Labels: Music

I'm sitting on the train right now listening to Mr. Bungle's first album. I think I'm really drawn to music that is intricate or layered, as opposed to simple stuff. I like music that has a depth to it, a number of moving parts, rather than just a straightforward premise that an entire band plays to. Not that there's anything wrong with, for example, AC/DC - I do like them, and others in that "simple style" a great deal. However, thinking about some of my "top albums" of all time; Appetite for Destruction (Guns N' Roses), The Downward Spiral (Nine Inch Nails), Ocean Machine, The Chronic (Dr Dre), Mr Bungle's first album, Animals/Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd) - they are all fairly deeply layered albums, that either push the boundaries of musicianship, or allow the listener to focus on different parts. The exceptions to the rule (in my world) are Kyuss, Pantera, Foo Fighters and You Am I - who are all amazingly good at what they do. Anyway, that's my ramble about music for the day :)

Labels: Music

I've been wondering for a while now, what's the greatest "Australian" song; something that sums up the Aussie spirit and the land in which we live. I've come to the conclusion that "Bow River" by Cold Chisel is definitely a contender. It's such a great story, and something that most Australians can relate to I think; "Wasting my years on a factory floor, first thing you know I'll be back in Bow River again". It's also got one of the most heartfelt delivered lines I've ever heard; "I'll piss all my money up against the damn wall" (and delivered perfectly by Jimmy Barnes). Musically it's a treat to listen to - especially Ian Moss's ripping guitar solo and then coming back out of that with Jimmy's vocals taking the lead. Combined with the piano, organ and driving bassline, it's near perfect. Mind you, Cold Chisel wrote some great "AUssie" songs in their time; Flame Trees, Khe Sanh, Saturday Night and others.

Labels: Music

I've had 2 dreams of Opeth this week. The first one (on Sunday night) revolved around me not being able to get in to see them play a gig at Festival Hall. I had bought a ticket online, and was due to pick it up at the venue. But when I got to the venue, the staff said the show was sold out, I wouldn't be able to go in. I got into a shouting match with them about the fact that I had already purchased a ticket, it was my right to see the band. I was asking to see the promoter, they weren't letting me do that. And then I was getting really upset. I could hear the band starting their set, and I was just continuing to argue my point with the staff behind the ticket desk, who weren't having a bar of it. As with most dreams, there wasn't any grand resolution - it just kinda stopped there.

The second (on Monday night) revolved around me actually at a gig this time, and the band were very angry at each other. To the point about half way through the set, chasing each other around the stage and eventually off it. It was quite bizarre. And the band members themselves didn't look like the guys from Opeth - they actually looked like the guys from Midnight Juggernauts. The gig itself was being held at a mini version of the Corner Hotel - there were probably only about 30 people crammed into a tiny room... and after the band left the stage, I turned to the guy next to me and told him about the dream I'd had on Sunday night about Opeth.

Mondo Bizarro.

I wonder if I'll dream of Opeth tonight...

Labels: Music

Michael Jackson died today, and I recalled blogging about him around 7 months ago. You can read that entry here.

I still feel the same way, and I do hope history remembers him for his incredible contributions to the music world. His music, voice and songwriting was the stuff of legend. And his music will always bring back fond memories of my youth. May he rest in peace.

Labels: Music

I just read this fascinating article (thanks @alexangas) about "The Passion Index". Check it out here.

It warms my heart to see a Top 20 that includes In Flames, Opeth, Porcupine Tree, Dream Theater, Children of Bodom and NIN. It's really just missing Lamb of God :) And look at In Flames - they are leaps and bounds ahead of The Beatles! What's all that about? I mean, I definitely like Anders and his crazy bunch of Swedes, but more popular than The Beatles? That's a bit of a stretch :)

Anyway, it's an interesting little exercise. A good way to look at data (although not as revolutionary a shift as what you can read about in Freakonomics - also highly recommended)

Labels: Music

Why is Ice Cube's "The Predator" so annoyingly hit and miss? It contains some of the great West Coast hip-hop songs in my opinion, but it contains some real shit as well. It's so very frustrating. I remember hearing this album for the first time (through my friend Adam in Year 11) and being blown away by some of the tracks, in particular "When will they shoot?", "Wicked" (later covered by Korn) and "It was a good day". Songs like "The Predator" and "Check Yo Self" are also great. And I think this paragraph from Wikipedia is spot on;

Although it is sometimes mistakenly classified as a G-Funk album, the album derives its sound from the Public Enemy/Bomb Squad production template, in contrast to Dr. Dre's definitive G-Funk album The Chronic which is largely based upon Parliament/Funkadelic-derived rhythms, slow-rolling basslines, and layers of whiny synthesizers, mixed with snips of live guitar and flutes.

I just wish the album was more consistent. Less of the talk show / skit stuff inbetween tracks. Cull a couple of the filler songs ("Gangsta's Fairytale" and "Don't Trust 'Em" are prime examples). Regardless, I think it's Ice Cube's best album.

Labels: Music

So, a long time ago I was in a band. Well, actually it was 2002 (I think). I thought it was a good idea, like most entries on this blog, to write it down before I forgot all about it. Having said that, I won't ever completely forget about the band, because;
a. It was a fun experience, and
b. We have some songs to show from it

The band was born from the meeting of 2 guitarists (me being one of them), a bass player, drummer and singer. To take it back a step, originally Dave (the other guitarist) and I had been jamming on acoustic guitars, just casually, for probably 6 months or so. Dave had been in a band ("Game Over") and we were jamming a lot at the tail end of that while they wound down. He was keen to do something, but I was busy at work (yes, even back then... seems like I've always been busy at work) and figured it wouldn't happen. Then one day Dave says to me "we're going to meet these guys on Saturday arvo to have an audition". I was a bit startled, but excited as well. Knowing nothing about what might transpire (I didn't even see their ad, know what kind of music they wanted to play, etc. - Dave had spoken to them on the phone I think), I packed the gear into the car and headed into South Melbourne. It was a bit of a weird, awkward meeting at first - the bass player and drummer were YOUNG. I think maybe 19 or 20 years old? At the time we were late 20's, so there was a considerable age gap. The singer was our age as well... but looked young. Me and Dave... well, we looked old already :)

We jammed on a couple of things to begin with, but things just didn't seem to be working well. I think we could all tell that we could play our instruments well, and we were all similar in tastes and styles, but it just wasn't coming together. I distinctly remember our new found bandmates going to get some lunch and me and Dave hanging back at the rehearsal studio. Dave looked at me, and said something along the lines of "We've got to come up with a song, and we've got to do it now". So, in the space of about 10 minutes, we wrote the basics of a brand new song (not even using ideas we had jammed on before). The guys came back, we showed them the song, they were pretty impressed I think. Truth be told, I thought it was a pretty shit song actually... until they added to it, and then it became our first real song :)

So, we rehearsed pretty regularly (I think weekly?) and things went smoothly for a long time. We wrote prolifically, and we wrote well. Generally, I'd write riffs and the basics of most songs, Dave would fine-tune (and in some cases completely turn them on their head - kinda like a producer), Adrian (the drummer) would write the lyrics or pull from a book of his lyrics, Mark (the singer) would write the vocal melodies and Paul (the bassist) would just add magic (that's the only way I can describe it - he had a knack for it). We all worked well together. And for the most part we had fun. We wrote 12 songs (from memory) and recorded 4 (which will no doubt appear here in the blog soon)

But then cracks started to appear. People would be late to rehearsal. A rift started (I can't even remember why) between Adrian and Dave. I got narky that Dave was continually re-writing my songs, and I thought he was being too much of a perfectionist, fine-tuning songs in the moment rather than moving forwards. Dave no doubt thought I was being a bit too militant in my songwriting approach (which I can be). We started to move in different musical directions - some wanted rock, some wanted screamo, some wanted emo, some wanted straight-up punk, some wanted pop. Personalities were stretched and rubbed the wrong way to create friction. Someone had another band. Someone wanted to play a different instrument. One of the final straws was just even coming up with a name for the band. I think that took probably 3 or 4 months. Everything that was suggested was immediately shot down by someone or analysed to death. Eventually we settled on the name "About The Rockets". Even then I don't think anyone was really that happy with it. It all got a little Spinal Tap really :)

Thus, we broke up. We wrote 12 songs, recorded 4 and played 1 gig. Without sounding too wanky, we had so much potential (I genuinely believe so). We were definitely on a path to becoming a decent Australian band. It was a shame to see it fall apart. I'll post some songs over the coming months as part of my "songs" thread, and you can be the judge :)

Labels: Music

I've been seeing a bit of "fantasy league " lists through the years and have always wondered what a music supergroup would look like if I put one together. Recently another one sprung up (called "Chickenfoot", with Joe Satriani, Chad Smith, Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony), so here's my shortlist for positions in the "Andy Neumann Superband";

Vocals:
1. Mike Patton (Mr. Bungle, Faith No More... a million other bands)
2. Mikael Akerfeldt (Opeth)
3. Maynard James Keenan (Tool, A Perfect Circle)
4. Sebastian Bach (Skid Row)
5. Devin Townsend (Ocean Machine, Strapping Young Lad... a million other bands)

Guitar:
1. John Petrucci (Dream Theater)
2. Slash (Guns N' Roses)
3. Buckethead
4. Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme)
5. Paul Gilbert (Mr. Big, Racer X)

Bass:
1. Les Claypool (Primus)
2. Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
3. Fat Mike (NoFX)
4. John Myung (Dream Theater)
5. Steve Harris (Iron Maiden)

Drums:
1. Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater)
2. Martin Lopez (Opeth)
3. Chris Adler (Lamb of God)
4. Tim 'Herb' Alexander (Primus)
5. Danny Carey (Tool)

Keyboards:
1. Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails)
2. Per Wiberg (Opeth)
3. Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater)
4. Janne Wirman (Children Of Bodom)
5. Charlie Clouser (Nine Inch Nails)

Lyricist:
1. Pete Wentz (Fall Out Boy)
2. Fat Mike (NOFX)
3. Claudio Sanchez (Coheed and Cambria)
4. Chuck D (Public Enemy)
5. Mike Skinner (The Streets)

"Rockstar" Appeal:
1. Dave Navarro (Jane's Addiction)
2. Ozzy Osbourne
3. Randy Blythe (Lamb of God)
4. Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society)
5. Marilyn Manson

Producer:
1. Trent Reznor
2. Devin Townsend
3. Pharrell Williams
4. Ween
5. Mutt Lange

Number one groupie: me.

Note, a lot of these people aren't necessarily the best in their field - I was more looking for who would work well in a band. For example, I think Steve Vai, Alexi Laiho and Eric Johnson are amazing guitarists, but wouldn't work that well in a "band". Likewise with people like Tori Amos (keyboards), Axl Rose, Dave Mustaine or Phil Anselmo. And I limited myself to people alive today (which unfortunately ruled out people like Richard Wright on keyboards and countless awesome guitarists)

Interestingly (perhaps unsurprisingly?), if you look at the names, Dream Theater fills most of the positions with a member. And there are some combo's there that have worked together (i.e. Buckethead + Les Claypool, Dream Theater + Opeth guys) and a lot of multi-band guys as well. Anyway, I suspect I won't be seeing a combination of these anytime soon. Could you imagine? A band with Mike Patton singing Pete Wentz lyrics with Flea on bass, Nuno on guitar and Herb on drums? I guess I can but dream :)

Labels: Music

I've been thinking about which Metallica album I like the most. Thus, I feel the need to blog such a useless thread of thought. Feel free to skip straight through this blog entry right now :)

I've always loved ...And Justice For All, despite general critical consensus that Master of Puppets is the masterpiece. Don't get me wrong, I think Master Of Puppets has some of Metallica's finest songs on it; the title track, "Battery", "Damage Inc" and "Orion". But truth be told, it's not the album I listen to the most, and even though I can respect and admire "Leper Messiah", "The Thing That Should Not Be" and "Disposable Heroes", they bore me a little.

To risk some serious scathing comments, I think the best Metallica album is Ride the Lightning. The production is great and every song is great, if not awesome. The opening track is incredible ("Fight Fire with Fire") and is probably one of THE definitive "thrash" tracks and sets the tone for the rest of the album. From there it just gets better, and better, and better. Going straight into the title track from "Fight Fire with Fire", and songs like "For Whom The Bell Tolls", "Fade to Black", "The Call of Ktulu" and perhaps Metallica's greatest track, "Creeping Death" make this Metallica's standout album for me. This album steps up from Kill 'Em All in such a massive way, and still, even after he's been gone for 2 years, has some trademark Mustaine moments (Ktulu, Ride The Lightning and others, even if not credited I'm sure). And where Hammett is playing his own stuff, it's creative, flows and is impressive (not like his later years wah-wah trickery). The only improvement on this album could be Hetfield's vocals, which are at times a little underproduced. If you could take Hetfield's vocals from the Black album and onwards and put them on this album - wow.

But my favourite Metallica album, the one that has the most meaning for me, is ...And Justice For All. It was the album that really turned me onto Metallica, and regardless of it's incredibly bad mixing and production (which it does suffer from) and the lack of Cliff Burton on bass, it's just a fantastic, impressive album. I love the opening of the album with "Blackened". And being a guitarist, I don't mind the fact that all you can hear through the album is guitars and drums. I mean, bass would've been nice... but I guess the guys considered it optional on this record. Without question, this is Metallica's most technical album. The drumming, at times, is hard to believe is Lars (seeing who he is now and what he's been doing for the past decade or two). There's not a lot of albums I listen to just for the drumming, but this is one. But to say this album was only good for it's drumming would be like saying a Ferrari is only good for it's wheels. The song arrangements, the riffs, the lyrics, the guitar work, the timing changes, the precision - it all culminates into this masterpiece. And while I don't think the songlist is as strong as Ride The Lightning, it's a different beast and a different outcome. The standout tracks here are "Blackened", "To Live is to Die" and of course, "One". The true testament of a song is being able to listen to it a hundred times and get chills each time; "One" will still do that for me, regardless of how overplayed it is. And the lyrical craft on this album has definitely been honed in my opinion - the title track lyrics are still some of the most powerful to date I think...

Halls of justice painted green
Money talking
Power wolves beset your door
Hear them stalking
Soon you'll please their appetite
They devour
Hammer of justice crushes you
Overpower

The ultimate in vanity
Exploiting their supremacy
I can't believe the things you say
I can't believe, I can't believe the price you pay
Nothing can save you

Justice is lost
Justice is raped
Justice is gone
Pulling your strings
Justice is done
Seeking no truth
Winning is all
Find it so grim
So true
So real

Apathy their stepping stone
So unfeeling
Hidden deep animosity
So deceiving
Through your eyes their light burns
Hoping to find
Inquisition sinking you
With prying minds

Lady Justice has been raped
Truth assassin
Rolls of red tape seal your lips
Now you're done in
Their money tips her scales again
Make your deal
Just what is truth? I cannot tell
Cannot feel

Note, no albums post the Black Album were mentioned in this blog posting. Deliberately.

Labels: Music

Labels: Music

This is what happens when I get too much time on my hands - I go through my back catalogue of songs I wrote and force them upon my blog reader(s?). Here's a track I really like that I wrote in 2001 (I think) called "Garrafalo". It was one of my first love affairs with writing songs for a drum machine and 2 guitars :) I managed to pump out a lot of songs with a simple beat and two guitars playing off each other. And like this one, they're usually not finished... but often get pretty close. I like this song a lot because of the first verse (the interwoven clean melodies) and then the move to the two distorted guitars in the chorus (which play with each other nicely - first mimicking a single rhythm, then splitting apart for their own melodies/rhythms). Anyway... enough of the analysis, listen to the song :)

Labels: Music

I think it's pretty amazing that some bands can put out one killer album and then the rest are either quite good, OK or just plain mediocre. A great example of this is Thrice, whose album "The Artist In The Ambulance" is a freaking fantastic album. The rest of their albums don't even come close. And note, that doesn't mean that they don't have absolutely killer songs on those other albums - they just don't have such a great cohesiveness or collective feel. One where the album just flows from end to end and the "whole is greater than the sum of its parts". One where you couldn't imagine listening to just one song off the album after you've heard one of the songs - you just have to hear the rest of the album. Other examples of bands in this category (in my opinion) are; AFI (Sing the Sorrow), Ministry (Psalm 69), Foo Fighters (The Colour And The Shape) and Oasis (What's the story Morning Glory).

And if you want to know about my 21 killer albums, check this out

Labels: Music

So, I haven't blogged in a few days. Mainly, I've been listening to Guns N' Roses during that time (no, I'm not joking). I've probably listened to the album 20 to 25 times since getting it last Saturday. So, after some obsessive listening to it, has my original review changed much? Not a great deal. I'll say that it sounds so much more amazing through headphones though. It is so much more dense than I originally heard through a normal 5.1 channel stereo (which is when I wrote my original review). Also, I'd re-rate some of my song choices. In particular, Scraped and Riad N' The Bedouins have grown on me a lot more. Sorry is marginally better than my original rating, I.R.S. marginally worse. The best song, in my opinion, is Street of Dreams (very closely followed by "Better").

Best;
- Street of Dreams

Outstanding (worth buying the album for);
- Better
- Catcher in the Rye
- Madagascar

Great
- Shackler's Revenge
- If The World
- Chinese Democracy
- There was a time
- Scraped

Good
- Prostitute
- Riad N' The Bedouins

Filler
- I.R.S.

Dud
- Sorry
- This I Love

Thus I think endeth my blogging on the subject. Now onto obsessing about other things :)

Labels: Music

Well, I wasn't sure this day would ever come. Chinese Democracy, one of the most talked about, most anticipated albums of all time hit the shelves today. And I think the most expensive album in history as well... As the biggest GNR fan I know, I've been very, very, very keen to hear this album. Not that I thought it would recapture the magic of "the original GNR". Especially given my main attraction to GNR has always been Izzy's rhythm and Slash's lead guitar work.

My overall take on the album is that it is great. I'd give it an 8 out of 10. Individual songs on it deserve a 9.5 or 10 out of 10. Some songs on it deserve a 3 or 4 though. The first 7 tracks work really well, but then there is a patch of mediocrity (4 songs), before another killer track, a dud and a solid finish. So, I thought it would be best to do a track-by-track breakdown of the album...

Chinese Democracy
This is a very fine opener to the album. It's a strong rock song, it's atmospheric, noisy, and employs all the tricks, characteristics and strengths of the new GNR. The guitar work is solid (predominantly Robin Finck and Buckethead from the sounds of it), it's got some very slick production on it. It's great to hear Axl's voice again - this is a good start, and a smart choice for first single from the album.

Shackler's Revenge
If there was any song to representative the fabled "Electro-Industrial" GNR, this is it. This is possibly how the album was going to work out, if you listened to anyone during the mid to late 90's this is how the album was going to sound I think. The pre-chorus is quite "dance-y" actually. The chorus is fucking awesome ("I don't believe there's a reason"). The solo is interesting - the credits list it only as "Bumblefoot", but it sounds like 2 distinct styles from 2 different guitarists. I don't think either of them is Buckethead (the first could've been). I would've rathered hear Buckethead absolutely blow the cobwebs off it than the solo on here (as I know he could've shredded the fuck out of a solo here), but don't get me wrong - the solo that's there isn't at all bad. This, as a whole, is a really well constructed song. At the end of this song, I'm convinced this is going to be a very good, if not great album.

Better
Of all the new GNR songs I heard over the past 5 years, this was the one that I really fell in love with. Hearing the "proper" version of it cements it as a favourite on the album. Written by Axl and Robin Finck, it has simple great verses with probably the best lyrics on the album (and some of the simplest, most effective lyrics I've heard in years). Buckethead's solos on this song are great, but honestly the song shines when Robin Finck gets a hold of the leadwork around the 3:38 mark - it's a magical little melody he plays - I could listen to it for hours. I wouldn't be surprised if the song was written around that little noodling guitar part. If this is a single (and I hope it is) I wouldn't be surprised if it does extremely well.

Street of Dreams
This was the other new GNR song I heard over the years that got me quite excited. Originally called "The Blues", the version on the album is mixed much differently to the one I heard. The gold is at the 1:50 mark. One of the finest moments on the album. This song could've lived quite easily on the Illusion albums. It's got the guitar magic of Finck and Buckethead again (who I think make a lot of this album what it is). This song probably takes my favourite song on the album (or tied with "Better"). It's such a great "GNR" song from the Illusions period, it stands a testament to Axl for pulling it off convincingly.

If The World
This track has some really strong vocal work on it. It's a good, solid song - probably not what I would call a "standout". I think what holds this song back is the drumming - it's all a bit samey, and doesn't really take the song anywhere (which considering it lists 2 live drummers and plenty of electronic drums in the credits for it, is a bit disappointing). A fairly tame solo from Buckethead as well. Nice acoustic work from him though (particularly in the outro). A good 7 out of 10 type track...

There was a time
Talk about a song that builds and then takes a turn - this is it. The first minute has almost everything you could imagine employing in a song - but not in an over-the-top way. Then when it gets to the chorus, it turns left and I thought "that works, but was highly unexpected...". This is a very good song, but probably 2 minutes or so too long towards the end - I think they should've wrapped on a short outro solo from Buckethead (instead of the long "jam" feel)

Catcher In The Rye
The start of this song reminds me of something else, but that's soon forgotten. Clever lyrics, a good feel to this song, a nice rockin' beat - this song contributes a great "something different" middle song to the album (again, something GNR do well; e.g. Bad Obsession, Breakdown or Think About You). The solo on this song kicks ass - surprisingly Bumblefoot, not Buckethead (it's a great chord pattern to solo over, which helps). One of the best songs on the album I think.

Scraped
This is where the kookiness on the album starts I think. This song is different to everything else so far; it starts with some kind odd vocal harmonies then heads into kinda heavy metal cheerleading. And the vocals are all cut up and sampled pretty weirdly. It's a grower though, in an uncomfortably kind of way. It gets this funky kind of hold on you and then it just stops. It's a song that the jury is out on for me at least...

Riad N' The Bedouins
Lot of promise in the lead up to this. The atmospheric intro works well, but the verse is fairly average, and then the pre-chorus changes key, and I don't think it works well at all. I feel this song was a really great idea, that didn't really work - the only other song I can liken it to is Locomotive (which is one of my favourite songs of the Illusions). The timing changes of that worked a treat, whereas here the key/chord changes *almost* work, but not in my book. I'm sure some people will love it. The best thing I can say about it is that it does give Bumblefoot and Buckethead a wacky background to solo over.

Sorry
"But I don't want to do it". The first time you hear Axl sing this (first verse), try and keep a straight face. It's bizarre... This song is a bit of a dud I think - it's just boring - it's slow, it drags, and it's predictable, not in a good way. The lyrics are pretty ordinary as well. Every time I've listened to this song it's just been a case of waiting for it to be over...

I.R.S.
I'm always worried by the start of this song, especially because of the two songs preceding it. However, this song has a lot of similarities to the Use Your Illusion-era GNR. It has a simple, building rock chorus and kinda clean "swing" choruses. And a ripping Buckethead solo towards the end. So, it's not a "standout" track, but it's getting back into the right ballpark. I reckon I'll skip it every second time I hear it.

Madagascar
This was one of the first "New GNR" songs I heard, many years ago. At the time, I thought it was a bit throwaway. Now, maybe it's the mix or the time is right for it, but I think it's a cracker of a song. I think it really represents the album, the new band and the progression of GNR (ironically however it contains samples - one of which was used on "Civil War"). Axl's voice on this song however is more mature than anything else prior and this is a great mid-paced track. The guitar melodies are great as well.

This I Love
This songs starts a little bit like musical theatre - treading the line of tackiness. It sounds like it should be a theme for a "Days of our Lives" spinoff. This, more than any other song, sounds like an Axl vehicle. Nice solo from Robin Finck though - great guitar tone. The song gets MUCH better when the drums and orchestra come in, but I'm not a fan of the lyrics or the vocal melody. And it heads back into dangerous territory by ditching the drums / guitars (the best part) for the last section of the song. I think this is certainly the weakest song on the album.

Prostitute
I have paused the CD before writing this part. I have LARGE expectations for this song, the last song on the album. GNR have a history of having great closing songs; "Rocket Queen", "One In A Million", "Coma" and "My World" (an interesting one, but a significant impact on the UYI albums). This is a good song, but it doesn't even stand to be mentioned in the same paragraph as those songs. Don't get me wrong - there is nothing wrong with this song, it just doesn't leave you crying/exhausted/elated/amazed (which is what I've been used to with GNR closers). The ending is particularly interesting however. When it obviously started to finish the song, I thought it was pretty pissy, just running out of steam. But the last minute is actually quite beautiful. It leaves you with a distinctly different feeling to the overall album though I think, which again, isn't representative of the "classic" GNR closer. I mean, think of "Rocket Queen"; it starts off the sleaziest, dirtiest song off Appetite, then ends with the most melancholic beauty on the album - it's a wonderful climax to the album. Coma, similarly takes you on a journey which closes with Axl and Slash doing what they do best. This song is good, not great. Having said that though, every time I've listened to it, it seems to have gotten better and better, so it is almost great :)

So, in summary, here's the song roundup:

Outstanding (worth buying the album for);
- Better
- Street of Dreams
- Catcher in the Rye
- Madagascar

Great
- Shackler's Revenge
- Chinese Democracy
- There was a time

Good
- Prostitute
- If The World
- Scraped
- I.R.S.

Filler
- Riad N' The Bedouins

Dud
- Sorry
- This I Love

Should you buy this album? Hell yes! Without your purchase, no one will ever give Axl another dollar to make more music, and that in itself would be a terrible thing. Having said that, I suspect no one in their right mind would ever allow Axl to "go dark" for another 15 years in between albums (that is just ridiculous).

So, where to from here for GNR? I sincerely hope there is another album of material from them soon. Sebastian Bach said in one interview that they had *actually* recorded 3 albums worth of material. Of course, I wouldn't be adverse to a reunion of the original line up... but I'm not betting the farm on that happening anytime soon.

Labels: Music

I can't tell you how excited I am. This incredibly amusing review of Chinese Democracy hopefully hits the mark in it's review of the album; the reviewer sounds like he's approaching listening to it the same way I am. And I love his comments about the unicorn in the opening paragraph :)

Labels: Music

Yep, here it is

Labels: Music

Arguably Michael Jackson is one of the most genuinely weird people in the music industry. It's not like Marilyn Manson where it's a marketing strategy, or "worked at". Jackson, is quite genuine I think. I wonder how history will treat him (as I see already it hasn't been too kind to him in popular culture). The guy, however, has contributed so much to music over the past 30 years, it would be a crime to just write him off as just "that weirdo". His voice has such a refined quality to it, and the songs he's brought to the masses (I'm unsure if he wrote them or had writers) are amazing. Think of "Man in the Mirror", "Dirty Diana", "Beat it", "Thriller", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Smooth Criminal", "Billie Jean", "Black or White" and "Off The Wall" along with all the Jackson 5 songs... Even just listening to those songs as lessons in songwriting and structure, they're really the blueprint for how to write a classic song (or hit). Anyway, just felt like listening to some Michael Jackson this morning, and took the opportunity to share my thoughts :)

Labels: Music

I only found out yesterday that Richard Wright, one of my favourite musicians, died last week. Wright was the keyboard player for Pink Floyd and has contributed some of the finest melodies I've ever heard to my mind over the past couple of decades. His sound, that unmistakable Pink Floyd keyboard sound, has made some of the greatest albums of modern music; Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals and The Wall. I actually had a dream about 3 years ago that I had to replace Wright on stage at a Pink Floyd concert, and all I could remember was trying to convince David Gilmour that I was really a guitarist, not a keyboard player... Pink Floyd, in their classic lineup (Waters/Gilmour/Wright/Mason) was one of the last bands on my "must see before I die" list that I made about 15 years ago. Richard Wright, you will be missed I'm sure, but never forgotten.`

Labels: Music

It's been a while since I blogged about music, so I started to write a small entry on some favourite tunes. Then it turned into a MASSIVE entry. It then went beyond massive, so I thought, screw it, no-one would ever read this whole thing in one sitting, so I've broken in up into a few sections, which I'll post over the coming weeks/months.

The purpose of this thread of blog entries is dedicated to "some of (what Andy thinks are) the best" of a few musical genres. I thought I'd give my opinion (and comment) on some of the best songs in each of the following genres of music (bound to inspire some debate), and for your listening pleasure, have provided the songs themselves as well. If you like any of these tracks, let me know and I'll point you in the direction of the full albums you should go and BUY to enjoy more :) Most of these songs come from GREAT albums that you should own! Here we go... this episode contains Classic Metal, Prog, Punk, Death Metal, Hip-Hop and some unclassified stuff. Future episodes are likely to contain 90's Metal, 00's Metal, Indie, Great live tracks, Stoner Rock, Grunge, Hard Rock, Pop Punk, Emo, Aussie music, Pop Rock, Emo Metal (Screamo), Guitar Instrumental and more unclassified stuff that I haven't thought of yet :) Enjoy!

"Classic" Heavy Metal
Megadeth - Holy Wars... The Punishment Due. This is the ultimate metal song in my books - Megadeth use it to close pretty much every show, and wouldn't you? It's so well constructed (it's like a freakin symphony), the only other Megadeth song in my opinion that comes close is Tornado of Souls (from the same album)

Metallica - Master of Puppets. Classic Metallica from 1986 - no wonder this album stood out from everything else at the time with songs like this (and is still referenced by a lot of bands as a major influence). A close call between this song, Battery and Damage Inc. Of course, Metallica have at least 3 or 4 incredible songs from their first 5 albums... and then they lost their way... (ever hopeful they'll return of course)

Iron Maiden - The Trooper. Maiden have plenty of great songs, but this song has such a drive to it, all the guitars work perfectly together, and Bruce Dickinson's vocals are superb. If you're not into Maiden already, check out The Evil That Men Do as well - excellent track (except I think the pre-chorus could be half as long as it is).

Prog
Dream Theater - The Spirit Carries On. This isn't exactly a talent showcase song for Dream Theater - there are plenty of other songs that demonstrate the fact that they are the greatest musicians on the planet - this is a song that testifies on their songwriting abilities. From their concept album released in 2000, heavily influenced by Pink Floyd, this contains quite possibly the greatest guitar solo ever recorded (I have to stop virtually everything except breathing whenever I hear it).

Liquid Tension Experiment - Universal Mind. I kinda cheated here, because 3/4 of this band is Dream Theater (i.e. drums, guitar, keyboards). But this DOES showcase their technical prowess, and is one of the most positive songs I've heard. I absolutely love it, it always puts me in a good mood and gives me a laugh. It also reminds me that no matter how long I learn and play the guitar, I will only ever be able to play about 1/5th of this song.

Coheed & Cambria - The Crowing. When I first listened to the album this is off, I was completely thrown when I got to this song (particularly the middle section). It wasn't emo at all (as was the rest of the album). It was pure prog. Not totally representative of the band (and anyone who knows me well knows I love this band a lot), but a great prog song. I love the continuous changes (some subtle, some not).

Punk
NOFX - The Idiots Are Taking Over. NOFX are also incredibly clever lyricists. How can you not mention a song that uses the timeless lyric "someone dropped a steamer in the gene pool" (conjures up some great mental images, but conveys the message perfectly). Seriously though, this song has a great message, very deliberately written, and is a great example of a NOFX song; intense, funny and honest. I love the middle section and the return to "the fast bit" - it's like a punch in the face. You should also check out The Separation of Church and Skate. A song about the state of punk which rings so fucking true it's not funny. And such incredible energy, it was the first song I heard from NOFX that made me immediately go out and buy an album.

At The Drive-In - Sleepwalk Capsules. I'm not sure this is "Punk", but I'll put it in this genre anyway. Hearing this band was such a revelation for me - I'd never heard anything like it before and was just so mesmerised. Their "Relationship of Command" album is truly amazing, and although the break-up of this band spawned two other great bands (The Mars Volta and Sparta), they never quite matched the unique brilliance of ATDI.

Bodyjar - One in a Million. The local heroes - I love listening to Cam (the singer) sing. I particularly like this song because of the chorus melody. The verse riff is pretty interesting as well. Bodyjar unfortunately were underrated pretty much their whole career. Other good songs to check out; Feed It and Calling Orson

Death Metal
Opeth - The Grand Conjuration. You want dark and heavy? Opeth are the masters of this genre, mixing beauty with brutality. It was a choice between this song, "Demon of The Fall", "Master's Apprentices" and "Bleak" - I think it's hard for Opeth to write a bad song. But this song is pretty much pure evil captured in a song (even though I think the intro is a little long sometimes). It's also the last album recorded with their legendary drummer Martin Lopez (check out the drumming in this song - brilliant). I recommend you lie down before the chorus starts, or you might get knocked down with it's weight.

Cradle of Filth - Nymphetamine. Cradle of Filth produce a lot of throw-away music, but every now and then they come up with a gem - this is one of them. I suppose it really technically isn't a Death Metal song (it's more like a freakin' ballad). Even so, there are parts of this song I find absolutely ridiculous (but that's the beauty of Death Metal - the sheer over-the-top-ness of this genre sometimes)

Hip Hop
Dr. Dre - Deeez Nuts. The ultimate west coast hip hop song I think, and the blueprint for Snoop and Eminem to follow. It's straight of Dre's post-NWA solo debut, "The Chronic", which is probably the greatest hip-hop album ever made in my opinion. Dr. Dre has such an awesome delivery and rapping style. This songs has a loud, funky bassline, some excellent lyrics between Dre and Snoop (and some real cliche's as well about bitches and ho's), a great keyboard melody, a skit at the start and some real R&B singing at the end (what more could you ask for in a hip-hop song). "I can't be faded, I'm a nigga from the motherfuckin' streets" - what a fantastic line. Also worth checking out from that album; Lil Ghetto Boy (some of Snoop's finest rapping).

Cypress Hill - Illusions. A serious song from Cypress Hill and one of their finest. After success using the hip hop formula of the time, they then recorded this album which was completely different. It's gritty and sometimes depressing, but boy does it have an impact.

Beastie Boys - Sure Shot. The opening track of their "Ill Communication" album, this song is just "GO" from start to end. I love the intro; the dog barking, the flute loop with the double bass, the b-boys intro'ing the chorus, and then when those drums kick in, it's pure bliss. The flute, the bass and the drums together are just the funkiest thing I've ever heard I think. I can't help but move to this tune. And when Ad-rock comes in with "I'm that kid in the corner" (about 2:20), you know they're fired up and this is already a classic Beastie Boys song and album (which also contains Sabotage and Flute Loop).

Other unclassified stuff (to start with)
Mew - The Zookeeper's Boy. This is by far one of my favourite songs released in the past 5 years - certainly my favourite of the past 2 years. It's just so magical and it's a little prog, a little alternative, a little new romantic, a little punk, a little everything. It's just such a clever and complicated song - the harmonies are magnificent. Those who have heard my wife call my phone will already know part of the tune.

Best Wishes - All is Calm. One of the more recent songs from Best Wishes, I just love the way this track starts up and finishes. It's the kind of track that needs a quiet room to be heard in. It's a great example of melancholy funk (if there is such a thing). And I like the simplicity of the solo (great tone on the clean guitar).

Primus - Tommy the Cat. Three mind-blowing musicians working together to create one of the most unique songs I've ever heard. Try listening to it for just the bass, listen again just to the drums, then listen again just for the guitar. Hell, it even has Tom Waits on some of the vocals. Primus have done plenty of imaginative, left field stuff over their career, but this one is such a great track - I could listen to it non-stop for days I think.

Nine Inch Nails - Ruiner. There are so many great NIN songs to choose from (and I was fairly fanatical about this band for a long time), but this has always been my favourite. It's hidden away in the middle of "The Downward Spiral", the perfect place for it. Great samples, guitar, vocals, everything.

John Mayer - Something's Missing. I'm a big fan of John Mayer, much to the bemusement/confusion of my more "metal" friends. His guitar playing is great, his voice is fantastically smooth and silky and he just writes amazing songs. He also released an absolutely kick ass live blues album worth checking out. This song will suck you into a certain frame of mind through the first couple of verses, then the chorus comes along with something completely different to offer - I love it. Lyrics throughout this song are also great.

That's enough for the first entry. I'll post another one on this thread in the coming weeks. Let me know what you think of the songs and what your picks would've been :) And let me know if any of the links don't work (I didn't test them all)

Labels: Music

Opeth released their 9th studio album last week, Watershed. And it's a corker. It's been getting a lot of negative reviews in the fan base, I think because it's so much more than your standard death metal album. This is more like a prog album with elements of death metal. It has a lot more clean singing, a lot more acoustic guitar (still incredibly dark mind you) and more keyboards. And in my mind it's brilliant - a great step forward for the band. Especially because between this album and the last the lost their long time lead guitarist and their legendary drummer, Martin Lopez. The new guitarist is great and adds a whole new experience to the music. The drumming I'm OK with, it's no Lopez, but it's still interesting and has "the Opeth feel" to it. Even better, this album cracked the Top 10 on the ARIA charts last week (yes, death metal in the top 10 of the Australian charts).

Labels: Music

Yesterday marked the third anniversary of the death of Dimebag Darrell, the unique and incomparable guitarist from Pantera. Darrell Lance Abbott had such a distinctive sound and inspiring style of playing, and although Pantera had long split by the time of his death, and in my opinion, his other efforts afterwards (Damageplan, Rebel Meets Rebel) never quite lived up to the standard he set during his Pantera years, it's a real shame for him not to still be around, cranking out awesome riffs and mindblowing guitar solo's. A life cut too short. R.I.P Dimebag.

Labels: Music

I got a new toy last weekend, which I only really got around to playing with yesterday. Adding to my collection of neglected instruments, I now am the proud owner of a drumkit, on loan from Skogg for a while. I set it up yesterday in the end room and had a bit of a play, which was a bunch of fun. Aurora was quite enamoured by it as well, insisting on sitting on my knee while I had a play. I'm a fair way off being the next Mike Portnoy, but still, it's a fun little distraction :)

Labels: Music

Lately, I've been thinking how much impact some albums have had on my life (maybe in response to my Glut posting). I listen to these albums and memories flood back - the album in question is usually intrinsically tied to a significant portion of my life. It influenced things I did at the time, and it's musical pattern is truly engrained in my mind (so that I know every lyric, riff, lead, drum fill and even the gap between the tracks). Albums like these may or may not fall now in my "Top 20" favourite albums, they may have served a purpose at the time, or triggered something else in my life at that point. But these are the big ones - the one that helped form Andy over the years. So here they are, and this is the really cropped down, bare bones, list out of the 2,500+ CDs I own. I've listed them in chronological order as well (as I couldn't work out another appropriate way to list them);

• Pink Floyd; Animals (1977)
• Guns N' Roses; Appetite for Destruction (1987)
• Queensryche; Operation: Mindcrime (1988)
• Metallica; ...And Justice for All (1988)
• Megadeth; Rust In Peace (1990)
• Mr Bungle; Mr Bungle (1991)
• Dr. Dre; The Chronic (1992)
• Alice In Chains; Dirt (1992)
• Cypress Hill; Black Sunday (1993)
• Pearl Jam; Vs. (1993)
• Pantera; Far Beyond Driven (1994)
• Nine Inch Nails; The Downward Spiral (1994)
• Stone Temple Pilots; Purple (1994)
• Kyuss; Welcome to Sky Valley (1994)
• You Am I; Hourly Daily (1995)
• Something for Kate; Elsewhere for 8 minutes (1997)
• Liquid Tension Experiment; Liquid Tension Experiment (1998)
• Dream Theater; Metropolis 2: Scenes from a Memory (1999)
• Ocean Machine; Ocean Machine (2000)
• Opeth; Blackwater Park (2001)
• Coheed and Cambria; Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV (2005)

Arguably I could've listed every GNR record, or most Dream Theater ones, but this is a much cleaner, concise list, which I think tells a pretty good story about my musical background. I urge you to hunt down each of these albums and listen to each one, with serious intent, 3 or 4 times at least. They've definitely enriched my life.

And congratulations me - this is my 400th post! :)

Labels: Music

Yes, glut. More and more these days I'm thinking about the glut (and no, it's not the love of my gut (Gut love => Glut), I'm certainly not in love with that at the moment). It's the glut of media I see before me. Of produce. Of consumerism. And I'm definitely (unfortunately) a part of it. It first started to creep into my mind a few years back when I thought "Jeez, there is a LOT of crap music out there". And it hasn't gotten any better. I look at the top 40 these days and see a whole bunch of bands and songs I've never heard of, and likely never will. We have much greater choice now, and demand for variety, but it's not like many bands really stand out as classics these days. I mean, think about the stature of The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Who, Bob Dylan. And I recently read that US movie ticket sales were highest back in the 1930's (I read it, thus it must be true). I myself helped fuel this trend (and have found massive benefits from it as well) in the past through my CD collection. I have purchased a stupid amount of CDs in the past, and found great pleasure in exploring stuff I haven't heard before, finding obscure gems of albums or artists or buying an album based purely on it's cover art, or something else decidely different. But these days I think we're overwhelmed for choice. I think there is so much that even the great albums struggle to stand out. Can you imagine what it was like back in the 70's awaiting that next album from Pink Floyd... or Led Zeppelin. These days, there are no huge album launches that stand out... with the exception of one I suppose (and if that album ever sees the light of day I think China will become a democratic populace). And although I don't watch the Top 40 charts much, I'd be surprised if someone holds the #1 spot for longer than a month? I have no doubt that the perfect album was released this year, but I'll never find it amongst all the other shit. And this is such a stupid argument, as we (I) WANT diversity, we WANT (I) choice, but I sometimes think, at what cost? Music is losing it's impact perhaps... It's just becoming a unit shifter and a business (not that it ever wasn't obviously). But with manufactured idols and the ever marketed, ever changing whim of the youth, I think we're in danger. Back in the 70's, bands were allowed to have crap albums, make mistakes. These days, it seems that there is so much pressure to make money that if you don't, you're gone. And it forces so many one-album wonders. And I don't think it relates just to music either - look at all those movies. I bet people really took in the majesty of a new film in the mid twentieth century. Now, we line up to see Spiderman 3, because we feel we have to, to discuss it at work on Monday (although I did hear it was a good movie - haven't seen it). And books! Holy crap! I walk into a bookstore these days and only recognise 3 author's names. But maybe it's always been this way... maybe I'm changing my perspective through age. And I want both my cake and I want to eat it too. I want the variety, but I don't want the glut (of course, as subjectively determined by me as to what is glut). But I think the glut is just unavoidable. And finally, who's to say that the music I've produced in the past isn't just glut as well? Rant over, back to normal transmission.

Labels: Music

I just watched VH1's "Behind the Music" special on Pantera. I've seen one or two of these before (the Megadeth one is particularly good) and have always been impressed. The Pantera one is no exception - a riveting watch. It reminded me though of how incredible a band they were, and what a significant impact they had on metal music and my life in the '90s (and now). I remember first hearing "Vulgar Display" and thinking what an insanely heavy album it was. And then "Far Beyond Driven" came out - and it was a million times heavier. I always thought it was the heaviest thing that could ever be recorded. Then "The Great Southern Trend Kill" came out... oh my GOD. The title track from that album still stands with me as one of the heaviest songs I've ever heard (really only rivalled by some of Opeth's work). I love the way it starts - it's just blistering, bludgeoning and a sonic assault. Pantera certainly were a force to be reckoned with, and with really only their last album being somewhat substandard. Everything else they did was magnificent, and it's a shame that it ended as it did. At least we got some great stuff while they shone brightly. RIP Dimebag.

Labels: Music

Well, last weekend (the long weekend) saw the culmination of a few months worth of work after hours for me - in the form of music. Sunday night I played guitar with Greg and his students for the Monstar Music "Dining with the Stars" event. It was a really great experience - I loved playing live (it had been a very long time for me), and all the students did really well with their songs. I was personally worried about playing a couple of songs, but all went reasonably without a hitch (there were a few that I played a tad too fast, but wasn't too bad). So, what did I end up playing? Here's the set of songs (with original artists next to them);

• When There Was Me And You (High School Musical)
• Jessie (Joshua Kadison)
• Hey (Bic Runga)
• Light My Fire (The Doors)
• Hallelujah (Jeff Buckley)
• Because of You (Kelly Clarkson)
• One Crowded Hour (Augie March)
• Hurt (Nine Inch Nails)
• With You (Jessica Simpson)
• Touch of Paradise (John Farnham)
• Hyperballad (Bjork)

So, as you can see, a reasonably diverse mix. All went really well though, and truth be told I'd very much like to do it again (but the preparation time for doing it has been a bit of a killer). I've really enjoyed playing guitar more and more (and have to try and keep up the habit now).

Labels: Guitar, Monstar, Music

Now online here. Suffice to say, was a great night.

Labels: Concerts, Music

Steph, Skogg, Timmy and I saw The Pixies at the Sidney Myer Music bowl on Wednesday night. In short, it was pretty freakin' amazing. The sound was superb (far better than I imagined it would be) - it was near perfect. The weather was great - certainly not too cold for a March night in Melbourne. Our vantage point was insanely good - 2 people back from the barrier that separated seating and standing, and not crushed up against people; plenty of room to move. And finally, the band was incredible. I'd rank it as one of the best gigs I've seen. They were on fire; relentless in their sonic assault, and the setlist reads like a dream. I've nicked this off Skogg's site (saving myself some work - thanks Skogg);

1. Bone Machine - a totally perfect starting song.
2. Caribou Monkey Gone to Heaven
3. Wave of Mutilation

and they stopped mid-song in monkey with Frank Black demanding that a stupid big beach ball was removed. i think most in the crowd agreed with this. there was an amusing few minutes of discussion of where to re-start the song again.

4. U-Mass
5. Head On
6. Caribou
7. No.13 Baby
8. Tame
9. Hey
10. Gouge Away
11. Mr Greives
12. Broken Face
13. I Bleed
14. Here Comes Your Man
15. Planet of Sound
16. Debaser
17. Crackity Jones
18. Something Against You
19. Isla de Encanta
20. Nimrod's Son
21. Vamos
22. Where Is My Mind?

and joey's theatrics were great in Vamos, with the feedback and playing guitar with a drumstick.

encore:
23. La La Love You
24. Gigantic

All in all, it was a gorgeous night, and one that's left me singing Pixies songs for the past few days. Also saw Jarvis Cocker who was quite (unexpectedly) impressive - he's a funny man. The night belonged to the Pixies though.

Labels: Concerts, Music

I've been listening to a lot of "The Get Up Kids" lately. I'm a huge fan of their side projects ("The New Amsterdams", and "Reggie and The Full Effect"), but have never really given "the original band" a whole bunch of time and effort. So, good tunes and great lyrics. Here's some from a song called "Holy Roman";

Road map is a bitter pill
Scene stinks of a double deal
A good front like the devil will
Your eyes on the prize
Come clean like you said you would
Make peace like i know you could
Hero's don't do any good
With tears in their eyes

Fight the good fight
Maintain the trend
Just look me in the eyes and say
The world's not gonna end

Take stock in a master plan
Place bets on an empty hand
Empire has a leg to stand
Holy roman style
A poison from a holy grail
Blind faith doesn't make a sale
Landmines on a righteous trail
March rank and file

Unpatriotic
Friend stabbing friend
You'll look me in the eyes
And say the worlds not gonna end
Just look me in the eyes
And say the worlds not gonna end

Will you save us?
Will you save us?

Labels: Music