Now I have no axe to grind with ARIA which presumably does a
lot a good work in the local industry. Indeed,
I would regard induction into the ARIA Hall Of Fame as the highest honour any
local act can receive. Rather, my lack
of interest in this anniversary stems from two factors.
First, the last 30 years has seen a marked by my increased
lack of interest in listening to the great quantity of music that gets documented
by it. Of the albums in this week’s top
50 album chart, for example, there are no more than 5 albums that I would be
interested in obtaining and there isn’t a single album there that I own. Black Sabbath’s comeback album 13 is probably
the only album I’m certain to eventually purchase.
But the other factor is far more significant. It is my belief that the charts now are probably
no longer an indication of popular trends.
We all know that a lot of music is illegally downloaded these days, and
radio airplay is excluded, so how representative is a sales chart of current
popularity? Indeed so many of the entries in this week’s chart can be explained
by as short term reactions to recent events, suggesting that it can now be as
easily manipulated as an Australian Idol winner. For
example, Pink’s Greatest Hits album (#12) has re-entered the chart almost
certainly on the strength of her Australian tour opening; John Fogarty’s Wrote
A Song For Everyone (#16) has been
backed by a TV advertising campaign; Harrison Craig’s album (#2) is still
riding his victory in The Voice final; ex
ABBA member Agnetha Faltskog’s new album (#5) charted only after a one hour program
aired on prime time TV and reason for the inclusion of The Great Gatsby original
soundtrack is self evident. Even more
damning is Bliss N Echo’s debut at #1 with Circus In The Sky. Apparently this was achieved on the sale of
just over 20,000 units which represents nothing more than their hardcore
audience purchasing it in the week of release.
And so, I was hit by an idea over breakfast. Why not “celebrate” the milestone by playing
music by some of the acts on my iPod least
likely to obtain an Australian chart listing.
However, with my luck, chances are everyone I’ve played has charted, but
it’s the concept rather than the reality that is significant here.
(# 513) Yo La Tengo –
And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out (2000)
A great three piece from New Jersey USA, Yo La Tengo essentially
produces noisy, squalling guitar epics that can include feedback, quirky
instrumentals and minimalist numbers.
This album is dominated by the latter; mainly low key atmospheric tracks
with understated vocals. Our Way To Fall
and You Can Have It All are the best of these with only Cherry Chapstick to
torment unsuspecting listeners thinking they’ve latched onto a chill out
classic. But then again they could lull
themselves to sleep by the wonderful 17 minute closing instrumental, Night
Falls On Hoboken. If the Kaplans really
wanted to be perverse, they should have begun the album with this, just as they
did the first time I saw them live.
(# 514) The (International)
Noise Conspiracy – Armed Love (2004)
Insurrectionary garage rock from Sweden anyone? The (International) Noise Conspiracy create garage
rock complete with cheesy organs and political intent. On this Rick Rubin produced album, the lyrics
of just about every track is capable of being interpreted as a call for a
worker’s revolution. And if you’re too
dense to understand the message there is always the rather more direct
Communist Moon and it’s relentless chorus of “let’s all share our dreams, let’s
all share our dreams, under a communist moon”.
(I dare you to listen to the track and stop yourself from singing along by
its end.) Ordinarily I would have no
interest in such blatant sloganeering……but the music is just so damned
catchy. My advice? Never mind the polemics, just enjoy tracks
such I Feel About You, Black Mask, the horns assisted Like A Landslide and,
yes, Communist Moon.
(# 515) Shellac – At Action
Park (1994)
Does the name Steve Albini mean anything to you? He is the producer of such uncompromising
albums such as Nirvana’s In Utero, the Pixies’ Surfer Rosa and multiple albums
by acts such as The Jesus Lizard and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. True, many of these albums have charted and he
has also produced number quieter acts, but his own music is something else. Prior bands Big Black and the appallingly
named Rapeman are very much acquired tastes as is Shellac. They emit quite a metallic sounding guitar din
which is applied to music with jerky rhythms, strange time signatures and heavy unyielding drumming. Melodic it is not, but it does create a
momentum all of its own. At Action Park
was their debut album and Dog & Pony Show is emblematic of their
approach. You will either like it (as I do) or
more likely loathe it.
(# 516) Sunn O))) – Monoliths&Dimensions
(2009)
Sunn O))) (essentially 2 Californians) play extremely heavy metal drones extremely slowly
usually with screamed vocals and little if any percussion. Live, band members wear robes and play their
guitars shrouded in fog incredibly loudly.
This is regarded as their masterpiece containing just 4 tracks stretched
out over 53 minutes. In it they utilise
a number of additional musicians and a choir that are simply swallowed into the
overall sound but add intriguing bits to the overall texture. The opening track Aghartha is long (17
minutes), very loud and contains lyrics that infers the apocalypse is coming. Big
Church and Hunting And Gathering (Cydonia), both 10 minutes long are even
heavier. But it is the final track
Alice, supposedly a tribute to harpist Alice Coltrane, that is the undisputed
highlight. It is a 16 minute
heavy instrumental into which a number of horns have been applied and the overall
effect of the meeting is a grand and stately track that rewards repeated listening.
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