Up and running (almost)

Howdy, folks!

Hopefully, it won't be too long before this blog is up and running properly. At the moment I'm frantically (well, as frantic as a relaxed man can be) messing about with old posts and formatting and all that time-consuming stuff. So, from time to time you'll see posts below this one filling up the blog.

Incidentally, if you see errors in some of those posts (e.g., links that no longer work) let me know and I'll update accordingly.

Blog-gone blogs!

Unfortunately, Blogger decided that I'd been naughty with some of the music I'd posted on my old blog one too many times, and deleted the critter.

("And we'll have fun, fun, fun 'til old Blogger takes the nice blog aw-a-a-a-y...")

Time to fix.

Song of the day: Jo Jo Gunne - "Run Run Run"

Of all the hundreds of so-called "classic rock" songs that are considered worthy of being played repeatedly ad nauseam* on FM radio stations, this isn't one of them:

Jo Jo Gunne - "Run Run Run" (1972)

Link

Why? What's wrong with it? I think it's one of those great forgotten songs that, with a bit of airplay, doesn't have to remain a great forgotten song. (Note to self: you don't program radio playlists, Peter. Someone else does. That's one big reason why it's not played on the radio.)

And while I'm at it, why isn't this played on radio either? I don't get FM radio.

Jo Jo Gunne official website

(*"Your favourite songs from the 70s! The 80s! The 90s! And now! And the 80s! As well as the 80s! All the hits! From the 80s!" etc.)

Song of the day: Eurogliders - "Heaven (Must Be There)"

Today's song has already appeared on this 'ere blog, but back then it was tucked away at the end of a rambling post. Today I want to highlight it because I think it's a superb piece of slick, slick pop:

Eurogliders - "Heaven (Must Be There)" (1984)

Link

Song of the day: 78 Saab - "Never Gonna Be"

Here's Australian band 78 Saab with something moderately moody:

78 Saab - "Never Gonna Be" (2010)

Link

78 Saab official website
78 Saab on Facebook
78 Saab on Myspace

Song of the day: Tsar - "I Don't Wanna Break-Up"

I know that today's song is not from Australia, but dagnabit* I'm really in the mood to listen to it – and very loudly:

Tsar - "I Don't Wanna Break-Up" (2000)


That splendid piece of oomph appears on Tsar's self-titled debut album (2000), something well worth buying for about 67c at Amazon.com. Admittedly that's secondhand, but you can buy it new for $4.49. Either way, you certainly get your money's worth.

Tsar on MySpace

(*Sorry about swearing there.)

Song of the day: The Loved Ones - "The Loved One"

I want to point out three things about today's song:

1. For the kind of song it is (i.e., R&B-ish, bluesy rock à la The Animals), the verses have a very odd time signature. Depending on who you talk to, each verse is in either 9/8 or three lots of 3/8. (I go with 9/8.) But whatever you call it, that time signature is extremely rare for a mid-60's rock song. (You're more likely to hear it in prog rock a few years later.)

2. The vocal phrasing is pretty unusual for a rock song from 1966.

3. INXS covered this song – not once, but three times. They recorded it as a single in 1981, then a shiny new version on their 1987 album Kick, and then it appeared on their 1991 live album Live Baby Live. Unfortunately, in all of INXS's versions they played it safe, time-signature-wise, by having the whole song plod along in 4/4. (If you want to get pedantic, it's actually 12/8 – but that's still four main beats to the bar.) Ah, well.

The Loved Ones - "The Loved One" (1966)

Link

or

(The quality isn't as good, but it has less INXS in it.)

And here are INXS's three recorded versions:

1. INXS - "The Loved One" (1981)


2. INXS - "The Loved One" (1987)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFzNhImSngQ (Embedding disabled. Why?)

3. INXS - "The Loved One" (live) (1991)


I have a feeling INXS liked the song.

Song of the day: The Good Scissors - "Bakers"

Here's a band completely new to me (and probably to you, too). The band is called The Good Scissors and they're from Melbourne. They released an EP last year called Fandangled, and it gets my vote for Best One-Word EP Title for 2010.

I can't tell you much about the band, but I can tell you that musically they like the 60's, the 60's, and the 60's.

Here's one of their tracks:

The Good Scissors - "Bakers" (2010)

Link

You can hear all of the EP over at the band's Facebook page which has an embedded playlist. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a way to embed it here, so if you want to you can scoot on over there for a while and have a listen. If you're coming back after you've had a listen, I'll wait for you. And take as long as you want.

The Good Scissors on Facebook
The Good Scissors on MySpace
Buy Fandangled at CD Baby
Buy Fandangled at CD Universe
Buy Fandangled at iTunes

Song of the day: The Sighs - "Situations"

I first heard today's song on one of Jeff Shelton's Power Pop Show podcasts. (Hi, Jeff!) When I heard this song I went "Wow":

The Sighs - "Situations" (1994)

Link


I love the guitars in this song. So much so that whenever I'm listening to it I'm paying attention to only the guitars, nothing else. I have no idea what the drums are doing, or the bass, or even the vocals. I'm locked onto those glorious guitars, and wallowing in their majestic splendiferousness. (Don't go overboard, Peter. It's only a song.) Those guitars are ineluctably pulchitrudinous. (Now you've gone too far.)

The Sighs on Facebook
The Power Pop Show on MySpace

Song of the day: Beathoven - "Darlin'"

As suggested by loyal reader Anonymous (Hi, Anon!), I'm posting another song from the highly enjoyable Beatles homage, Beatlesque Again (Thanks, Angelo!). In amongst all those American tracks is this one from Australia which, I'm glad to say, starts off proceedings (i.e., it's track 1):

Beathoven - "Darlin'" (1976)

Link

Yep. Very Beatlesque.

The Innocents/Beathoven official website

Song of the day: The Bay City Union - "Mo'reen"

Here's 60's Australian blues band The Bay City Union with the not-especially-bluesy-but-irresistible-anyway "Mo'reen":

The Bay City Union - "Mo'reen" (1968)

Link

"Mo'reen" was originally written and performed by Paul Revere & The Raiders, but before I play you that I have another Antipodean cover version for you. It's by New Zealand rockers Larry's Rebels:

Larry's Rebels - "Mo'reen" (1969)

Link

Now here's the original:

Paul Revere & The Raiders - "Mo'reen" (1967)

Link

And here's the original in Spanish:



I have to say that the bass-line in "Mo'reen" (especially in the original version) is one reason I love playing bass. That's a great bass-line.

Song of the day: Even - "Rainbows"

Here's Even with the wonderfully ringing "Rainbows":

Even - "Rainbows" (2008)

Link

Even official website
Even on MySpace

Song of the day: The Gigolo Aunts - "Why Can't This Be Love"

I was cheerfully listening to the Beatles-inspired mix tape Beatlesque Again (thanks, Angelo!) and enjoying all the Beatles-lovin' power pop artists and their Beatle-y homages to the Quality Quartet when this appeared:

Gigolo Aunts - "Why Can't This Be Love" (1997)

Link

The original:

Van Halen - "Why Can't This Be Love" (1986)

Link

Update: I've just discovered that the Gigolo Aunts track originally came from a Van Halen tribute album called Everybody Wants Some! (1997). It's full of gems such as Eddie Van Halen's guitar solo showcase "Eruption" in two cover versions – one played on a church organ and the other on banjo. Yes indeedy-doo-dah-day.

Musical coincidences # 109

This coincidence is quick 'n' easy.

The Go-Betweens - "Streets Of Your Town" (1988) (excerpt)

Link

Oh Mercy - "Stay, Please Stay" (2011) (excerpt)

Link

Easy.

Here are the full versions:

The Go-Betweens - "Streets Of Your Town" (1988)

Link


Oh Mercy - "Stay, Please Stay" (2011)

Link


Oh Mercy on Facebook

Song of the day: Moniters - "Lights Go Down"

I received an email about a new (to me, anyway) band called Moniters. Although there was an Australian band in the 80's called The Monitors, as far as I can tell it isn't the same band. This new band differentiates itself by: a) not being from the 80's; and b) deliberately misspelling the name Monitors. I'm pretty sure they know it's a deliberate misspelling because they even highlight the wrong letter in their logo:

Anyway, the Moniters have recorded an EP. (Their debut recording.) It's called Sex City Lovers, and I reckon the boys in the band are trying to win female listeners with that title. When I saw the words "Sex City Lovers" I thought that maybe it was a subtle way of the guys in the band telling people that the EP is for "Lovers of Sex and the City".

Enough of the fatuous comments. To the music!

Here's a track from the EP. It's called "Lights Go Down" and it starts with one of those "Bend the guitar notes, Pixies-style!" musical techniques:

Moniters - "Lights Go Down" (2011)

Link

Here's another track:

Moniters - "Losing Heart" (2011)

Link

I didn't mind those at all.

Incidentally, the band from the 80's (The Monitors) had basically one hit, a catchy thing called "Singing In The 80's". Today's post featuring the Moniters has conveniently provided me with an excuse to play you that catchy song by The Monitors:

The Monitors - "Singing In The 80's" (1980)


Moniters on SoundCloud

Song of the day: The Easybeats - "Sorry"

It just occurred to me that yesterday's musical apology was from America. That's not good enough. Here's an Australian apology:

The Easybeats - "Sorry" (1966)

Link

"Sorry" is track 1 on The Easybeats' third album, Volume 3 (1966), which was re-released in 2006 with 11 (!) bonus tracks. That sounds like a bargain to me.

Musical coincidences # 108

A couple of weeks ago my friend Stonefish (Hi, Stone-y-onio!) posted "Cousin Norman" by Marmalade. (Thanks for posting it, Stonecaster!) In the chorus is this:

The Marmalade - "Cousin Norman" (1971) (excerpt)

Link

The melody and chord progression reminded me a lot of a bit of chorus in David Bowie's "Watch That Man" (even though the rhythms are completely different and can throw you off hearing the similarity):

David Bowie - "Watch That Man" (1973) (excerpt)

Link

Here are the full versions:

Marmalade - "Cousin Norman" (1971)

Link


Before I play you all of "Watch That Man", I have to tell you something about it. As you may be aware (I've mentioned it on other occasions), I'm a lover of little mistakes in recordings, mainly because it reminds me that actual human beings were involved in the recording process. It also reminds me that the musicians making those mistakes are, no matter how much we want to elevate them to demigod status, only human after all.

With that preamble out of the way, I want to point out the bass playing in "Watch That Man." As a bass player, I couldn't help noticing that the recording is full of bass mistakes (courtesy of bass-playing Spider From Mars Trevor Bolder). I was amazed at how many there were, and thought that it would have been noticed by plenty of other bass players. I went looking on the Internet – especially in David Bowie fan forums – for the comments and musings of DB fans but the weird thing is that couldn't find any mention of Trevor's slip-ups anywhere on the Internet.

The number of bass mistakes sounds to me like Trevor had a lot of trouble in the studio when the song was being recorded. It sounds like Trevor wasn't left with enough time to rehearse the track before committing it to tape.

And now for the song in question...

David Bowie - "Watch That Man" (1973)

Link

Song of the day: Rooney - "Sorry Sorry"

After the utter weirdness of yesterday's post I think it's time to go back to something tuneful. And not as scary.

Today's song will hopefully express how I feel about inflicting yesterday's post upon you and any distress it may have caused:

Rooney - "Sorry Sorry" (2003)

Link

Rooney official website
Rooney on MySpace
Rooney on Facebook
Rooney on Twitter
Rooney on YouTube
Rooney on Flickr

Song of the day: Runhild Gammelsæter - "Collapse"

I must admit that I don't usually play the kind of music on offer today, but I found this particular artist's biography so utterly fascinating that I just had to share it with you.

I was made aware of today's artist by the lovely Talia (Hi, Talia!) who's from a music public relations company. Exactly why Talia thought I, an Australian power pop fan, might be interested in the music of today's artist is totally beyond me, because it's about as far from power pop as any music can get. But I'm very glad Talia told me about today's artist, and you'll find out why shortly.

By the way, I must tell you something about the contents of today's post: I am not making any of this up.

Today's artist is Runhild Gammelsæter. Runhild is from Norway and has a PhD in cell physiology from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Oslo. Runhild is also a Fulbright Scholar, a model, and a painter. She's currently the president of Norwegian biotechnology company Regenics AS.

That's her day job.

By night, Runhild is an extreme metal vocalist. The style is apparently called doom metal or death doom or drone doom or something. (I really am not making this up.) Runhild's musical career began when she was a 17-year-old foreign exchange student in the US. At that time she joined a death doom band called Thorr's Hammer, but eventually left the band when she returned to Norway to further her studies. She then formed a drone doom band, Khlyst. (Honestly, I couldn't make this up if I tried.)

I was going to give you a big spiel about why I find all of this mind-blowingly fascinating, but I think I'll just let these two videos do the explaining for me:

DAY-TIME RUNHILD


NIGHT-TIME RUNHILD


Runhild has released a solo album, Amplicon, and that was the reason I received that email from the lovely Talia. Amplicon was originally released in 2008 but in very small quantities. In 2010 the album was re-released both digitally and on vinyl, and with new artwork (supplied by Runhild).

The collection of sounds you'll hear today may be the oddest thing you'll hear all day/week/year/decade/ever. Up until now, I thought Björk was odd. I actually thought that in the world of rock music, Björk was the Exemplar of Odd. But today's music is odder than her – times infinity. I'm not even sure if calling it 'music' is accurate – but in the absence of any other musical signposts (I really haven't heard anything like this before) I guess I'd have to call it music. Actually, on second thought I think it might be better to call it a soundscape.

Before I started listening to the album I had been doing a few things on the computer (like typing this post), but when I pressed 'play', and as the album progressed, I eventually stopped doing all those things as I kept listening, dumbfounded. All my brain could do whilst experiencing the album was to let out a feeble "What???" every so often.

After listening to the whole album in one go, I was left with the same feeling I had after I watched the movie Koyaanisqatsi: "What just happened?"

I wanted to describe the album to you to give some idea of what you're letting yourself in for, but I can't – and the lovely Talia (why did you send me this music?) didn't offer any descriptions. I definitely need some help here, so I'd love to hear from an astute listener who can tell me exactly what I've been listening to.

Let the mind-melting begin...

Runhild Gammelsæter - Amplicon (2010)


Runhild Gammelsæter official website

Song of the day: A band - "Too Much Sunshine"

I know I played you a song by this band only a short time ago, but I've been revisiting their discography and came across a track on their last album (Capricornia, 2002) that I find baffling.

The song is... well it sounds like the band, but it doesn't.

It sounds like a regular rock song, and I like it, but to hear it come from this defiantly un-regular band is a bit of a shock. Here 'tis:

A band - "Too Much Sunshine" (2002)

Link


I'm more used to hearing this band doing this:

A band - "Redneck Wonderland" (1998)

Link

Song of the day: Athletes In Paris - "Just Decline"

A while back I pestered you with a new song by a band from England called Athletes In Paris.

This English band called Athletes In Paris sure are a productive lot, because they sent me a message a few days ago saying that they've released another new song. They must be feeling especially productive because they've made the song a free download:

Athletes In Paris - "Just Decline" (2011)

Link

or



Incidentally, that message I received about the English band called Athletes in Paris and their new song included this snippet o' information:

Athletes In Paris will also be playing at The Great Escape, Europe’s leading festival for new music, in Brighton.

Unfortunately, the name of the band coupled with the name of the music festival prompted this uncomplimentary thought: "Athletes In Paris at The Great Escape? I suppose they'll be escaping from Paris. Which they were never in. Because they're from England."

Grrr.

Sorry about going on about the band's name, but it's one of my major musical peeves: bands with names that are geographically misleading. In this instance, Athletes In Paris hail from England (Newcastle, to be precise).

But they're not the only ones. These two bands come from Australia:

• Architecture In Helsinki
• Birds Of Tokyo

AIH come from Perth, and BOT come from Melbourne. That's Perth and Melbourne. Not Helsinki. Not Toyko.

Grumble, grumble, grumble.

Anyway, I don't want to leave this post on a sour note, so I'll present you with a fun photo of the band from England called Athletes in Paris being all athletic:

Except for the band member standing on the stairs*.

Athletes In Paris on Facebook
Athletes In Paris on Twitter
Athletes In Paris on MySpace
Athletes In Paris on YouTube
Athletes In Paris on ReverbNation

(*Maybe he's the band's manager, supervising proceedings and wanting to be in a photo with the band.)

Song of the day: The Genes - "Trying To Lose Control"

Here's Australian mystery* band The Genes with a pleasant, jangly thing:

The Genes - "Trying To Lose Control" (1995)

Link

That particular song appeared on a Spanish compilation of Australian power pop entitled The Bam Balam Explosion, Vol II.

(*I don't know nothin' about 'em.)

Song of the day: Eliot Wilder - "Wicked Beast"

I was contacted by a chappy called Eliot Wilder (Hi, Eliot!). Eliot is from the land of Americans, and he produces music that I have a bit of trouble trying to describe as diplomatically as possible. However, I'll give it a go. I'd describe Eliot's recordings – and I mean this in a nice way – as "psychedelic weirdo music."

Eliot has released an album called Wicked Beast. (It's available as a free download on Eliot's website.) I've listened to it four times now, and judging by what I heard, have come to the conclusion that Eliot drugged his songs. Now, I'm not implying that Eliot takes drugs of the illicit variety. For all I know, he could be a fine, upstanding, and wholly clean-cut young man who's never even taken an aspirin. It just sounds as if the songs have been drugged. Eliot takes perfectly decent songs and then warps them.

If you want some aural indication of what I'm on about (and to put you off the idea that "Hey, maybe Peter's the one on drugs"), here's the album's title track. It starts off quite pleasantly, and is innocent enough until at some point things begin to get weird:

Eliot Wilder - "Wicked Beast" (2011)

Link

By the way, as soon as Eliot started singing the song's main melody I was reminded of "From A Window" by Billy J. Kramer with The Dakotas, a song that Lennon/McCartney gave away in 1964 (to Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas).

Here's another track:

Eliot Wilder - "We Are So Fudged" (2011)
(The song's not actually called "We Are So Fudged". I took a bit of poetic licence with the title because it's one of those swearin' ditties that musicians seem to prefer nowadays. I've already expressed my views on swearin' in ditties so I won't waste your time going over it again.)

Link

I'll admit that "We Are So Fudged" wasn't that odd. It's probably the least odd song on the album.

I guess I can't really play you just two songs to give you an accurate representation of the album, because there's a fair degree of variety in the tracks. Here's one more that'll give you at least more of an idea of the kinds of things Eliot does to songs:

Eliot Wilder - "Best Day Ever" (2011)

Link

I'm glad that Eliot wrote a song called "Best Day Ever", because the song's name gives me an excuse to play you this little bit of magnificence:

SpongeBob & The Hi-Seas - "Best Day Ever" (2004)

Link

But back to Eliot. If you want to know more about Eliot and his song-drugging ways, there's an interview with him over at The Beat Patrol. And by way, I find the picture accompanying the interview rather unsettling. It's a drawing of Eliot, but it looks like the picture has been drugged, too.

Eliot Wilder official website
Eliot Wilder on MySpace

Great moments on Australian television

Barry Morgan from the World of Organs on an episode of TV music quiz show Spicks and Specks (2010):



And here's Barry at the end of the episode:



Superb.

Song of the day: The Wellingtons - "Hey Now Girl"

Here's another song on the charity album Together We Are Not Alone. This time it's The Wellingtons with what I'm pretty sure is a new* song:

The Wellingtons - "Hey Now Girl" (2011)


The Wellingtons official website
The Wellingtons on Lojinx
The Wellingtons on Facebook
The Wellingtons on MySpace

(*It's not on any of their three albums – which I have – and unless it was something they snuck in surreptitiously on one of their CD singles – which I don't have – it's new.)

Song of the day: Sonic Surf City - "Down On The Beach (Surf Little Girl)"

Here's a song by Swedish power-pop/punk/surf band Sonic Surf City (insert Swedish surfing jokes here). The song appears on the Japanese-disaster-relief charity album Together We Are Not Alone:

Sonic Surf City - "Down On The Beach (Surf Little Girl)" (2010)

or



Sonic Surf City official website

Song of the day: The Executives - "My Aim Is To Please You"

After yesterday's blast of energy, I thought I might take things down a notch or two*:

The Executives - "My Aim Is To Please You" (1967)

Link

Mmm. Smooth.

(*Or three.)

Song of the day: Puffy - "Invisible Tomorrow"

I have a burning desire to play you "Invisible Tomorrow" by Japanese girl duo Puffy. This song has so much energy that it seems as though it's bursting out of the speakers. Incidentally, this song achieves maximum impact at maximum volume:

Puffy - "Invisible Tomorrow" (2003)

Link

Puffy AmiYumi official website

Song of the day: The Well Wishers - "All For Nothing"

Here's cheerfully noisy US musician Jeff Shelton and his band* The Well Wishers:

The Well Wishers - "All For Nothing" (2010)

Link

"All For Nothing" is one of the tracks on The Well Wishers' latest cheerfully noisy album, Post Modern Romantic, which you can buy from quite a few places.

Buy Post Modern Romantic at Not Lame ($8 – bargain!)
Buy Post Modern Romantic at MySpace ($10 – almost a bargain!)
Buy Post Modern Romantic at CD Baby ($12 – semi-bargain!)
Buy Post Modern Romantic at Kool Kat Music ($14 – but you get a bonus disc.)

(*It's actually just Jeff and his drumming friend Nick Laquintano.)