Oz Day Week
January 2007's mainly been about catching up on 2006 releases - like I finally got the Return to Cookie Mountain thing only a few weeks to late to make my best-of lists. And some great Melbs stuff as reviewed on Across the Rooftops (plug, plug, plug).
But I did just receive my first 2007 release: Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? Bought the album on the back of one track, basically, The Past Is a Grotesque Animal as posted on Said the Gramophone last year. That track's a magnificent kraut-rock epic, with ranty vocals and a restless drive that never gets old despite it being twelve minutes long. Don't know exactly what I think of the band, being a newcomer, or the album yet, but let's just say that the rest is a little bit more pop. Could be a good thing, though.
(The packaging and presentation of this album is as bizarre as anything I've seen since Tool's 10,000 Days - the track titles and the packaging have this weird baroque ornate sorta feel, with a quad-fold case. It could be a masterpiece.)
But I'm also enjoying other stuff. I've got a new favourite CD shop - The Goldmine on Nicholson St. No website, sorry, but it's down near San Remo Ballroom. You'll find it. It's great. All second-hand stuff, bought and sold, and since I was getting well sick of Polyester's high prices and lack of range it's just what the doctor ordered. I got a coupla old Warren Zevon albums (what a great man), Gerling's latest album (sadly overlooked), EPs by Warmer and Peabody, last year's Kill Devil Hills album and Guided by Voices' Alien Lanes - total cost $70! Like, awesome!
Everyone should go there and sell stuff really cheap which I can then buy. (I'm looking for a copy of TISM's Great Trucking Songs of the Renaissance, if you please.) I think I'm gonna have to ration my visits.
In other news. Crikey's daily email bulletin is a big part of my weekdays. They've picked up a new editor, Jonathan Green from The Age. I've always appreciated his tetchy, acute observations on the world, so that will hopefully carry through into Crikey, which has something of that character already.
Also, been to some gigs. At many of which, I've seen Elanor - as she says, we have an uncanny knack of turning up at the same time. Obviously we tend to be about as fashionably late as each other. And, aside, Elanor's writing stuff regularly again on Symposiasts! So everyone wins in the reading of her thoughts on net-paper. (Except her blog seems not to let me comment - apparently I'm spam.)
Um, yeah, gigs. Saturday night was great - Because of Ghosts with Ned Collette and JP Shilo. JP Shilo and band were so good I bought the CD, these atmospheric, experimental, beautifully performed sound-pictures. It doesn't come through as well on tape as it did in the perfect sound of the East, unfortunately. Collette was pretty good, covering TV on the Radio's Hours among new tracks and old tracks, and the Ghosts were exactly as good as expected. Which is very much so.
And Friday night was at Revolver, wrong side of the river yes, but crap? No. Deloris played with Tucker Bs (I refuse to put the apostrophe) and The Tigers. All were good, Deloris' power-pop good enough to prompt me to but the album, which I think is very pleasurable, especially Everything Ever and Loup Garou and Xs for Eyes and Birdcatcher Finds a Tail. Seriously, it's really good work and if you like indie guitars you've gotta listen.
Stuff to look forward to:
Andrew Bird tonight at the NSC
a public holiday Friday with a BBQ at Pat's and hopefully a non-crap Hottest 100
Joanna Newsom next week
Neko Case next week (twice)
lunch
dinner
breakfast
sleep
And last, but most:
My honey pie returning from over the sea, Friday evening late.
On that nauseating note, I'm away!
But I did just receive my first 2007 release: Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? Bought the album on the back of one track, basically, The Past Is a Grotesque Animal as posted on Said the Gramophone last year. That track's a magnificent kraut-rock epic, with ranty vocals and a restless drive that never gets old despite it being twelve minutes long. Don't know exactly what I think of the band, being a newcomer, or the album yet, but let's just say that the rest is a little bit more pop. Could be a good thing, though.
(The packaging and presentation of this album is as bizarre as anything I've seen since Tool's 10,000 Days - the track titles and the packaging have this weird baroque ornate sorta feel, with a quad-fold case. It could be a masterpiece.)
But I'm also enjoying other stuff. I've got a new favourite CD shop - The Goldmine on Nicholson St. No website, sorry, but it's down near San Remo Ballroom. You'll find it. It's great. All second-hand stuff, bought and sold, and since I was getting well sick of Polyester's high prices and lack of range it's just what the doctor ordered. I got a coupla old Warren Zevon albums (what a great man), Gerling's latest album (sadly overlooked), EPs by Warmer and Peabody, last year's Kill Devil Hills album and Guided by Voices' Alien Lanes - total cost $70! Like, awesome!
Everyone should go there and sell stuff really cheap which I can then buy. (I'm looking for a copy of TISM's Great Trucking Songs of the Renaissance, if you please.) I think I'm gonna have to ration my visits.
In other news. Crikey's daily email bulletin is a big part of my weekdays. They've picked up a new editor, Jonathan Green from The Age. I've always appreciated his tetchy, acute observations on the world, so that will hopefully carry through into Crikey, which has something of that character already.
Also, been to some gigs. At many of which, I've seen Elanor - as she says, we have an uncanny knack of turning up at the same time. Obviously we tend to be about as fashionably late as each other. And, aside, Elanor's writing stuff regularly again on Symposiasts! So everyone wins in the reading of her thoughts on net-paper. (Except her blog seems not to let me comment - apparently I'm spam.)
Um, yeah, gigs. Saturday night was great - Because of Ghosts with Ned Collette and JP Shilo. JP Shilo and band were so good I bought the CD, these atmospheric, experimental, beautifully performed sound-pictures. It doesn't come through as well on tape as it did in the perfect sound of the East, unfortunately. Collette was pretty good, covering TV on the Radio's Hours among new tracks and old tracks, and the Ghosts were exactly as good as expected. Which is very much so.
And Friday night was at Revolver, wrong side of the river yes, but crap? No. Deloris played with Tucker Bs (I refuse to put the apostrophe) and The Tigers. All were good, Deloris' power-pop good enough to prompt me to but the album, which I think is very pleasurable, especially Everything Ever and Loup Garou and Xs for Eyes and Birdcatcher Finds a Tail. Seriously, it's really good work and if you like indie guitars you've gotta listen.
Stuff to look forward to:
Andrew Bird tonight at the NSC
a public holiday Friday with a BBQ at Pat's and hopefully a non-crap Hottest 100
Joanna Newsom next week
Neko Case next week (twice)
lunch
dinner
breakfast
sleep
And last, but most:
My honey pie returning from over the sea, Friday evening late.
On that nauseating note, I'm away!
