(#436) Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3 – Goodnight Oslo (2009)
Robyn Hitchcock has been releasing his idiosyncratic take on rock over the last couple of decades via solo albums or with now defunct backing band The Egyptians. These days, his band albums see him backed by the Venus 3, which comprises 60% of the final touring version of R.E.M. – Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey and Bill Rieflin. Many of the tracks on this hark back to the jangley sounds of early R.E.M albums although Hitchcock’s voice and pronunciation is in little danger of been mistaken for Michael Stipe’s then mumbled efforts. This is a solid album, the horns on Saturday Groovers are a nice addition to the basic sound and I’m Falling has an infectious singalong chorus which even had “M” singing along. Closing tracks TLC and the title track are superb nuggets each containing inspired guitar work that is more than a little reminiscent of George Harrison’s.
(# 437) Robert Pollard – From A Compound Eye (2006)
To state that this is “just another” Robert Pollard album should be taken as meaning nothing else than that. By my calculations he has released at least 40 albums over the past 30 years either as a solo act or as the driving force behind the mighty Guided By Voices. (And that estimate doesn’t include compilations, live albums or soundtracks.) This particular album is significant in the sense that it was the first solo album released under his name after GBV had broken up in 2004 although they’ve since reformed. But that doesn't really mean much as the album conforms to the usual Pollard/GBV template, a large number of songs crammed onto a single disc with the great majority with a running time of less than 2 minutes. Of the 26 tracks on this release, Dancing Girls And Dancing Men, U.S Mustard Company, The Numbered Head (a spirited jam), the practically mainstream Love Is Stronger Than Witchcraft and Kingdom Without stand out.
In the early afternoon “M” and I journey out to her sister’s for what we thought was going to be a light lunch. Instead we were served up a delicious platter of Mexican beef. We then continued on to Lara, just past the famous Little River sign that gave one of Australia’s most successful bands its name, to a mate's place for a bar-bar-que. Here we are served up delicious platters of lamb, beef, sausages, pork and, just for some variety, chicken. After that, with bellies swelling all of us continued into Geelong, home of Magic Dirt, for a primary school trivia night.
I love trivia nights, especially if there are loads of music questions. When I heard that 2 of the 6 rounds were to exclusively consist of music questions, I thought we’d already won. Even the other four rounds contained music questions, including the hoary old one about the age common to the death of a number of rock stars including most recently, Amy Winehouse (i.e 27). As it turned out we did not, a small number of really silly answers by all of us on the table at one stage or other sufficient to ensure defeat.
But the music rounds were cleverly put together combining questions which required tables to identify songs and artists based on a single aural snippet, TV series and movie themes and the next line to a song. However, I soon realised there is a very big problem when one does not have children and goes to a primary school trivia night and faces music questions. It is that what is meant by music is what the children at said school would play at home, to the torment of their parents. Fortunately other friends of mine at the table are parents sufficiently versed (or should that read traumatised?) to handle these auto-tuned songs and artists.
As a music freak, there is one aspect of trivia nights that has the potential to enrage my inner pedant. It is the lazily phrased question or answer and there was one example of this. During one of the music rounds a snippet of The Who’s Pinball Wizard was played. Now this being a trivia night I immediately sensed a trap. I cautioned my table not to answer “Tommy”. Tommy was not the official name of the musical. If my memory was correct, the answer should be “Tommy The Musical”, it being chosen to distinguish it from The Who’s original album. When the quiz master stated that the answer was Tommy, I was livid. (Fortunately, our table’s answer of Tommy The Musical was accepted.) At the next break I protested but was overruled. Let’s face it, if I was the quiz master I’d resent anyone saying to me that I’m incorrect. And, in fact, he was right. I was incorrect. When I sought solace in my pedantry on returning home, I discovered that the correct title of the musical version was “The Who’s Tommy”. The pedant in me then declared it a 0-0 draw.
Fortunately, by this time I was too tired to care too much more after the long drive home, the late hour, the extended gut and the in car soothing sounds of what is probably the most commercially successful album of the last few years;
(# 438) Adele – 21 (2011)
This album has been such a juggernaut that any praise or criticism seems unnecessary. Whilst Adele has quite the most magnificent voice, I think the person who deserves at least as much praise is whoever’s responsible for the track sequencing. Rolling In The Deep provides the memorable opener and Someone Like You its brilliant closer. The next best tracks are the two penultimate ones, One And Only and Lovesong, the former a superb piano and vocal exercise, the latter full of true heartfelt emotion. The bulk of the remaining songs are full of professional polish but are effectively no different to that produced by any of the world’s premier cabaret artists.
After a restful sleep, I awake on Sunday feeling not at all hungry. “M” feels the same and all we have for breakfast is coffee. Feeling more than a little zombiefied, I find the perfect album as I catch up what the world had been up to whilst I’d been gorging and sleeping;
(# 439) The Warlocks – Heavy Deavy Skull Lover (2007)
The Warlocks are an American psychedelic/stoner/shoegazing type act that has released a number of fine albums over that last 10 years or so. Their approach is neatly encapsulated in Moving Mountains, an eleven minute slab of sound that continues to build promisingly and, yet by its end, keeps you wondering just how much more longer the band could have kept it going. So Paranoid and the remaining tracks see the band expanding its sound to take in the type of drone rock favoured by the likes of Spiritualised.
From there the weekend became fairly predictable, especially the Bulldogs' 34 point loss to Collingwood. A very light lunch. A very light dinner. A very early night. And plenty of trips to the toilet.
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