Top 5: Albums This Year

Again, watching the ARIAs (which has been the worst night of Aussie award TV ever, such awkwardness), makes me evaluate the albums that have been filling my ears for the past 12 months. Last year was very much an all Aussie affair for me, whilst this year is a bit more of a mixed bag.

I continue to stand by my call that Florence & The Machine's Lungs is the last album you will ever need to listen to. So, so incredible. Having discovered her this time last year, it dominates my play counts, with tracks like Drumming Song, My Boy Builds Coffins, and Kiss With A Fist.....and then there are the releases from it, which just blow you away! So amazing live, that I have managed to see her twice this year - cos that's how much I have loved this album!!

Canada's Stars and their The Five Ghosts is another of the best for this year. An introduction of electro-pop since their past releases, the building drama of each track sweeps you along. I Died So I Could Haunt You, along with Changes my favourite tracks.

Charles put me on to Broken Bells by Broken Bells, which is just brilliant. A collaboration between Brian Burton, aka Danger Mouse, and James Mercer, from The Shins. Melodic indie rock - need I say more?

Golden Rule by Powderfinger is one that has grown on me over the year, but the bonus live disc instantly got a high play count on my iPod. The charisma that shines through this live set is buzzing. Makes you feel like you are there, singing along. Then there is the album itself, with the amazing Burn Your Name...an anthem as only the 'finger can produce. Sail The Wildest Stretch, Stand Yourself, and then the single All Of The Dreamers are also standouts.

Paul Dempsey's solo release, Everything Is True, is just such a complete album. Have You Fallen Out Of Love?, so lovely. Actually, could list the complete track list, being the songs I love on this one. So good.

And Down The Way by Angus and Julia Stone, who just performed the most nervous rendition of Big Jet Plane I have ever seen....bless them! And won Best Album tonight. This album has the 2 siblings fleshing out each of their individual styles and songwriting, and then playing their pletharo of instruments Tracks like Santa Monica Dream and And The Boys make you want to lay in a field of daisies! So lovely. And then Draw Your Swords and Yellow Brick Road is like warmed chocolate for your ears! Another band I have seen live twice this year, off the back of this release.

Oops, that 6! Maybe a couple of them don't count, cos they weren't technically released in the last 12 months....

Special mention goes to Feist, The Reminder - sorry, where was I when this was released, under a rock??!! This album is so amazing!

Also add to the list of mentions the album length surprise EP release, All Delighted People, by Sufjan Stevens, and then the 2 Aussie gems from Little Red and HKOK, being Midnight Remember and Escapades respectively.

Gig Retrospective

So with my blog hiatus, I have missed capturing many evenings of live music, and thought I would just do a quick run down...hopefully capturing the highlights that stood out for me...

After the opening train wreck gig for the residency, I saw The Basics the following 2 weeks, as they progressively got their act together. Not their usual selves the first week, but getting better the next, at a gig Charles was in town for. Alas, not the best time to showcase one of my favourite bands! Upon my return from my trip, amazingly, despite the previous performances, they had extended the Tuesday nights at the Northcote through June, and I managed to catch the last one of the 2 month series. No songs from the new album in this show, and a host of covers, the boys made several mentions of perhaps not playing again together for some time to come, and hinted at new Gotye material.

I saw Little Red at the Prince Bandroom, also just after I got back, which was a little preview of the new album. These boys are growing in popularity, with a rowdy and fanatical crowd up the front. This gig showed how mature the second album is, with a more bluesy feel. The new single Rock It, certainly had a beat and key feature that gets into your head and causes involuntary grooving!

The combination of The Holidays and the Hungry Kids Of Hungary on the one bill both previewing new album material, was enough for another drive to Melbourne, to the East Brunswick. The Holidays played entirely new material, which was brave, but showed this album is something to look forward to. Much of the HKOH tracks previewed were ones we had heard before at live gigs, but their popularity is also growing, and suggests this album could be huge!

Little Oh Mercy did a show at the Toff to launch Keith St as a single....teasing with the promise of an album early next year. Mingling old songs with very fresh ones, including an awesome solo track by Eliza, there remained an elephant in the room, being the unexplained absence of Thom.

I picked a jetlagged Melissa up from the airport as a payoff for her coming to see The Whitlams at The Corner with me - win win to her, if you ask me! Playing 2 hours of a full range of their back catalogue, before they said goodbye for an extended break. Tim always comments on loving playing at The Corner, even with the bulk of the crowd seeming to talk all the way through it. Nothing more annoying!

*credit goes to Nicole's blog for jogging my memory for some details here!

Roland Garros

The starting point for my big trip this year was the desire to go to the French Open. In fact, several of us had been talking about it constantly for months (I am looking at you, Rooey!). So as the group grew for this little idea of meeting up with Jessie at Roland Garros, we played on the website for tickets, and booked our two days, almost entirely in French. They are quite particular with names and ID for the tickets, which is quite...well, French, isn't it!

We were up and rode the metro out to the Roland Garros complex for Day 1 (actually techncally Day 2, cos they play some matches on Sunday to get through the matches of Round 1), where we found our first Aussie at play. Here was where being at the French Open really hit me, and it was all I could do to contain the excitement of it all, as we watched Jelana Dokic for a set.

A ground pass for each of the 7 of us, we wondered around the complex, taking it all in. We sat courtside and watched Carson Ball struggle through a couple of sets, before making our way to see Marcos Baghdatis up close on one of the mini-big courts.

Meeting in the middle of the complex for a beer, we discovered that Ball was in the last throws of a 5 set match, and managed to squeeze in to hear (not see!) the last game, before I headed off to further courts to watch Chilian Gonzalos. The bigger group joined up again as we watch Sam Stoser win through the first round (attributing her later success in the tournament to our support!), and watching a bit of the Molik game.

After our very full first day at the tennis, we made our way to the foot of the Eiffel, and took a cruise along the Seine, to take in Paris at night. So pretty!

At it again the next day, but this time we had taken a punt on booking a couple of seats in each of the main courts for the day. Belinda, Jess, and I saw the end of the first men's match on Court Suzanne Lenglen, and then Safina coast along before having a tantrum and finding her older Japanese opponent beating her. We then watched Nadal make easy work of his first match to his eventual tournament win. This was the match the French fans filled the venue for, for the first set and a half....I don't actually know where they were for the rest of the day, apart from clogging every walkway around the courts!

Jessie, Heath, Rhys and Hemant had their seats on Court Philippe Chatrier for the day, but we did manage to do some creative ticket swaps and tag teams, to mean that we each got a set in each of the venues. I joined this court to see the first set of Hewitt, and soak up the French centre court feel, before Rooey and I returned to Suzanne Lenglen for Sharapova.

Hewitt completed match point just as the rains started, and we were all trapped somewhere around the complex as torrential rains hit Paris. Being here for these 2 days was such a great experience, adding to the Grand Slam collection, and taking in some great tennis.

Hello Paris! Hello Jessie!

My much anticipated trip of the year arrived through a blur of a final essay, and tidying up a million bits and pieces for work, to be able to leave the country for a month! Clexane injections to prevent coagulation, and a hot and surreal plane change in Doho, and finally I was in Paris!

I made my way to our hostel, where I found Jessie, and Heath, who I hadn't seen since Barbados!

After freshening up, we went downstairs and found a street facing table at a nearby bar, for beers and catching up, where Hemant, Rhys, Belinda, Jess, Tamara, Dillo, and Remy found us. As a big group, we weaved through the streets to find the Latin Quarter for dinner.

The next morning, I went with Hemant to Montmarte, whilst Jessie and Heath went to see the Eiffel Tower for the first time. Checking out Sacre Coeur, and the little streets overlooking Paris, we the found the Moulin Rouge in the daylight, and wondered down the red light street for a giggle. He-man and I then got the metro to go and meet up with Jessie and Heath, on the grass below the Tower.

Rhys came to join us, before we walked to the Arc de Triomphe, and under the crazy round-a-bout to explore it. Last time I was here, we didn't climb up into the Arc, but Jessie and I were rewarded for our climb by seeing reference to the Aussie version of the Arc, being the one and only Arch of Victory, in Ballarat!

I loved Paris more this time than last time, I think because I wasn't rushing around to see all the sights, so I could just soak it up. Plus the weather was glorious, and so it wasn't the kind of hard work Winter in Europe makes everything!

Back to the hostel, we all got ourselves ready for our exciting dinner date for the evening. Now, the story goes that when Jessie was working in Edinburgh, she met an older gent who said she should come to his place for dinner when she's in Paris. Turns out that gent was Jim Haynes, and he has a dinner at his place most Sunday evenings, with a collection of people from around the world who hear about it through word of month. How amazing it that!

Our large group made it to the address, and whilst we were not meant to be such a group as it's not the flavour of the event, we soon found a spot out in the courtyard, and enjoyed the meal that was put together by a Chef from London.

Several wines into the evening, a few of us set out to embody the spirit of Jim's vision, and mingled with older couples from Boston, a freelance writer from Edinburgh, a German scientist....and 2 sisters from Ballarat, Australia! No kidding, we are everywhere!

Ghost Writer, Clinic, and Dad

I had so much anticipation with the build up for this year's Melbourne International Film Festival, just because there is always such great, fresh films on display, you feel part of this intensely absorbed community who also trek from one session to the next, and it's one of the best things about Melbourne in winter!

The first of my sessions this year was the new Roman Polanski, starring Ewan McGregor - The Ghost Writer. A political thriller about a writer employed to take over as ghost writer for the British PM's memoirs...after the tragic demise of the first one. Ewan is great in this role, and the twists and turns have your gripped. The final scene leaves you stunned!

A later night screening of a new Aussie film, The Clinic, was next on my schedule, and rattled me! Sign of a good film, if you walk out a little shaken! A story about a young pregnant woman who is kidnapped from the hotel she and her husband are staying in, she wakes in an ice bath with a scar across her belly. She soon finds that she is not the only woman in the rundown farm in the middle of nowhere...and soon the purpose of the makeshift clinic is made clear, and the frights begin! My own clinical knowledge had me disappointed with the portrayal of an Autistic man, but for the purposes of the story and the clear need for some assistance for these scared women, this gaff was overshadowed by the blows and the horror. Loved the ending, with a quote within the lasting frames 'Evolution is a bitch!'

Robin Williams in World's Greatest Dad was my next film, and another disturbing tale. This one directed by Bobcat Goldthwait, which may explain the black, black humour. Laugh out loud moments, inappropriate laughs most of the time, and yet a powerful message about acceptance and fitting in. Dad here is a teacher, and calls on Hemingway at one point, and then points about 'although he did try and scratch an itch at the back of his head with a shotgun'.

*Reviews not as in depth as desired, due to the length of time since viewing!

Hungry Kids, Basics and Clare

Three gigs in a row, three great Aussie bands, each promoting newly released albums. All good!

Saturday night Katie and I went out to Karova to see the Hungry Kids Of Hungray. It turns out Dean's parents are from the 'Rat, as he referred to it, and has lots of family here - that impressed the local crowd. Playing almost all the tracks from their newly released debut album, they added Arrest This Heart and Old Money from the previous EPs to the set list. Ending with Buddy Holly, a Weezer cover, perhaps as a response to the recent online discussions about their name.

Sunday night I met up with Nicole and Mary at the Northcote Social Club, for the second of 2 shows by The Basics, to launch their live album (Which you can download for free at that link). We made it into the bandroom for the second support of the evening was Georgia Fair, who certainly captured the crowd's attention. Sounds of Angus Stone, some great tracks were displayed, before the boys from The Basics graced the spiderweb draped stage, dressed for the Halloween date. Opening with The No 1 Cause of Death Amoung Youth Today, then U R The 1, before With This Ship, the show was showing signs of being one of the best. The first half of the gig was amazing, with the boys at their best, with banter and harmony. But then perhaps the level of alcohol hit for one of the band, and there was tetchiness, and perhaps some evidence as to basis for the planned extended break coming up for the band. An awesome cover of Roxanne, plus Just Hold On, had Wally showcasing his talents. Tim was also in full flight, with witty comebacks and crazy dance moves. Kris, though, was reminiscent of one May gig. Hopefully, their talk of not playing together again for some time will prove me wrong about them being The Band Who Cried Wolf!

Last night Jessie, Katie and I met in Chinatown for dumplings, before finding our way to the gorgeous Forum, and it's starry roof. Glenn Richards was one of the supports for the night, and despite just releasing his solo album, he was sullen and lacklustre...and didn't grab the crowd with any of his new material. He managed to get some attention by finishing with Augie March's One Crowded Hour. In complete contrast, Clare Bowditch entered the stage, aglow with a beaming, infectious smile. Playing the 80s-pop Casio influenced new tracks, with a sprinkling of the much loved songs of her back catalogue, she chatted and told stories to her adoring audience. The new Prinz Willy was just beautiful. And favourites like Divorcee At 23, Lips Like Oranges, and the amazing You Looked So Good, were so very good. Love her!

Neglected Blog

My last post had me plotting a new and exciting trip - and then nothing! For months...cos I guess I have been caught up in my travels initially, with very limited internet time, and thus blog time, and then getting back from my travels it has been work, work and work, and uni.

But after doing NaBloPoMo for the last 2 years, I have actually been looking forward to this one for about a month, as a solid excuse, and challenge, to get joulet back up and posting.

So busy, busy with work, with a pretty demanding workload, which also means loads of travel between our regional sites. And I am also just starting Week 7 of my 8 week semester of my MSW. Which I am loving, cos I feel like I am actually learning and putting things into my practice when I get back to the office, but it also drains my time, with travel, and guilt of not working on my essays. Or making up my hours at work.

So, let's just say my trip was one of the best things I have ever done. And also since I have been back I have squeezed in as many MIFF sessions as I could, given that I now live 90 minutes travel from Melbourne to get to them, and also been to a handful of awesome gigs.

Heaps to blog about, which should make posting everyday for the month of November easy as! Ha! Plenty of material....let's go!