High Violet – The National

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gigs, High Violet, mp3, Music, The National

If you’re a fan of The National, or even just a casual observer of the internets, you’ve no doubt come across a review or two of their latest offering High Violet.

Though it was released in May, it’s taken me ages to get to the point where I can cobble together a post about this album. It took me many, many listens before I could work out whether I liked it or not. It seemed darker or thicker than their previous offerings, the melodies wouldn’t stick in my head and I just didn’t get it.

I think part of the problem was that I’d heard a few songs prior to the full album. With some bands and releases this isn’t a such a big deal, but in this case, hearing these songs out of context meant that I’d already formed opinions without hearing the whole thing. Big, big mistake! Huge.

I think one of the first tracks I heard was ‘Bloodbuzz Ohio’ and I remember really, really hating it. ‘This is not The National!’ I thought. As the sixth track on the album though, following immediately after the gradual build and explosion of ‘Afraid Of Everyone’, it’s an absolute stunner. It’s been a long time since I heard two songs blend so seamlessly together.

Afraid of Everyone – The National

Bloodbuzz Ohio – The National

Now, it’s an album that I can’t get enough of. It’s a rare week when I haven’t listened to it two or three times in a single sitting, and I can’t believe that it took so long for it to click. All the classic National themes are there – dark humour, gloomy introspection, loss, anxiety, confusion, despair.

Album highlights? Well, it’s hard to go past the ‘Afraid Of Everyone’/’Bloodbuzz’ combination, but I love the slow burn of ‘Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks’ as well, and the line about inventing ‘a summer lovin’ torture party’ in ‘Lemonworld’ is pretty fantastic. I love ‘Sorrow’ too, despite its less than happy sentiments. Bugger it, I love the whole damn thing!

And, thanks to my obsessive website checking and a heads up from a friend, I discovered that The National, in addition to doing the Oz music festival circuit this summer, are also playing at The Palais in Melbourne and I’ve got tickets!! I can’t tell you how excited I am to be seeing them again. I’m sure it will be equally as good as last time, although the change in venue will probably make for a slightly different atmosphere I think. At least this time I’ll be able to see!

The January 9 date is sold out now, but a second Palais show has just been announced. Presale tickets are available from 5pm Thursday 21st October, with general tickets on sale Friday 22nd October at 12pm. Click here for more info.

(Image via Claus.com – check out their excellent album review here)

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Institut Polaire steal the show

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Dead Letter Chorus, gigs, Institut Polaire, mp3, Music, Two Hours Traffic

Dead Letter Chorus and Two Hours Traffic sharing the stage

A couple of weeks ago we had a long weekend down here in Oz, to help the Queen celebrate her birthday. Of course dear Lizzie’s birthday is not actually in June – that would make too much sense.

Though I was tempted to break out the streamers and take a whack at a Camilla-shaped piñata (who said that?) I decided to celebrate at the good ol’ Northcote Social Club instead. Headlining were Dead Letter Chorus, who’d just returned from a triumphant tour of Canada. Supporting them were Canadian tour mates Two Hours Traffic, along with opening Melbourne-based act, Institut Polaire. I’m going to talk about them in reverse order though – try to keep up, won’t you?

Dead Letter Chorus – who I’d seen perform at this venue before, and loved them – were actually quite disappointing. I think that lead singer Cameron Potts had a bad cold as his voice had packed it in completely by the second song, and as a result they spent less than half an hour on stage and played no more than half a dozen songs. I know that it wasn’t their fault, but it was still pretty disappointing. They did play a couple of new songs that sounded good, but they didn’t play any of what I would consider their best tunes and as they made their hasty exit off stage with a mumbled ‘thanks for putting up with us’ I remember feeling quite pleased that my ticket only cost me $12.*

Michael Faber & Danielle Huber take over vocals to give Cameron Potts a rest

I quite enjoyed Two Hours Traffic though, who were a little chatty in between songs and looked very snappy in their suits. And so young! They play fairly standard four-piece indie rock, catchy and enjoyable, doing a few songs I knew and a couple of new tracks as well.

Two Hours Traffic

However, the best act of the night turned out to be Institut Polaire. I don’t always drag myself to a venue in time to catch the opening act (I’ve been burned by that before), but I’d done a quick five minute myspace reconnaissance before catching the train to Melbourne and had a sneaking suspicion that they’d be worth the early rock up time. I was not mistaken.

Institut Polaire are a seven piece outfit (most of the time) and I fell for them as soon as I saw they had a trumpet player. I love it when a standard indie lineup expands to include trumpets or violins or, in the case of Institut Polaire, vintage Wurlitzer pianos. That’s me, sold.

Institut Polaire

They were packed onto the tiny stage with barely room to move, and yet they still managed to create so much energy in their own small spaces, tapping and bopping their heads and shuffling about, dodging cords and mikes and each other. Since I’d never heard of them before I was not at all familiar with their stuff, but that was totally ok – I know good music when I hear it.

As I left the venue I made sure to pick up a copy of their 2007 EP The Fauna and the Flora, a collection of songs that have been getting some significant play around the It All Started headquarters (my lounge room). The first three tracks in particular are stellar, all slow starts and gorgeous melodies, punctuated by the odd violin flourish or trumpet solo. It’s wonderful stuff.

Institut Polaire

Institut Polaire have already won a swag of awards here in Oz, and have shared the stage with the likes of Camera Obscura, The Clientele, Architecture in Helsinki, Jens Lekman, New Buffalo, The Panics and The Lucksmiths. I’ve also read that they’ve completed their debut LP titled Make Your Own Mayflower, but there doesn’t appear to be a release date yet. It’s certainly one that I’ll be looking out for.

Now, because the only Institut Polaire release available is their debut five track EP, I’ve made the first two tracks available for streaming only. You can however download bonus track ‘City Walls & Empires’ here as it’s also available on their Triple J Unearthed page.

Kentucky Society Drought – Institut Poliare

The Fauna and the Flora Are Too Closely Allied – Institut Polaire

City Walls & Empires – Institut Polaire

*Just before I hit publish, a link to this interview with Cameron Potts popped up in my twitter feed – he did indeed lose his voice, poor guy!

(All these dodgy, slightly grainy images are mine – my camera and I were fighting that night. I don’t think I won)

British Sea Power at The Corner

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British Sea Power, gigs, mp3, Music, Seagull

(British Sea Power’s Yan – image courtesy of my sister, the lovely Elspeth)

I am so so late with this gig review that I’m afraid it might have to be done in dot points, with the aid of scattered notes that I wrote to myself on my phone throughout the show. It’s a bit grim really, isn’t it? I love British Sea Power. I loved this gig. Why I have not written about it til now? Who would know.

Here’s what I remember:

• ‘True Adventures’ had a solo viola start which was all kinds of beautiful
• My all time favourite BSP song ‘Great Skua’ was accompanied by a film featuring various kinds of bird life, but I couldn’t see any of it as I was standing directly below it. It was still awesome.
• ‘Waving Flags’ and ‘No Lucifer’ were brilliant
• Martin Noble recited a limerick in which he rhymed ‘bogan’ with ‘Paul Hogan’ and also included the word ‘cock’ in there somewhere
• Noble also did a trick which involved him ‘drinking’ water through his ear and then spitting it into the crowd
• He also crowd surfed, climbed a big pillar and hung from it upside down, and sat on an audience member’s shoulders while allowing him to play his guitar.

So yes, the whole show was brilliant and highly entertaining, and I’m sorry I can’t go into more detail. I’m a terrible blogger.

A couple of other thoughts:

• I don’t know how our corner became the pogo/irish bloody jig dancing corner. If you want to dance like an idiot and take up the same amount of space that ten normal gig-going people would generally occupy, DO IT UP THE BACK DAMMIT! (that’s a direct quote from my brief phone notes)
• Opening band Seagull were really quite awful. I don’t like to be too negative here at It All Started, but I’d hate for you to see them on a lineup somewhere and go out of your way to check them out. There are three of them – a bass player who holds his bass too high, a fairly inoffensive accordian player and a lead ‘singer’ (I use this term loosely) who I believe was suffering from sadly misdirected delusions of grandeur. He also insisted on pronouncing ‘Seagull’ as ‘Seeeeeeeeeeeaa-gull’. It was probably the most in tune he sounded all night.

The Great Skua – British Sea Power

British Sea Power have tour dates booked in the UK during April and May, ahead of the release of an as yet unnamed album due out later this year – check their website for details.

Some Aussie tour dates. Finally!

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British Sea Power, gigs, mp3, Music

I’ve spent all year moaning about how nobody ever bothers to come and tour down here in Oz, but a trip to The Corner website last week got me all kinds of excited. It looks like the drought is finally over – summer 2010 in Melbourne will go off. You heard it here first.

I’ve already nabbed tickets to British Sea Power (!), as you can see above, and these are the two tracks that I’m hanging out to hear live:

The Great Skua – British Sea Power

Open The Door – British Sea Power

And check out the quality below – even though I’m not into all of these bands, it’s great to see that so many artists are making the trip down under.

4&5/1 Grizzly Bear (USA) sold out!
6/1 White Rabbits (USA)
7/1 Diplo (USA) + Amanda Blank (USA) selling fast!
8/1 Future of the Left (UK) selling fast!
9/1 Amp Fiddler (USA), Mayer Hawthorne (USA), Quantic (DJ set – UK) selling fast!
14/1 Toni Childs (USA)
15/1 Children Collide selling fast!
16/1 ‘Summer Tones’ feat. Brightblack Morning Light (USA), Kelley Stoltz (USA), Dent May (USA), Rowland S Howard & more
17/1 Dan Sultan selling fast!
21/1 Charlie Parr (USA)
22/1 Laura Marling (UK) sold out!
23/1 Camera Obscura (UK) with Slow Club (UK) selling fast!
24/1 Laura Marling (UK) selling fast!
25/1 Passion Pit (USA) sold out!
27/1 The Horrors (UK) selling fast!
29/1 Zep Boys
30/1 ‘Raw Comedy 2010’ (matinee)
30/1 Rook (farewell show)
3/2 The xx (UK) selling fast!
4/2 Black Lips (USA) selling fast!
5/2 Breakestra (USA) with J Rocc (Beat Junkies)
6/2 ‘Bob Marley B’day Bash’ feat. Irie, Chant Down Soundsystem, Papa Dalton & more
12/2 A Place To Bury Strangers (USA)
13/2 Jamie Lidell (UK)
15,16,17/2 The Necks (NSW)
19/2 British Sea Power (UK)
20/2 The Kill Devil Hills
24/2 Health (USA)
25/2 Isis (USA) selling fast!
3/3 Deerhoof (USA) with Teniscoats (Japan)
4/3 Dinosaur Jr. (USA) selling fast!
7/3 Spinnerette (USA) selling fast!

Saturday at the Hi Fi

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gigs, mp3, Music

Saturday night saw me at the Hi Fi Bar in Melbourne for the first time in 12 months. I’d forgotten what a great venue it is – I refer to the gradual steps that allow you to stand anywhere in the place and still get a good view of the stage. I’m less excited about the drink prices though – they don’t have any beer on tap and the Mercury Draught I ended up drinking ran at $8 a pop. My three drinks ended up costing more than my ticket. Not good.

Opening NZ four piece Brand New Math played an enthusiastic set, complete with microphone antics and every band member except the drummer taking a turn on the keyboards. The first half of the set was particularly good, with lots of high-energy numbers that got our toes tapping. Fill-in drummer John was especially good, loose limbed and clearly enjoying himself.

Sydney’s singer-songwriter Jack Ladder took the stage next, accompanied by a retro looking electric guitar. Tall, thin and very well dressed, Jack immediately commanded attention with his deep baritone voice that seemed to come from nowhere. Backed by a drummer and a bass player, Jack played a wonderful brand of funky bluesy rock ‘n’ roll that quickly got people filling up the dance floor. I’m unsure of the bass player’s name, but he had some serious moves. Shoulders lifting, lips shifting, neck bobbing back and forth. At times, he totally stole the show.

Last to appear was the act we’d all paid the big bucks for, New Zealand’s Cut Off Your Hands. They opened with the super catchy ‘Happy As Can Be’, which was a surefire way to get the crowd involved immediately, though I reckon they were having some sound problems during this first number as the vocals were not as sharp as they could’ve been. Luckily these issues seemed to be resolved and we didn’t notice any other problems for the rest of the show.

I’m only familiar with a few of their songs, so I can’t comment on particular tracks, but it was certainly difficult to keep still as they fired off song after song, barely pausing for breath in between. There was a bit of occasional crowd surfing from the lead singer, and the second last song turned into a complete audience domination of the stage when about 50 people climbed up as the band continued to play around them. The security guards were less than impressed.

It’s always an interesting experience to go to a gig where you get to check out gear from acts you’ve never heard of, and for me, the highlight was actually Jack Ladder. His latest release Love Is Gone is out now and you may also have heard his cover of Okkervil River’s ‘Starry Stairs’, performed in the lead up to the release of The Stand Ins. Check it out below – it’s a goodie.

Best Kept Secret – Jack Ladder

Starry Stairs (Okkervil River Cover) – Jack Ladder

Check out my previous post including ‘Happy As Can Be’ by Cut Off Your Hands.

Be Still My Beating Heart

Tags

gigs, Leftovers, mp3, Music, Sigur Ros

Last night I dragged myself down to Melbourne to watch my beloved Maggies thrash the pants off the Cats. It was a great game – strong tackling, solid defence and pinpoint accuracy. And it’s always nice to knock off the top team.

I was on a high before I even arrived at the ground though, due to the giant poster I passed on the way to the G that advertised Sigur Ros playing at Festival Hall in August. I had resigned myself to the fact that I wouldn’t be able to check them out at the Splendour In The Grass festival in Byron Bay (too much dosh and too far away), so you can imagine my delight when I saw that they were set to play in Melbourne. I was with my parents, and they were a little nonplussed to see me stop dead in my tracks, hit the poster on the wall with glee and actually do a little dance of joy. However they were very happy for me when I explained the significance of the poster and what it would mean for my general health and wellbeing.

After quick phone calls to a few interested parties today, tickets were snagged and anticipation is mounting already. Though Sigur Ros are only a recent discovery of mine, they have quickly become a standard on my Ipod and it’s rare for a day to pass without me immersing myself in their ambient goodness. It’s safe to say that I’m more than a little bit excited! The only disappointing thing is that under 18s aren’t allowed in. My brother is one pissed off 16 year old.

A quick check of their website tonight let me know that I’d missed the presale tickets (explains why the seats we have are not ideal) and also drew my attention to a note encouraging everyone to visit them on Tuesday for a special announcement. Some are talking new single/album cover art, but I’ve got no clue. See what you think. And in the meantime, enjoy what I am hoping to hear live in person myself on Friday August 1. Only 68 days to go!

Heysatan (Live) – Sigur Ros

Staralfur (Live) – Sigur Ros

A Moaning Shite

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gigs, Malcolm Middleton, mp3, Music

They’re his words…not mine.

Malcolm Middleton is one half of indie folk band Arab Strap but has also released four solo albums, the most recent being Sleight of Heart, out last month. His music leans towards the more melancholy side of life, with lyrics delivered in a broad, delicious Scottish accent.

Wiki informs me that late last year Middleton released the single ‘We’re All Going To Die’ in the UK. It started off with 1000-1 odds against being the Christmas #1 single, but after heavy promotion from a BBC Radio 1 DJ and the wonders of the internet, it ended up coming fourth in the race to win. He was beaten by X-Factor winner Leon Jackson covering Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. Figures.

Malcolm Middleton is currently touring the UK and Europe, with dates booked for Australia in May as well – yay!

May 7 The Hopetoun, Sydney
May 9 The Corner, Melbourne
May 10 The Zoo, Brisbane

A Moaning Shite – Malcolm Middleton

We’re All Going To Die – Malcolm Middleton

Blue Plastic Bags – Malcolm Middleton

Image courtesy of Malcolm Middleton’s website.

The Thrills At The Hifi

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gigs, Leftovers, mp3, Music, The Thrills

Oh joy! Found out the other day that Irish lads The Thrills are doing a gig at the HiFi Bar in Melbourne on Friday June 6. I love these guys, simple melodies, catchy hooks and loads of energy. I’ve posted about them before and I’m really looking forward to checking them out live. The HiFi is a great venue too, so I’m hoping for a good night.

Bring on June I say!

Teenager – The Thrills

My Kingdom For A Gig

Tags

gigs, Leftovers, mp3, Music, The Smiths

Above: What I would give the bands/artists below who are currently NOT touring Australia (and seem unlikely to in the near future), if they chose to step outta the Northern Hemisphere for a while and come down south.

Sigur Ros 
Band Of Horses
The Mountain Goats (though they were supposed to)
Regina Spektor 
Ben Kweller
Antony & The Johnsons 
MGMT (what’s up with your website guys?)
Sleeping At Last 
The Guillemots
Heartless Bastards
Patrick Wolf
Kate Nash (I know you were here a couple of months ago, please come back!)
Vampire Weekend
The Black Keys
Locksley
Van Morrison (though he’s been invited)
Irene
Jewel
John Mayer

This is by no means a definitive list of all the artists I would like to see this year, but just a small sample. I know we’re not exactly right next door, but we are here, and we do listen, and we like to show our support in person.

So in the words of The Smiths…please please please let me get what I want!

Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want – The Smiths

Review: Little Birdy At The Corner

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Coverage, gigs, Leftovers, Little Birdy, mp3, Music, review

Saturday night saw my third trip to The Corner in Melbourne in as many months, and I have to say that as a venue, it’s not fabulous. The stage is too low, meaning that it’s impossible to get a clear view of the band without the aid of stilts or a friend’s broad shoulders. The sound quality is inconsistent and bar prices are pretty steep. Still, they book some great talent and if it wasn’t for their existence I wouldn’t have had the good fortune to check out The National, Okkervil River, or Little Birdy this year.

Which brings me to Saturday night’s gig. We arrived a little after 9:00 and caught the last half of Katy Steele’s (lead singer of Little Birdy) solo act. She was in great voice, with the highlight being ‘Into My Arms’, which I unfortunately can’t track down a copy of as yet.

After discovering that Little Birdy weren’t due to appear until 11:30, we ducked out for a bit and had a drink at a pub down the road before heading back in time to catch Sugar Army. I thought they were a bit emo, though my friend bought their EP and assured me that I was wrong. I thought they were ok, driving sound and their cover of Britney Spears’ ‘Toxic’ was pretty cool.

After a couple more drinks, Little Birdy made their appearance. Katy Steele was quite the rock star in a pink sequined top and platforms. The girl is tiny, even with custom footwear, and I don’t understand where she pulls her powerhouse voice from!

They hit all the songs I needed to hear, including ‘Beautiful To Me’, ‘Baby Blue’, ‘After Dark’ and ‘Tonight’s The Night’.

However the highlight was their excellent cover of Crowded House’s ‘Six Months In A Leaky Boat’, recorded for the 2005 tribute album She Will Have Her Way – The Songs Of Tim and Neil Finn. A regular feature in their live shows, it was fast paced and energetic, with a breakdown that led us to believe that it was coming to a close, before exploding back into another chorus. Great stuff.

Little Birdy are now heading back to the studio to record their next album, so hopefully there’ll be an album launch type tour before too long.

Six Months In A Leaky Boat – Little Birdy