I don't even know. This week is probably going to be a really dodgy week and I'm completely ambivalent about it because I get to see my friends again but I have to go back to school and I have a party in about twenty minutes but I completely wrecked last night when I was really mean to someone because I was trying to support someone else and I am so excited with all the new music I have but I don't have time to listen to it and it's my friend's birthday today and I don't have credit to text her.
Happy birthday Lillian.
Also I just found out my friend almost died. Great. On top of the fact that I'll never speak to a friend again because I was extremely rude to him and his parents. But then I had the best conversation with a friend I haven't talked to in ages. And a close friend and I sorted out something that's been troubling her for ages.
Ugh.
BUT I'M GOING TO TRY AND BE EXCITED BECAUSE WE BOUGHT TICKETS TO SEE TAVI GEVINSON SPEAK AT THE OPERA HOUSE WHEN SHE COMES TO SYDNEY OH MY GOODNESS. That's right. Tavi Gevinson.
To find out more about Tavi, take a look at this article here.
JOEY GRACEFFA YESS
But back to business.
I think I'll just leave you guys with a song. Here is Oceanics' 'Chinatown (Is Not Newtown) from their Bright People EP.
I know, I know - this song was released on the 19 June (which is aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaages ago) but I am just so excited for AM's release. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh.
WE WE SO EXCITED EXCITED
And the song is amazing.
Hehe.
The song sounds a lot like R U Mine but just slower - it could've come off Suck It And See. I'm really happy that it's such a great song but I was kind of hoping for them to take off in a new dimension, maybe explore some new styles. Maybe not djent (EW DJENT) but it could be a bit experimental. We'll just have to see.
ALEX TURNER AH.
Not as dreamy as Tom Odell but I don't care. Oh my foodness.
The song is driving and strong with the vox just getting in there and giving the whole song a good wiggle and punch. I'm going to be quiet now and leave you with this.
NEWSFLASH: CUB SCOUTS PREMIERED THEIR NEW SONG 'PARADISE' ON TUESDAY ON TRIPLE J AND IT WAS THE MOST PERFECT THREE MINUTES OF MY LIFE but unfortunately before a really annoying Novocaines song was playing so that kinda wrecked it. But TIMMMMMMMM and Zoe and Sam and Andrew and Dan.
So my dears I've been extremely slack on keeping up with posts and all that and as a result I'm losing readers even more quickly than I'm losing friends.
New readers think I'm like this:
Current readers KNOW I'm like this:
And the rest of the world:
Big Brian's house sounds like so much fun.
Ok. But seriously if you like the blog please pass it onto a friend. I'm not making a living off this or anything but it would be amazing if people read it and all that bleh bleh bleh.
Bleh bleh bleh.
So let's get to this week's song.
I was really conflicted as to which song to pick for this week because a lovely person directed me to Justice For The Damned and they're amazing. In fact I've picked up heaps of new songs this week but I'm soooooo not bothered to put them all up and all.
But nevermind! (breaks into Nirvana and becomes Frances Bean Cobain)
This week's song is from last year so it's not fresh off the press, but who cares?
It's 'Yet Again' by Grizzly Bear from their album 'Shields'.
The lyrics, combined with the haunting verses, is so touching and poignant. It's utter beauty. The tone is cool yet not cold and is a bit of a pleading yet pleasing song. Love love love.
Here you are dearies!
It's 5 minutes though, but it passes so quickly! Time flies when you're eating.
I'm really pumped for this 70s haul because I kinda wish I lived in the 70s or 80s. I guess that makes me a dweeb. #thedweeblyfchoseme
There was a point where I loved the 20s because I was going through this jazz phase and I adored flappers. But then society was mainly white and then the Great Depression was the decade after so I lost the idea.
It's just that in Sydney there's quite a few buildings with the period architecture and I love it - like the Niterider place in Homebush which you can read about here on one of my favourite blogs.
And then of course you have Newtown and the terraces scattered in Kirribilli and all around the city and whatnot. Obviously it's not all from the 20s - Enmore Theatre was built in 1908 - but the overall vibe and deco and atmosphere evoke lovely Gatsby-esque mirages. Also, the book is fabulous. I haven't watched the movie but all my friends are polarized on it. hm.
I did also want to live in the 1950s after reading The Help and fantasizing about wearing wonderful A-line dresses everywhere and I know that women were oppressed or whatever but come on, people. They got to stay at home and cook and muck around the house and play tennis and gossip with friends. Obviously they had no rights and it called for reform but I do not see what the issue with being a housewife is, if it floats your boat. But I backed out of my 50s girl idea soon enough.
The 60s was filled with heaps of social unrest and although there were fabulous ideas erupting out of the public I don't think I would like to be caught in the political and social crossfire. So the 70s and 80s are probably my favourite decades. Unless I can go back to Victorian England. Better yet, the Middle Ages. (I simply adore the Middle Ages, although given my flammable demeanour they would burn me at the stake.)
Moving on. I listen to radio which is pretty much all 70s and 80s music - this really suits me because I have all this great modern music from my friends and Youtube and the Internet and then I have these lovely old tunes to slide into the mix. My parents are huge 70s fans too so it suits us pretty well.
I've spent the last, what, 6 paragraphs, babbling on.
But don't go yet! I won't let you.
These Supernatural gifs keep getting better and better.
1970s
The disco era, the glam rock era, pretty much everything that we hate nowadays is from the 70s. Glitter, seedy disco, bell bottomed pants - just stop.
Here are my favourite songs from the 70's.
Outdated song number one: The Bee Gees - Night Fever
The Bee Gees are probably one of the most cringe-worthy bands out there -
MY EYES - but I really quite like their songs. Their melodies are so spot on and they just waft around. I grew up listening to these guys (remember, I'm a dweeb) but the songs are so catchy with the melodies and harmonies and amazing chord changes and AH.
These boys really were musical geniuses and even though they weren't even born in Australia I find it hilarious how we try to claim them as Aussies. Dem Queenslanders.
But The Bee Gees are a hugely famous band - they've sold some 220 millions albums or whatever. They're so iconic, and for good reason too.
Their music is everywhere - TV shows (The Goodies, which I watched when I was tiny) and heaps of movies. It's also played at bingo clubs around the world, catering to the (extremely) lonely old ladies.
Here's one of their really upbeat songs, Night Fever (it was in that movie Saturday Night Fever):
and of course that bunch of morons over on Glee had to cover it. There was a time past where I actually watched that pathetic excuse of a show but then I got a life. sort of. not really. but I like to think I did.
Outdated song number two: David Bowie - Life on Mars?
So I love David Bowie and this is probably one of his most genius songs. It appears on the album Hunky Dory which was released in 1971 (the other well known song from the album is Changes, which is his most well known song and was actually featured in The Breakfast Club in 1985).
Life on Mars has a brilliant composition and fantastically shows off the piano as well as Bowie's amazing, familiar voice.
Some of you might be initially creeped out by David's Ziggy Stardust persona but come on. It's awesome.
Oh and don't be freaked out when the camera zooms in onto David's eyes - he had an incident in his adolescence which made his pupil permanently dilated.
And for a very different rendition, here is Fall Out Boy's version of this classic. It gets of to a very banal start but when Patrick pushes those strong higher notes you can see the beauty of the song and it's amazing. Hi vibrato is more of a vocal convulsion but when he just slips down the notes in the chorus it works.
Outdated song number three: Carly Simon - You're So Vain
This was the most brilliant song when I first heard it - the lyrics were snarky and clever and full of seething anger. My siblings for some reason adore the lyrics 'clouds in my coffee'. Strange, I know.
Carly has a really low register so it is a bit hard to sing along but the slow, lilting feel of the song just help the lyrics pack a punch. It's really catchy.
Outdated song number four: Carole King - It's Too Late
Carole King is Nat King Cole's daughter and it's interesting to see how both father and daughter are brilliant vocalists. This is a heartfelt song that just wonderfully showcases Carole's spectacular singing. I hear this song on the radio quite a lot and it's just quite fun to listen to.
And Carole has such cool hair. And that cat.
Outdated song number five: The Knack - My Sharona
Now this song probably sounds like a whole lot of waffle on the first listen - ddhdvpooefnfvijoioarjiofnj MAHHHHH SHARONAHHHHHHH ffsnoavnfshf ddsfhu pos[30 v4\ c
But that's better than the real meaning. It's about raping a younger girl.
So this song is about violating a young girl. Lovely. But never fear! It's so simply constructed that it sticks in your ear for ages and ages.
It's not a good song per se, but I guess it's catchiness and the basicness of it all sticks. Like Ke$ha.
It was actually a massive hit although it is extremely creepy.
Outdated song number six: Boney M - Daddy Cool
I remember first watching this video as a wee bubby when the world still used the original Xbox and Pumpkin Patch was the coolest clothing brand there was.
The video really freaked me out when the man tore off his shirt and started dancing - his really low voice kinda just topped off the whole WHAT AM I WATCHING MUM.
But then I was really sad the other day when I found out that the man had died. He had grown on me through the years, like a wart.
I quite liked the ladies, because even though they were weird I was happy to settle with the lesser of two evils and women are pretty cool anyway.
Outdated song number seven: Elton John - Crockodile Rock
I'm having a bit of a spasm with the spelling of 'crockodile' but given that a man who wears a red suit, plays the guitar and wears oversized John Lennon glasses wrote the song, I don't see what you expect. It's catchy, corny and a plain lot of fun.
Elton John has become so iconic to the 70s for his amazing music that it is difficult to imagine the 70s and 80s without him. His career is so legendary. He has written the most fabulous (hehe, fabulous) songs and is so quirky and fun and I love him.
I always found his smile a bit creepy and all - he remnds me a little of a teddy bear, actually.
He wrote the spectacular music for the Lion King (which is the movie of my childhood) and my siblings were obsessed with that movie Gnomeo and Juliet which pretty much took every Elton song and just threw in some gnome terms and what not.
I don't think this is one of his best tunes - I really like Daniel and I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues - but I wasn't really bothered to hunt down other songs from the 70s by him :) I'm pathetic I know.
It is with great excitement that I tell you all that TOMODELL'SHIGHLYANTICIPATEDNEWALBUMISOUTAHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Tom Odell's new album is out. celebrate.
Oh my goodness dat blink :)
AHH BOWIE AND ODELL MY LIFE IS COMPLETE.
I'll hold you anytime, Mr Odell. Any time.
LOOK HOW HE WALKS IT'S AMAZING asdfhq09374r1c2r!fhiehgi#iudhof@ejfioevnqrupo
I have a slight obsession with him. HE'S SO DREAMY. I do not care that he's probably dating Miss Swift - laugh out loud jokes I'm completely ballistic. I can only imagine the carnage if they broke up - both of them have conjured careers out of painful, destroyed relationships. Tom's songs will be better than Taylor's by far.
Long Way Down is Tom's debut album after the public snapped up his Songs From Another Love EP. Another Love is his most well known song, although I love Can't Pretend more than anything else. Hold Me was an iTunes Single of the Week and Tom won a Brit Award for being so amazingly brilliant and awesome and for being spectacular.
Tom's style is bringing back raw ballads - think Elton John piano with really raw, Jeff Buckley-esque vocals and wrap it up with the most beautiful blonde hair. Tom plays piano. I play piano. We were meant to be.
I don't know how I am going to be able to marry Tom and Jake Bugg and Asa Butterfield, but then again I'm not known for being completely legal or sane.
So the album has the big songs (Hold Me, Another Love) which become so familiar so quickly. The opening track, Grow Old With Me, is so heartfelt and delicate, which really sets the mood of the album - having gone through heartbreak (or maybe having gone without food for an hour - that's heartbreaking), Tom wistfully reminisces on his failed romances.
Now this sounds lovely and all but for goodness' sakes - he's twenty something and can already write a whole album on failed loves? Actually I can imagine he's had heaps and heaps of girlfriends with that fortunate face of his. Sigh.
This album is amazing - there's exciting, rousing pop and there's softer, crumbling songs on troubled love. Basically the album is brilliant.
Here's a bit from the album - it's Another Love, which happens to be 'explicit' on iTunes although he only swears once? It's pathetic, seeing as Little Lion Man by Mumford & Sons swears in the chorus which pops up every freaking thirty seconds and isn't labelled with a big ugly red E. Do not be put off parents (and prospective parents. Teens these days.)
So there we have Tom Odell's 'Long Way Down'. It is most definitely winding up on my best albums of 2013.
Actually it's not that big of an event I'm just looking for an excuse to use gifs. I read that you should actually have 50 posts in your first month so readers think you actually update your blog.
LOOK IT'S JAKE BUGG
Nah you guys probably don't care and are just waiting for the music.
THIS IS YOU GUYS WAITING FOR ME TO SHUT UP
Back to business.
So given that it's the 50th post (I'm not going to shut up about it so just ignore me) I wanted to feature my favourite songs from the 60s.
Here goes.
Oh and these are not in any particular order so do not be alarmed when your favourite song is at the end of the list.
1960's.
So the 60s are supposed to be this massive period of social reform, shifting paradigms and epic love explosions. Which was exactly what happened.
There is some really great music from back then but I like to consider them seminal inspirations to some of the really great songs of today which I will admit I prefer to some oldies. I know some music nowadays sucks but some indie is just so fresh and awesome. Anyway, I didn't like their haircuts back then.
Outdated song number one: The Monkees - Daydream Believer
The Monkees were a pretty good bubblegum pop band and I do quite like their stuff. Although I always get their band name mixed up with others' (seriously, all the bands in the 60s started with 'the'. Gosh.) Daydream Believer has those really nasally, bright tones (bit like an oboe) and it's such a cheery song you either feel really happy listening to it or suspect some kind of Truman Show/Pleasantville setup. In fact, when the lyrics 'homecoming queen' pop up in the chorus I'm reminded of The Most Popular Girls In School. oh dear me.
they swear a lot. just a heads up.
But it's a great tune to bop to or just listen to. Davy Jones (no, not the zoidberg thing) was probably the most famous member but they all made amazing music - they wrote the song 'I'm A Believer' (from Shrek.)
Outdated song number two: The Doors - Light My Fire
So Jim Morrison takes a whole heap of shirtless pics and points at people. It doesn't matter because Light My Fire is a pretty good song.
Recently one of the Doors died (Ray Manzarek, the keyboardist) and we slipped into a bit of a Doors-themed nostalgia.
This is a really great song and if anyone ever plays it to me I will happily light their fire. I'm a bit of a pyromaniac.
Outdated song number three: The Beach Boys - I Get Around
I remember the first time I heard this song I was playing some fashion designer game on my Nintendo DS (I haven't seen a kid play with one of those for ages.) It was alongside quite a few old songs actually and all I could think about was how epic this track was. The Beach Boys are like a laidback barber shop choir who decided to move to Hawaii and record their tracks while sipping from coconuts.
It's a very fun song to sing and the verses are pretty cool. I can imagine throwing a 60s themed party and everyone joining in to the classically lo-fi, beachy tunes of The Beach Boys.
Outdated song number four: Animals - The House Of The Rising Sun
This is such a classic song with the most spectacular melody. You have probably heard it a billion times in your lifetime but it is honestly such a wonderful tune. I think every Gen X can play it or sing it somehow - it's become so iconic to the era like Twiggy. Gosh do I love Twiggy.
Even my dad can play this on the guitar.
Outdated song number five: The Beatles - Eleanor Rigby
What would the 60s be without these four lovely boys (and Stuart Sutcliffe)? The most iconic band ever, The Beatles are such brilliant songwriters and musicians and let's be honest they're probably some of the best secular musicians the world has known. I'm probably a Paul or Ringo girl but they're all really great.
This song is so cleverly crafted in that like many songs today it has quite a cheery feel to it with the lilting ahhhhhs and violins, but the lyrics are very different. The video creeps me out every time.
Probably one of my favourite song lyrics are in this song - 'wearing a face that she keeps in a jar by the door - who is it for?' and 'writing the words of a sermon that no one will hear'.
Actually when I first heard this song it was at night and I listened to it multiple times each Friday night at school and it's so haunting. Whenever I listen to songs I often picture the place I first heard it or where I listened to it the most. That place usually sort of reflects the song and I guess the utter desperation of being stuck in a school late at night somehow stuck with this haunting song.
I'M A LONELY PERSON AND I don't think you want to know where I came from, if you know what I mean.
Outdated song number six: Otis Redding - Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay
This song makes me quite sad every time I hear it, actually, because I cannot whistle. It's a catchy song and I find it oddly hilarious but I cannot whistle and therefore I am sad. It's a song you would listen to walking along a path or jetty by yourself while whistling and I'm sorry but I can't function.
Outdated song number seven: The Rolling Stones - Paint It Black
Now that we're nearing the end of the list I'm getting a little restless and not really bothered to write full descriptions for these songs but The Rolling Stones cannot simply be skipped. Pamikid Mcbugwigger forever. (Paul McCartney + Jake Bugg + David Bowie + Mick Jagger).
If you didn't know.
But Paint It Black is just such a great song with a sense of urgency and drive and then he sees the girls walk by in their summer clothes and HOW OUT OF PLACE IS THAT LET'S PAINT IT BLACK and this song could probably carry a lot of racist loaded statements but you gotta be a Rolling Stone about it and what drug are you on Naomie and I'm going to be quiet now.
Well I have some work that I have been hellbent on avoiding so see you later kids. Stay in school.
I am glad to announce that we've hit the tenth Song of the Week!
That should be enough. And oh my goodness Matt Smith. WHY MATTHEW WHY
???!!!!!! Blues Clues was indeed such a great show - I remember watching Hi-5 on VCR (yup, you heard correctly although I'm surprised at your age you still can hear) and snippets of Blues Clues would come on and I would salivate in awe of this astonishingly sentient dog. GIFs are so awesome you kind of have to include them in everything. But Matt Smith.
So this week (today, actually!) the Triple J Hottest 100 of the past 20 years was announced and Oasis' 'Wonderwall' won. It's a brilliant song although I recently heard it slaughtered by the Backstreeth Boys and the croaky voices of pubescent teenage girls. Yeesh.
But the Hottest 100 is pretty good and I was thankful to all the musos of Australia that the horrific Thrift Shop (2012 #1) did not make it onto this list. Quite a terrible song (in my opinion though, because everyone is entitled to their own opinion as a constitutional right and we don't have Thought Police and free speech equality expression free food whatever. I do not care.) I was absolutely ecstatic that the lovely Wombats scored a #74 with Let's Dance to Joy Division (epic title, no?) because they're perfect and yes. Let the love tear us apart. Also, Joy Division are/were quite a good band and even after Curtis died New Order is addictive and more accessible (though I'm not sure if that's a good thing. Meh. Also, I have a penchant for parentheses and hyphens.)
This week's song is 'When I Call (Bicycle)' by Edward Turner. It's a melodic, heartfelt tune and I love the softness of it. On one of Ed's personalised EPs he wrote 'Listen to me in the dark' and I think it's so true - the Night EP is perfect nighttime listening while staring at the stars or in a quiet section of an aquarium or just chilling by the fireplace in your logside cabin in Alaska (in which case I want to be you so badly.)
'When I Call' has a soft, gentle opening which launches straight into the verse and intimate lyrical content ('being back home's like an aeroplane - full of strangers and faces that I can't name) with the most poignant Sóley-esque chord change that just melts me every single time. (I think it's a subdominant chord while the note sung is the dominant.) But then I get let down each time because I think it's about to progress to this even more amazing chord but then it returns to the tonic and I become a sad girl. Still. It's an amazing song.
I love the video because he can ride a bike quite well. Not to mention Ed has a nice face. AND HE WAS IN PEGASUS BRIDGE GUYS. The setting is idyllic and stunning while back home in 'straya we have drop bears and coldish winters yet no snow.
So here it is! And I will accept any food of congratulations for successfully hitting ten songs - I honestly did not expect to get this far at all, so kudos to all you readers :)
So last post I mentioned that I have a few favourite YouTubers that I would love to share with you guys. Most of these people with no lives do vlogs and stuff so yes. And I have a strong bias towards English accents.
So the YouTuber I'm going to blog about today is the beeeautiful KickThePj, or PJ Liguori, or Peter Jasper Liguori. He's brilliant, funny, talented, British and plain awesome.
OH MY GOSH THAT WAS BEAUTIFUL
Pj's videos are hilarious and random and I just love the way he does these random twenty-second clips. It's quite complicated actually without showing you a video of his spectacular brilliance so here it is (don't worry I'll pick short videos):
Oh dear it was so corny it was hilarious. Although when his eyes went red he looked like some demon or C'thulu figure.
He also is a singer-songwriter thingy or other and there is something about it that makes you want to explode with happiness and ARGH
Actually his album (which contains the song Happy Birthday (?)) was released on my birthday so I am superbly excited whenever someone plays it or mentions Pj - OH MY GOLLY GOSH HIS ALBUM AND SONG WERE RELEASED ON MY BIRTHDAY AND THE SONG IS CALLED HAPPY BIRTHDAY IT MUST BE AN OMEN WE'RE MARRIED I JUST NEED HIS AUTOGRAPH TO TRANSPLANT IT ONTO A WEDDING DOCUMENT
I'm sorry. Continue.
Wait, I'm the one continuing. Continue.
So there's heaps of videos that he's done, and with the other three of his little posse (Crabstickz (Chris), AmazingPhil (Phil) and Danisnotonfire (Dan)) they are the best British YouTubers. And JacksGap. I think you can sort of see my line of British YouTubers.
So I might do another of these features so you guys can see the other brilliant YouTubers I subscribe to. Or you could just stalk my YouTube. Where was that occasional stalker I found the other day?
On another note, thanks to everyone who has read the blog or passed it to friends/strangers/captives, and thanks for commenting! It really does mean a lot to me :) I'll be away this weekend and given the way my week looks probably not on till Friday.
So to all of you lovely people out there:
Also applies to cyborgs, Venus flytraps and sentient pets.
