Bawley

(Doing The Sums 2011) Are You Joe Average?

2012-01-23T23:08:00.005+11:00

The Bawley crew love (or is it love to hate) the triple j Hottest 100, which-ever. The only thing we love more than the Hottest 100 is our own (Doing the Sums) Are You Joe Average quiz. (see: 2007, 2008, Hottest 100 of all time, 2009, 2010)

Here is how it works:

1. Write out a list of the songs you voted for in the triplej Hottest 100.

2. Write down the position each of these came in the triplej Hottest 100

3. If a song did not make the list put down 101.

4. Add up the scores, and divide by the number of songs you voted for.

5. Post your results as a comment to this blog entry.

How to interpret your score:

1-13: Dude you are the zeitgeist no you are the zeitgeist featuring Kimbra.

14-27: So Nero yet so far.

28-40: Not quite Boy or Bear

41-52: "Here I am stuck in the middle with you"

53-65: Pretty pedestrian, but you probably have one weirdo friend who is rubbing off on you more than you realise.

66-77: Kinda quirky in a cute way.

78-89: Kinda quirky in a "slowly back away..." way.

90-100: You're a f***ing freak, man

101: Did you vote for songs, or flavours of ice cream????

The Bawley 100 top 10 scored:

Metronomy - The Bay 101
Karen O with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross - Immigrant Song 101
SBTRKT (feat. Sampha) - Something Goes Right 101
The Joy Formidable - Whirring 101
The Decemberists - Calamity Song 101
The Horrors - Still Life 101
PJ Harvey - The Words That Maketh Murder 101
Bombay Bicycle Club - How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep 101
British Sea Power - Who's In Control 101
TV On The Radio - Will Do 101

Bawley's score: 101 Seems this year, we were voting for flavours of ice cream.

How did you score?

The Bawley 100 – New Years Eve 2011/2012

2012-01-01T00:01:00.009+11:00

Global civil society is being threatened by an end of year list system based on power and not on human values. Year after year, best-of lists are published that repress basic freedoms and consistently favour the greed of the few over the needs of the many. This power finances mediocrity, blandness, and monopolies of critical acclaim. It sponsors dictatorial regimes across the globe, destroying ear drums while manipulating and censoring information flow and transparency.

This New Year’s Eve, the Bawley team will stand together to demand a 2011 best-of list that delivers the rights we were promised in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

We are the 99% - Occupy Bawley.

The 2011 Bawley 100:

100 Matt Corby - Brother

99% Saul Williams - Patience

98 The 2 Bears - Work

97 Daniele Luppi/Danger Mouse - Two Against One

96 City And Colour - Fragile Bird

95 Art Brut - Lost Weekend

94 Amaya Laucirica - No Excuses

93 The Black Keys - Lonley Boy

92 Cold Cave - Villians Of The Moon

91 SBTRKT (feat. Little Dragon) - Wildfire

90 The Horrors - I Can See Through You

89 Elbow - Neat Little Rows

88 King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard - Dead-Beat

87 Jebediah - She's Like A Comet

86 Yuck - Get Away

85 Noah And The Whale - Tonight's The Kind Of Night

84 Rihanna - We Found Love

83 Gil Scott-Heron/Jamie xx - My Cloud

82 Birdy - Skinny Love

81 Mogwai - San Pedro

80 CSS - Fuck Everything

79 Bluejuice - Act Yr Age

78 The Chemical Brothers - Escape 700

77 Bright Eyes - Haile Selassie

76 Kele - What Did I Do

75 Kate Bush - 50 Words For Snow

74 PJ Harvey - The Glorious Land

73 Laura Marling - Sophia

72 Gil Scott-Heron/Jamie xx - I'm New Here

71 The Antlers - No Windows

70 TV On The Radio - Second Song

69 The Rapture - How Deep Is Your Love?

68 Radiohead - Supercollider

67 Adele - Set Fire To The Rain

66 Daft Punk - Derezzed

65 Boy & Bear - Part Time Believer

64 The Vaccines - If You Wanna

63 Lykke Li - I Follow Rivers

62 Elbow - Lippy Kids

61 The Strokes - Machu Picchu

60 Mariachi El Bronx - 48 Roses

59 SBTRKT (feat. Sampha) - Hold On

58 Anna Calvi - Desire

57 The Horrors - Changing The Rain

56 Cut Copy - Need You Now

55 The Jezabels - Trycolour

54 Little Dragon - Ritual Union

53 Bon Iver - Minnesota, WI

52 British Sea Power - Mongk II

51 The Strokes - Under Cover Of Darkness

50 Cosmo Jarvis - Gay Pirates

49 Radiohead - Morning Mr Magpie

48 Lambchop - If Not I'll Just Die

47 Radiohead - Lotus Flower

46 Grinderman and Matt Berninger - Evil (Silver Alert Remix)

45 The Decemberists - June Hymn

44 Sparrow and The Workshop - You Don't Trust Anyone

43 The Weeknd - House Of Balloons

42 James Vincent McMorrow - Higher Love

41 Wire - Please Take

40 Florence and The Machine - No Light, No Light

39 Florence and The Machine - What The Water Gave Me

38 Wild Flag - Romance

37 Lykke Li - Youth Knows No Pain

36 DJ Shadow - Scale It Back

35 The Jezabels - Rosebud

34 Papa Vs Pretty - (Can You) Point Your Fingers And Do The Twist?

33 PJ Harvey - Let England Shake

32 Bombay Bicycle Club - Your Eyes

31 Radiohead - Codex

30 Cut Copy - Blink And You'll Miss A Revolution

29 Gil Scott-Heron/Jamie xx - I'll Take Care of U

28 Bombay Bicycle Club - Lights Out, Words Gone

27 My Morning Jacket - Circuital

26 Anna Calvi - Suzanne And I

25 The National - Exile Vilify

24 Darren Hayman (feat. Elizabeth Morris) - I Know I Fucked Up

23 Gotye (feat. Kimbra) - Somebody That I Used To Know

22 Bon Iver - Holocene

21 Massive Attack and Burial - Four Walls

20 The Jezabels - Long Highway

19 WU LYF - Heavy Pop

18 Radiohead - Separator

17 Joe Goddard (feat. Valentina) - Gabriel

16 Radiohead - Bloom

15 Gomez - Equalize

14 Friendly Fires - Hawaiian Air

13 TV On The Radio - You

12 Lana Del Ray - Video Games

11 M83 - Midnight City

10 Metronomy - The Bay

9 Karen O with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross - Immigrant Song

8 SBTRKT (feat. Sampha) - Something Goes Right

7 The Joy Formidable - Whirring

6 The Decemberists - Calamity Song

5 The Horrors - Still Life

4 PJ Harvey - The Words That Maketh Murder

3 Bombay Bicycle Club - How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep

2 British Sea Power - Who's In Control

1 TV On The Radio - Will Do

Bawley (Hearts) 2011: Top 5 Concerts of the Year: Karen

2011-12-30T04:24:00.004+11:00

5. Paul Kelly A-Z, The Playhouse, Canberra 28/01/2011

Kicking the year off with a tear-jerker before departing the country for 12 months. I can't remember where in the alphabet we landed at this show but The Playhouse was the perfect venue for an emotion filled show. Tears all around.

4. TV On The Radio, Metropolis, Montreal 17/04/2011

Beautiful show from one of Bawley's favourite bands.

3. CSS, Stereo, Glasgow 31/08/2011

I'm in love with Lovefoxxx. I met Lovefoxxx. She gave me a poster. I love Lovefoxxx.

2. The Cave Singers, King Tut's Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow 18/08/2011

So much energy, sweat and fun. These guys copped the old Glesga crowd in full swing and were ready to fight back with ferocity. Brilliant!

1. The Jezabels, King Tut's Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow 6/09/2011

My second Jezabels show for 2011 and they didn't disappoint. Possibly the friendliest band around, they had the famously hard-to-please King Tut's crowd lapping up their hits as well as throwing new tracks off Prisoner in too. Dark Storm is still my favourite.

Other highlights from the year include: C.W Stoneking in Edinburgh, Cut Copy in New York and Architecture in Helsinki in Paris.

Bawley (Hearts) 2011: Top 5 Concerts of the Year: Hummer

2011-12-28T10:13:00.001+11:00

5. Jebediah, ANU Bar, Canberra 26/05/2011

Essentially a greatest hits show Jebediah put on a show that was far more fun that I care to admit.

4.Adalita and Amaya Laucirica, Transit Bar, Canberra, 14/04/2011

Adalita's headline performance was good but the night belonged to the brilliant Amaya Laucirica. Playing songs from her Early Summer album Amaya Laucirica silenced the crowd with fuzzy guitars and uplifting lyrics.

3. Deftones, UNSW Roundhouse, Sydney, 28/01/2011

With a powerful new record under their (still low ridding) belts Deftones put on a the kind of performace you expect from bands half their age. Equal parts brutal and beautiful Deftones proved once again that they are more than your average hard rock band. (full review)

2. The Cure: Reflections, Sydney Opera House, Sydney, 01/06/2011

Specially reformed line ups of The Cure playing their first three albums at the Sydney Opera House. This show was always going to be great. I could not have known it was also going to be a lot of fun. As expected the sound was perfect and the band faultless what was a surprise was how fresh and fun the near 30 year old music seemed. The Cure: Reflections was a massive event and massive fun. (full review)

1. Portishead, Harvest Festival, Parramatta, 13/11/2011

The loudest, quietest, most delicate and most physically assaulting show I attended all year was also the best. (full review)

Bawley (Hearts) 2011: Top 5 Albums of the Year: Hummer

2011-12-28T00:36:00.005+11:00

5. SBTRK - SBTRK / Gil Scott Heron and Jamie xx - We're New Here / Radiohead - The King of Limbs

Dubstep/post-dubstep/bass music/the wobble sound/whatever was everywhere in 2011. While the clubs and radio playlists focused on the abrasive bro-step sounds of Skrillex, Nero and Skream there was another set of dubstep artists that were doing something more interesting thing at the other end of the post dubstep spectrum.

With more guest singers than a sewing machine convention the success of SBTRKT's debut record is in its cohesiveness. From the soulful Sampha to the poptastic Little Dragon SBTRKT manages to find the best in his collaborators. The record is full of downbeat electronic pop and I love it.

On We're New Here Jamie xx chops combines, re-samples and remixes Gil Scott Heron's 2010 album I'm New Here. Coming just before Heron's death the album has the feel of a tribute, but a fearless tribute. Opening track I'm New Here is a highlight as is the gorgeous My Cloud and the hands in the air closer I'll Take Care of U.

Using chopped up drum loops (Bloom) and reverb washed vocals (Feral) Radiohead showed that the tools of dubstep could be applied to interesting progressive rock music. The Oxford group further embrassed the genre inviting Jamie xx and SBTRKT (among others) to re-work tracks on the TKOL RMX 1234567 collection.

4. The Horrors - Skying

The Horrors have continued progression from goth punks to dark romantic pop masters. Skying has the band trying their hand at the stadium music of the 80's. The Cure, Simple Minds, My Bloody Valentine all the references are checked but this is more than just a re-cast of what has gone before. Skying is a large sweeping beautiful re-imagination.

3. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake

The album as modern war document. Inspired by the front line artists of wars past PJ Harvey drags her paint brush across the canvas of war touching on aggression, righteousness, loss and the deep dark red of blood.

The albums graphic (I've seen soldiers fall like lumps of meat, blown and shot out beyond belief - The Words That Maketh Murder) and gloomy (There are no fields no trees, no blades of grass, just unhurried ghosts are there - Hanging In the Wire) lyrics are at odds with the inspiring at times pompous music.

Let England Shake is supposedly not a protest album but an observation of wars past and commentary of conflicts present. It is also superb.

2. Bon Iver - Bon Iver

Free from his broken heart/log cabin myth Justin Vernon and band have produced an expansive technology assisted (yes, auto-tune) album of love songs. Drawing on place names real and fictional for song titles Bon Iver takes you on a journey one love song (real and fictional) at a time.

1. TV On The Radio - Nine Types of Light

Released just days before the death of bassist Gerard Smith Nine Types of Light is a strange TV On The Radio record. Minus the walls of static and subversive lyrics the Brooklyn band seem to be (almost) happy.

The new positive agenda is set on opener Second Song made personal on You and then executed with soul on standout track Will Do. The sparse ballad Killer Crane completes the records subdued first half. Before New Cannonball Blues and Repetition increase the pace towards the stadium sized riffs of closer Caffeinated Consciousness.

It took me a while to get into this positive version of TV On The Radio but the sheer number of repeat plays has revealed Nine Types Of Light; my favourite album of 2011.

Live Review: Harvest Festival, Parramatta Park, 13/11/2011

2011-12-03T10:17:00.010+11:00

The threat of rain has passed and the sun is shining as I join the growing smug of hipsters heading across Sydney's West towards Parramatta Park and the inaugural Harvest Festival.

Entering the site through the arts area means a short tour of the spoken word, comedy and cat suit performance art stages before arriving at the Windmill stage and New Yorkers The Walkmen.

I am not all that familiar with The Walkmen and their choice to start the day with a low key ballad confused me. This pattern continued and I found their set to be nice enough but hard to get excited about.

Harvest Festival promoters had promised a more civilised festival experience - fewer crowds, shorter lines, better food and no under 18s. I sat in the field listening to PVT, pint of cider in one hand plate of Churrasco in the other, and believed they had succeeded.

TV On The Radio open with Halfway Home but the show doesn't feel like it really starts until the band play Caffeinated Consciousness. The crowd has woken up and will continue singing, dancing, cheering along for the remainder of the set. New songs Will Do and Repetition fit perfectly next to older favourites like Red Dress, Young Liars and Staring at the Sun. A TV On The Radio performance has a lot going on and if there can be any complaint it is that Tunde Adebimpe's vocals are sometimes lost in the wall of noise. There are certainly no complaints as everyone in the crowd loses their shit to set closer Wolf Like Me.

Watching Bright Eyes I am surprised how many of the songs I recognise. They are familiar but not fantastic, after spotting a nurse handing out free sunnyboys I move on.

The sun is still high in the sky when Mogwai take the stage. The daylight only seems to highlight the raw power of the band. Pity the other acts across the site as on song after pummelling song the Scottish prog rock group seem to get louder and louder.

In 2008 I missed seeing The National at Glastonbury due to a savage case of food poisoning. In January of this year I came down with whooping cough just days before their Enmore Theatre show. So after two previous attempts and three weeks of self imposed isolation (just in case) I finally get to see The National. The band starts with a stomping version of Anyone's Ghost before the brilliant Mistaken For Strangers gets everyone moving. Front man Berninger's lyrics are complex and full of double meaning but this thinking man's band still know how to have fun. The soaring Bloodbuzz Ohio very nearly carried the audience away. Fake Empire and Mr November had the whole hill dancing. The show ends with Berninger stranded in the crowd shouting the words to Terrible Love. It may have taken three attempts but The National were worth the wait.

45 minutes after their scheduled start time the Flaming Lips appear on stage. Wayne Coyne arrives inside a giant zorb and the rest of the band are birthed from the va-jay- jay of a large orange woman. But just because they are on stage it does not mean the Flaming Lips are ready to play any songs. First streamer cannons, then Wayne Coyne has to walk his zorb over the heads of the audience, then balloons then more streamers. Another ten minutes later the band start to play She Don't Use Jelly, cue more streamer cannons, more balloons and a big sing along. More streamers, balloons and The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song follows before I give up. The Flaming Lips live show has always had a great reputation but for me I would prefer less gimmicks and a few more songs.

Harvest festival had been great so far but the day was always going to be about Portishead. The earlier delays have pushed back the start of Portishead's show. Rather than dull the mood this delay builds on the already high pre-show expectations.

The Bristol group starts with Silence, the teasingly long intro has the band jamming for a good few minutes before we get the first taste of Beth Gibbons' perfect delicate vocals. Mysterons follows and it is one of the few times you hear the band use the samples and scratching of their early 90s material.

Beth Gibbons is a reluctant star - when she is not singing she hides in the darkness. The reticent singer is more than made up for by the video show. Not content with just projecting the on stage action onto the screens, Portishead use stage attached CCTV cameras, mirrors, VHS tapes and analog video processing tools to augment the live images with pulses, shadows and crazy animations.

Wondering Star is Portishead's most beautiful and fragile song. The whole audience falls silent as the band's minimal beat carefully supports the perfect delicate vocals. In contrast Machine Gun is the most assaulting live track I have heard all year. The crushing beat physically turns my stomach, the guitars buzz and synth drone induces paranoia while the laser eyed Tony Abbott projections add a layer of fear - just brilliant.

The guitar riff on tonight's version of Glory Box is superb, highlighting that this the band's defining song should be celebrated as more than dinner party background music.

The main set ends and the band leave the stage with a chaotic version of Threads, before returning for an encore of Roads and We Carry On. A brilliant end to a brilliant set on a brilliant day, more next year please.

V.ery I.mportant P.rotester: Kayne West joins the Occupy Wall Street movement

2011-10-12T20:34:00.007+11:00

2012 Big Day Out head liner Kanye West marched with Occupy Wall Street protesters yesterday. Casually blended into the crowd Mr West wore heavy gold chains, Givenchy flannel, a diamond-encrusted watch and Louis Vuitton Jeans.

Kanye didn't have any words to say but in an exclusive report, egotripland.com uncovered the protest signs the everyman's man had planned to carry during the protest.

Egotripland.com:

Occupy Wall Street protesters got an unexpected visitor yesterday when rap superstar Kanye West made a brief surprise appearance at the demonstrations in lower Manhattan. Given the “Louis Vuitton Don’s” status as the petulant post
er child of flossy good living, and his reputation for self-absorption, West’s presence would seem directly at odds with OWS – which has fervently denounced corporate greed and the drastic inequities of wealth in this country. But in an exclusive investigative report, egotripland has uncovered the protest signs West had planned to carry during yesterday’s Occupy Wall Street protests.

See more of Yeezy's Occupy Wall Street protest signs and slogans at http://www.egotripland.com/kanye-occupy-wall-street-protest-signs/

The Beatles cover Smack My Bitch Up

2011-08-14T10:31:00.001+10:00

This would have to be the most interesting thing The Beatles have done in years, also The Prodigy do Help!

Live Review: The Cure, Sydney Opera House, Sydney, 01/06/2011

2011-06-19T18:09:00.004+10:00

Q: How big is the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall and just how far back are seats X45, 46, 47?

This is what I have been asking myself in the weeks since receiving tickets to The Cure: Reflections. On presenting our tickets at the door, the young usher smiles kindly and says "just keep going up" and we go up, up and up into the last three seats in the last row of this magnificent hall.

I need not have worried. The view from Row X is magnificent and from the moment the band starts their set, the sound is pitch perfect - loud, very loud, but without a hint of unwanted distortion.

Tonight's show was celebration of the bands beginnings: starting the show as a three piece (Simon Gallup on bass, Jason Cooper drums and of course Robert Smith vocals and guitar) the line up grows as they play their first three albums - Three Imaginary Boys, Seventeen Seconds and Faith - in full.

The problem with the Three Imaginary Boys album is that it was never very good - on the record the sound is thin and tinny, the lyrics weak and inconsequential. Tonight, live, the sound is full, the lyrics are still just as immature but are sung with an unexpected sense of fun. 10:15 Saturday Night, Grinding Halt and Fire in Cairo are the highlights and as the first set ends, Robert says "We forgot to play this last night" before recreating the original albums secret track - little more than an end of tape time filling jam known as The Weedy Burton.

Like a low hanging cloud the black clad masses drift out of the Concert Hall and into the Opera Bar. Balding goths mix with business men, pirates and corset bound vampresses all joined by their love of The Cure and a ticket to the hottest show in town.

Next, keyboardist Rodger O'Donnell joins the trio for Seventeen Seconds, the album that best captures the bands transition from a group following in the footsteps of post-punk to the band that has defined emotional gothic rock for the last 30 years. There are moments of great fun: the whole audience singing along to the keyboard riff on Play For Today, standing and dancing the long time live favourite A Forest, and the Happy Birthday Simon version of Three. Just as enjoyable but much darker are the live versions of M and Seventeen Seconds.

Another short break before the band return to the stage as a five piece with Lol Tolhurst joining for the Faith set. Tolhurst's keyboard playing and cymbal washes fill out the sound perfectly, recreating the dark dense moods of the Faith album. Primary is great as is All Cats Are Grey, but for me the highlight of the night so far is the big romantic wave of sound that is The Funeral Party.

After more than five minutes of applause and cheers for more, the band return for encore number one, early career b-sides World War and I'm Cold are great but the biggest cheers are saved for the classic singles Boy's Don't Cry, Killing An Arab and Jumping Someone Else's Train.

For encore number two, the band have moved forward a few years playing Decent, Splintered In The Head, Charlotte Sometimes and the gloomy as death The Hanging Garden.

After nearly four hours the band return for a third encore and this time they are ready for some fun: Let's Go To Bed is followed by the always popular The Walk, ending with The Lovecats.

No whater what seat you were in The Cure: Reflections was a massive event and massive fun.

Danger Beach - Apache

2011-06-13T20:41:00.003+10:00

If you like this as much as I do you can get it on Danger Beach's 2010 album Milky Way; ~~purchase ($7)~~ or download (free) via Dream Damage.

Trent Reznor and Karen O cover Led Zeppelin

2011-05-29T11:29:00.002+10:00

When I first heard 'they' were making Hollywood version of Stieg Larsson's The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo staring Daniel Craig as Blomkvist, I cringed and swore that under no circumstances would I see the movie.

My resolve was softened when it was announced that the film is to be directed by David Fincher (Fight Club, Seven, The Social Network) and the soundtrack was being worked on by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.

Now this bootleg quality recording of the films trailer has won me over. The action sequences look awesome but it is the sound track that really excites me. Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Karen O teaming up to cover Led Zeppelin's Immigrant Song, awesome.

Rumour has it that the preview is screening before The Hangover: Part 2, is this enough for me see a sequel to The Hangover - No.

THE CURE “REFLECTIONS” LIVE AT SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE

2011-05-06T07:23:00.003+10:00

After weeks of speculation Sydney Opera House have announced that the world’s most enduringly influential bands, The Cure will perform for Vivid LIVE at Sydney Opera House. Appearing onstage with a uniquely evolving line-up of band members past and present, The Cure “Reflections” will see the band perform their first three albums live, in their entirety, in an extraordinary concert experience exclusively for Vivid LIVE on May 31 and June 1.

Expect the shows to be filmed for a concert film to be released later in the year.

Live Review: Eat Skull, Slug Guts, The Phoenix, Canberra, 10/04/2011

2011-04-21T18:48:00.004+10:00

On Sunday night the Phoenix hosted a massive bill of punk flavoured music.

The night starts early with local bands Killing Birds and Bad Lifers playing short sets before the self proclaimed tropical punk kings of Canberra The Fighting League take to the stage. The Fighting League have been playing around town for a few years now and while front man is still ridiculously self-assured, I think on tonight's performance their talent is starting to catch up to his confidence. More good things to come from these guys?

Slug Guts vocalist James Dalgleish - dressed in leather gloves, pants, and jacket (no shirt) with dark aviators and a moustache on his face - looks the every bit the filthy rock star. His drawling uninterpretable vocals are a perfect fit for the band's raw swampy sound. Raw and swampy should not be mistaken for poor and lazy - Slug Guts are a tight act, with slow heavy drumming backing up thick baselines and weaving guitar/saxophone rhythms. On paper it sounds like a disaster but they are good enough to pull it off.

The only criticism I have of Slug Guts is that, for the first time listener, their consistent sound makes it hard to distinguish one song from the next.

Finally Eat Skull arrive on stage, but are unwilling to start their set until those lounging on the back room couches stand up and give them their full attention. The couches are pushed to the corners of the room (you will never guess what I found under a couch at the phoenix - yuk) and everyone crams in at the front of the stage.

A snapped guitar string, some poor jokes and a few lame but loud heckles give the show a slow and shambolic start. This is not at all helped by the near constant flow of people over the stage, ducking behind the band and into the toilets. Once things do get going, the songs vary from the quick and catchy noise pop of Cooking Our Way To Be Happy and Don't Leave Me On The Speaker to stretched out psych-garage Happy Submarine.

Singer Rob Enbom's cartoon-like facial expressions are amusing but it is the wild ungainly percussion of Rod Meyer that demands the most attention. When Meyer is not banging his tambourine against a BBQ hot plate or hitting his drum sticks on an empty keg, he is downing shots and rolling around on the filthy floor. The show gets really loose when, during The Doors cover and rock standard Roadhouse Blues, the now sweat-drenched Meyer shoves his way into the audience to dance with, hug and rumble anyone (un)fortunate enough to get in his way. Everyone else steps back and sings a chaotic version of the "Roll Baby Roll" chorus.

At the end of this fun night, I leave the Phoenix with a dull ringing in my ears and a confused smile on my face.

Grinderman and The National make Record Store Day Evil

2011-04-16T09:25:00.005+10:00

Today is a Record Store Day, an annual celebration of all that is good about wandering in to your local record store, rummaging through the racks, and coming away with something that you didn't even know you wanted.

In these times of poor sales and free downloads Record Store Day has also become a way for artists to promote, new or collectable releases.

2011 Record Store Day releases include new songs The Butcher and Supercollider from Radiohead, limited editions of Gorillaz iPad recorded album The Fall, a Flaming Lips box set, and a very special limited edition red glitter vinyl 12" from Grinderman. Its four tracks include the original album version of Evil, an early demo and two new remixes, the most excitingly of these has to be The Silver Alarm remix: a woozy remake of Evil featuring lead vocals from Matt Berninger of The National. Love It.

Listen Here

A more complete list of releases and the independent record stores that will be selling them can be found at http://www.recordstoreday.com, Australia, World Wide.

Live Review: Oh Mercy, Gossling, ANU Bar, Canberra, 06/04/2011

2011-04-13T22:35:00.001+10:00

Back at the ANU Bar for another night of live Australian music - tonight, Gossling and Oh Mercy.

First up Gossling: playing solo, the Melbourne songstress with the muppet-esque voice had some good moments (a Snoop Dogg joke, and set closer I Was Young) but largely struggled to capture the attention of small talkative audience.

Oh Mercy's latest album Great Barrier Grief has been getting great reviews and a lot of radio play, naturally I was looking forward to hearing the songs live. The headliners started well, opening song Keith St had everyone singing along as they rushed from the bar back while Confessions kept toes tapping.

For the most part though, the show was a little flat - the songs were nice enough and the band seemed entirely likeable, but the room lacked any real energy. It was only when Gossling returned to stage to play keyboards on Lenard Cohen cover Memories that the show really came to life, sadly Memories was the last song of the night.

7% refrigerator magnet poetry

2011-03-31T23:17:00.003+11:00

Earlier today I raved about the brilliant reviews by being published on @Discographies.

Tonight I find that the smarts behind that twitter feed have produced a mathematical explanation of Radiohead. Originally published in Rupert Murdoch's iPad only newspaper The Daily the infographic reveals what I have often suspected. Radiohead are 15% a nagging sense of unease and equal parts things that go "bleep" and things that go "skitterskitterskitter".

While I don't see a future in the iPad or newspapers published exclusively for it I do hope for a future in musical infographics. More please.

Get on Twitter, follow @Discographies

2011-03-31T22:18:00.003+11:00

Are you sick of bloated album reviews written by bloggers with a first-rate thesaurus but nothing much to say?

Exhibit A:

Pitchfork's 19,995 word goodbye LCD Soundsystem review.

Maybe it is time to check out @Discographies. The largely anonymous micro-blogger summarises an artist's entire body of work in 140 characters or less: short to the point and hilariously accurate.

Exhibits B,C, D and E:

Katy Perry: 1 "Everyone ignored me at Karaoke Night...until I told them I was bi-curious." 2 "Then I bought a blue wig and push-up bra"

Radiohead: 1-7 "How could we ever grow weary of these timeless works of art?" 8 "Whatevs. We live-tweeted it three days ago. It's so over"

Metallica: 1-4 "Run! Run! A monstrous juggernaut is coming to kill us all!" 5 "It stopped! Why?" 6-9 "Choked to death on its own fumes"

Interpol: 1 Find an old photo of Joy Division. 2 Xerox the photo. 3 Draw the Xerox. 4 Stare at the drawing: you'll never get Closer.

Get on Twitter and follow @Discographies while you are there why not follow @BawleyMusicBlog.

Live Review: Dan Kelly and Gareth Liddiard, ANU Bar, Canberra, 23/03/2011

2011-03-29T22:57:00.003+11:00

Arriving at the ANU, I am surprised to find a dozen plastic cafe tables arranged around the front of the stage. It soon becomes obvious that the bar staff are not running late in converting the room from student eatery to gig venue but that tonight is to be an intimate, sit-down show.

The last of the tables fill up as Dan Kelly arrives on stage starting his wonderful set with I Will Release Myself (Unto You) a song that with its self deprecating lines (The Lord did not give me, the skills to aim high/I'm not like Delta Goodrem born to try, I'm an uncomplicated guy... Uh, I'm struggling hard to spell my name, and honey you're such a brain) and loveable characters is the near perfect example of a Dan Kelly song.

Playing solo gives Kelly time to talk with the audience, he explains where each of his songs came from and what they are about. Proving he has no lack of imagination, these chats cover controlling hordes of ice addicts with classical music, wooing a lesbian couple to be his polygamist wife(s) and running away to an undersea post-apocalypse world lorded over by Bindi Irwin.

It is not all silliness. Drunk on Election Night came from frustration with our politicians and is tonight dedicated to Tony Abbott. The intent of this tribute is not lost on this audience as we all heartily sing the song's Cock-suck'n, Mother-fuck'n chorus.

The set finishes with Dan Kelly's Dream, a thick cloud of smoke machine fog settling above a classic rock guitar solo and the sound of chickens. This trip into Dan Kelly's mind has been weird but thoroughly enjoyable.

The bar queue has barely moved when Gareth Liddiard comes on stage. Tonight the Drones front man is playing songs from his recently released solo album Strange Tourist.

Like Kelly before him, Liddiard spends a lot time explaining the motivations and meaning behind his songs. Opener Blondin Makes an Omelette is inspired by the famed Niagara Falls tight-rope walker while Strange Tourist is a depressing tale that takes the listener to popular Japanese suicide spot the Aokigahara forest.

The serious subject material and stripped back song delivery makes much of Liddiard's set an intense experience. It is only during the faster, fuller Drones songs Shark Fin Blues and I Don't Ever Want To Change that we get a chance to tap our feet and relax.

The set ends with The Radicalisation of D a near spoken word story commenting on western society and how an ordinary middle class boy 'D' (David Hicks?) was driven to become the home grown terrorist. The last lines of the 30 minute epic: But now we interrupt this broadcast/To bring you breaking news/There is a building in Manhattan/And it's burning.

..INnnntense..

Extra, Extra

2011-03-25T23:29:00.003+11:00

The CD version of Radiohead's latest album King of Limbs will be in shops on Monday the 28th March (Tuesday 29th US and Canada?). To help celebrate this occasion Radiohead have produced one off lefty newspaper titled The Universal Sigh.

Even better The Universal Sigh will be available (for free) at your favourite record store from midday on Monday 28th March 2011.

Website theuniversalsigh.com has been stood up to provide like minded fans an avenue for expression while extending the paper's life beyond the fish and chips shop.

Check http://www.theuniversalsigh.com/locations/ for a list of record shops that will be giving out copies of the paper.

The King Of Limbs out on Saturday

2011-02-15T09:56:00.004+11:00

Radiohead have done another 'In Rainbows' except, this time, without the 'pay what you like' thing. Their new album is available for download from Saturday here , before coming out in novelty 'CD-and bits-you-don't-really-need' format, which ships on May 9. Oh, and the plain old CD version will be out in shops at the end of March, too.

What does it sound like? Nobody knows.....

Hottest 100 Numbers 101-200

2011-02-10T18:55:00.002+11:00

Wondering where all the songs you voted for in the triple j hottest 100 went?

Richard Kingsmill has leaked numbers 101 - 200.

Sleigh Bells, LCD Soundsystem, Robyn, Grinderman, Janelle Monae this list is 101 times cooler than the top 100.

Here it is (Bawley 100 ranking in brackets):

200 ( 36 ) Delphic - Doubt
199 ( - ) The Holidays - Broken Bones
198 ( - ) The Subs - Mitsubitchi
197 ( - ) Weezer - Memories
196 ( - ) Clare Bowditch & The New Slang - Modern Day Addiction
195 ( - ) Dizzee Rascal - Dirtee Disco
194 ( 4 ) Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
193 ( - ) The Amity Affliction - Youngbloods
192 ( - ) Laura Marling - Devil's Spoke
191 ( - ) Deadmau5 & Wolfgang Gartner - Animal Rights
190 ( - ) Nicholas Roy - It's All My Fault
189 ( - ) Hungry Kids Of Hungary - Wristwatch
188 ( - ) Brandon Flowers - Crossfire
187 ( - ) Angus And Julia Stone - Black Crow
186 ( - ) Kanye West - Lost In The World {Ft. Bon Iver}
185 ( - ) The Cat Empire - Feeling's Gone
184 ( - ) Sally Seltmann - Harmony To My Heartbeat
183 ( - ) OK Go - This Too Shall Pass
182 ( - ) Miami Horror - Moon Theory
181 ( - ) Foals - This Orient
180 ( - ) Cee Lo Green - Bright Lights Bigger City
179 ( - ) Illy - The Chase {Ft. Olivier Daysoul}
178 ( - ) Regina Spektor - No Surprises {triple j Like A Version}
177 ( - ) Kanye West - Dark Fantasy
176 ( - ) Cold War Kids - Louder Than Ever
175 ( - ) Paul Kelly & Angus Stone - Four Seasons In One Day
174 ( - ) Bliss N Eso - Family Affair
173 ( 26 ) Janelle Monae - Tightrope {Ft. Big Boi}
172 ( - ) The Drums - Saddest Summer
171 ( - ) Bertie Blackman - Peek-A-Boo
170 ( 47 ) Yeasayer - Madder Red
169 ( 24 ) Cut Copy - Take Me Over
168 ( 9 ) Crystal Castles - Celestica
167 ( - ) Big Scary - Falling Away
166 ( - ) Local Natives - Airplanes
165 ( - ) Girl Talk - Down For The Count
164 ( - ) Wavves - King Of The Beach
163 ( - ) Lykke Li - Get Some
162 ( - ) Birds Of Tokyo - Circles
161 ( - ) Tame Impala - Alter Ego
160 ( - ) The Drums - Forever And Ever Amen
159 ( - ) 360 - Just Got Started {Ft. Pez}
158 ( - ) Daft Punk - Derezzed
157 ( - ) Sarah Blasko - Hold On My Heart {The Presets Remix}
156 ( - ) Marina & The Diamonds - Shampain
155 ( 78 ) The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang
154 ( - ) Band Of Skulls - Death By Diamonds And Pearls
153 ( - ) British India - Beneath The Satellites
152 ( - ) Miami Horror - I Look To You {Ft. Kimbra}
151 ( - ) Darren Hanlon - All These Things
150 ( - ) Two Door Cinema Club - Come Back Home
149 ( 14 ) LCD Soundsystem - Dance Yrself Clean
148 ( - ) Hilltop Hoods - Parade Of The Dead
147 ( - ) Dan Black - Symphonies {Ft. Kid Cudi}
146 ( - ) Gyroscope - Some Of The Places I Know
145 ( - ) Fyfe Dangerfield - When You Walk In The Room
144 ( - ) Bag Raiders - Snake Charmer
143 ( - ) Sia - Stop Trying
142 ( 30 ) Robyn - Dancing On My Own
141 ( - ) Gyroscope - What Do I Know About Pain?
140 ( 56 ) Cloud Control - Meditation Song #2 (Why, Oh Why)
139 ( - ) Angus And Julia Stone - For You
138 ( - ) Kanye West - All Of The Lights
137 ( - ) The Cat Empire - Falling
136 ( - ) My Chemical Romance - Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)
135 ( - ) Bluejuice - Work
134 ( - ) The Aston Shuffle - Your Love
133 ( - ) Lupe Fiasco - The Show Goes On
132 ( - ) LCD Soundsystem - Drunk Girls
131 ( - ) Sarah Blasko - Hey Ya! {triple j Like A Version}
130 ( - ) Ball Park Music - iFly
129 ( - ) The Amity Affliction - Anchors
128 ( - ) Best Coast - Boyfriend
127 ( - ) Gorillaz - Superfast Jellyfish {Ft. De La Soul & Gruff Rhys}
126 ( - ) Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - 40 Day Dream
125 ( - ) Kimbra - Settle Down
124 ( - ) John Butler Trio - Close To You
123 ( - ) K-Os - I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman
122 ( 83 ) Band Of Horses - Laredo
121 ( 37 ) Kele - Everything You Wanted
120 ( - ) Stonefield - Through The Clover
119 ( - ) Grinderman - Palaces Of Montezuma
118 ( 5 ) LCD Soundsystem - Home
117 ( - ) Washington - I Believe You Liar
116 ( 41 ) Kele - Tenderoni
115 ( - ) Ben Folds & Nick Hornby - From Above
114 ( - ) Katy B - Katy On A Mission
113 ( - ) British India - Avalanche
112 ( 87 ) The Chemical Brothers - Swoon
111 ( - ) Kings Of Leon - Pyro
110 ( - ) Grouplove - Colours
109 ( - ) Marina & The Diamonds - Mowgli's Road
108 ( - ) Cassius - I Love U So
107 ( - ) Kid Cudi, Rostam Batmanglij from Vampire Weekend & Best Coast - All Summer
106 ( - ) Philadelphia Grand Jury - Save Our Town
105 ( - ) Kanye West - Power {Ft. Dwele}
104 ( - ) Caribou - Odessa
103 ( - ) Foals - Miami
102 ( - ) Sleigh Bells - Rill Rill
101 ( 98 ) M.I.A. - XXXO

Quiz: Can you guess the Lego album artwork?

2011-02-09T00:04:00.003+11:00

Armed with a fist full of Lego, 21-year-old Aaron Savage has recreated his favourite album covers. Can you guess which artworks have had a Lego-over?

Take the quiz on the Guardian site ...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/quiz/2011/feb/03/lego-album-artwork

A bonus for the Lego fans Michel Gondry's classic video for The White Stripes - Fell In Love With A Girl.

The making of is also neat (don't tell anyone but I think they cheated)

Non-Lego news you might have missed The White Stripes have called it a day full statement on http://www.whitestripes.com/

Live Review: Deftones, UNSW Roundhouse, Sydney, 28/01/2011

2011-02-03T23:32:00.004+11:00

After catching up with old friends, sinking a few beers while getting a detailed run down of Tool's set from the previous night, I make my way to the UNSW Roundhouse.

I successfully negotiate security and enter the roundhouse, where I'm on The Drug (That Killed River Phoenix) is playing loud, really loud. No, T.I.S.M. have not made a comeback - support DJs The Only are spinning some big club beats mixed with classic shout-along tunes. The Only do seem a strange choice of opening act a metal show but the pair of DJs are successful keeping the under 18s occupied (while the 18+ crowd cram into the bar area at the back of the venue).

A long bar queue later and Deftones spring on to the stage, full of energy and anger. The largely chronological set starts with Adrenaline-era tracks Birthmark, Engine No. 9 and Nosebleed. In the time since I last time I saw Deftones (at Soundwave 2007) front man Chino Moreno has lost some serious kilos and gained a shock of energy - when not running around the stage he is scaling barriers and jumping from speaker stacks.

On bass, Sergio Vega is an adequate replacement for the still semi-comatose Chi Cheng. While Cheng is always missed, the only time I find Vega's performance lacking is when he tries to recreate Cheng's backing vocals (screams) on Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away) and My Own Summer (Shove It).

The band play a devastating version of Around The Fur before moving onto the more experimental sounds taken from their White Pony and self-titled albums. Hexagram and Bloody Cape set up the set's massive middle section with Minerva, Diamond Eyes, CMND/CTRL and Royal raising the roof.

Deftones have always swayed between beauty and brutality. Their ability to do this has much to do with Chino's vocals. The smooth Sextape is followed by the caustic Rocket Skates.

If the middle part of the set raised the roof, its climax - You've Seen The Butcher, Hole In The Earth, and Kimdracula - blow the roof right off.

The slower tracks Change (In The House of Flies) and Passenger give everyone a chance to catch breath before the set closes with Chino squealing like a pig on 7 Words.

Deftones have followed up their return to form album with a live show that is perhaps better than anything they have put together before.

(Doing The Sums 2010) Are You Joe Average?

2011-01-26T23:41:00.003+11:00

Here is how it works:

1. Write out a list of the songs you voted for in the triplej Hottest 100.

2. Write down the position each of these came in the triplej Hottest 100

3. If a song did not make the list put down 101.

4. Add up the scores, and divide by the number of songs you voted for.

5. Post your results as a comment to this blog entry.

How to interpret your score:

1-13: Paint me a rainbow there must be lots of (Little) Red and (Cee-Lo) Green in your life.

14-27: Your Radar Detector is tuned to Austereo?

28-40: Very vanilla

41-52: "Here I am stuck in the middle with you"

53-65: Pretty pedestrian, but you probably have one weirdo friend who is rubbing off on you more than you realise.

66-77: Kinda quirky in a cute way.

78-89: Kinda quirky in a "slowly back away..." way.

90-100: You're a f***ing freak, man

101: Did you vote for songs, or flavours of ice cream????

The Bawley 100 top 10 scored:

Hot Chip - I Feel Better - 85
Crystal Castles - Celestica - 101
The Jezabels - Mace Spray - 16
Grinderman - Worm Tamer - 101
Jónsi - Go Do - 96
LCD Soundsystem - Home - 10
Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) - 101
Hot Chip - One Life Stand - 50
The National - Bloodbuzz Ohio - 31
Gorillaz - On Melancholy Hill - 42

72.4 Kinda quirky in a "slowly back away..." way. - I am happy with that.

How did you score?

Cold Result on a Hot Day

2011-01-26T23:23:00.003+11:00

On the hottest Australia Day in years the triple j Hottest 100 proved to be more than a little cool. Is this further proof (2007, 2008, 2009) that musical democracy does not work?

Triple J's full list below (Bawley rankings in brackets)

100 ( - ) Muse - Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever)

99 ( - ) Dead Letter Circus - Big

98 ( - ) Foals - Spanish Sahara

97 ( - ) Parkway Drive - Sleepwalker

96 ( 6 ) Jónsi - Go Do

95 ( 65 ) Broken Bells - The High Road

94 ( - ) Xavier Rudd - Time to Smile

93 ( - ) The National - Anyone's Ghost

92 ( - ) LCD Soundsystem - I Can Change

91 ( - ) The Bedroom Philosopher - Northcote (So Hungover)

90 ( - ) Art vs. Science - Finally See Our Way

89 ( - ) Interpol - Barricade

88 ( - ) Kanye West - Monster

87 ( - ) Birds of Tokyo - The Saddest Thing I Know

86 ( - ) Evil Eddie - Queensland

85 ( 10 ) Hot Chip - I Feel Better

84 ( - ) Washington - The Hardest Part

83 ( 29 ) Arcade Fire - Modern Man

82 ( - ) The Black Keys - Tighten Up

81 ( 29 ) Klaxons - Echoes

80 ( - ) The Black Keys - Howlin' for You

79 ( 19 ) Little Red - Slow Motion

78 ( 72 ) Gorillaz - Stylo

77 ( - ) Big Boi - Shutterbugg

76 ( - ) Kings of Leon - Radioactive

75 ( - ) Hungry Kids of Hungary - Coming Around

74 ( 31 ) Tame Impala - Lucidity

73 ( - ) Gypsy & the Cat - Time to Wander

72 ( - ) Two Door Cinema Club - I Can Talk

71 ( 32 ) Gypsy & the Cat - The Piper's Song

70 ( 90 ) Groove Armada - Paper Romance

69 ( - ) Pendulum - Watercolour

68 ( - ) Andy Bull ft. Lisa Mitchell - Dog

67 ( - ) Vampire Weekend - Holiday

66 ( - ) Cold War Kids - Audience

65 ( - ) Dead Letter Circus - One Step

64 ( - ) Gypsy & the Cat - Jona Vark

63 ( 13 ) Arcade Fire - Ready to Start

62 ( - ) Angus & Julia Stone - Hold On

61 ( - ) Ou Est Le Swimming Pool - Jackson's Last Stand

60 ( - ) Children Collide - My Eagle

59 ( - ) Washington - Rich Kids

58 ( - ) Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

57 ( - ) Example - Kickstarts

56 ( 91 ) Sia - Bring Night

55 ( 81 ) Vampire Weekend - Giving Up the Gun

54 ( - ) Miami Horror - Holidays

53 ( - ) Bliss n Eso - Reflections

52 ( - ) The John Steel Singers - Overpass

51 ( 92 - 2009 ) Yeasayer - Ambling Alp

50 ( 3 ) Hot Chip - One Life Stand

49 ( - ) The Jezabels - Easy to Love

48 ( - ) Pendulum - Witchcraft

47 ( - ) Birds of Tokyo - Wild at Heart

46 ( 23 ) Bag Raiders - Way Back Home

45 ( - ) Boy & Bear - Rabbit Song

44 ( 52 ) Crystal Castles - Baptism

43 ( - ) Yolanda Be Cool & DCUP - We No Speak Americano

42 ( 1 ) Gorillaz - On Melancholy Hill

41 ( - ) Bliss n Eso - Down by the River

40 ( - ) Gyroscope - Baby, I'm Gettin' Better

39 ( - ) The John Butler Trio - Revolution

38 ( - ) The Naked and Famous - Young Blood

37 ( - ) Gorillaz ft. Daley - Doncamatic

36 ( - ) Chiddy Bang - Opposite of Adults

35 ( - ) Mark Ronson & The Business Intl. - The Bike Song

34 ( 39 ) The Naked and Famous - Punching in a Dream

33 ( 97 ) Tame Impala - Solitude Is Bliss

32 ( - ) Foster the People - Pumped Up Kicks

31 ( 2 ) The National - Bloodbuzz Ohio

30 ( 55 ) Yeasayer - O.N.E.

29 ( - ) Illy - It Can Wait

28 ( - ) Darwin Deez - Radar Detector

27 ( - ) Dizzee Rascal ft. Florence and the Machine - You Got the Dirtee Love

26 ( 21 ) Crystal Castles ft. Robert Smith - Not In Love

25 ( 84 ) Gotye - Eyes Wide Open

24 ( - ) Sparkadia - Talking Like I'm Falling Down Stairs

23 ( - ) Bliss N Eso - Addicted

22 ( - ) Children Collide - Jellylegs

21 ( - ) Two Door Cinema Club - Undercover Martyn

20 ( - ) Washington - Sunday Best

19 ( 96 ) Flight Facilities ft. Giselle - Crave You

18 ( - ) Cloud Control - There's Nothing in the Water We Can't Fight

17 ( - ) Mark Ronson & The Business Intl. - Bang Bang Bang

16 ( 8 ) The Jezabels - Mace Spray

15 ( - ) Duck Sauce - Barbra Streisand

14 ( 100 ) Kanye West ft. Pusha T - Runaway

13 ( - ) Sia - Clap Your Hands

12 ( - ) Drapht - Rapunzel

11 ( 69 ) Pendulum - ABC News Theme Remix

10 ( 82 ) Mark Ronson & The Business Intl. - Somebody to Love Me

9 ( - ) Art vs. Science - Magic Fountain

8 ( - ) The Wombats - Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves)

7 ( 43 ) Cee-Lo Green - Fuck You!

6 ( 42 ) Adrian Lux - Teenage Crime

5 ( 95 ) Boy & Bear - Fall at Your Feet

4 ( - ) Birds of Tokyo - Plans

3 ( - ) Ou Est Le Swimming Pool - Dance the Way I Feel

2 ( - ) Little Red - Rock It

1 ( - ) Angus & Julia Stone - Big Jet Plane

January Songs: 31 songs in 31 days from Darren Hayman

2011-01-02T19:09:00.004+11:00

Hefner were one of the great little lo-fi indie bands of the late 90's, somewhere between Pulp and Belle and Sebastian. They made some brilliant albums, my favourite being 1999's The Fidelity Wars.

Since they split up in 2002, frontman Darren Hayman has released several albums under several different names, but he's temporarily abandoned the album format to make and release a song a day, for every day in January. Each song will be available free for a few days on Soundcloud, after which point they'll be available to buy. Each will be accompanied by videos and things on the January Songs website.

He freely admits that the songs "won't all be good but some might be" - but judging by the first one - "It was Over" - a typically ramshackle tale of drunkeness and failed relationships, they're going to be worth keeping an eye on.

The Bawley 100 – New Years Eve 2010/2011

2011-01-01T20:48:00.001+11:00

The world of end-of-year lists has been thrown into disarray by the release of several private files stolen from deep within the usually secretive Bawley community, available to view on the notorious website BawleyLeaks. One Bawley contributor condemned the leaks as “an attack on his freedom to judge the artistic merits of others”. Another Bawley representative has dismissed the release as imperialist propaganda.

The stolen data, which has subsequently appeared on ipod and spotify playlists, contains a number of not so shocking revelations.

It is thought that the Bawley crew now faces a personal and professional crisis following the publication of the information in the public domain. So damaging are the leaks that the original Bawley team has returned to their Bawley Point base to plan their next move of music snobbery.

Friday, 31 December 2010, 23:59

C L A S S I F I E D LIST 100049

EO 12958 DECL: 3/24/2019

TAGS OVIP">>OVIP (BAWLEY, 100), PREL, JAZZ, ROCK, MINIMAL, INDIE, ELECTRO, WORLD

SUBJECT: (B) Bawley 100 – New Years Eve 2010/2011

The 2010 Bawley 100:

100 Kanye West - Runaway

99 Stonefield - Drowning

98 M.I.A. - XXXO

97 Tame Impala - Solitude Is Bliss

96 Flight Facilities - Crave You

95 Boy And Bear - Fall At Your Feet

94 Grizzly Bear - Boy From School

93 Eels - Looking Up

92 Laura Marling - Devil's Spoke

91 Sia - Bring Night

90 Groove Armada - Paper Romance

89 Kort - Incredibly Lonely

88 Mgmt - Congratulations

87 The Chemical Brothers - Swoon

86 Warpaint - Undertow

85 Amaya Laucirica - This World Can Make You Happy

84 Gotye - Eyes Wide Open

83 Band Of Horses - Laredo

82 Mark Ronson (feat. Boy George) - Somebody To Love Me

81 Vampire Weekend - Giving Up The Gun

80 Blur - Fool's Day

79 Jackie Q - Ring Round

78 The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang

77 Chiddy Bang - Truth

76 The National - Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks

75 The Hold Steady - Barely Breathing

74 How To Destroy Angels - The Space In Between

73 Deftones - You've Seen The Butcher

72 Gorillaz - Stylo

71 Wire - Two Minutes

70 Mogwai - Rano Pano

69 Pendulum - ABC News Theme (remix)

68 Beach House - Zebra

67 Old Man River - Norway

66 PVT - The Quick Mile

65 Broken Bells - The High Road

64 The Drums - Forever and Ever Amen

63 The New Pornographers - Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk

62 Laura Marling - Goodbye England (Covered In Snow)

61 Pantha du Prince - Stick To My Side

60 Little Dragon - My Step

59 PJ Harvey - Written On The Forehead

58 Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Tuning Out

57 The New Pornographers - Your Hands (Together)

56 Cloud Control - Meditation Song #2

55 Yeasayer - O.N.E.

54 Beach House - Silver Soul

53 Grinderman - Mickey Mouse And The Goodbye Man

52 Crystal Castles - Baptism

51 Belle & Sebastian - Write About Love

50 The Dead Weather - Blue Blood Blues

49 Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly - Morning Light

48 Sufjan Stevens - Now That I'm Older

47 Yeasayer - Madder Red

46 The Bench Warmers - Football (In The Goal)

45 Deerhunter - Helicopter

44 Deftones - This Place Is Death

43 Cee-Lo Green - Fuck You

42 Adrian Lux - Teenage Crime

41 Kele - Tenderoni

40 British Sea Power - Living Is So Easy

39 The Naked And Famous - Punching In A Dream

38 Gayngs - The Gaudy Side Of Town

37 Kele - Everything You Wanted

36 Delphic - Doubt

35 Gogol Bordello - To Rise Above

34 Grinderman - When My Baby Comes

33 Massive Attack - Girl I Love You

32 Gypsy And The Cat - The Piper's Song

31 Tame Impala - Lucidity

30 Robyn - Dancing On My Own

29 Arcade Fire - Modern Man

28 Klaxons - Echoes

27 Cut Copy - Where I'm Going

26 Janelle Monae - Tightrope

25 Massive Attack - Paradise Circus

24 Cut Copy - Take Me Over

23 Bag Raiders - Way Back Home

22 DJ Shadow - I've Been Trying

21 Crystal Castles (feat Robert Smith) - Not In Love

20 The New Pornographers - Crash Years

19 Little Red - Slow Motion

18 Whitley - Killer

17 Sufjan Stevens - I Walked

16 Deftones - Sextape

15 Hot Chip - Hand Me Down Your Love

14 LCD Soundsystem - Dance Yrself Clean

13 Arcade Fire - Ready To Start

12 British Sea Power - Zeus

11 Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross - Hand Covers Bruise

10 Hot Chip - I Feel Better

9 Crystal Castles - Celestica

8 The Jezabels - Mace Spray

7 Grinderman - Worm Tamer

6 Jónsi - Go Do

5 LCD Soundsystem - Home

4 Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)

3 Hot Chip - One Life Stand

2 The National - Bloodbuzz Ohio

1 Gorillaz - On Melancholy Hill

Can you keep a secret?

Bawley (Hearts) 2010: Top 3 Concerts of the Year: Hummer

2010-12-28T09:04:00.004+11:00

This year I missed both the European and Australian summers which (as well as leaving me with the whitest skin I have had in my life) means I also missed the chance to see a lot of touring bands in 2010.

I saw too few shows to produce a Top 5, but a few of the live acts I did see stood out from the rest. Here is my Top 3 concerts of 2010:

3. LCD Soundsystem and Hot Chip, Horden Pavilion, Sydney, 26/07/2010

The LCD Soundsystem, Hot Chip show delivered everything it promised and more. Hot Chip called the otherwise absent Joe Goddard in via video conference to recreate the highlights of their brilliant One Life Stand album. LCD Soundsystem again proved that they are the best live dance band, with the best songs. (full review)

2. Whitley, The Maram, Erindale, 18/08/2010

One of the best but also one of the strangest shows I attended all year, Whitley's final ever Canberra show was full of beautifully depressed songs, artist audience clashes and suicidal ramblings.

"this one is about suicide" (full review)

1. Band of Horses, Enmore Theatre, Sydney, 29/07/2010

A serious stomach bug kept me from seeing Band of Horses at Glastonbury in 2008, two years to the day later I have my first chance to see the hirsute band in action. The band's huge set stamps along at a great pace, new songs stand their own, but it was seeing this band play There Is A Ghost, The Funeral, and Ode To LRC that made tonight worth the two year wait. (full review)

Vote now to help make 2010 a year we can all love

2010-12-24T09:48:00.004+11:00

Long time readers will be well aware of the Bawley crew’s love/hate relationship with the triple j Hottest 100.

Voting in this year’s poll is open now; help make the 2010 list one we can all love. Vote here.

Be sure to write down who you voted for, you will need to know this to take part in the famous Bawley Are You Joe Average? Quiz –last years results

Bawley (Hearts) 2010: Bottom 5 album covers of the Year

2010-12-23T08:16:00.003+11:00

So many bad album covers this year, Devo and Brian Ferry went for glamor mag gloss, Yeasayer had some kind of brain seizure, Kings of Leon explored phallic island and Kanye West showed us way more than we ever wanted to see. Still nothing was worse than these my Bottom 5 album covers of the year.

5. Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles (II)

The CD sleeve notes state that the album cover is a photo of X Tecumseh Clark taken by his father, avant-garde composer and poet Todd Tamanend Clark.

Yep about as interesting as it sounds.

4. Deftones - Diamond Eyes

Sadly this is not the soundtrack to Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole.

3. Band of Horses - Infinite Arms

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

2. MGMT - Congratulations

MGMT do what Nintendon't - pitchfork media

This scratch and sniff disaster was my early favourite for worst album cover of the year. Who could of thought that worse was still to come.

1. M.I.A. - /\/\ /\ Y /\

The cover art on M.I.A.'s /\/\ /\ Y /\ is a bigger disaster than the album itself. The YouTube progress bars had been outdated before this album was released, the Tetris brick walls are horrible and can anybody tell me why MIA has spelt her name out in gold bullion?

One part hilarious ten parts hideous , congratulations to M.I.A.; runaway winner for 2010's worst cover album art.

Bawley (Hearts) 2010: Top 5 album covers of the Year

2010-12-22T13:13:00.004+11:00

Most of world may have moved to digital downloads, that doesn't mean we can't continue to enjoy good album cover art. Here are five of my favorites from 2010.

5. Kele - The Boxer

Kele Okereke the muscled prize fighter. I dare you to tell him that you preferred him when he was in Bloc Party.

4. Massive Attack - Heligoland

Designed by band member (and former graffiti artist) Robert Del Naja who poured over 100s of photos, stencils and original art works before coming up with the street art inspired cover.

The London underground then banned Massive Attack from advertising the album in any of the city's Tube stations, because the art work looks too much like graffiti.

3. Grinderman - Grinderman 2

"Like a wolf showing its teeth in the front room"

Is there any better way to describe Grinderman's second album?

2. Klaxons - Surfing the Void

When a band uses an internet meme as their album art the result is usually uncreative, uninteresting and entirely lame. On the front cover of Surfing the Void, Klaxons have used the greatest meme of them all the lolcat, but somehow it works.

I think it is the dull stair in the cat's eyes; where is he going what adventures will he have when he gets there, will he make it home safely - we will never know.

1. Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine (re-issue)

The new artwork is little more than an update of the original album's cover but it is the story of lost originals, double blind searches and high-res drawings and 1989-like filters that makes this my favourite album cover art of 2010.

Slevage has the full story, http://sleevage.com/nin-pretty-hate-machine/

Bawley (Hearts) 2010: Top 5 concerts of the year: Nick

2010-12-22T11:14:00.005+11:00

Despite being sadly absent from a certain double headline show , I've enjoyed a great year for live music. Here were my favourite shows:

5. The New Pornographers, Manning Bar, Sydney, 10/11/2010

The Canadian collective travelled to Australia complete with all their vocalists, (including the brilliant Neko Case) which is something of a rarity. As a result we were able to enjoy the full force of their their complicated vocal (and whistling!) harmonies, and super-catchy pop tunes. The band's rhythm section also treated to a spontaneous cover of Rush's 'The Spirit Of The Radio'. Result!

4. Blind Boys Of Alabama, Opera House, 5/6/2010

Complete with guest vocal performances from a suitably cantankerous Lou Reed, and an enormously pregnant My Brightest Diamond, this bunch of 80 something year old blind men made a glorious noise, and put many a much younger band to shame with the energy and passion of their performance. Properly life affirming.

3. British Sea Power, Manning Bar, Sydney, 20/02/2010

Any show that ends with members of the band attaching themselves to members of the audience with long stands of gaffer tape, accompanied by noisy guitar feedback, is a good one in my book.

2. Pavement, Enmore Theatre, Sydney, 4/3/2010

It was the band's second show in ten years (following the first date of their reunion world tour in New Zealand, a couple of nights earlier) - but they looked and sounded exactly like no time had passed (by which I mean 'endearingly shambolic').

1. Decemberists, Beck's Festival Bar, Hyde Park Barracks, 20/01/2010

Perfect confluence of band and venue, audience participation and a perfect set made for a hugely memorable performance. FasterLouder review

Runners Up:

Al Green, The Domain, Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard, Oxford Art Factory, Datarock, Metro Theatre

Bawley (Hearts) 2010: Top 5 Covers of the Year

2010-12-21T16:30:00.003+11:00

5. Klaxons - Bad Romance (Lady Gaga)

Every list of best-of-covers must contain at least one cool indie band covering a massive pop song, so here it is. (link - skip to 2:52)

4. Regina Spektor - No Surprises (Radiohead)

Spektor recorded this song in support of Médecins Sans Frontières. It is a great cover done for a great cause. Buy the charity single on iTunes or listen to the Triple j recording (link - 10:40)

3. Gorillaz - Crystallised (The Xx)

Gorillaz had a huge 2010, taking their Plastic Beach tour from Glasto to Damascus to Sydney. Along the way they stopped to record a few tracks on Radio 1's Live Lounge. Originals Melancoly Hill and Doncamatic were overshadowed by this brilliant cover of The Xx's Bawley 100 wining track Crystalised. (video)

2. Grizzly Bear - Boy From School (Hot Chip)

Grizzly Bear covering Hot Chip could have been a disaster, luckily guys remembered the vocals and pulled off this brilliant cover. (link - 11:55)

1. Beck's Record Club - Never Tear Us Apart (INXS)

In 2010 Beck's record club covered two drastically different albums INXS's Kick and Yanni's Yanni, Live at the Acropolis. Far and away the highlight of all these sessions came when St. Vincent, Os Mutantes, Liars, Annie Clark and Beck took on INXS's iconic 80's teen movie song Never Tear Us Apart. Just watch.

Live Review: Faster Louder Canberra Christmas Party, The Front, Lyneham, 10/12/2010

2010-12-11T11:00:00.004+11:00

Last night I was lucky enough to score an invite to the fasterlouder.com.au Canberra Christmas party. This wonderful evening hosted at The Front started with a set from The Love Recession; now a three piece, the boys played a great set of folk inspired rock (or without a drummer is it now rock inspired folk?).

Performance poet Andrew Galan kept everyone's (at times uncomfortable) attention with a series of poems about wasting away your life, care bears and disappointment.

Next up were Cracked Actor, to say they were channelling Radiohead would be a massive understatement. The four piece combine high hat heavy percussion, dreamy falsetto vocals, sparse guitars, glitchy samples and unusual song transitions to great affect. At times I was not sure if I was at The Front listening to my new favourite Canberra band or hunched over my laptop streaming In Rainbows II*. (*In Rainbows II may not/never exist)

CJ Bowerbird takes the mic for more between band poetry he is less confrontation but just as engaging as Galan. And just as Galan did before him CJ finishes his performance with a ode to Canberra, CJ Bowerbirds Canberra is not the the shiny facade presented as the nation's capital but the filthy underbelly of a living city.

The nights final act was Evan and the Brave. the star of the band is obliviously former idol contestant Daniel Mifsud but to say the other guys (The Brave?) don't add anything would be grossly unfair. The band combine beautifully throughout the set their instrumental and vocal harmonies have the room mesmerised.

All up the fasterlouder.com.au Canberra Christmas party was a great night and a fitting farewell to the sites local content editor.

Live Review: Basement Birds, The Metro, Sydney, 20/08/2010

2010-12-06T21:23:00.006+11:00

Opening act The Sun Orchestra's short set is pleasant but largely talked over by the small crowd of early comers.

The room has got noticeably busier by the time second support Old Man River takes to the stage. The Old Man River live show is wonderful, the band delivers a full sound and while I didn't know many of the songs, radio singles Norway, You On My Mind and Sunshine are crowd pleasers. It is front man Ohan Rein's stage presence that impresses me most, he does a brilliant job of getting the crowd up dancing and even (unbelievably for a support act) participating in a call/response sing-a-long for La.

Basement Birds are an the Australian indie/folk super group made up of Josh Pyke, Kevin Mitchell (Bob Evans/Jebediah), Kav Temperley (Eskimo Joe), and Steve Parkin (Autopilot). Like many a super group before, the bands album fizzed - the whole was less than the sum of its parts and I was left wondering what was the point of Basement Birds.

The show starts with the four famous birds lined up along the front of the stage, members of The Sun Orchestra are filling in on drums and slide guitar from the darker back half of the stage. Opening track Waiting For You is the perfect place to start, as each of the guys sing their opening lines they are welcomed with an individual cheer from the appreciative audience.

As Basement Birds progress through the show they share the lead vocals and spot light around, a song or two at a time. The chemistry between the four band mates is clear; they are friends and in this band they are having a great time.

With just the one album of original songs behind them the 'birds treat the audience to a few covers, including a beautiful version of Sarah Blasko's All I Want and a more light hearted, jovial take on the Grease Mega Mix.

Josh Pyke and Bob Evans get perhaps the greatest share of the vocals, certainly they fill most of the between song gaps, but Basement Birds greatest weapon is the four part harmony - when their voices come together it is like honey for the ears.

As the main set ends, the band announce that they will be joined by a special guest to help out on Bus Stop. Sadly it is not Julia Stone but the Julia Stone singers, a selection of girls plucked from the audience. The fun being had by the girls on stage is contagious, the whole room is singing along, never been happier.

The show finishes with the band's cover of The Presets My People; the four guys playing, singing, dancing and smiling together on stage. I think that this - four guys having some fun with their mates - is exactly the point of Basement Birds.

Deftones - Diamond Eyes

2010-11-28T16:38:00.004+11:00

Deftones should no longer exist; the rap-metal genre they helped define went out of fashion more than a decade ago, bassist Chi Cheng remains in a semi-comatose state following a 2008 car accident and after spending some two years and many millions of dollars recording their Eros album the band decided to toss the whole thing in the bin a start again. But somehow the band have rarely sounded as alive as they do on Diamond Eyes.

The album starts with title track Diamond Eyes; huge riffs, epic chorus and soaring vocals the result is massive. Royal and CMND/CTRL manage to deliver all the spite of early era Deftones but with the maturity of a band beyond its 20th year.

Deftones have reined in the experimental influences that derailed parts of their post White Pony work. Pleasingly this has not been done at the expense of the dense sounds of their 2006 album Saturday Night Wrist. You've Seen the Butcher is a great example of what Deftones do today; the huge metal riff is accompanied by crashing percussion and reverb soaked vocals the whole thing swamped in ambient effects.

Deftones have never hidden their love of new wave and British romantic music. These influences can be found in the Cure-esk baseline of Beauty School and Morrissey like vocals of This Place is Death. More than just a Smiths revivalist front man Chino Moreno shows great vocal range across the album after tearing his throat out on CMND/CTRL and Rocket Skates his voice is stadium big on Risk before showing his melodic side on Sextape and 976-EVIL.

Closer This Place is Death is a triumph itself and a more than fitting end to this album of decadent heavy music.

"Is this really happening?"

2010-11-09T14:58:00.001+11:00

Yes, it would appear that it is

Hot Chip - One Life Stand / We Have Remixes EP

2010-11-04T21:55:00.006+11:00

From the cautionary tales of Thieves In the Night to the emotive pleas of Take It In, One Life Stand is Hot Chip's electro-pop ode to commitment. By keeping tightly on this theme it is also Hot Chip's most consistent album.

Many people are saying that One Life Stand is Hot Chip's grown up record. Sure, much of the album is slower, smother and more considered than the bands previous work, but it is in no way less fun. Hand Me Down Your Love gets things moving with a kicking backbeat before the title track delivers what is perhaps the best piece of pop music I have heard in years.

It is not all slow and sensible, as the reins are loosened a little on euphoric dance tracks I Feel Better and We Have Love, both of which sound like they have been pulled straight from the ecstasy filled raves of the early 90s. (This is a good thing.)

If One Night Stand is about the commitment required to live your own one life stand, the We Have Remixes EP explores the fun that can be had when others are invited into your bedroom.

The four track EP sees Todd Edwards apply a drum machine and a high gloss shine to Hand Me Down Your Love, the result a massive club choon, while Caribou use reverb soaked vocals and nulled beats to give Brothers an ethereal feel.

Perhaps the EP's highlight is Hot City's deranged take on We Have Love, the bpm have been turned up, the bass fattened out and the vocals chopped apart until the original is barely recognisable.

Final track the Osbourne remix of Take It In is lounge house at its best. If this track is not pouring out of expensive cocktail bars this summer, I will be an apple mojito.

Paul's Final Prediction

2010-11-03T19:16:00.003+11:00

The Bawley 100 - 2010 is coming soon

M.I.A - /\/\/\Y/\

2010-11-02T19:05:00.003+11:00

0n h3r f1rst tw0 4Lbumz M.I.A. f0und surpr1s3 succ3sz w1th @ m1sh-m4sh 0f mus1c4L styL3z d4t g4v3 @ b34t n 1mp0rt4ntLy @ v01c3 2 t3h und3rd0g. W3 l0v3d 1t n l0v3d M.I.A. 4 1t.

1n t3h t1m3 s1nc3 Paper Planes w3nt SLumd0g m4ss1v3 M.I.A. h4z s33m1ngLy d0n3 3v3ryth1n' sh3 c0uLd 2 1rr1t4t3 t3h pubL1c, n0w w1th t3h r3L34s3 0f /\/\/\Y/\ sh3 m4y h4v3 g0n3 t00 f4r.

t3h 4Lbum h4z 1tz m0m3ntz It Takes a Muscle b @ r0x0rz p0p tun3 wh1L3 XXXO n Tell My Way c0m3 cL0s3 2 r3pL1c4t1n' t3h d4nc3 h4LL p0p d4t h4d w0rk3d s0 w3LL 1n t3h p4st.

M0stLy, th0ugh, t3h 4Lbum b @ r4uc0uz c0LL3ct10n 0f s0undz, 1d34z n p4rt s0ngz, n0n3 0f wh1ch d3L1v3r h4Lf 4z much 4z h3r 34rL13r w0rk.

Help - H3Lp

Live Review: Whitley, The Maram, Erindale, 18/08/2010

2010-11-01T21:13:00.004+11:00

Tonight is my first visit to The Maram and I am not sure what to expect, from the venue or the show.

After two superb albums and many shows under the Whitley name, Lawrence Greenwood has decided the music business may not be for him. This is his final Australian tour and tonight will be his last Canberra show. Will tonight be a joyous farewell, a teary goodbye?

Opening act Seagull's introspective acoustic set fails to capture much attention as the small crowd fills up on beers and chats quietly.

The crowd has thickened out by the time Whitley comes on stage, immediately admitting that when he entered the venue he thought that he was booked to play in the pool table-filled bistro. His first reaction to this was to put a gun in his mouth and end it all now (this story told with his thumb cocked and fingers in his mouth - "bite down on the steel and wait for the lead"). Luckily, the band room at The Maram is a wonderful space for performer and punter alike, and the set starts with Cheap Clothes.

Barely three lines into his second song (Bright White Lights) Whitley stops abruptly, (almost) everyone in the room falls silent as he mimics two gossiping girls:

"Did you hear Sharon missed her period, OMG is she pregnant,...SHUT THE FUCK UP"

Greenwood clearly has a low tolerance for people talking though his show - perhaps one of the reasons he has decided to call it quits on his career as Whitley.

Songs like I Remember, I and All Is Whole are all superb but the best/most entertaining parts of tonight's performance come between songs. Greenwood repeatedly talks of pushing a boulder up hill ("two steps forward, three steps back"), rough nights in spent Frankston, bikies and the pleasure he gets from head shot-ing his own horse in Red Dead.

Introduced as "a song about a girl I use to follow around Melbourne", the acoustic version of Killer is just as frightening as its recorded original.

Late in the show when another person starts talking, Whitley has had enough. Describing talking during a show "like shining a laser pointer into the eyes of someone at an art gallery", Greenwood gets into an argument with a boozed punter, glasses are smashed and the audience member is escorted out of the venue.

Keep pushing the boulder up that hill...

As More Than Life is introduced as "this one is about suicide", I am starting to get a much better idea of why Greenwood is calling time on Whitley.

The show ends with Lost In Time, and most of the crowd leaves before Greenwood comes out to share a platter of sandwiches with those who remain. Talking to the man off stage it is hard to tell if the suicidal stories are real, or all part of the Whitley show.

Live Review: Band of Horses, Enmore Theatre, Sydney, 29/07/2010

2010-09-19T16:35:00.005+10:00

Back in Sydney for another Splendor side show, tonight: Band of Horses at the Enmore.

I find my seat just as support band Gentlemen of Fortune come on stage. Made up of members of The Drones, Gin Club and Dallas Crane; Gentlemen of Fortune play blusey country rock which for me is a little boring. So I go back into the bar and grab an over priced can of VB.

Tonight I am seated in The Enmore lounge area, directly above the stage, the view is perfect. However as is always the way when seated I find it can be difficult for the live energy to reach me.

I stamp my way though Band of Horses' opener The Great Salt Lake before being blown back into my chair by how huge Is There a Ghost sounds live. No concerns tonight the live energy has certainly made it all the to my seat.

The Band of Horses' sound is rugged, American and beardy, this imagery is compounded by a video montage that is being projected behind the stage showing: big skies, large American landscapes, music festivals, long roads, beards, tattoos and snow capped mountains.

I am not a fan of the bands latest album, but find that the new songs stand up well in the live setting. NW Apt, Complements and Laredo are highlights even.

After rolling along at a rock'n pace for 40 minutes or so the show slows right down, Marry Song and Detlef Schrempf give the band a chance to take a breath and everyone else an opportunity to wave their lighters/phones in the air - some things never get old.

Cigarettes, Wedding Bands and Ode To LRC have the whole room grooving again before the main set is brought to a close with a huge sign-along version of the The Funeral, still the bands best song.

Back for a short encore Band of Horses play the beautiful No One Is Gonna Love You (a song with great personal memories for me) and finish with a cover of Am I A Good Man by Them Two.

I missed Band of Horses on their 2008 Australian tour and after having a violent stomach bug deny me the chance to see them at Glastonbury I had a lot of expectations for this show, it exceeded every one of them.

The Social Network

2010-09-18T09:08:00.002+10:00

A few months back Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) revealed he had been working with long time collaborator Atticus Ross on music for David Fincher's upcoming film The Social Network.

The soundtrack will be released on CD, HD Blu-Ray Audio and Vinyl on September 28th. A free, five track sample is available for download right now.

Download the sample EP here.

Live Review: Hot Chip and LCD Soundsystem, Horden Pavilion, Sydney, 26/07/2010

2010-09-02T22:28:00.010+10:00

Dear Nick,

I am sorry I sold on your ticket to this show, I know you were not there please don't be jealous as I tell you how the night panned out.

After sharing dinner with friends I arrive at Fox Studios. The crowd milling around outside the Horden Pavilion are in good spirits: grabbing drinks, chatting, wondering just what kind of show they will get on this Monday night.

Not one for standing around in the cool winter air, I move inside just in time to see Hot Chip take the stage. I am sure my ticket said doors opened at 8.00...it is 8.06 and Hot Chip have already played Boy From School! Guess no one likes to stay up too late on a weeknight.

As the rest of the crowd start to realise that Hot Chip are actually on stage, some people run out to grab their mates and I make my way forward to claim my own primo piece of dance floor.

Once at the front of the stage I realise that Joe Goddard is absent (paternity leave apparently), replaced tonight by a massive Holly-esk (Red Dwarf) head on a tv screen. Joe's head bobs along singing his parts - a nice touch and I am glad they made the effort, but sadly the vocals are slightly out of sync and as well as missing his vocals, many of the songs miss his fat base synth.

Hot Chip graduated from opening band to headline act long ago and the hit laden set only confirms this. The slinky slinky One Pure Thought transitioned into One Life Stand which tonight features the best use of steel drums since Jesse (from Full House) joined The Beach Boys on Kokomo.

Over and Over had the whole room jumping, before Hand Me Down Your Love and Take It In showcased the bands sensitive side. Hold On and I Feel Better reminded everyone that Hot Chip still love to rave before the set came to an end with a rocking version of Ready For The Floor.

I am Ready For the Floor indeed, this night is only half over.

Nick, you would have hated the long beer lines and toilet crush between sets. I survived both before resuming a position at the front of the room and looking up at a massive disco ball while waiting for what could be LCD Soundsystem's last ever Sydney show.

The band arrive on stage to a massive cheer, the loudest of course reserved for frontman James Murphy. 40-odd years old, slightly grey, generous middle age spread hidden under a plain white t-shirt...I don't know why, but this guy just oozes cool.

Us vs Them starts the show, James Murphy's lyrics confirming what everyone already knows...The Time Has Come, The Time Has Come, The Time Has Come, The Time Has Come, Today ...The Time Has Come, The Time Has Come... and it is going to be awesome.

The shout out house party stylings of Drunk Girls gets limbs flying, Get Innocuous! keeps everyone dancing while Pow Pow turns up the funk. A wild version of Daft Punk Is Playing at My House leaves me covered in sweat (most of it belonging to the topless guy next to me - yuck). All My Friends is still LCD's best song: tonight it comes with a Happy Birthday message and impromptu Love Is In the Air-based intro.

The set loses its way for a few songs before the post punk of Movement brings the room back to life. Then Yeah has everyone reaching for the ceiling as the band leaves the stage.

The band return for Losing My Edge before playing New York I Love You But Your Bringing Me Down which cleaverly morphs into a cover of Jay-Z/Alicia Keys Empire State Of Mind, a wonderful end to a great show.

I am a little disappointed that cracking new tracks Home and Dance Yrslf Clean were left out, but it is hard to argue with a band playing a 'best of' set on this their farewell tour.

I am sorry I sold your ticket. I owe you a night of great indie dance music (and about $85).

- Hummer

LCD Soundsystem's set is being replayed on triplej: 8pm on Monday 6th September and again at 5pm on Sunday 12 September.

Live Review: Josh Pyke and Emma Pollock, Academy 2, Bristol, 15/03/2010

2010-08-15T22:46:00.006+10:00

Tonight Ricky Gervais is performing his brand of fat jokes and self-important celebrity humour to a sell out crowd at Collson House. Just across the road, a privileged few are witness to an evening of wonderful indie music courtesy of Josh Pyke and Emma Pollock.

Pretty blonde duo Heart Shaped Things warm up the small crowd with cute indie folk songs about boys, festivals and apple cores. The highlight (and lowlight) of their short set is a cover of Lady Gaga's Pokerface.

Heart Shaped Things have barely left the stage and the house lights are still fully lit, but Josh Pyke is due on stage next and the front of stage audience is growing noticibley Australian and female. Like all Australian ladies they are impossibly good looking and their broad accents can be heard saying "I first saw him with Bob Evans", "Nah, you flaming galah, it had to be 2006 supporting Sarah Blasko", "He is so cute, and that beard! Wowie".

After apologising for his heavily jet-lagged state, Josh Pyke opens with Memories and Dust. We're more use to hearing Josh Pyke's songs with a full band but tonight he is very much solo, and what the peformance loses in harmonies and power is more than made up for by the intimacy of one man with his guitar.

The one man show thing seems to work for Pyke as well - he is relaxed, friendly, and humble. After playing the ever popular Sew My Name, Pyke addresses a girl in the front row, "Sorry, I think I had my eyes closed every time you tried to take a photo". He then poses, pretending to play the guitar with mouth slightly open, so she can re-take the photo. Pyke then opens the show up for requests, and omeone crys out for Summer - I am not sure if this is a song request or just a plea for a break from this long cold winter, but Pyke plays the song anyway.

The set is pretty evenly split between Memories and Dust and Chimneys Afire. The only new song of the night is Factory Fires - typical Pyke, a sentimental story sung in too many words. Before finishing his set with Vibrations, Pyke teases the audience with clues of a new band he has been playing with, Basement Birds. Made up of Pyke, Kevin Mitchell (aka Bob Evans) and members of Eskimo Joe, the band is something of an Aussie super group.

At the end of his set Pyke takes up a position at the merchandise desk where he spends the next hour or so talking, signing CDs and posing for photos with a long and patient queue of punters.

By the time Emma Pollock and band arrive on stage, most of the Australians have gone home. While enjoying the fuller sound of Pollock's band, my lack of familiarity with the songs left me bored and headed in the same direction - sorry Emma.

Viva La 6Music

2010-07-06T19:02:00.002+10:00

Earlier this year we asked you to get on board the Save 6Music bandwagon by submitting your opinions to the BBC Trust Strategy Review.

This week the Trust has published the review's initial conclusions:

The Trust does not think a convincing case has been made, as presented, for the closure of 6 Music. The Trust does not agree that there is a consistent strategic rationale for closure on grounds either of promoting digital development or market impact.

Hooray, The best way to celebrate would have to be by Listening to 6Music.

Baby name or band I found on MySpace?

2010-06-28T21:24:00.005+10:00

So it seems that all my friends have gone and had babies lately. For the most part they have chosen names from the top half of the popular names list - solid, sensible, classic names. Boring!

With a few more babies due this spring, I felt it was time to seed the minds of future parents with some celebrity-inspired baby names. With thanks to 6Music’s Jon Holmes, here is Bawley’s "Baby Name or Band I Found on MySpace?" Quiz.

Example:

Bluebell Madonna...baby name…daughter of former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell
Alexisonfire...band…post hardcore band who describe their music as "the sound of two Catholic high-school girls in mid-knife-fight"

Lets see how you go with the rest:

(UPDATED WITH ANSWERS)

James…band...with a very dull name
TAIO CRUZ…band...UK Urbanistas
Moxie Crimefighter...baby name...daughter of Aristocrats producer Penn Jillette
Memphis Eve...baby name...daughter of Irish dooche bag Bono
Jermajesty...baby name...son of Jermain Jackson
Moon Unit...baby name...Frank Zappa's oldest daughter
Diva Thin Muffin…baby name...daughter of Frank Zappa, secretly pleased ‘Moon Unit’ was already taken.
Chiddy Bang…band...Sample crazy 'kids'
Audio Science…baby name...son of actress Shannyn Sossamon
Diesel & Denim…baby names...Toni Braxton’s two sons
Belle & Sebastian...band...of the brown cardigan wearing kind
Daughtry…band...caution may contain traces of American idol
Blue Angel…baby name...daughter of The Edge, he is in U2
Pilot Inspektor…baby name...son of actor Jason Lee
Sage Moonblood…baby name...son of Sylvester Stallone
MadisonFoxx…band...looking for a bassist if you are in the Brisbane area and interested
Bruno Mars…band...and experimental soul
Jazz Domino…baby name...daughter of the late Joe Strummer
Lark Song…baby name...adopted child of Mia Farrow
Little Red…band...hamony loving rock band from victoria
Satchel…baby name...daughter of director Spike Lee
Zowie Bowie…baby name...daughter of David Bowie, of course
Velvet Elvis…band...Detroit Hip Hop act, no connection to Eminem
Jim Jupiter…band...die beste Coverband in Deutschland
Speck Wildhorse…baby name...son of singer John (Cougar) Mellencamp
Aurelius Cy…baby name...son of The Body; Elle Macpherson
Cobra Starship...band...New York emo band
Bobnoxious…band...Bobnoxious rock!!!!
Kal-El Coppola…baby name...Nicholas Cage with a name like that you have to ask is he a worse actor or parent?
Anaal Nathrakh…band...black metal band, with a name like that could they be anything else

While the answers and their celebrity parents will be revealed later in the week, we will have to wait a few months to see what inspiration these names provide future parents, including Bawley's own Nick.

@Saul Williams poet, rapper, Ghanaian football fan.

2010-06-20T16:35:00.009+10:00

	@Saul Williams The ball is all our hopes & dreams wound tight, kicked left, kicked right. The goal: the vastness of the soul. The field: the work & plight.
	Saul Williams The uniform & flag: the torch we bear through darkness of a kind. The vastness of the field: the path we cross from heart to mind.
	Saul Williams The minute or the moment? How you think is your opponent. If you had the ball right now would you aim or kick it wild?
	Saul Williams The goalie blocks the narrative from being what is told. The striker has a goal in mind. The wings are double-fold.
	Saul Williams RT @ericburkley you should do these rhymes over vuvuzelas... ===> LOL I love the sound of the game, actually. Maybe I will:)
	Saul Williams The ball, in black & white, simply reflects our need to see, to qualify the boundaries that restrict our right to be.
	Saul Williams If you control the ball then you control the game. You weave through your defenses, broadened senses, truth aflame.
	Saul Williams The crowd reflects your calling. They cheer, 'though for their kind. The energy, even against, propels the focused drive.
	Saul Williams ...and now I'm logging off. The game has just begun. The Ghanaian bar across the street seems like it may be fun;) Cheers!!

http://twitter.com/SaulWilliams

Two French Robots and a Black Guy walk into a bar....

2010-06-06T11:51:00.004+10:00

No, this is not the set up for classic 'walked into a bar' based racism, it is the latest Adidas Originals World Cup advertisement.

Watch as Daft Punk, Snoop Dogg, Ian Brown, David Beckham and one of the guys from Oasis are transported into the Star Wars cantina scene.

While rap fans should enjoy seeing The Doggfather do some damage with a lightsaber, football fans will love the line, to David Beckham

He [Jabba The Hut] saw you play a long time ago for a Galaxy far, far away.

This is Happening: LCD Soundsystem release final album

2010-06-05T12:41:00.003+10:00

This is Happening is LCD Soundsystem's first album of new music since 2007's massively successful Sound of Silver, and it is also reported to be the last album they will ever release.

Album opener Dance Yrself Clean starts with three minutes of quiet insecurities sung over pitter-patter rhythms, before... (Spoiler Alert, skip the next few lines if you have not heard this track) ...the beat drops, the synthesizers turn up to eleven and everything goes mental. Yes, this album is going to be great.

Lead single Drunk Girls has been described as "Drunk North American Girls Are Playing at My House", clever (yeah?) and probably fair as the track is not particularly original and by far the album's weakest moment.

The mid section of the album is rock solid: I Can Change is full of swirl-in-your-head pop, Pow Pow is dance funk at its best, while One Touch is never enough. On You Wanted a Hit, front man James Murphy sings "We don't do hits" but I don't believe that for a second. This is Happening is 100% hits.

LCD Soundsystem have never hidden their musical influences and where previous albums used late 70's post punk as a reference point This is Happening goes a step further. Blatantly borrowing from David Bowie (Heroes) and Iggy Pop (Nightclubbing) on All I Want and Somebody's Calling Me respectively.

Epic closer Home layers percussion on beat on percussion on beat, like much of the album the effect is simple and repetitive but far from boring.

If This Is Happening is to be LCD Soundsystem's final album it is a more than fitting farewell.

How To Destroy Angels

2010-05-29T18:57:00.005+10:00

Reviews can wait: Surely I am not really back on Bawley until I have written my first Nine Inch Nails related post.

Last year Nine Inch Nails played their final tour. At the time front man Trent Reznor did not rule out working on new Nine Inch Nails material but said to expect some new non-NIN stuff. Now, he has teamed up with his wife Mariqueen Maandig and longtime Nine Inch Nails collaborator Atticus Ross to form How To Destroy Angels.

A few mp3s have already started circulating the interwebs and there is more to come. On June 1st How To Destroy Angels will release their debut EP as a free download - better if you pre-order from howtodestroyangels.com as you will get an advance copy of EP track The Believers.

If you want to know more about the band you can ask them yourself via facebook/howtodestroyangels or check out a complete deconstruction of how a How To Destroy Angels song is made courtesy of Wired Magazine. (The iPad version of the magazine also has an interactive element. Eds Note: this probably the only useful thing I have heard you can do with an iPad)

Back in the Game

2010-05-26T21:42:00.009+10:00

I have been busy of late but between a intercontinental house move, a month long walk across Patagonia, sudden catastrophic laptop failure, and my increasingly desperate attempt to find a house, I have had plenty of time to listen to new music.

Sadly, plenty of time to listen does not mean plenty of time to update Bawley.

The next few weeks will be catch up time, come back for reviews of:

Hot Chip - One Life Stand
Massive Attack - Heligoland
Delphic - Acolyte
LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening
Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
Josh Pyke - Live in Bristol
Deftones - Diamond Eyes
Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles
The National - High Violet

The early word is that 2010 is becoming the awesome year we all hoped it would.

Would you watch 1000s of sad men pleasure themselves for some new Holy F**k?

2010-03-13T07:28:00.002+11:00

Holy Fuck's new single Latin America is streaming on random internet chat sensation Chatroulette, you just have to find it - Next.

R.I.P. Sparklehorse

2010-03-09T07:25:00.002+11:00

Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse has taken his own life. His family has released a statement saying,

"It is with great sadness that we share the news that our dear friend and family member, Mark Linkous, took his own life today. We are thankful for his time with us and will hold him forever in our hearts. May his journey be peaceful, happy and free. There's a heaven and there's a star for you."

Linkous who has been releasing wonderful alt-blues records under the name Sparklehorse since 1995 was also a keen collaborator working with Fennesz, PJ Harvey, Tom Waits and of course Danger Mouse on last years Dark Night Of The Soul.

In unrelated (and infinitely more positive) news EMI have announced that Dark Night Of The Soul will get an official release in the middle of the year.

God Save 6Music

2010-02-27T06:38:00.003+11:00

This morning The Times reported that two of the BBC’s digital radio stations 6Music and The Asian Network will be shut down as part of corporation wide cut backs.

Scriptwriter, journalist, broadcaster and sometimes 6Music DJ Andrew Collins put together this great piece covering the reasons behind any closure and why the loss of 6Music (and The Asian Network) is bad news for everyone.

Just some of what we will all be missing if 6Music were to close down.

Deftones put on their Rocket Skates

2010-02-25T05:51:00.003+11:00

Deftones have just released Rocket Skates their first new song since a car accident left bassist Chi Cheng in a coma.

Sergio Vega has joined the band on bass but I wouldn’t say he has changed the sound much; Rocket Skates is typical Deftones, loud riff heavy and awesome.

The new album Diamond Eyes is out on May 18th I for one am hoping for more of the same (again).

Download Rocket Skates at gunsrazorsknives.com or direct from here, want to win stuff by blogging/facebooking/tweeting about Rocket Skates? You can do it here. (Yes I would have posted this anyway, why? Because Deftones rule.)

Surfs Up

2010-02-18T09:08:00.004+11:00

MGMT's new album, Congratulations is not released for another month but already it would have to be early contender for worst album art of 2010?

Here is the story behind this totally radical album sleeve.

nin.com - ?

2010-02-11T09:08:00.004+11:00

Something is happening on nin.com

2.10.10 http://www.nin.com/?id=96132

2.9.10 http://www.nin.com/?id=96124

any guesses?

A New (Years) Music Resolution

2010-01-29T11:41:00.006+11:00

A friend of Bawley recently pointed me to Andre’s Resolution 2010. In short, Resolution 2010 is a positive commitment that in 2010 you only listen to music released in 2010.

The rules (exceptions to):

• Re-issues and re-masters released in 2010 count as 2010 releases.
• For the month of January you are allowed to listen to anything from 2009. (edit: I suggest the Bawley 100 – 2009)
• I will probably come up with more rules as I think of them because not listening to Bad Brains for a year is starting to make me sad.

This got me thinking, could I do this? What would I miss? Would 2010 be a better year for new music than 2009? Such negative questions are not really in the spirit of Resolution 2010 so I turned the question on its head: if only listened to music released in 2010, what would I have to look forward to?

There are the already released albums from Vampire Weekend (Contra) and Charlotte Gainsbourg (IRM). Contra is more of the same preppy afro-beat indie-pop that made Vampire Weekend’s debut album so enjoyable, while IRM (sung by Gainsbourg but written and produced by Beck) is as good as anything Beck has done since Sea Change (2002).

On February 9th Hot Chip will release One Life Stand. With great reviews so far and the title track sitting on the high rotation list at triple j, BBC Radio 1 and 6Music, One Life Stand could be the album that sees Hot Chip break into the mainstream (without losing the their status as a critic’s favourite).

Daddy G returns for Massive Attack’s first album in five years, Heligoland, also set for a February 9th release. The album drops a lot of what made 100th Window pants and picks up a massive list of guest vocalists and collaborators including Damon Albarn, Hope Sandoval, Guy Garvey, Martina Topley-Bird, Horace Andy, and Tunde Adibempe. If the Splitting The Atom preview EP and last year’s live shows are anything to go by, Heligoland should be brilliant.

Back in September The Knife provided the soundtrack to a Danish opera based on the life of Charles Darwin. The opera was called Tomorrow, In A Year and a studio version of the soundtrack is due for release on March 1st. I doubt anything stranger will come out all year.

After some time spent writing Chinese operas and fronting the re-formed Blur, Damon Albarn is back with Gorillaz third album: Plastic Beach, out March 8th. Once again the list of collaborators is impressive, drawing big names from hip hop (Snoop Dogg, Mos Def, De la Soul), rock (Lou Reed, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Mark E Smith, Gruff Rhys) and soul (Bobby Womack). Albarn is promising it will be Gorillaz "most pop album".

No dates yet, but LCD Soundsystem are also due to release a new album in March. Sadly, it may also be the band’s last album. Main man James Murphy told NME "I know I said (LCD Soundsystem was over) last time and things changed, but I don't like to repeat myself."

Tipped for an early 2010 release is the next album from Interpol. Drummer Sam Fogarino has said it will be more Turn On The Bright Lights than Our Love To Admire which is a good thing.

Later in the year, details of upcoming releases get sketchier. But there are some exciting albums on the horizon: The National and Band of Horses are both suggesting they will have new releases, as are The Avalanches and The Panics.

Despite the retirement of Nine Inch Nails as a touring band, Trent Reznor has said “2010 has a number of things planned including new material from nine inch nails and something else that isn't nine inch nails.”

I know I could not go a year without listening to The Cure. Luckily they also have a 2010 release planned, the 21st anniversary remastered re-issue of Disintegration. Due in the first half of the year, the release will be a three CD set, containing the original album (remastered) , twenty previously unreleased b-sides and demos from the era, and a remixed and extended version of the Entreat live album.

While 2010 looks like being a great year for new music I still don’t know if I am up for the Resolution 2010 commitment, what about you?

What are you looking forward to in 2010? What would you miss if you were to take up the challenge?

Best acceptance speech ever.

2010-01-27T14:24:00.001+11:00

(Doing the Sums 2009) Are You Joe Average?

2010-01-27T10:46:00.005+11:00

The Bawley crew love the triple j Hottest 100, the only thing we love more than the Hottest 100 is our own (Doing the Sums) Are You Joe Average quiz. (2007, 2008, Hottest 100 of all time)

Here is how it works

1. Write out a list of the songs you voted for in the triplej Hottest 100.
2. Write down the position each of these came in the triplej Hottest 100
3. If a song did not make the list put down 101.
4. Add up the scores, and divide by the number of songs you voted for.
5. Post your results as a comment to this blog entry.

Here is how to interpret your score

1-13: Either you are the lovechild of Bernard Fanning and La Roux or you are actually Mumford’s Son.

14-27: Parlez Vous Austereo?

28-40: Very vanilla

41-52: "Meet Me on the Equinox" is your signature song in more ways than one.

53-65: Pretty pedestrian, but you probably have one weirdo friend who is rubbing off on you more than you realise.

66-77: Kinda quirky in a cute way.

78-89: Kinda quirky in a "slowly back away..." way.

90-100: You're a f***ing freak, man

101: Did you vote for songs, or flavours of ice cream????

The Bawley 100 scored

Fleet Foxes – Mykonos - 101
Super Furry Animals - Inaugural Trams - 101
The Xx - Heart Skipped a Beat - 101
Mumford and Sons - Sigh No More - 101
Fever Ray - If I Had A Heart - 101
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Hysteric - 101
Camera Obscura - Away With Murder - 101
Phoenix – Lisztomania – 4
Danger Mouse and Sparkle Horse - Revenge (ft The Flaming Lips) - 101
The Xx – Crystallised – 101

91.3 You're a f***ing freak, man (our worst performance ever!!)

How did you score?

Triple J Hottest 100: The People Have Spoken

2010-01-27T10:17:00.006+11:00

I Despite the leaks the 2009 Hottest 100 managed to pull out a few surprises (Foo Fighters still relevant in 2009?!), is this further proof (2007, 2008) that musical democracy does not work? I am not sure?

Full list below (Bawley rankings in brackets)

100 ( - ) Foo Fighters - Wheels
99 ( - ) Tegan and Sara - Hell
98 ( - ) Them Crooked Vultures - New Fang
97 ( - ) Regina Spektor - Laughing With
96 ( - ) Deadmau5 - Ghosts N Stuff
95 ( - ) Silversun Pickups - Panic Switch
94 ( - ) Regina Spektor - Blue Lips
93 ( - ) Bertie Blackman - Thump
92 ( 26 ) Friendly Fires - Skeleton Boy
91 ( - ) Manchester Orchestra - I've Got Friends
90 ( - ) Florence and the Machine - Kiss With A Fist
89 ( - ) Jay-Z - D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)
88 ( - ) NOFX - Creeping Out Sara
87 ( 23 ) The Middle East - The Darkest Side
86 ( - ) Flight Of The Conchords - Too Many Dicks (On The Dance Floor)
85 ( 87 ) Kasabian - Underdog
84 ( - ) Muse - United States of Eurasia
83 ( - ) Basement Jaxx - Raindrops
82 ( - ) Miami Horror - Sometimes
81 ( 84 ) Mumford & Sons - The Cave
80 ( - ) Dizzee Rascal - Holiday
79 ( - ) Yves Klein Blue - Getting Wise
78 ( - ) Tame Impala - Remember Me
77 ( - ) Jet - She's a Genius
76 ( - ) Julian Casablancas - 11th Dimension
75 ( - ) Wolfmother - New Moon Rising
74 ( - ) Art vs. Science - Friend In The Field
73 ( - ) MSTRKRFT (ft. John Legend) - Heartbreaker
72 ( - ) Sia - You've Changed
71 ( - ) Bertie Blackman - Byrds of Prey
70 ( 33 ) Animal Collective - My Girls
69 ( - ) Death Cab for Cutie - Meet Me on the Equinox
68 ( - ) The Prodigy - Omen
67 ( - ) Washington - Cement
66 ( - ) Illy - Pictures
65 ( - ) Eskimo Joe - Foreign Land
64 ( - ) The Middle East - Blood
63 ( - ) Karnivool - All I Know
62 ( 64 ) Bloc Party - One More Chance
61 ( - ) Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks
60 ( - ) Lily Allen - 22
59 ( - ) Calvin Harris - I'm Not Alone
58 ( 65 ) The Temper Trap - Love Lost
57 ( - ) Philadelphia Grand Jury - The Good News
56 ( - ) The xx - Islands
55 ( - ) Franz Ferdinand - No You Girls
54 ( - ) Arctic Monkeys - Crying Lightning
53 ( - ) Miike Snow - Animal
52 ( - ) Vampire Weekend - Horchata
51 ( 22 ) Kasabian - Where Did All The Love Go?
50 ( - ) Sia - Buttons (CSS Remix)
49 ( - ) Powderfinger - All of the Dreamers
48 ( - ) The Temper Trap - Science of Fear
47 ( - ) Karnivool - Set Fire to the Hive
46 ( 62 ) Bon Iver - Blood Bank
45 ( - ) Florence and the Machine - Drumming Song
44 ( - ) Florence and the Machine - Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)
43 ( - ) The Bloody Beetroots (ft. The Cool Kids) - Awesome
42 ( - ) British India - Vanilla
41 ( - ) Simian Mobile Disco (ft. Chris Keating) - Audacity of Huge
40 ( - ) Angus & Julia Stone - And the Boys
39 ( - ) The John Butler Trio - One Way Road
38 ( - ) Passion Pit - Little Secrets
37 ( - ) Hilltop Hoods - Still Standing
36 ( - ) Weezer - (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To
35 ( - ) Muse - Resistance
34 ( - ) Little Birdy - Brother
33 ( - ) Kid Cudi (ft. MGMT & Ratatat) - Pursuit of Happiness
32 ( - ) Paul Dempsey - Ramona Was A Waitress
31 ( - ) Seth Sentry - The Waitress Song
30 ( - ) Flight Of The Conchords - Hurt Feelings
29 ( - ) Sarah Blasko - All I Want
28 ( - ) Sarah Blasko - We Won't Run
27 ( 35 ) La Roux - In for the Kill
26 ( - ) Metric - Help I'm Alive
25 ( 21 ) Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Zero
24 ( - ) Flight Of The Conchords - Carol Brown
23 ( - ) The Bloody Beetroots (ft. Steve Aoki) - Warp 1.9
22 ( - ) Vampire Weekend - Cousins
21 ( - ) The Temper Trap - Fader
20 ( - ) Passion Pit - Sleepyhead
19 ( 81 ) Muse - Undisclosed Desires
18 ( - ) Bag Raiders - Shooting Stars
17 ( - ) Kasabian - Fire
16 ( - ) Gossip - Heavy Cross
15 ( - ) Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros - Home
14 ( - ) Jamie T - Sticks 'n' Stones
13 ( 40 ) Phoenix - 1901
12 ( 98 ) Dizzee Rascal and Armand van Helden - Bonkers
11 ( 25 ) Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll
10 ( 17 ) Florence and the Machine - Dog Days Are Over
9 ( - ) Muse - Uprising
8 ( - ) Lily Allen - Not Fair
7 ( - ) Lisa Mitchell - Coin Laundry
6 ( 63 ) La Roux - Bulletproof
5 ( 51 ) Bluejuice - Broken Leg
4 ( 3 ) Phoenix - Lisztomania
3 ( 38 ) Hilltop Hoods - Chase That Feeling
2 ( 31 ) Art vs. Science - Parlez Vous Francais?
1 ( 56 ) Mumford & Sons - Little Lion Man

I think I like it, what do you think? Was Little Lion Man the Hottest song of 2009?

Another Version of the Truth: The Gift

2010-01-17T23:52:00.004+11:00

Back in January 2009 we pointed you to some 400GB of raw HD footage captured during Nine Inch Nails' 2008 Lights In The Sky tour.

A year on and things have come along more than anyone could have imagined.

Fans have edited thousands of videos from the footage, assembled their own DVDs and live albums, even held theatrical screenings of their creations. And now, the ambitious and well-organised group known as This One Is On Us (remember this) have released their massive, highly-anticipated creation, Another Version of the Truth: The Gift.

Created by a team of dozens of NIN fans spanning the entire globe have pooled their efforts to create this professional-quality 1080p 5.1 concert film, and it has been released on just about every format from Blu-ray to DVD, iPod to YouTube.

That something of this scale was produced entirely by fans, on their own time, purely for the sake of giving something back, is absolutely unprecedented. You can read all about the project and find all the download links here, or watch it immediately on YouTube here. Theatrical screenings are already being organised, you can find more info about those here.

"Nine Inch Nails fans kick ass." – Trent Reznor

"We did it for fun and stopped before it stopped being so"

2010-01-15T10:51:00.005+11:00

I was listening to 'The Broken Family Band' on my way in to work this morning. Having Remembered again how brilliant they are (were), I checked their website on arriving at work to see if they had anything new coming out soon. Alas, it seems they called it a day back in November.

Shame. They were great. A Cambridge based alt.country / indie band who wrote funny, tender songs and didn't take themselves too seriously (their website proudly quotes the NME's description of them: "A dickless Radiohead" ). Their extensive back catalogue is well worth checking out - start with 'Balls' or 'Cold Water Songs'.

What better way to start the new year than with a bit of LAMBCHOP news?

2010-01-08T12:46:00.007+11:00

Lambchop surprised their fans at the end of 2009 with their second live album in as many years.

Filmed at the band's American record label Merge's 20th anniversary party and released as an MP3 download (with an optional SD or HD video download) or as a limited edition CD with a voucher for HD video download (it's a chunky 1gb file), it's a world away from the band's previous live release.

While 2007's 'No Such Silence' beautifully captured Lambchop, in front of a polite Belgian crowd, at their most restrained and delicate, 'Live at XX Merge' sees the band at their most euphoric, tearing through their more raucus moments ('Your Fucking Sunny Day', 'Hey Where's Your Girl', 'Up With People'...) with a rare zeal.

It's an awesome performance which concludes with an epic version of 'Give It' - the track that lead singer Kurt Wagner released in collaboration with dance act X-Press 2 - with a bit of Talking Heads chucked in for good measure. It's well worth checking out:

LAMBCHOP LIVE AT XX MERGE: GIVE IT / PROMO from Show Cobra Productions on Vimeo.

Bawley (hearts) 2009: Top 5 Concerts of the year: Nick

2010-01-05T14:00:00.007+11:00

2009 wasn't a vintage live music year for me, but it was a bunch of older, established acts who have honed their live show over hundreds of hours of performance who impressed me most. And The Metro continued to impress me as Sydney's best live music venue, with three of my favourite shows of the year taking place there.

5. The Hold Steady, Metro Theatre (04/02/09)
The Hold Steady seem to play every show like it's the most important one they've ever played, and despite poor sound (backing vocals and keys too low in the mix), and a less than full venue, they stormed through a great set of bar room rock and roll with bucketloads of energy and personality.

4. Elbow, V Festival Sydney(29/03/09)
I Wouldn't normally put a festival set in a list like this, but Elbow seemed to be having the time of their lives in Centennial Park on a perfect March afternoon, belting out songs like 'One Day Like This' and telling stupid jokes. The crowd were having the time of their lives too.

3. Gomez, The Metro Theatre (23/10/2009)
10 years and 6 albums into their career, Gomez know exactly how to work a crowd. Their back catalogue is big enough and strong enough to play almost entirely different sets over two consecutive nights at The Metro without diminishing the quality of the material. I was there on the second night and had a blast. But my foot is still sore from dancing too much.

2. Basement Jaxx, The Enmore Theatre, 03/03/09
Still the best live dance act in the world. (FasterLouder review)

1. My Morning Jacket, The Metro Theatre, 22/01/09
Last January I doubted I'd be going to a better gig than this one for the rest of the year. And I didn't.

The Bawley 100 - New Years Eve 2009/2010

2010-01-01T00:01:00.005+11:00

When you or someone in your family suddenly begins to experience the symptoms – fever, blandness, aches, chills, tiredness, miley cirrhosis, u2-itis – you have just moments to take action. Trust BAWLEY FLU, the most frequently prescribed antiviral top 100 song list of 2009.

With NYE listening parties spreading from the backyards of Braddon and beaches of Bondi to the baths of Budapest, the 2009 Bawley 100 is everywhere you wanna be.

The 2009 Bawley 100:

111 Radiohead - Harry Patch

99 Karen O And The Kids - Worried Shoes

98 Dizzee Rascal - Bonkers

97 Them Crooked Vultures - Nobody Loves Me & Neither Do I

96 The Maccabees - No Kind Words

95 Datarock - Give It Up

94 Dappled Cities - The Price

93 Jason Lytle - Yours Truly The Commuter

92 Yeasayer - Ambling Alp

91 Idlewild - Readers And Writers

90 Hot Chip - Transmission

89 Ian Brown - Stellify

88 Gomez - Little Pieces

87 Kasabian - Underdog

86 Editors - Papillon

85 Thom Yorke - The Hollow Earth

84 Mumford and Sons - The Cave

83 Bat For Lashes - Daniel

82 Wild Beasts - Still Got The Taste Dancing On Our Tongues

81 Muse - Undisclosed Desires

80 The Horrors - Sea Within A Sea

79 Phoenix - Girlfriend

78 Eels - In My Dreams

77 Jarvis Cocker - Angela

76 Books feat Jose Gonzales - Cello Song

75 Fever Ray - When I Grow Up

74 The Dead Weather - Will There Be Enough Water?

73 Mariachi El Bronx - Slave Labour

72 British Sea Power - No Man Is An Archipelago

71 Young And Restless - Creeps

70 The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - Higher Than The Stars

69 Little Boots - Remedy

68 Cornershop - The Roll-Off Characteristics (Of History In the Making)

67 Lily Allen - Fuck You

66 Karen O And The Kids - All Is Love

65 Temper Trap - Love Lost

64 Bloc Party - One More Chance

63 La Roux - Bulletproof

62 Bon Iver - Blood Bank

61 Massive Attack - Pray For Rain

60 The Big Pink - Dominos

59 Doves - Kingdom Of Rust

58 Arctic Monkeys - Cornerstone

57 Girls - Lust For Life

56 Mumford and Sons - Little Lion Man

55 The Xx - Shelter

54 Dave Sitek - With A Girl Like You

53 Jeffery Lewis + The Junkyard - Roll Bus Roll

52 Brakes - Two Shocks

51 Bluejuice - Broken Leg

50 Health - Die Slow

49 The Horrors - Who Can Say

48 Fever Ray - Triangle Walks

47 Massive Attack - Splitting The Atom

46 Decemberists - The Rake's Song

45 Camera Obscura - James

44 Art Brut - What a Rush

43 Bridezilla - Beaches

42 God Help The Girl - Come Monday Night

41 Temper Trap - Sweet Disposition

40 Phoenix - 1901

39 The National - So Far Around The Bend

38 Hilltop Hoods - Chase That Feeling

37 Hungary Kids of Hungry - Scattered Diamonds

36 The Duckworth Lewis Method - The Age of Revolution

35 La Roux - In For The Kill

34 Thom Yorke - Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses

33 Animal Collective - My Girls

32 Fuck Buttons - Olympians

31 Art vs Science - Parlez Vous Francais

30 The Cribs - We Share The Same Skies

29 Gomez - Airstream Driver

28 Camera Obscura - Honey In The Sun

27 Danger Mouse and Sparkle Horse - Just War (ft Gruff Rhys)

26 Friendly Fires - Skeleton Boy

25 Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll

24 Doves - Outsiders

23 The Middle East - The Darkest Side

22 Kasabian - Where Did All The Love Go?

21 Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Zero

20 Mariachi El Bronx - Cell Mates

19 The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - Contender

18 Washed Out - Feel It All Around

17 Florence and the Machine - Dog Days

16 Art Brut - Am I Normal?

15 Hot Chip - Take It In

14 Radiohead - These Are My Twisted Words

13 Portishead - Chase The Tear

12 The Horrors - I Only Think Of You

11 Danger Mouse and Sparkle Horse - Little Girl (ft Julian Casablancas)

10 Fleet Foxes - Mykonos

9 Super Furry Animals - Inaugural Trams

8 The Xx - Heart Skipped a Beat

7 Mumford and Sons - Sigh No More

6 Fever Ray - If I Had A Heart

5 Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Hysteric

4 Camera Obscura - Away With Murder

3 Phoenix - Lisztomania

2 Danger Mouse and Sparkle Horse - Revenge (ft The Flaming Lips)

1 The Xx - Crystallised

If symptoms persist please see a doctor.

Bawley (Hearts) 2009: Top 5 Concerts of the Year: Hummer

2009-12-24T10:20:00.001+11:00

5. ATP – The Breeders, Minehead, 15-17/5/2009

The combination of The Bronx’s head smashing punk, CSS’s Brazilian carnival, Bon Iver’s emotional retelling of For Emma, Holy Fuck’s free beers, Mariarchi el Bronx’s guitarrón, Deerhunter’s daydream pop, The Breeders’ classic headline set and luxury indoor camping made for a perfect weekend on the Somerset coast. (photos, knitting)

4. Phoenix, O2 Academy, Birmingham, 24/10/2009

Still largely under the radar in the UK, Phoenix brought their delicious pop songs to an ever appreciative crowd. (review)

3. Datarock, Thekla, Bristol, 23/11/2009

The Boat That Rocked: When I think of bands on boats I get images of tired old crooners wobbling away to greys in Hawaiian shirts. Datarock on the Thekla was anything but tired, though they did play a cover of (I’ve Had The) Time Of My Life that would do Jack Jones proud (review).

2. Massive Attack, O2 Academy, Birmingham, 22/09/2009

Debuting new tracks alongside classics, Massive Attack proved they are still as angry and essential as ever. (review)

1. Nine Inch Nails and Janes Addiction, O2 Arena, London, 15/07/2009

These two behemoths of 90s alternative rock came together for a mind blowing stadium rock show.

The freshly reformed Jane’s Addiction pulled off a performance so good you could be forgiven for thinking they had never been away, before Nine Inch Nails played their rawest, rockest set in years with the urgency of a band trying to get noticed, not say goodbye. (review)

Bawley (Hearts) 2009: Top 5 albums of the year: Nick

2009-12-21T17:04:00.004+11:00

In a rare display of Bawley team synchronicity, my top 5 of the year contains 60% of the albums in Hummer's 5. I have a hunch that this has more to do with the paucity of quality albums in 2009, than anything else, but who knows?

Here are my 5:

5 Doves, Kingdom Of Rust

With their fourth album, Doves didn't quite achieve the Elbow-style breakthrough that I speculated about in January, nor did they quite hit the highs they achieved on 2002's 'The Last Broadcast', but they did break a lot of ground musically to produce a really solid album that was sonically interesting from beginning to end.

4 The XX, XX

A band, absolutely unheard of at the beginning of the year, pool their record collections to forge a style that's halfway between indie and r&b and sounds quite unlike anything around at the moment: intimate, unselfconcious and strangely compelling.

3 Phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

The party album of the year: full of great tunes, and no messing about.

2 Mumford & Sons, Sigh No More

The hotly tipped Mumford & Sons launched their debut album at a hoedown in a barn in Hertfordshire, and with it started an unlikely bluegrass revival. Really impressive album all the way through.

1 Sparklehorse & Dangermouse, Dark Night Of the Soul

It's a real shame that my album of the year is not available anywhere, but when it contains some of the best work by some of the most interesting artists of the last decade, and still ends up being better than the sum of its parts, how could it not be?

Bawley (Hearts) 2009: Top 5 Albums of the Year: Hummer

2009-12-18T11:30:00.007+11:00

5. The Horrors – Primary Colours

On Primary Colours The Horrors recruited Portishead’s Geoff Burrow and ditched their goth punk in favour of rich moody textured rock. The result is one of the year’s best albums, which helped the band prove themselves to be more than the tidal wave of skinny jeans, haircuts and hype that overshadowed their 2007 debut.

4. Danger Mouse and Sparkle Horse – Dark Night Of The Soul

With its high art concept, Hollywood-style promotion, massive list of contributors, legal battles, 50 pages of glossy art work and David Lynch weirdness, Dark Night Of The Soul was going to be brilliant or a kick in the balls. Brilliant it is - the kick in the balls came when it was revealed that the album will never be released.

3. Fever Ray – Fever Ray

Droning, monotonous and claustrophobic: not words you would normally associate with great pop albums, but then again Fever Ray’s debut is not a normal pop album, just a great one.

2. The Xx – Xx

The self-produced debut album from London upstarts The Xx is gloriously downbeat: delicate guitars weave between trip hop-esque beats while the spoken boy/girl vocals give the feeling that you are eavesdropping on a private conversation.

1. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix finds the band doing what they do better than anyone else – danceable indie-pop with touches of shoegaze, dabs of ambient electro, a splatter of euphoric highs and lashings of Gallic cool.

F- you I won’t do what you tell me

2009-12-12T06:08:00.003+11:00

What starting as a facebook campaign pointing the stiff middle finger to Simon Cowell and his X Factor karaoke clones, has grown into a legitimate battle for the Christmas number 1.

Real music fans are being encouraged to download Rage Against The Machine's Killing In The Name on December 13th with the hope that collaborative action can knock X-Factor from its Christmas number one perch.

Join the facebook group, buy the single on iTunes (UK) and donate here.

And tell us would a RATM win be a perfect pop moment?

Live Review: Datarock, Thekla, Bristol, 23/11/2009

2009-11-26T10:58:00.006+11:00

Datarock and Karin Park bring Scandinavian electro to Bristol’s longest running boat based live venue.

Karin Park opened the show playing songs from her wonderful Ashes To Gold album. The combination of dark lyrics, electro beats and straight out begging got the dozen or so early comers to get up and dance at the front of the stage.

Sadly only a few more people board the Thekla before Datarock arrive on stage to the canned fanfare of The Blog: the rapturous (recorded) stadium sized cheers seem a little overstated in the hull of a sparsely populated boat.

But the tracksuit clad Norwegians soon prove that no matter the venue no matter the size of the audience a Datarock gig is always something to cheer about.

The first part of the set is loaded with tracks from the band’s new album Red: The Blog is followed by Give It Up, True Stories and Dance which are all a lot of fun but it takes the older tracks Night Flight to Uranus and Sex You Up to really get everyone in the mood and moving.

During Princess the band introduce a dance they call the running man, soon enough everyone on the boat is jumping around in a fashion more suited to Aerobics OzStyle than a cool indie dance gig.

The good times just keep coming, one girl obviously unable to control herself storms the stage starts dancing with the band, screams in to the microphone, and pashes the drummer before being encouraged back down to the floor.

The always brilliant Fa Fa Fa is followed by the whole room screaming the call/response lyrics to Computer Camp Love before the band pogo their way through I Use To Dance With My Daddy.

Having played their three biggest songs in a row the band leave the stage with the promise “We are going backstage now, if you call out DATAROCK, DATAROCK we will be back in just a minute” While most people are happy for the breather no one wants the show to stop

“DATAROCK, DATAROCK....”

And they are back on stage and before declaring "BMX is better than Sex" on Bulldozer they send out a tribute to their drummers. First best wishes are sent to their regular drummer who broke his leg while break dancing at the Birmingham show just two nights earlier. Secondly thanks is given to tonight’s drummer Daniel Park (Karin Park) who has filled the empty red tracksuit with ease, even taking on vocals duties for Ugly Primadona.

The night finishes with the whole band off the stage down in the crowd; dancing, playing saxophone, and posing for photos while leading a full room karaoke version of (I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life.

If I didn’t get sea sick I would ride this boat with the band all the way back to Norway.

Now I’ve Had The Time Of My Life, No I never felt this way before .....

Bawley (Hearts) 2009: Top 6 Covers of the Year

2009-11-26T09:51:00.006+11:00

6. The Big Pink – Sweet Dreams (Beyonce)

The Big Pink’s delicate acoustic take on Sweet Dreams is the polar opposite of Beyonce’s over produced/polished pop, luckily the song is good enough to work for both artists. (link)

5. Gomez - From St Kilda to Kings Cross (Paul Kelly)

Gomez are regular visitors to Australia but it seems they keep coming back for more than the sunshine and beaches, they have also grown to love Paul Kelly. Here they give this distinctly Australian song some international favour. (link – skip to 13:40)

4. Dappled Cities – My Girls (Animal Collective)

Dappled Cities reveal that beneath all the Animal Collective (OMG! Animal Collective) hype My Girls is a really great song. (link – 13:30)

3. Mariachi El Bronx - I Would Die 4 U (Prince)

My third choice from triple j’s Like A Version series and by far the most unexpected. LA punks The Bronx swap their thrashing guitars and screamed vocals to and give this Prince booty shaker some Mariachi sunshine. (link – 12:00)

2. The Dead Weather – Are Friend Electric? (Gary Numan)

Jack White’s other other band apply their dark swampy blues to Gary Numan’s paranoid classic. The result dark, swampy paranoia – superb (link)

1. The Muppets – Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen)

Only The Muppets could pull this off, watch below - and I challenge you not to hit the replay button.

Bawley (Hearts) 2009: Bottom 5 album covers of the year

2009-11-23T09:42:00.009+11:00

Yesterday I posted my list of the best album art of 2009, now for some of the worst.

5. Morrissey – Years of Refusal

The cover of Morrissey’s latest album does nothing to dispel rumours that he eats small children for breakfast.

4. MSTRKRFT – Fist of God

A mish-mash of butts and thighs in the shape of a fist: the fist of God. God is angry, fear his wrath.

3. U2 – No Line On the Horizon

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

2. Weezer - Raditude

As lame as it is, the jumping dog on the cover is the rad-est thing about this appalling album.

1. Wolfmother – Cosmic Egg

Apparently the universe is a cosmic egg that cycles between expansion and total collapse. It expanded from a concentrated form —a point called a Bindu. The universe, as a living entity, is bound to the perpetual cycle of birth, death, and rebirth

Wolfmother are an Australian rock band with a bent for 70s rock riffs, fantasy world lyrics and horrible cover art. This is one rotten egg.

Also: What is that skinny naked boy doing in the bushes?

Bawley (Hearts) 2009: Top 5 album covers of the year

Music Snobs Protest Predictable Use Of Metallica, Pantera To Torture Prisoners

2009-11-23T02:53:00.002+11:00

WASHINGTON—Amid continued reports detailing the CIA's use of loud music to torture detainees at Guantánamo Bay, pop-culture elitists from across the country gathered in the nation's capital Monday to protest the uninspired song selections employed in the brutal treatment of inmates.

"To remain silent about the abhorrent methods used to interrogate alleged enemy combatants would be a betrayal of the ideals we hold most dear," said New Yorker music critic Sasha Frere-Jones, a spokesperson for the loose coalition of music snobs. "I mean, 'Enter Sandman,' from Metallica's 1991 self-titled album? Really? Not to say there isn't some classic stuff on the torture playlist, but even my 12-year-old nephew would choose something a little more unexpected than Nine Inch Nails to shatter an utterly demoralized man's already tenuous grip on reality."

"They could have at least picked an excerpt from Dream Theater's A Change Of Seasons EP to play at 120 decibels for 14 hours a day," Frere-Jones continued. "If I were handcuffed to a chair with something as tired as Tupac's 'Keep Ya Head Up' blasting in my face, I'd probably pass out from boredom, despite the painful sleep deprivation stress positions."

Continue reading: http://www.theonion.com/content/news/nations_music_snobs_protest

More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/dec/10/stop-the-music-torture-initiative

Do Something: http://zerodb.org/

Bawley (Hearts) 2009: Top 5 album covers of the year

2009-11-22T10:47:00.009+11:00

Album art just about managed to survive the shift from record to CD (from 12 inches of cover space down to 5) but the move to digital downloads and ever shrinking mp3 player screens are proving difficult for many of today’s artists.

Not all hope is lost. Here are five of the best examples of album cover art circa 2009.

5. Neko Case – Middle Cyclone

Neko Case crouched on the bonnet of a muscle car, sword in hard ready to pounce...enjoy the album, just don’t get in her way.

4. The Xx – The Xx

The CD version of this album comes in a black cardboard sleeve with the ‘X’ cut out revealing the white inner booklet. A great idea that translates to a great image when shrunk down to 100x100 pixels.

3. Manic Street Preachers – Journal For Plague Lovers

The cover of Journal for Plague Lovers, an oil painting by Jenny Saville, was judged to be too offensive for public display.

Apparently the heavy red and brown brush strokes can be interpreted a blood on the boy’s face – of course, this is a subjective view.

Commenting on the controversy, singer James Bradfield said:

"You can have lovely shiny buttocks and guns everywhere in the supermarket on covers of magazines and CDs, but you show a piece of art and people just freak out ... We're not going to censor it or anything ... It is what it is."

2. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz

This action shot of a lady’s hand, chipped nail polish crushing an egg, perfectly captures the bands dangerous energy and, like many of the great album covers, it works no matter the size.

1. Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse – Dark Night Of The Soul

The cover art for a blank CD-R. The release of the Danger Mouse/Sparklehorse/David Lynch collaboration was scuppered by legal issues, but rather than bury the project the recordings were leaked to the internet and collaborators released a limited edition 100 page booklet with an accompanying blank CD-R. The packages sold out in near record time, proving that modern music fans will pay for quality album art.

Bawley (Hearts) 2009: Bottom 5 album covers of the year

Heavy Metal World Cup – Drinking From the Goblet

2009-11-16T04:52:00.006+11:00

After a week of demon summoning death growls, face melting guitar solos, whiplash inducing hair windmills and reversed satanic verses the 6Music Heavy Metal World Cup has come down to Black Sabbath vs Iron Maiden.

Two UK giants: one invented the genre, the other continues to define it.

With their 30+ year career, skeletal mascot, massive live show and refusal to die, the winner of the Heavy Metal World Cup is Iron Maiden.

Get a full run down of the results on the updated Heavy Metal World Cup wall chart.

Horns Up \m/

PS: Do watch the video’s linked above, if nothing else metal is always funny.

Heavy Metal World Cup – The Group of Death

2009-11-10T05:10:00.006+11:00

Today BBC 6Music’s Steve Lamacq announced the 16 bands that have qualified for the first round of the Heavy Metal World Cup.

The 16 bands and their first round fixtures are:

Slayer vs Van Halen
Black Sabbath vs Metallica
Judas Priest vs Def Leppard
Rainbow vs Saxon
Iron Maiden vs UFO
Kiss vs AC/DC
Deep Purple vs Anthrax
Motorhead vs Led Zeppelin

So some big first round clashes, hear Bruce Dickson's (of Iron Maiden) analysis of the first round fixtures on Listen Again.

You can follow the progress on the Heavy Metal World Cup Wall chart, or by tuning into 6Music from 5pm (GMT) every day this week. Listen Live.

Bawley: More Contagious Than Swine Flu

2009-11-02T03:19:00.000+11:00

The Bawley 100 - 2009 is coming soon

Live Review: Phoenix, Birmingham Academy 2, 24/10/2009

2009-10-26T08:47:00.011+11:00

I arrive at the Birmingham Academy in the worst mood I’ve been in for some time, a result of the early show time (6:00!), Birmingham’s labyrinth road system and some over-zealous security staff who had helpfully barricaded off the entrance to the venue.

Once inside my frustration is somewhat appeased by the lovely Chairlift, Bruises (you know, from the iPod ad s) is particularly nice. But all their efforts are undone by some infuriatingly slow bar service.

With overpriced Danish lager in hand, I shuffle to the front of the small room.

I am ready to hate the night’s main performance, hate everyone around me and go home in a huff.

Then Phoenix wander on stage looking as cool as ever and my foul mood is forgotten before they reach chorus of their first song Lisztomania. Perhaps a liberal prescription of French pop would make the world a better place. Phoenix-mania anyone?

If you thought starting with Lisztomania (easily one of the year’s best songs) was an ambitious move you would be right, but Phoenix have so many great songs that it works. Older tracks such as Long Distance Call and Run Run Run only sound better played next to newer gems like tracks Lasso and Girlfriend.

Just as it does on their latest album, Love Like A Sunset is the centre piece tonight. Part I provides a nice break from the action during which I take the chance to wipe the sweat from my brow before Part II and its body melting low bass note welcomes the second half of the show which starts proper with Too Young.

On Rome, singer Thomas Mars stands high at the front of the stage singing “Rome, Rome, Rome, Rome, ... something about the coliseum”, before closing the set with digitised vocals and self congratulations on Funky Squaredance.

After a minute or so of cheering, Phoenix are (of course) back for an encore which starts with the acoustic Love For Granted and If I Ever Feel Better. The last song for the night is 1901 during which Mars climbs down from the stage and pushes his way into the audience, coming to a stop right in front of me and my delighted other half as he thanks the crowd for sharing their Saturday night with the band.

No Thomas, thank you. I’m in the best mood I’ve been in for some time.

Love For Granted:

Two great free live releases this weekend

2009-10-24T23:02:00.005+11:00

Spooky Fever Ray download

Back in March, one half of The Knife Karin Dreijer Andersson released a solo album under the name Fever Ray.

The self-titled album is one of the year’s best, full of claustrophobic electronic-pop songs that blend into each other so well that it almost finishes before it begins, leaving you reaching for the repeat button.

Fever Ray have performed the album’s tracks at some 50 shows, all of them reported to be among the most disturbing of recent years. Venues were completely filled with dry ice, through which you could vaguely make out eerie figures on the stage: a deeply sinister clown, someone dressed as a kind of insect.

This weekend, a recording of one of these shows has been made available to readers of The Guardian.

Guardian “readers” can download the album from http://guardian.co.uk/feverray

Crowd sourcing a Nine Inch Nails show

On August 23rd, Nine Inch Nails performed their self-hate masterpiece The Downward Spiral live in its entirety for the first time ever.

While the band were unwilling to pay the venue’s exorbitant fees to have the performance professionally recorded, they were able to negotiate an open camera policy, meaning fans could film the show themselves using anything from a mobile phone to hi-def video camera.

Almost as soon as the show ended, fans started using the nin.com forums and quasi official NIN fan sites NIN Hotline and thisoneisonus.org to hunt out and compile footage from all who attended. Now only two months later, a polished multi-cam edited downloadable DVD of the full Webster Hall performance has appeared.

Forget crowd surfing - crowd sourcing is the new thing to do at rock concerts.

You can download the DVD from http://theninhotline.net/features/TDSlive/ or stream the YouTube channel here.

More on that Bloc Party Split

2009-10-17T02:42:00.002+11:00

With the band planning an extended break Bloc Party drummer Matt Tong suggested that following their current Bloctober tour he may be finished with music

"Unfortunately that is going to be it for the time being, ... I don't know, I wouldn't mind trying something else for a while."

Bloc Party or no Bloc Party, Tong doesn’t thinks we will be hearing more from the rest of the band.

"Kele is an insatiable workaholic and creating is something he is so connected to so you'll definitely hear from him again along with Russell and Gordon also."

You can hear the whole interview on BBC’s Subculture or read more excerpts on the BBC 6 Music News website.

Watch Blur in Lego Rock Band

2009-10-16T18:17:00.003+11:00

Woo Hoo, other Lego artists to appear in Lego Rock Band game include David Bowie, Iggy Pop and hopefully the Michael Gondry directed White Stripes.