posted by david on Mon 27 Nov 2000 @ 07:09 PM

Singer/songwriter Lloyd Cole was here in Melbourne last week as part of a low-key Australian tour. I know some of his fans moved heaven and earth (and honeymoons) to get to a gig and from what I've heard some weren't disappointed but others were. One fan has described it as the best show of the year, another said it was woeful. Anyway, he got some good mainstream press from The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. Apparently his new album is out but only as a European release.

posted by david on Mon 27 Nov 2000 @ 07:08 PM

There's been quite a buzz following Stephen Merritt's (aka Magnetic Fields) "69 Love Songs" album, partly because it's an audacious idea (one album across 3 CDs, 23 love songs on each disc) and partly because it's pretty damn good (or at least, that's what I've heard from everyone). The album has been released in Australia through WMinc Productions and as expected, it's finding favour with music lovers but not the general public. Disclaimer: Wminc is run by two acquaintances of mine, Graham Lee and Steve Miller.

Review: The Sydney Morning Herald

posted by david on Fri 17 Nov 2000 @ 07:12 PM | read or post comments (1)

While it's a touch too early for the "best of the year" lists, it seems Rolling Stone and MTV have got together to assemble the "100 Greatest Pop Songs" list. Of course, lists like this are always open to debate but I guess that's the whole point isn't it? I think it would be much more interesting if they assembled a "100 Greatest Pop Songs That Never Charted" list.

posted by david on Fri 17 Nov 2000 @ 07:11 PM

Irish singer/songwriter Luka Bloom has released a new album titled "Keeper of the Flame". This time he's decided to do a bunch of cover versions, ranging from Abba's "Dancing Queen" to Radiohead's "No Surprises" to Hunters & Collectors "Throw Your Arms Around Me". Apparently his fans aren't too uncomfortable about it as the songs are all done in his usual folk style. I'm not a huge fan of Luka's stuff but I must admit that his recordings always sound beautifully clear. This one sounds like it could be an interesting listen.

posted by david on Sun 12 Nov 2000 @ 07:14 PM

The SDMI have finally announced that their proposed secure digital formats have withstood attack, despite some of them being cracked during their recent challenge. As salon.com point out, the most credible team of crackers from Princeton have not yet submitted their documentation so it sounds like any announcements from SDMI at this point should be taken with a grain of salt. Ho hum.

posted by david on Sun 12 Nov 2000 @ 07:13 PM

The Sydney Morning Herald has a lengthy piece discussing just what is happening with the pop music scene in the UK. Proclaiming the death of pop seems a bit overboard when bands like Travis have still managed to sell a big pile of albums. I tend to believe that the market will always tend to self-correct: something different becomes successful, the record companies rush out similar stuff to cash in on the "trend", the market gets saturated with junk and then the public moves on again. This developing backlash looks like a healthy thing to me.

posted by david on Thu 2 Nov 2000 @ 07:16 PM | read or post comments (1)

Another day, another band calls it quits. This time it's piano-punk-pop band Ben Folds Five who have decided to go their separate ways. Apparently there's no bitterness between the guys and Ben Folds is working on a solo album for release some time next year. I was surprised to learn that Ben Folds lives in Australia.

posted by david on Thu 2 Nov 2000 @ 07:15 PM

Buried away in a corner of the web is Glenn McDonald, one of the most idiosyncratic and best music reviewers around. His weekly "column" titled The War Against Silence rambles on and off-topic but it's always refreshing to hear someone talking this passionately about music (Rolling Stone used to write lengthy and detailed reviews but apparently that ain't hip anymore). With column #300 he's decided it's time he introduced himself by explaining how the column started and how it is prepared each week. Remarkably, he writes it in one 8-10 hour sitting each Wednesday evening. My favourite issue is #128, only partly because I'm a Del Amitri fan. His rant about Chaosball is still pretty classic.

posted by david on Wed 1 Nov 2000 @ 07:19 PM

It looks like Scottish rock band Big Country have finally split after 19 years and 8 studio albums. Their frontman Stuart Adamson announced earlier that he would no longer tour with the group and now bassist Tony Butler has also quit. While second guitarist Bruce Watson and drummer extraordinaire Mark Brzezicki haven't made any announcements, it seems unlikely that they would continue under the Big Country name. I've been following the band for only a few years and refer to them affectionately as 'Big Dumb Guitars'. But over the last year or so a number of incidents have left fans disappointed and disillusioned, and one had to wonder whether the band and their management saw eye-to-eye on the future of the band. The way their management dealt with some of their biggest fans was inept at best.