After meeting up with Ruth, Danny and their friends for dinner last night at Terra Rossa we all headed next door to the Swiss Club for my second comedy festival show of the night, Lawrence Leung's Part-Time Detective Agency. I always enjoy seeing Lawrence perform because of his use of multimedia and pop culture references in his shows.
This time Lawrence has been inspired by Sherlock Holmes and the tv show Bored To Death to become a part-time detective and solve one of the greatest mysteries in his life: Who dumped a bucket of raspberry cordial on him at his 21st birthday party? He took the crowd through the evidence and the various suspects for the prank, but the culprit may or may not be who you expect. The filmed bits were quite funny, and I had no idea he was so obsessed with Brandon Lee and the movie The Crow. Check out Lawrence's show if you want to put all those detective skills you have learned from watching tv crime shows to the test.
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is currently on with shows occurring all over the city. I headed down to the Melbourne Town Hall last night to catch Hannah Gadsby's show Happiness Is A Bedside Table. I first became aware of Hannah from her work on Adam Hills In Gordon St Tonight and this was the first time I had seen her live.
Her show focuses on the themes of adulthood and the loss of innocence and confidence people go through in childhood. Many of the stories she told were quite personal as she discussed some of the lows she has experienced in her life and trying to regain her confidence back again. Of course, there were also some very funny moments woven throughout the show, and her description of an incident on a water slide at an Adelaide water park when in high school had me laughing to the point of tears. It's a hilarious and poignant show that you should definitely go see if you have the chance.
Here is Hannah's short set from the MICF 2013 Gala:
A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to have an all day event for work at the Heide Museum of Modern Art in Bulleen. It was my first visit to Heide, which has a couple of galleries as well as various sculptures scattered throughout the grounds. The property was originally the home of the Reed family and became a retreat for several Australian artists (Sidney Nolan painted his Ned Kelly series in the dining room) before being turned into a museum in the 1980s.
The exhibition that was on while we were there was Louise Bourgeois: Late Works. It focused on pieces from the last 15 years of the French-American artist's long career. Most of the works were sculptures she made using different fabrics- from headless torsos to severed heads both hanging from the ceiling and in glass boxes. There were some interesting embroidered pieces and images made by folding fabric into patterns. They also had one of her giant spider sculptures over a cage with tapestry on it, which reminded me that I had previously seen one of her spider sculptures that was on display along the Embarcadero in San Francisco near the Bay Bridge a few years ago. Overall it was a confronting and thought provoking exhibit which I quite enjoyed. I wish I had had more time to spend looking at the pieces.
While at Heide we were also fortunate enough to have a two course lunch from Cafe Vue. I chose the main course and dessert for my two dishes, which were part of a special menu done for the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival. The main was a lamb terrine with fried eggplant and salad. Dessert was a macadamia banana split, which consisted of caramelized bits of macadamia nuts and cubes of banana bread with pieces of banana and sauce on top of them. Both dishes were very good. One of these days I hope to do the degustation menu at Vue de Monde.
Mary and I returned to the Palais Theatre tonight for the second run of dates in Melbourne and show number six of Neil Finn and Paul Kelly's tour. A big thank you to my friend Ben for getting us tickets (as well as for Fran and her sister). Since they have been on the road for a couple of weeks I was curious to see how things had evolved since I saw them at the start of the tour in mid-February.
Lisa Mitchell was the opening act again and seemed to be more chatty tonight. She played a couple different songs from the previous nights, including "Bless This Mess." My highlights of her set were "Coin Laundry" and the closer "Spiritus."
Neil and Paul once again emerged onto the dark stage with lanterns and shook hands in the middle before playing Paul's "Don't Stand So Close To The Window." The set list was pretty much the same as the previous two shows I saw, with a couple of changes to Paul's songs, including the addition of "From St Kilda To Kings Cross." You could tell the whole band was much more comfortable with the songs and now able to add their own special touches to each number. A lot of my favorite moments remained: the variety in the selection of songs from Neil's back catalogue, Neil's breathtaking version of "(You Can Put Your) Shoes Under My Bed," and the energy of so many of Paul's songs throughout the set. Neil had a ripper of a guitar solo during "Distant Sun" and Paul's playing of the opening guitar riff on "Don't Dream It's Over" adds a whole new dimension to the song. I feel very fortunate that I got to see three of the Melbourne shows and be able to watch these legendary songwriters perform with each other.
It wasn't until I was coming home on the tram earlier in the week that I realized the Sydney Road Street Party was on again this weekend. The weather today was quite nice, and I headed down to Sydney Road in the late afternoon to check out a couple of bands that were on the Local and Live Stage. First was Francolin, who I have been meaning to see live for a while now. They played songs from their debut album Won't Let You Down, which had a bit of a calypso feel to them with the trumpet and guitars. I really enjoyed their set and hope to catch them again soon.
While Francolin were playing Ruth and Danny joined me since they were in the neighborhood. We had a wander around the street party and checked out the various booths along Sydney Road. It was the usual things from previous years, although it did seem as though a few more of the shops had set up stalls in front of their stores.
We headed back to the Local and Live Stage in time for The Harpoons. As always it was wonderful to see them play live. The Madin brothers and Bec Rigby took turns on lead vocals and we were treated to a mix of songs including "Swim My Baby," "Walk Away" and the usual show stopper "Faith." They finished their 45 minute set with "Keep You Around" and I am hoping that this is the year that their debut album finally sees the light of day!
Yesterday evening Kat and Dave joined me for the opening of Baby Guerrilla's solo exhibition at Post Industrial Design in Footscray. I am a huge fan of her street art, which I have posted about here and here. But besides the very detailed black and white stencil paste ups she has put on walls across Melbourne, she is also an accomplished painter, having graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts. It was interesting to see these two sides of her personality on display in the exhibition.
There was a big turn out by the time we got there, with some people wearing masquerade masks (had we known there was a theme we could have participated). Baby Guerrilla herself was there in disguise applying temporary tattoos of her artwork onto people. There were also some sticker decals for sale, as well as her paintings and drawings. It was great to be able to see her work up close, especially the paintings. If you happen to be in Footscray go check out the exhibition, which runs until 22 March.
Afterwards we went to have dinner at the Vietnamese restaurant Dong Que, and then returned to Kat and Dave's lovely renovated house for dessert and to watch Silver Linings Playbook. Both Kat and I really enjoyed the movie, and I was impressed by Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence's performances.
When the Neil Finn and Paul Kelly Australian tour was first announced I was very excited because one of the two original dates at the Palais Theatre was on my birthday! Those shows on February 16th and 18th quickly sold out and they are now doing a total of 7 shows at the Palais in February and March. I'm not sure anyone expected this tour to be so popular, but it's not surprising when you have two of the best singer-songwriters from Australia and New Zealand joining forces.
Lisa Mitchell opened both nights with a half hour set. She was accompanied by Robert Vasey playing keyboards and drums while she switched between acoustic and electric guitar. Lisa's set sounded good and included "Pirouette," "Coin Laundry," "Neopolitan Dreams" and "Spiritus."
Paul and Neil emerged onto the dark stage with lit lanterns to the sound of crickets. They met in the middle, shook hands, and then launched into Paul's song "Don't Stand So Close To The Window." The songs mostly alternated between Finn and Kelly numbers throughout the evening with both Neil and Paul singing parts on each song. The band for this tour consists of Neil on piano/keyboards and guitar, Paul on guitar, piano and harmonica, Dan Kelly on electric guitar, Elroy Finn on drums and Zoe Hauptmann on bass. The amazing backdrops were once again created by Noel and Sally Crombie.
The set list was pretty much the same for both nights I went. I was really happy about the diversity of Neil songs from throughout his career as they played some ones I haven't heard live in quite a while, including Crowded House's "Not The Girl You Think You Are," "She Will Have Her Way" and "Sinner" from his solo albums, and the Finn Brothers' tracks "Won't Give In" and "Only Talking Sense" (which was replaced by "I Got You" on the 18th). As expected they also played the Crowded House classics "Four Seasons In One Day," "Distant Sun," "Private Universe," and audience sing along favorites "Better Be Home Soon," "Fall At Your Feet" and "Don't Dream It's Over."
Many of Paul's songs really lifted the energy in the venue, including "Careless," "Leaps and Bounds," "Deeper Water," "How To Make Gravy," "To Her Door," "Dumb Things" and "Before Too Long." One of the best parts of the set was when Paul and Neil took turns singing one of each other's songs. Paul put his unique interpretation on Crowded House's "Into Temptation" while Neil did an amazing version of Paul's "(You Can Put Your) Shoes Under My Bed" solo on piano. This was my favorite moment of both shows as Neil's voice was just so strong and pure.
As you would expect there were many funny moments of banter. On the 16th, which was the first night of the tour, Neil and Paul joked about having a $100 tip jar for every time they messed up on a song. While Paul complained about having to learn all of Neil's complex instrumentation, Neil worried most about all the words in Paul's lyrics he needed to remember. Neil recounted how he got badly electrocuted at the Palais once and had to be rubbed down by a strong man in the crew. On both nights I thought Paul captured the spirit of Split Enz with his deadpan shaking of the bells on "One Step Ahead." And on the 18th Neil admitted to getting a perm before they shot the video for that song- it was the 80s after all!
We were treated to two encores on both nights, with some fake snow falling on the stage during Paul's "Winter Coat" (I think we wished it was real snow as the heat wave Melbourne has been experiencing made the Palais feel like a sauna). The second encore had a love theme with them playing Paul's "Love Is The Law," the Split Enz classic "Message To My Girl," and a cover of Buddy Holly's "Words Of Love" to finish the nearly two and a half hour set. I'm so happy I got to see these shows, and I'm looking forward to one more return visit in March to see how they sound after being on the road for a bit.
It was another hot day in Melbourne but that didn't deter me from heading down to The Hi-Fi Bar tonight to see Father John Misty. Luckily for me Oh Mercy was the opening band for the night. First Alex came out and did "Lady Eucalyptus" on electric guitar solo, then was joined by Rohan to play "Europa." Finally Simon and Eliza came on stage and the band launched into "Still Making Me Pay." Everyone was dressed very nicely with the boys in their various colored suits and Eliza in a black dress. The whole set was tight and unrelenting as they played songs off of Deep Heat including "Drums," "Rebel Beats," "Fever," "Pilgrim's Blues" and "My Man." They finished like they did last week with a cover of Leonard Cohen's "Memories." It was a very impressive set and the best I've seen them play in a while. If I didn't already know their music I would have been a new convert.
Father John Misty (aka Joshua Tillman) and his band came onto the stage to big cheers from the crowd and opened with "Fun Times In Babylon." I actually saw him a bit over a year ago when he was still playing drums in Fleet Foxes. Joshua is quite a charismatic front man with his unique dance moves and poses while singing. The whole set featured songs from his album Fear Fun, including my favorites "Nancy From Now On," "Only Son Of A Ladiesman," "Now I'm Learning To Love The War," and "Well, You Can Do It Without Me." The in between song banter was quite funny throughout the night and may have been aided by jet lag after the long flight to Australia. They finished the main set with an epic version of "Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings" and returned to the stage for an encore that started with the new song "I Love You, Honey Bear" before finishing with a cover of Canned Heat's "On the Road Again." Overall it was an excellent show with two very talented singer-songwriters and their bands.
Here's the video for "Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings"
After spending the morning at the gym I hopped onto a tram and headed down to the annual St. Kilda Festival. Thankfully the weather was sunny but mild, with a strong breeze coming off the bay. I grabbed some gozleme from one of the food stalls for lunch before making my way toward the front of the main stage for Oh Mercy's afternoon slot.
They started with "Stay Please Stay" and then launched into "Drums." It was great to have Simon back playing guitar with the band again. The set list consisted of many songs from their latest album Deep Heat, including excellent versions of "Rebel Beats," "Pilgrim's Blues," "My Man" and "Still Making Me Pay." Alex was full of good advice for the crowd, telling everyone not to get sunburned and also for parents to not let their children touch the water. They finished their set with a rousing rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Memories." Luckily I get to see Oh Mercy again in a week's time when they open for Father John Misty.
Mary and I found each other afterwards as she got there a bit late due to a very slow tram. We had a wander around the festival and then treated ourselves to some Dutch pancakes before heading back home.
After the San Francisco 49ers won the NFC Conference Championship I could feel a "Niners Flu" coming on for 4 February. I received a tweet from Burger Mary about a Super Bowl party she was hosting at The Precinct Hotel in Richmond with an authentic menu of American food and decided to get a ticket. I also managed to convince Danny take off work and come along as well. It was nice to have a reserved table in a room where most of the people there were interested in watching the game. We got a breakfast burrito on arrival, and also sampled the buffalo wings, shrimp po boy and loaded potato skins during the game, which all tasted good.
The 49ers were their own worst enemies in the first half, while the Baltimore Ravens pulled off some miraculous plays that defied belief. The kick off run back for a touchdown at the start of the second half was almost the final nail in the coffin for the 49ers. But then the power went out in the Superdome for 35 minutes, and after that it was like the Niners had finally gotten a spark and pulled it together as a team. They stormed back to within 2 points and it seemed like the power outage would claim the MVP award, but unfortunately the 49ers failed to make it into the end zone on the final drive and the Ravens won the Super Bowl. It was a disappointing outcome, and the "Quest for Six" still continues.
Of course, the Super Bowl is not only about football, but also the half time show and commercials. Beyonce's performance was pretty amazing with her use of the screens, and I actually cheered when Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams popped up onto the stage for a mini-Destiny's Child reunion. The Aussie broadcast doesn't show the American commercials, but I've watched them all on the NFL site, and the Tide "Miracle Stain" one was, not surprisingly, my favorite of the bunch:
I was very excited when I learned that Hungry Kids of Hungary were going to be playing a free show as part of the Fed Square Live summer series. I recruited some people from work to come along, but our visions of a nice summer evening out quickly vanished around 5pm when the rain started coming down quite heavily. However, we did not let that deter us and headed down to Fed Square, arriving a bit after Asta started her set. From Tasmania and the winner of the 2012 Triple J Unearthed High competition, you wouldn't think she was only a teenager. Joined by a guy who played samples and beats, she sang a good set of ambient music that had people moving in the crowd.
Unfortunately the pouring rain started up again just as Hungry Kids of Hungary took the stage. Mary, who arrived in between acts, was smart and stood under the tent where the sound board was while I braved the rain with my umbrella. The boys opened with their current single "Twin Cities" and managed to play for nearly a half hour before they had to stop due to the weather. We were treated to some new songs off the upcoming album You're A Shadow as well as old favorites "Wristwatch," "Coming Around" and "Let You Down," which was the last song of their set. I was absolutely soaking wet by the end of it but still had a fun time. I'm sure we will be treated to an indoor gig when they tour for the release of their new album.
Over the past few years as a Christmas gift for my cousin I have put together a sampler of songs from some of my favorite Australian indie musicians. The latest volume, featuring a mix of songs from 2011 and 2012, is one of my most eclectic yet. In honor of the Australia Day weekend have a listen and check out more from these artists.
My name is Nicole and I am addicted to the gelati at Spring St Grocery. I knew I was in trouble when I first read that a gelateria would be opening up so close to work (and just as the hot weather kicked in). Since I have been back from holidays I am averaging about three trips a week there, and I've got some of my work colleagues hooked as well. At least I don't also drink coffee on a daily basis, otherwise I'd be poor.
What makes Spring St Grocery so great is their constantly changing menu as all the gelati and sorbet is freshly churned on site. Plus it tastes amazing! You just never know what will be on the menu from day to day as they announce new unique flavors via their Facebook page. So far I have eaten:
- Mango and ginger sorbet
- Cinnamon and orange blossom gelato
- Salted caramel and chocolate gelato
- Indian chai gelato
- Chocolate gelato
- Pear, cinnamon and pinenut gelato
- Coffee gelato
- Tiramisu gelato
- Dulce de Leche swirl gelato
My favorites so far are the salted caramel and chocolate and the Indian chai (which I am still waiting to return to the menu). I will try to show a bit more restraint in the coming weeks, but it's hard not to make an afternoon trip over there when you see a new flavor announced that you must try. I also think they should implement some sort of loyalty card for their frequent customers (hint, hint).
Taking advantage of the cheap movie tickets on Monday nights, Onagh and I grabbed a quick bite to eat at Mamasita after work before heading to the Kino Cinemas to watch Hitchcock. The movie not only shows the making of the film Psycho, but also the relationship between Alfred Hitchcock (Anthony Hopkins) and his wife Alma Reville (Helen Mirren). Both of them put on fantastic and at times moving performances, and the movie has this undercurrent of dark humor befitting a Hitchcock film. There are also several other recognizable faces in the cast, from Toni Collette as Hitchcock's secretary Peggy to Scarlett Johannson as Janet Leigh. Definitely check it out if you get the chance.
For my first gig of 2013 I headed down to the Great Britain Hotel in Richmond last night with Mary to see Major Tom And The Atoms. We got there just as Brother James was finishing their set. It's been a while since we last saw Major Tom And The Atoms live, so I was looking forward to hearing some new tunes and we weren't disappointed. They started their set with "Merri Creek (Dead & Gone)" and played a mix of new songs and old favorites such as "Mr. Lucky," new single "Hey Flo," "Ball And Chain" and "Wishing Well." The new songs sounded really good and included "Boom Boom Boom," "Evil Angel," "Boogaloo," "Sherlock Holmes" and a funk number about buying drugs in Chinatown. The set kicked into another gear with "The House That Love Built" as both Tom and Sean came onto the floor during the song, and they finished the night with the hand clapping fun of "Mockingbird." It was great to see them live again and I'm looking forward to the release of their debut album sometime this year.
Well, my holidays have come to an end and I am back in Australia. I also have a hideous head cold which I got around Christmas, so the congestion just added to the joy of a long haul flight. Thankfully the flights were smooth and I didn't have any major coughing fits. However, the pressure on my ears when landing was a bit painful and I'm still waiting for them to completely pop. I watched three movies on the flights: Pitch Perfect, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and Beasts of the Southern Wild. I also got to see the sunrise while at Auckland Airport waiting for my flight to Melbourne. At least I have another day to recover before returning to work on Monday.
It has been two years since I was last home for Christmas so I was really looking forward to the annual Christmas dinner at my parents' house. Before dinner though there was a lot of cooking and cleaning to be done. I baked up a storm on Christmas Eve, making sugar cookies, snowball cookies and pumpkin pie while Mom made tiramisu. When my aunt Chrissie and cousins Leilani and Meinani arrived we had the cookies along with cheese, dip and crackers for hors d'oeuvres as well as my favorite holiday drink- mulled cider. As is the case most years, my brother had to work so he was unable to join us. Simi, her parents, Logan and Kylie were running late, so by the time they arrived and settled we were ready to sit down for dinner.
As requested Mom and Dad made some of my favorites for dinner. We started off with vegetable soup, and then had turkey, stuffing, scalloped potatoes, green beans and biscuits for dinner. Lei brought one of the sparkling wines from our little wine country adventure- the Gloria Ferrer Va de Vi, which everyone enjoyed. Logan was pretty well behaved throughout dinner, but the lure of presents under the tree became too hard to resist, so as we finished we headed out to the living room to open presents. All my gifts were Aussie themed this year as I bought nearly everything before I left Melbourne. We were also treated to a photo slide show of Chrissie and Lei's trip a few months ago to Sicily and Italy during dessert. It was a lovely evening, and the kids were very well behaved.
Today Mom, Dad and I headed up to James and Simi's for lunch. It was good to finally see their new place, which they moved into a couple months ago. We also got to give James his presents and finished up opening the rest of ours. It was a bit sad to say goodbye to everyone as I have had such fun spending time with my niece and nephew on this trip. Tomorrow afternoon I head back to the airport for the long flight to Australia.
Yesterday was my cousin Angela's wedding, which she thoughtfully scheduled during the time I had already planned to be in the Bay Area. The ceremony took place at Saint Ignatius Church in San Francisco, which was decorated for Christmas and looked amazing. Since this was a black tie event everyone was dressed very glamorously as they arrived at the church. Thankfully the rain held off so we didn't get drenched. It was a rather large wedding party that preceded the bride down the aisle, including Angela's sister Jennifer who was the matron of honor (and got married a little over a year ago). Angela looked beautiful in her dress and they did a full mass for the wedding ceremony. After mass they took group family photos on the alter before we all headed off for the reception.
The reception was at the San Francisco Design Center which they decorated in a winter wonderland theme. We had the cocktail hour up on the second level before coming down to our tables for dinner. All the cousins were sitting together near the back of one side of the room, while our parents were on another table closer to the dance floor. When we discovered that there was a photo booth we went to do a few shots in there before dinner service started. Once again we had a multi-course Italian feast that was both good and filling. During speeches my uncle Tony pointed out the generational family connections between the bride and groom, which was interesting to hear. After the father/daughter dance we all hit the dance floor. They had the same band that was at Jennifer's wedding, so it became a real party atmosphere. While the female cousins let the bridal bouquet fall to the floor around us, our cousin Alan somehow ended up with the garter during the toss. The cake cutting went smoothly and each layer was a different flavor (I sampled the vanilla and chocolate pieces). After some more dancing and another dash to the photo booth we decided to call it a day and head for home. It was nice to see all my extended family again and I wish Angela and Kevin all the best in this next phase of their life together.
Thankfully the rain calmed down as we arrived at our first stop for the day, Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards in Sonoma. Their tastings are seated, which allows you to relax and take as long as you need. Lei and I were interested in sampling sparkling wines not on their tasting menu, so we each ordered two glasses. However, since they weren't tasting size we actually got four full glasses of sparkling wine, which was a little much at 10:30 am! Our four choices were:
Our next stop was Domaine Carneros in Napa, which features an impressive château that houses a tasting room overlooking the organic vineyards. We decided to do the sparkling wine sampler which included:
We next headed to Domaine Chandon in Yountville. I had been to their winery in the Yarra Valley in Australia a few years ago, so I was expecting similar service. However, the servers in the tasting room seemed distracted and not very interested in us as potential customers, which was disappointing. Lei and I shared two different tastings.
Our final stop on the two day sparkling wine tour was Mumm Napa. We were fortunate enough to have a seated tasting and another excellent server who looked after us since Lei was in the wine industry. We shared two different tastings of sparkling wines which were at least 3 years or older.
My cousin Leilani (writer of the blog Wine Deviant) decided that since I was in town we should hit up some wineries for tastings. She organised a mini two day sparkling wine tour for us, and today we focused on Sonoma County. Our first stop was J Vineyards & Winery in Healdsburg. We sampled from their J Sparkling Flight option which included:
Next we drove to the Korbel Champagne Cellars in Guerneville, which were established in the late 1800s. Lei and I each chose four different complementary sparkling wines to sample and share:
Our last stop was Iron Horse Vineyards in Green Valley. Their tasting room is outside on a hill overlooking the vineyards but undercover with heat lamps to keep you warm. Thankfully the rain held off while we were there. Lei and I shared two of the flight options.
Overall I enjoyed this first day of tastings and learned about the percentage blends of pinot noir and chardonnay that make up different types of sparkling wines, as well as some new terms such as dosage. I am looking forward to tomorrow's trip to Napa.
Since it is the holiday season I think everyone is currently focused on shopping for Christmas presents. I have been to every major mall in Marin County over the past week and a half, even though I bought nearly all my gifts before I left Melbourne. However, when I come home I do stock up on clothes and other items, so it's been a mixture of online and store shopping for myself.
I have also been catching up with family, friends, and former work colleagues. We attended Logan's preschool Christmas pageant last week, which consisted of his class walking up an aisle to a Christmas song and waving (very cute and short!). Today I headed into San Francisco with Lynne for some shopping around Union Square. It was a sunny yet cool day in the City, and I had Boudin's clam chowder in a bread bowl for lunch and then we went over to Ghiradelli Square for some hot fudge sundaes after our shopping adventure. Both were very yummy and quintessential San Francisco!
Yesterday was my epic long day of travel across the Pacific. I killed my time on the plane trying to sleep, listening to music, and watching a few movies- The Campaign as well as the documentaries I Am Eleven and Paul Kelly: Stories Of Me. I arrived to a crisp but sunny San Francisco Bay Area and repeated December 7th all over again by catching up with my family and trying on my online purchases.
Today we had my nephew Logan's family celebration of his 3rd birthday that was earlier in the week. He is so much more talkative than when I was last home, but still a whirlwind of activity. I also got to meet my niece Kylie for the first time, but spent the majority of my time playing with Logan outside as he rode around on his little bike and scooter. We had a very yummy lunch of my Dad's clam chowder and my favorite Bordenave's sourdough bread. After opening presents we gathered around to sing "Happy Birthday" to Logan- his third celebration this week!
My final fave album is actually my favorite release of 2012: Oh Mercy's Deep Heat. This is their third album and lead singer Alexander Gow took a different tack this time and wrote lyrics in the third person, which resulted in each song taking on the perspective of a different character. Steve Berlin does some amazing saxophone work throughout, particularly on "Fever" and the Roxy Music inspired "My Man." While the album is very different sonically to previous Oh Mercy releases, at the end of the day it's all about the songs, and they stand up whether played by the full band or solo on acoustic guitar. From the driving beat of "Europa" and "Deep Heat," the urgency of "Pilgrim's Blues," to the reggae sounds of "Still Making Me Pay" and the groove of "Drums" it is a great leap forward for Oh Mercy and foreshadows an exciting musical future.
Favorite Lyric: I met the Governor of California, I called him mate ("Fever")
Melbourne (via Wagga Wagga) band The Ocean Party released their debut album The Sun Rolled Off The Hills early in 2012. In the great tradition of the Australian singer-songwriter the album features quite honest lyrics that tell a story about everyday life with references to the Australian landscape. It is a subtle album that features jangly guitars, piano, and Lachlan Denton's laid back vocals on songs such as "The Farm," "Shakin' Like A Leaf," "Still Raining," "Shepparton" and "Every House." For a relatively young band it is a solid debut, and they are also prolific as they have recently released their second album Social Clubs.
Favorite Lyric: Shakin' like a leaf when I said it was my first time ("Shakin' Like A Leaf")
You would have to have been living under a rock during the past year to have not heard Gotye's (aka Wally De Backer) worldwide smash hit duet with Kimbra "Somebody That I Used To Know." The track comes off of Gotye's third album Making Mirrors, which was released in 2011. For this album Wally not only used samples from records he had found, but also recorded different types of instruments note by note onto his computer so he could play them in new ways. The very first single "Eyes Wide Open" includes samples from the Winton Musical Fence and has a strong environmental message. The album contains a range of songs, from uplifting tracks like "I Feel Better," "In Your Light" and "State Of The Art" (written in honor of his Lowrey Cotillion organ) to more introspective numbers such as "Giving Me A Chance," "Save Me" and "Bronte." Gotye is more than a one hit wonder, and this album proves it.
Favorite Lyric: We walk the plank with our eyes wide open ("Eyes Wide Open")
Seattle's Fleet Foxes make some of the most beautiful folk music out there today. Their second album, 2011's Helplessness Blues, is full of layered vocal harmonies and these incredibly epic songs that sonically change direction halfway through. "Montezuma," "Battery Kinzie," "Helplessness Blues," "Lorelai" and "The Shrine/An Argument" are my personal favorites on an album that is full of high quality lyrics and instrumentation.
Favorite Lyric: So now I am older than my mother and father when they had their daughter, now what does that say about me? ("Montezuma")
Australian singer-songwriter Sarah Blasko's third album As Day Follows Night was released in 2009 and led to a Best Female Artist award at the ARIAs. Starting with the beautiful piano driven "Down On Love," the album goes from haunting songs such as "All I Want," "Bird On A Wire," "Is My Baby Yours?" and "Night & Day" to the more upbeat sounding "Hold On My Heart," "We Won't Run" and "Over & Over." It's a moving album that takes you on an emotional journey from start to finish. And if you are lucking enough to get one of the deluxe versions of the album, you can enjoy the Cinema Blasko disc of Sarah covering some of her favorite songs from various movies (including an unexpectedly lovely version of "Xanadu").
Favorite Lyric: Hold on my heart, find your stronger parts ("Hold On My Heart")
