it works. Wow, does it work. Hey, when was the last time that you can remember when a post rock band got a hugely positive review from Kerrang! and Metal Hammer?

16. “Aurora” by Litmus
This underground space rock group are a band not to be reckoned with. Litmus has created the best true space rock since its creators Hawkwind and Pink Floyd. It’s epic, it’s sleepy, it’s alive and it’s uplifting – if you can get your hands on a copy of this album, then for God’s sake, please do.

15. “Years (By One Thousand Fingertips)” by Attack In Black
Attack In Black moved from punk band to indie folk band in the space of two or three albums. While it’s not as good as “The Curve Of the Earth”, their latest record is still a brilliant work of art. A record to mellow too. Put your headphones on and chill.

14. “Humbug” by Arctic Monkeys
They may have one of the stupidest band names I’ve ever heard, but Arctic Monkeys have definitely put there name on the scene as a good, hard-rocking, indie band. Their latest effort, however, displays a remarkable change in direction. There aren’t as many fast-tempo, emotional-range-of-a-teaspoon, dance songs as their previous two records feature; their song writing, both musically and lyrically, has matured light years. And I don’t even care that a light year is distance, not time. The Monkeys (note the y, not a second e) have grown up, and with their maturation, have released, in my opinion, their best album yet.

13. “Monoliths & Dimensions” by Sunn O)))
Sunn O))) are not for everyone. This is drone music as drone music should be. A masterpiece of a metal album – but if you don’t like slow, heavy, doom music, then you won’t like it. If you do, then this album is brilliant. Eh, screw you all, this album’s brilliant whether you like drone or not.

12. “No More Stories Are Told Today, I'm Sorry, They Washed Away, No More Stories, The World Is Grey, I'm Tired, Let's Wash Away” by Mew
Excuse the ridiculous title. They smoosh bits and pieces from all sorts of genres – shoegaze, post rock, dream pop, space rock, progressive – put it in a blender and away they go. They truly have their own distinctive style, a claim that very few bands can make. This record (I won’t name it again) is lush, epic while not extreme, and, quite simply, good. Just a good album.

11. “Sigh No More” by Mumford & Sons
I’m sure you all expected to see this in there, you probably expect to see this in every top-of-09 countdown. And so you should. Mumford and his Sons have created a folk masterpiece that truly deserves all the spots in the countdowns that it is being rewarded with. This album deserves such recognition just because of its introduction of the banjo as an instrument that is acceptable in pop music, and doesn’t make everyone go ‘ewww, country!’. It also rattles the foundations of pop music to its core, as, hey, they’re a 4-member rock band with no drummer. Subtle and sweet melodies, as well as beautiful lyrics, give this record its well deserved spot.

10. “The Ichthyologist” by Giant Squid
Everyone calls them post metal, but I still can’t help but wonder why. I suppose that it’s because there’s no other label that they fit under. Taking elements from progressive metal, post rock, doom, sludge and even bits of emo, Giant Squid create a style that is their own. They are as epic as is humanly possible. Their sophomore album is a concept album, involving a man stranded in the ocean who adapts non-human methods of survival, eventually becoming something more like a sea creature than a human being. Giant Squid chant, scream, sing, growl and megaphone their way through alternative metal, on their way to greatness. And boy have they achieved it – something rare for an album released independently (not even an independent record label, they released it out of their own backyard, completely unsigned).

9. “The Hazards Of Love” by the Decemberists
They just keep getting weirder and weirder. But who’s complaining? This time, the Decemberists have come up with a sprawling, almost progressive, concept album that will be split their fanbase. The Hazards of Love is, as the title suggests, a love story. Margaret falls in love with a shape-shifting forest dweller, with other characters such as a jealous queen and evil rake (not a garden rake) taking part in the story. A good, weird, and highly original concept album, melding indie rock with medieval-style music. And I have to take this opportunity to point out the track entitled “The Rake’s Song”; I won’t give it away, but it’s an amazing, hauntingly creepy song that everyone should listen to.

8. “Tertia” by Caspian
Okay, so I’ll admit maybe a slight bias towards post rock. I think I’ve done fairly well on this countdown however (this is the second). And Tertia really deserves it. Completely lyric-free, as every post rock album should be, this record opens with about three minutes of epic ambient noise, before launching into an hour’s worth of huge, grand, epic-ness, and ending with possibly the greatest end to an album this year – throughout the last bit of the final track, you notice how fucking amazing the drumming is, and with a minute or so left the drummer takes the limelight and the rest of the instruments slowly stop, resulting in an amazing, epic drum solo that caused me to go back and play the last minute again; I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard. Ten tracks that meld into one, thickening and building on each other, twisting and curving and bending, embodying all that we love about music.

7. “Hope Is For Hopers” by Philadelphia Grand Jury
I first heard of the Philly Jays on Triple J, through their “I’m Going To Kill You”. I heard it a few times and had absolutely no idea of who made it, I just knew I liked it. Eventually, I found out, and went to extreme lengths to get (through downloading O.o) their debut record. Then I found out that they also made other songs I’d heard a lot, “The Good News” and “When Your Boyfriend Comes Back To Town”. The whole album just rocks. It’s short, sharp, gritty, dirty, pounding, heavy, and fun.

6. “Hymn To The Immortal Wind” by Mono
No one can end a proper listening of this album without wet eyes. Strap some headphones on, dim the lights, close your eyes and lie down. Listen. Mono are one of the very, very few bands that can really capture every emotion with the change of a chord. You’ll walk away from this album the same way you walk away from a movie that moves you. Mono makes you happy, sad, helpless, loved. They give you hope and then, with something as simple as a crescendo, make you feel hopeless. People go to Mono concerts, and cry. No other band has such power over the listener’s emotions, especially without using vocals.

5. “Riceboy Sleeps” by Jónsi & Alex
This collaboration between Sigur Rós lead singer Jón Þór Birgisson and his boyfriend Alex Somers is exactly what you’d expect it to be – ambient, ethereal, and amazing. It’s divided into tracks but it doesn’t feel as if it is, it runs like one whole piece of music, and it seems to be over before it starts. That’s probably because you fell asleep when it started, not because it was boring, just because it’s so ambient and amazing that it lulls you into that state between sleep and awake. One to fall asleep to, that’s for sure.

4. “フォグランプ” (“Foglamp”) by Ogre You Asshole
When asked what was the main factor of their (very moderate) success, vocalist Manabu Deto stated “I’m not sure, I guess it is because of our name”. Their name was given to them after a drunk encounter with Modest Mouse bassist Eric Judy – the band themselves love Modest Mouse, and didn’t know that Judy had quoted Revenge of the Nerds until much later. Ogre You Asshole are a band that are not afraid to be poppy or commercial, and it pays off. The whole record is full of magnificently bright, bubbly pop songs, minimal like Modest Mouse, weird like Talking Heads, post-punky like Fugazi. And, the record has the song “Stage” (“ステージ”), which is an amazing, amazing, amazing song. But don’t think that it was the only reason for the ranking :P

3. “Mean Everything To Nothing” by Manchester Orchestra
This record is epic. The Orchestra have created a big, booming, grunge-y, almost stadium-like rock record with tracks like “I’ve Got Friends”, “The River” and “Pride”, yet they have also explored a softer, more melodic and melancholic side through tracks such as “I Can Feel A Hot One” and “Everything To Nothing”. Songwriter Andy Hull’s work has quite obviously matured since the group’s debut 2006 record, his lyrical themes becoming more emotional and his melodies and textures more lush, thick, and heavy. His songs are now full with the huge vocal chants, lush guitars, sweet whisperings and booming sounds that their first record only hinted upon. Manchester Orchestra have created a commercially-accessible yet somehow still underground record that has become one of the best of the year. Truly a very recommended listen.

2. “Embryonic” by the Flaming Lips
Any of my past readers (however few of you there are) already know of my love for the Lips – just read the super-positive review I wrote for this record when it was released. And my opinions haven’t changed. While some subsequent discoveries of the year may have overtaken this one in awesomeness, the album that I claimed in September would be the year’s best has managed to still retain an important spot in this highly prestigious countdown. The Lips’ latest masterpiece is definitely very Lips-y – in short, they take their weirdness to an even higher level. If science fiction was a genre of music, this record would be it. This is the soundtrack that will be playing when we make contact with aliens. Best listened to as you travel to Mars.

1. “Roadsinger (To Warm You Through The Night)” by Yusuf
Yusuf, previously known as Cat Stevens, is a genius of a songwriter. His latest album, the second album after his return to pop music in 2006, is most definitely the better of the two – it may well even one of Cat’s best ever. It opens with one of the best tracks… well, at least of the year, and continues this awesomeness throughout the whole album. It also runs at a short-but-sweet 30 minutes long, which prompted 7 whole-album repeats from me on the day that I bought it. After listening to the magnificent records from his past, notably Tea For The Tillerman and Teaser And The Firecat, it is an almost chilling experienced hearing the same man, no longer a teenager, sing songs reminiscent of his earlier work but with the wisdom that comes with age. Steven, Cat, Yusuf, whatever name he’s going by, will always be remembered one of the greatest songwriters of all time, and Roadsinger shows that he has no intention of slowing down.

2009 Awards

2010-01-01T18:00:00.015+11:00

Finally! They're up! Here are my list of awards for 2009, soon to follow is 2009's best album countdown, and then the 100 best records of the 2000's.

NOTE: I'm going to make the font of the winner black, so you don't accidentally give it away by scrolling down. HIGHLIGHT IT to see the winner xD!!

The awards that will be given out are:

Best Rock Album
Best Folk Album
Best Metal Album
Best Post-Rock Album
Best Alternative Album
Absolute Worst Artist
Absolute Worst Song
Best Album To Fall Asleep To
Biggest Letdown
Stupidest Things To Do In Public
Best Album Art

Let's get started! Haha I feel a little silly doing this xD

Best Rock Album
And the nominees are:

"Backspacer" by Pearl Jam
"Them Crooked Vultures" by Them Crooked Vultures"
"Sound Awake" by Karnivool
"Journal For Plague Lovers" by Manic Street Preachers

And the winner is...

Them Crooked Vultures!

The most straightforward rocking album of the year. With Josh Homme singing and playing guitar, John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin fame on the bass and Dave Grohl doing what he does best, the drums, how could they really go wrong?

Best Folk Album
And the nominees are:

"What We Will Be" by Devendra Banhart
"The First Days Of Spring" by Noah And The Whale
"Roadsinger (To Warm You Through The Night)" by Yusuf
"Sigh No More" by Mumford & Sons

And the winner is...

Roadsinger (To Warm You Through The Night)!

I'll admit a possible degree of bias. I've always been a huge Cat fan. His first return-to-pop was kind of shit, but this second go at it... wow. It's magnificent. Tip of the hat goes to Mr. Mumford and his sons, for also making a brilliant album. It just can't match up with Cat himself.

Best Metal Album
And the nominees are:

"Monoliths & Dimensions" by Sunn O)))
"Wavering Radiant" by Isis
"The Ichthyologist" by Giant Squid
"Crack The Skye" by Mastodon

And the winner is...

Monoliths & Dimensions!

If, by metal, you think I mean any number of the multitude of Bullet-imitators, then you may not like this record. It is hard to listen to. Best heard very loud in a very dark room, with headphones. Enjoy.

Best Post-Rock Album
And the nominees are:

"The Other Truths" by Do Make Say Think
"Sagamartha" by the Appleseed Cast
"Spirit Animal" by Zombi
"And So I Watch You From Afar" by And So I Watch You From Afar

And the winner is...

And So I Watch You From Afar!

This is post-rock as you've never heard it before. This year was full of some fairly stock standard post-rock albums, notably efforts by Mono and DMST. While they were good, this Scottish powerhouse's debut is completely original and won't make you cry like Mono, but will rock your fucking socks off. Best enjoyed loud with jumping room.

Best Alternative Album
And the nominees are:

"No More Stories Are Told Today, I'm Sorry, They Washed Away, No More Stories, The World Is Grey, I'm Tired, Let's Wash Away" by Mew (hereafter referred to as "No More Stories" :P)
"Embryonic" by the Flaming Lips
"The Crying Light" by Antony & The Johnsons
"Riceboy Sleeps" by Jónsi & Alex

And the winner is...

Embryonic!

Okay, so I may be biased on this one too, but I tried my best to avoid it. I listened to as much as possible, and the best alternative (in my description) album was this one. It was long, hard to listen to, devoid of commercial potential, spacey and completely brilliant.

Best Album Art
And the nominees are (click on the link for the artwork):

"Riceboy Sleeps" by Jónsi & Alex
"Sigh No More" by Mumford & Sons
"Journal For Plague Lovers" by Manic Street Preachers
"Merriweather Post Pavilion" by Animal Collective

And the winner is...

Journal For Plague Lovers!

This album art was painted by the same artist who did their last masterpiece in 1994. It is creepy, disturbing, and brilliant.

Best Album To Fall Asleep To
And the nominees are:

"No More Stories" by Mew
"Hymn To The Immortal Wind" by Mono
"Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle" by Bill Callahan
"The Dark Side Of The Moon" by The Flaming Lips, Stardeath & White Dwarf, Peaches, and Henry Rollins

And the winner is...

Hymn To The Immortal Wind!

Grand, sweeping, mournful and emotional post rock will demand your attention and slowly drift you to sleep if that's the mood you're in. If you're in a tightly strung mood, you will cry. 'Nuff said.

Absolute Worst Song
And the nominees are:

"Tik Tok" by Kesha
"Hotel Room Service" by Pitbull
"Don't Trust Me" by 3OH!3
"Good Girls Go Bad" by Cobra Starship feat. Leighton Meester

And the winner is...

Tik Tok!

The tale of a dirty slut doing daily slutty things. When you hear the memorable opening line, you know you're in for a bumpy ride.

Absolute Worst Artist (to be eligible, artist must have had at least 2 singles)
And the nominees are:

3OH!3 (for Don't Trust Me and Starstrukk)
BrokeNCYDE (for Freaxxx and 40Oz.)
Pitbull (for I Know You Want Me and Hotel Room Service)
Lady Gaga (for LoveGame and Bad Romance)

And the winner is...

BrokeNCYDE!

None other than our most loved crunkcore band could ever win this award. As I stated in a previous blog, this is ear rape.

Biggest Letdown
And the nominees are:

"The Resistance" by Muse
"Black Gives Way To Blue" by Alice in Chains
the New Moon Soundtrack
"Hymn To The Immortal Wind" by Mono

And the winner is...

The Resistance!

Their first album was brilliant, their second a masterpiece. Since then, they've been slipping, and their fifth album is really a mediocre record with so much ripped off of Queen that I had to stop and replay certain bits during my first (and only) listen. And I was so hoping for a new Origin.

Stupidest Thing To Do In Public
And the nominees are:

Interrupting Taylor Swift, as done by Kanye West
Die, as done by Michael Jackson
Prosecute music piraters, as done by Lily Allen
Release an album, as done by BrokeNCYDE

And the winner is...

Interrupt Taylor Swift!

Honestly, dying was probably the best thing that MJ could have done to boost record sales. No, this man deserves this award cause, hey, it was stupid. Even the President himself called him a jackass.

And so concludes the awards for this year! Stay tuned for the 10 top records of 2009, and the 100 top of the decade :). Until then, stay peachy!
Matt
Now listening to "Little Waves" (2007) by Cresent

BrokeNCYDE's "I'm Not A Fan, But The Kids Like It" - the worst album ever, ever?

2009-12-19T00:10:00.005+11:00

I think so. This is ear rape, in its truest sense. Imagine the shitness of the instrument section in a song by, hmm, 3OH!3, Cobra Starship or even Akon. Add lyrics about fucking some random, drunk 14 year old scene girl against a wall in a club (every song is based around this pretense). Then some cliché screamed vocals, typically found in a song by a group such as Linkin Park, as well as heavily-autotuned vocals reminiscent of T-Pain.

This is BrokeNCYDE. They suck. They really, really suck. Once, an artist with integrity (forgot who) told them they were shit. They replied "you're just jealous cause we get all the girlz" (or something along those lines). They don't get it. People laugh at them. The only people who take them seriously are 14 year old scene girls, the same ones that they sing about fucking drunk in a club. Their tracks are entitled such things as "Booty Call", "Get Crunk" and "Sex Toyz". I'm 6 tracks through now and I think I've heard the word 'panties' in every song so far.

My ears have been violated. I tried getting through the whole record, I really did, but I can't take this anymore.

Matt
Now listening to "Riceboy Sleeps" by Jónsi and Alex

Nominees for Secondary Awards

2009-12-06T16:08:00.009+11:00

Even though no one reads this, here is the awards that I will be giving at the end of the year (doesn't include top 10s):
Best Rock Album, Best Folk Album, Best Metal Album, Best Post-Rock Album, Best Alternative Album;
Absolute Worst Artist, Best Album to Fall Asleep To, Biggest Letdown, Stupidest Things to do in Public, Best Album Art

And the nominees are.

Best Rock Album (these nominations liable to change)

Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures
Pearl Jam - Backspacer
Manic Street Preachers - Journal For Plague Lovers
Karnivool - Sound Awake

Best Folk Album

Yusuf Islam - Roadsinger
Bill Callahan - Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle
Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More
Neil Young - Fork In The Road

Best Metal Album

Isis - Wavering Radiant
Giant Squid - The Ichthyologist
Mastodon - Crack The Skye
Alexisonfire - Old Crows / Young Cardinals

Best Post-Rock Album (these nominations liable to change)

And So I Watch You From Afar - And So I Watch You From Afar
Do Make Say Think - The Other Truths
If These Trees Could Talk - Above The Earth, Below The Sky
Tortoise - Beacons Of Ancestorship

Best Alternative Album

Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
Antony & The Johnsons - The Crying Light
The Flaming Lips - Embryonic
Mew - No More Stories Are Told Today, I'm Sorry, They Washed Away, No More Stories, The World Is Grey, I'm Tired, Let's Wash Away

Absolute Worst Artist

BrokeNCYDE
3OH!3
Cobra Starship
The Millionaires

Best Album To Fall Asleep To

Mew - No More Stories Are Told Today, I'm Sorry, They Washed Away, No More Stories, The World Is Grey, I'm Tired, Let's Wash Away
Muse - The Resistance
Yusuf Islam - Roadsinger
If These Trees Could Talk - Above The Earth, Below The Sky

Biggest Letdown

Muse - The Resistance
Pearl Jam - Backspacer
New Moon Soundtrack
Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest

Stupidest Things to do in Public

Interrupt Taylor Swift (as done by Kanye West)
Die (as done by Michael Jackson)
Release an album (as done by BrokeNCYDE)
Prosecute people who download music (as done by Lily Allen)

Best Album Art

Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
And So I Watch You From Afar - And So I Watch You From Afar
Antony & The Johnsons - The Crying Light
Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More

Remember, any of these could change. The ones that I've noted are probably going to change. You can still consider it a final nominee list, however :)
Matt
Now listening to "Above The Earth, Below The Sky" (2009) by If These Trees Could Talk

Shortlist of 10 Best Albums of 2009

2009-12-04T08:00:00.006+11:00

At the end of the year, I'm going to do a few yearly lists. They are:
10 Best Albums of 2009
10 Biggest Fail Songs of 2009
10 Best Albums of the Noughties
5 (maybe 10) Best Games of 2009
as well as Best Metal Album, Best Folk Album, Best Rock Album, Best Progressive Album, Best Alternative Album, Best Post-Rock Albumand the honorary awards:Absolute Worst Artist, Stupidest Thing to do in Public, Biggest Letdown Album
So, for myself as much as for the three people who read new blogs on this site, I'm going to post the shortlists I've come up with for these lists.

10 Best Albums:

And So I Watch You From Afar - And So I Watch You From Afar
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
Antony & The Johnsons - The Crying Light
Atlas Sound - Logos
Bill Callahan - Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle
Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse - Dark Night Of The Soul
Do Make Say Think - The Other Truths
The Flaming Lips - Embryonic
Giant Squid - The Icthyologist
Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
If These Trees Could Talk - Above The Earth, Below The Sky
Isis - Wavering Radiant
Karnivool - Sound Awake
Manic Street Preachers - Journal For Plague Lovers
maudlin of the Well - Part The Second
Mew - No More Stories Are Told Today, I'm Sorry, They Washed Away, No More Stories, The World Is Grey, I'm Tired, Let's Wash Away
Modest Mouse - No One's First, And You're Next
Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More
Pearl Jam - Backspacer
Sunn O))) - Monoliths & Dimensions
Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures
Tortoise - Beacons Of Ancestorship
Yusuf - Roadsinger (To Warm You Through The Night)

and, some albums that might make it but I haven't listened to yet,

Alexisonfire - Old Crows / Young Cardinals
Alice In Chains - Black Gives Way To Blue
(i'll keep posting more here as i think of them)

The shortlist for the 10 best albums of the noughties list is going to be not-so-short, and will probably take me days of solid work to finally come up with one, even just a shortlist. So here is the 10 biggest fails shortlist:

Lady GaGa - Love Game (all songs of hers qualify)
Soulja Boy Tell 'Em - Kiss Me Thru The Phone
DJ Sidney Sampson - Riverside
Cobra Starship and Leighton Meestor - Good Girls Go Bad
Flo Rida - Sugar
Flo Rida - Right Round
Taylor Swift - Love Story
Kesha - Tik Tok
3OH!3 - Starstrukk
3OH!3 - Don't Trust Me
Black Eyed Peas - Boom Boom Pow
Robbie Williams - Bodies
The Lonely Island and T-Pain - I'm On A Boat
Pitbull - Hotel Room Service
Pitbull - I Know You Want Me
Big Pink - Dominos
The Millionaires - Just Got Paid, Let's Get Laid
Brokencyde - (everything off their album)
(this is a work in progress, there's plenty more shit to be sifted through.)

Matt
Now listening to "Sigh No More" (2009) by Mumford & Sons(edit 2) Now listening to "Sound Awake" (2009) by Karnivool

ABC's reply to my letter about Junglist's sacking

2009-11-26T21:43:00.002+11:00

Sorry for not posting for a while, but I've had more pressing things on my mind (eg Modern Warfare 2. There'll be a review up soon, promise). Anyway, just when I thought it'd never happen, the ABC has replied to the email I sent them a while back regarding Junglist's sacking. Here it is:

"Dear Mr McLeod

Thank you for your email.

The decision to replace Junglist with Hex was made after much thought and consideration and was necessary. Behind the scenes, there were ongoing performance issues with Junglist which were severely impacting the quality and smooth-running of the show, as well as making life difficult for the rest of the team.

Initially, the ABC took the decision not to go public with this information out of respect for Junglist and to protect his privacy and reputation. It is regrettable that Junglist felt the need to make further public statements, some of which were misleading, and the Good Game team is both sad and disappointed that he has taken this stance. We can also categorically state that the decision was not made to achieve some sort of gender balance or to send the program in a "mass appeal" direction. Hex was selected to co-host the program on merit.

When Junglist joined the show he was just what Hex is now - a passionate gamer with no reviewing experience. In the audition process we were particularly keen to test her game analysis skills - and she has them in spades. The key is going to be developing the trust and rapport with the audience, but that can only happen over time.

While the ABC and the Good Game team acknowledge Junglist's abilities and the respect and admiration for him in the gaming community, this decision had to be made so that the team could continue to deliver a quality program each week.

The ABC is aware of the passion and commitment within the gaming community. We also understand the important place Good Game holds in the community and we do not make these programming decisions lightly. Please be assured that your concerns and disappointment have been noted. We thank you sincerely for taking the time to contact the ABC.

Yours sincerely,

Amanda Duthie
Head, Arts and Entertainment ABC TV"

Personally? My opinion? I think it's a whole load of shit. I never experienced the show not running 'smoothly' at all; in fact, it had just seemed to have found its stride. I understand that there might be a different story backstage, but while the show was externally at the top of its game; well, why fix something that isn't broken?

I will admit though, my opinion has changed and I don't believe that Junglist will want to or will ever be allowed back on the GG team. I'm looking forward to his future ventures but :)

Tara,
Matt
Now listening to "Crowded House" (1986) by Crowded House

Good Game and the Sacking of Junglist.

2009-10-30T20:24:00.003+11:00

Junglist has been sacked from the show he helped create, Good Game, in favor of a young attractive female, Hex. I sent a letter to the ABC offices and Good Game, which I will make an open letter by posting here.

{{{letter begins here}}}"I know you've probably already recieved plenty of mail on this topic, but Junglist was a brilliant presenter. He had charisma, he was very knowledgeable, always had great comments and reviews, wasn't afraid to give a game he didn't like a very low score, was very technologically minded, and he and Baj had such brilliant chemistry with one another.

While I have nothing against Hex personally, I simply cannot believe that she was brought in to replace Jung. Jung represented the more professional, knowledgeable of the two, and Hex simply cannot fill in this gap that has been left with his sacking.

In sacking Junglist, you have alienated Good Game's large, hardcore fanbase, consisting of gamers from around the world. Your endeavor to bring in new viewers, however, is futile - non-gamers simply don't care about gaming news and reviews, and introducing a younger, more attractive hostess is not going to change that. Gamers want to hear more professional, serious reviews, which Jung delivered but neither Baj nor Hex does not. That worked with Jung and Baj, but the two younger, more goofy hosts cannot work off each other.

In addition, I do not know what you were attempting to accomplish, but adding a female presenter to the lineup at the expense of the older, more professional host not only alienates hardcore fans, but does not attract a new audience of female fans. The only females who are interested in the show are gamers, who are no different to male gamers in their desires for a gaming TV show.

I am aware that Junglist made some unnecessary comments after being notified about his sacking, but I believe that he has every right to. He was just shocked that he was removed from a show that he helped build from the ground up, and did not have the right words at the time. Allow to me apologize on his behalf for any unsavoury comments that he may have made at the time.

I am worried about the future of Good Game. I have been an avid fan since it started, and have watched it slowly build a name for itself as one of the most respectable, best video game TV shows in the world. I do not want to see it head down the same road as the ill-fated G4 channel in the USA. I would stongly encourage you to reconsider your decision to remove Junglist from a hosting position."{{{letter ends here}}}

I won't blab more here - that letter contains all I have to say. Read and comment.
Matt

Sparklehorse first impression and my studying method.

2009-10-29T21:14:00.002+11:00

Today, the Sparklehorse album that I ordered on eBay arrived in the post. 'Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain'. It really is a magnificent album. It was released in 2006 so isn't eligible for best of the 2009 which I will do in December, but if it was available then it might have even beaten the new Lips album and gotten to number one (so far). It's just amazing. All the qualities I like, really. Kind of shoegazing, dream pop, ethereal style. The songs are all beautiful, they demand your attention and yet still let your mind wander abroad, with their musical landscapes really forging an image in your mind. Excuse my cliché-ness. But from the opening track, to the Tom Waits' featuring track 9 to the closing 10 minute title track consisting of the same brooding chord progression repeating, the album really puts you in a trance. It's magnificent.

In other news, I now have a new, hopefully successful, study plan. From now on (well, starting Monday) I will listen to one record a day from start to finish, any one, and while it is playing I'll do homework+study. This way, every day I have varied study time from 30 mins to 2 hours, and get in some good last.fm scrobbles in the process. I think it's something that I'll be able to stick to, even if I do spend another 15 minutes picking what to listen to =p

Anyway, toodles for now. I want to play Pokémon Silver, but the internal battery's broken so i can't save, and an emulator isn't the same, I can't play it in bed haha. I can't wait till HeartGold and SoulSilver come out :) that day will be beautiful.
Matt
now listening to "Dreamt for Light Years"... (2006) by Sparklehorse

food food:)

2009-10-21T18:57:00.006+11:00

This afternoon I became the proud owner of a rare, large-size jar of iSnack 2.0. Not with the new name - it's labeled iSnack as well.

With any luck, Vegemite collectors from all over the globe will be flocking to buy my jar for millions of dollars :). I know it will happen :)

In other news, I also aquired some of the outcomes of the 'pick your flavour!' campaign that Smith's Chips ran a few months ago. I have four packets in my possession; not sure if this is the only four flavours, there could be more. I haven't eaten them yet :)
BBQ Coat of Arms (not sure how this would be different to normal BBQ, but whatever. Maybe it's kangaroo and emu flavour?)
Caesar Salad (this could be very nice if pulled off)
Late Nite Kebab (hmm. could work, could fail.)
Buttered Popcorn (see 'late nite kebab'.)
If these are the only four, then I'm happy. Little disappointed that something more exciting didn't replace BBQ but. That one's boring. And popcorn could turn out horrrrrrrible.

Anyway, that's all my exciting news for the day. Stay tuned:)

writing Blogs

2009-10-20T22:32:00.002+11:00

How am I supposed to write them? Everywhere else, the only punctuation I worry about is apostrophes. But here I do capital letters and everything :)

I know that no one reads this, or I'd get comments, at least every now and again. So should I write as though I am aware no one reads? Or should I write still pretending to myself that people listen and take my advice all the time? I spose that the only reason I write is in the hope that people read; I don't exactly write self-exploring, deep stuff on here. So maybe I'll go for the latter?

Just writing this blog is confirmation that, yes, I am going to continue telling myself that I'm nearly crashing Blogspot's servers cause everyone is flocking onto my blog. Maybe I should start advertising, make some money? :)

nowlisteningto "Document" (1987) by R.E.M.

the most beautiful pokémon.

2009-10-19T20:42:00.004+11:00

"Embryonic" (2009) by the Flaming Lips (NR, M) quick.

2009-10-19T18:03:00.003+11:00

The Flaming Lips are a space rock band with roots in punk and alternative. This is a band who brought fourth a quadruple-album with four CDs featuring different parts of the same songs, intended to be played simultaneously. The band who conducted the 'parking lot experiments', in which they gave 40 volunteers cassettes to be played in their car in a crowded parking lot, and the 'boombox' experiment, similar to the parking lot but where they were actually 'conducted' (volume up/down, channel l/r, etc).

This time, they release their first album with no true singles since 1999's "the Soft Bulletin". This album screams at the listener to show his or her undivided attention, during the quiet bits and the loud bits. It also demands constant replays, and with these replays the listener can discern the more commercial songs (Karen O's spotlight "I Can Be A Frog" and MGMT's featuring "Worm Mountain) against the buried, musical brilliance ("If", "Watching the Planets").

Led by frontman Wayne Coyne, co-founding multi-instrumentalist Steven Drozd and longtime member Michael Ivins, with new member Kliph Scurlock on drums at live shows, the Lips really do present a true musical masterpiece, original and unrivalled by anything released within the last year.

10/10.

"Embryonic" (2009) by the Flaming Lips (NR,M)

2009-10-19T16:47:00.003+11:00

This is the second album this year that I've been looking forward to. The Flaming Lips' twelfth effort, "Embryonic" is their first double album yet (but not in Australia, because we're the only region in the world who decided to shove all 18 tracks on one CD). This new record is even more space-y and hard to get into then "At War With the Mystics" (2006) - while it spawned such singles as "the Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power)" and "the W.A.N.D. (The Will Always Negates Defeat)", their new one has no tracks with any real commercial potential. They somehow pulled it off, however. Due to there not being one standout track, you are coerced into listening to the whole record at once, the sort of pull that very few 70 minute double albums achieve.

Quoting a reviewer from Mag (JB Hi-Fi magazine), "if the aliens made contact, the band playing the soundtrack while they landed would be the Flaming Lips." This record goes even further in cementing their place as the world's most out there, space rock-y band.

Opening with strange, seemingly random effects-driven guitar in the right channel and feedback bursts, the record seems a little too weird. Then the driving bass line enters, the reverb laden vocals follow and drums not far after. All this while retaining the effects in the left channel, and you know that you're listening to a very distinctive Lips album. The second track, "The Sparrow Looks Up At The Machine" continues on the effects-driven style introduced in the first. Oddly enough, it also has the longest track name on the record (odd for them, as their last record contained such names as "Free Radicals (A Hallucination Of The Christmas Skeleton Pleading With A Suicide Bomber)", "My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion (The Inner Life As Blazing Shield Of Defiance And Optimism As Celestial Spear Of Action)", and "The Wizard Turns On... The Giant Silver Flashlight And Puts On His Werewolf Moccasins").

The track "Evil" then really introduces the album's main thematic concern of people being, well, evil. Opening with the most commercially-friendly bit of the record yet, when the seemingly out of time drums enter you know that even this isn't one for the radio. Wayne's haunting, yet beautiful vocal "I wish I could go back, go back in time.... I would have warned you those people are evil, and it's hard to understand." really drives this track forward. After the vocals leave, distorted bass guitar keep interest high and the song returns to its first verse. The fourth track, "Aquarius Sabotage" introduces the theme of tracks being named after Zodiac signs. It juxtaposes against "Evil", as it is very fast and sharp. If you listen hard, you can really hear how amazing Drozd's work is on drums (assuming that Kliph isn't doing this track, you never know.) Towards the end of the track, spoken word enters, and the track builds up a climax that leads into possibly the most single-friendly track on the record, "See The Leaves". Be warned, while it's the most commercially friendly track, don't expect any Linkin Park - it's still challenging, loud, heavy, effects laden, and really the Lips at their best.

"If" continues the evil theme though a soft, quiet piece, beginning with Wayne's coughing and another beautiful vocal performance. "Gemini Syringes" is an instrumental piece, with the only vocals acting more as an collaborating instrument then as the forefront with lyrics. A mathematics teacher, Dr. Thorsten Wörmann, is recorded teaching his students on polynomials. Karen O, from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, also appears in this piece. "Your Bats" is another of the more commercially friendly pieces, although it is very nearly an instrumental.

The first side then closes with track nine, "Powerless". It is the record's longest track, clocking in at 6:58. It is also one of my favourite songs. Wayne's vocals are amazing, again, and piled with reverb and echo - not the kind of reverb that bad singers use to conceal their shitness, however. The Lips use it to create the more space-y, futuristic feel they go for in this whole album. This piece borders on post rock, while retaining the space rock that Lips fans love so much. The bass line is exceptionally amazing.

For the second side of the record, the songs seem to mush together into one big piece. "The Ego's Last Stand" is a great introduction. It is followed by Karen O's most notable contribution, "I Can Be A Frog". Without her vocals, the song would seem very serious and thoughtful. Wayne sings "I can be a *insert animal here*", and Karen follows with her best impromptu imitation of the animal, which seems to be recorded over the phone. Her chuckles and Wayne's giggles while he's singing are funny, and really lighten up the record. "Sagittarius Silver Announcement" build up the epic-ness and space feel of the album. This is followed by "Worm Mountain", another of the more commercial songs on the record. It notably features MGMT on vocals and instruments, and is very, very loud in parts. Three tracks later, Wayne's strange vocals introduce us to "Silver Trembling Hands". I think that it is the first single that will be released. With good reason, from memory it's the only track that even slightly follows verse-chorus-verse format. If you want to download a track to test the record out, get this one. It will introduce you to the Lips' distinctive sound, the album's space feel, Wayne's recognizable vocal delivery style, all in an easy-to-digest, 4 minute package.

The record then closes with "Virgo Self-Esteem Broadcast" and "Watching The Planets". There would be no better way to close the album. They retain the space rock element running throughout, really acting as the perfect full stop after "Silver Trembling Hands". "Watching The Planets" especially, acts as such a brilliant closer and a brilliant song in its own right. It also musically quotes some of Karen's pieces in "I Can Be A Frog" and some original vocal bits from her.

"Embryonic" is possibly the best Lips album yet. It's a member of a very small club of double albums I can listen to in one sitting. It does not represent a shift to commercialism by the Lips, in fact, quite the opposite. Myself, as a big Lips fan, can appreciate this record as I like their style, however, beginning or non fans may have trouble enjoying it. It really has to be listened to as a whole - the tracks meld and sound as though they were created as one big piece of music. The Lips have created, yet again, a masterpiece.

Re-playability: 19
Overall song quality: 18
Flow as an album: 20
Does what it tries to: 20
Packaging/art: 18
My mark /20: 19
Overall mark /20: 19.0

iTunes quiz.

2009-10-17T16:02:00.002+11:00

Open iTunes/iPod (or whatever) to answer the following.

Total number of tracks:
18099

Sort by song title:
-First Song: ● by Pearl Jam
-Last Song: *** by Regina Spektor
-Shortest Song: tie between 'Item' and 'Secret' by 近藤浩治, both 0:03
-Longest Song:not including stand up comedy, Helio)))Sophist by Sunn O))), at 46:18

Sort by album:
-First Song: "Come Together" by the Beatles
-Last Song: "Zebra" by the Magnetic Fields
-First Album: "Abbey Road" by the Beatles
-Last Album: "69 Love Songs" by the Magnetic Fields

Top 10 Most Played Songs (i'm going off last.fm because itunes has just been reset):
1) You Never Wash Up After Yourself - Radiohead
2) Paranoid Android - Radiohead
3) Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space - Spiritualized
4) Street Spirit (Fade Out) - Radiohead
5) Exit Music (For A Film) - Radiohead
6) 4st 7lb - Manic Street Preachers
7) Faust Arp - Radiohead
8) The Trickster - Radiohead
9) Pop Is Dead - Radiohead
10) Mister, Would You Please Help My Pony? - Ween

First five songs that comes up on Shuffle:
1) Inner City Blues - Rodriguez
2) I Am The Supercargo - The Drones
3) Zoot Allures - Frank Zappa
4) Second Bad Vilbel - Autechre
5) The Talk Of Creatures - The Residents

Search...
"sex", how many songs come up?: 71
"love", how many songs come up?: 764
"you", how many songs come up?: 1969
"death", how many songs come up?: 590
"hate", how many songs come up?: 67
"wish" how many songs come up?: 85

Why Australia needs an R18+ Rating

2009-10-14T23:31:00.003+11:00

So, Left 4 Dead 2 has been cleared for release in Australia on an MA15+ rating. Censored. Fucking OFLC. Zombie dismemberment and decapitation has been removed completely, making killing zombies essentially the same as in the first game.

You all know my stance on an R18+ rating on video games. Not having one (which is the current method in Australia) both:
a) Bans/censors games that are suitable for adults (ie Fallout 3, L4D2), and
b) Causes games not suitable for under 15 year olds to be squashed into the MA15+ rating (ie Fallout 3, GTAIV)
Without such a rating, high profile games such as Fallout 3 (in which specific body parts can be attacked, causing effects such as exploding heads; innocent civilians can be killed) are squashed into the MA15+ category. Interestingly, the game was originally refused classification - the OFLC's main complaint was that the drugs in the game were named after real world drugs - ie pain killer was called 'Morphine'. Drug addiction is also present in the game. Once the names of the drugs were changed, the game was passed.

In addition, GTA IV is a game in which, as you all know, you control a character who is rewarded for completing tasks against the law in the real world. The character can, and is rewarded for, going on grand theft autos, killing cops and civilians, etc. This game is not suitable for undeveloped 15 year olds, however its high-profile nature intimidated the OFLC into passing its release.

Another example is Call of Duty 4, which was given an MA15+ rating. The game is set in the modern era, where you play as both an American and British soldier fighting in various locations around the Middle East and Russia. In this game, the player is engaged in fair warfare - the other side is shooting back. There is no unjustified killing. This game garners its MA rating, as it is not the same unjustified civilian murder as present in Fallout 3 and GTA IV.

Now for Left 4 Dead 2. Set in a fictional city based on New Orleans, four survivors work together to fight off a zombie holocaust caused by a rabies-like pathogen. The zombies are, as zombies do, trying to kill the survivors. New to L4D2 is a feature that really should have been in the first game, melee weapons. This seems to be the cause of the OFLC's objection, but really, if zombies came at you and you had no ammo left and there was a fire axe sitting on the table next to you, what would you do? I'd pick up the axe even if i did have ammo left. And they don't like the dismemberment. This is a feature that's been regularly implemented in games since the last century. When you could blow civilian's heads up in Fallout 3, the OFLC didn't mind. But lopping off a zombie's? They can't allow that.

Don't take this the wrong way. I'm not condemning violence in video games. 99.999% of 16 year old gamers (such as myself) step away from the controller/mouse+keyboard and don't feel like they are still in the game world. If I have just played GTA for a whole day, I don't feel the urge to go on a rampage myself. A gamer always dissociates himself from the world of the game, even if that world is similar to his own. There has been NO - I'll repeat that - NO proven or even evidenced link between a murder and violent video games. Don't believe what the media says - Marilyn Manson didn't contribute towards Columbine, and neither did CounterStrike.

Video games have been known to save lives, however. Paxton Galvanek witnessed an SUV roll on a highway in 2007 - though use of what he had learned on the video game America's Army, he safely extracted two passengers from the smoking car and was able to control heavy bleeding, saving their lifes. Galvanek claimed that he had learned about controlling bleeding from playing the Medic class on team-based shooter "America's Army", a game developed by the US Army as a recruitment tool, often condemned by critics for being overly violent.

So why doesn't our great country have an R18+ rating for video games? I wouldn't even be against R21+, or R25+ (supposedly the age where the brain stops developing). But the fact is, these games are perfectly suitable and safe for people of a mature age. There is no link between video games and violent behaviour.
Our country is going backwards technologically. We are the only first-world country without an R18+ (or equivalent) rating for video games. This, coupled with the Labor Government's planned introduction of a mandatory filter for all Australian internet users, has made our country the "laughing stock of the internet" (a quote I found on a forum somewhere). Is this how we want to be known?

"Backspacer" (2009) by Pearl Jam

2009-09-23T22:19:00.004+10:00

It's been a while since I posted last, because of two main factors - my recent purchase of "Left 4 Dead" (PC, Valve, 2008) and repeated listens of Pearl Jam's new record, "Backspacer". No, study/exams isn't one of the factors. Anyway, on the way to Sydney for Rosh Hashana on Friday night, we stopped in at JB Hi-Fi to get presents for people. Before we leave, I check W-Pedia for Backspacer's release date, and get very disappointed to find it was not for another two days. But, right at the door of the shop, a big display stand has copies of the record and I get very excited. I then get pissed off cause Backspacer's packaging is bigger than a normal CD and thus won't fit in my CD rack. Upon leaving the shop, Backspacer, to the dismay of the rest of my family, went straight into the car CD player. I then got terrified cause I read a review of the new Flaming Lips record in JB mag and thought it was out and I didn't get it. But it's okay, cause it doesn't come out until October - the reviewer just streamed it online.

Anyway, back to the review. I was very scared that Backspacer was going to be shit, as I always am when a band I love announces a new record. Upon first listen, I was disappointed, didn't really like it. However, Backspacer seems to be the kind of record that grows on you, cause I tried it another few times and became completely obsessed with it. With an album of only 36 minutes, that's alright - I can listen to it twice to one listen of "the Wall", and four times for one listen of another favourite of mine, "69 Love Songs" by the Magnetic Fields.

The record opens with a kind of power trio - "Gonna See My Friend", "Got Some", and "The Fixer". The opening track rocks as hard as anything PJ have released, and it's always nice to hear Eddie's screaming every now and then. "Got Some" is another fast, heavy rock song. "The Fixer" is the one that you know, if you know any of them. Rumour has it that this track has even got into the top 40 - by the looks of the top 40 site, it peaked at #14. Scary, hey. The song's time signatures really mess you up - we open with 4 bars of 5/4, verses are in 6/4, and chorus in the good old 4/4. Vedder's lyrics are at their best here, even with the chorus of 'yeeeeeeahhhh'. There's something about this track (another fairly fast, heavy rock song, btw) that just makes it work.

"Johnny Guitar" stands out. To a PJ fan, anyway. A PJ n00b may not be too friendly to this song. Something about it gives it a strange, weird feel. Vedder's quick, sharp vocals work, the quasi-breakdowns are brilliant, and, well, the song is goood.

And then we have the album's first ballad - well, the album's first non-hard rock song. The picking styles, chord progressions, lyrics, etc. in "Just Breathe" were obviously influenced by Eddie's solo record "Into the Wild". The track just seems like it'd fit perfectly into that solo album. Not that that's a bad thing - I loved that solo album so much.

"Amongst the Waves", "Unthought Known", "Supersonic", "Speed of Sound" and "Force of Nature" all have the same feel of a rock, grungy band sticking with what they know. Not to say they're typical rock songs - they're all uniquely Pearl Jam, through and through. The standouts would be "Unthought Known" and it's amazing vocal hook of 'nothing left', and "Speed of Sound" - no, it's not a Coldplay cover. The record then closes with aptly named "The End". And there is no better way that PJ could have ended. It is another ballad - although not quite on par with "Just Breathe", it's still brilliant. The lyrics are sublime, and Vedder's vocal performance is the best here compared to the rest of the record. He seems truly pained in this track - not pained cause he can't hit the high notes, just pained because he seems upset and like he cares, something that 95% of vocalists nowadays just can't do, especially if they don't believe the lyrics. The song is a little overproduced however; I don't really think that the strings were necessary, and I'd love an acoustic version with just Eddie and his guitar.

There are some drawbacks to this record. While the artwork is beautiful, the packaging is annoying, and, instead of being next to all the other PJ records, it's got it's own spot next to the other ones that won't fit - "The Eraser" by Thom Yorke, "Takk..." by Sigur Rós, and the double albums. The album is also a little bit too short; I like short albums, but we've waited three years and all we get is 36 minutes and a cover of a Who song? I mean, it's an awesome cover, but can't we do better than that? Also, some of the songs, especially "Johnny Guitar", seem a little forced out, like Matt and Stone just had some snippets from various uncompleted songs, and it was all mushed together.

The drawbacks are only minor, however. After all, who am I to bitch about the packaging of PJ albums - their albums are the most beautifully packaged of all the CDs I own. Overall, "Backspacer" is a breath of fresh air in the high-profile-album-releases department.

Re-playability: 19
Overall song quality: 15
Flow as an album: 17
Does what it tries to: 18
Packaging/art: 18
My mark /20: 17
Overall mark /20: 17.3

A sad, sad day for Aussie Gamers.

2009-09-17T16:39:00.003+10:00

On the 17th of December, Australia's brilliant video game classification board has refused an MA15+ classification to Valve's Left 4 Dead 2, effectively meaning that the game will be unavailable for purchase in Australia. The first game in the series (Left 4 Dead, obviously) won heeeeaps of awards and topped countless end-of-year lists last year.

Anyway, as Kev Rudd's government have been too lazy to lift a finger and pass a bill allowing R18+ games, the highest allowable rating is MA15+. And, as the ratings board claimed that L4D2 was not MA15+, the came cannot be sold in Australia. Rudd, L4D2 will be one of this years top-selling games, if not number 1. Pull your finger out and give us our game.

I've emailed Valve to see what their stance on this whole situation is - even a bulk email sent to everyone else who asked will satisfy me, I just want to know whether they're going to censor it for Australia, if American releases will work, and whether they will cooperate with our government and block it on Steam and block American copies.

Matt
Now listening to "Stunt" (1998) by Barenaked Ladies

"Professor Layton and the Curious Village" review, DS 2008

2009-09-09T20:16:00.003+10:00

First of all, I'll say that I haven't actually finished this game just yet as my DS has run out of battery and I can't find my charger :( - however, I think I'm nearly finished, as most of the mysteries have been solved.

"Professor Layton and the Curious Village" (NDS, Level-5, 2008) is a very interesting game. Combining the point-and-click style adventure game (eg "Secret of Monkey Island" (various, LucasFilm, 1990)) with a new puzzle/lateral thinking riddle-genre (ie "a man works on the 83rd floor..." etc), Professor Layton is a whole new style of game.

First off, the graphics are beautiful. The cartoon-y style works perfectly, and the animated cutscenes, complete with full voice acting, are simply pleasures to watch. It's all the more impressive when you remember that it's on the DS.

The story is superb, too. Full of twists, you'll be hooked to this game after the first cutscene. I played for hours on my first sitting. Did I mention the twists? They don't stop, and there's one towards the end of the game that left me speechless for more than a minute. The gameplay is fun as well, completely addictive, and, although it's made up of "over 120" puzzles, never repetitive. You'll find yourself up till 2, rubbing your eyes trying to get a ball from one side of a puzzle to the other. The simple setting helps the player learn about the locations etc of the buildings, making it seem more like a real town. The puzzles are all assorted - the game includes classic "last year, the brother was double his sister's age, now he's..", lateral-thinking riddles, matchstick and card puzzles, and heeeeaps more. In addition, you find 'hint coins' by touching suspicious areas in the map screen, which you can use to purchase hints on each puzzle. This helps to prevent from becoming completely stuck on any one puzzle. The vast majority of the puzzles are unnecessary to complete as soon as you encounter them - although you need to complete certain numbers of puzzles to pass certain points, you can always save them for later, so you can solve them at 'Granny Riddleton's Shack'. This building hosts all the puzzles you couldn't solve or overlooked.

And then we have the negatives. While the game is absolutely amazing, it has next to nothing in replay value - I won't let that detract from it's overall score but, as, for a game that gets its amazingness from plot twists and riddles, it's kinda hard to give it replay value. As well as that, while it's our first, Japan has already got 4 Layton games within the space of 2 and a half years; our second is due on September 25 (I think it's already out in the US). This means that us fans won't be left out in the cold waiting for 4 years for the next installment, like console Zelda fans. In addition to all this, the sound is great and suits the game perfectly, but can get reeeeally annoying from time to time, as it's the same. Constantly.

All in all, "Professor Layton and the Curious Village" is fucking brilliant. You must try it, even if only to experience one of the greatest twists I've encountered in gaming, especially handheld. And some perfect puzzles.
10/10
Matt
Now listening to "Richard D. James Album" (1996) by Aphex Twin

Modest Mouse "No One's First and You're Next" (2009)

2009-09-06T19:26:00.005+10:00

Their new record (kind-of-long-EP-album-thingo) "No One's First And You're Next" is a must buy. Simple as that. It's only a very reasonable $12 for 34 minutes of music - and, although the music is a collection of B-sides and just-didn't-make-the-final-cuts from their last two albums, it really could, if they added maybe one more song, be Modest Mouse's sixth LP. It's got everything - singles ("King Rat", "Satellite Skin", "Autumn Beds") and tracks destined to be fan favourites ("The Whale Song", "Perpetual Motion Machine").

The EP opens with "Satellite Skin", and from the moment that Brock's unforgettable vocals enter, you that the song is going to be awesome. One of the best, most distinctive aspects of Modest Mouse's music is Brock's powerful, lisp-y vocals. Especially when they're being yelled. "Satellite Skin" is a chilled out rock song, and you can't help but wonder how it didn't manage to get on whichever album it was recorded for.

The second track, "Guilty Cocker Spaniels", is memorable for those who love Isaac's vocals. Like me. Otherwise, it's nothing special. "Autumn Beds" is good for those who aren't usually MM fans and just want something chilled out to listen to, as Isaac's vocals aren't as recognisable and prominent as usual; it's a very laid back song.

"The Whale Song" is the fourth track on the record, and it is fucking awesome. There's no way to describe it in words, but it's quickly become one of my favourite songs this year; it's been on repeat for the last week. It's a 6 or so minute epic, with amazing vocals from Brock, and Marr's guitar work is heavenly. If you're a post rock fan you'll fall head over heels. But if you plan to listen to it, make sure you're somewhere secluded so you can turn it up till your ears bleed. And don't go easy on the bass either. Try not to be doing something else, just immerse yourself in the subtly textured, weaving song.

The next song is "Perpetual Motion Song". It is a good contrast to "The Whale Song", and perfect for MM songs. Brock's vocals are amazing, as usual, and prominently him. It is fun filled, with horns, tinny acoustic guitars, and tens of overdubbed vocals. It's good fun. Then comes "History Sticks To Your Feet" - for me, not a memorable song, although that's not saying it's bad, at all - it's still awesome.

"King Rat" is track 7. It was the first song I heard from the EP, and I loved it right away. Brock's vocals,, well, I've been harping on about them all review; let's just say that they're at their best on this song. It's impossible to not not your head and tap your feet to this song. Johnny Marr's guitar work is beautiful; and from Brock's opening scream of "Well!", the crash of instruments and the strings playing their riff; well, it's amazing. The song has an eerie, foreboding sense around it. The use of horns and strings are perfect; and that beautiful breakdown, "Deep water.. deep water..", it's fucking amazing. Just listen. Loudly. And don't pass over the video, it's the best one I've seen in years.

The EP then closes with "I've Got It All (Most)", and, I must say I didn't really like this song all that much; it is a good way to close, but.

Anyway, I'm off. As it is just an EP, by EP standards this one is easily a 10/10

Matt

Hitler's reaction to Oasis breakup

2009-09-02T20:33:00.001+10:00

The world's biggest Oasis fan sent me the link to that video :) very funny.

(oh, and to clear stuff up, Oasis hasn't actually broken up, Noel just left.)
Matt
Now listening to "No One's First And You're Next" (2009) by Modest Mouse

Wall of Ice

2009-09-02T17:04:00.002+10:00

For those of you paying attention to the whole new Radiohead EP thingo with "These are my Twisted Words" and the Wall of Ice conspiracy, you'll be interested to know that www.wallofice.com now points to Contagious Magazine. At first, I was suspicious, thinking that it was another of Radiohead's companies along the line of Xendless Xurbia Limited and W.A.S.T.E., something secretive. I was disappointed when I found out it was just an online magazine, this issue documenting the Wall of Ice. A funny magazine, ("Fans note the URL www.wallofice.com points to Radiohead’s own W.A.S.T.E. site. Several music journalists hyperventilate.") but not Radiohead-related by the looks of it.

Those of you who haven't got "These are My Twisted Words" yet, go to www.radiohead.com and download it, it's free. I don't like it as much as other stuff, but hey, it's still Radiohead, so there's little chance of it being terrible. I'm terrified for their new album/set of EPs/download/tablets each with a word from a lyric on them/however they're going to release the new music. It could be absolutely dreadful - worse, it could be poppy and they could play it on pop radio - not that that makes it bad music (although it could).

Matt
Now listening to "Good News for People who Love Bad News" (2004) by Modest Mouse

perfect Pearl Jam setlist

2009-08-30T13:09:00.009+10:00

This is my ideal setlist for a Pearl Jam concert.. mind you, I wouldn't mind them playing for 5 hours so I could fit more in :)

Obviously it's a little unrealistic, after all, there are lots of songs here. This is just a dream.

(intro with just Eddie)

Rise
Off He Goes
Strangest Tribe
Oceans

(band enters)

Go
Leash
World Wide Suicide
Do The Evolution
I Got Shit
Last Kiss
Nothing As It Seems
Hard To Imagine
Hail, Hail
Spin The Black Circle
Wishlist
Love Boat Captain
Bu$hleaguer
Mankind
Not For You
Corduroy
Gone
Last Exit
Other Side
Who You Are
Animal
Green Disease
Dead Man
Small Town
Better Man
Black

(encore 1)

Baba O'Riley
Jeremy
Dissident
Porch
Deep
Throw Your Arms Around Me
Black, Red, Yellow
Immortality

(encore 2)

Daughter
Love, Reign O'er Me
Alive
Yellow Ledbetter

Death of Oasis

2009-08-30T11:43:00.002+10:00

Ever since their "(What's The Story) Morning Glory?" (1995), Oasis have just been getting worse with every album. (on a side note, "Dig Out Your Soul" (2008) wasn't as bad, "Don't Believe The Truth" (2005) was good). They've had their time and, honestly, no one likes them anymore. Apart from Sam ('and the people who bought tickets to their sold-out world tour' - Sam. Fair point.).

For those of you who don't already know, principle (is that the right one?) songwriter and guitarist Noel Gallagher left Oasis the other night, cause he 'simply can't go on working with [his brother and bandmate] Liam a day longer.' This was after a punchup backstage in France, which involved Liam smashing one of Noel's guitars and the concert being cancelled a minute before Oasis were scheduled to take the stage.

Personally, I'm suprised that Noel lasted this long. Liam's way too egocentric to even consider leaving the band - in his mind, he, and only he, is the one who took Oasis to where they are now (or where they were in 1996). They must have had hundreds of fights in the last 15 years. But the fact is, Noel wrote all their good songs, including everything from their three best albums "Definitely Maybe" (1994), "Morning Glory" (1995), and "Be Here Now" (1997), including hits "Wonderwall" and "Don't Look Back In Anger". He also wrote the great majority of the tracks from their other 4 albums. How Liam's going to run this by himself, I dunno, cause the ones he wrote were shit.

Honestly, Liam should just swallow his pride and call it quits. Oasis have had their run. Plus, who's gonna write the songs? He might think he can, but he's shit at it. Please, Liam, just disband Oasis, cause it's just not Oasis without both you and Noel.

Matt
Now listening to "I Am An Elastic Firecracker" (1995) by Tripping Daisy

Polyphonic Spree, Dappled Cities

2009-08-30T11:38:00.000+10:00

It's late and I'm tired, but I've just discovered an absolutely amazing band called the Polyphonic Spree. They have about a billion people in their band and they play happy, poppy music - the end result is very uplifting, fun music. It also seems as though the band have lots of fun playing the music, adding to its overall feel. The music is very poppy, but the kind of pop they don't play on the radio; I spose you could call it 'indie pop', cause it's very independent and alternative but also poppy, if that makes sense. Think of (at least) fifteen men and women jumping around in brightly coloured togas, each playing a different eclectic instrument (including the theremin), having fun and dancing around. It's almost an orchestra, or as close to one as a band can get.

Also, today at work someone played me a record called 'Zounds' by Dappled Cities, a band I'd never heard of at all before then. I've only heard it once, so my memory could be faulty, but I enjoyed it. I remember being suprised that I enjoyed it as well, cause it's synthy and electroy and poppy, but it was okay at the time. Mind you, then I was played the record by that band who made that 'In For The Kill' song. It was dreadful. Hot pins through my eardrums dreadful. But then, to make myself feel better, I put on 'Frogstomp', by Silverchair. That made everything better :)

I'll properly review when I can think straight. But, for now, make sure you check out The Polyphonic Spree. They're fucking awesome.

Matt
Now Listening To: "Together We're Heavy" by the Polyphonic Spree

:) fml

2009-08-27T22:11:00.000+10:00

"Today, I texted my boyfriend to see if he wanted to finally have sex today. His response was "Can't, Platinum just came out." I didn't know what that meant so I searched "Platinum 3-22-2009" on Google. I found out he's talking about a new Pokemon game. FML"

Hellllll yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeah
If only I could find my DS charger :(. The only charging I get is when I'm in the car, with the cigarette lighter charger. Not good enough :(. I want to play some Platinum tooooooooo.

Top 10 Albums of 2008

2009-08-26T20:20:00.000+10:00

I did this on MySpace in December last year, I think. Bout then. I just thought I'd start off my blog with this. Enjoy.

10: "For My Friends" by Blind Melon
Now here's a band we haven't heard from in a very long time. For My Friends is Blind Melon's first LP since.. um, '96 from memory. They've just gotten a new lead singer to replace the late Shannon Hoon. This is the same band that, in the early ninties, had their one hit with "No Rain", a song that every one knows but no one knows the band who sung it. The one with Bee Girl in the video. Remember? Anyway. The one mistake that Blind Melon made in hiring a new singer is getting one that sounded remarkably similar to the distinctive Shannon Hoon - instead of getting one that sounded different enough for him to not be continuously compared to Hoon. As is, it seems that they've just tried to replace Hoon and continue in the same direction that was cut short because of Hoon's overdose in '95. Not a good plan. For My Friends is a solid album from a classic band, but nothing new. Really didn't meet my expectations, as this is an album I'd been looking forward to for years. Also, the record seemed to fail miserably thanks to lack of promotion anywhere, I had to buy it off their online shop.

Choice tracks: With The Right Set Of Eyes, For My Friends, Down On The Pharmacy

9: "Dear Science" by TV On The Radio
This record seems to be on the top spot of everyone who's anyone's end-of-year charts. Sure, it's a great album. But I really couldn't see anything amazing from it. It's ridiculously original. I can't really comment on their evolution because I haven't heard any of their earlier records, but it does seem like the band has changed rapidly since their last. I've never heard anything remotely like TV On The Radio. I have no idea how they're actually finding commercial success - Dear Science is one of the least commercial-sounding records I've heard recently. But hey. Nothing amazing. But all in all, a strong, original, powerful record.

Choice tracks: Halfway Home, Golden Age

8: "Third" by Portishead
Another record from a band that we haven't heard from in a ridiculously long time. Portishead's self-titled second album was released in 95 I think. Maybe 94. And then they had a live album in 96ish. After then, Portishead seemed to disappear, although their legacy remained in the genre of trip hop, which they pioneered. Returning early in 2008, Portishead's third album, aptly titled "Third", is not their best record by all means, but is still a great listen. It's also not easy to listen to at all - it induces concentration and thought. Portishead have drifted from the slow, mystical, turntable-and-Rhodes-keyboard-infused sound of their earlier records to a more industrial, noisy sound. Not that anyone is complaining. Over the top of the heavy, dirty beats sings Beth Gibbons - an absolutely amazing, mystifying singer whose voice has only improved since 94's Dummy. All the elements of Third interact and meld and produce a record that will surely satisfy those who have been begging for another Portishead record.

Choice tracks: The Rip, We Carry On, Deep Water, Small

7: "Havilah" by the Drones
Not much I can really say about this album. The Drones create epic soundscapes in 8 minute songs, while also reverting to the simplicity of the single "The Minotaur". Forgot the singer's name, but his voice is perfect for their unique brand of music - slightly grungy, acousticy, sludgy, all-the-while retaining a slight hint of poppiness. If that makes sense. In my opinion, it is definitely a breath of fresh air for the Australian music scene, which seems to be suffering so badly at the moment.

Choice tracks: The Minotaur, Luck In Odd Numbers, Cold And Sober

6: "Consolers Of The Lonely" by the Raconteurs/Saboteurs
After the massive shitness of the White Stripes' "Icky Thump", that "Consolers Of The Lonely" was a good album was a complete suprise. To me, anyway. Imagine Led Zeppelin and the Who's lovechild. Mixed with Jack White's enchanting voice. It just works. The record is very epic and very much a Jack White record. You can tell I'm getting bored of writing these. You're probably getting bored of reading them. But yeah. Jack White at his finest. Probably his best release since the White Stripes' 2002 release "White Blood Cells". And I don't know who Brendan Benson is. But he seems pretty cool.

Choice tracks: Consoler Of The Lonely, Salute Your Salution, The Switch And The Spur, These Stones Will Shout

5: "Roll With You" by Eli "Paperboy" Reed & the True Loves
This album would have sold better in the 50's or 60's than it did when it was released this April. Paperboy and his backing band has brought soul music back singlehandedly, recalling the classic Motown of Sam Cooke or the Four Tops. Roll With You just makes me want to dance, no matter where I am. Hopefully Paperboy has sparked a huge soul revival. Maybe we'll start hearing soul on the radio. How nice would that be, after the shit we're hearing nowadays.

Choice tracks: Stake Your Claim, (Am I Just) Fooling Myself

4: "Accelerate" by R.E.M.
What a pleasure it is to have one of my favourite bands of all time back on track again. Even though I'll admit to liking their universally panned 2004 "Around the Sun" a little bit, I'm not sure if they'd have survived another one like that. That's what happens when an old, tired band just get bored of their music. It didn't have any top 100 singles in the US at all, a first since their 1985 album "Fables Of The Reconstruction". So seeing R.E.M. back to their best with Accelerate was such a relief. Stipe's vocals are back at their best and Buck's prominence in the mix with aggressive jangly guitar riffs is something we haven't seen in an R.E.M. record since the early 90's. And how welcomed it is. Really a great record from an amazing band.

Choice tracks: Living Well Is The Best Revenge, Supernatural Superserious, Hollow Man, Houston

3: "Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust" by Sigur Rós
Another band that's departed from their traditional and much loved style. Abandoning the epic sonic landscapes most obvious in "( )", the Icelandic quartet opts for more traditional pop songs and a more upbeat style, although while still including some melancholy, traditional Sigur Rós in the second half of the record. Jónsi's falsetto is absolutely amazing as always. The record has less strings than previous ones and the guitar is much more prominent. They also record a song in the English language for the first time. Even so, it's still a brilliant record.

Choice tracks: Inní mér syngur vitleysingur, Við spilum endalaust, Festival, All Alright

2: "Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends" by Coldplay
It had to be here. Every track on this album is brilliant. I used to hate Coldplay, labelling them Radiohead-wannabes. Actually. Look at one of my earlier blogs, where I did album reviews. You'll find a review of this very record. Hehe. I panned it. But, needless to say, it's grown on me. Although they're still Radiohead-wannabes, most evident on the track "42", that doesn't stop the music from being good. Like I said, every song is brilliant, from the melancholy "42" to "Strawberry Swing" (I wonder what field that swing is in?), the lame but fun "Lovers In Japan", upbeat "Lost!", and the pair of ridiculously catchy singles "Viva La Vida" and "Violet Hill". Even if their "Prospekt's March" EP was a bit of a let down, and even if VlV doesn't quite match the awesomeness of their second record "A Rush Of Blood To The Head", and even if the song "Viva La Vida" was completely ripped off a Satch song, it truly is a brilliant pop album.

Choice tracks: Nearly all of them. 42, Lost!, Violet Hill, Viva La Vida, Lovers In Japan

1: "Ghosts I-IV" by Nine Inch Nails
I'll start by saying this album is not for everyone. There. I've said it. Nearly two hours with no vocals - just that would turn most people off. But I persisted and listened, and man is it absolutely amazing. Reznor has created the perfect soundscape. The album is both melancholy and uplifting, terrifying and calming, all at the same time. How he does it, I have no idea. But he does. And the result is one of the most amazing records I've ever heard. Best listened to at extremely high volumes, with lots of low frequency on the EQ. My favourite NIN album by miles.

Choice tracks: Well, you can't really do that for this record. The whole thing. Amazing amazing amazing.

In hindsight, although we've seen a lot of crap this year of 2009, it's still been much better than 08 in terms of the good stuff. This could just be because I've had my eyes wider open but. I spose, since I wrote this blog, I've found records that have become my favourite in a while - Thee Silver Mt Zion's "13 Blues for Thirteen Moons" and This Will Destroy You's self titled debut are just a few. Oh, and Bloc Party's "Intimacy", I don't mind it. This year is just looking up, that's all.

Matt.
Now listening to "The Holy Bible" (1994) by Manic Street Preachers

cause myspace just isn't cool anymore

2009-08-26T20:16:00.000+10:00

I would do this blog on MySpace, but no one uses it anymore, everyone seems to have converted to Facebook - yes, even I am slowly making the transition. And I know that no one will probably read it, no one ever reads my blogs (unless they're on myspace). But oh well, it's for me, not for you.

I'm just going to be going on about music and video games. But just music and video games that I like. There'll be lots of lists, reviews, and discussion about contemporary and past music. Just don't go expecting heaps of talk about 3OH!3, Flo Rida or the Lonely Island. Unless you're expecting lots of harsh words, in which case, you've come to the right place.