May our thoughts be with you

For Australia and New Zealand, April 25th 1915 is a day we are immensely proud of. Proud of the soldiers (most of them just kids) who went to a foreign land to defend us and the Mother Country from the enemy.

Sadly we lost 8,000 young men and our Nation's innocence in the Gallipoli Campaign. We commemorate ANZAC Day not only for the soldiers who lost their lives on the shores of Turkey in World War I but to take the opportunity to thank all the men and women who have spent a lifetime defending Australia so we are free.

I also like to reflect and think of family members who served other countries over the years as well. My Great Grandfather on my Father's side apparently worked closely with the Tartan Pimpernel which, even if it isn't true (it's all classified), is a great tale nevertheless. My Mother's family came from Malta and if any Nation knows about bravery it is them.

Now I usually waffle on about music so let's get on to that. There are numerous songs about war both for and against. But to recognise the sombre occasion I present to you one of my favourites. It isn't about the ANZAC's which may ruffle feathers but the theme is universal.

It is also both profoundly sad and beautiful at the same time.

Houses On The Hill - Whiskeytown

Well I found a bunch of letters that were written for the fella who broke your momma's heart
And the envelope folds, smelled of her ancient perfume
I'll bet she didn't know how to respond before the blankets of snow
Caught him out wandering alone with no place to go

There were stars in the sky
There were houses on the hill
And there were bottles of pills that were easy to buy
To keep her warm from the oncoming storm

Well I found them in the northwest corner of the attic in a box labeled "tinsel and lights"
Didn't know what I was I looking for maybe just a blanket or artifacts
Eisenhower sent him to war, he kept her picture in his pocket that was closest to his heart
And when he hit shore, must have been a target for the gunmen

There were stars in the sky
There were bunkers on the hill
And there were caskets to fill where he would lie
Shrouded in the red white and blue with the stripes

There were stars in the sky
There were houses on the hill
And there were bottles of pills that were easy to buy
To keep her warm from the oncoming storm

And we'll both be safe 'til St. Patrick's Day

The third in my monthly review of musical purchases and downloads for 2009. My look at February can be found here.

As if in response to my slow start (musically) for 2009, I am now receiving emails from long forgotten mailing lists touting the return of bands who have remained on my radar. It seems the next few months will see me parting my hard earned for new material by the Dave Matthews Band, Manic Street Preachers, Jen Cloher and so on.

Before that, here is what March threw up.

Albums

Robert Palmer - At His Very Best

Whilst I didn't acquire his entire back catalogue as I threatened last month, I did wisely pick up the best of the smooth Mr Palmer. I was never one for the 'Addicted To Love' and 'Simply Irresistible' side though. For the gold stuff, crank up 'Johnny & Mary' or 'Looking For Clues'.

Mary Gauthier - Mercy Now / Between Daylight And Dark

Being on the Lost Highway label (Ryan Adams, Donavon Frankenreiter) I should have picked up on Mary Gauthier much earlier than this. Her songwriting is her greatest asset (though she is no slouch on vocals) as she relays tales of woe that come from a troubled life she has already lived through. Martha Wainwright could learn a lot from her.

Grifters Inc. - A Creature Of The Night

Aussie Hip-Hop is an acquired taste, especially for those who don't reside on the Island. These days I much prefer to hear my fellow countrymen rap than Lil' fucking Wayne. Grifters Inc. may be indie but the production and rhyming on 'A Creature Of The Night' is just as good as their bigger label brethren.

Keep an eye on these lads.

Singles/EP's

The Strokes - Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)

After hearing once again Robert Palmer's version of the Marvin Gaye classic, I decided to search out other renditions and came across this one from a few years ago. Eddie Vedder turns in a great guest performance as well.

The Lemonheads - Luka

I must have been on a cover versions trip because I also dug out this great take of the Suzanne Vega hit. Mind you, Evan Dando could sing the 'terms and conditions' section on an entry form and I would still rate it as brilliant.

So You Know It's Got Soul

Because Van Morrison is a cantankerous (yet brilliant) old bastard who refuses to release any of his visual performances on the interweb without a Van Halenesque watermark smeared over the screen, I give you the following.

Let me state for the record, the definitive version of 'Caravan' can be found on the concert film 'The Last Waltz', but kudos to this band who I discovered by chance. To say it is an admirable version is understating it just a little.

Bravo to The Quiet:

Baby, Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough

Outside of music, my biggest passion is football and in particular the Essendon Football Club. This explains why I am still sans girlfriend.

All my friends know where I stand with my loyalty to the club - unflinching and unwavering support through the good times and...well...the present. It is true, the red and the black aren't doing too well at the minute. We (it is always we, never they) have a young list and a coach still finding his feet but I believe we have a strong foundation and a massive amount of pride that will ensure that we will be back on top a lot sooner than our detractors think.

So for someone who has been spoilt by success for so long, how does one attempt to maintain that winning feeling?

That's correct: Fantasy Football

This solves a few things (and further compounds the girlfriend problem). I can passionately follow opposition players in the league without becoming a turncoat of my beloved Bombers. By keeping up with said players I become more interested in games that don't involve Essendon. This is a scenario that I never warmed to in the past but seeing any team at the top of their game is a stark reminder of what your own club can achieve (given better draft selections and another summer of skills training).

My involvement thus far with fantasy football (called Super Coach in my case) has been obsessive to say the least (just as one would expect). I have spent an inordinate amount of time on opposition websites gaining an understanding for upcoming team selections and training reports from similar one-eyed fanatics. Is 'so and so' going to get up for Round One? How's his pre-season form been? Is he over priced?

Has it helped at all?

Well to roll out some tired football cliches: I'm better for the run and at this stage I'm just taking it one week at a time.

Let's keep things in perspective shall we. This is my first year in charge so I will be prone to rookie mistakes at the selection table. This is to be expected from an amateur.

Until of course my fictitious Club President tells me I have the full backing and support of the board. Then I know I'm fucked.

No correspondence will be entered into #2

An instruction in swordplay
Originally uploaded by Myrrien

An ongoing series of lists where my word is final. The first list can be found here.

We mere men have a competitive streak that is both our strength and our undoing. Far too many times we let the mutual attraction of the opposite sex get in the way of long lasting friendships. Other times we are simply competing with random strangers in a bar for your attention.

To illustrate some examples of our foolishness, I present to you my top 5 songs that deal with this very problem (in chronological order).

5. The Girl Is Mine - Michael Jackson & Paul McCartney

Fromage of the highest order and you wonder how this managed to be the first single from Thriller. Still, it is the most obvious song on the topic. Sung here in a slightly different context by Stephen Colbert & John Legend:




4. Mr Jones - Counting Crows

Whilst the breakout hit by the Counting Crows is about wanting to be a big star, its backdrop is a bar where two friends disagree on who exactly the beautiful women there have eyes for. Which leads us into...

3. Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First) - John Mellencamp

"I saw you first
I'm the first one tonight
Yes, I saw you first
Don't that give me the right
To move around in your heart
Everyone was looking
But I saw you first"

2. Everybody Here Wants You - Jeff Buckley

White hot funk that was light years away from his debut album, 'Everybody Here Wants You' only hints at what Buckley would have been capable of had he survived his swim in the Wolf River.

1. She Says - Howie Day

Debate still exists whether this song is about an ex-boyfriend talking to her new boyfriend, a male friend (who wants to be her boyfriend) talking to her latest beau or a variant of. Regardless, it contains the sobering line: "And when she says she wants somebody else, I hope you know she doesn't mean you."

February stars, floating in the dark. Temporary stars, February stars

The second of my monthly review of musical purchases and downloads for 2009. My look at January can be found here.

February was not a big month for me in terms of new music. I guess my self imposed control on spending to save for my impending trip overseas had something to do with it. Mind you I can see that ban being lifted very soon, around the time I decide that acquiring the entire Robert Palmer catalogue is somehow necessary (and urgent).

It is.

Albums

Eli "The Paperboy" Reed & The True Loves - Roll with Me

Many thanks to my good friend Scott Drummond for putting me on to this sensation. The world can have Miss Winehouse and Miss Stone, I'll keep Mr Reed and his band. It is like a long lost 60s soul album (the production has that warm Stax sound) except they are all new songs and the singer is a white kid in his 20s. Not a dud amongst the eleven tracks and I can't remember the last time I could say that about an album.

U2 - No Line On The Horizon

A 5 line critique on the biggest band in the world and their new album will get lost amongst the masses so let's stick to what you need to know:

- It is their most complete album since Achtung Baby
- Don't mistake it for being a classic like Achtung Baby, let's say it is very good
- It does not have the immediacy of All That You Can't Leave Behind (their last good album) but will eventually be seen as a superior effort
- The only low point of the album is the trio of songs in the middle and one of those is the first single 'Get On Your Boots'
- The rest is brilliant

Singles/EP's

Bob Dylan - Visions Of Johanna

This really is a story for another time and place. The only thing I will say on the matter is that I'm a man that makes mistakes but I'm a man with good intentions.

On a completely separate note, here is a cover of the tune by BRMC.

Too soon?

Can we all agree that 8 years down the track, the most outrageous piece of overreacting from what occurred on September 11 didn't come from the Bush administration? Rather the humour lies in the list compiled by Clear Channel of songs deemed as 'lyrically questionable' to be played on their radio network in light of the tragedy of 9/11.

Here is the list for those of you that want to stroll down memory lane and have a good chuckle.

Nobody, and I mean nobody, puts Benatar in the corner.

Here's my selected highlight from the list. Peter Gabriel you are a genius: