The Beach @ Glenelg & consumable seasonal mixtape

For those who are geographically challenged, Australia is on the opposite side of the world from the United States. If I were back in Connecticut right now I would be experiencing the temperature drops which come with Fall, and possibly even wake up to thin layer of frost covering the windshield of my car. In Australia though, it is Spring, and my days are usually filled with sunshine and very pleasant temperatures. About a week ago, temperatures got as high as 28 degrees Celsius (approximately 83 degrees Fahrenheit), so Rhiannon and I took our first trip to the beach at Glenelg. Neither of us ventured into the water since we deduced that the water would probably still be rather cold (although that didn't stop some people), but it was a beautiful day. I figured I would post a few pictures and a lazy Summer/Autumn mix that would suit either season. I figured I would try to ride the chillwave as much as possible before it was ultimately usurped by post-chill take-a-load-off-core, so I tried to include a few songs that would be considered as such, although pickings were slim since the "genre" of chillwave (sub-genre of lo-fi chillout dream-synth pop?!) only has like five notable (buzzworthy?! Whatever.) bands.

Washed Out - Feel It All Around
Small Black - Despicable Dogs
Band of Horses - Dilly
Beach House - Walk In The Park
Christopher Willits - Colors Shifting
Benoit Pioulard - Palimend
Empire of the Sun - Half Mast
Port O'Brien - I Woke Up Today
Toro y Moi - Leave Everywhere
Wolf Parade - Ghost Pressure

Driving on the other side of the road

Australians drive on the left hand side of the road. Because of this, all of their vehicles (except for the ones imported from countries that manufacture their cars in countries that employ right hand side of the road traffic) have steering wheels on the right, as opposed to the left like in the States. Originally, most of the traffic worldwide drove on the left, however today about 66.1% of the world's people live in right-hand traffic countries and 33.9% in left-hand traffic countries. Since I don't have a car here in Australia, this is of little concern to me, however I still have to think about which way traffic is coming when I cross the street. There have been a few instances, however, that I have had to get behind the wheel. Driving on the opposite side of the road is a bit disorienting at first, especially trying to remember which side of the road you need to be on after the completion of a turn, but after a while, you get the hang of it. The only real issue I have with driving here is the lack of four-way intersections. The lack of them has become problematic for me, mainly due to the fact that Australians employ roundabouts:


Look at that diagram. The cartoonish representation of the roundabout makes it seem cute and approachable, which disguises the soul crushing reality that this bastardization of roadway has in store for unprepared motorists. It lies in wait, like a masterful predator, ready to pounce on its unsuspecting prey. In all seriousness, that diagram really does make it seem like I am either a bad driver, or complaining about something that really isn't that big of a deal, but look at this:


Seems like it would promote accidents rather than prevent them, am I right? When I brought this up to Rhiannon she shrugged it off and simply stated that when you approach a roundabout, you always give way to your right. So there you have it, a simple rule not unlike the US rule of letting whoever got there first, go first. I still contest that intersections are much easier to navigate than roundabouts.

Last but not least, I decided to post some "driving songs". I go through phases in terms of what i like to listen to while I'm driving, sometimes I like to belt out the choruses, sometimes I like to just sit and reflect and sort of zone out. Regardless of whether you listen to these songs while driving, you should check them out all the same because they are quality.

The National - Blank Slate
Tamaryn - Love Fade
Gorillaz - Superfast Jellyfish
Oasis - Fuckin' In The Bushes
Passion Pit - Little Secrets

The state of Australian beer

My brother originally introduced me to the above video quite some time ago, long before I decided to move to Australia. I believe he also showed it to my girlfriend Rhiannon, who is Australian, when she was back in the States. He also does a pretty spot on impression of the "Australian" guy in the video as well. Despite being a fairly humorous video, there are a few things I would like to clarify:

1. Not all Australians sound like the guy in the video (although some certainly do). In fact, South Australians actually sound more British than anything.

2. The quip he makes about Australian beer is actually true. Fosters beer, which is what we typically equate with "Australian for beer", is actually quite elusive down under. We can probably attribute the fact that Fosters is the most recognizable Australian beer to Americans due to a fairly successful and memorable marketing campaign (see below), although I have yet to find Fosters on tap or even on sale at a liquor store. Apparently Fosters isn't even brewed in Australia anymore, and it is generally considered a terrible beer that most Aussies look upon in shame.



There are a number of Australian beers available for consumption, however the variety and selection doesn't come close to what you can find in the US. That being said, Australian beer television ads are much, much better than those found on the tube in the States. Don't believe me? Check the videos below.







While you enjoy those ads from Australia, I'm going to sit back with a Tooheys Extra Dry and get in the mood for trivia night. If you're drinking as well, check out these tunes to get you in the mood.

Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
We Are Scientists - This Scene is Dead
Van She - Cat & The Eye
Black Keys - Strange Times
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Weapon of Choice

Small cars, fair trade and Sudanese rappers

One of the things that I have noticed since coming to Australia is the general population's proclivity for smaller cars than Americans. The big car craze that seemed to grip middle class America never really caught on in Australia, probably something to do with the fact that petrol (gasoline) hovers around $1.15 per liter (approx. 4 liters in a gallon, you do the math). That's not to say that all cars in Australia are tiny little Micro Machines, although people, especially younger people, tend to gravitate to smaller, more fuel efficient cars. Obviously car manufacturers cater to the preferences of a population, and a lot of the cars that are available to people here in Australia simply aren't offered in the States. My favorite has to be the Honda Jazz, although I have never driven one, their ads have won me over.



Did I mention Australians don't really buy into the whole "politically correct" thing?

Parklife 2010

So I recently went to the Parklife festival, which was incredibly enjoyable. There were four stages situated in Adelaide's Botanic Gardens, each stage showcasing a variety of different artists. The festival's website says this, "PARKLIFE is Australia's most forward‐looking music festival, bringing you a lineup of artists who completely define the moment in music." I suppose that is a fairly accurate description of the talent they had lined up. There was something like over 40 acts there, including Groove Armada, Missy Elliot, Mix Master Mike, etc, however Rhiannon and I only saw the following:

- Stubanga
- Wolf Gang
- Darwin Deez
- The Wombats
- Kele
- Holy Ghost!
- Cut Copy
- The Dandy Warhols

All in all, it was a good day. The wait for the port-o-potties was never painfully long and I was only asked if I was willing to trade drugs for a lawn chair once. The $9.50 beers were a bit of a downer though.

Wolf Gang - Back to Back
Darwin Deez - Radar Detector
The Wombats - Kill the Director
Kele - Tenderoni
Cut Copy - Out There On The Ice

It's been a long time, but in my defense, I moved to Australia

30 + hours on a plane and I landed in Australia. It is kind of weird to think that I am now halfway around the world. I am just about the farthest possible distance away from where I grew up as I possibly can be. Not bad for someone who desperately wanted to leave and try something new huh? Some quick facts about Australia:

1. Vegemite is, well, not entirely bad, but it is certainly an acquired taste.
2. I have yet to see a koala in the wild, apparently in addition to their penchant for sleep, they are extremely shy as well.
3. Since the country is on the opposite side of the world, the seasons are opposite.
4. No one speaks like Crocodile Dundee.
5. Triple J is the national radio station here and they actually play decent music.

Be back with more posts soon, but for now, here's a little tribute to Australia.

Men At Work - Down Under

All Points West 2009 Photo Journal part 6

All Points West 2009 Photo Journal part 5

All Points West 2009 Photo Journal part 4

All Points West 2009 Photo Journal part 3

All Points West 2009 Photo Journal part 2

All Points West 2009 Photo Journal

I'm sure most of you who weren't there heard about how it rained and everything was as Chris Martin eloquently put it on Sunday night, a "mud jacuzzi". Despite the fact that every time your foot would hit the ground the mud would swallow you up to a little bit above your ankle, and the resulting suction every time you tried to step forward made it incredibly exhausting and near impossible to "hurry" anywhere, it was an overall enjoyable experience. Despite the general awesomeness, one thing that I did not enjoy was the fact that they postponed the festivities for nearly four hours on Sunday, corralling hundreds of festival patrons in a dilapidated train station until the festival promoter's "cleared the area of mud", whatever that was supposed to mean. The delay resulted in me missing out on a number of bands that i would have liked to have seen, but they simply were canceled so as to maintain the predetermined time schedule. Oh well, there's always next year (hopefully).

All Points West

So this will be my last post until, well, I don't want to commit to date, so I'll just say sometime next week. I'll be going off to the All Points West festival in Liberty State Park in good old New Jersey, and I have to say that I am looking forward to it immensely. Despite all of the flak that the organizers of the festival got last year, I remain optimistic that this will be quite the experience. Even though Radiohead was the headliner last year, I have to say that upon comparing this years lineup with last years, this years lineup is much, much stronger overall. Anyway, I'm going to keep it brief and leave you with some mp3s from some of the lesser known bands that will be taking the stage(s) this weekend at All Points West, that should at least be on your radar.

mp3s:
PT Walkley - Somebody
Hey Champ - Cold Dust Girl
Ghostland Observatory - Vibrate
White Rabbits - The Plot
Black Gold - Plans & Reveries
Steel Train - I Feel Weird
Kitty, Daisy & Lewis - Mean Son of a Gun
Lykke Li - Tonight

White Lies

I've been wanting to get my hands on the debut album from West London band White Lies, entitled To Lose my Life..., for quite some time now, but as with anything I don't get my hands on right away, I tend to forget about them, only to rediscover them later. Anyway, I finally snagged a copy, and it is phenomenal. I remember how the band quickly became a critic's darling, hailed as one of those post-punk bands that made it okay for the indie hipsters to dance to, which is partially correct. While the band certainly seems to be greatly influenced by Joy Division (although the band claims they're not big Joy Division fans), and while they seem to fit right at home with contemporary gloomy peers Interpol and Editors, they also fit quite nicely in with the likes of Kings of Leon (whom they have supported in the past), relative newcomers Glasvegas, and even the likes of Snow Patrol (who they have also supported) and Coldplay. While White Lies, at the very surface seem to be gloom obsessed alt rockers fond of their effects pedals (some of their song titles will back up this idea), repeated listens and a familiarity with the lyrics and subject matter of each song will subtly reveal that this band is, in fact, uplifting. The boys of White Lies are not lamenting missed opportunities or dwelling on past regrets, they are, instead, calling for some action, and believe me when I say that these guys get off their asses and just plain rock.

mp3s:
White Lies - To Lose My Life
White Lies - Unfinished Business

Cassette Kids

Cassette Kids are a band hailing from Sydney, Australia that I had only recently discovered. Given the fact that a number of the bands that I enjoy very much come from the land down under (Cut Copy, The Presets, Howling Bells, Van She, etc) I figured I'd give these guys (and gal) a shot as well. I was especially inclined to do so considering the band had won the Unearthed Sydney 2008 Big Day Out competition, and were nominated for a 2008 Unearthed J Award (ed. note: I am not familiar with either one of these awards, however they are still awards so therefore I have to admit that I am impressed). The band released an EP (can seven tracks still be considered an EP? A mini-album perhaps?) in 2008 titled We Are. I've only listened to it all the way through once, but I have to say that i enjoyed it very much. I would have to say that they sound very similar to the Yeah Yeah Yeah's, the most apparent correlation being the vocal similarity of Karen O and Cassette Kids' Katrina Noorbergen. Definitely recommended.

mp3s:
Cassette Kids - Meant to Be
Cassette Kids - Anywhere But Home (BMX remix)

Van She

I was watching Mad Max: Beyond the Thunderdome the other day and I started thinking about all of the Australian bands I have come to enjoy over the past few years and I realized that I had yet to post about what is quite possibly my favorite Australian band, Van She. I have one word to describe this band. Infectious. For those of you who actually read this little blog Van She is a band that hails from the land down under (specifically Sydney), and like most of the bands who hit it big around the globe, they craft electropop tunes that can be described in any combination of adjectives that you choose to use. Their label, Modular, describes them as Their label introduced them as a "new band from Sydney fresh on ideas, fresher than Flavor Flav, fresh like coriander, fresher than the Fresh Prince." While that may seem a bit kitcshy, and perhaps a little contrived, the bottom line is that they have honed their synth-based sound to create luscious, danceable tunes. Do yourself a favor and check them out.

mp3s:

Van She - Kelly
Van She - Changes
Van She - Memory Man
Van She - Cat & The Eye

As Tall As Lions

I'm a little surprised that I haven't written about this band before, but as anyone who frequents this website knows, there are prolonged periods of time when there is nothing but the equivalent of white noise on this site. But I'm trying to turn that around and stop being so lazy. Anyway, As Tall As Lions is a group from Long Island, New York, and before you jump to any conclusions based on the fact that they're from Long Island, believe me when i say that it is worth your while to give them a shot. The band got together in 2001 and have since released two full length albums, Lacfadio and the self titled sophomore album. Their third album is due out August 18th of this year and is titled You Can't Take It With You. I have to admit that I have only had the pleasure of listening to their self titled album (I have to thank Carlos for intorducing them to me as we both worked at a paint store back in 2006), however after hearing it I immediately acquired it and imported it onto my iTunes. Since I've only heard their second album I can't comment on their sound as a whole, but their self-titled second album is a thing of beauty. Haunting lyrics, earnest and humbling vocals that conjure memories of Jeff Buckley and subtle, sweeping piano and guitar guide the listener through the song until the ultimate crescendo of arpeggiating guitar riffs, crashing cymbals and thumping bass. While none of it is exactly groundbreaking or new, this band definitely knows what they are doing and it creates for a worthwhile listening experience that you will find yourself putting on repeat. Do yourself a favor and check out "Ghost of York", at the very least.

mp3s:

As Tall As Lions - A Break, A Pause
As Tall As Lions - Be Here Now
As Tall As Lions - Love, Love, Love (Love, Love)
As Tall As Lions - Ghost of York


http://www.myspace.com/astallaslions

All Points West 2009

So I will be in attendance at this years All Points West Festival, and to tell you the truth, I am pretty excited for it. I wanted to go last year (the main reason being I wanted to see Radiohead), however the plans I had fell through and ultimately I didn't end up going. No Radiohead this year, but the lineup for '09 is considerably stronger over last years. Many people attested to the fact that last years festival was little more than a two-day Radiohead show preceeded by hours and hours of no name opening bands, which to a certain extent, it was. I've been hearing horror stories about how the lines for the bathrooms are ridiculous and because it is being held at a state park, there are some rather strict alcohol limitations (most notably being the fact that folks 21+ get a bracelet with seven tabs, order one drink, one tab is ripped off, meaning a total of seven overpriced beers for something like ten hours). Despite these drawbacks, I think i'm going to have a good time, mainly because having lived on the east coast all my life I've never actually attended a large music festival, so it will be an experience to say the least. Whether it's a good or bad one, well, I'll let you know when I get back. For now, check out the lineup below, you can still get your hands on tickets!

Friday, July 31: Beastie Boys, Yeah Yeah Yeahs (mp3: Zero), Vampire Weekend, The National, Fleet Foxes, MSTRKRFT, Q-Tip, The Pharcyde, Organized Konfusion, The Knux, Ra Ra Riot, Seasick Steve, Telepathe, Shearwater, Heartless Bastards, Flying Lotus, College Humor Live, Arj Barker, Eugene Mirman and Bo Burnham.

Saturday, August 1: Tool, My Bloody Valentine, Gogol Bordello, Arctic Monkeys, Neko Case, The Ting Tings, Yelle, Crystal Castles (mp3: Crimewave), St. Vincent, Tokyo Police Club, The Cool Kids, Kool Keith, Cage the Elephant, Chairlift, White Rabbits, Electric Touch, The Postelles, Black Gold, College Humor Live, Tim & Eric, Judah Friedlander and Jim Jeffries.

Sunday, August 2: Coldplay, Echo & The Bunnymen, MGMT (mp3: Electric Feel), The Black Keys, Elbow, Silversun Pickups, Mogwai, We Are Scientists, Ghostland Observatory, The Gaslight Anthem, Etienne De Crecy, Lykke Li, Akron/Family, Steel Train, Kitty, Daisy & Lewis, College Humor Live, Janeane Garofalo, Michael Showalter and Todd Barry.

I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness

I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness is a band hailing from Austin, Texas. I've had their debut album Fear Is On Our Side, for about two years now (it was released way back in 2006), however I never really paid it all that much attention, and aside from a few choice tracks that i would throw on every now and again, it was always one of those discs that I just kind of kept on the backburner but was always afraid to remove from my iTunes completely because there was just something about it that told me not to. I'm glad I listened. I'm not entirely positive as to how to describe this band. there are a bunch of adjectives and buzz words that I could toss in your direction however, in my humble opinion, you'll probably just head straight for the mp3s anyway. Long story short, the drumplay matches the driving thumps of the bass to foreshadow the vocals that shimmer somewhere off in the distance, as the guitars earnest look upward for something until it all comes crashing together for a payoff that is well worth it. If you could stomach that little summation of their sound then you can probably guess it's soemwhere along the lines of Interpol (or really any band that dresses the part) meets Explosions in the Sky. The sound is sweeping and epic, yet steeped in paranoia and disillusionment. Check out the tracks below for a taste, especially "We Choose Faces".

mp3s:
I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness - The Ghost
I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness - According to Plan
I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness - We Choose Faces

Catpeople

I stumbled upon the band Catpeople only a few days ago, and despite their absolutely horrific name (which may or may not be inpsired by the David Bowie song of the same name that was in turn inspired by the 1982 film, which was in turn a remake of a 1942 film of the same name), they're actually pretty good. The band is from Spain, so what little information there is on these guys, it's all in Spanish, and despite what my job application says, I am less than proficient at Spanish and frankly I'm too lazy to have Firefox translate it for me. Band biography or not, what it comes down to is that these guys craft some damn fine post-punk songs that I have been enjoying very much, with driving bass lines and catchy, emotive hooks. Upon first listen, one's minds eye will immediately conjour up images of Joy Division, or Interpol, and while yes they do sound similar to a lot of the post-punk bands that are out there right now, one can't deny their melodic songwriting capabilities. Check out the videos below (sorry no mp3s!)