off the record; pavement

sometimes i often wonder why, oh WHY, was i born at the beginning of one of the best periods of alternative music? i’ve missed out on, i think it’s safe to say, a FAIR amount of decent stuff; the rise and fall of grunge, the release of ok computer, britpop! whilst i was listening to the SPICE GIRLS (hipster cred = gone no? c’mon, i was seven) masterpieces were being created. and it’s all well and good to come back to them now – discover them, if you will – but it’s not really the same. PAVEMENT are one such band that, had i been old enough to personally choose my musical taste, would have been quite high up on my list.

off the record; the go-betweens

THE GO-BETWEENS / CATTLE AND CANE / before hollywood / 1983

what with tomorrow being AUSTRALIA DAY, i felt there was no better way to celebrate than with a classic. i had never heard of these guys until a few years ago when lead singer mr grant mclennan died and triple j made a huge deal out of this supposedly ‘under appreciated’ australian band. and i didn’t give it another thought.

but then i continued to hear things about them; how they were one of the most influential bands in Australia’s history, that their songwriting style was unique – needless to say i was intrigued. but it was only after i read an article in jmag  that listed the top australian songs, voted by australian artists that i was persuaded to actually listen to something. cue: CATTLE AND CANE.

i believe it came in at number… and it’s undeniably australian. there’s a lot of imagery about fields and things, but that’s not really the reason i like it. for me, there’s something very unique about their sound. it’s not really new-wave, it’s not really pop. but there’s something very moving about it. it’s an australian song  that falls out of the traditional bogan category; it shows intelligent and emotive lyrics, a pleasant change from the drink-fuelled brashness of AC/DC.

part with your funds! | the go-betweens online

off the record; sonic youth

PLEASE NOTE: so, despite not actually owning a record (our record player is… a bit old and battered) i’ve come to enjoy quite a lot of artists who originally released their music in the only (and supposedly best?) format – vinyl. and i thought, what with it being a new decade and all, could there be a better time to start trawling back through the ages? of course not.

now, don’t be expecting any sort of order or organisation – this will just be a bunch of gems that i love from before the turn of the century (YES! that means the NINETIES are making a COMEBACK!) and feel like sharing with the general populace. i hope to expand your mindtanks. :END NOTE

SO! let us begin.

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SONIC YOUTH / TEEN AGE RIOT / daydream nation / 1988

before the acquisition of the illustrious pitchfork 500 for christmas, i had never had any desire, nor interest in SONIC YOUTH. their music was foreign, loud and fuzzy, and just seemed too odd for me. but reading the glowing passage in the p4k 500, i was persuaded.

“Teen Age Riot’ was the band’s daydream – an army of marching, charging feet shouting for the reins of radio to be given over to the indie rockers – made audible.”

it starts off with a dreamy, melancholy mix of guitars before transforming into a punk fuelled charge. but it’s a punk without the political message and boring three chord mashup. this is something else; it’s loud and distorted, but it’s melodic. there’s no discernable chorus, but there doesn’t need to be one.

there’s also a timeless quality about it. perhaps not timeless, but it certainly doesn’t sound like something out of my vision of the eighties. then again, my version mainly consists of shoulder pads and electro.

part with your funds! |  sonic youth online