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The Year of Saying Sorry | Dec 23, 2009 14:21

James 'Lawrence Arabia' Milne sings a song especially written for the Media7 Christmas special:

See the rest – including Wammo, John Dybvig, Damian Christie, Hazel Phillips, Vaughn Davis, Gemma Gracewood and a lovely version of 'Apple Pie Bed' -- at 9.10pm Christmas Eve on TVNZ 7.

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You're all fabulous | Dec 22, 2009 10:52

There's a lot to worry about in the world. But I'm just not there for it this week. Instead, I'm all about the music. And there is very good news there: after very protracted negotiations, Roger Shepherd has finally re-acquired the Flying Nun label and catalogue from Warner Music, in whose basement it has been mouldering.

Next year will tell what happens with Flying Nun (including what new releases might emerge, or artists return to the fold) but the possibilities for such a rich, deep catalogue are extraordinary.

And with that: the thing I usually forget to do. Below is my favourite music for 2009. Feel free to share yours.

Lawrence Arabia, Chant Darling

Elegant, nimble, literate, good-humoured, thoughtful and delightful. 'I've Smoked Too Much' is my song of the year, and, indeed, the most popular song of the year in the Rae Brown household. (I asked James Milne if he could play it with his Reduction Agents band at our Great Blend party this month. He said they'd have a crack – and they freakin' nailed it!)

Various Artists, Stroke

It's all been a revelation. From Chris Knox's terrible, traumatic stroke came this amazing collection of interpretations of Chris's songs. Stroke not only found new places to go in the songs but new dimensions in some of the artists who recorded them. And Chris's surprise performance at the launch gig was one of the most thrilling things I've seen on a stage, ever.

The Checks, Alice By The Moon

The Checks still largely draw a young crowd – perhaps because the Dads haven't realised what a clever, multifaceted album they put out this year.

Dimmer , Degrees of Existence

Shayne Carter, as ever, on the slow, slow burn. There's no weak shit here.

Metric, Fantasies

Bustling, exuberant guitar pop from …. Canada!? Emily Haines took a break from Broken Social Scene to make another Metric album. It makes me want to drive my car.

Fuckpony, Let the Love Flow

Slinky, sensual, deconstructed house and late-night sounds from Berlin-based American Jay Haze. Smart and sexy alright.

Bullion Pet Sounds, In The Key Of Dee

I'm indebted to my buddy Paul Shannon for the tip on this: a mash-up of the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds with the works of the late J Dilla. This kind of work often sounds like a contrivance, but In the Key of Dee feels fully realised and somewhat mysterious.

The Bridle Path, The Monteith's Sessions

Happy to have helped bring this one into the world. David Haywood and Blair Parkes between them not only control an unfeasible portion of the world's stocks of Niceness, they're talented with it. My favourite remains the first song I heard from the demos: Blair's 'How Then Should I See It'.

Lily Allen, It's Not Me, It's You

Shut up. Just shut up. Yes, she's annoying, and yes she sometimes sounds like an idiot, but I played the buggery out of this album this year. It's a great pop record, haterz.

Cedric IM Brooks & The Light of Saba, The Magical Light of Saba

From 2003, but it turned up on eMusic this year, like some sort of vision. A kind of Nyabinghi Sun Ra, Brooks marshals roots reggae, jazz, salsa and mysticism into sounds as warm as a summer morning.

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The Tracks

I found all of these via Hype Machine, and subsequently bought a couple, but most of them don't seem to have been for actual sale. You might find them there too.

'Blinded By The Lights (Nero Remix)' The Streets

Don't drive with this dubsteppy monster on the car stereo. You will fail the impairment test.

'Hometown Glory (High Contrast Remix)' Adele

Thanks to Pete Darlington for the tip on this soaring remix, and on the work of High Contrast in general. Because chaps should share their girly D&B disco.

'Ready For The Weekend (High Contrast Remix)' Calvin Harris

See above, but with more squee. A lot of dishes got done to this tune.

'No Turning Back' Gui Boratto

I have this on a two-song playlist with ''How Then Should I See it'. It's perfect. That's a bare, trembling, organic testament. This is sheets of sizzling, digital sound unfolding across the spreading skies of an electronic world at 1am.

'Rock With You (Frankie Knuckles Remix)' Michael Jackson

Not new, but it hit the wires anew after Michael's unfortunate demise. Languid, beautiful and piano-driven, it almost makes up for that weird funeral thing they had.

'Welcome to Jamrock (Pat Swayzak Remix)', Damian Marley

A nice, big noisy rev-up while we wait for Jnr Gong's collab with Nas to emerge.

'Fucking Boyfriend (Peaches Remix)' The Bird and the Bee

I'm not always down with Peaches, but this acid-drenched treatment of what was originally a sort of lounge tune is outrageously sexy.

'Dance Dance Dance (Grandtheft Remix)' Lykke Li

Now, I like Lykke Li. But I like her better with a little extra welly.

'Love Lockdown (Clockwork Remix)' Kanye West

Too gay? Whatever.

'You Got The Love (The Xx Remix)' Florence and the Machine

This song has am amazing history. Candi Staton recorded it for a video-only documentary (about an obese man who was trying to lose weight) in the early 80s. It was sampled variously in the late 80s in Britain, but Staton had forgotten ever singing it when she was approached about the Source version, over the track from Jamie Principle's house classic, 'Your Love', which became a chart and club hit in 1991. Florence and the Machine covered it this year, and then The Xx made this deep, beautiful remix (look out for the more dancefloor-oriented "refixx" of the remix, by Tuff Wheelz). Music nerds argued over whether 'My Girls' on Animal Collective's 2009 album Merriweather Post Pavilion, was a tribute to, or even a crypto-cover of, 'Your Love.

And with that, thanks for everything, everyone: to the wonderful writers of Public Address, the people who make the Public Address System forums so rich and interesting, creating the culture of the place every day, and to the hordes of you who just read what's here (note to Bill Ralston: the word isn't "stalker", it's "lurker").

You're all fabulous.

PS: I won't post much here for the next few weeks, but feel free to follow my witterings on Twitter: I'm @publicaddress.

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The Whankernui Factor | Dec 18, 2009 09:08

Words involving Michael Laws and an "h" have dominated the rankings in this year's Public Address Word of the Year 2009 vote.

The poll was topped by a blast from the past -- the immortal words of police dog handler Guy Baldwin to a young man he suspected was up to no good: "Always blow on the pie".

The phrase comes from a three year-old clip from the Police Ten 7 TV show that went viral when it was posted to YouTube this year. The "pie" advice amused not only New Zealanders, but news consumers the world over, as news organisations as far afield as Britain and the US carried the story.

The clip was covered in The Sun, the Daily Mail online, the Singapore Straits Times , South Africa's, Independent Online, and Florida's St Petersburg Times.

The French news service france24.com declared declared that Baldwin had become "a web star with a totally absurd dialogue, worthy of one of Quentin Tarantino's best films," and Britain's Anorak blog network site hailed it as the best police video ever.

But the next three words in order were to do with Whanganui mayor Michael Laws and the troublesome – for his council – letter "H". The runner-up was the arch neologism "whanker", followed by "Whanganui" and "Lhaws".

"The strong 'H' vote underlines the something we all know about the Public Address reader community," said publisher Russell Brown. "That it is full of lily-livered liberal elites with a compulsive fondness for neologism.

"'Lhaws' has become established this year as the standard Public Address spelling of Mr Laws' name. 'Whanganui' emphasises the community's solidarity with the forces of correct spelling. And 'whanker' speaks for itself. It speaks a little too often, if the truth is to be known.

"It bears noting that had all three 'H' words been counted together – as 'whankernui', perhaps – the total would have topped the poll."

The full 2009 Top 10, as voted by more than 5000 regular readers and contributors to the Public Address System community forums is:

1. "Always Blow On The Pie"

2. Whanker

3. Whanganui

4. Lhaws

5. = InTimeForTheWorldCup

5. = Supercity

7. Parental correction

8. It's knowledge , bro

9. Teabagging

10. Carly Binding Referendum

Wellington reader David Ritchie was the first to nominate the word on the online discussion, earning himself a case of Matawhero Wines' premium-label chardonnay. The same prize also goes to Liz Gordon of Wellington, who emerged from the draw of voters.

And now, once again, the advice we can all take into the festive season:

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It is your right and duty to vote | Dec 14, 2009 09:35

People of New Zealand! It has come to my attention that Democracy is Under Attack in this country – and the only way you can fight back is to participate in a good-natured online poll on the top words and phrases of 2009. Go here, quickly, and vote while we still have "words" at all!

I'd have lassoed in a wealthy North Shore businessman to back this important campaign, but I only travel to the North Shore to worship at the Appliance Shed Outlet Store, or visit Mr Slack in the Devonport enclave. Their mayor is clearly a loon. And I hear everyone else over there is on the P.

But I have obtained the support of Matawhero Wines, and will be sending a half-case of their premium-label wine to (a) the first person to have suggested the top word or phrase in the preliminary discussion, and (b) some lucky stiff who votes. (Another consignment will be dispatched to Wellington, where I hear they've drunk all the wine and are now terribly thirsty.)

So, vote, dammit vote, for the Public Address Word of the Year 2009.

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In Wellington? Wellington-adjacent? Or just Wellington-friendly? You can also vote in the 2009 Wellingtonista Awards. And then turn up to Mighty Mighty on Thursday evening for the ceremony (the awards are announced from 7.30pm).

It is important that you vote: otherwise the Damian Christies will win again.

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Who am I kidding? What would I know about what the mass of people think? Was I among the quarter of the population of Greater Auckland (it must be true, because the papers said so) that converged on The Domain for Christmas in the Park?

No, I was not, and I never have been. But I did arrive on K Road on Saturday night just ahead of the departing horde, and I have never seen so many pissed young men in Santa suits in one place. Truly, it was a phenomenon.

I did also wind up popping in to see The Ruby Suns at Wammy Bar around midnight, and they were great: a blend of guitars and loops, melody and rhythm, that made for lovely party music. The rest of the evening was spent at Mr Pound's PopUp night, and just wandering the strip marvelling at the thronging scene. Everyone's out of it somehow, but it's the drunks you want to be careful of.

My hunch is, it's going to be a party summer.

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Ooh! I've been told the casting want-list for the lead in the movie of Mr Pip. It would be breaching a confidence to tell, but the first choice would be excellent, and the Famous Actor who's interested would be ... controversial.

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And this is already on the Twitter, but Canada's National Post brings us the news that the worst band in the world ever – Nickelback – are, according to Billboard, the Band of the Decade. Clearly, we must move on from the mistakes of the noughties and pray they do not follow us.

Meanwhile, The Guardian has a helpful and amusing list of other people who ruined the decade for the rest of us.

On the upside: some guy landed one on Silvio Berlusconi yesterday. So clearly, these people are wrong and there probably is a god.

Readers feeling the need to unburden themselves of other noughty thoughts are invited to avail themselves of the discussion thread for this post.

For now, here are pictures of Colin, our cat:

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