dimanche 27 Avr 2014, 23h01m

I've been wanting to cast a vote in the APRA (Australian Performing Rights Association) Song of the Year contest for a while. I don't often listen to new music these days so it's refreshing to get back into it.

First off I just have to say, with music, I'm generally not dismissive or unnecessarily critical. But I had one vote to cast and I wanted to make it count… so you kind of have to go for flaws, it makes the choice easier. I liked a lot of the songs!! Moreover I don't know some of these artists at all so I chose to listen to the ones I knew or thought I'd like. This could be deemed unfair and it is, but I just couldn't be bothered listening to them all. Given the amount of listening and thinking I was doing anyway, I decided to make it a review…. I hope you enjoy.

The shortlist:
The Drones - A Moat You Can Stand In - didn't listen
Empire of the Sun - Alive - good hook, chorus has some interesting chords near the end. Probably not my first choice. Surely some of their appeal must be visual. As well as the obvious danceable beats. Maybe a bit too simplistic for my tastes… they seem a bit like the Presets (dance music with male singers?) but without the harder edge… I do like their weird outfits.
The Bamboos - Avenger - funky, slightly 80s, kind of dark and atmospheric, high synth-y bits add depth to the sound. A bit like Icehouse and/or The Preatures. I like it… gets a little repetitive towards the end. Good singer + vocal effects - she reminds me a bit of the singer from Deadstar, don't know why. The bridge is cool but isn't different enough to get the crucial vote.
Bernard Fanning - Battleships - this one's interesting, in that it seems to launch into the chorus almost instantly and return to it often… has a little of his old lonely/angsty rock Powderfinger vibe, and nice harmonies, but too similar throughout and not grabby enough to win.
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu - Bayini - like most of his songs, it's simple chords, and a nice melody. Very listenable, laid-back, heartfelt. I have to admit I've only seen the duet version with Delta on YT, which had some great harmonies. It was sweet but not groundbreaking for me. I don't know what Gurrumul would have to do for me to give him the win… but I'm sure it's in him.
Violent Soho - Covered in Chrome - did actually watch/listen, have to say I never expected to really enjoy it, but decent riffage, and the singer is ok although his exaggerated accent puts me off… the chorus is kind of catchy (in a slightly annoying but somewhat unique way). I like the song's obvious contrasts (love contrast!) but it's not my thing in the end.
Flume & Chet Faker - Drop The Game - the riff is massive and the opening vocal is pretty iconic too, right? But really… that's all there is. There's some clever layering, and I love the sound-world conjured up. This song was huge and deservedly so. The theme is transformed well through the song. But I'm looking for a winner - and a winner, for me, uses more than just 2(ish) ideas over and over coupled with slick production. Still, I like.
Sarah Blasko - God-Fearing - I don't know much of Sarah Blasko's stuff. What struck me about this was the use of strings as main texture (apart from the ubiquitous bass/drums combo). I'm not really sure what the words are getting at. The chorus is pretty cool with some sweet changes but I wasn't sold on the chords overall. I have to admit the video put me off a bit. Gets repetitive and loses points for that, but the strings are lush, I guess it's like a slow jam towards the end, I can dig it.
Boy & Bear - Harlequin Dream - I like the singer's high chorus. Rich sound, but it's just too samey somehow… not distinct enough. I suppose the high guitar reminds me a bit of, I dunno, is it The Verve? The Cruel Sea? Maybe both. Also I thought the verse melody and chords were pretty bland, unexciting. Amusing sax break. Again, slightly derivative…
The Preatures - Is This How You Feel? - I love it! It's so 80s (in a good way - not normally a selling point for me, though…) - muted arpeggiating guitar, reverb-y female vocals (with a great duet bit), tight snare, funky bass. Great harmonies in the bridge (?) but I wonder, it's all her, how do they reproduce that live…? Heaps of minor 7th, a fave chord of mine. Interesting change from relative minor in the verse to relative major for chorus. Synth-y outro is a taste of something different. A strong contender, although it still gets repetitive, after all, this is the world of pop.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Jubilee Street - didn't listen (sorry Nick!)
Birds Of Tokyo - Lanterns - It's a very popular song, and I really like it. I'm a fan of their sound. Those clear (nicely panned) muted oscillating guitars, glockenspiel and electronic touches highlighting the chorus melody, then the sweet-as bass drum enters. If you're into pop, it's difficult not to enjoy this. I guess I'm not sold on the verse/bridge chords, but they work, and the bridge has a great high-singing-protesty bit. The lyrics are evocative and the structure is tight. They know they's stuffs! It's almost a bit *too* poppy for me. Still, hard to ignore.
The John Butler Trio - Only One - I like so much of his stuff. Nevertheless, his melodies and chords do all start to sound John-Butlerish after a while, like he's patented them or something. Here, it's only the verses that I can complain about - and even then the words are strong. The chorus is sing-along-able, cheesy but funky steel drums add texture, and the key change that starts in the bridge carries us along. Then, towards the end, voilá! He cranks it up another notch with a higher vocal line that really has staying power. Fun, but I think he's done better.
Matt Corby - Resolution - this 12/8 track really grabbed me. The drums sound a bit like post-rock group Battles - fabulous touch. His voice is truly unique, without being annoying, which must be difficult in this day and age. Four on the floor in the chorus, coupled with thick vocal overlays (mixed gender harmonies makes it special) and the occasional piano break - although I really have to say I'm not sure about his high notes. They're totally rock, but they still sound a little bit forced to me. (Maybe watching the video makes me wonder, too.) I love the gentle contrasts of this song, ending works a treat. Chords are OK, very 'current indie-pop' maybe?… I love the sound, but after two listens I'm not sure it stays in my brainstem. Regardless, I want to hear more of his stuff. It's clever and varied and exciting!
Vance Joy - Riptide - I deliberately didn't check out this one again as I've heard it enough. Or have I? Don't know, it already won Triple J Hottest 100 so perhaps I'm biased against it… and because everyone sings it and I don't love it that much. It's good pop - well done Vance! - but I think there are better/more interesting songs around. Have to say, I like the shuffle-y feel.
OK, checked it out again, I couldn't remember the bridge. It's still too repetitive for me. But, nice ukulele/high guitar, and amusing video.
Boy & Bear - Southern Sun - didn't listen
The Cat Empire - Steal The Light - great song! Felix's voice is instantly recognisable, which can be good/bad, either way, it's a big part of the song. I love the pre-chorus 'ooooh', with those warm harmonies. Relative major to minor switch (seems like a common theme) in the chorus keeps the feel interesting… are we happy or is it just an illusion? The high trumpet bit seems kind of confused - there's no clear melody, just screamy trumpet (presumably Harry), backup brass outlining the chord, and a cool keys rhythm which almost seems more interesting than the brass, but is hidden in the mix. What's happening here guys? Then we have the singalong outro - similar to the feel of the song, and similar to other singalongs, but different enough to be its own thing, I guess. I listened to this one a lot. A definite favourite, but I feel like I know this band much better than the other contenders. Plus I just saw them play recently.
Dan Sultan - Under Your Skin - raw sound, powerful voice - an amazing voice, uniquely his. It's a short song (nice!)… what is this genre? Blues? Roots? I'm enjoying the choruses with er, chorus backing. Lots of unison guitar/voice passages. I like how minimalist it is. Good texture contrasts. I think I'm looking for something more complex/interesting. Perhaps a bit too much like Cold Chisel or something rocky from the 80s that was overplayed in my childhood. But - I would listen to more. Haven't heard his stuff before and this isn't what I expected.
Karnivool - We Are - didn't listen
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - We No Who U R - Moody, slightly odd, as expected. Not sure about the electronic percussion backing. Flute solo… gets points. Female backup vocals are a nice touch in the chorus. It's atmospheric, but I'm not such a fan. His verse melodies seem like unsatisfactory vehicles for the words. It doesn't seem to gel for me, and those quick chords seem too forced, although at least they are original. I like the sound of Nick Cave's stuff. Haven't heard much but I will listen to more.

After all that… I'm most excited, I think, about The Preatures and The Cat Empire's efforts, although Birds of Tokyo and Matt Corby are super-close runners up.

My Vote:
…goes to The Preatures!

Even though a lot of the appeal of this song is in the production, and it's a retro kind of sound, they win points for interesting guitar parts, a cool duet, and funky feel which remains consistent through the song.
Moreover, I watched another version, a live performance at JMC, which was very different (slower) but still awesome.

That's it for now ;) yay for Aussie music!