The Curse of Company... total music video porn

So I think this is kind of sweet. Admittedly it has been floating around for a while now, but has been getting more attention due to the recent activity of prominent members.

Unfortunately referred to an 'indie supergroup', the group Curse of Company comprises members from a variety of Sydney groups:
- Dappled Cities member in alias Wiley Rennick
- Sarah Kelly of redsunband
- Tim Rogers (better known as Jack Ladder)
- Danny Heifetz of 1001 different bands
- Burke Reid of Gerling

The clip is beautifully shot, the costuming featuring subverted military regalia and some stand-out recorder playing courtesy of Tim Rogers add atmosphere to a song which is simply, quite lovely.



Just delightful.

Music Makes You Lose Control...

I have often criticised fashion blogs for the tendency to blindly reproduce catwalk shots in list format and pass this off as avant guarde.

Anyone empowered with Google power can present a vertical slideshow of the latest Balmain campaign, or this seasons' Balenciaga accessories range.

However.... (massive hypocrisy alert).... I am committing a similar sin, however in musical form.

I am the kind of person who could quite happily be stuck alone on a desert island, provided of course, with sufficient gin and a very well stocked ipod. As I write this, I am cocooned in my study, radio blasting the Triple J Hottest 100 of all time. I am having quite the animated discussion with Richard Kingsmill as to what I think of the chart listing (Hating the high position of Hilltop Hoods... appalling). Strangely enough, the conversation is somewhat one way, as evidently I cannot convey my opinions through my powers of telepathy.

Nonetheless I am thoroughly enjoying my Sunday afternoon, and hence feel inclined to share some of my favourite new tunes in the hope that I can spread the love, and perhaps someone will reciprocate this joy.

So here are my favourite musical tidbits I am currently obsessing over:

Kid Sam

A two-piece band from Melbourne, I was introduced to this group as part of the support for the Jack Ladder tour earlier this month. Quite simply, they are sublime. Their debut self-titled EP has been receiving high (cyber) rotation on my playlist and the songs grow on you with each subsequent listen.

Well worth checking out at myspace.com/kidsam or you can do a sneaky free download of a few tracks at the Triple J unearthed page (I highly recommend 'We're Mostly Made of Water')

Red Riders

A cheeky four piece from Sydney, Red Riders have released their second feature album, Drown in Colour this week. When not digesting the Hottest 100, I have been enjoying little samples of this record, and it really is hard to go past the delightful second single, 'Ordinary'.

Check the film clip- it's positively Mighty Boosh inspired






Finally (for today)...

We Say Bamboulee

A charming three-piece electro-pop group from the Blue Mountains just outside Sydney. This eclectic bunch of little hipsters have emerged through the vibrant Sydney University music community and have been playing regular shows around Sydney for some time now, including support slots for Art vs Science, and soon Philadelphia Grand Jury.

Live, the group has the feel of an electric garage band, where audience members are invited to form an intimate formation of friends. The almost deliberately haphazard approach to shows (including a Popular Penguin propping up a synth in a gig in Glebe not so long ago) is positively charming, and tracks such as 'Funeral Social' are so poppy and infectious, its almost impossible not to smile.

www.myspace.com/wesaybamboulee

Hope this music gives you the same happy times it delivers me... please help me out with some equally delightful tunes

xx

Late Night Musings #3401

I like to think I'm quite profound in the dead of night.

Tonight is one such example.

I see multiple bottles of rather horrid cheap red wine (Cold Chisel?) as no impediment to my literary genius.

So I give you this piece of wisdom kiddoes:

There is a limit to how much pot one can smoke, before you become a bit of a fuckwit.

Don't harm the genetic potential of my future progeny.

Ta.

Jack Ladder- Annandale Hotel June 28th 2009

It was with anticipation and expectation that we ambled down to the Annandale Hotel on a rainy Sunday evening, excited to finally check Jack Ladder off our list of ‘must-see’ gigs. Needless to say, we were not disappointed.

After getting sidetracked by salt and pepper calamari, we missed part of the set from warm up band Teeth and Tongue, however I must admit the forced female vocals, fuzzed guitar riffs and overt stylised referencing by lead singer Jess Cornelius was perhaps at odds with the nature of the main performer.

All this was forgotten though, by the conclusion of the second supporting act Kid Sam. A duo from Melbourne, their self-titled debut LP has received recent airtime on FBi, and I was interested to see how the lush sound translated live. Despite the initial appearance of two students ditching high school band practice to jam, cousins Kieren and Kishore Ryan quickly dispel any preconceptions with an intense, lyrical sound far richer than you would expect to be produced by just two musicians.
Kishore’s innovative percussion provides far more than metronomic accompaniment to the lyrical aspects, with creative inclusions of a kitchen pot and wok far from gimmicky adding rigidity and tension to stand-out track We’re Mostly Made of Water. Kieren’s vocals enmeshed with nimble guitar work deliver haunting lyrics across musical silence in Close Your Eyes And It All Goes Black. Their live performance renders this group a step up from other emerging subversive pop groups.

After being so delightfully surprised by the sheer maturity in delivery and earnest performance from Kid Sam, my expectations for Jack Ladder had been subsequently raised.
Long time bandmates Laurence Pike (Pivot) on drums, and bassist Donny Waples (Triosk) are joined by recent addition Kirin Callinan (formerly of Mercy Arms, now with Fashion Launches Rocket Launches). Callinan provides a jaunty lift as his performance appears to channel a pixie-ish Angus Young crossed with some indescribably androgynous, yet quite sexy being (well according to my companion) as he deftly floats across stage, juxtaposing light guitar solos and heavy reliance on effects pedals to breathe new life into Jack Ladder’s songs replacing the honky tonk piano, horns section and violin of the album. Combined, the musicians provide maturity and depth far in excess of mere backing band.
A recent interview with Jack Ladder quoted him expressing his distaste for artists who simply perform their works as heard on the original recording, and it is clear he has carried such a notion into the rehearsal of this tour. Songs have been reworked with the personalities of each performer given freedom to be expressed, resulting in performance rich with attitude alluded to in Ladder’s second album Love Is Gone.

This attitude is accompanied by a subverted meaning in many of the more well-known songs, achieved through a re-think in instrumentation and arrangement. This is seen most clearly in title track Love is Gone. The original recording provides an almost twee uptempo piano and guitar melody which appears to deliberately contradict the resigned lyrics detailing the death of a relationship. Live, the song is reworked as a progressive and melodic requiem setting the tone for a very different Jack Ladder.

Similarly, You Won’t Be Forgotten (When You Leave) maintains its raw instrumentation, with sentimentality set aside with the addition of Callinan’s almost animalistic barking percussive accompanying vocals. Whilst this is for the most part an extremely welcome interpretation, it unfortunately somewhat diminishes the devastating desperation conveyed in the earlier tracks such as Two Clocks. This seemingly saccharine testament to devoted love disguises a sinister alternate meaning, and sadly this duality is lost in its translation from quiet acoustic contemplation to live rock.
Acclaimed favourites are interspersed among new tracks, and the occasional reference to debut recording Not Worth Waiting For. Two new tracks are included as tantalising tastes of the new record to come, with final track Position Vacant infusing Ladder’s typical acerbic wit with deadpan emotional appeal. Ladder’s voice permeates every nook and cranny of the Annandale, and manages to overcome the sometime soulless drone which overcomes many groups attempting to conquer the venue. Collectively, the catalogue provides an introspective glance into the mind of an emerging local songwriter, whose unassuming demeanour and subtle charisma more than charm the pants off every woman in the room.

Jack Ladder tours nationwide throughout July, including a return to Sydney at the Brass Monkey in Cronulla on July 16. We are all now seriously considering a Sutherland Shire roadtrip…

*photo credit: courtesy dsvision.net

Jack Ladder eating a banana.... enjoy kiddoes