David James Young

The Top 100 Songs of 2013, Part Two – 80-61

Posted on 10/12/201331/12/2013 by David James Young in Lists

Before you go any further: Catch up on part one here.

Now that’s sorted, let’s get busy!

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80. Surfer Blood – Demon Dance

Whatever mental anguish John Paul Pitts went through following his arrest in March 2012, he has come out the other end of it with the single most underrated rock album of 2013. It all began here, the opening number of June’s Pythons LP. It took in all of the context surrounding its creation: The location, California, was reflected in the sun-kissed guitar twang; while he producer, Gil Norton, came into play with the noted Pixies influence – particularly when Pitts breaks into a Black Francis yelp in the bridge. A product of its environment and a sign of even greater things to come.

79. Zedd feat. Foxes – Clarity

An unknown dance producer with a pretty female voice on top? Gee, why does that sound so familiar? Still, in spite of its full potential to be completely formulaic, “Clarity” ended up being one of the most exciting things to take over radio this year. The atmospheric build-up and restrained baritone of next-big-thing Foxes is paid off with one of the year’s strangest drops: Rave-synth and a kick that feels as though it’s going to pierce through the speakers matched up with the hum of a Gregorian monk choir. For all intents and purposes, Zedd gets an A.

78. Saint Pepsi – Unhappy

While backpackers, crate-diggers and producers alike are all off looking for that one great vintage soul sample that’s yet to be used, guys like Ryan DeRobertis – aka Saint Pepsi – are sneaking in out of nowhere with innovative and clever samples from complete leftfield. Here, DeRobertis toys with “The Summer Ends,” a standout from American Football’s debut (and only) self-titled record. Sending the track into the clouds and unlocking its inner bliss, “Unhappy” is easily one of the year’s finest inventions. If his peers aren’t careful, they’ll fall behind.

77. Alison Wonderland feat. Fishing – Get Ready

A first for both parties involved: Wonderland, normally a DJ and a part of the Sosueme collective, had never lent her name to an original composition prior to this. Meanwhile, the gents of Fishing here marked the recorded debut of their personas as a part of the Naughty Rappers Collective; a satirical group of Sydney musicians that play up the braggadocio and hyper-masculinity of hip-hop stereotypes. The result was as wild and ridiculously fun as one might expect from either party. With their powers combined, this Voltron of Australian dance guaranteed filled floors and the cheekiest of grins.

76. The Hard Aches – Organs and Airports

Adelaide’s Ben David started the year as the relative unknown out of the four singer-songwriters on the extensive Glory Days tour; completed by Wil Wagner, Hobart’s Lincoln Le Fevre and Sydney’s Isaac Graham. He ended it with a nation full of new friends and new fans, as well as an EP from his “other” band, harmonious folk-rockers The Hard Aches. Detailing the misery that comes with a long-distance love isn’t quite original; yet David delivered those woes with a fresh perspective and a heart full of hurting. After hearing “Organs and Airports,” you’ll be unsure whether to ask for songwriting tips or just give the poor bastard a hug.

75. Wil Wagner – How They Made Us

As much as this was a brilliant year for The Smith Street Band, their fearless frontman Wil Wagner had a momentous run in his own right. The release of his debut solo album saw him stripping his stories and imagery down to their very essence. You’re right there alongside Wil on Punt Road, getting as young drunk as you damn well please. You can spot the thugs hanging out at the seedy Swan Street bars. You can even take the weather with you, as Wagner describes the dawn following another late night in the city. It’s all laid out for you. All you have to do is listen.

74. The Wonder Years – Passing Through a Screen Door

“Jesus Christ,” spits vocalist Dan “Soupy” Campbell in disgust. “Did I fuck up?” Consider his situation: On the wrong side of his twenties, Campbell notices that many friends, peers and colleagues are settling down and investing in their future. He, on the other hand, is still living the tour-van life and growing increasingly frustrated with where he has ended up in life. Strangely enough, this open-book lamenting has resulted in one of the single finest tracks his band has ever recorded – to the point where one emphatically has to respond in the negative to the original question.

73. Mixtapes – Be the Speak That You Change About

Ohio’s Mixtapes have been around long enough to know where the bodies are buried within their genre and their scene. Truth be told, they’re a little pissed off: “Be the Speak…” is the single greatest indictment about the modern state of pop-punk that is currently out there. No other band out there has the guts to drop lines like “This generation’s getting worse,” “This doesn’t feel like a community,” or the most damning of all: “Most of these bands would sell their souls/For a four-star review and a sold-out show.” This is their CM Punk pipebomb; their ninety-five theses nailed to the Wittenburg door. It’s kind of a big deal.

72. Jimblah – March

The stomping gets louder as the procession gets closer and closer. James Alberts – aka Jimblah – is the leader of the procession. He has a lot of questions about why his native land of Australia is the way that it is. There are no easy questions here, let alone easy answers. The delivery is nothing short of furious, the passion akin to the fire of a thousand suns. The conviction and the belligerence that oozes through every last second of “March” is enough to make you stop whatever it is that you are doing and listen. Then, once you’ve heard Alberts out, it’s time to join him in his quest to find out “exactly what this nation represents here.”

71. Stockades – Just Following Orders

Some truly odd descriptive terms get bandied about when talking about music. Perhaps none stranger, however, than within that grey area between indie rock in its traditional sense and emotive hardcore punk. “Twinkle,” “noodle,” “skramz” and “mathy” are just some of the adjectives that one will find along the way. All of these have been applied liberally to Melbourne quintet Stockades, but your time would be better spent looking for the most fitting hyperbole upon actually listening to them. “Orders” will leave you short of breath from its shrill guitar lead-in to its half-time saxophone break and onward to its thrilling conclusion. This is world class, call it what you will.

70. Defeater – Bastards

Sure, some songs sounded sadder. Some songs sounded catchier. Some were just plain better overall. That’s fine. With that said: Few tracks, if any at all, sounded as downright fucking pissed as the opening number to Defeater’s third album did. The gnashing guitars butt heads with drums that sound as though they’re being hit with hammers rather than sticks, while Derek Archambault’s vocals reach fever pitch from the opening line and never drop intensity levels for a moment. Its brisk movement ensures there is never a lull, while its percussive-driven outro was designed to be chanted en-masse at sweaty floor-shows and club matinees. “Bastards” proves that your anger truly is a gift.

69. GROUPLOVE – Borderlines and Aliens

Their name is type-set in all-caps for a reason: these free-spirited Californians do things big, brassy and bouncy. They are like the real-life equivalent of Hooray For Everything, those clean-cut young go-getters who appeared briefly in some classic Simpsons episodes. Here, they pick up right where their 2011 debut, Never Trust a Happy Song, left off: A big, shiny guitar lick leads a headfirst dive into an endorphin rush of left-field pop that requires full-voiced audience participation. Come on, get happy already. If you hadn’t guessed, GROUPLOVE are onto a damn good thing here – HOORAY FOR EVERYTHING!

68. Major Lazer feat. Bruno Mars, Tyga and Mystic – Bubble Butt

Oh, internet. Never change. Particularly that subset among you that are hereby known as “corpsefuckers” – those that are disgusted with modern pop and dance music, wondering out loud what happened to “real” music and bemoaning how the current charts are poisoning the minds of our precious, precious children. “Bubble Butt” is what should be played so that these people cannot be heard – if it sends any message any clearer, it’s that you should shut up and dance. This song, along with its Eric Wareheim-directed video, is as obnoxious and dumb as you would expect. Therein lies its glory.

67. They Might Be Giants – You’re on Fire

It doesn’t matter if the last time you checked in with They Might Be Giants was circa “Dr. Worm,” circa “Boss of Me” or even on their last studio album, 2011’s Join Us. Things don’t change much in John and John’s world – nor do they particularly need to. They’re still making shaky, sardonic and proudly weird tunes like this one, throwing in some horn section stabs and perhaps the only time you’ll ever hear soulful backing vocalists cry out the phrase “Combustible head!” If you’re a Giants fan, you know what you’re in for. We’ve got a good understanding going on.

66. Manor – Architecture

Adelaide grammar nerds Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire! scored major support slots and festival appearances in their time, but never garnered the headline status of either. The phoenix from the ashes is Manor, which sports a third of Santa Rosa – vocalist Caitlin Duff and guitarist/producer Nathaniel Morse – and inroads their brand of indie pop towards the glistening, crystallised side of things with truly splendid results. Both members use “Architecture” to flaunt their chops – Duff’s vocals could melt in your mouth, while Morse’s echo-chamber guitar and thick, steely bassline provide substantial weight. It is here that the cream – at long last – begins to rise.

65. Lissie – Sleepwalking

How’s the serenity? Lissie Maurus provided one of the year’s most warm, wholesome slices of vintage pop with the third single from her long-awaited Back to Forever LP. On a groove befitting of Tango in the Night, Maurus soaks up the sun and casts her anxieties into the lurch. Her vocals are of the stop-dead-in-your-tracks variety, showing off some serious pipes towards the end. It’s almost picturesque, the way that she manages to evoke such vivid imagery – from the moment she awakes to what happens when she falls asleep. “Sleepwalking” is the kind of track that always goes down smooth.

64. Panic! At the Disco – Girls/Girls/Boys

There are plenty of songs about heterosexual pleasures; as well as quite a few documenting homosexual ones. It’s rare, however, for the bisexual to get their own number – and that’s where a new-look Panic! At the Disco comes into play. Now featuring new bassist Dallon Weekes, who picks out a sufficiently funky groove here, vocalist Brendon Urie closes in on a love triangle more bizarre than anything New Order could have thought up. They also managed to reel some people in with that bare-all D’Angelo tribute video. That’s not the only reason this has charted, swear…

63. Childish Gambino – 3005

There would have been a time where Donald Glover – aka Childish Gambino – would have delivered the line “Crew at my house/And we party every weekend” with the excitement of a child at Disneyworld. Now that he’s 30 and beginning to question exactly what his interpersonal relationships truly mean, it’s given more of a throwaway feel. “Got a house full of homies,” he observes, before adding: “Why I feel so the opposite?” It’s the start of a new chapter for Glover’s CG project – still clever, introspective and catchy; but maybe more suited to the after-party than the main shindig.

62. The National – Sea of Love

You know what you’re in for by now, surely. The guitars are as sharp as the suits, the vocals put the tone in baritone and the overall vibe is pensive and bittersweet. This is what you signed up for when you first fell for The National, whether that was all the way back at their first album or as recent as their 2010 classic High Violet. It’s always nice to find some surprises in there, though – Bryce Dessner’s suck-blow harmonica break that leads into the first chorus is akin to Jonny Greenwood’s pre-chorus scratches in “Creep” in that they could potentially ruin the song, yet ultimately define them.

61. David Bowie – The Next Day

Not one year before, The Flaming Lips released a song entitled “Is David Bowie Dying?” – and perhaps the worst part about it was that no-one had a real answer. He hadn’t been seen or heard from in years; seemingly retired from performing and recording altogether. What we didn’t know, however, was that the Duke was creating something on the sly – something stylish and career-spanning, equal parts danceable and softly swaying. It all began here, the title track that kicks off the album with a ferocious bang. If there has ever been a definitive moment of an artist punching through their coffin and arising to take over once again, it’s right here.

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Download the podcast version of Part Two here.

Read on to Part Three here.

The Top 100 Songs of 2013, Part One – 100-81

Posted on 02/12/201311/12/2013 by David James Young in Lists

Here we are! Another year (nearly) over, and countless world-class albums and songs have flown by. As I’ve done every year since I was sixteen, I’ve collected my favourite tracks of the year and counted them down in a list of the 100 very best.

Remember: It’s MY opinion, not YOURS. If you don’t see a song you like – or worse, if you see a song that you don’t – just remind yourself of that.

Now, without any further ado, let’s delve into part one of five….

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100. Hoodie Allen feat. Chance the Rapper – Long Night

Alternative title: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Bro-Rap (But Were Too Afraid To Ask). The man born Steven Markowitz might not exactly be what you’d call a conscious rapper, but he delivers tracks like these with enough charm and wordplay that it’s much easier to forgive his flaws than, say, Asher Roth. Also of note is a guest verse from the severely overhyped Chance the Rapper, who surprisingly gets a pass with his verse – particularly when he offers his female counterpart the chance to “fuck in a Wendy’s bathroom.” Everything will be alright, indeed.

99. Against Me! – True Trans Soul Rebel (Acoustic)

The transformation of Against Me! lead singer Tom Gabel into Laura Jane Grace was the single most fascinating story of 2012 in rock music, bar none. On this acoustic teaser for 2014’s Transgender Dysphoria Blues, we are given our first proper insight into Laura’s struggles with identity. With barely more than a guitar guiding her words, we hear of regrets and distress delivered with palpable honesty. It resonates brilliantly in such a stripped-back format – and, admittedly, it doesn’t hurt that the track itself is catchy as anything that blew up pop radio this year. This is going to be a hell of an album. No question.

98. The John Steel Singers – Happy Before

2010 was a grand ol’ year for the Singers – releasing their debut album Tangalooma, opening for hometown heroes Powderfinger on their final tour and making major inroads on a global scale. As great as Australian music has been in the three years since, the band provided a certain je ne sai quoi that was sorely missed. All of the excitement that came with their arrival was matched with their triumphant return, perhaps best summed up by this track. Lush, airy harmonies take flight across guitar squiggle and fizzling synthesizer – it’s John Steel, Jim, but not as we know them.

97. Daughter – Still

The idea of post-rock instrumentation matched with indie-pop vocals is strange on paper and yet truly arresting when brought to life. Enter Daughter, one of the year’s biggest new arrivals, who offered up an arresting, breathily intimate portrait of lovers simultaneously closer and further away from one another than they have ever been before. It’s almost like eavesdropping on a conversation – hearing things that aren’t meant to be heard. If the bowed guitar or the thudding floor tom doesn’t give chills, Elena Tonra’s ASMR-friendly narration certainly will. Quiet is the new loud once again.

96. Junip – Your Life, Your Call

Although the third solo album from Jose Gonzalez remains ever elusive – perhaps the Swedish folk equivalent of Chinese Democracy – the first new album from Junip in three years proved to be a sufficient substitute. Here, Gonzalez trades in his typical flamenco style of guitar for a creaking earworm of a bassline; as well as his normally morose singing style for something unexpectedly upbeat. Junip has always allowed Jose to work his way out of his comfort zone, as well as what is expected of him. “Your Life, Your Call” is no different – as a matter of fact, it may be the finest example of this yet.

95. Worriers – Cruel Optimist

As one of the most underrated performers in punk rock, Lauren Denitzio has been releasing music for the past near-decade that’s twice as good as the majority of her contemporaries yet appreciated by half as many people as she deserves. This is unlikely to change with the release of the debut album from her new project, Worriers. Even so, if what you crave is sprightly, brisk pop-punk that’s bullshit-free and smarter than your average? Look no further. The title track of Cruel Optimist manages to perfectly sum up everything that is truly great about Denitzio and her work – her achievements thus far; and what is still to come.

94. Go Violets – Wanted

It’s less that Go Violets are really into the Go-Betweens and more that they pretty much live on 16 Lovers Lane, Tallulah. This is by no means a slight against them – the Forster/McLennan influence on what they do means they occupy a space within guitar pop that shakes off the trendy melancholy without sacrificing integrity. “Wanted” is their best effort to date – a lovelorn two-chord jangle that will break your heart before mending it through sweet, sweet melody by the time it’s all over. Grant, bless his heart, would have loved this so very much.

93. Cloud Control – Scar

Thankfully not a Missy Higgins cover, another honoured student from the class of 2010 returned this year with a more than excellent follow-up. Here, the former Blue Mountains residents played around with marching rhythms and some truly righteous keyboard work from the band’s secret weapon, Heidi Lenffer. The finished product was an up-market pop effort that dynamically ran a similar gauntlet to that of Sparkadia’s quiet-loud “China,” while also managing to maintain a grip of identity in no uncertain terms. Many happy returns.

92. Phoenix – Entertainment

To kick off their fifth album, the chart-topping Frenchmen headed east and replicated the sound of a traditional Chinese zither for what was, for many, the synth riff of the year. It took less than ten seconds to play out in full and would take the better part of 2013’s first half to get it out of your head. The best part was that it wasn’t even all that “Entertainment” had to offer – the stick-breaking drum fills, the chirping palm-mute guitar of the verses and Thomas Mars’ falsetto proved that the pop genius of Wolfgang Armadeus Phoenix was far from a fluke.

91. Charlie Parr – Badger

Duluth’s Charlie Parr has always been a fine storyteller – across over a decade’s worth of material, he’s rambled through the Great Depression, buried himself alive and retold countless murder ballads. On the centrepiece from his eleventh solo album, Barnswallow, Parr lightens the mood a little as he describes a scene from his youth in which a badger gets into the family yard. It’s delivered with a knowing grin and a surprising dash of poignancy. At a shade over 2 minutes, it doesn’t overstay its welcome – it simply says what it has to say and then leaves. Sometimes, that’s all you need.

90. Paramore – Fast in My Car

Subtlety is so 2009 – on the big opener of the band’s monstrous self-titled LP, Paramore put all their cards on the table. Landing on top of a double-snare disco rhythm, Hayley Williams details the falling-out that saw the Farro brothers leave the fold in 2010; noting how it brought the band’s remaining members closer together. Was it worth the ordeal? Are you kidding? Listen to this track – it’s as celebratory and invigorating as you could possibly ask for. “We’re not looking for violence,” Williams calls out during the infectious chorus. “Tonight, we want to have fun.” Pretty sure that can be arranged.

89. The Smith Street Band – Bigger Than Us

It was a rough first half of the year for Wil, Lee, Fitzy and Chris. We nearly lost them during a national tour in which a good friend from The Bennies was attacked during a stop in Byron Bay. Thankfully, they came back with an agenda that was ambitious quite nearly to the point of revolutionary. When Wagner offers up a hook in the form of “Let’s start something bigger than us,” it’s safe to say it is delivered with the conviction of a man possessed. Having just wrapped a major North American tour, this may well be the feel-good story of the year in Australian music.

88. Justin Timberlake – TKO

Don’t call it a comeback. Actually, maybe you should – after seven years away from music-making, it felt so great to have the little Mouseketeer that could back in the picture. He essentially made 2013 his bitch, from a show-stealing Saturday Night Live to a show-stopping *NSYNC reunion at the VMAs. There was new music, too. Lots of it. Near the top of the litter was this cut from part 2 of The 20/20 Experience, a swagged-out Timbaland classic that bounces off the walls and smacks about listeners as roughly as the title may suggest.

87. Volcano Choir – Byegone

You can take the Bon Iver out of music, but you’ve got another thing coming if you try to take out the Justin Vernon. When he wasn’t busy singing the blues with The Shouting Matches this year, he was reassembling Volcano Choir for an exceptional second album. The sextet delivered a great exercise in restraint with “Byegone,” guiding the majority of the song with wafting keyboard ambience, a single guitar string and the lower ranges of Vernon’s multifaceted vocals. It makes the pay off – the piano scale, the arena-sized drums and the all-in vocals – all the more rewarding.

86. Wavves – Demon to Lean On

Somewhere in-between early Weezer, Nirvana’s discography and a bag full of sweet Mary Jane, Nathan Williams exists as Wavves. You don’t end up in Wavves territory if you’re after thought-provoking, boundary-pushing and genre-defying innovation. You end up there because, sometimes, you’re after the complete opposite – a comfort zone where, after loud guitars, everything else is a bonus. As the sneaker hits the distortion pedal and the chords of the chorus ring out, you’re a million miles away and screaming every last word. It’s a good place to be, and you’re welcome back anytime that you like.

85. Kings of Leon – Wait for Me

Telling people that Kings of Leon are still making great music post-“Sex on Fire” and “Use Somebody” is essentially a retelling of The Boy Who Cried Wolf. You’re not going to be believed – and, worse still, you’ll probably get eaten alive. Still, “Wait for Me” is one of the more sublime and understated moments of Mechanical Bull. The Followills each play to their strengths on this sombre plea for a relationship’s survival – particularly Caleb, who croons self-reservedly in a vain similar to that of “Knocked Up” from 2007’s Because of the Times. It’s a departure, sure; but it’s one worth braving the storm for.

84. Caves – ❤ Koala

The drums sound like they’re being played in a public bathroom. The bass sounds like it has radiation poisioning. The guitar has more fuzz on it than an episode of The Muppet Show. The vocals are pissed and defiant. Then, the organ comes in out of nowhere and takes the bloody thing to church. This choice cut from the Birmingham trio’s free second album Betterment was one of the year’s finest pop-punk creations – a complete mess; and yet somehow, not a foot out of place. Raise your beverage of choice and fuck anyone who’s too cool to go with it.

83. Paul McCartney – New

After the unfortunately-titled standards album, Kisses on the Bottom, it looked like we may have finally seen Macca trudging into his twilight years. No sooner had the dust settled, he was off jamming with the surviving members of Nirvana and recording new pop tunes with Mark Ronson. Yes, even at 71, Sir Paul still has a few surprises up his sleeve. Among them was the title track to his sixteenth(!) solo album – a strolling “Penny Lane” pastiche complete with harpsichord, tuba and even a charming doo-wop outro. Simply put, his best new song since God knows when.

82. Karnivool – We Are

Who knows how long Ian Kenny can keep this up? Simultaneously, he is working as one of the finest vocalists in Australian heavy music as well as one of Australian pop’s greatest irritants. This double life may be the death of him, especially with both projects releasing new albums this year. Still, at least he’s keeping up appearances where it counts – with its shuffling drum scatter, buzzing guitar and spectacular arrangements, “We Are” alone is better than all of Birds of Tokyo’s March Fires album combined. Keep your “Lanterns” – the Vooligans have all the fire they need right here.

81. Tired Pony – All Things All at Once

Sad bastards around the world rejoiced – well, as best as they could – when the union of Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody and R.E.M.’s Peter Buck under the moniker Tired Pony was first announced. Three years on from their debut – and two since R.E.M. collapsed – we were treated to this blissful slice of Americana. Lamenting over steely slide guitar and earthy harmonies gave us one of Lightbody’s best vocal performances in years; while Buck applied his distinctive guitar style to an unplugged setting with marvellous results. No longer just for Snow Patrol or R.E.M. diehards, Tired Pony have graduated to essential listening.

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Listen/download the podcast version of Part One here.

Check out Part Two here.

INTERVIEW: The Streets (UK), February 2009

Posted on 14/07/201314/07/2013 by David James Young in Interviews

On paper, The Streets was never something that should have properly taken off the way it did. And yet I’ve spent roughly a decade of my life listening to the poetry and beats of one Mike Skinner. I maintain that Original Pirate Material and A Grand Don’t Come for Free, his first two Streets records, are two of my favourite records ever. They just present such a unique and remarkable take on UK hip-hop, garage… music in general around that period. So naturally I was pretty stoked to be able to chat to Mike back in 2009 – even if a) It was on the back of his worst album, 2008’s Everything is Borrowed; and b) I had to get out of a Bleeding Through gig to speak to him. Actually, in retrospect, that second point wasn’t all that bad.

Mike was cool, regardless. You get out what you put in, and he could tell I was a big fan and had done my research. In turn, I got a fairly good chat out of him. I haven’t heard his new project, The D.O.T., but believe when I say it’s on my to-do list.

– DJY, 2013

***

“You sound alive,” Mike Skinner tells me. “Very perky.”

I graciously accept his observation-slash-compliment. Usually, you wouldn’t expect that degree of kindness from someone whose bleak, frustrated and brutally honest lyrics have become some what omnipresent on their last three releases. However, since the release of Skinner’s latest album under the moniker of The Streets, Everything is Borrowed, we may well have witnessed some kind of epiphany-based reinvention of both man and music.

Featuring an aura created by what Skinner has described as “peaceful, positive vibes,” the album boasts a title track with the mantra: “I entered this world with nothing, and I leave it with nothing but love/Everything else is just borrowed.” Chances are this new approach to the music of The Streets left you baffled, but as Skinner explains, it’s all a part of the plan.

“It was my intention to make a positive album,” he emphasises. “It’s the verses where things go wrong, but it’s the choruses that are really uplifting.” Mike goes on to explain that the concept behind Borrowed was to collate a collection of parables. “It was intended that the stories were not ‘me’ and not really what I was doing, y’know? Some people tend to think I’ve been walking along beaches and living the natural life… and I haven’t! I’ve been in a studio in London! But the concept was to tell these thoughts in a kind of indirect and imaginative way, which obviously I’d never done before.”

The album deals with more than just unhappy London life (2002’s Original Pirate Material ), a story of a man and his missing money (2004’s A Grand Don’t Come for Free ) or dealing with the foreign concept of fame (2006’s The Hardest Way to Make An Easy Living ). Everything is Borrowed is Mike Skinner looking at the bigger picture of life, and where he fits in.

Our conversation moves in on a particular intriguing lyric from the album: “Just when you discover the meaning of life, they change it.” This lyric appears to have been inspired by the way social acceptance and what is moral is constantly evolving.

“I think it’s important to remember that the moral zeitgeist changes,” he puts forward after taking a moment to properly phrase his thoughts. “Religious people like to think that they get their rules from the Bible; but if you look at the Bible, there’s all sorts of death, destruction and idiot torture going on. There’s also a scientific zeitgeist – the way we’re supposed to raise our kids, prolong our lives. I think it’s important to remember that everything could change – everything that you believe, that you think is okay, could end up being very different.”

If anyone knows how quickly everything can change, it’s Mike Skinner. Since the beginning of The Streets, British hip hop has slowly, but surely, become a globally recognised scene and culture. Even so, ask Skinner whether he keeps up with it, or even associates The Streets with it, and he is quick to downplay his part. “I don’t think any rapper wants to be me… in a way, I’m kind of irrelevant. But yeah, kind of subconsciously, I think my success has kind of changed things in rap – not me, personally, though.”

This month sees Mike bring out the live Streets band for a series of shows, as well as being a headliner of the Playground Weekender festival. He gives some quick opinions of the headliners: Primal Scream (“They’re cool, I used to have the same manager as them”), Cold War Kids (“I’ve only really heard one song of theirs, they’re alright”), Jose Gonzalez (“cool, lovely”) and Crystal Castles (“I don’t really know what to make of them!”). Skinner also tells of how surprised he is at the audiences he’s been seeing on tour this time around. “The fans seem to be younger than ever, the shows have been more successful than ever; doing massive shows in Europe… I have no idea where it’s come from, to be honest,” he confesses.

As so many international acts have done, Skinner goes on to praise Australia ahead of the tour. “Australia just really feels like you’re a long way from home, even though, culturally, you’re not. It’s a great way of kind of losing contact with your life, especially on Big Day Out tours that we’ve done in the past. When you’re a part of a touring festival like the Big Day Out, you really get to know the other bands; and you don’t really get that at other festivals.”

INTERVIEW: Ben Lee (AUS), February 2009

Posted on 13/07/201314/07/2013 by David James Young in Interviews

So, get this: I wasn’t actually supposed to do this interview. Sarah, who still works at FL, had actually put down my name and number to interview Ben Lee instead of Albert Santos, a guy I met through Last.FM of all places I believe. Anyway, I was in the shower when I was told that the call had come through for the interview. I quickly dried off and got them to call me back in 10. Sure enough, I was interviewing Ben Lee on the fly. Not only did I do the interview, I did an entire feature to go along with it – all without being asked. Normally, I wouldn’t be such a pushover – but this was Ben Lee we were talking about!

For context, Ben has been a hero of mine for around fifteen years. His album Breathing Tornados was the second album I ever bought, and I’ve always had a special place in my heart for the man, his music and the lengths he’s taken it. Yes, he is indeed a “precocious little cunt,” as Bernard Fanning put it. But make no mistake about it – he is my precocious little cunt. This was completely unexpected, but totally awesome.

– DJY, July 2013

***

“I love pop music, this is how we do it…”

With a simple chord progression and an endearingly positive message one thing is exceptionally obvious – Ben Lee is back and as always, in good spirits. Getting on the line with the man feels much more like a conversation with an old friend rather than a scheduled interview. He is chatty, extroverted and at this point of 2009, already somewhat reflective.

“It’s been a very exciting month,” he says contently. “Since getting engaged and really getting focused on the new album, it’s been really creative time for me. I feel like I’m in kind of a new time of my life- a new era.”

Lee is referring to two of his latest ventures- his marriage to actress Ione Skye and working on his upcoming seventh album, The Rebirth of Venus. Both of these events, Ben reveals, have initiated a reflection through his music.

“I think, for lack of a better term, as you get older you get more… balls as an artist. Probably like everyone else, I’ve spent a little too much time at various parts of my career wondering what would make everyone else happy, instead of doing what I wanted to. So as I get older, I care less and less and also realise that all of the best moments in my career have come from when I did exactly what I wanted to; which is a bit of incentive.”

He goes on to name check a cut from the new record that reflects exactly this state of mind – What’s So Bad About Feeling Good? The song, according to Lee, is about “taking the path of least resistance- to risk criticism and ridicule and doing whatever makes you happy.”

Ben’s next exposure to Australian audiences will be as a part of the Big O tour, where he will be performing alongside Scottish chorus masters The Fratellis (of whom Lee is quite the fan) and UK dance-rockers The Music. With him will be his new band, including acoustic musician/brother of Rose, George Byrne, and Jessica Chapnik. Chapnik was Lee’s partner in crime on The Square soundtrack and is also well known for playing notorious Summer Bay killer Sam Tolhurst on Home and Away. “I always tease her about shooting up heroin in a dingy,” he laughs.

The ironic twist for Lee when it comes to The Big O – a tour that takes in all of Australia’s biggest Universities throughout Orientation week – is that he only went to university for two weeks. “Give or take” he cheekily clarifies. “I did Communications at UTS. I didn’t NOT enjoy it, I just…” his tone of voice shifts to the laughing guilt of how one would confess to enjoying a Miley Cyrus song – “…I had an idea for an album. And there was a deadline where you could get your money back.”

Despite his cameo appearance at university, Lee is very much looking forward to the shows. “In the States, I do a lot of colleges. I think it’s kind of a natural time when people really get into music. Basically, you’ve got the independence for the first time in your life to live whatever kind of life you want. but you haven’t yet been corrupted as a part of “grown up” civilisation. It’s a really exciting time to be a music fan.”

So what next? After Rebirth is released and the Big O tour is completed, Lee has two more records in the works. The first is a Noise Addict album with Lou Barlow from Dinosaur Jr which Lee describes as a “really weird, lo-fi, homemade pop record.” The second is a mixtape that has been in the works for several years and consists of a series of songs that Ben has written and gotten other people to perform. Lee truly is a working musician.

Seven albums and ten years later, Ben Lee is incredibly grateful to still be recognised in Australia’s music scene and hopes this recognition will continue with his new release and beyond. “Even people that don’t necessarily like my music know it’s been a part of the culture for a long time,” he explains. “It’s really bizarre having been around for so long and having people tell you that my music was the first album they ever bought, or that they listened to me in high school… it’s still a treat.”

INTERVIEW: Trial Kennedy (AUS), January 2009

Posted on 13/07/201314/07/2013 by David James Young in Interviews

Not many people gave a shit about Trial Kennedy in the ten years that they were together. This year, people started giving a shit – indirectly, at least. Tim Morrison went on The Voice; and although he didn’t win, he certainly won himself an entirely new fanbase. Funny how things work out like that, isn’t it? Anyway, naturally I was one of the few who gave a resounding shit about TK, particularly around this era; when they’d just dropped one of my favourite albums of 2008 in New Manic Art. This was an email Q&A – admittedly, not ideal at the best of times; but I was fairly happy with the responses given. Worked out alright. Wish I’d properly interviewed them, though. That would have ruled. Ahh well, life goes on.

– DJY, July 2013

***

You had a massive year in 2008. What were some of the highlights in retrospect?

A definite highlight for last year was getting our record New Manic Art out, that’s got to be a lifelong dream for any young upstart. But all in all, the real memorable thing about 2008 was spending plenty of time on the road meeting heaps of people who got into the record and starting to get our creative caps back on to pump out the second record. Trial Kennedy are a band that like to keep busy.

How did you spend NYE? Was there a celebration for a great year, or were plans already being made for the next tour?

Two of the lads spent it up the Eureka tower looking down on the fireworks from above, our guitar tech and our drummer spent it down a beach having a laugh and I played a little fill in cover gig in town. Nothing for TK, but we did have a festival on the 3rd of Jan that was a bit of fun.

We’ve got a couple of really key tours left and then we’ve really being trying to get our heads into writing for the next record and keep the ball rolling.

How do you feel long-time fans (people who were listening to Pictureframe etc) have responded to New Manic Art’s success and the subsequent newfound support from radio and television?

I hope Trial Kennedy fans are right behind us in all of our pursuits. We are a band that obviously want to make music and this band our career but we’re going to do it with our musical integrity and creativity well intact so I hope that people that get into Trial Kennedy at any certain stage will see that.

A while ago, you posted a MySpace blog talking about every song on the album and their lyrics. The special edition of NMA also comes with a making-of DVD. Relating this to the old saying “A great magician never gives away his tricks,” do you feel a need to be perfectly honest about your music and what it’s about; or are there parts of the behind-the-scenes creation of Trial Kennedy’s music that is best left unspoken?

Some people like to hold their cards close to their chests and that’s cool, but we aren’t afraid of showing people how we create our music, we’re proud of it and we don’t use any secrets or tricks. I think each band is unique because of the members that make up the band and the way that they write, that’s their own formula and recipe that probably wouldn’t work for other bands.

We also personally love seeing how our heroes write the great music they do – check out the Classic Albums series, it’s amazing.

I have to ask about the sample used in Mississippi Burn. I believe it is Anton Newcombe from the Brian Jonestown Massacre talking, but others beg to differ. Where is the sample from and what is its purpose in the song?

The sample in that song isn’t Anton Newcombe, but that’s a good little rumour to put out there. The actual voice that you hear on that song is a guy called Tom Tapley who was an assistant engineer at Southern Tracks studios in Atlanta where we recorded the record and the words he speaks are words from an interview with Jeff Buckley talking about art. That song is a lyrical and musical sort of ‘pay your respects’ to Jeff Buckley and how he inspired us and so many others on so many levels.

The Not So New Manic Art tour is currently underway; what prompted this tour on so shortly after coming off the road with TBE?

Like I said before, Trial Kennedy are a band that like to keep busy and we really wanted to get back to some of the towns that we stopped off with TBE and get our full set to them. You have the luxury of longer sets on your own headliners so you can play some album songs and play with a few other little musical interims and stuff, keep it fresh and interesting for the punters and us.

We’re out with Birds Of Tokyo in March and then we’ll most definitely be writing our arses off and pump out a 2nd record. It’s all about momentum and capitalizing on that momentum so this all involves hard work and as much touring as possible.

Do any of you have a Colour Day Tours story of your own (ie wife, children, family, etc) when it comes to touring?

No one in Trial Kennedy is married or have any kids yet but touring is a time that you spend away from your loved ones and you do miss them but we’re lucky in that they all understand that we’re following something that we’re passionate about and maybe one day we can make a career out of it.

After experiencing so many different places on tour throughout the country, would you say you’ve located a most dedicated fanbase somewhere? I know Melbourne may seem an obvious choice, but perhaps there’s somewhere else?

Yeah, I don’t know what it is, but Newcastle and Adelaide always give us plenty of love. Sydney and Perth are close behind and we’ve got Brissy tonight so we’ll see if that changes anything in our favourites.
I’ll keep you posted

Weirdest gig (ie unfitting support slot, drunk crowd)?
We played a gig this year up at Mt Hotham that was a Rock, Skate and Pole party. Young kids skating and stuff, us playing in the middle and then a beautiful pole dancer. Funny stuff!!!

What’s the next step for the band? More shows, or maybe recording? Perhaps even a well deserved break?

No rest for the wicked. As soon as we finish the Not So New Manic Art tour we’re doing Melbourne Big Day Out and a big show out the front of Parliament House on Australia Day, then writing all Feb, out with Birds Of Tokyo in March then write April and hopefully get in the studio as soon as we can to pump out a killer second album.

INTERVIEW: TV on the Radio (USA), December 2008

Posted on 13/07/201314/07/2013 by David James Young in Interviews

No need to bullshit about here: TV on the Radio are one of my favourite bands of all time. I’ve seen them live four times, I own and love all of their music and they have been with me for a very, very long time. Nearly ten years, in fact. I’ve grown to love them more and more with every album, reaching fever pitch around the time that 2008’s Dear Science came out. How fitting, then, that this was when I would interview Jaleel Bunton, formerly the band’s drummer and now their bass player following the loss of the late, great Gerard Smith. Jaleel was a very cool cat – he was talkative, engaging and smart. I was beyond stoked with how this one turned out – and even looking at it now, my work here isn’t too bad. Definitely one of the better features I put together around this time.

Smith actually gets a mention in this feature, and I nearly cried reading over it again. He was a remarkable musician, and is dearly missed. TVotR are here at the end of the month for Splendour in the Grass – infuriatingly, not doing any sideshows. Hopefully, we’ll hear some new stuff soon.

– DJY, July 2013

***

“Sorry, man!”

Jaleel Bunton has returned from his promise to be right back, apologising for the noise. “I just entered a very loud rehearsal space.” This is easily forgivable – Jaleel Bunton is a fairly busy guy, consistently on the move. He is one-fifth of Brooklyn-based avant-garde rockers TV on the Radio, who are headed to Australia in early 2009 on the back of their latest album, Dear Science.

Released in September, Science has topped Rolling Stone’s end-of-year list and earned high-ranking positions in many more. It was also the second record that Bunton was an official part of the band as its drummer. Certainly, one could see this as a cementing of the band as a five-piece; and Jaleel himself tends to agree.

“The band started as just Tunde [Adebimpe, lead vocalist] and Dave [Andrew Sitek, guitarist/producer]. From that, it’s now grown into a five-way collaboration – this is the first time where everyone wrote songs for the record. We’re still trying to journey to – œfind ourselves’ as a five-piece, and I think Dear Science was a big step in that direction.”

With tight, groovy jams like Dancing Choose and Golden Age, as well as full-band freakouts like DLZ andHalfway Home plentiful on the new record, Science sounds far more like a band-focused record than their last, 2006’s wildly successful Return to Cookie Mountain. Putting this to Bunton himself, however, reveals a little uncertainty to merit of such ideas.

“One thing I like about this band is that it doesn’t really adhere to the typical band script of – ‘we were best mates in high school, started playing in our garage, rented out a studio’ – we’re not like that,” he muses. “So it wasn’t really a focus to make it more of a band record; it was just a goal to make a record that all five of us that we were proud of. We wanted everyone to participate because we were all individual writers before we met.”

Having said that, there is still certainly lenience towards the core trio – Adebimpe, Sitek and vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Kyp Malone. When asked which of the three Bunton personally connects with the most when it comes to songwriting, he notes that it really “depends on the song.”

“It’s pretty hard question to answer, y’know…” He pauses, then continues by stating that the band “all works together.” “It’s a little happy home… I mean, we definitely have our issues, but I’m impressed with the fact that everyone is able to keep their egos in check- that’s a part of art.

“Everyone has their different, particular talents,” he continues, focusing on particular examples. “Dave’s a really good producer, it’s something I watch and am really amazed by. And Tunde’s a fantastic melody writer. I work well with everybody with what they’re good at, to answer your question.”

If you have never experienced TVOTR live in any shape or form, you are most certainly in for a surprise. Perhaps the band’s most well-known performance is that of their appearance on Letterman a few years back, playing single Wolf Like Me. The already-dancey track was given a wild, rollicking renovation in the live environment – a credit, in particular, to Bunton’s Bonham-sized drums. Despite the impression that songs likeWolf were meant for the live environment, Jaleel explains that each song that this is simply not the case.

“I grew up studying how to play instruments; but I know a lot of people are limited by what their hands do and not what your mind is doing,” he says, elaborating on different degrees of musicianship. “When TV on the Radio writes or records, we write music to be recorded – as we want to hear it, not as we want to feel it.”

So what changes when it’s time to put the songs in front of a crowd? “It’s the exact opposite,” he states. “We’re more concerned with what it feels like than what it sounds like. This is the first time we’ve had quite a bit of live experience under our belt, making this record, so I think that’s slipped in subconsciously.”

Another staple of TV on the Radio live performances is bassist Gerard Smith’s near-obsessive refusal to face the audience whilst he plays. Jaleel laughs and describes Smith as “one of the single most puzzling enigmas on the planet.”

“There was no moment that made him the person that never turns around on stage – and if it did, it happened a long time before I met him. I will say this,” he continues as if giving an inside scoop, “I HAVE seen him,ONE time, turn around and wink at his girlfriend at the time in the audience. It lasted a matter of four seconds and it blew my mind!”

There is absolutely no doubt here – Jaleel Bunton is a charismatic, friendly and genuinely interesting man. If you missed out on tickets to any of their sideshows, and you are heading along to any of the Big Days Out, don’t miss your chance to catch Bunton in action with TV on the Radio. Hopefully, you’ll be excited as he is to be touring this festival. When asked if he was looking forward to the shows, he replies, “Are you kidding? I can’t believe I’m going to be travelling every day with Neil Young!”

INTERVIEW: Jim Ward (USA), December 2008

Posted on 13/07/201314/07/2013 by David James Young in Interviews

Funny story about this one: I remember it was scheduled the same day as my orientation day at uni, but I was in no position to say no to interviewing Jim Ward. So, naturally, I got my lunch break and I did my interview at the Uni Bar out the front while a staff member looked on with confusion. Jim was a pensive, thoughtful interviewee; and ended up being a very lovely guy in his own right when I met him not too long after I did this interview at his show at the Annandale. That, fittingly enough, was my first ever Annandale show – I can’t believe I’ve been going to that sumbitch for nearly five years! I’ll always love Jim Ward, no matter what music he’s making. This experience simply solidified that love.

– DJY, July 2013

***

Jim Ward is no stranger to Australian shores. Each time he has come, however, he has brought something different along with him. Back in 2001, it was with genre-defying quintet At The Drive-In, holding down the rhythm section whilst the future Mars Volta leaders Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez threw themselves across the stage.

A few years later, Ward was positioned up the front as his new band, Sparta, warmed up an audience in hot anticipation of Blink 182. Earlier this year, he returned without either band to perform solo and acoustically, as both the opening act for Incubus and one of the many artists featured at the 2008 Soundwave Festival.

Now, just over six months since that appearance, Jim Ward is set to play a number of low-key, intimate shows this month. This time, however, he will be showcasing tracks from his latest project, Sleepercar, and its album West Texas.

“This is definitely music I’ve wanted to make for a while,” he comments on the album’s rootsy, country vibe. “It’s stuff that I love, both in the singer-songwriter format and the band format as well. I’ve been working on it for quite a while, and it seemed like the right time to release it, with Sparta moving into a ‘vacation’ stage… it just seemed like something I wanted to do.”

The entire record is a notable change for Ward; not only as a guitarist (favouring a trusty old acoustic in favour of his Fender Esquire) but as a vocalist. His lower-range storytelling shows scarcely any resemblance to the high-octave scream of “Cut away! Cut away!” in the classic One Armed Scissor.

“It’s stretched my limits,” Ward confesses when asked whether the solo acoustic work has challenged him as a singer. He still remains positive that the challenge of creating entirely different music from his past has paid off. “It’s a good thing to be able to learn new stuff and better yourself,” he muses.

Despite having a new backing band in Sleepercar, with which he has toured with extensively this year, Ward’s visit to Australia is on his lonesome. He makes a point of his experiences of tours without a band, and what you take in as a result of solo touring and travelling.

When asked to comment on the life of the one man show, Ward describes it as “a whole new way of seeing things,” in a slightly weary tone (quite possibly the toll of his extensive tours). “It can get a little lonely at times, but it’s also good to explore your head and think about things… it’s a little selfish to do, but I think it’s an important thing to do sometimes, just to get everything together.”

Anyone who has followed Jim’s career to its full extent will note that he has evolved further and further in independence as a musician and songwriter, developing from a key band member to band leader, and subsequently as a solo musician. Each career step, one could argue that Ward has revealed more and more of his musical identity, his soul.

“Yeah, that’s fair to say,” he responds when presented with this thesis. “I think it’s given me a chance to find myself and explore other music, which you don’t normally get to do when you’re working with other people. Over the years, I’ve definitely found more comfort in making music. It’s definitely broadened my horizons.”

Ward’s work with other musicians, of course, has not come without in-band controversy. Huge creative differences were cited as the reason for ATDI’s demise; as Rodriguez-Lopez and Bixler-Zavala went on to form the Mars Volta. Even when the dust had settled on that one, another personal blow to the Sparta camp came when guitarist Paul Hinojos jumped ship… to join his former Drive-In bandmates in the Mars Volta. Despite such potential grudges still to be held, Ward emphasises that such conflicts of his past is water under the bridge.

“I still talk to them,” he states when questioned about his former bandmates. “They played in El Paso [city of Texas in which ATD-I was formed] the other day and I went to the show. Y’know, you grow up and you move on; but it’s still nice to be reminded where you come from.”

He’s certainly come a long way since releasing Hell Paso as a seventeen year old in At the Drive-In with his college funds. However, it seems very evident from the conversation that has just passed with an intelligent, thoughtful and humble man that his creative streak is far from running out. Ladies and gentlemen, please experience Jim Ward.

INTERVIEW: Final Fantasy (CAN), December 2008

Posted on 13/07/201314/07/2013 by David James Young in Interviews

This one’s a bit odd. I interviewed Owen Pallett twice – once via email and once over the phone. This is the first of the two, and one that I begrudgingly put together. I felt like he was really rude in his responses and didn’t give me a great deal to work with. By great contrast, by the time I interviewed him in 2010 he was really sweet and kind and thoughtful. Maybe it was just a matter of losing tone over the medium of text? I don’t know, but I felt I did alright here, given the circumstances. I still love this man like it’s going out of fashion. Apparently, he’s going to have a new record out soon. Make it so.

– DJY, July 2013

***

The name Owen Pallett on its own may not mean anything to your ears. It may, however, be a case of famous-by-association for many music fans: the Arcade Fire, The Last Shadow Puppets, Grizzly Bear,Fucked Up and the Hidden Cameras are just some of the acts Pallett has worked with. He is very much the background player, rarely taking to any kind of limelight.

When he does get the time to create his own music, however, it is under the moniker of Final Fantasy (yes, after the video game). Back in 2005, as a self-described “nobody”, he quietly released his debut record, Has a Good Home. Then, in 2006, Pallett wowed critics with a baroque pop masterpiece follow-up, with possibly the most inelegant, antithetic possible title for such a work – He Poos Clouds. Just because it’s been such a long time since that record, however, don’t think for a second Pallett hasn’t kept himself occupied.

“Since He Poos Clouds came out, I’ve done [we can assume, at this point, he has taken a deep breath before continuing] a film score, three classical pieces, two Final Fantasy EPs and a 7”, and orchestral/string arrangements on 15 different albums,” he recalls of the past few years in an email response to FL’s questions. “I’ve also learned how to cook Thai food, which caused me to gain 5-10 pounds.”

Even amidst so many projects, Pallett still finds the time to tour Final Fantasy, which is making its way to Australia this December. The live Final Fantasy experience is that of a unique loop pedal system centralised around Pallett’s predominant instrument of choice – the violin. Owen claims that a former bandmate was responsible for introducing him to this distinctive layering technique.

“Matt Smith, of the band Nifty and my former band, Les Mouches, is pretty much 100% responsible for introducing me to looping,” Pallett explains. “He guided me through expanding my set-up, and his own looping shows with Nifty are a blessing and an inspiration.” He also notes that he no longer uses loop pedals. “I’m doing multi-phonic looping now,” he notes. “Lots of fun foot-tapping and amplifiers.”

Not just Pallett’s own work appears in his sets, either. Final Fantasy has also paid homage to several other acts, notably recent visitors to our shores, Bloc Party. A video of Pallett using his looping system to coverSilent Alarm cut This Modern Love has been viewed over 100,000 times on YouTube, and came about through mutual appreciation of one another’s work.

“Kele [Okereke, BP frontman] cited my first album as one of his favourites of 2005, which was a major compliment, considering I was a real nobody. I really liked Silent Alarm, so I started covering This Modern Love.” He also notes that when he finally met Okereke for the first time, the two were so nervous that they “had a stutter festival.” “Stuttering begets stuttering,” he states. “Did you know that?”

Don’t be expecting any further covers from Pallett if you happen along to any of the upcoming Australian shows, however. “There aren’t any new songs I’m that excited about,” he confesses. “I like [The Dream’s single] Shawty is a 10, but that was last summer. Besides, everybody is doing the novelty covers these days. The novelty has worn off.”

Another thing you probably won’t see Pallett do anytime soon is discuss his sexuality in depth. In an interview with Toronto music magazine NOW back in 2005, he stated in passing that being a homosexual, and even identifying as a queer artist, did not necessarily equate to “gay” music and/or themes. “As far as whether the music I make is gay or queer? Yeah, it comes from the fact that I’m gay, but that doesn’t mean I’m making music about it,” he ruminated to writer Sarah Liss. A request for him to reflect on this mindset at this stage in his career, a few years down the track, surprisingly, leads to a dead end. “No answer for this,” he says, before dubiously adding: “I’m not interested in ‘gay.’”

Regardless of what the man may be currently interested in, one can safely assume that his upcoming shows (which includes an appearance at the Meredith Music Festival) will be some of the most talked-about of the festival season. Don’t miss your chance to see one of the great young minds of modern music at work.

INTERVIEW: The Bronx (USA), December 2008

Posted on 13/07/201314/07/2013 by David James Young in Interviews

It’s the Bronx, you guys. They impale weak fucks for a living. They don’t take no shit from nobody. They’re AWESOME. I learned the easy way – been following these guys and their music since 2004, and they just continue to destroy all in their path. I interviewed Joby Ford and it was… well, it was interesting. I kinda got the feeling that he didn’t like me at the beginning, with some curt and blunt responses. Eventually, though, he warmed up – and we got into a decent enough chat. I love this band, and it was super-cool to chat to Joby. Good times.

– DJY, July 2013

***

“You know how when you put a CD into iTunes, it automatically categorises it?” Joby Ford says in a low-key, slightly bemused drawl. “Our records don’t do that.”

And why is that? “Because of that reason.” To not be categorised in iTunes? “Exactly.”

Odd? Certainly – but it’s what we’ve come to expect from the band Joby Ford plays guitar in, The Bronx. The band have just released their third self-titled record (hereby known as The Bronx III ), which sees the anarchic Californians beef up both their sound and their line-up, thanks to the addition of a second guitarist, Ken Horne. Ford maintains that, despite having a second axe on board, the songwriting process for III really was not all that different.

“Anything you do to a band – changing a member or instrument – changes the musical spectrum completely,” he readily admits. ”[Former bassist] James [Tweedy] is no longer with the band, either; so there was two new members and we had to try and figure out where we fit sonically now.” And did it work? “We took our time and made sure everything was the way it needed to be. And it’s great,” Ford states enthusiastically, before laughing, “Another guitar player means I only have to do half as much!”

The Bronx III is also a departure for the band in terms of the way it was released. The band released this record entirely independently, under their label White Drugs. Ford, especially, seemed especially proud to discuss the band’s independence in regards to the record.

“There’s a lot less crap you don’t have to deal with,” Joby confirms as he weighs up the pros and cons out loud. “It’s a lot easier to do what you want, because you have no one to answer to; but you also have to pay the bills too, which is not always fun.” Regardless, Ford remains largely content as he makes a statement very few bands can honestly make. “I couldn’t be more happy with our place in the musical world right now.”

On the back of The Bronx III, the band is preparing yet another visit to our shores. The band have returned on the back of every single release since 2004, and have even filmed their first live DVD here (Live at the Annandale). The connection that Australian audiences have with the Bronx is not only a boisterous one, but also a somewhat inexplicable one.

“To be honest, I have no idea. I couldn’t tell you,” Ford confesses when asked why Aussie audiences in particular love the Bronx so much. After a momentary silence, he forges a makeshift explanation. “I think, maybe, we respect music and that could be it. The pedigree of music that comes from that country is, pound for pound, some of the best rock, garage and punk I’ve ever heard in my entire life. So to be accepted into that country… I’m not gonna lie, it makes me feel pretty good.”

The band not only has a handful of east coast shows on their Australian agenda, but also an envious spot atop the Meredith Music Festival line-up. “Matt [Caughthran, vocalist] is especially excited about the race – The Gift,” Ford says. “I dunno if you know what that is, but he’s really stoked to see that. He’s got the video camera charged.”

Ford is also quick to praise down under, even with the music put aside. “It’s a wonderful, wonderful country full of very interesting things. You know what the funniest thing about Australia is? I don’t know if you’ve ever been to the UK, but the fact that Australia was deemed a prison island for that country speaks absolute mountains about that culture. The UK? Not great. Australia? AWESOME!”

Of course, the life-on-the-road touring schedule of the Bronx does have its drawbacks. “I’m the only one in the band with a family,” Ford explains. “I have a 17-month old daughter. It’s driving me nuts not seeing her.” Despite the time away from his family, Ford still bravely and admiringly shows dedication to his band. “I cannot wait to go home, and I miss her so much. But you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do.”

So if you’re hungry for some sweaty, unorthodox and decidedly interactive punk rock from five guys who love our country, the Bronx happily welcome you along to their show.

INTERVIEW: Jen Cloher (AUS), November 2008

Posted on 13/07/201314/07/2013 by David James Young in Interviews

Funny that I’m revisiting this literally a day after seeing the lady in question live once again. I’ve known Jen for years, and I count her as both a friend and a great inspiration. This interview more or less started that, although we’d briefly met once before in 2007 at a festival featuring Xavier Rudd, Ash Grunwald and The Audreys. Man, what a time hey? Roots takeover! This interview came prior to the release of Jen’s second studio album, Hidden Hands, which was one of my favourite LPs of 2009. She doesn’t turn out records often, but when she does… look out, son. Them’s some hot rekkids.

This was one of my favourite interviews from around this time – more for what ended up on the cutting room floor, interestingly enough. We were supposed to have a 15-minute interview and we just ended up chatting for a good 30 minutes. She’s just such a warm and interesting person, and I can never be in a bad mood when I’m listening to her music or seeing her live. We’re fortunate to have women like this around, folks. Anyway, enough from me. Let’s read on…

– DJY, July 2013

***

Over the past couple of months, a familiar face has re-entered the collective conscience of Australian music after a momentary lapse into obscurity. For a while, nobody knew where Jen Cloher or her band, the Endless Sea, had gotten to. “I know, right?” the woman herself laughs. “People have been like, – ‘What happened to Jen Cloher? First she was touring and doing shows and then… she wasn’t!’”

The truth of the matter is that there is no big rock star meltdown story, or even in-band fighting. Jen simply took some time away from the limelight to visit her parents. “My parents moved back to New Zealand about fifteen years ago when Mum got work here – they’re Kiwis originally,” she explains. “I made the decision to spend some quality time with them and help out where I could.” Whilst in New Zealand, Jen also came to write the bulk of what would become the Endless Sea’s second album, Hidden Hands. The album’s title – from Cloher’s point of view at least – “sounds a little sinister.” There’s a lot more to it than that, however. “It’s based on a quote by Joseph Campbell, this amazing mythologist. – ‘Follow your bliss, do whatever you are meant to do on this planet. Doors will open where there were no doors before, and you will be lead by a thousand unseen helping hands.’ I love the idea that there are forces beyond what we can see that will help us on our quest.”

Recorded at Woodstock Studios in St. Kilda – which was, up until recently, owned by Joe Camilleri of Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons – Hidden Hands was swiftly recorded live over a period of seven days. The band chose once again to work with engineer Paul McKercher, who has also worked with artists like Sarah Blasko and Augie March. “We worked with him again because we were really happy with his work on the first album,” says Cloher. It is also interesting to note that Cloher herself, as well as singer-songwriter/touring partner Laura Jean, undertook the album’s production duties. “She’s a really great musician,” Jen enthuses. “I’ve stolen her to play some piano and sing, as an honorary member of the Endless Sea.”

Jean’s inclusion in the Endless Sea is one of three new additions to the Endless Sea line-up, which now tallies up as a septuplet. The others are Biddy Connor, a viola/musical saw player who also performs as part of Laura Jean’s Eden Land Band, and Tom Healy, a guitarist that Cloher met during her time in New Zealand. So what’s changed this time around for Cloher’s music? “The differences between the first and second albums are worlds apart,” she says emphatically. Elaborating on this statement leads Cloher to compare and contrast her two works back to back. “Our last album (2006’s ARIA-nominated Dead Wood Falls) was kind of based around lovelorn characters, and it had a distant romantic, blurred-around-the-edges kind of thing about it. It was very much your singer-songwriter album. You could hear that these were songs that I’d written by myself in my bedroom.” And now? “This record is much more of a ‘band’ album because we really developed our own sound a lot with all the touring that we did. When I was writing these songs, I was very conscious that I was writing these songs to a band’s strength.”

Conversation moves to what Jen was writing about during her time in New Zealand. “It’s not about romantic love or lost love. It’s about…” She takes a moment to attempt a vivid description, but shrugs and jokingly comes up with, “…big stuff”. By ‘big stuff,’ of course, Cloher means “mortality, relationships, family, friends, creativity… Really, when I was writing the album, I thought that the most important thing was that these songs were true to me right now.” With this in mind, it must be asked if there is a song that means the most to Cloher out of her sophomore batch. After a moment of thinking out loud (“They all are, so much,” she sighs), she chooses a song called Watch Me Disappear. Written about her mother’s battle with Alzheimer’s disease, she says that the song deals with watching someone very close to you succumb to the illness. “It’s death itself,” Cloher states. “It’s watching someone lose their memory, their concept of time… it’s a really weird disease.”

Certainly, even with a fuller and more realised band sound, this is the sound of a singer-songwriter tacking very personal yet universal issues. If you haven’t yet already, don’t miss an opportunity to bear witness to two of contemporary Australian music’s most formidable talents and hear the beginning stages of what is certain to be a popular release of 2009, Hidden Hands.