Hard News: Kids: Still alright
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Nastee geetars for D Garrett.
"Get out of my life
Dont come back -
Post what ya got.
The leader of the Roman Catholic church concluded a speech, made before the Queen and assembled dignitaries at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, with the argument that the Nazi desire to eradicate God had led to the Holocaust and a plea for 21st-century Britain to respect its Christian foundations.
Or, to paraphrase: 'oh yeah? Well, you know who else were atheists? The Nazi's. Yeah, that told you, didn't it?'
Possibly not the best argument to be making when you're infamously an ex-Hitler Youth member.
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Simon Sweetman can't resist being a crusty know-nothing. Apparently he's keen on Phil Collins.
But when Chris Knox or Dave Dobbyn or James Milne/Lawrence Arabia won a Silver Scroll you knew it was because he had written a great song; a song that danced, that pulsed, that was alive - that twisted and grew, that had a melody, some lyrics, some meaning, something to say...
But this year The Naked and Famous won the award. I think it spells the end of the award being taken seriously as meaning anything for serious songwriters and the craft of songwriting - it's a dead duck now; some cool kids that can say "yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah" can win. That says Game Over.
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Simon Sweetman can't resist being a crusty know-nothing. Apparently he's keen on Phil Collins.
And I'm sure he thinks he's being all brave and shit. Twerp.
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The naked and famous - the sun , what a tune - I was thinking more Dimmer - I believe you are a star - period. Surf City's album too I think is going to be pretty sweet . Like Street Chant but the tune I keep hearing sounds like die die die - which tis no bad thing.
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I just want to talk up another young band making waves down here in Dunedin, Idiot Prayer.
The Press recently reviewed them as:
Last week someone messaged me on Facebook: "How do we get a CD to you?" they asked. Once they had saved up for postage ("didn't want to send them online, doesn't sound the same") a CD of mixes from Dunedin's Idiot Prayer with the words "Rob Mixes 12/7/10" arrived in a plain white sleeve with the track names scrawled on the back. What a gem it is. Imagine if HDU, Mountaineater, Headless Chickens and Dimmer all got together for a jam and you're there. Opening track Everything That Isn't Totally Satanic Should Go Away is simply explosive, propelling senses into orbit. The nine-minute-long Sausage Spectrum has opening drum beats that would awaken coma patients, instrumental F... Surf Monkeys is as wild and raw rock 'n' roll as it gets, while closer Death of A Hippy is surprisingly mellow. I don't know how you get this, maybe hit them up on Facebook?
The three band members come from Carriage H, Gestalt Switch and Monkey Knife Fight, they opened for the Chills a wee while back but haven't gotten out of Dunedin yet.
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Oh, and I meant to note one other fun thing about the Street Chant show.
During the last song, Emily Littler took off her guitar and handed it to a guy in the crowd who proceeded to blaze away on it.
I'm quite sure it was pre-arranged, but it was an awesome bit of stagecraft to drop into a battle of the bands.
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I think TNAF are pretty good in a sort of MGMT style.
But I guess Sweetman's entitled to a different opinion? Can't we have critics calling it as they see it, rather than repeating the received opinion? Or is it unpatriotic to criticise Keeeeweee bands under any circumstances?
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Young Blood is a great track. Captures all the Animal Collective/MGMT vibe, but to me is fresh and damn catchy as all hell.
it's a dead duck now; some cool kids that can say "yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah" can win. That says Game Over.
Isn't the band he's thinking about called the 'Yeah Yeah Yeahs'? Maybe he should get a map.
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@Rich
Didn't that just happen?
He called it, Sacha disagreed at about the same volume.
Isn't that how it's s'posed to work?
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Can't we have critics calling it as they see it, rather than repeating the received opinion?
I welcome people raising informed concerns about the state of our music industry, and it's certainly not about musos being Kiwi.
However Sweetman bitching beccause TNAF aren't rock and roll enough for his tastes just annoys me. It's like complaining that a cat doesn't bark loudly enough.
The Herald did the same some years ago by getting Russell Baillie to review drum'n'bass gigs and his columns were littered with rock-framed assessments like "clattering" drumlines. I mentioned it would be like asking one of their specialist classical reviewers to express a meaningful opinion about a rock gig ("dreadful lack of harmonic progression"), but I don't think it troubled editorial consciences much. I'm exepcting Sweetman won't give a toss either.
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But I guess Sweetman's entitled to a different opinion? Can't we have critics calling it as they see it, rather than repeating the received opinion? Or is it unpatriotic to criticise Keeeeweee bands under any circumstances?
It's the sad, attention-seeking way that Sweetman does it.
Even if you don't like the song, it's completely absurd to declare that the Silver Scroll is now meaningless and a "dead duck" because APRA's songwriter members voted for 'Young Blood' this year. No one with a single fucking clue could write that.
He doesn't even attempt to say why it's a bad song. It's not necessary to be able to write songs to critique one, but it certainly helps to be able to write prose, and Sweetman is reliably bad at that.
He's really just latching on to what seems to be an unwarranted backlash against the band because they had a number one single.
And oddly enough, I've heard three different bands play the song in the past two weeks: N&F, Three Houses Down (reggae version! @ Silver Scrolls) and Street Chant. It's pretty clearly an actual song.
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Thanks, Recordari. Maps is beautiful song - even moreso when I heard the backstory
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Young Blood is a great track. Captures all the Animal Collective/MGMT vibe, but to me is fresh and damn catchy as all hell
And the album's actually quite varied. It's not a work of genius, but it is a good record, I think.
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Oh, and while we're sort of on the subject and did anyone else find it odd that there's not a single mention (that I can find) of who the panel actually were.
Calling it the Critics Choice prize and then not having any actual criticism or even a critic to point at just seems a bit opaque.
Or have i just missed it?
Congrats to Street Chant - couldn't have gone to nicer kids.
Disclaimer of interest: I play in the Home Brew live band (can't claim credit for any of their stuff, that's all the remarkable talent of Tom, Haz and Lui ).
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Oh, and while we're sort of on the subject and did anyone else find it odd that there's not a single mention (that I can find) of who the panel actually were.
TBH, found the whole thing quite mystifying. Had a great time though!
Disclaimer of interest: I play in the Home Brew live band (can't claim credit for any of their stuff, that's all the remarkable talent of Tom, Haz and Lui ).
Aw Ben, you're so modest. I was trying to come up with an image to capture Home Brew live. It's sort of like a hip hop Blues Brothers that would turn to your house and just start the party right there, by dint of being there.
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Well, the boys do know how to party. It's the how to stop partying they're still working on...
They're off exposing themselves to the mainland in CHCH, Dunedin and Gore as we speak (with a slightly smaller touring lineup).
Wait, that doesn't sound quite right.
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Thanks, Recordari. Maps is beautiful song - even moreso when I heard the backstory
Hadn't heard, but there's this interview, and it is clearly an important song to them.
Anyway, back to NZ, seen these guys twice recently and they are fun with a capital FU.
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Sweetman can be pretty baffling. I often agree with him on certain bands, but am then puzzled at his like at others.
I mean, this is a man who likes crap like Phil Collins, Sting, Tracy Chapman and once, in North & South described the dreadful Tears For Fears as "one of the best bands of the 1980s". Dear oh dear.
Street Chant are more my cup of tea, but I have no problems with The Naked And The Famous. They're not hugely innovative, but they are a pretty bloody good pop band, all the same.
Also, I don't have any problems with them winning awards or being commercially successful. I think they're a bit like, say, the Screaming Meemees or the (Dance) Exponents, in that their commercially acceptable sound is actually their "natural" sound. That's just how they are.
I'm much more tolerant of bands that are naturally like that as opposed to clearly contrived acts like the Feelers or Midnight Youth.
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I think they're a bit like, say, the Screaming Meemees or the (Dance) Exponents, in that their commercially acceptable sound is actually their "natural" sound. That's just how they are.
And I did get the impression from our interview that they're serious about their music. I think it's the transition from indie hipsterdom to band-that-everyone-knows that has been the difficulty.
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Twitter update: @streetchant 's Emily says of the audience interaction:
it wasn't prearranged, I promise, he had told me he knew how to play it a few months ago so when I saw him in the front row.
And from @homebrewcrew on tour:
Tour update: We made negative $2000 last night, i got groped and the van just ran out of petrol. Had a mean custard slice in tumaka though
Lol. Temuka?
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There's a very good old-fashioned tea shop on the main drag going through Temuka and I can indeed vouch for the high quality custard squares there, among other goodies available.
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I think it is truly soul-destroying that custard squares are on the seemingly endless list of things not supposed to be consumed by pregnant women. (I seriously considered having a first post-natal meal of Bluff oysters and a custard square.)
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Lol. Temuka?
Tumeke!
I seriously considered having a first post-natal meal of Bluff oysters and a custard square.
ETA: Eww! Separate, Ok, together, that's way too much visceral texture for one meal, IMhO.
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But I guess Sweetman's entitled to a different opinion? Can't we have critics calling it as they see it, rather than repeating the received opinion?
Well, sure -- but could he be a little less hipper-than-thou about it? I don't much like The Naked and The Dead either, but there is the possibility that might be down to a blind spot in my taste and knowedge than everyone who thinks otherwise being vulgar sheeple.
I mean, this is a man who likes crap like Phil Collins, Sting, Tracy Chapman and once, in North & South described the dreadful Tears For Fears as "one of the best bands of the 1980s". Dear oh dear.
I just have to note the irony of bitching Sweetman in an awfully Sweetman-esque manner. There's some Collins I like very much -- perfectly well-crafted 80's pop ear-candy. Sue me for not spending the entire back end of the decade opening a vein to The Smiths.
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