Monday, 27 October 2014

That's Entertainment : Neuropa


When you walk around the office, there's always someone there with the radio on.  Or sat there, dreaming of being anywhere else, with their iPod on and shuffling files out of their in basket.  And I for one, always found work far more tolerable with a grab-bag of my favourite tunes and a couple of pens drumming on the desk.

So have you ever wondered what it'd be like working with an accomplished vocalist, musician and rock star?  

Well, in 2006 I had the opportunity to do just that.

I started a role, which for all the lovely people who were in the area, was just not me.  Members of the team were spread across the country and once a month, we'd all come together in the city to meet and discuss projects and the like.  For me, it gave me a perfect opportunity to head down to the majors that still existed then - JB Hi FI, Sanity and HMV and on the way home slip by places like Red Eye Records and Utopia and scour the shelves for something new.  There was also lots of coffee drunk and people sitting chatting.  The first such meeting, one of my colleagues asked me "if I had met Jason yet?".  

A short time later, I was introduced to Jason.  Just amiable chit chat.  One thing lead to another, we got talking music and suddenly, BANG!!!  To be honest, being the new guy, I thought he was taking the pi$$, so I could take this hazing gag and run with it.  However, I soon discovered I was the only person in the area who didn't know that Jason was the vocalist and multi instrumentalist in the synth-pop band Neuropa.  

At the time, Jason and his cohort Albert were putting the finishing touches to their new LP The Blitz.  Jason played me some samples and I knew I had to score the album when it finally arrived.  But I'm also one of those people who doesn't like freeloading, so I ordered my CD copy from their record label and waited for it to arrive.  To cut a long story short, I played The Blitz…a lot.  In fact, it was something I listened to a bit of when I was sketching out the original plot to my first book back in 2007.  It's got plenty of little soundtrack qualities where someone like me can go off and daydream and come back with a grab bag of ideas.  

I moved within the bank a couple more times and from time to time we'd email.  In 2009 I'd receive little emails of pre-release songs for the next album and looked forward excitedly to the next album.  The samples I'd received were fantastic and really progressed their sound.  In 2010, Plastique People dropped, full of stunning synth pop delights, which sound stunning.  Jason is forever detailing his extensive synth and guitar collection, and you can tell when a man is an artisan crafting wonders.  Neuropa would have to be Australia's pre-eminent synth pop group, much lauded in Europe (where for some reason, Europeans are far more respectful of synth pop/rock), meshing 80's influences, with darker undercurrents.  Plastique People is a complete album and a complete listening experience.  I particularly adore The Futurist , a stunning soundscape that deservedly needs to be the lead in track/single of an Alistair Raven soundtrack album.

For a while, it seemed there might not be another Neuropa album.  I started sifting their earlier albums for things I hadn't heard.  I found After The Rain and immediately had it on high rotation.  It reminds me of the bleak and grimy grit of Depeche Mode's Ultra album. It's an absolute corker and yet another track I've taken as my own to inspire mood when I'm writing.  Jason's vocal on this track is fantastic too…a real stunner.

In early 2014 there in my inbox was a 'hey, how you doing?' email with news a new album called Resistor was coming.  Eagerly, I downloaded it and devoured it.  Again, creatively, Neuropa are at a peak, fusing a range of industrial styles to produce mood right across the album.  If you want to get a boogie in your butt, take a listen to Midnight Sun.  The first minute is right up there with the best industrial pop like Cabaret Voltaire.  Pain is spine chilling; Divine Device makes me want to be a darkened cellar night club with strobe lighting sending me in to an epileptic fit; One Foot In The Grave has a Stephen Morris percussive thump.  Resistor really upped the ante and delivered in spades…plus the album cover is divine.

In life you meet lots of people.  Most people who meet me probably wish they hadn't…LOL!!!  And I've been lucky to have met plenty of wonderfully warm and talented people who made my life better even if I annoyed the crap out of them.  And I can't moan the job(s) I've had at various points in time were sucky because I've always met nice people.  So I was lucky the crappish job I had in 2006 let me meet Jason Last.  He truly is an amazing talent and someone I look up to for inspiration when I'm working because I know that despite the 1000's of CDs I own, a half dozen of them were written, performed and recorded by a totally awesome dude who rocks his ar$3 off!  

So if you're trawling the net for something new…check out iTunes.  Definitely stump up for the albums Plastique People and Resistor.  If you like your NIN, Depeche Mode, Erasure, Pet Shop Boys and Bronski Beat and want something to tickle your timpanic membranes…you have been told.





















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Thursday, 16 October 2014

That's Entertainment : OK GO


OK GO…you know them.  They did that hugely popular video for that truly infectious ditty Here It Goes Again back in 2005.  This act alone has probably cast them to the majority as a quirky one hit wonder band that time will one day forget.

But that really is not the truth of it.

See, OK GO are a band that inhabit a space between pop/rock and art that truly makes every song/album and video clip they release something to treasure.  They are craftsmen, and I mean that in the way we talk of artisans toiling away to create.  

Taking a skewed pop aesthetic and melding it to the visual medium of the video should equal chart topping success.  But it hasn't.  Hell…they don't even have a record label now, self releasing their new album this week via pledges.

But see, this is doing something different.  In the new world scheme of things where no one sells records any more, OK GO have gone it alone, and as you pledge to buy the new album - digitally, on CD or vinyl - you can select to buy a range of OK GO inspired or designed items - hand crafted books, hand written lyric sheets, signed CDs, comics, t-shirts - or buy experiences like a day on the tour bus, a walk on cameo in their next film clip, a customised video art piece, a disposable camera filled with random pictures taken by the band, personalised voicemail recordings, decorated Converse shoes and even a mini-customised synth set.

If I had the money, I would have done it all, but I just went with the boring old signed CD and MP3 code.  Am kicking myself for not getting a T-shirt though.

Yet here's the future of the music industry.  Creative bands sorted from chaff by encouraging interaction with their fans (and potential new ones) via the multitude of digital media and offering them something your Top 20 acts and X-Factory winners can't.  It sounds wanky, but my heart bursts with pride, admiration and it's bands like this I wish every piece of good luck with the album release and tour.

Furthermore, they are active in charities and fundraisers as well as turning out for special appearances from your local kiosk, a colour education piece for Sesame Street to President Obama himself.

Did I say the music entertains?  Well when it all boils down, without the music, the rest is fluff.  My oh my, OK GO kick ar$e.  A synth, jazzy, pop fusion of sounds and witty, bitter and observant lyrics about existence and the human condition.  Constantly, OK GO produce nuggets of aural gold.  When people say something is 'cool', they don't know cool until they look and listen to OK GO.

And sure, I sound like I'm preaching.  I'm not.  However, since the release of the new single and all the pre-release fun communicated to purchasers via the Pledge site, I've found it hard not to go back and revisit their body of work and sit back and go wow.  I've gone from being a casual listener to a 'I love this band and want to scream it from the rafters!'.  Having received the download code for my MP3 copy of their new album only three nights ago, I am absolutely hooked.  Every pop hook, every vocal harmony, every nuanced bass line and drum beat and synth part has won me over.  If there is a Temple of OK GO…I'm there.

If you're looking for something to whack on the iPod that will put a boogie in your butt, then Hungry Ghosts (the new album) is out now.  Buying it supports a band who stood up to the machine and did it their way.  

Or if you want to see intricate, stylish and well designed film clips, it's up to you.

So there you have it.  You can dream.  You can have integrity.  You can do it yourself and prove your detractors wrong and prove your supporters right.  You can provide the punters the full entertainment experience.  And you can be winners.

OK GO and spread the word!









This Too Shall Pass Version 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybUFnY7Y8w











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Tuesday, 14 October 2014

That's Entertainment : Glory, Glory to South Sydney


Music makes up a big part of my life, but another thing that dominates at least six months of my year is my beloved South Sydney Rabbitohs.

And two numbers have defined me, haunted me, made me proud : 1971 and 20.

1971 was the last time Souths made a Grand Final (and won it) and 20 is the amount of Premierships the club has won since 1908 - the most of any NRL team ever.

Now to put this in perspective, I am 38 years old.  I have been going for Souths since 1987, actively since 1989.  In that period, I have seen the Rabbits make the finals four times  - 1989, 2007, 2012 and 2013.  But during that time, I've seen the Bunnies pick up the Wooden Spoon four times - 1990, 2003, 2004 and 2006 (and should have had it in 2002 when the Dogs were stripped of all their points).   But they came second last twice and third last seven times.  So since 1990, we have been rooted to or near the bottom of the pack 14 times in 23 years.  Sigh.  We even got kicked out for the seasons 2000 and 2001, fighting our way back in to the competition.

So during those years, where we would jag 2-5 wins a season, hearing the team victory song was very few and far between.  But when we did, well, it was magical.  So many older supporters who remembered the good old days when we won comps on average once in every three seasons, would shake their heads and wonder when things would ever get better.  I'd go to games and sometimes walk out.  Hell, I'm embarrassed to say I walked out on friends and family because in my heart I knew Souths were better than this. We went from being the Pride of the League to LOL@Souffs.  The highlight of the season was winning the pre-season Charity Shield against Saints and being crowned March Premiers, a derisory note at our wild celebrations at the start of the year when we won something but it didn't matter cause there were 24-26 weeks of s#it to come.

Even when Russell Crowe took over and he started to recruit some talent, we'd finish tantalisingly close, in 9th or 10th spot and miss the finals.

This all changed when Russell missed signing arguably the biggest coach of the modern era - Wayne Bennett - and had to go to Plan B, signing Michael 'Madge' Maguire.  They put faith in a bloke who had played a dozen or more first grade games, been an assistant coach to Craig Bellamy at the Storm and had gone to England and plied his coaching trade there (and in the process won their comp in his first year).  So, it became "In Madge We Trust".

In his first season in 2012, we made the finals and got to the Preliminary Final where our halfback tore his hammy, neutered our chances and saw us fall one game short of a Grand Final.  Ok, we all thought, it's been a great first season with Madge.

In his second season in 2013, we should have topped the table, but lost in the last round to the Roosters (our arch enemies) who took top spot instead.  We made it to the Preliminary Final but choked against a war-worn Manly-Warringah and again missed the Grand Final.  It was particularly gutting for Souths fans, who had LOL@Souffs trolls all over us once more.

But something was different in 2014. We entered the season as hot shot faves to win the entire comp and couldn't have opened better with a smashing of the Roosters.  We then went on to lose a close one to Manly - no shame there. This was followed by a loss to the Tigers, and then the Raiders.  Before long, questions were being asked.  Cohesion was lost, harmony seemed out the window.  

But the wins came.  The defence was punishing.  

Soon clubs records were being broken.  The 35 year record of most games for the club was broken twice.  Nathan Merritt - a flying winger and club stalwart - scored most tries for the club with his 145th try (he is also 2nd on the 'most games list' now too).  More exciting for many was the introduction of group of young and talented up and comers who looked like seasoned pros in their first season of top flight footy.  And despite some hiccups the bunnies looked like they were hanging in there.  Again facing the Roosters in the last round to take top spot, they lost it and ended the regular season third.  But for the first time in my life, the Bunnies had made the finals three seasons in a row.  

First up was Manly.  We'd put them away a month earlier but this was finals football.  Someone forgot to tell Souths.  They put their foot on the accelerator and went 40-0 up with 20 mins still on the clock.  Sure Manly bounced back to end the game 40-24, but the damage was done.  We had the week off, the others could fight on and we awaited our Preliminary Final foe, praying we wouldn't falter again.  As fate would have it, it would be the Roosters.  Nothing like sibling rivalry.  They scorch out to a 12-0 lead 10 minutes in.  My father-in-law told us as we were walking in that the bunnies would take half an hour to warm up after their week off and then they would switch on.  At the half hour mark, we score; by half time it is 12 all.  A freckle after the break ends, we bust them and score.  The game is effectively over as Souths run riot and humiliate the Roosters.  Even though the Roosters score twice in the last 5 minutes of the match, the boys know they are off to the Grand Final.  32-22 it ends…as does 43 years of waiting to reach the decider.

I started to see signs...

During the finals, I'd been reading John Sattler's autobiography.  He was the last captain of Souths during the period 1967-1971 when we made five grand finals straight, winning four.  He played 77 minutes with a broken jaw in the days before replacements.  He is an inspiration to all Souths fan but a ghost of the past.  A lovely man, he and his legendary teammates have haunted us for decades, and even John admits in his own words that it's time for a new Souths winning team so he can grow old peacefully.  This book is released pre the finals and strikes a chord with me, who has dreamt a lifetime of dreams of seeing his team in the grand final and hoisting the cup as winners.

The other was George Clooney.  He once said hell would freeze before he ever got married.  The weekend before the Grand Final, he finally weds.

There were other things, but these two make me smile and laugh.

Our opponents were to be the Bulldogs, arguably one of the toughest teams in the modern age.  They scrap, and fight and are called the Dogs of War for good reason.  The task will not be easy.  Sentiment swings the Bunnies way for many reasons.  I feel sorry for true Dogs supporters because they were pushed to the margins as the media focussed on the Rabbits.  And suddenly, it is Sunday.

So to the Grand Final.

The first tackle, Sam Burgess is smashed.  Rumours start he has broken his cheek.  First Tackle!!!  Grrr…  But he plays on.  The defence is tough but Souths' attack has the edge.  There is a try but it is disallowed.  Phases pass like punches to the guts.  Out of nothing really, Souths strike.  6-0.  They pepper the line but can't find a hole, the Dogs are that good.  At half time, despite being pounded, the Dogs can hold their heads up with the score and know one mistake and they will pounce, which is what they do shortly after half time.  It's 6-all.  My guts churn, my palms are sweaty.  Finally, when hope is dwindling, a hulking forward barges through to score a classic Grand Final try.  It's 12-6.  But it's still a grind.  Eventually a penalty is gifted, a goal missed.  The next set, the same but this time, the penalty goal is hit.  14-6, not too long to go. The dogs can get there if they try but Souths' defence is like a stone wall.  With seven minutes remaining, our centre crashes in to the corner and scores.  The game is effectively over and yet…

A few minutes later, Reynolds jags an opportunistic try.  It's allowed.  I burst in to uncontrollable sobs with a million other Souths fans.  On the field, the two stars, Sam Burgess and Greg Inglis are heaving, choking on sobs of emotion and probably hysterical joy like the rest of us.  At that very moment, 43 years of waiting, the ups and downs of a life time, the result could not be denied and Souths would win their 21st Premiership.  Near on full time, as these things go once the gates open, GI scores and the goanna slides across the in goal and rapture is upon us fans.  Kudos to the Dogs fans who were most gracious in defeat.  I'd like to be greedy and see another dynasty of victories, but I won't.  I'll take this Premiership and cherish it forever.  LOL@Souffs no more!

And even now, a week later, it still doesn't sink in.  The glow is still there.  To share the day with Lee after all the years of dragging her to games, and to share it with Alex and Zach who are now two rusted on Souths fans themselves, and with my father-in-law who had started coming for a bit of fun and stuck firm to be gifted a premiership and to my wonderful mother-in-law who has been nothing short of warm and positive all the years the team was dreadful, it was a dream come true to sit back and bask in the glory of it all.  So many friends, co-workers and random well-wishers over the years must have wondered if I was mad.  Again they wished me well one more time, and this time, they can smile too.

Lastly, there are two numbers that have defined me as a boy, as a teen and as a man.  1971 and 20.

As of Sunday night, the past was put to rest.  The ghosts can move on, smiling, singing the winner's song, knowing the legacy they created and then upheld has been emulated by a new generation of boys and men.  New deeds have been done.  The future is bright and I have two new numbers: 2014 and 21.

On Sunday night, the club song never rang out as loud or as strong as it did at Homebush.




Glory, Glory to South Sydney https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AE-oaUE6MfI



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That's Entertainment : Annie Lennox


As a child of the 1980's, one of the biggest pop acts of the decade were The Eurhythmics.  However, by 1990, the duo had dissolved acrimoniously and they went their separate ways.  Around 1992 as U2 was wowing the world, hair metal was dying and grunge was taking over and 'techno pop' was invading the charts, Annie Lennox branched out on her own as a solo act.

Her first release was Why - an aching torch song that tears every cockle of your heart and sweeps along magnificently.  It's Annie's My Way moment - fearing she couldn't continue, couldn't make it work, that she would not be accepted…the very fact why it worked is due to the artist's honesty.  The pain and agony is palpable and the vocal delivery would have to be close to one of the very best of the 1990's.  Annie's full length album Diva hit the shops and became a multi-platninum smash, wiping away the fears Annie couldn't go it alone and establishes her as a strong, independent woman who can write and record with the best of them and dominate the airwaves.

Whilst many of the tracks on Diva are centred around the grieving process for a lost child, the dissolution of The Eurthymics and the failure of her relationship with Dave Stewart (her partner in the band), it is embed with personal triumph and a tenderness much missed in popular music.

The follow up single, Walking On Broken Glass is a stunning pop motif.  Contrary to the bop-pop positivity, the song is about a breakup.  And whilst Diva spawned a number of hits, Why and Walking On Broken Glass are the two I love most.  Ironically, another song from this period, initially used as a B-side, was a song she latter lent to Bram Stoker's Dracula Soundtrack.  Annie had read Coppola was doing a 'Dracula' movie and so she started reading Anne Rice and became fascinated.  Love Song For A Vampire was written and recorded prior to the movie release, so one can only assume the movie producers thought 'vampire song, vampire movie…voila!'.  However, Love Song For A Vampire has a haunting brilliance that decides that the 'vampire' condition is one of dependence and compulsive addictive behaviour; that the 'vampire' of the night, is shrouded in not only the real darkness, but the psychological darkness of its very existence.  

In 1995, after taking some time off to raise her children, she returned with a covers album titled Medusa.  Gleaned from this album is one of pop's truly best ever singles, No More I Love You's.  A minor hit for The Lover Speaks in 1986 (a support band for The Eurthymics whilst touring), this cover is scintillating.  

Personally, No More I Love You's is a theme to one of my own characters in my Alistair Raven books.  Archie Raven, Alistair's grandfather, who has been hiding himself in the shadows for forty years, having been a hero who had to sacrifice it all and in the process lose nearly all those he loved and cherished, there is a line in the song that resonates.  The regrets chew him up, so he has his personal demons.  

I used to have demons in my room at night
Desire, despair, desire…soooo many monsters.
Oh but now…

Befitting a man who fought a war, and lost it, the song has come to represent the sadness and loss in his life.  At the ultimate moment when his beloved wife dies, her final words  - no more I love you's - leaving him alone in a grim world with a toddler grandson.  But there's a certain degree of looking forward.  Where Archie realises he must come to care and nurture and raise his grandson, he can't dwell in the gloom and must move on…hence the 'no more I love you's'.  It's the kind of song that leaves a lump in my throat as well as Lee when I established this backstory, and if I can get an audience crying, I know I'm hitting the mark.  Annie Lennox certainly hit the mark here methinks.

Finally, on the Japanese release of Medusa, Annie's cover of The Psychedelic Furs Heaven is a bonus track.  I include it here because it's rad!

Despite all her success as a pop star - no…a DIVA - Annie has spent the best part of nearly 20 years doing humanitarian work whilst releasing the occasional, highly anticipated new album.  In fact, come the end of the month, Annie releases her newest album, which I bet will smash the charts once more.

For mine, Annie Lennox is someone to be cherished.  Her voice is one amazing treasure, and sometime soon, I'll write up a Eurthymics column.  I hope you enjoy it too.










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