Tracks Music

I wrote about JB HIFI and its inhabitants a few weeks ago. Tracks Music is a much smaller and more "specialised" shop. While JB has roughly 700 employees trekking around a vast yellow cavern, Tracks has about two old men (I say old, but they could be anywhere between the ages of 30 to 60. I can't tell) that never set foot from behind the desk.

The clientele are different too. The typical Tracks customer will be a slightly overweight long-haired male, accompanied by a skinny, pimple-faced boy. They will be after the latest Bloodchurn album 'Born of the Devil Inside', which the dry man at the counter will spend 20 minutes searching for on the "system". He won't find it but will know, off the top of his head, that the album was released in America the previous week and that the stuff Bloodchurn singer Maxx Von Gurber did with Elephant Spermicide was better anyway. The two customers will then browse the 'alternative/prog-grindcore' section spouting bits of trivia to each other about every CD they pick up. After an hour they leave with nothing, but that's OK because they'll be back the next day.

P.S. I thought I'd made up the band 'Bloodchurn' but Google informed me that there is a band with that name and they sound exactly as I imagined them to! Here's their Myspace.

State Songs #6 - Colorado

Boulder To Birmingham - Emmylou Harris

Not so long ago, whenever someone asked me the question "what kind of music do you like?", I could answer for certain that whatever I liked, it definitely wasn't country music. I couldn't stand the quivery, regional vocals; the slide guitar; the cheesy string sections; the hillbilly bass lines; the sickly lyrics. As I've grown older though, I've learnt that not all country music is bad. Some of it is very good. A lot of music that came from the 60s and 70s had strong links with country music. Johnny Cash influenced many and possessed traits that were "rock". The further you gaze into the expanse of music, the harder it becomes to maintain a high level of disdain for country music.

I'm not applying this reassessment of country to the entire genre. Some of it... most of it, is truly awful. In fact, bad country music is probably the most vile of all sounds (Hobart FM "the sound of the city" sometimes plays this type of stuff). Modern country is awful as well, and it's inexplicably popular. Keith Urban, Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw... vomit. Alt/Country is OK because it takes the good parts of country music (discarding the bad) and blends them with more digestible sounds.

Emmylou Harris is good country, and this is a song she wrote about her collaborator and friend Gram Parsons (another hugely influential country dude), after his tragic death. It's great how classic songs can lead you to discover more classics - by reading their back stories, or by trying to interpret them. So many of these old songs seem soaked in history. 'Boulder to Birmingham' is a sad and beautiful song that doubles in emotion when you think about why it was written.

Colorado (where Boulder is, of course) seems like a very "country" place... maybe because John Denver named himself after the capital city. The Colorado of my mind is a desolate plain, inhabited by coyotes, lonesome campfires, and cacti. I'm not sure how accurate that picture is but I know about the Rocky Mountains.

Busking Classics

Some buskers are decent, while some are horrendous. Whatever the level of talent, there are some songs you can be assured of hearing when you walk past those that lurk in malls with guitars. The coolest busking song I heard was Pink Floyd's 'Money', performed by a homeless looking guy with a Tom Waits voice and an acoustic guitar, sitting on the ground underneath an ATM at about midnight. The worst is probably that wildly off-key lady who blasts people half to death in the Elizabeth St mall; if you've encountered her, you will know what I mean.

Here are some busking classics:
(I've noticed a lot of Australian buskers pick Australian songs...)

'Holy Grail' (Hunters and Collectors) - An instantly recognisable and likable song, which is a good way to keep people listening if you sing it well enough.

'Brown Eyed Girl' (Van Morrison) - Golden oldie, means people don't need to listen to their radio.

'Miss You Love' (Silverchair) - This is a popular song for younger buskers to perform. Teenage buskers are usually pretty bad, and this song is pretty annoying. What a combo.

'Heart of Gold' (Neil Young) - It's like it was written for buskers.

'Reckless' (Australian Crawl) - This song doesn't make any sense. It starts off about going to the jetty at Circular Quay and noticing the Manly ferry (not a big, masculine boat of testosterone - Manly is a place in Sydney)... then it starts talking about laying down your guns because "she don't like that kind of behaviour". If someone has a gun (let alone two or more of them), and is pointing it at someone - of course she's not going to like that sort of behaviour. "Don't be so reckless" seems a very understated plea... "reckless" is taking a corner a little bit fast, or eating a raw onion (OK, maybe that's not reckless); shooting someone is a VERY BAD act of violence! Calling it "reckless" is like saying "ooh that was a bit naughty!" /end ridiculous rant

'Throw Your Arms Around Me' (Hunters and Collectors) - When you think about it, it's kind of inappropriate - some guy trying to catch someone's eye, whilst singing "we may never meet again so shed your skin and let's get started". And, imagine if humans could shed their skin like a snake... I reckon that would be quite off-putting.

'Wonderwall' (Oasis) - More of a cliché than a song, these days.

Predictability in the comments section

(click to enlarge - it's hilarious)

I like watching YouTube videos. Sometimes I listen to songs on YouTube. The only problem with this is: regardless of what the video is, I find I always have to read the comments. I can't help it, even though I know that the average YouTube user is an illiterate, racist, short-tempered teenager.

Here are the types of comments you are sure to find on certain YouTube music videos:

If a song has a notable guitar solo or riff - you will read comments like "there not akchuly tlnted ne1 can play pentatonic solos" "FAIL. You sir, are a moron". There will always be a debate about how good/bad someone is at guitar. Incidentally, these people miss the point - the talent is not about how well the artist in question can perform a guitar solo, it's that they were able to create a song far better than anyone on YouTube could ever do.

If a song has even the slightest hint of political undertones - you will read comments about the war in Iraq, about Obama, about Hitler, about religion, and about slavery.

If a song is making a blatant political statement - you will come across some twit saying "Why is everyone bringing politics into this? Why can't you just enjoy the music?"

If a song is a little bit old and sentimental - you will get some 60 year old man talking about how "music like this ain't made no more" or that they were "at that Neil Diamond concert in '73 - that's where I met my darlin' wife".

If a song is new and popular (and has 200,832,291 views) - you will either read "I luv this song!!!!!!!111" or "Great vid, check out my profile for hot babes".

If a song has been covered by another artist, or if it is a cover - a raging and occasionally obscene debate will take place about which version is better.

Feel free to add any others you've noticed.

Favourite Singers

Everyone can sing to a small extent, but very few people will be happy with the sound of their own voice.
Here are some people that, I think, are blessed with awesome singing voices. They might not be technically brilliant singers but I really like the way they sing and would love to have a voice like any of them. There are no female singers here (perhaps that can be another post). I like female singers but I don't really desire to have a female voice.

Freddie Mercury (Queen) - R.I.P. He had truly amazing range; Freddie could pull off a piano ballad just as convincingly as a rock anthem. Aids is no fun, but being able to sing like that would be heaps of fun.

Tex Perkins (The Cruel Sea) - As I mentioned in the previous post, this guy has one of my favourite singing voices. Deep and resonant but not too gravelly. If I want to make toast, I just hold a piece of bread next to the speakers when Tex is singing. It doesn't actually work, you still have to use the toaster but that's OK.

James Hetfield (Metallica) - I know it's pretty bogan to like Metallica, but that's why I don't like AC/DC - so I don't exceed my quota of bogan points. It's nice to hear someone in a metal band that actually sings, and not scream. I think I like deeper voices because I don't have a very deep voice myself - coveting the unattainable.

Neil Finn (Crowded House) - A perfect voice but with so much character. If Neil Finn went on Australian Idol, he would get a "touchdown", and a "that's what I'm talkin about", and a "you really felt what that song was about, didn't you?" etc, every time he opened his mouth.

Chris Cornell (Soundgarden) - He sounds like a heavy smoker but in a good way. Very powerful and emotional singing voice; listen to his cover of 'Billie Jean', for an example. I like his voice so much because it's almost the opposite of mine.

John Lennon - R.I.P. The best voice out of all the Beatles. His original recording of 'Real Love' is one of my favourite Lennon moments.

Johnny Cash - R.I.P. It would be very, very special to wake up with Johnny Cash's voice - and to be able to keep it after you've had a drink of water.

Who's singing voice do you (secretly?) wish you had? Who are some of your favourites?

Top 10 Australian Bands

10. The Go Betweens - Very influential pop band. Paved the way for a lot of Australian indie music, and wrote some good songs themselves.

9. The Cruel Sea - Tex Perkins has one of my favourite singing voices - I'd like to saw out his voice box and use it as my own.

8. INXS - They've become a bit of a joke now, with the whole "finding the next Michael Hutchence" nonsense - but in their prime, they released good stuff.

7. The Lucksmiths - Under-appreciated indie-pop, better songs than the Go Betweens. It's a mystery why these guys aren't BIG.

6. AC/DC - Speaking of big. I'm not a huge fan but it would be silly not to include them in this list. AC/DC are still a massively worldwide popular hard rock band and have written some of the most iconic guitar riffs ever. Very bogan.

5. Cold Chisel - Speaking of bogan. Jimmy Barns can be a bit much but Chisel are more than just a pub band; they had some very well-crafted songs.

4. The Easybeats - Genuinely good Aussie 60s pop. It doesn't seem possible, but listen to it - it's good stuff!

3. You Am I - Wonderful, consistent, genre-defying. They deserve international attention but probably won't get it because their songs are so "Oz".

2. Midnight Oil - Groundbreaking and meaningful rock band, with a very charismatic front man. Very, very good stuff.

1. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Still going strong (playing at the crustbowl (Derwent Entertainment Centre) next month), Nick Cave has gone through many incarnations but I think his best stuff is with the Bad Seeds. Not many can combine poetry, Old Testament theology, punk, and piano ballads so seamlessly.


Notable omissions:
Crowded House - More of NZ band, really. They wouldn't exist without Neil Finn. Otherwise they'd be in the top 5.
The Saints - Yes, they were one of the first punk bands and '(I'm) Stranded' is a great song, but they don't have a very impressive catalogue of good songs.
The Church - I've heard they're a good band but I've just never bothered to listen to them. Pure ignorance.
The Dirty Three - I find them a bit boring, as great as they may be.

Potentially great:
Augie March - If their last album was anywhere near as good as their first three, I would have included them in the top 10.
Luke Steele - He's very talented and one of the most interesting people in Australian music. If he can stick to one project at a time, he might be one of the greats - whether it be under 'Sleepy Jackson', 'Nations By The River', 'Empire Of The Sun'...

Disturbing Crowded House Lyric

I wake up in your room
Share one piece of your life
I'd give anything to be a fly upon the wall
And hear your whispers and moans
I like to hear your whispers and moans

Not choice Neil. Not choice.

Classic Albums That Are Not Classic

Don McLean - American Pie



Half of the songs on this album are just filler to justify the album's existence based on only the title track. 'American Pie' is a good song but I'd be happy if I never listened to it again (too many crusty pub classics can do you harm). 'Vincent' is an excellent song that I really like. The rest of the songs are pedestrian folk/pop, not awful but not worthy of a place on anything considered "classic".

If you're a fifty year old, you might enjoy this album for the blast of nostalgia it probably deliverers, but I don't get it - the poetry seems far too sentimental, and there's not much on here that hasn't been done far better by Simon and Garfunkel.

Not classic.