Good Friday Special! - Men with long hair and possibly facial hair who died too young.

Can't Make A Sound
By Elliot Smith

Probably the man with the least facial hair on this list today. Elliot Smith died age 34 from 2 (supposedly self inflicted) stab wounds. It's a terrible shame that the world lost such a great song writer, but listening to his music you could kind of see it coming. There are so many good songs by him that its hard to narrow it down to just one (I might send you some more later) but today I've chosen this one because I really like the build up towards the end.

Long Hot Summer Night
By Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix is the Black Jesus of the guitar. Jimi died age 28 of suspicious circumstances (also possibly self inflicted). Still though, his legacy still lives on today with anyone who plays guitar. I chose this song, out of the massive amount of his other good songs because its currently my favorite one at the moment and its also a little more hopeful and up beat than the other ones one the list today. Of course, its a little less relevant since we are no longer in summer at the moment, but who cares...

Last Goodbye
By Jeff Buckley

If I have never played you this song, then I feel I have failed as a man because this is the kind of song you play to a girl that then leads on to making out. It's the kind of song I'd sing on at a karaoke bar or on Australian Idol to try and impress all the indie girls, except then I'd have to be compared to Jeff Buckley and eventually lose massive face for being a pale imitation.

Anyway, I've had this song for aaaaages. Like, when I first moved to Townsville ages. It's always been one of the greatest songs I've ever heard. A lot of Jeff's other songs are also great, he wasn't as prolific as Elliot Smith, but his songs are still as important to modern music, if not more so. He died aged 31 from an accidental drowning. I guess it just doesn't pay to be a great singer songwriter...

Girl Pianists FTW

Dirty Business
By The Dresden Dolls

Once upon a time I had the chance to see the Dresden Dolls live, but I think to get in you had to dress up mime style and plus I found out about it a little too late, and there was no guarantee I'd get in anyway. Plus there was no chance of anyone else I knew wanting to go. All those factors added up and I never went. I kind of wish I did go tho, since I really actually like their stuff. But I guess thats a lesson learnt right there. I shoulda known, I always have a soft spot for piano heavy music.

Samson
By Regina Specktor

You've probably already heard "Fidelity" and "On The Radio" (and possibly her cover of John Lennon's "Real Love") but they aren't piano-y enough for this post. Also, I've been pulling too many songs you already know the last couple of posts, so its time to get a little more obscure. This one is off of her first (and only I think) album "Begin To Hope". Regina's got an amazing voice but you can never really tell if some of her stuff is real or edited, but this is a relatively stripped back and sweet song, probably my 2nd or 3rd favorite from the album.

I Don't Blame You
By Cat Power

This has always been one of my favorite songs, from the first time I heard it ages ago, but it wasn't until recently I remembered to actually get it. I've never seen her live, but reviews of her live shows vary greatly. Sometimes shes unbelievable and sometimes shes total crap. Apparently she once just walked out on a show once in Sydney because she wasn't getting into it. A lot of people think this song is about the way she feels about playing live and having to follow a tour schedule. Some times, she just doesn't want to play.... and I don't blame her.

If, for some reason, I'm ever doing like a version on Triple J, this is the song I wanna do...

Special Encore!:
Girl Anachronism
By The Dresden Dolls

I had a little extra space this week, so I thought I might just put up an extra song. There are so many bands I've put up so far where 1 song doesn't do them justice. I mean, eventually I'll get around to putting some more up in other posts or something, but still.... Too much good music!

Anyway, I've already talked a little about the Dresdens... So I'd just like to point you to the film clip for this song. Listening to this song theres a lot to take in but it never hit me until I saw the film clip how furious the drumming in this song is. Seriously, that guys a freak. It's like his torso doesn't move but his arms just go wild. There should be more of it.

Australian Bands, Attempt no.2! Attack of the "The" bands.

Trampoline
By The Grates

The Grates were/maybe still are the darlings of the local indie/alternative scene, even more so because they are from Brisbane. Sometimes we even see Patience and John (singer and guitarist respectively) out in the valley.
Regardless, this song is pretty old, I'm pretty sure you might have heard it on a Jay Jay's ad sometime ages ago... But this is the one off of their album. It's still as rocking as ever. The Grates are a little bit of a mixed bag tho, I love them coz their music is so fun and upbeat, but I know some people, i.e. Vic, who doesn't like them coz they are a bit childish. I mean, i can see his point (last time I saw Patience, she was dressed up as Peter Pan and their back up band was dressed as pirates) but its always going to be about the music for me... Plus she's cute in green tights.

Buffet
By The Cants

Another kind of old one that you've probably heard before, pre-album, the difference is, I think we used to think the lyrics were "I like a Puppy....".
Still, puppies or not, its still a great song. I actually bought their album for another song that was awesome at the time called "Not Cool Enough For You" and this song just happened to be on the album. It was a happy coincidence. There is another cool song on there called "Complications" but the rest of the album is just kinda average. I haven't heard of these guys doing anything after this album (I haven't even seen them tour to Brisbane) so I don't know if they are still around.
Their band name is kind of dirty if you say it with a scottish accent.

Baby^2
By The Drones

Also known as Baby Squared, but not Baby Baby.
The Drones smashed their way onto the music scene about 2 years ago with their ridiculously long titled "Wait long by the river and the bodies of your enemies will float by" album. They gained a fair amount of cult status, due to their almost country-influenced sounds.
This song is deceptive tho, its straight up rock and roll and it sounds very out of place with the rest of their stuff. Not that the rest of the album is that bad, theres "Shark Fin Blues" and off there follow up album there is "I Don't Ever Want To Change". They are pretty good live tho...

I feel like such a traitor... Australian bands at last!

Play A Part
By Expatriate

I can't believe I haven't had any Australian bands on here yet! (Well, aside from Dave McCormack). Anyway, Expatriate are a Melbourne band that released an awesome EP with a kickass song called "Killer Cat" and another one called "Spaces Between". However, when they came to release their album, they decided to cut killer cat! Bastards! I think its kind of an Australian band thing, similar things happened with Eskimo Joe (Ruby Wednesday) and British India (Revolver, I think)... It could be bands just get sick of their clumsy first songs, but I think in this case it's because they were aiming for a kinda theme on their album. It kinda works, but it does make some of the songs a little samey.

Hurricane
By Faker

Faker were one of my favorite Australian bands of the last 2 years. Their first album was entirely kickass, and they also did one of the best live shows I've seen. I was pretty lucky actually, they had a festival thingy in the valley, where a whole bunch of my favorite Aus bands played including Faker, Expatriate, The Grates and Wolf & Cub, plus Canadian band The New Pornographers. It was a bad ass lineup.
The flipside of this tho, is that the other 2 times I've seen them they were nowhere near as good. I haven't heard all of their new album (Esta's going to send it to me...) but what I've heard is still pretty good. There are too many other good songs to list here at the moment, but I might get around to some more some other time.

Tales From The Forest Of Gnomes
By Wolfmother

Wolfmother blew me away about 3 years ago. Their 4 track EP was the most rocking thing I had heard for a long time. But then they went and recorded their album and lost a lot of their roughness and simplicity. The album was still hit after hit tho (I'd rank it up there with the strokes first album in such that every song on it is pretty solid).
They are kind of a funny band in the way they divide people. I mean normally, you either like a band, or you don't, and Wolfmother has some pretty ardent haters. But also, the people that like them are split between those that liked them from the EP and those that like them from the album.
I saw them at BDO 2 years ago, and beforehand, I was really excited about it. I headed deeeeep into the moshpit, and then disaster, there was some technical issues and they couldn't get the electrics to work. The crowd started to get pissed, and people who were there for the following bands started to pick fights with the Wolfmother fans, and then Wolfmother fans started to pick fights with other Wolfmother fans. And then more people tried to pour into the mosh. It was hell. Luckily, the band started playing eventually, but the feeling had well been lost. I still like them though...
Also, I picked this song because I thought it might remind you of your gnome days in WOW...

Other sounds of Britain you may have missed.

Shoot The Runner
By Kasabian

This band was actually introduced to me by a guy I worked with at Coles. Since its a kinda transient job place, we would often get a lot of backpackers and what have you work for a little time, and then move on. Back in the old country, he used to work at a bar where they'd get a lot of the up and coming new bands to play, so he told me about some of them that he got to see live. Kasabian was, according to him, the next big thing.
He was a big fan of "The Reason is Treason" from their first album, but I prefer this one from their second, most probably for the line "I'm a king and she's my queen, bitch!". The other top song off this album is "Empire", which is still pretty catchy, but in my ears, not quite as good.



Golden Skans
By Klaxons

At one point, Klaxons were the golden boys of the British music scene. Their debut album, "Myths of the near Future" kinda blew everything else away. I have a feeling its because they went in a different direction from what everyone else was trying to do, i.e. be the new arctic monkeys. The Klaxons however, choose to give themselves an electro/dance feel and it payed off for them.
The rest of the album isn't that bad either.... Definite stand out tracks are "Gravity's Rainbow" and "Two Receivers". They also got asked to do a song with the chemical brothers, which the chemical bros almost regretted because apparently the Klaxons turned up and only wanted to record covers of Pink Floyd songs or something. I think they did end up recording something, but im stuffed if I can remember what...



Direct Hit
By Art Brut

Art Brut is latest band on this list today, they put out their debut album late last year and were in direct competition with The Wombats for the unofficial "New Arctic Monkeys" award. They didn't win, but its ok... I think these guys are more like Franz Ferdinand anyway. I mean, 1) distinctive accent, 2) vague art, literature and historical references (although not in this song) and 3) songs about dancing (relevant to this song).
Out of all the new brit bands I kind of dug these guys the most. I mean, their album wasn't hit after hit like the big bands of yore, but its still a little different and even though the lead singer sounds a little retarded sometimes, he has a knack for writing good lyrics. Plus this song does exactly what it says its about, it makes you wanna get out and dance! Like a retarded Welshman...

What became of the likely lads?

Don't Look Back Into The Sun
By The Libertines

As you may or may not remember, The Libertines are one of my favorite bands... But if you listened to their second (and final) album, it's kinda of obvious that they were on the rocks. I mean, every second song is about how they can't stand to be around each other anymore and Pete Doherty could barely stand up towards the end of it.
Which brings us to this song, which depending on who you ask was either their first song or their last recorded song. I kinda lean to "last recorded" since their earlier stuff has a very fuzzy sound, plus this is totally another song about how the band is breaking up.
Plus, it leads itself to the story that whenever you hear Pete shout "Let me go!" in the song, it was actually Pete screaming in real life because he had to be restrained in the recording studio to finish the song. Apparently he turned up late, and stoned out of his mind, and they could only get him to do a little bit of recording before leaving a few hours later, leaving Carl Barat to make up a song with whatever they had down. Although, this could all be wrong... so don't quote me.

Fuck Forever
By Babyshambles

Pete Doherty went on to do a lot of things after The Libertines broke up, mainly cocaine and Kate Moss, but he did manage to get himself together and start a band as well. Babyshambles is a dumb name in my opinion, it was named after a recording session he did with the Libertines during the height of the bands problems.
The album itself wasn't up to the same level as the previous ones, but this song is definitely a stand out. It sounds very rough, but thats half of the charm! Even though its a recording, you can never really tell if Petes going to be able to make it all the way through the song, or if hes going to pass out in a gutter and kinda murmur the rest of the words. It is also a great song to shout along to in clubs.
It's always hard liking a band with Pete Doherty in it tho, considering hardly anyone actually knows hes a musician since Woman's Day and New Idea pretty much hammered him every chance they got... Not that he didn't deserve it or anything, but still. He was only acting like a rockstar, in the same way that Mick Jagger et al did before him. In someways, in this time of environmentally friendly, straight edge "rock musicians" he's the only true rocker left.

Bang Bang You're Dead
By Dirty Pretty Things

Carl Barat, on the other hand, did not get messed up on drugs and started a new band with the drummer called "Dirty Pretty Things" which was named after a DJ slot he used to do. Where Doherty brought the messy "everything's about to fall apart" feel to his album, Barat brought the jangly guitars and structured rock choruses. Personally, I think he did a better job.
Carl Barat however, seems a little incapable of letting go, as this seems to be another song about Pete being a wanker. But, its still got a tops horn section at the start and fun chorus, so its not that bad. The album itself is also much more listenable than Babyshambles, with a couple of other awesome songs like "Doctors and Dealers" and "Gin & Milk".
I always felt kind of sorry for Carl Barat. I kind of think he was the real musical force behind The Libertines, and despite all the overhype NME might have given, he'll never be as well known as Pete. I mean, never mind that neither of these bands have gotten terribly recognized outside of the UK or anything (although Dirty Pretty Things deserved it)... I guess at least the drummer got to be in an episode of the Mighty Boosh...