While faffing about on the net checking out The Decemberists, I came across a live cover that Petra Haden did with them back in 2005. There are few people who can hit those Kate Bush high notes. I love the violin at the end too.
A talented violinist and vocalist, Petra Haden has performed and collaborated with a slew of other bands including The Twilight Singers, Beck, Luscious Jackson, Jimmy Eat World, Queens Of The Stone Age, Green Day and Weezer.
You can find a few of her covers floating around the net as well – in fact, you can grab a couple more right here.
I wasn’t planning on posting anything about the Triple J Hottest 100, but when I checked it out yesterday and saw that ‘Little Lion Man’ by Mumford & Sons came in at #1, it made me think about the quick cover version that Powderfinger did at Big Day Out the other day.
Before I go any further though, let me say that I love Mumford & Sons’ Sigh No More and named it one of my Top 5 Releases of 2009. This is not an attack on the band or the album. In fact, it’s not really an attack at all, and I’m not sure how to answer my own questions here, but I’m wondering all the same.
Prior to launching into their rendition of ‘Little Lion Man’, lead singer Bernard Fanning said something about how he’d just found out what the #1 track was. As he played the first few notes the whole crowd – already massive as most people were there waiting for Muse – roared. There would’ve been few people in the audience who weren’t shouting along, and naturally the crowd got even louder when they reached those pivotal lines
but it was not your fault but mine
and it was your heart on the line
I really fucked it up this time
didn’t I, my dear?
As I looked around me (warning: generalisations up ahead) I noted that most of the crowd were trendy metro kids (I believe the American term is ‘hipsters’) and I wondered two things.
a) Would any of these people have bothered listening to Mumford & Sons, if it wasn’t for Triple J’s relentless playing of ‘Little Lion Man’**, conveniently the only song to feature the word ‘fuck’ in the chorus?
I mean, people SCREAMED out the word ‘fucked’ and clapped and cheered and went all kinds of crazy. It was the same at Lily Allen – every time she swore people went nuts. What is it about people swearing in public that’s gets everybody so worked up? Watching the telly and listening to people speak, swearing is already abundant and so I don’t understand why people still get so excited about it.
I feel that I should say something here before I continue. I’m not anti-swearing. I swear with the best of ‘em. Not so much here on these pages because I think you can be a decent writer and express your opinions without swearing all the time, but with certain friends and family, yes I do swear. Swearing can be incredibly funny and clever when used in the right way.
Having said that though, I’m not a fan of people swearing just for the hell of it. Or when people swear so often that it’s obvious just how limited their vocabulary is. Or when you’re at the supermarket buying your chocolate and avocados and in aisle 8 you can hear some parent screaming at their four year old to shut the fuck up and get off the fucking trolley.
There is a time and a place. And you shouldn’t swear at your kids.
b) Would Triple J have bothered to include Mumford & Sons on their rotation if they had not written a song with the word ‘fuck’ in the chorus?
Triple J pride themselves on being all daring and alternative. A lot of the songs they play involve swearing. Is that all it takes to be featured in their programming?
Which brings me to a third question:
Would Mumford & Sons’ ‘Little Lion Man’ be #1 on the Triple J Hottest 100 if it didn’t say ‘fuck’ in the chorus?
** I found out from reading the comments on the Triple J Hottest 100 post that ‘Little Lion Man’ was also picked up by popular mainstream radio station Nova, which probably explains why so many people were able to sing along the other day.
I went to my first Big Day Out at Flemington Racecourse on Australia Day. I had high hopes, and although it was an interesting experience I’m not sure that I’ll bother with it again. Let me explain.
After getting the merch hunting out of the way, we headed to the Green Stage and were in time to check out The Temper Trap who came on not long after we found a patch of shade on the side of the hill. I like ‘Sweet Disposition’ and I was interested to see how they perform live. I don’t know if it was because we were so far back, but they sounded pretty ordinary to be honest. The mix seemed off and the vocals were pretty flat, but their large fanbase didn’t seem to care. I, however, remained unmoved.
By 3.30 the largely ‘trendy’ crowd had moved off to make way for the much smaller crew that gathered for upcoming act The Decemberists. I was surprised at how much I was looking forward to checking them out actually – up until a few weeks ago I’d really only ever had a passing interest in these guys but I’d heard that they were a great live act and not to be missed.
The rumours proved to be true. They opened with ‘July July’ and that was all it took – I was hooked. I can’t provide an accurate set list because I’m not familiar enough with their catalogue, but I do know they did ‘The Rake’s Song’, ‘The Engine Driver’, ‘The Crane Wife 1 & 2′ and ‘The Crane Wife 3′ which was my favourite song of the show. Another highlight was ’16 Military Wives’ which involved loads of crowd participation on the ‘la di la di las’. They didn’t do ‘The Wanting Comes In Waves/Repaid’ which I’d really wanted to see, but I coped!
Colin Meloy, who wore a t-shirt emblazoned with the Aboriginal flag, was full of banter and was really laid back and entertaining between songs. Drummer John Moen was also great to watch, twirling and catching his sticks and joining in the banter with the crowd.
I spent a lot of time checking out Nate Query on the upright bass – he was pretty cool.
Chris Funk delivered on pedal steel (I love pedal steel).
Jenny Conlee was fantastic, playing keyboards, accordian, melodica and drums at various stages throughout.
So yes, The Decemberists were excellent, playing all their catchiest songs and really working the crowd, which started off quite small but gradually got bigger as more and more people were attracted by their great sound. Although I told my friends as we left that I could already go home quite happy, little did I know that I’d just seen my favourite act of the day.
We dagged around for a bit while we waited for Lily Allen who we all had a passing interest in and thought she might be worth checking out. The crowd was already massive when we arrived and we had no great desire to push our way through it so we hung out down the back – hence the sea of people you see in the shot above!
I don’t have a lot to say about Lily Allen. She wore an Australian flag top and told us that she had gastro. Nice. I don’t really get the appeal I have to say. I mean she’s cute and rebellious and whatnot and her songs are kinda catchy but it’s all a bit too fake for me. Take the cigarettes, for example. She kept running off stage to light them, and then proceeded not to smoke them. Posturing, much? Anyway. She was better than Dizzee Rascal, who I was unfortunate enough to catch the end of, I can tell you that much.
Before I leave Lily behind forever, I’d just like to address the two stupid girls who were dancing on the bins right next to me and almost fell on me – you’re both idiots. Because if you can’t say it semi-anonymously on the internet, when can you say it?
I had to sit down at this point. If nothing else, Big Day Out really forced me to face a sad but true fact – I’m getting old. Everything hurt. My legs were sore, my knees were stiff and my back was screaming at me. The good thing about the setup at Flemington is that there’s loads of grass to park on (albeit dry and brown) and lots of shady spots to sit. My bag felt considerably lighter after ate most of the food I’d brought. Sadly this didn’t seem to help my back, it was still screaming abuse at me and continued to for the rest of the night.
We wandered back over to the main stage and started the long wait for headliners Muse. Powderfinger, who I liked back in the days of Oddessey Number Five and Vulture Street, came on at this point and god they were boring. They played four or five songs off the new album which I still maintain is just not something you should do at a festival when your time is limited. You play one or two new songs maybe, but you stick mainly to the crowd favourites because that’s what people are there for. The attempted banter from Bernard Fanning was uninspired and ‘These Days’ which is arguably one of their best songs was given the soft and sensitive treatment when it should’ve been a loud singalong. The only highlight was a quick cover of Mumford & Sons ‘Little Lion Man’. This was only the second time I’d seen them live and it’ll be the last I’m afraid.
Which brings us to Muse. I don’t have a lot to say about them either really. One of our party had abandoned us hours earlier to stake out a spot in the pit and she had an awesome time, coming out a bit battered and bruised and all kinds of euphoric, but I was pretty over things by the time they were on. I spent half the time trying to see past the giants surrounding me and being shoved by idiots who couldn’t just find a spot and bloody well stay in it. God I sound old, don’t I? It’s really quite sad. Everyone else seemed to be having, like, a totally radical time though.
Some people even climbed trees to get a better view. And then others threw things at them.
Muse did all the songs you’d expect, opening with ‘Uprising’ and moving through ‘Supermassive Black Hole’, ‘Time Is Running Out’, ‘Starlight’, ‘Knights Of Cydonia’ and a whole heap more that I should remember but don’t. I seriously couldn’t see anything apart from a glimpse of the screens every now and then (my camera was way above my head to take that stage shot above) so I can’t tell you anything about any onstage antics or whatnot, but I think they just did their usual show and all was well.
Getting out of there was a whole other adventure. For some reason there was only one exit through a gate about two metres wide. Funnelling tens of thousands of people through a two metre gap? Yeah, not pretty. After about an hour of crowd crush, which was bloody awful, the security guys finally figured out that hey! It was a double gate! And that they could open the other side! Idiots.
So yes. I think the main thing I learned from my experience was that I should’ve gone to see The Decemberists when they did their sideshow in Melbourne, bypassed Big Day Out completely and saved myself 140 bucks.
Lastly, I really don’t understand the cruelty and stupidity of some people. What possible cause was served by gatecrashing Flemington Racecourse and releasing 20-odd racehorses, two of whom were seriously injured and will never race again?
There’s much to be said about the audacity of people who try and perform Aussie hip hop or “Skip Hop”; it usually sounds disjointed, harsh and extremely wannabe. Case in point: The Hilltop Hoods, Australia’s horrible attempt at commercial hip hop. I’m Australian and even I have to put on accent to match the harshness of their’s.
While it was arguably the organisers’ least adventurous festival, and those seeking unexpected gems had to dig a little harder, there were still pockets of surprise. Local Afro-beat collective the Public Opinion Afro Orchestra kicked off the day with a high energy set of Nigerian-inspired dance music. Atlanta-based metal band Mastodon got the crowd head-banging and kicking up a dust storm early and alt-country band the Decemberists impressed many with their wistful tunes.
I also came across The Vine’s review of last year’s BDO, an excellent piece which discusses, among other things, the over-the-top patriotism that seems to be the main focus for many Big Day Out attendees:
What runs through peoples heads I wonder? As they collect their change for the train, Big Day Out ticket, Australian flag cape, fake Australian flag tattoos, southern cross boob tubes and shorts?
“I am Australian. I will wear my flag. I will let people know I am Australian. You could be too but…I’m just letting you know. Today. Who I be.”
Somewhere in between the Cronulla riots and the ensuing controversy surrounding the banning of the Australian flag at the 2007 Big Day Out, wearing our nation’s colours at music festivals became something different. Ugly. Jingoist. Stupid. And not because it used to mean much of anything in particular, but because before the riots…no one really did it. Meaning that those who take up the attire now, do so knowing – presumably – of its by-product relationship to the block-headed patriotism, racist overtones and connotations of violence that currently accompany it. At some point the flag needs to revert back to its original intention surely, but until then those that shout about it in public (“Australian and proud of it mate”) and wear the flag like a badge of honour (always in packs, always accessorised with matching tatts, flags, hats, sunnies, thongs, shorts, etc) stand as some blurry grey statement of one nation in solidarity. Against, presumably, those who aren’t.
The Vine’s article from last year is in two parts – Go here for Part 1 and here for Part 2
I named them in my Top 5 Releases of 2009 and they’re already poised to unleash another record upon us! My Son’s Home by Roadside Graves was a standout last year. Here’s what I wrote:
With a name that sounds more like a metal outfit than a troupe of country rockers, these guys have created a richly narrative driven collection of songs. Each track touches on death and mortality, exploring it through the use of husky vocals, tinkling piano, multiple tempo changes and countless sing along moments. This album has accompanied me on many a road trip and many an evening run and remains a frequent favourite. Highlights include ‘Ruby’, ‘Far And Wide’, ‘My Father Sat Me Down’ and ‘Valley’.
Last week new track ‘Liv Tyler’ from the forthcoming March 16 release You Won’t Be Happy With Me was unleashed via Stereogum, and it’s an absolute corker. The signature drums and gravelly vocals are all there, and that tempo change around the 2.40 mark is EXACTLY why I love these guys – they can turn a husky lament into an absolute barnstormer in a matter of seconds.
If we didn’t have to worry about money, we’d be alright
I’m loving their current prolificity (yeah, it’s a word, I checked). Long may it continue!
I’m not heading into the city until this evening, where I plan to visit the State Library (I love libraries, truly I do) and wander about taking loads of night shots. I’m recharging my camera battery as we speak and did a mass clearout of old pics earlier today, including a ton of UK and Paris images that I’d obviously been loathe to part with. I’ve backed them all up on CDs, a USB and my beloved external hard drive though, so I’m all covered! I’m only slightly paranoid.
Arizaphale made on a comment on yesterday’s post that mentioned artist and taxidermist Julia DeVille, saying that I find that once someone has mentioned something, I usually see/hear/read about it in the next week or so! So I fully expect to hear Julia Deville interviewed on Radio National next!!
I’ve noticed the same phenomenon recently, in the case of Melbourne’s The Crayon Fields. First it was a mention over at Letters Have No Arms, where they listed ‘Impossible Things’ from their 2006 release Animal Bells as a top track of 2009 (not sure if they discovered it in 2009, or if the album was only released in the US last year).
Then it was falling in love with the album cover when I plucked it from the vinyl stacks at Polyester Records, and then discovering when I googled them last night that they’re playing Big Day Out and I must’ve scrolled right past their name when I was checking out the timetable last week. I’m listening to Animal Bells as I write and I’m loving the mixture of exhuberance and introspection, complete with chimes and handclaps. All The Pleasures Of The World was released in September last year and can be purchased via Chapter Music.
The boy, Tom Hanson of Margate, N.J., grew up believing that he’d never truly be happy, until the day he met The One. This belief stemmed from early exposure to sad British pop music and a total misreading of the movie The Graduate.
I’ve also been listening to the (500) Days Of Summer soundtrack today and I came across this article, in which director Mark Webb talks of his surprise that most actors are rarely told about the music that’s set to soundtrack the film they’re performing in.
That, to me, just seems strange,” Webb says. “Because it lets them know the tone you’re after. And I think that’s a really important thing for an actor to know or to feel before you shoot a scene.
Both Joseph-Gordon Levitt and Zooey Deschanel were given iPods that contained each day of their schedule broken down musically, including songs that Webb had chosen to help the actors convey the mood that he was looking for in their performance of each scene.
I love this idea. Given that music is such a major part of the appeal of (500) Days, it seems natural that the actors should be privy to the songs that are going to soundtrack their performances. It seems strange to me too that actors never know what music is going to appear in the films they act in, although it makes sense that they would know only about the job they’re employed to do, and not about all the nuts and bolts that go on behind the scenes.
It rained today. Lots. Somehow though, I managed to find a two hour pocket of dry weather to quickly dash about the city, snapping a few pics and zipping in and out of a few of my favourite shops.
I discovered two new magazines at my beloved Mag Nation (seriously, I could live there – coffee, couches, mags… what more could you need?)
Dumbo feather, pass it on (visit the website for fantastic deals on both current and back issues) is part magazine, part book, and each issue features five individuals telling you their stories. I bought the Winter 2007 issue as it was the one that most appealed to me, mostly because the first story featured was that of Julia DeVille, artist, jewellery maker, leather worker and taxidermist. I’d never heard of her, and it was this that made me think she would be more than a little bit interesting to read about:
I had done lots of taxidermy pieces. There was a huge crowd around the one cabinet that my work was in, you had to queue to see it because everyone was just so fascinated… after that she was like, I want a mouse-brooch too.
Although much of her work involves the use of taxidermy and can appear quite bleak and morbid, she speaks of the fact that being aware of your mortality can often lead to a greater appreciation of your life, and that life is a special thing that doesn’t last a long time. She expands upon this further on her website, the nature of our culture is to obsess over planning the future, however in doing so we forget to enjoy the present. Her work might not be to everybody’s taste (I’ve spent a bit of time tooling round her website today, and I’d certainly have a problem wearing her jewellery pieces) but it’s definitely fascinating to read about.
The other magazine I bought was Harvest, a quarterly that features fresh Australian writing. I’m yet to delve into it, but I’m looking forward to curling up in bed with it later – it will be the perfect end to what’s been an unseasonably cold day here in Melbourne.
During my travels today I also stumbled across Polyester Records, a shop that I’ve been meaning to check out for ages. I could live there too. Happily. Not only did the ‘overseas’ section encompass every album I’ve ever wanted (it read like a who’s who of my favourite posts of all time), but it had a vinyl section that I spent countless sighs flipping through. I don’t have a record player, but just seeing all my favourite album covers four times bigger was enough to start me thinking about it. And quality of sound? Well that would just be a bonus!
We don’t have T2 in my home town either, which is why I’m stuck drinking boring generic supermarket tea until I can get my act together and pick me up some of the good stuff. This is a Japanese green tea and has a wonderful nutty ricey taste. Delicious.
While I head off to boil the kettle, why don’t wrap your ears around these totally unrelated yet still wonderfully delectable tracks?
And I’m on a bit of a Josh Ritter kick lately, so I thought I’d post a couple of acoustic tracks and then I thought, well this live version of ‘Kathleen’ is full of that crowd participation that I love so much, so how’s about I chuck that in too?
I’m in Melbourne this week house sitting. Tomorrow I plan to tram it into the city and hit up all the shops that we don’t have in my country town, like JB HiFi and Mag Nation and Borders. Although I won’t actually buy anything in Borders – I will browse and find something wonderful to read over coffee, and then bugger off and buy it cheaper somewhere else. Cue evil laugh…
This week’s photos will all be Melbourne shots I take as I’m hotfooting it around this beautiful city. There’s something of a rivalry between Melbourne and Sydney as to which city is the prettiest, and while Sydney is gorgeous with all its harbourside views and whatnot, Melbourne still has a pull over me that Sydney never will. Mind you, the fact that I spent most of my childhood in Melbourne, head down there on weekends fairly regularly and have only been to Sydney maybe a dozen times… well that might have something to do with it too. Maybe.
Sydney’s got that harbour
And Adelaide’s got those churches
Brisbane’s very hot a lot of the time
And Perth’s very far away
Hey-hey-hey
The above three photos were all taken today, by the way. Melbourne is also known for its highly unpredictable weather patterns – please note the differences in sky colour in each picture. These were all taken within a half hour or so, during which I was bathed in sunlight, whipped by wind and drenched in rain. I’m forced to say it, though please rest assured that I employ an exasperated tone of affection – bloody Melbourne!
