I don’t tend to pick up on much music in the year that it’s released.  I usually only ever latch onto albums several years after they’ve peaked in popularity for some reason.  That said here are a few items that took my fancy in 2009.

Ivy St – Picture Machine cd
In two words, dark and intense. A Tasmanian group who possess that special something that you can’t quite put your finger on but want to get more of. A class act who have only just begun to scratch the surface.

Johnny Casino & The Secrets – Live On 3PBS cd
Top songs and a top vibe with this live set.  One of a few groups that have made me think I’d like to be playing in that band.

Liam Finn & Eliza Jane – Champagne in Seashells cd
A revelation and an inspiration live.  Opened up a whole world of performance possibilities after seeing them. I like a ‘solo’ act that can avoid the rote acoustic strum-strum for 45 minutes too.  The first two tracks on this EP are thoroughly enjoyable.  I’m also envious of artists like Liam who can play all the instruments on an album a’la Graham Coxon or Grant Hart.

Nirvana – Live at Reading cd/dvd
After years of owning a bootleg cd with half the set missing and a video with a time stamp at the bottom of the screen blocking the picture, this release was a pleasure for the eyes and ears.  A small round of applause to whoever it was that polished the footage of this set up for official release, it’s wonderfully sharp.

The Hold Steady – A Positive Rage cd/dvd
As a regular guy with one foot in his thirties who likes to play guitar loud, I thoroughly enjoy this bunch of regular guys with both feet in their thirties who use loud guitars to belt out anthems for regular girls and guys to get drunk and shout along too. I wish more rock lyricists were half as interesting with their turns of phrase as Craig Finn is. This set is a nice document of an apparently typical THS night out.

The Russell Brand Radio Show – The Best Of What’s Legal cd/dvd
Never have I enjoyed a spoilt only child running amok until I twigged to Ol’ Russ’s BBC podcasts before he got yanked off the air in ‘08.  This collects the best (legal) bits here on 3 cds.  If that wasn’t enough, all the same highlights appear again on dvd filmed by the in studio camera so you can see Russell fidget about on the mic dressed in tight black girls jeans. His schtick can wear a little bit thin after 3 consecutive cds so I recommend small doses, unless of course you can’t get enough of a verbose 30 something dressed as a pirate, behaving like a cheeky 17 year old and telling stories of his bedroom conquests. Oh behave.

Pearl Jam – Etihad Stadium 20 November 2009
Although impossible to avoid in the 90′s I wasn’t particularly interested in this bands music until their Jack Irons period and gave them another listen and kinda stuck around ever since.  50,000 people in a stadium sounds potentially awful but I’ve never seen a band more on their game or an audience give so much back to the musicians on stage as I did that night.  An incredible sense of community I’ve only witnessed at local shows with a squillionth that sized crowd.  To convert that vibe to 50,000 is impressive. A cracking Baba O’Riley to cap the night too.

Third Man Records Subscriptions - musically I particularly dug on the cover song b-sides of all the Dead Weather 7′s more than the Dead Weathers own output but all the releases by TMR are pretty quality from the product manufacture to the music.  I also like the little touches like messages engraved in the vinyl run out grooves or the random live webcam performances at Thirdman Studios and all sorts of other cool content like competitions to win Jack Whites clothes.

Nurse Jackie (TV Series) - I like interesting characters and Nurse Jackie ticks a lot of boxes for me.  The comedy is dark and the mess of contradictions that is the lead character keeps it interesting.  Ideally I’d like to be able to write 3-minute songs that involved complex characters like Nurse Jackie but Pete Townshend has already done that quite well.

Youtube links on Facebook – Viewing all sorts of amazing and random things that I wouldn’t otherwise remotely think to search out.  This clip of Hobart musician Peter Escott of Native Cats fame performing a stand up routine at the local comedy night is one such example…

Observe and Report (movie) – just kidding.  This movie was terrible. Seth Rogan should have stopped at Superbad.

A standing Patrick discusses not giving the anarchist a cigarette because they're bad for your health with ex-Deviant Mick Farren.

My top ten of the year :

1. Johnny Paycheck – Nowhere To Run/The Little Darlin’ Years
2. The Rolling Stones – Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out! 40th Anniversary Edition
3. Dan Auerbach – Keep It Hid
4. Big Star – Keep An Eye On The Sky
4. Occult Detective Club – Tortures
5. Thomas Function – In The Valley Of Sickness
6. Betty Davis – Nasty Gal
7. Blakroc – s/t
8. Jim Jones Revue – Here To Save Your Soul
9. Where The Action Is – Los Angeles Nuggets
10. Powell St. John – On My Way To Houston

Top 10 movies (w/DVD releases)

1. Extract by Mike Judge
2. Moon by Duncan Jones
3. District 9 by Neill Blomkamp
4. The Friends of Eddie Coyle by Peter Yates (DVD)
5. The Hurt Locker by Kathryn Bigelow
6. A Serious Man by Ethan and Joel Coen
7. The Hit by Stephen Frears (DVD)
8. The Road by John Hillcoat
9. Baader Meinhof by Uli Edel
10. Star Trek by J.J. Abrams

Kazzer and Ron cycled out to join the crowd around the crater of a wrecked UFO one weekend in a busy year.

Where did the year go. I seem to have been awfully busy, despite having a day job for only four weeks. Good thing I booked my holiday in right in the middle of those four miserable weeks.

1. Gigs

I only saw two that I didn’t play at. Blitzen Trapper failed to live up to the hype. They fail to even meet low expectations. Dull, and unfocused. There are probably some who think otherwise.

Our holiday took us out to Seattle to pick up Greg Martens, our pal from Melbourne. At the top of his wish list was the hope to see a rare Green Pajamas gig. He got lucky, they were doing a record release party at Easy Street, in West Seattle. Great to catch up with Joe Ross and crew. The show was pretty funny. Jeff Kelly was very drunk and didn’t want to play the songs on the set list. They still played well, but I think we got shorted a few songs. Greg M seemed to be impressed that we were invited to go back to the band’s house to hang out late.

2. Travels

The Seattle trip included a stop in Missoula, and couple of days in Glacier Park on the return side. We had an incredible dinner in Missoula, as it was Kaz’s birthday. There was a lot of wine, so I couldn’t actually tell you what I ate. We got a little time at Ear Candy, the only record shop worth seeing in Montana. We were a bit too early to see all the sights in Glacier, but the lack of tourists made it a pleasant trip. I missed the trip to Yellowstone, so I missed the bear sighting. Tom Azure held his 50th at the Izaak Walton Inn, just on the edge of Glacier. Being that his birthday falls on Halloween, it was a costume party. It was surreal taking over an otherwise empty hotel. They wisely closed the bar at 11pm.

3. Outdoor Activities

We started the year with a major ski trip in West Yellowstone. The Sunday blizzard, was followed by one of the most incredible winter days I’ve ever had. Blue sky, and the snow was like skiing on a cloud. Not a soul on the Fawn Pass trail either. We managed a couple more days of skiing before the snow melted. The goal this year was to bike all summer, so we’d be in better shape for skiing this winter. Weather kept us from the spring ride in Yellowstone.

They open the park to bikes in the period after they clear the roads, and before they let the insane tourists in. Midway through summer we signed up for the Fall ride. This meant we needed to do some serious training. Bozeman is laced with trails, so there is plenty of riding in town. We also got out for two serious hikes. It was a long late spring here, which meant the trails were muddy or still had snow well into June. I think we went to Yellowstone more this year than I ever had. Angie Pepper, her sister and Max Tek asked us to take them around the park in July. This isn’t the best time of the year, but we made the most of it, and had a fabulous time over two days.

The Fall bike ride was a benefit for the YP Foundation. I insisted we not try to do the 60 mile round trip. I’d been sick for a week prior to the big weekend, and had just bought a road bike, which I’d only ridden twice. Our friend Sarah for the YPF had invited us, and knew there was a 30 mile option. We took a van into Old Faithful, and did the return leg. This proved to be a wise choice. There was a strong head wind on the last part, which might have been discouraging if I was tired. At the end, I felt like I could have gone another 3 miles. As it happens, this was the first time they’d had good weather for this event. Unforgettable.

4. Making Music

Except for the week on the road to Seattle, I worked non-stop on the Donovan’s Brain record. I had set a pretty comfortable schedule, but in the end we missed the deadline by nearly a month. Gear failure stopped everything for nearly two weeks. In the end I thought it best to take my time and make sure it was done right. Having Deniz overseeing the final mixes helped considerably. By the time we were done, the band seemed to have lost a couple of long-time members. They just quietly drifted away. Not a bad thing. Deniz brought in Bob Brown to play bass, and as expected, he was the man for the job. The drum seat remains unresolved. Mike Musburger stepped in to do some of the critical work, and reminded me I know a lot of great musicians.

As soon as that was done, I had to sit down and learn the Soul Movers set. I didn’t have time to stop and think. This would be the first time I would be playing keyboards full time. I was lucky to get two rehearsals with the band. By the second night I could finally relax and breathe. Plans for a 2010 tour are being discussed. Meanwhile some of us are doing music for the daily ski films on BridgerBowl.com

5. Movies

I know we got out a few times…. right Star Trek. Finally, a film that lives up to the series. They had better make more. Great villain, great actors, and a good story. Too bad it took ‘em a dozen tries to get it right. We went to see Zombie Land not knowing what to expect. It delivered some great Saturday Matinee laughs. Well worth the time and effort. I am reminded once again why I love cinema, on the big screen.

A film I’m in and worked on was finally released. Penny Ikinger is in it, so you do the math. It’s been a long time in the making. Where The DJ’s Roam is a documentary that tells several related stories centered around KGLT, the college/community radio station I work at. I have had the rough cut for several years. We started work on the sound track while we were working on Roy’s album. Despite watching it over and over, I never realized that Keith Lockwood had done such a great job with it.

7. Records

Don’t ask me what new bands I like. I spent the early part of the year squandering what little money I had on a quest to fill the holes in my 60′s UK 45 collection. Did it. Picked up all the Who, Move, Small Faces, Rolling Stones and a few others I was missing. I have a lot of stuff in my collection, some of it very rare. I reckon I was satisfied with US pressings on having the song on an album. Not any more. There is nothing like the sound of a rockin’ single.

New bands? I was introduced to Tony Miller’s band, Ideal Free Distribution. I liked them so much I asked Tony to sing on our record. The Norwegian band, Deleted Waveform Gathering was the other discovery. Their new release is even better.

Other than that, it was the old favorites. The new Wilco is a great one. I understand they are a band people love, or don’t. I’ve always like their sound, but since Nels Cline joined, I think have kicked it up a notch or two. Old favorites, REM had three releases this year, or is that four? The reissues of Murmer and Reckoning gave up bonus live concerts. Both are from their early prime, the one on Reckoning being my favorite of the two. I think Accelerate must have been released last year. The Live at the Olympia was recorded over five nights of live rehearsals for Accelerate. The set list was pack with old songs, some which hadn’t been played for years. The slimmed down band tears through them like they mean it. Drummer Bill Reflin finally gets to cut loose and show he is the perfect replacement for the much missed Bill Berry.

In the midsts of all this, Scott McCaughey managed to complete a new Minus 5 album and get the long overdue Young Fresh Fellows record out. Scott, Linda and Steve Wynn stopped by Career HQ on their way out on a Minus 5-Baseball Project tour. I think Scott had Robyn Hitchcock gigs as soon as he got back to Seattle. I’m sure he would have played on some Donovan’s Brain songs if he’d had been here for more than two hours.

I quite like the Soul Movers record. I had no reason to think it would turn out as well as it did. The song writing makes it. When I sat down to learn the songs, the story told finally became clear to me. Roy Loney’s new record with Senor No struck me the same way. An ep recorded a couple of years ago was good fun, but nothing on it would have lead me to expect Got Me A Hot One. Their sheer enthusiasm, and power make up for any lack of finesse. Roy had a great year. The reunion with Cyril put them both back in the spotlight.

8. Reading

Haven’t had much time to spend with a good book. There was yet another newly discovered PK Dick novel on the shelf. They promise this is the last one. I haven’t finished Voices From The Street yet, but it is classic early mainstream PKD. The other good news is Shindig on a regular schedule, six time a year, rather than once every six years. The writing is getting better and the new layout is easy on the eyes.

9. Politics.

The harsh reality that 8 years of Bush-Cheney left us with a massive pile of shit to sort out. Not an easy task for anyone. Had no reason to expect it to get better in January. The good thing is there is now intelligent discussion of real issues.

10. Food

Curry dominated the menu for most of the year. Stops in Billings for a dose of Siam Thai was always welcome. A brand new Thai in Bozeman, Lemon Grass holds promise. The switch to white wine has been difficult, but produced some real surprises. Pretty much have gone off the beer.

Postcard From London: Don't you wish you went too?

Pretty weak year for new albums, I thought, though some great reissues and archival releases made up for that. Gig-wise, it was quality over quantity, as three consecutive nights of the Mott the Hoople reunion shows in London stood far above anything else I saw this year (or most other years). Truly magical and quite emotional.  It was inspiring, as well, to play shows with some great young bands from around here (Vancouver/Vancouver Island) and be reminded that it’s not all ironic facial hair and indie rock from here on in. So, hats off to you, Pretty Vanilla (super-catchy T. Rex lovers) and Madonna Bangers (channeling Born Innocent-era Redd Kross w/ your bratty punk rock). Burn the Flame!

FAVORITE ALBUMS

Visqueen-Message to Garcia (Local 638) Rachel Flotard, leader of these awesome Seattle rock and rollers, may be the most underrated songwriter on the planet. And yeah, she’s got a whole lot of soul.

Pointed Sticks-Three Lefts Make a Right (Northern Electric) Vancouver punk/pop (the good kind) legends reunited a few years ago to tour Japan (where they’re huge!) and this album, released 29 years after their first, happily finds them sounding pretty much the same.

Young Fresh Fellows- I Think This Is (Yep Roc) More Pacific Northwest fun and a fine return from the band I’ve seen more times than any other (40 +).

Black Crowes-Before the Frost….After the Freeze 2-lp vinyl version ( Silver Arrow) They’re frequently maligned but I don’t mind.

Reigning Sound-Love and Curses (In the Red) Little disappointing at first but repeated listenings prove very rewarding.

Honorable Mentions: Cheap Trick, Walter Lure, Roger Manning, Tinted Windows

FROM THE VAULTS

Stooges-You Want My Action (Easy Action) Holy Shit.

Big Star-Keep An Eye On the Sky box set (Rhino) Sounds better than ever and a new live show to boot on the last disc.

Rolling Stones-Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out (Abkco) My only complaint would be that there must be more potential bonus material in the can than what they included here. The dvd is 28 min. but what an awesome 28 min. Great idea, too, to include the opening sets by B.B. King and Ike and Tina, as had originally been intended.

Death-For the Whole World to See (Drag City) Seemingly from out of nowhere.

Chris Bell-I Am the Cosmos (Rhino) Reissue of the 90’s release w/ an extra disc of demos, collaborations, etc. Title tune one of the best songs ever written.

Honorable Mentions: Rationals, Imperial Dogs, Ian Hunter, Neil Young

Final thought: Repeated airings of the Instant Live Recording of the first Mott Hammersmith show confirm that, yes, it was really was that great.

Jake and his fellow Snoozefests

OK, so during writing this I’ve realised i haven’t done anything with my year, So i’ll mention some shit that wasn’t from this year, but i’ve played it / loved it this year.

1. Mick Hadley & The Others performing at Notes – My band opened this night, and i purposely cut our set short so i could see Mick Hadley sooner. So glad i did. Every band was great that night, but Mick Hadley has got the goods.

2. The Frowning Clouds – In my opinion, the best current band in Australia… The ep is great, The live shows are even better… can’t wait for the album.

3. The Black Lips – 200 thousand million – This is probably the only record i’ve bought that was recorded in 2009… i dig it though.

4. The Return of Clint Eastwood to the screen in Gran Torino – He’s everything a woman wants, and everything this man wants to be.

5. Danelectro – So, it was my 21st this year, and as a present i decided to buy a 1966 Burns double six 12 string… There were many complications with shipping, so it fell through. So i bought a much cheaper Danelectro DC-12 …. which took two weeks to arrive, and when it did arrive, i opened the box and discovered they had sent the wrong guitar, they had sent me a Danelectro ’67 Hornet (guitar Pete Townshend made famous) so i complained like a renegade freight train outta hell (even though i loved the hornet) and for an extra couple of bucks, they sent me the DC-12 on top of the hornet for basically the same price.

6. Playing with the Hitmen – I forgot to bring my guitar to this show, so luckily a friend lived around the corner and got to use his 1970′s telecaster. Gonna forget to bring my twanger more often… Also, Decline of the Reptiles and Hitmen both ruled.

7. El Topo - Carrie of the Booby Traps got me onto this one… This film opened my mind more, or as much as, any drug has. Alejandro Jodorowsky even got me reading up on all kinds of junk about tarot and enneagrams that my 18-year-old self would have cringed at.

8. New Michael Marshall (Smith) book – I haven’t even read it yet, only because i have a bookshelf of junk to get through… But this guy is my favourite author and although i know it ain’t gonna be another “Only Forward” or “Spares”… i know i’ll still love it.

9. The Macguffin generator - Best invention of 2009. Happy Phlegm enterprises.

10. The Seabarers – This up and coming band are going to blow the world’s butthole apart.

Tim Pittman showing ex-Moff Thee Alan Hislop, a thing or two about lawn bowls...

SPIRITUALIZED – MAIN STAGE ATP MT.BULLER

Live and on record Spiritualized have a reputation for being inconsistent. On this occasion however, with unlimited access to volume and taking full advantage of the headliner’s light show, Spiritualized, in full seven piece band mode (including two former Bad Seeds back-up gospel singers) gave us the show we always knew they could. Raw, powerful soul music at its best.

DIRTY THREE – MAIN STAGE ATP MT.BULLER
Performing their fourth album, Ocean Songs, in its (almost) entirety, the Dirty Three showed yet again that they are the most consistent live act out there. Consistently great that is. Joined by Nick Cave on piano, the Filthy Four attacked their set as if they were the last men standing: desperate and ragged and with Warren Ellis’ tortured violin howling in cries of relief over the rolling rhythms of guitarist Mick Turner & drummer Jim White. Sublime.

THE SAINTS – MAIN STAGE ATP MT.BULLER
They may have been indifferent at their other performances but ATP Mt.Buller brought the best out of The Saints. Loud and tight and with a set-list drawn in equal part from all three of their seminal albums, plus a storming rendition of Ike & Tina’s River Deep Mountain High, the reformed Saints did not disappoint. The adoring crowd thought so too. So much so that the normally poker-faced Mick Turner of the Dirty Three was caught pogoing in the mosh! What greater recommendation do you need?

DEAD MEADOW – THE ABOM, MT.BULLER
The scene inside the 300 capacity ABOM resembled the inside sleeve of the MC5′s High Times: bodies gathered around the low rise stage – standing, kneeling, sitting on chairs, sitting on equipment – all desperate to soak up Dead Meadows psychedelic jams and Hendrix-inspired groove. A late afternoon surprise for those in the know and an inspired choice from Bad Seeds bassist Martyn Casey.

PASSENGER OF SHIT – ABOM ATP MT.BULLER
The Passenger, a friend of Nick Cave’s son, had stayed on the floor of the Bad Seeds UK office and inadvertently left his myspace page open on the office computer. Stumbling across it the next day, Nick was so impressed that the request for an ATP appearance came through soon after. Creating a racket that crossed speed metal with a dentist’s drill whilst wearing a penis mask and giving us all the finger, one-man band Passenger of Shit created so much controversy at his ABOM show on the Friday night that we just had to have him back on the Saturday. The result? More of the same but this time the ABOM was packed to capacity and there were lengthy queues to get in. All this while The Bad Seeds were on the main stage too. He was also great in Sydney.

LAUGHING CLOWNS – ATP MT.BULLER & COCKATOO ISLAND
Arguably the most anticipated act of all ATP, the Laughing Clowns did not disappoint. Featuring the mid-career line-up of Kuepper, Wegener, Elliott and Millar and with Alistar Spence guesting on keyboards, the Clowns played a typically obtuse set from an already eclectic catalogue and included the six minute funeral dirge Collapse Board. Not your normal festival fare. It worked a treat.

AFRIRAMPO
“We love ATP!” We Love Nick Cave!” “We Love Australia!” And the Australian ATP audience loved Japanese duo Afrirampo and their abstract concoction of heavy metal riffs, tribal drums and wailing vocals – all learned from a stint living with some Pygmies in Africa – or so they told me… Genius.

FUCK BUTTONS – ATP MT.BULLER & COCKATOO ISLAND
It was with some trepidation that we placed Fuck Buttons mid-afernoon on the main stage, after all, these are just two dudes working with laptops and programmers and very little else. But they had a show to do in Hobart the next day and such as travel is in and out of that isle their programing was pre-determined. We need not have worried. The ‘Buttons electro-pulse proved irresistible even in the broad daylight and a previously slow selling Melbourne side-show sold out all remaining tickets very quickly. They were even better under the stars in Sydney.

BEACHES – ATP MT.BULLER & COCKATOO ISLAND & WITH MOGWAI
I like this band. They have probably the best Australian release of the last 12 months or so and while their live shows are slightly stilted the songs and sound they generate is enough to overcome any inhibition. A new release is highly anticipated by me at least.

MICK HADLEY & THE OTHERS
Wow, this was great! I had no expectation whatsoever but the former singer for Australian sixties punks, the Purple Hearts, proved a truly entertaining front man with a great voice and The Others finally had the material to show off their talents. A career best for the band and rare treat from Mr.Hadley.

Would buy a used Ramones hat from this man?

Not in any order, as usual:

1. Laughing Clowns at ATP Sydney: I wasn’t a big fan back in the day but the re-release of all their recordings on Hot prompted a major re-evaluation. If you can’t see the logical progression through the Saints to Ed Kuepper’s solo stuff via the Clowns, you ain’t looking hard enough.  This show was the highlight of ATP for mine and left the pyjama party antics of a certain Saint in the shade. Wish I’d taken the trouble to catch the return engagement at The Basement.

2. Hitmen Re-Loaded: Dave Laing of Savage Beat excelled himself with the “Tora Tora DTK” package while the “St Valentine’s Day Massacre” live recording with Niagara has the impact of a kick to the face. Live, the Hitmen’s two-night stand in Sydney at the Sauna – sorry, Sando – required super-human commitment in sweltering heat and stifling humidity, and the band pulled two shows out of the fire to come out smiling. There’ll be another 2CD package of archival gems in the racks any tick of the clock and assaults on Europe and Australia (hopefully with Niagara) loom. You can hate ‘em but you can’t kill ‘em.

3. Simon Chainsaw and Sonny Vincent: I’ll not hear better punk rock albums than “Rock and Roll Uranus” and “Sonny Vincent With Members of Rocket From The Crypt” in the same year. Two guys on different continents doing it their own way.

4. The Snoozefests: This trio of youngsters from the New South Wales Central Coast are the best new band I heard in 2009. I’d probably have a similar opinion of The Frowning Clouds from Geelong but missed their under-the-wire Sydney visit. Grab the Snoozefests’ album, “One Way Ticket To Snoresville” (it’s not) and catch ‘em live. They’re rough around the edges, apt to take the piss out of themselves, funny and fun. Thanks for the tip, Carrie.

5. Mick Hadley & The Others live: Some thought Mick Hadley and his backing band would deserve a Purple Heart for their slot supporting the Stems’ farewell gig in Sydney. They walked away with a Medal of Honour. Watch for a repeat gig or three in 2010.

6. “All Your Love” by Mick Medew & The Rumours: Album of the Year (but I’m biased – I put it out) and a top bunch of blokes.

7. The usual truckload of albums drifts in and out of the ranks of my top ten…“Stop Plus Singles 1978-86” by Little Murders is a gem…I played shit out of ”Cave Girl” by in-exile Brendan Kibble’s Austin, TX band The TexReys…”Deutschland” by the eternally underrated Kevin K…  Gloria – New Christs: It’s not “Distemper Mk II” but so what? It stands on its own legs…Dr Tek’s soul band and their “On The In Side”…a retrospective (“A Million Miles An Hour”) and a newie (“Got Me a Hot One”) from vet Roy Loney rocked da Bar…X’s “X-Aspirations” re-issue… The Interconti nental Playboys’ “Hymns Of The Flesh” was a winner, even if the street press critics are yet to wake up…Penny Ikinger’s “Fragile” EP…Kill Devil Hills’ ragged and glorious “Man You Should Explode” was a mindfuck… “The Eternal” by Sonic Youth…“Think Rational!” by The Rationals: Fusing beat-band rock with blue-eyed soul and psych….volumes two and three of “Drink Fight Fuck” (like a punk rock K-Tel collection, only better) on Zodiac Killer….”De Ja Blues” by The Pink Fits (R.I.P.)…”Makin’ It With…” – The Booby Traps…”Romance and Adventure” – The Ooga Boogas.

Mentions for some late arrivals “Tell ‘Em What Your Name Is! (Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears), “With You Right By My Side, Baby The Deal Just Can’t Go Down” (punk-gospel-rock from Sydney band The Maladies), “Damn You Ra” (a killer album from Sydney’s Holy Soul), the Daptone “Gold” collection and “The LP Is Dead” (solo album by Dictators skinsman JP Thunderbolt Patterson.) Plus the ones I’ve forgotten (and the Stooges box that’s yet to arrive.)

8. Best Fest: ATP Sydney by a country mile. Honourable mention to Flip Out! Sydney, even if a little variety might not have gone astray.

9. Best Comeback: I’m reserving judgement on the Stooges as the YouTube of their Brazil return was scratchy and a little low energy…so step up Decline of The Reptiles who were pretty close to great most times their stepped onto the green.

12. Neil Young at Sydney BDO: Stunning shit. Front row view. Skidmark (who was along for the ride) doesn’t drink and nor did I this  ‘cos the lines were horrendous but no enhancement was needed.

11. Death: As in passing away. Farewell Ron Asheton, Sky Saxon, Les Paul and Lux Interior. Not a Good Thing in a Top Ten but there had to be some way of mentioning the fallen. We will remember them.

The Beat-Man Way!

What’s been on my turntable this year:

MOVIE STAR JUNKIES – MELVILLE (VOODOO RHYTHM RECORDS)

V/A – I WOKE UP ONE MORNING IN MY (MISSISSIPI RECORDS)

CELESTE RODRIGUES – THE ART OF PORTUGESE FADO (QLYMPIC RECORDS)

GRAUZONE – SAME (WELT RECORDS)

NATHAN ABSHIRE – PINE GROVE BLUES (SWALLOW RECORDS)

THE PUSSYWARMERS – MY PUSSY BELONGS TO DADDY ( VOODOO RHYTHM RECORDS)

CELTIC FROST – MONOHEIST (CENTURY MEDIA)

PRETTY THINGS – SF SORROW (EDSEL RECORDS)

DEUTSCH AMERIKANISCHE FREUNDSCHAFT (D.A.F.) -FÜR IMMER (VIRGIN)

OM KALSOUM – (LIVE) ROBAYAT EL KHAYAM (SONO CARIO)

Sophia Tsipidis photo

1. Propagandhi – Supporting Caste: they just keep getting better and better, how many bands that have been going for 15 years can we honestly say that about?

2. Thin Lizzy – Still Dangerous: yes it has most songs you can get off live and dangerous, and phil is no longer with us, but still, its Thin FKN Lizzy, and they are better than all of us

3. Black Crowes – Before the Frost/Until The Freeze – their best record in a long long time, recorded in Levon Helm’s studios 100% live in front of a select group of black crowes fans, great playing, great songs and great grooves – what’s not to like?

4. Mariachi El Bronx – Mariachi El Bronx – the bronx go mariachi = brilliant!

5. Rancid – Let the Dominos Fall – i can’t not love a rancid record, they’re always great, this is no “Out Come The Wolves” but it fucking rocks

6. Grand Fatal – Free Infractions – great record, the boys have come a long way with this one – good dudes, GREAT band

7. Clutch – Strange Cousins From The West – well it sounds like the last 3 clutch records – which still shits on most other bands…

8. Slayer – World Painted Blood – motherufcking sllaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyaaaaaaaaaa

9. Kiss – Sonic Boom - what can i say? i am sucker for Mr Stanley and co,

10. Jet – Shaka Rock: fuck the haters, this is a great record

Tobacco and Dave Graney are Anne's vices.

In no particular order:

1. ATP Australia – A wonderful festival, that I wish we were having next year and that I hope we will have in 2011. Spending a day on an island with like-minded people listening to good music (if you cut Chris Bailey from your memory), with the absence of dickheads (if you cut Chris Bailey from your memory), and in particular no dickheads in fluoro or wearing flags. Lovely. I didn’t go to Mt. Buller but I’m told it was even better than Cockatoo Island, and I’ll believe it. I think I’d have overdosed on seratonin had I attended.

2. Flip Out – Again, an awesome festival full of good music, with a relaxed vibe, and the market stalls really made it. Amongst other great stuff, I got a Mink Deville LP, The Triffids ‘Calenture’ for ten bucks, and a couple of Link Wray 45s (including the Batman theme, which means I now have four different versions of the theme – how good is it??). I went to both Sydney and Melbourne gigs, and had a great time at both. Let’s do it again, folks.

3. The Red Rattler – Sydney venues aren’t having a good time at the moment, and Sydney warehouse venues are having it worse. The Red Rattler is a warehouse that got its shit together enough to get a licence, which means it can’t (easily) be touched by the powers that be. My first time at the Red Rattler was The Holy Soul’s album launch, and it was brilliant. The venue is set up like a ’20s cabaret bunker – dim lamps coming from the walls, reproduction Edwardian furniture all around, a reasonably priced bar and a decent sized stage. The sound was great, the vibe was great, the people were great.

4. Andrew Ramadge’s “Tall Tales and True” feature for Mess+Noise - I was a big fan of Ramadge before I became a colleague, and his writing continues to make me wish I could be that good. There’s not much I can say about the story that would be better than just reading it yourself – check it out.

5. Dave Graney “Knock Yourself Out” - What a brilliant rekkid. Smart, sexy, and real fucken cool. I reviewed it for M+N with the line “rarely has an album so made me want to fuck,” and it was true. Graney appeared to like that line, and has it in bold on the reviews page of his site, as well as declaring that line on a couple of social networking sites as “the BEST note [he has] ever received”. If I had a cock, it’d feel really massive having read that. Just getting to own that album was joy enough. If you haven’t heard it yet, you’re a fool.

6. Wifey – “Salt, Sugar, Fat” – This one’s great. The debut EP from Sydney band Wifey had me dancing around my flat like a maniac. Still does. They do a great cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Diamonds in the Mine”, except it’s not boring. Cohen’s lyrics over a fine rock’n'roll tune of their own arrangement. Some online reviewer apparently missed the part in the sleeve notes where they wrote “lyrics by Leonard Cohen”, and accused them of ripping him off. What a dick. If you haven’t heard this one either, you’re an even bigger fool.

7. The Nice Folk – “Devil At My Door” – The Nice Folk, from Wollongong, play a dirty, blusey kind of rock, but in a real Australian style – it’s about death and the dole and smack and booze and hatred and indifference and makes me think of a bushranger running from the law and himself – in a kind of Dronesy, Rowland S. Howardy lyrical vein. The only member in the band with a drivers license lost it for a while so they couldn’t do Sydney gigs. He got it back recently and they were meant to play at GoodGod Small Club in Liverpool St on November 29 with Partyline, but the gig got cancelled that day because the venue apparently asked for a $500 venue hire fee, like the Sando is doing now. What a fucking jive. Anyway, when they get another gig, go see it if you can. Totally worth it. I hope they get massive.

8. Sam de Brito – I often worry that I’ve peaked too soon, and I will never be a better writer than I already am. Then I read Sam de Brito, and I feel so much better about myself. If de Brito can really get away with his dull, uninformed, uninspired, misogynistic tripe every week (see “Hope Down”, in which he gave his solution to the woes of the Sydney music scene in the aftermath of the Hoey’s closure: “…get hotter chicks to gigs.”), then I can get away with publishing my shopping list, which employs more thought and creativity than anything he could blurt out. We should not hate Sam de Brito – we should hold him as a beacon of hope. If he can – well, anyone can, and better.

9. Melbourne – A long-distance relationship means I’ve had the chance this year to visit the place an awful lot more often, and though Sydney still remains my home, I could definitely learn to love the place. Particularly the Old Bar.

10. End of year lists – Unless you run out of things to say.