Sydney's much hyped - and ubiquitous support band - Bridezilla opened the show to an already fairly full Metro Theatre. Their reception was tepid and distant, much like the band itself, who didn't try for engagement with the audience. Though their music was atmospheric and dramatic, and they looked striking lined up along the front of the stage with their violist writhing away over her instrument, musically they were all moody sound and little fury.
(photo from Chicago, 2009)
But the night belonged to The Decemberists and a palpable anticipation was in the air by 9:30pm. This was the Decemberists' first non-festival show in Australia, something frontman Colin Meloy was quick to point out as the band took to the stage to rousing cheers. They were playing for an audience who had been waiting six years and five albums to see them, their music and reputation for live shows preceding them. They did not disappoint. Fun and funny, engaged and engaging, The Decemberists played a hour and a half long set packed with old favourites, new material (a song from the upcoming record, one a cover so new Meloy still needed lyric sheets), and tonnes of enjoyment for both the band and the audience.
Highlights of the night often involved Meloy demonstrating something akin to a God complex as he orchestrated audience participation. Halfway through 'Billy Liar', Meloy divided the crowd into left and right hand sides by an invisible line stretching the entire length of the theatre, then pitted the two sides in a battle of impassioned singing of the 'ba dum bah' refrain. Flattering each side in turn to raise the volume of the singing, Meloy then became the puppetmaster, raising and lowering the volume in jerky motions with his hands, the audience complying with his every move!
He was back to his tricks again in main set closer 'The Chimbley Sweep'. Meloy and guitarist Christ Funk began mock-duelling midway through the song, showing off their skills on their guitars with licks and riffs until both were playing their instruments above and behind their heads, to the audience's glee. Meloy followed this by sinking to the floor, and soon the entire band had followed suit. With a wave of his hand, the entire theatre began to sink to its knees too, until every person was low to the floor. Oh the power! Meloy pretended to be asleep before mischievously narrating the 'awakening' of the theatre, as Jenny Conlee's sweet voice brought us back into the song.
The whole band were consummate musicians, switching easily between a variety of instruments. 'The Rake's Song', possibly the most fun anyone can have singing about infanticide, hurtles along with an ominous triple beat, with Conlee and Funk joining John Moen on drums. And on the last song of the night, 'Sons and Daughters', it was a wondrous sight to look across the stage and see the accordion, upright bass, drums, bouzouki and hurdy gurdy playing in fantastic harmony to great effect.
But I was won over long before that last note, long before Meloy's banter had me clutching my sides laughing, long before the beauty of the quieter moments, the slower songs. For me, from the moment they launched into the second song, the epic 12 minute long 'The Island', with its prog rock intro to its hushed, sad ending, I knew I was in for a glorious show. The power of the music, the talent of the band; it was just amazing. This concert, this night, will be a hard one to top.
My friend braved sore arms to capture the entirety of 'The Island' on video, and she is my hero. :)
The Crane Wife 3 The Island The Sporting Life Billy Liar July, July! Shankill Butchers The Engine Driver On The Bus Mall (new song) The Rake's Song O Valencia! 16 Military Wives The Chimbley Sweep
Eli, The Barrow Boy Bye Bye Pride (Go-Betweens Cover) Sons and Daughters [another great video, taken by celerity59]
After seeing Neko Case from afar, red hair streaming in the afternoon breeze, her clear-as-a-bell voice ringing out over the gathered crowd on a hot Sunday afternoon at Lollapalooza, I was itching to hear her again, this time in a more intimate setting, closer to home.
I came away pleased with the show, still completely infatuated with the sound of her voice, humming snatches of her songs all night long.
Let's get the bad out of the way first: yes, as noted in other reviews, there were some sound issues. For me, at times the four piece band threatened to overwhelm Neko Case's fantastic instrument of a voice, but luckily it never quite could subdue the beauty of it.
Obviously it was bothering others too; an audience member on the floor took advantage of a tuning lull to yell for the amps to be turned down.
"Lady, this is a rock show," Case shot back as she pulled her mane of flaming red hair into a messy bun. "You're in the wrong place."
The (inappropriate) request seemed to give Case a spark that diffused some of the rarified atmosphere stifling audience and performer alike in the City Recital Hall. For the first few songs the audience seemed to be at a much more formal show, afraid to voice their appreciation. Case herself seemed hesistant and subdued by the hall, bouncing on her toes before the mike every now and then nervily. She spoke very little, and often in a rushed stream that rendered the words inaudible. It was up to Kelly Hogan, her backup singer, to liven up the show with her endless stream of softly spoken quips and giggles.
But musically, it was bold from the get go, starting with the Americana twang of 'Things That Scare Me' (with some great banjo work), followed by another song from earlier in her career, 'Maybe Sparrow'. But as Case noted, tonight was almost the one year anniversary of the start of the tour for her 2009 album, Middle Cyclone, and the set was heavy with songs from that great album.
I was glad to hear all my favourites from Middle Cyclone, from the back-to-back pairing of 'The Pharoahs', the first time that night I felt Case's voice really break through the sound issues and just wrap its soaring spell around the audience, and the smoky 'Polar Nettles'; to 'Prison Girls' live, with its ominous, dark sound; and the closer to the main set 'This Tornado Loves You', thrumming with energy and longing, until its very end with Case and Hogan's voice harmonising fantastically on that heartbreaking last line, "What will make you believe me?"
We ran into Jess in the lobby, and she let me take a picture of the setlist she scored, and told me the changes, which was great because I hadn't been keeping notes for once! :)
Things That Scare Me Maybe Sparrow People Got A Lotta Nerve Fever Hold On, Hold On I'm An Animal Middle Cyclone The Pharaohs Polar Nettles Deep Red Bells Margaret Vs. Pauline Prison Girls The Tigers Have Spoken Red Tide Don't Forget Me That Teenage Feeling This Tornado Loves You
Argh! Running out of time to get this up before the end of the year... (okay, I didn't really make it. Happy 2010!)
Below are my favourite albums of the year. Most of these I knew I loved upon first listen, and only grew to love even more as I listened and relistened and played each to death over the year, in the car, on my ipod, while studying, doing my chores.
More upbeat and yet at the same time angrier and harder than before, Straylight recovered from the disappointment of being dropped from their major label with a great four song EP. I look forward to seeing what they come up with next.
Following on sonically from their underappreciated third album Fast Times in Barrington High, this is a great five track EP, all jangly guitars and a driving rhythm section overlaid with great melodies after a pop sensibility.
A compliation two disc album where the proceeds went towards HIV/AIDS work. The contributors read like a who's who of indie music, an amazing list of artists and songs and collaborations. I highly recommend getting a copy for yourself, it's worth checking out for Sufjan Stevens' reworking of 'You Are the Blood' or for Cat Powers' lovely version of 'Amazing Grace' or for Gillian Welch and Conor Oberst together on 'Lua'.
A return to form for veteran band BtS. The album has that fuzzy guitar sound, Doug Martsch's yelp-like voice, and some almost-alt-country melodies as the lyrics contemplate the fears and worries of the everyday and this world.
listen: 'Things Fall Apart', a standout track; slow, and slow-building, almost-dreamlike.
It's a patchy album, but when TBS are good they're really good. Bookended with the best songs: the 1-2 punch of the album opener 'New Again' and lead single 'Sink Into Me'; and the revengeful, regretful closers 'Capital M-E', 'Carpathia' and 'Everything Must Go'. The latter is particularly bitterly heartbreaking as everything - the lyrics about the end of a dream and Adam Lazzara's angrysadbrokendown voice and all the rage and regret - comes together in one fantastic song.
Her voice is so beautiful, and it rings through the alt-country tinged songs of this album, soaking it in an atmosphere of smoke and tenderness and longing.
I love the sound of this album, all lo-fi and folky, matched perfectly with the lazy huskiness of his voice. There's something for everybody, from the upbeat collaborations with Zooey Deschanel like 'Never Had Nobody Like You' to slow, grand songs like the sombre, beautiful title track.
Dappled have gone with a more electronic, darker sound on this third album, but they haven't lost their touch at building great songs: there's the same great grasp of melodies, blending shimmering synths and layers of guitars and dreamy vocal calls over evershifting drumlines.
Late to the party, but oh, I'm so glad Al pushed them time after time at me. A little folk, a little Americana, a little alt-country, but most of all, plenty awesome. From beautifully sweet songs like 'I and Love and You' to the fun, witty 'Kick Drum Heart', the songs are perfect in their simplicity.
Kevin Devine is a singer-songwriter who says his influences are "comic books, 90's guitar rock over and underground, good folk and country music, punk rock, social justice, books in general, books and books and books", which comes across most strongly in his way with words. He writes great songs about things going wrong (with the world, with relationships, himself) with an angry, weary passion and I love the way this album makes me feel; that yeah, even when sometimes we're bruised and hurt we press on the bruises, we go back for more.
I really really recommend the two tracks below; they are fantastic, complex songs, lyrically and musically.
Not content with having one concept album under their belt (previous album The Crane Wife, based on a Japanese fable), the Decemberists returned with a full rock-opera, originally planned as a musical. Having seen them perform this in its entirety, I can say unequivocally that it is meant to be enjoyed in this form. And the more I listen to it, the more I am amazed that a band has the guts to make such wonderful anachronistic music and be celebrated for it.
When it came down to these two albums, I couldn't justifiably rank one above the other. So I cheated; I have two absolute favourite albums of the year.
Still moody, but maybe even more angry and frustrated and resigned this time around. I was surprised by the relative simplicity of Daisy compared to the more accessible but complex previous album The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me, but I love it all the same for the directness of emotion that comes across in the harsh, restless music. It's the sound of a breakdown in process, an unravelling; it's raw and painful and mesmerising. I will always remember the first time the hymn slid without warning into the screams on 'Vices', surprising and shocking me into the mood of the album.
Watch: a stripped back version of 'At the Botton' in the studio
I was sucked into this from the moment Andy Hull sings the first line: "I am the only one who thinks I'm going crazy". The first half of the album is packed with layered, intense rock songs, howling and powerful and almost overwhelming, save that it's balanced by a sense of insecurity and worries in the lyrics. The latter half of the album, however, is more contemplative; softer and more vulnerable and emotionally painful. Andy Hull's voice is amazing; it roars over the pounding guitars and drums, and cracks in the softer moments, tender and broken. I listen to this album when I'm feeling down, bruised, and scared; not because it tells me that everything will be okay, but because it gets how I feel.
Finally: my favourite movies for this year. I know I missed 2008, but that was because the movies I saw were rather middling; though Persepolis was beautiful if a little unevenly paced, and I really enjoyed the bubblegum-coloured Speed Racer, for all its flaws and the critical drubbing it received.
Just quickly, some Honourable Mentions for 2009: Where the Wild Things Are, Bright Star, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (see review), I Love You, Man
These were good movies, enjoyable movies; and the first two are probably the most beautiful movies I saw this year in terms of set direction and artistry. I think what kept them from being in my top 5 was that I didn't *feel* as strongly about these, or I didn't have as much to mull over when I left the theatre.
So what made the top five?
5. Whip It! (d. Drew Barrymore) Sure it's flawed: mostly I noticed how staidly it was filmed, even the exciting roller derby scenes. But I could care less when something is this warm and fun to watch; I just wanted to give this movie a big hug at the end. I loved that it put women front and centre and made them all kinds of people but you could like them all, even the supposed 'bad' ones. It's got this infectious, happy energy to it, and it deserved a lot more love than it got.
Such bittersweet but hopeful movie. I didn't so much identify with Jenny than I remembered wanting to be a girl like her; someone school-smart and well-read, who wants to be cultured and sophisticated, who starts to think that academia may not the only way in life. But the movie, based on Lynn Barber's memoir, also shows how Jenny is maybe not as smart as she thinks she is, and that sophistication and culture doesn't always lead to that perfect life she dreams of. It's a gorgeous movie, from the romantic sojourn in Paris to all the 60s costuming, and filled with some fantastic performances: Carey Mulligan, of course, as Jenny who starts off the movie so young and idealistic and finishes with a wise, sadder look in her eyes; but also Rosamund Pike as a beautiful but rather dim friend of Jenny's older boyfriend who lends the film a comic charm.
3. Star Trek (d. J.J. Abrams) This was just rollicking fun. I heard so many times from friends this year that they loved it, when though they don't love Star Trek/science fiction; and also from people who were ardent ST/SF fans who also loved it to death. I didn't have so strong an opinion, except for wanting to yell "Science doesn't work like that!!" (though according to this, sometimes it can. Bits of it anyway. Bits that are not red matter). But the more I thought about the movie afterwards, the more I realised sometimes it's just enough to enjoy something without overthinking it to death, particularly if it's something upon which popular opinion and actual quality coincide happily for once.
Absorbing, naturalistic, almost documentary-like feature about a year in the class of a junior high school in the 20th in Paris. Based on the real life events documented in Francois Begaudeau's book on his own teaching experiences, the author plays Mr Marin, who teaches French to a class of 14/15 year olds, and tries to push them to be more engaged with learning and thinking in general, by challenging, and on occasions, mocking them, about their behaviours, attitudes and beliefs. In doing so, I couldn't help but be challenged the same way. I remember Amanda, Belinda and I having a rather heated discussion about race afterwards, feeling our ways toward understanding the society around us through the lens of this high school class.
But unlike many Hollywood movies about inspiring teachers, it's not some cut and dried heartwarming tale that ends in the salvation of a previously recalcitrant class. True to life, there are some children who blossom under this intense environment, and others who fall by the education wayside, the consequence of not one but many conflicting factors of class and race and societal pressures and personality.
1. Inglourious Basterds (d. Quentin Tarantino) From the moment the last line was spoken I knew I agreed: this is Tarantino's masterpiece.
There's a lot of debate about IB out there on the internets, and even personally I had three email threads about it going on post-movie, in my eagerness to rehash and argue why I responded so positively to it. For starters, it's very funny, super thought provoking, and ridiculously film geeky in the very best of ways. There's just so much to mull about, from a moral angle, from a film history angle, from a history angle...it's amazing.
Each of the five parts is perfectly constructed, with the tension ratcheting slowly and terrifyingly and absorbingly until it's almost unberable, begging for a release, begging for the violence to give us relief, and then sicken ourselves all over again. I talked with some people who felt that IB goes too far in its ending, that it satisfies, and could be read as encouraging, an unacceptable bloodlust. I think IB is the ultimate revenge fantasy for a world that takes the holocaust to be the biggest moral infraction of the last century, but I also think that in the way Taratino does it, the film then questions us in return: now that we have an idea what that revenge would look like, do we still want it or feel the same way about it?
It still catches me in moments, after a few months; images still very clear in my head (like Shoshanna putting on her warpaint, reflected in the glass and in the poster and all around so beautifully) and thoughts still buzzing about its knotty ethical implications.
**
Well, I hope you've enjoyed this rambling little series on the movies that have made the most impact on me these last ten years! Here's to more fascinating, thought-provoking, beautiful, memorable films in the coming year...
Are you starting to see a pattern in my song choices yet? I feel like I've used the words 'driving beat' and 'fuzzy guitars' and 'makes me want to dance' about fifty gazillion times by now. At least now I know I have consistent taste! :)
Fuzzy guitars like sirens in the background, that gravelly growly voice that goes so well with it. The album is good, not great; maybe I was expecting a few more stand-out tracks like this one.
I am so torn by their new album. The first time I listened to it I really didn't like it. I didn't enjoy the new direction they'd taken, all jagged edges; I missed the sweetness of their folkier, heartfelt songs. But I've given the album a few more spins and I think I'm getting it more now: they are no less heartfelt under the layers of guitars and driving beats. This song is fantastic: it's catchy, but the grittiness of the lyrical content is conveyed in, and suits, the rockier sound.
Watch: live performance vid, which means cute Canadian accents and banter and rambly stories about weird hair diseases guinea pigs get :D
I tried to resist, but they started playing this endlessly on the radio and it became a highlight of my work day, when they'd play this instead of the bland, mainstream junk. It's so pretty and lovely and joyful, as the insistent beat drives the whole thing on while that lovely falsetto vocal floats over the top.
A duet, featuring Feist. Jeff Tweedy's voice works so so well with her voice; they meld in this lovely harmony, the textures complemeting each other. The song is lovely too, a slice of alt-country pop with a melody that just begs to be sung-along to.
From the synth-heavy opener to when Karen O's sublime voice slinks over it, this song always always makes me want to dance. And be as badass as Karen O in the video, ever dancing and performing so freely for an unseen audience. :)
Watch: Cutest moment: the whole band smushed onto one trolley!
I was going to try and fit in a repeat viewing of this before writing it up, but alas it was not to be. This movie is hilarious; I saw it twice within the space of a week around Christmas two years ago, and it was as ridiculous and fresh and fantastic the second time around. I love that it's smart about the genres its parodies, but in a loving way.
In the years since it came out, this has been much maligned. Even when we went to see it, as the lights came back on I turned to the friends who saw it with me and said I liked it, only to have the other two make faces. But I've seen it again since then, and I still find it really lovely and charming. If you look past the rather obvious affectations ('honest to blog' is still a really irritating, nonsensical quip), it navigates an ethically tricky story with heart, not judging Juno for becoming pregnant, not judging her nor explaining in depth the choices she makes, just allowing her to be a confused but smart sixteen year old with some big decisions to make. Ellen Page is so good as Juno, letting her be prickly on the outside while always giving us glimpses of the softer girl inside. The rest of the supporting cast are great, particularly J.K. Simmons as Juno's dad, and Jennifer Garner as the uptight but desperately maternal Vanessa.
Bleak and affecting, an old story told very well, and filmed beautifully. Llewellyn Moss (Josh Brolin) takes $2million out of a drug deal gone wrong, and a scarily focussed killer (Javier Bardem) tracks him down for a form of justice. There are some immensely suspenseful moments in this, the pacing just-so for them maximum heart-in-mouth moments, and the killings, even as they decrease in violence, increase in meaning and heartache. Excellent supporting cast - Tommy Lee Jones plays his straightforward sheriff with just the right amount of bewilderment and wisdom as he contemplates a world more violent than he can patrol, and Kelly Macdonald really surprises as Moss' southern wife.
I must admit that my first feeling upon leaving the theatre was relief; relief that the movie hadn't sucked. So my expectations were not high, going in. That said, this is really funny. Sure, the story doesn't always hold together, but then, do we really expect it too? And it manages to feel more than several episodes strung together. The jokes are a great mix of visual and verbal, with the kind of wittiness and sense of fun that the earlier series had.
A very tense movie that somehow sustains the subtle horror of the unsolved serial killer mystery throughout the whole movie, allowing the story to conveying the weary reality of chasing the unknown criminal to no, typical, satisfyingly pat end. Good performances all round, though Robert Downey Jnr. is the best thing in this movie (as he often is).
Aussie pop-rock, immensely catchy with great fuzzy guitars and a rhythmic keyboard line that should drive me mad but really just makes me want to dance.
Shimmery electro-pop. I love the first half of the album more than the latter, but in the right mood it's a lot of fun, and again, totally makes me want to dance.
## These Are My Twisted Words by Radiohead online single
A new Radiohead song is always welcome. A free one even more so! This is a moody (hah - when is it not?) track that's a touch of Amnesiac (wait! come back!) and In Rainbows era sound.
## Bodies by Robbie Williams from Reality Killed the Radio Star
Ignore the faux-irreligious nonsensical lyrics; focus on the music. The genius of Robbie Williams' latest album sees a return of some ridiculous catchy pop songs like this, that marries a jagged electronic sound with a lush string section and manages to sound so grand and pretty.
Watch: This video is crap. But it has brooding Robbie, on a motorcycle.
