Mix # 25, Tracks 19 & 20

Theme: Australia and New Zealand

19). Inner City Pressure — Flight of the Conchords

THE CITY IS EXPAAHHHNDING.

20). In The Cloud — Sunrise Beach

Sunrise Beach are among a host of new Australian bands writing music that’s less attached to an idea of region or locality, music with expanded international horizons. Essentially, Sunrise Beach make classic rock, but filtered through the post-millennial concept of freedom from genre. This new wave of Australian music is exciting evidence that “Down Under” no longer has to play little brother to the UK and USA, at the very least in our expectations of ourselves and the music we produce. In The Cloud is a great example of this kind of expansive music, with elements that are familiar (driving rock beat, insistent guitar), but at the same time not limited a specific sound - producing a freedom for the song by itself to just be a great rock song. (Disclaimer - I play in Sunrise Beach).

—Anand 

Source: Spotify

Mix # 25, Tracks 16—18

Theme: Australia and New Zealand

16). Into My Arms — Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

It’s hard to choose just one Nick Cave song from his excellent (greatest Australian musician?) and varied career, but I’m going to go with the song I discovered first, in my late teens. It’s not representative of the unholy rage he is known to be capable of summoning up on his early (and later) recordings, but as a single song, it’s almost perfect. Apparently it was written for PJ Harvey, and it certainly speaks with more conviction than any other love song I can think of. It never grows old, not as far as I can tell, and I can imagine one day in the distant future when it’s creator is long forgotten, the song being sung like a hymn, a prayer that love will triumph over doubt, and that faith in love is the only faith you need.

17). Harpoon — Jebediah

Jebediah’s debut “Slightly Oddway” was more excellent than the average Australian release at the time, and has since gone down as a bit of an Australian indie classic, with a singer who couldn’t really sing, but strong on hooks. This song is the most arresting on the album, a simple tale of heart break that speaks to the teenager in us all.

18). The Music Next Door — The Lucksmiths

The Lucksmiths are a sentimental favorite of mine, and to tell the truth there are many songs they’ve released that would be worthy to represent them on this mix, but this one has been chosen for it’s link to a past relationship of my own. The band formed in the nineties, and released increasingly sophisticated warm and literary acoustic pop (think a less acerbic Belle and Sebastian), culminating in career highlight Warmer Corners. Their lyrics tend to bask in the soft glow of afternoons gone by, usually with a melancholic edge, and a wry sense of humor. I listen to them for their clever wordplay, and equally clever bass lines. Unfortunately, after years of struggling in the business, the band threw in the towel a few years ago and headed back to their day jobs. This song is an almost too-painful mix of loss and fondness attached to a bright sunny pop song, heartbreak made real by way of mundane detail. If you’ve ever had a break-up, and like to get a bit sad, this song just may make you cry.

—Anand 

Source: Spotify

Mix # 25, Tracks 13—15

Theme: Australia and New Zealand

13). Private Universe — Crowded House

Neil Finn is the most consistently great songwriter over a more than thirty year career to have come from New Zealand, and while Australians like to claim Crowded House as their own, and two of it’s three members were Australian, Finn (who started his career in his brother’s band Split Enz) was undoubtedly the leader of the band, and wrote most of the songs. Most people will be aware of at least a couple of their hits, but this single is probably a little less known to international audiences, and has always been one of my favorites.

14). Berlin Chair — You Am I

Perhaps the only consistently essential Australian band of the nineties, You Am I is dominated by the charismatic Tim Rogers. Their music is honest but literate Australian rock. Berlin Chair, like many of their best songs, sounds influenced by American independent music, but is never overshadowed by it’s influence, holding true to it’s own roots and identity. This is the kind of music the Seattle scene should have been opening the way for, not the ridiculous post-grunge of Creed etc. You Am I could have been one of the biggest independent bands of the nineties if they had been born in another country. And perhaps their back-to-basics rock was a little too ahead of the game.

15). Girls Like That (Don’t Go For Guys Like Us) — Custard

Custard were a Brisbane based indie band, and while they’re in no way essential, they’re a good example of the quirky and fashionably out-of-step music that was being made by many bands in Australia in the late 90s. Bands with odd/bad names and little chance or desire to hit the international big time, but hugely popular in their own country, bands like Spiderbait, Regurgitator, Jebediah (also on this mix), Frenzal Rhomb, Grinspoon, Superjesus, etc. Part of these bands’ success can be attributed to the national government-funded youth radio station Triple J, who championed home-grown independent alternative music and have done a lot (most positive, some negative) for the Australian music scene. This song was huge on the station when I was about 15 and listened to it constantly, so is therefore, for better or worse, inextricably attached to my youth.

—Anand 

Source: Spotify

Mix # 25, Tracks 10—12

Theme: Australia and New Zealand

10). Under The Milky Way — The Church

The Church were an excellent Australian post-punk band, masters of atmosphere, and this is their greatest moment, a song that creates a mood completely and utterly it’s own. I was transfixed the first time I heard it as a teen, and while I may have heard it a few too many times since, it still resonates with it’s own strange glow. Some may know it from it’s inclusion on the soundtrack for Donnie Darko.

11). Never Tear Us Apart — INXS

Released the same year as Under The Milky Way, and also featured - more prominently - on the Donnie Darko soundtrack (Richard Kelly must have had some sort of affinity for Australian rock from 1988?), this is perhaps INXS’s crowning achievement. It crossed pop and rock borders, and stands up with any pop song released in the eighties.

12). Streets Of Your Town — The Go-Betweens

The Go-Betweens are one of the most widely respected bands to have come out of Australia in the eighties, and while Cattle And Cane is the song that was voted one of the best Australian songs ever, this song hits the spot for me, despite perhaps being their most commercial single (and most successful). Under the sunny melody the lyrics hint at a darkness lying close to the surface. Grant McLennan was listening to Under The Milkyway, which was released the same year, and came up with a chord progression of his own, which turned into this song. Fun fact: the cord progression was then sampled in the late 90’s for the pop hit “Just The Way You Are”…. by Italian dance production team “Milky”.

—Anand 

Source: Spotify

Mix # 25, Tracks 7—9

Theme: Australia and New Zealand

7). Overkill — Men At Work

Everyone will have heard Down Under, but my personal favorite Men At Work song has been Overkill for a while now. Colin Hay was an unusual and charismatic singer, and I see the band as Australia’s answer to Talking Heads (perhaps at the more commercial-friendly end of the Talking Heads scale). They were accomplished musically, quirky, knew their way around a pop hook, and wrote intelligent and sometimes humorous lyrics that dealt with urban themes such as anxiety and paranoia, in their own quiet undramatic way uncovering the darker side of the human psyche.

8). From St Kilda To Kings Cross — Paul Kelly

Paul Kelly is a quintessentially Australian songwriter, writing about his country and it’s people, blessed with a gravelly voice that adds an authenticity to his stories. Think Bruce Springsteen, but with more Woody Guthrie thrown in and less Meatloaf. This is a song that has a special place for anyone who has driven the thirteen hours between St Kilda, Melbourne, and Kings Cross, Sydney, as I have done. He wrote songs better than this, but none that feel more completely Australian.

9). Throw Your Arms Around Me — Hunters & Collectors

Strange that a song of such intimacy should be such a publicly embraced anthem in Australia; a song about a real relationship with details so sensual it sometimes embarrasses by making you feel voyeuristic to be listening in on them. Mark Seymour is the older brother of bassist Nick Seymour from Crowded House (it’s a small population here after all), and was describing a relationship he was in at the time - and yet this is almost the Wonderwall for Australian Gen-X, invariably pulled out on an acoustic guitar at gatherings and parties, its unusual winding melody invariably flubbed, and yet you can rely on an eager chorus joining in to drown out the missed notes. And then, in that moment of communal bliss, you hear it right: the song has been transformed by it’s audience from one man’s personal feelings for a specific woman, to an affirmation of that most fundamental and universal principle, human interconnectedness above isolation.

—Anand 

Source: Spotify

Mix # 25, Tracks 4—6

Theme: Australia and New Zealand

4). Shivers — The Boys Next Door

Another sad story of Australian bands struggling to be embraced by their own country, and having to leave and make a name for themselves on foreign soil, The Boys Next Door were an early incarnation of The Birthday Party. Shivers came off their debut, Door, Door, a record of servicable post-punk, before their wild days as The Birthday Party had kicked in. This song however, stands out as something exceptional, coming in at the end of the album. It’s sung by Nick Cave, but was written by guitarist Roland S Howard, purportedly at the age of sixteen. The lyrics are meant to be sneering at teenage love, but Nick sang it straight, adding a wonderful extra layer of juxtaposition. It’s been covered by countless artists, and has stood up over time as a true Australian classic.

(The Birthday Party traveled to England and America, where their antagonistic noise and musical corruption had them reviled by audiences and press alike. In the end they made a name for themselves in Berlin. Both Roland and Nick appear in Wim Wenders cinematic ode to the city of Berlin, “Wings of Desire”.)

5). Nothing’s Going To Happen — Tall Dwarfs

Kiwis, despite their reputation for being boring, are often innovators ahead of the game. There were a couple of Kiwis trying to invent the airplane independently of and concurrently with the Wright brothers, and there’s quite strong evidence to say they even flew first. Women received voting rights in New Zealand before any other country in the world. On a smaller scale, Tall Dwarfs were pioneering in the DIY genre ahead of their time in the early eighties, and listening to this track, you can hear the beginnings of the lo-fi sound that would become popular in American indie in the nineties and onwards. You can also hear strong evidence of their influence on bands like Olivia Tremor Control and Neutral Milk Hotel. And more than any of this, it’s a cracking indie pop tune.

6). Pink Frost — The Chills

The Chills are another New Zealand band associated with the Dunedin sound, and signed to the famous Flying Nun label. Once again, their low-key and jangly indie pop was ahead of it’s time, and highly influential to a host of 90’s and 00’s bands.

—Anand 

Source: Spotify

Mix # 25, Tracks 1—3

Theme: Australia and New Zealand

1). Spicks and Specks — The Bee Gees

A little contentious, because the Gibb brothers were born in the UK, and made their careers over there also. However, they spent formative teenage years growing up in Queensland, and tried and struggled to make a career as musicians in Australia. Ironically, they made their decision to head back to England in the mid sixties after giving up on Australia, but while they were on the boat back to the UK, this song went to number one on the Australian charts. So they achieved their first number one as an Australian band, which merits it being placed on the list. As for the song itself, it’s a golden little nugget of pop, that displays early evidence of the boys talent for writing pure candy, and stands above much of the fairly generic pop Australia was otherwise producing at the time.

2). Walking Down A Road — Split Enz

This is a true lost classic, both the song, and the album it comes from. It was voted by a panel of New Zealanders from radio and music journalism as the best Kiwi album ever, and it’s most certainly deserved. Split Enz went on to become better known for their more average (occasionally very good) new wave and pop hits, but this, their debut, is grand and weird art rock. There’s a touch of prog and a touch of glam to these songs, and if I had to make comparisons for the modern listener, I would say Roxy Music’s early albums, or perhaps even a little bit of Sunset Rubdown, with the weird and wonderful mix of restless experimentation and relentless hooks. This was the only album Phil Judd made with the band (tensions between Phil and co-songwriter/vocalist Tim Finn ended in a fist fight and Phil walking out), and judging by the band’s more pedestrian releases after this album, he was an integral part of the album’s success. The album is like a trip through the subconscious, with heavy subjects like death, madness, abandonment, imagination, fantasy, and rage all covered, balanced out by some lighter love songs. Despite the heavy nature of some of the music, the band became bona fide stars in NZ (my parents were among the sold out crowds for this album’s tour).

(Phil Judd went on to form The Swingers, who had a hit with the infectious “Counting The Beat”. Tim’s younger brother Neil Finn joined Split Enz not long after - many of you may know of him as the leader of Crowded House.)

3). (I’m) Stranded — The Saints

The Saints were one of the few internationally recognised punk bands to come out of Australia. In some ways, Australia and New Zealand have been too affluent and socially stable to provide youth with the rage or dissatisfaction to make great protest music. Artistic individualism is usually expressed with polite quirkiness (especially in New Zealand), or not at all (especially in Australia). The Saints were snotty, and grimy, and dissatisfied, and their music holds up strong with the best British and American punk even today, especially this song, their undisputed classic.


—Anand

Source: Spotify

Australia and New Zealand

Hello Tumblr, and beyond. I’ve always loved the concept of the mix, and have made many for friends and lovers (mostly lovers), usually following a strict and somewhat arbitrary set of rules, some of which I must admit were cribbed from High Fidelity. My basic attitude to making a mix for someone is that it should say something about your relationship with them, say something about what you know about them personally, give them something that will make them feel special, and most of all, introduce them to new music, by putting it in a context they can connect with.

The mix I’m going to present to you over the next week is going to follow an Australasian (only Australia and New Zealand in this instance) theme. It made perfect sense to me, since I was born in New Zealand, and split my time growing up between NZ and Australia. For the past 17 years (since I was 12) I have been a permanent resident of Australia, but still identify strongly with both countries equally. Australia and NZ have both made respectable and occasionally exceptional contributions to music history. I am sure there is much Australasian music many listeners from other continents are not familiar with (and equally, much that you are familiar with). I hope this mix achieves a balance for most listeners between the familiar and the unheard. This mix is in no way comprehensive, and leans towards guitar based pop/rock, because that is the music I am most familiar with, and also historically, in my opinion, the style Australian and NZ bands have excelled at. There are obviously many great bands and songs that have been left out, but I have chosen most bands/songs because I felt they transcended influence and global trends (something that’s been a problem for much of Aus/NZ’s output over the years), and had a strong identity of their own - perhaps even set trends! Tracks are sequenced in roughly chronological order, with importance given to the general flow of proceedings.

I am a musician myself, and play in a band that I hope can be a good career for me one day. I’ve taken the somewhat cheeky step of including one of my own band’s songs on the mix, but since all members (3 brothers) were born in NZ and live in Australia, I think we fit the theme adequately! We’re currently recording our debut EP. We’re called Sunrise Beach, and our song is last on the mix. If you want to hear more of our material, try our Soundcloud or Youtube. Thanks for listening, and I hope you enjoy what’s to come!

—Anand 

This Week: Down Under

Thanks, Sarah!

This week, Anand is going to be creating a mix all about living in Australia and New Zealand. A New Zealand native himself, Anand now lives in Australia, so he has particular insight concerning this theme and I expect him to deliver quite the satisfying mix.

Anand’s tumblr can be found right here.  He’s also in the band called Sunrise Beach. Sunrise Beach’s Soundcloud is here, and their YouTube page is right here. Check them out!

I’ve got one more week scheduled for next week —- and that’s it! All other weeks are wide open and free! I might take the reigns if nobody else is interested in making mixes, but I think I’d be only to do that for one or two weeks tops. If you’re interested in creating a mix for us, now is the time to do it! Hope to hear from you. E-mail me if you’d like to contribute.

As always, thanks for reading and listening.  

Mix #24 Tracks 18-20

Theme: Beating Chambers

18). Scenic World (Version)- Beirut

I could get lost in this song. It always captures me, with the beauty it holds and the message it gives out. Sometimes yes, things get bad and days suck. But the world is truly a wonderful place. Sometimes you have to take a step back from the chaoticness and realize life truly is beautiful. That is definitely something that gets me right in the heart.

19). Lay Your Head Down- Emme Packer

Emme Packer is one of my favorite people on this entire earth. She’s a local musician from UT and an all-around great, talented person (I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know her). This song, as well as the music video, definitely speaks to my heart. Packer expresses a beautiful portrait of a loved one and the relationship the narrator has with them. The couple is in love, knowing that they will spend the rest of their lives together and are in perfect bliss. The hopeless romantic in me yearns to find a relationship like this, one that will fill my heart.

20). Transatlanticism- Death Cab for Cutie 

Every playlist creator always has a ‘key signature’- a certain style of song they always play, a particular flow, etc. For me, it’s this song.  I’ve always loved that everyone can relate to this song. There is always someone out there that means the world to you, whether or not you two are still in contact. The distance, whether physical or emotional is too vast to cross and all you want, need“is them, so much closer”. No matter how hard you try, your heart will always yearn for that someone/something.

—Sarah 

Source: Spotify