Rave On

2012 RETROSPECTIVE: TOP 10 ALBUMS

10. Beacon - Two Door Cinema Club

Not as laden with obvious singles as their 2010 debut, Tourist History, but this is a more assured, mature effort. Lead singer Alex Timble sounds a bit like an Irish Brandon Flowers, and while there is a more controlled sound to Two Door this time around, there is no lack of jangly guitar. Sun is one of the songs of the year and Someday is a terrific track that will get you moving. I’m looking forward to seeing where these guys go from here, because I had them pegged as a one-album wonder. I’m glad I was wrong.

Key tracks: Sun, Next Year, Someday

9. Centipede Hz - Animal Collective

Backing up from their most successful commercial release, experimental rockers Animal Collective have produced a challenging but rewarding album that I actually rate above Merriweather Post Pavilion. To many it will be as inaccessible as previous releases, but if you’re a fan than you’ll know what to expect. Today’s Supernatural is a cracking song, and Monkey Riches is a desperation-filled epic.

Key tracks: Today’s Supernatural, Monkey Riches, Father Time

8. Pacifica - The Presets

It was always going to be interesting to see how the Presets followed up to 2008’s Apocalypso, which was a genuine powerhouse of an LP. After a four-year wait the Sydney duo have delivered a measured album that has a lot of depth and, in opening songs Youth In Trouble and Ghosts, some firepower. Pacifica doesn’t have the brute strength of Apocalypso, but it doesn’t need to. Pacifica is relatively relaxed, and mightily enjoyable. They’ve sure come along way from essentially being Paul Mac and Daniel Johns’ backing band in the Dissociatives, and are now one of Australia’s most accomplished groups.

Key tracks: Ghosts, Youth In Trouble, Promises

7. An Awesome Wave - Alt-J

With soaring vocals and a dash of folk rock, alt-J (or, if you’re being proper, ∆) could easily be dismissed as an up-market Mumford & Sons, but there’s much more to this distinctive debut. Breezeblocks is a stunner, Tesselate a teasing opener and there really isn’t a track on this LP that lets the standard slip. It’s probably why it took out last year’s Mercury Prize, a worthy result.

Key tracks: Breezeblocks, Tesselate, Fitzpleasure

6. Gossamer - Passion Pit

After their iconic LP Manners, Passion Pit had to deal with mixed reviews. Some thought it too poppy, too commercial. Others, myself included, thought it an album of burgeoning genius. Since it’s 2009 release, the band has gone through seemingly an endless supply of remixes for other artists, while the group’s bipolar leader Michael Angelakos battled continuing mental health issues. The result is an album that’s not as intense than its predecessor, but no less interesting. In fact, across the board Gossamer is perhaps stronger than Manners, and the first three songs are the strongest opening to album you’ll find in 2012.

Key tracks: Carried Away, Take A Walk, I’ll Be Alright

5. Neck of the Woods - Silversun Pickups

Best known for their seminal 2006 tune Lazy Eye, Neck Of The Woods was released without a whole lot of fanfare in the middle of 2012 but quickly shot the band back to prominence. And deservedly so. The constant driving, wailing guitar is the foundation of the album, and it juxtaposes Brian Aubert’s high-pitched vocals brilliantly. It’s a tremendously even LP, the lowest points not too far from the highlights, which is an achievement as this is an album of serious quality.

Key tracks: Make Believe, Bloody Mary (Nerve Endings), Busy Bee, Mean Spirits

4. Blunderbuss - Jack White

It’s amazing to think, as great as they were, perhaps the White Stripes held Jack White back. That’s one of the great acts of the 2000s we’re talking about, but Blunderbuss is such a rollicking, diverse album that it’s not an unreasonable position to take. With more lashes of country and soul than his blues past, White has produced an album that reinforces his reputation as one of our generation’s most versatile and talented artists.

Key tracks: Love Interruption, Freedom At 21, Missing Pieces

3. In Our Heads - Hot Chip

Hot Chip’s fifth album is full of confidence and feels more assured than previous efforts; it’s certainly less patchy. Upbeat tunes like Night And Day and How Do You Do? are punctuated by the contemplative ballads Look At Where We Are and Now There Is Nothing. Having the epic Let Me Be Him and the lovely Always Been Your Love closing the album gives it a well-rounded feel. 

Key tracks: How Do You Do?, Night And Day, Let Me Be Him

2. Django Django - Django Django

Django Django’s buzzing debut fizzes from one track to the next with the opening moments of each track playing with your mind before it inevitably settles into an instantly familiar beat. It’s like they’ve harnessed the best dream-like qualities of Cloud Control and interwoven it with pulsating African beats. This is the album that piqued my interest most in 2012 - it certainly can’t be considered boring. Default is one of the songs of the year.

Key tracks: Default, WOR, Life’s A Beach

1. Bloom - Beach House

Bloom makes its mark with lush dream-like music overlayed with gorgeous, understated vocals. It is anything but boring, though. The album starts with heavyweight track Myth, and doesn’t let up from there, finishing nearly as strong as it started. This is easily the most complete album of the year; Bloom is the only album from 2012 I heard without a single weak spot.

Key tracks: Myth, Wild, Wishes

2012 RETROSPECTIVE: TOP 10 FILMS

10. Smashed

Mary Elizabeth Winstead puts in one of the performances of the year playing Kate, an alcoholic teacher whose marriage is built on a foundation of shared boozing and late-nights out. Smashed tells the story of Kate’s battle to get sober, which - delightfully to me - includes Nick Offerman. Not really feel-good fodder, but it is worth the journey.

9. Turn Me On, Dammit!

Alma is young, horny and, along with her two best friends, stuck in a small town. The film oscillates between Alma’s fantasies, where she is exploring her sexuality with crush Artur, and the reality which is frustration and increasing isolation from friends and her single mother. Quirky and at times very funny, this film has much more depth than the title suggests.

8. Naked Harbour

A Finnish film which follows several different characters in separate plotlines, Naked Harbour is a slow burn as it spends plenty of time fleshing out the motivations, fears and futility of the protagonists. But it is time well spent, as some of the plotlines eventually interweave, and there are some fascinating twists and outcomes along the way. An extremely well thought out film which hasn’t got any critical acclaim, but leaves you pondering your own life’s pursuit.

7. The Dark Knight Rises

The final piece of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight RIses doesn’t quite live up to its two stunning predecessors, but its twists challenge the audience more than the franchise has previously. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a welcome addition to the cast, as is Anne Hathaway who makes a far better counter to Bruce Wayne than Maggie Gyllenhaal and especially Katie Holmes. A fitting end to the best Batman series on film yet. 

6. Argo

A very good film, although I didn’t walk away quite as amazed as I thought I would based on others’ critiques. There’s a tense ending, but deep inside you don’t really have doubts about the outcome. Ben Affleck is very good, and I loved the scene: Iran closing in on itself and rejecting the west in 1979. Not a chest-beating advertisement for how the US handled itself at the time, which was a relief.

5. Skyfall

Not my favourite Bond film, but it brought back the best element of Bond movies that was sadly lacking throughout the Pierce Brosnan years: the self-deprecation. But Skyfall isn’t slapstick by any means. In Javier Bardem they found the perfect Bond villain, and by bringing it back to Britain, they rediscovered the soul of James Bond. Interesting ending, but Daniel Craig can sign off as one the best Bonds yet. 

4. Seven Psychopaths

There weren’t many romps in 2012’s batch of films, but Seven Psychopaths’ creative writing and casting led to the most fun flick of the year. You’re always doing something watching this movie: laughing your head off, wondering where the next twist in the tale will be or trying to decipher fact from fiction. In Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson and Christopher Walken they could not have possibly have casted this type of weird, ridiculous film better. It’s very violent in parts, but in an okay way - even when those dying are good people. That’s when you know you have a great romp film.

3. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Fantastic, if not complex, spy thriller. But what really good spy film doesn’t have more layers than your mum’s lasagne? It has it all: murder, double crossings, affairs, stakeouts, clever theft and a big build up to an even bigger climax. Like the best spy films, it is set in Europe during the Cold War years. It really should be a pre-requisite for having a spy film ticked off for production.

2. Perks Of Being A Wallflower

I haven’t read the book, so came into this film quite blind. I walked away having barracked for the lead character, Charlie, more than any other before. Set sometime in the late 80s (I think, anyway), this film tackles love (der), mental health, sexual abuse, bullying, self-discovery and expression. Some might have found it twee, but I found it touching and fantastic. 

1. The Intouchables

Truth be told, this film probably had a headstart on the rest of the field by being French. And very funny. But in all seriousness, what makes this my favourite film of 2012 is the basic story. While the film centres on Driss, the unlikely hoodlum-cum-carer, I think it is really rich quadriplegic Philippe who drives the plot. His patience and determination to be tested allows the story to unfold. A gorgeously made production which does make you feel good about life. And that’s a good thing.

2012 Retrospective: Top 10 songs

10. How Do You Do? - Hot Chip

The best song off a good album, How Do We Do? follows the familiar Hot Chip pattern of a slowish start before settling into a regular, irresistible beat. Not an instant dancefloor filler, but a slow burn that leaves you moving some part of your body, whatever your mood or location.  

9. Sun - Two Door Cinema Club

From a band who knows how to record a really good snappy single (think I Can Talk and Undercover Martyn off their debut), this could very well be their best yet. It might not be as instantly singable as its predecessors, but Sun builds into a fun tune with a more mature sentiment and guitar riffs that cut through like no other in 2012.

8. The Best We Got - The Rubens

Bursting into life 30 seconds in with piano, drums and guitar, The Best We Got is the standout Australian song of 2012. Reminiscent of The Panics in their prime, The Rubens combine strong, emotive music with the deep and controlled voice of frontman Sam Margin.

7. Five Seconds - Twin Shadow

Forget the minute and a half of fluff at the start, once this song really starts, it goes. Foggy synth, crunchy guitar and clever timing makes what is a fairly repetitive song very listenable. The song is punctuated by the lift in intensity towards the end, with a certain desperation entering George Lewis Jr’s voice.

6. Disparate Youth - Santigold

Combining a driving beat, her unique voice and a Caribbean feel, Santigold has produced the best hip hop song of 2012. There’s a certain force behind what is a rather laid-back track by Santigold’s standards. Not a tune that will command you to dance, but it will command your attention throughout.

5. Breezeblocks - alt-J

No other song off alt-J’s Mercury Prize winning LP shows off Joe Newman’s distinctive vocals like Breezeblocks. Tremendous harmonies and an edgy folk-rock feel make this one of the singles of the year. 

4. Default - Django Django

Like most songs off their glorious self-titled debut, Default has a wild start before settling into a regular yet unrelenting rhythm. Django Django are clearly influenced by world music, particularly African beats, and this single is no exception. “Take one for the team/You’re a cog in the machine” could be one of the iconic lyrics of 2012.

3. Love Interruption - Jack White

Not the most unique, interesting or ground-breaking track of 2012, but there’s a sweet, relatable overtone to Love Interruption which is made credible by the vocal chemistry between Jack White and Ruby Amanfu. A soulful, southern number that will capture your affections if you have any heart.

2. Oblivion - Grimes

The cherub-faced Canadian experimental artist polarised music critics with her challenging LP Visions, but it churned out undoubtedly one of the most interesting singles of recent years in Oblivion. The only constant throughout the song is Grimes’ sweet vocals, which contrast sharply with the at-times harsh synth. Also my favourite music clip of the year. 

1. Angels - The xx

The xx cop have some stick for producing similar sounds over their first two albums, and it isn’t an unfair observation. But when you’re capable of delivering a song as perfect as Angels, why wouldn’t you stick to what you know? Some might find this song boring and one-paced, but I think it is extremely powerful in its sentiment and delivery. The sparse background allows Romy Madley Croft’s gorgeous voice to create a sense of genuine intimacy. And coming in at a tick under three minutes, it doesn’t meander.

When will America learn?

“Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.”

The famous, flippant defence that Americans who seemingly love their guns more than they love saving lives use is technically true. Cars don’t kill people either. Nor heroin. Nor tall bridges.

But we have speed limits, seats belts and breath-testing to mitigate risk of deaths involving cars. Selling, smuggling or possessing heroin is illegal. We put fences on the edge of tall bridges that are suicide spots so people cannot jump off.

And in Australia, we took action after 1996’s Port Arthur massacre to reduce the ownership of guns; particularly semi-automatics which allow a shooter to fire one shot per second. 

At the time it was a brave move by Prime Minister John Howard, but as a nation mourned 35 lost souls, he did not really have an alternative. The image of Howard fronting a pro-gun rally in Victoria with a bullet-proof vest under his suit is one of our enduring images, and not one the former PM should be ashamed of. 

So back to America and the misinterpretation of the Second Amendment, the shield of which the NRA and gun lovers throughout the Union will once again hide behind as we learn the grisly details of how at least 26 people have been shot dead in a Connecticut elementary school.

Today it is Connecticut. Yesterday it was Portland. We remember the shootings at Columbine High, Virginia Tech and in the Colorado movie theatre. 

The best article I have read this year was on this very topic, and I urge you all to read it too. Jill Lepore’s Battleground America in The New Yorker made me want to burst into tears on a commercial flight, and will leave you filled with sorrow, anger and despondency.

It cannot come as a surprise that the country with a civilian gun ownership rate nearly twice that of any other country in the world only sits behind Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela in the total number of deaths by firearm list.

What is surprising is the lack of action by those in power. 

This morning US President Barack Obama stood up and gave softly spoken but strong language condemning the latest shooting. Yet his administration has done and probably won’t do anything about gun control.

There is a lot I admire about the United States: their storied history, the ideals on which they were founded, their culture and how - in most cases - they play good cop on the world beat.

But how the gun lobby has seized control of the narrative with untruths paralysed American politicians is a blight on their system and those very politicians. Even after another one of their own was shot in cold blood in Arizona last year. Gabby Giffords survived, but thousands of Americans each year do not.

After this morning’s shooting we on the outside will once again throw our hands up in exhortation, and once again will no doubt be frustrated by the response, or lack thereof of the US policy and law makers.

And we’ll hear more tales of how people in the small town of Newtown Connecticut never thought this could happen in their sleepy town. 

But nowhere is safe when there is nearly one firearm per civilian. The question is: when will America learn?

The best of 2011

Top Five Films of 2011:

5) We Need To Talk about Kevin

4) The Black Power Mixtape (1967-75)

3) The Guard

2) Senna

1) Submarine

One that just missed out:

Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes

 
Top 10 Songs of 2011:

10) ‘Call It What You Want’ by Foster The People

9) ‘Apartment’ by Young The Giant

8) ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’ by Gotye featuring Kimbra

7) ‘Perth’ by Bon Iver

6) ‘Midnight City’ by M83

5) ‘The Look’ by Metronomy

4) ‘Machu Picchu’ by The Strokes

3) ‘Hurting’ by Friendly Fires

2) ‘If You Wanna’ by The Vaccines

1) ‘Lonely Boy’ by The Black Keys

Five songs that just missed the cut:

‘Escapee’ by Architecture In Helsinki

‘Piledriver Waltz’ by Alex Turner

‘The Last Living Rose’ by PJ Harvey

‘Blink And You’ll Miss A Revolution’ by Cut Copy

‘Options’ by Gomez

Top 10 Albums of 2011:

10) ‘Zonoscope’ by Cut Copy
Key tracks: ‘Where I’m Going’, ‘Pharaohs & Pyramids’ and ‘Blink and You’ll Miss A Revolution’. 

9) ‘Moment Bends’ by Architecture In Helsinki
Key tracks: ‘Desert Island’, ‘Escapee’ and ‘That Beep’.  

8) ‘El Camino’ by The Black Keys
Key tracks: ‘Lonely Boy’, ‘Dead and Gone’, ‘Little Black Submarine’.  

7) ‘Let England Shake’ by PJ Harvey
Key tracks: ‘Let England Shake’, The Last Living Rose’, The Glorious Land’.  

6) ‘Making Mirrors’ by Gotye
Key tracks: ‘Easy Way Out’, ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’, ‘In Your Light’.  

5) ‘Young The Giant’ by Young The Giant
Key tracks: ‘Apartment’, ‘My Body’, 12 Fingers’.  

4) ‘Angles’ by The Strokes
Key tracks: ‘Machu Picchu’, ‘Under Cover of Darkness’, ‘Taken For a Fool’.  

3) ‘Bon Iver, Bon Iver’ by Bon Iver
Key tracks: ‘Perth’, ‘Towers’, ‘Calgary’.  

2) ‘Pala’ by Friendly Fires
Key tracks: ‘Blue Cassette’, ‘Hawaiian Air’, ‘Hurting’.  

1) ‘What Did You Expect From The Vaccines’ by The Vaccines
Key tracks: ‘Wreckin Bar (Ra Ra Ra)’, ‘If You Wanna’, ‘All In White’.  

Five albums that just missed the cut:

‘Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming’ by M83

‘Helplessness Blues’ by Fleet Foxes

‘This Modern Glitch’ by The Wombats

‘Suck It And See’ by Arctic Monkeys

‘Build A Rocket, Boys!’ by Elbow

In 2012…

I will not…

Eat fast food. At all. This means no McDonald’s, KFC, Red Rooster, Pizza Hut, Nando’s, Crust, Hungry Jack’s, Oporto or Subway.

Drink soft drink, unless it is mixed with spirits.

Go any further into debt.

Drive if I can walk.

Be bashful and will go after what I want.

I will…

Have breakfast every single morning, either at home or work.

Drink at least four glasses of water every day.

Eat at least two pieces of fruit every day.

Swim once a week, at least.

Cook for friends more often, trying to expand my repertoire. 

Endeavour to visit the United States.

Ditch procrastination and work as hard as I can.

Write more.

Short walk, long memories

Nostalgia is a funny thing, especially when even the most mundane routine brings memories flooding back. And so it was when, after a day at the cricket, I took the train back to my mother’s home.

I must have done the walk from Yarraman station to my old place in Dandenong West hundreds of times in my time as a high school and uni student, but I haven’t done it since moving away five years ago and since living in Ballarat, East Melbourne and now Canberra.

The walk is only a 15-or-so-minute stroll (although I used to be able to do it in nine minutes when under the pump to catch a train in the old days, seven with a little running on the side), and to be honest I was tempted to continue on to Dandenong and get a cab back instead, but once I started the walk I was very glad I did.

It’s a walk that gives me a reminder of my working class roots. The homes are almost exclusively one-story and either brick or weatherboard. The front yards and gardens are usually a bit unkempt, there are young kids playing with a small ball in the overgrown parkland opposite their home and the multicultural mix of the area is on display in dress and home decoration.

Like any area over time, some things have changed and others are just as you remember.

The bridge over Dandenong Creek that used to be a dipping concrete walkway that was dangerous after a lot of rain has been replaced with a modern wooden bridge high above the waterline. Some of the old houses have been knocked down, the land subdivided and smaller units built. And I have to wonder how many of the dogs that barked at me from behind fences are the same that barked at me more than five years ago.

But it’s the things that are the same that brightened me up. The big, bulging mass of hedge that I ran my hand or arm over every single time I went past it, even when it was wet (heck, especially when it was wet) just so I could feel its soft bristled branches run along my skin. The basketball court in the front yard of my old friend Chris’ place, where I have fond memories of intense two-on-two games on the specially laid concrete slab with regulation height hoop and backboard. I even recognised the old man walking his old small dog through the parkland; he still carries the handle off a sledge hammer to ward off larger dogs and he still won’t give even the slightest hint of a smile after you acknowledge him.

I’ll always love that I was brought up in Dandenong, and for some reason, this particular walk is great reminder of that – even though I hated every second of it when I was younger.

Happy Birthday to my one true love

Dear Melbourne,

I hope you’re having a happy 176^th birthday, you saucy old minx.

I’m so sorry that I cannot be there for your celebrations – it really is my loss. But I assume (and hope) you’re putting on one of your typical late August sunny days interspersed with cloud cover and the teasing threat of some very light showers. While the “will you?/won’t you?” questions about the weather annoy newcomers, it’s part of your quaint charm to locals. It just forms part of your complex but interesting character.

While sometimes I kind of wish you’d kept the name Batmania in honour of early settler John Batman, you weren’t to foresee the popularity some 145 years later of the Batman series of comics, and saying you’re a Melburnian is probably more respectable than saying you’re a Batmanian when travelling interstate or abroad.

I’m sorry I’ve only been back once since I moved away, but I’ll make it up to you. I love that my last weeks with you were the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and that I’ll be spending a lot of time with you in September to watch my beloved Hawthorn Football Club play finals. April and September are your best days, where your the city centre truly comes alive and locals and visitors mix like a well-made gin and tonic.

I miss your magnificent gardens, your detailed classical architecture, your indie dance clubs, your perfect late breakfasts, your world-class sporting events, your vibrant live music scene, your danky river that I wouldn’t swim across if offered a five-figure sum, your trams, your more progressive thinking populace, your historic cauldron of a cricket ground, your elite range of restaurants, your collection of my friends and your ability to make me feel like I’m home. Because when I’m with you, I am.

In just over a week, I’ll be flying to you in the evening. If I’m lucky, we’ll need to make a sweeping north-easterly approach and your cluster of tall bright lights will be visible from my window seat (I’ll make sure I am on the left side of the plane to make sure I get a good view). If I’m really lucky, we’ll have to sweep in over your inner northern suburbs, and I’ll get that rare up-close view of the MCG and your city skyline with the bay behind it. I’m getting tingles just thinking about it.

They say that if you love something then set it free, and if it returns it was meant to be. Well Melbourne, you set me free four months ago and I want you to rest assured that I’ll be back some time soon to while away my remaining days. I truly do love you.

Eternally yours,

Me