What is it about this album that kills me every time I listen to it?
There’s nothing particularly original about it. The references to 60s pop and 90s indie are obvious, and the songwriting never gets anywhere near “complicated”. The album as a whole can be broken down into snippets of dreamy hazy folk-pop, so laid-back it seems like a contradiction that tracks like ‘Phantom Other’ grab you like they do.
Listen to each track isolated from the album and it would be easy to pass it over; the heart of this album is the way the songs fit together as a piece of work. While each track stands perfectly on it’s own feet, the common thread provided by the lo-fi production and Daniel Rossen’s comforting vocals carries the simple instrumentation beyond curios to provide a colorful background to an interesting and powerful aural journey.
Tracks like ‘Around the Bay’ and ‘No One Does It Like You’ don’t sit in your head as a memory like other songs. Each time you listen to this album will provide you a different feeling and mood; meaning rather than forming concrete memories, the tunes seem like a dream you once had or a story someone else told you. You know it when you hear it again, but these songs nag your brain rather than sit in it (for example, listening to ‘Herring bone’ has at times felt familiar, other times, it’s been a complete surprise).
Possibly the biggest surprise to me is that I continue to like this album as much as I do. ‘In Ear Park’ is an album that on the first listen seemed destined for the bottom of the CD shelf, but on the second, third, fourth listen, it sounded completely different each time. It is an odd album, but in a way, it’s oddness provides the basis of it’s magic; so odd, yet so beautiful.
Neil Finn consistantly punches outside of his weight - for a boy from Te Amamutu, he’s really out-achieved what would seem possible from someone from this part of the world.
For me, his solo work and the first Finn Brothers albums are his legacy; and of course the 2001 concerts he did in Auckland with hired guns Ed Vedder, Johnny Marr, Lisa Germano, and Phil Selway and Ed O’Brien from a little known UK band Radiosomething or other.
So with him confirming today that he will be recreating the Seven Worlds Collide vibe in January gets me damn excited.
From One News:
In January, the city (Auckland) will host another strong international lineup including members from American alt-country band Wilco, along with another visit from Radiohead and Smiths members.
Locals Bic Runga and Don McGlashan will join other highly regarded musicians in an initiative which will also involve the creation of an album to be recorded at Finn’s own Roundhead Studios.
The album will have a charitable side to it with Oxfam being the beneficiary.
Finn said while getting an album together in a short space of time would be intense, the concerts would be a bit less structured this time around.
“It will be a little less formal than last time - not that that was formal, but we had rehearsed for the live show.
“But this time it will be more of a revue and every night should be quite substantially different.”
In what is shaping up to be the best line-up this year, Rhythm and Vines drop their biggest headliner yet today by announcing the mighty Public Enemy will be spending New Years Eve in Gisborne.
Whether or not you like to admit it, we are in some seriously good company - Public Enemy have been very fussy about touring in the last few years, and apart from Flav’s ‘Flavor or Love’ show, the only thing worth mentioning is their amazing Pitchfork gig earlier this year at Grant Park Chicago.
Joining Santogold, Franz Ferdinand, DJ Nu Mark (Jurassic 5), Liam Finn, Carl Cox and the Datsuns, this is now the line-up on the summer.
News today that Greg Gillis (aka Girl Talk) is hitting Wellington (and Auckland) at the end of January heightens my suspicion that he will be joining the other acts for the Australian summer music bonanza that is the Big Day Out.
Wellington gets the pick of the shows, with the SFBH hosting Gillis and his PC’s on a Saturday night.
Saturday 24th January @ San Francisco Bath House w/ special guests.
Sunday 25th January @ Cassette Bar w/ Coco Solid and guests.
The second BDO announcement was under-whelming. I think only a big-big act could get me to go now (Neil Young, My Morning Jacket, TV on the Radio and Arctic Monkeys should be enough, but weirdly, they’re not), because coughing out 4-5 hundred post-christmas to see 45 minute sets of those four acts seems a little bad (fiscally). Still, plenty of time to make my mind up eh?
In the meantime, get amped for Girl Talk. At first I thought it was a cheap alternative to DJing, but now I’m converted; the dude knows how to get a party started….
Girl Talk - The Knife (Live at Pitchfork Festival 08)
Listening to ‘A Tribe Called Quest’ can be like one of those life defining moments. Remember where you were when 9/11 happened? When Obama was voted in? As clearly as those moments, I remember the first time I listened to ‘A Tribe Called Quest’ (specifically ‘Bonita Applebum’). My bedroom, circa 1992, Wednesday night, listening to Radio Active on my Sanyo Boombox.
I dug ‘People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm’ instantly and wore out that tape for sometime, but it wasn’t until about 5 years later I copped ‘Midnight Marauders’ (this time, while working at The CD Store, Cuba Street).
Like it’s two predecessors, it’s an album that is very easy to listen to. Where NWA and PE were a challenging listen, by comparison ATCQ could almost be considered middle-of-the-road hip hop (probably why so many of my conservative friends liked them).
I feel a little guilty about saying that, but in many ways, it was their ability to come off ‘light’ that made Midnight Marauders’ so strong. Even on tracks which are politically loaded (’Steve Biko’ or ‘Sucka Nigga’), the music is always approachable and palatable.
The Tribe’s ability to use expletives effectively (or rather, sparingly) and shun the use of gangster imagery allowed the focus to switch (rightfully) to the music; Ali Shaheed Muhammad’s beats are deliberately crisp and samples naturally jazzy, while Phife and Q-Tip ease their lyrics through the album without any notion of strain or attitude.
The result is easily their most consistent and fun piece of work, and though huge hits like ‘Award Tour’ and “Electric Relaxation’ get the most attention, those who pay close attention will find reasons to love every track on the album almost evenly.
I really love the Kills and Midnight Boom has to be one of my favourite albums this year. Why are they not huge? I’m not entirely sure, but secretly happy I don’t have to share them with too many people.
Tape Song is a slow burner that turns exciting and the video, while a little piece-meal, seems to match the song well. Apparently the video is put together with footage of their recent tour with The Raconteurs in the US (yes, that is Jack White playing ‘patter-cake’ near the end of the video).
There is a crapload of tracks dedicated to Obama/around at the moment, and why not? I woke up the day after the election and it still struck me as a unbelievable event. A black US President. Holy shit.
Thom Yorke is amongst the huge amount of artists impressed with the US and their new President, and has laid on a Remix from ‘The Eraser’ as a celebratory free download. via Stereogum - THOM YORKE - “TCHK HARROWDOWN JUMP RMX”.
Now, I think Joe Biden seems like a good dude, but I’m going to leave the advice to Chris Rock. I still think that Obama should consider a Mexican VP (sorry about the ad!)
Bavidmaster:
Neil Young collaborated with Pearl Jam in the past, and they are also likely to head to Australia for the winter. In Australia, we are expecting Jebe
NikaragyaBoy:
Radiohead won't play in New Zealand too small.
-Elbow
-Stone Temple Pilots.
-Cut Copy
-My Morning Jacket
What is it about this album that kills me every time I listen to it?