Insert Noise Here

All work and no play, makes VeeBot go something something...

2011-12-01T12:35:00.002+05:30

Another record for me has been surpassed as of two days ago... It has now been over 45 days since I have seen any of the following:

- Land -

- A female -

- A car -

- A gym -
- Any type of alcohol that is not an industrial strength solvent -

- Chocolate -

- Any form of plant life -

- Coca Cola -

Ahh the offshore life..... Eeeeeekkk.

On a positive note, 8 days till I am back in Australia for MeredithMusic Festival!!!! I wet myself every time I think of the prospect of being home for this... Also, it will be my first Christmas at home for four years now! So that is equally as exciting... I cannot wait to see all the family and friends again as well as hopefully get to play a game of cricket or do something that is NORMAL.

Albums of the Year - Thus Far

2011-12-01T12:09:00.001+05:30

I recently stumbled across Triple J's poll for album of the year the other day and that got me thinking - how out of touch am I? So I got cracking....

Fortunately, my job has allowed me to do a lot of music listening this year and it has somewhat different to years gone past. While back in Australia I would listen to the J's for a couple of hours a day at least and then listen to the iPod while running - usually the same playlist updated with a few songs every month or so. Very rarely did I listen to albums in full unless they were outrageously good.

This year has been different with my work here in India in an offshore environment... I spend most of my time on the rusty rigs and most of them have no gym to speak of. So I have found myself cutting laps of the helideck for many hours upon end - iPod in tow. If it wasn't for these few hours of solitary reflection and music listening I believe I would have gone insane, although most of the Indian workers who see me doing this already think that there is something wrong with my head because I do not spend this time smoking biddis.

It has been this love of the helideck that has enabled me to listen to all of the following albums, (and then some) in full, several times over. So my list has been quite well researched by yours truly. I did struggle to cut some of the albums so I have mentioned my top 10 as well as the unlucky ones to miss out.... All in all it has been another stellar year of music thankfully... A life without music/iPod out here would be hell...

The Top 10 (in no particular order):

Beirut - The Rip Tide
Crystal Fighters - Star Of Love
Digitalism - I Love You Dude
Does It Offend You, Yeah? - Don't Say We Didn't Warn You
Elbow - Build A Rocket, Boys!
Kills, The - Blood Pressures
Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes
M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
Sparkadia - The Great Impression
Yuksek - Living On The Edge Of Time

The unlucky ones:

Architecture In Helsinki - Moment Bends
Arctic Monkeys - Suck It And See
Aston Shuffle, The - Seventeen Past Midnight
Ball Park Music - Happiness And Surrounding Suburbs
Beni - House Of Beni
Bombay Bicycle Club - A Different Kind Of Fix
Chase & Status - No More Idols
City And Colour - Little Hell
Example - Playing In The Shadows
Feist - Metals
Foster The People - Torches
Givers - In Light
Grouplove - Never Trust a Happy Song
Hard-Fi - Killer Sounds
Jay-Z/Kanye West - Watch The Throne
Justice - Audio, Video, Disco
Kasabian - Velociraptor!
Kooks, The - Junk Of The Heart
Lupe Fiasco - Lasers
Manchester Orchestra - Simple Math
Metronomy - The English Riviera
Modeselektor - Monkeytown
Mutemath - Odd Soul
Nero - Welcome Reality
Noah & The Whale - Last Night On Earth
Owl Eyes - All Things Bright and Beautiful
Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, The - Belong
Peter, Bjorn & John - Gimme Some
Rapture, The - In the Grace of Your Love
Sebastian - Total
TV On The Radio - Nine Types Of Light
Vaccines, The - What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?
White Lies - Ritual
Wombats, The - This Modern Glitch
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Hysterical

Soooo tired......................... But must work.....

2011-10-27T02:56:00.000+05:30

New albums that are on the download:

Florence and the Machine - Ceremonials
Justice - Audio, Video, Disco
Big Scary - Vacation

Albums for October

2011-10-16T10:42:00.004+05:30

Above: Photo I took at Parc Guell in Barcelona in July: Favourite city outside of Melbs.....

M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
Another fantastic dreamy release from the French group as a follow up to the first album "Saturdays = Youth"

Feist - Metals
I don't need to say much about this. Her previous album "The Reminder" was a smash hit a few years ago - containing the likes of 1234 and My Moon My Man... This album is a beautiful collection of songs that is slightly less poppy than her last release, but none the less it is sure to be popular.

The Rapture - In the Grace of Your Love
It has been a while since the Rapture last released a compilation. In recent history I can only think of the "No Sex for Ben" song which was a release for the Need for Speed Soundtrack. Echoes about 7 years ago was a solid indie album and this is no different. The title track and also "How deep is your love" are sure to be party anthems in Australia this summer.

Gotye - Making Mirrors
A well put together and enjoyable indie pop album that will have you humming all day.

Beirut - The Rip Tide
Possibly a contender for favourite album of the year... I love Beirut and if you loved their first album you will love this also. I had the pleasure of seeing them live at Benicassim (Spain) in July and it was amazing. Santa Fe is truly a beautiful song.

Metronomy - The English Riviera
Neon Indian - Era Extraña
Hard Fi - Killer Sounds
Example - Playing in The Shadows
Ball Park Music - Happiness and Surrounding Suburbs
Grouplove - Never Trust a Happy Song
Clap you Hands Say Yeah - Hysterical
Modeselektor - Monkeytown
Beni - House of Beni
Mogwai - Earth Division (EP)
Kasabian - Velociraptor!
Bombay Bicycle Club - A different kind of Fix
The Kooks - Junk of the Heart
Mutemath - Odd Soul
Joe Goddard - Gabriel (EP)

Coolest thing ever!!! I want one for Christmas!

2011-10-16T00:09:00.001+05:30

A ball with 36 cameras installed that takes a a single Panoramic snap of everything in all directions (images spliced by the ball itself).... It is programmed to be thrown into the air and when it reaches the pinnacle (the point where the force of gravity has reduced the balls upward momentum to zero) all cameras simultaneously take a snap. The images, although not highly detailed (2MP each), are still extremely stunning.... Some seriously cool stuff could be implemented with this....

Check the video below and see their website for more information: http://jonaspfeil.de/ballcamera

Siri Hacking...

2011-10-15T23:53:00.002+05:30

I am slightly worried about this hole Apple Siri thing...

Now I am not normally the kind of guy that gets all paranoid about a company or government entity having detailed information about me online, however the human voice is something very unique to each individual.

If you have been living under a rock recently, Apple has just released its newest iPhone creation - the iPhone 4S. Essentially the 4S is a souped up version of the iPhone 4 with a better processor and camera. The most talked about feature however is a new piece of proprietary voice recognition and communication software called Siri. Now, it has been widely published that Siri was initially developed by the US government's top secret technology arm known as Darpa. This was then spun off into the Stanford Research Institutes hands and then became a company of its own before being swallowed by Apple a few years ago. That background alone could put some enthusiastic conspiracy theorists into a state of pandemonium.

What the software purports to do is to learn how the user talks - picking up on accents, phrases, and general grammar and language usage. To me this sounds amazing and truly is a remarkable step... The fineprint that got my attention though was the disclaimer on Apple's website that says Siri does this by recording the voice of the user and using this to 'learn' obviously through some kind of historical comparison algorithm. The processing power is immense and it is assumed that a lot of this would be performed in the iCloud, a collection of mass servers that house immense amounts of data for access by users around the globe. Essentially your hard drive would be on the web and this hard drive would contain clearly recorded phrases that you have input to Siri.

I have two issues with this:

1. Siri as a software over time would establish a huge mass of recordings of the user's voice. If the software proves to be as popular and as good as what it sounds, the tool could become as common place as 'googling'. Therefore the software could theoretically come up with a library of words you have said that covers most of the dictionary. Now, where I am going with this is similar to those movies where they take a tapped phone call, rearrange the words and make it sound like the person is saying something completely different. This in reality is hard to do because we enunciate differently for words that can have alternative meanings and that can be positioned in different locations of a sentence. However, Siri should have theoretically learned how you would say a certain word in a certain context. So it is not to unreasonable to expect that the software after some time of use could string a coherent sentence together using proper grammar, word placement and verbal control such that it sounds exactly like you said it, even though you may never have said that sentence in the real world. In addition, if the software is good enough - even if Siri has not heard you say a certain word - it should be able to construct words (with the user's perfect voice and verbal control) by implementing algorithms that compare the user's implementation of certain syllables, vowels and consonants to that of a default recording of a word (eg. from other online recordings or voice softwares). It could theoretically construct sentences that you have never uttered! And all this in the cloud!

This could be useful in some ways I believe... For example, f it learns how to talk like the user when the user is sick... The user could tell the phone to dial his or her boss and tell them (in a sickly, but distinctively correct voice) that they are unable to come into work, thus leaving the user free to go play golf or do whatever...

But what if this fell into the wrong hands? What if a file became available that enabled anyone on the planet to be able to emulate the users voice over a voice only communication connection? There either could be a hell of alot of pranks going on or there could be a lot of issues with identity theft.

2. Apple has a tendency to patent anything... I am not so sure how they might go on this one, but I know that recordings of any kind, when original, are protected by copyright. Siri, for many millions if not billions, would be the first and only place where that voice is recorded. And the owner of the copyright? I have a funny feeling that Apple would argue that there software / cloud made the recording for the benefit of improving the software alone. The user did not have the intention of making a voice recording when asking 'where is the nearest pizza place?'. Consequently, for the next generation of iPhone users, Apple could theoretically own the copyright to pretty much any recording of every word you have input to the program. This could have massive complications!!!! Phone companies could be in breach of copyright in the future for recording a voicemail you leave, if you are ever interviewed by a news program they would be in breach of copyright and heaven forbid if you so desire to take on a role that requires you to speak publicly - everyone would have to pay Apple royalties just to hear your voice!

Hmmmm. I don't know if I want to buy an iPhone now... Mainly because I do not want to have to pay royalties for talking when I become President of the World. :p

Fave of the Day

2011-04-26T23:16:00.000+05:30

From their new album, Blood Pressures:

"My Heart is a Beating Drum"

Bands with a Split Personailty.... I love it...

2011-04-26T23:06:00.001+05:30

Does It Offend You, Yeah?

Does it Offend You, Yeah's first album in 2008 (You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into) was an extreme mix of edgy electro, new wave rock contrast against some beautiful indie pop... A recipe I loved....

Their latest is no different (Don't Say We Didn't Warn You) and goes a long way to matching the first for mind blowing sounds combined with classic easy listening thrills...

Case in Point:

Off 2008's You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into:
Aaron, aka personality no.1: "Dawn of he Dead" , "Being Bad feels Pretty Good"
Roy, aka personality no.2: "We are Rockstars" , "Attack of the 60ft Lesbian Octopus"

Off March 2011's Don't Say We Didn't Warn You:
Aaron: "Broken Arms" , "Pull Out My Insides" , "Wrong Time, Wrong Planet"
Roy: "Yeah!" , "The Monkeys are Coming"
The rest of the new album is just as brilliant!!!!!!!!!

Playing at Splendour in the Grass in Queensland this year.... eeeeek... If I cant get to that then I have to see them somewhere!!!?!?!?!?!

Mega Mystery Band

2011-04-17T17:20:00.000+05:30

Courtesy of u sique.......
Yuksek - On a Train

Song of the Week

2011-04-14T21:53:00.000+05:30

Love it:

Lupe Fiasco - I don't wanna care right now (youtube)

Awesome new mix from aRod

2011-04-13T22:55:00.000+05:30

A brand new mix from a friend in Santa Barbara - a pre Coachella warm up.... Really wish I was there..... arggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

aRod's Sahara Tent Mix 2011

Splendour in the Grass Lineup - Woodfordia, July

2011-04-13T16:50:00.000+05:30

Seriously considering it..... I hate the 24 hours of flights though.... hmmmmm..

COLDPLAY
KANYE WEST
JANE'S ADDICTION
THE HIVES
PULP
THE LIVING END
THE MARS VOLTA
REGINA SPEKTOR
BLISS N ESO
PNAU
MOGWAI
DJ SHADOW
GLASVEGAS
THE GRATES
DEVENDRA BANHARDT AND THE GROGS
MODEST MOUSE
THE MIDDLE EAST
KAISER CHIEFS
JAMES BLAKE
KELE
THE VINES
ELBOW
ESKIMO JOE
NOAH AND THE WHALE
CHILDREN COLLIDE
THIEVERY CORPORATION
CUT COPY
ISOBEL CAMPBELL AND MARK LANEGAN
BLUEJUICE
THE KILLS
BLACK JOE LEWIS & THE HONEYBEARS (featuring THE RELATIVES)
ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKI
FOSTER THE PEOPLE
THE PANICS
FRIENDLY FIRES
JEBEDIAH
THE VACCINES
GOMEZ
BOY AND BEAR
GOTYE
DOES IT OFFEND YOU YEAH?
CLOUD CONTROL
MONA
SPARKADIA
WARPAINT
MUSCLES (Live)
FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS
THE JEZEBELS
DRAPHT
BRITISH SEA POWER
TIM & JEAN
LEADER CHEETAH
GROUPLOVE
SEEKER LOVER KEEPER
YELLE
KIMBRA
PHRASE
OH MERCY
DANANANANAYKROYD
THE BLACK SEEDS
MARQUES TOLIVER
THE HOLIDAYS
GHOUL
LIAM FINN
THE HERD
YOUNG THE GIANT
GUINEAFOWL
HUNGRY KIDS OF HUNGARY
JINJA SAFARI
WILD BEASTS
ILLY
CUT OFF YOUR HANDS
GARETH LIDDIARD
ALPINE
WORLD'S END PRESS
MOSMAN ALDER
LANIE LANE

Benicassim Lineup - Spain in July

2011-04-13T16:41:00.001+05:30

Epicness!!!!!!!!! Tickets purchased......

More albums for April

2011-04-10T12:15:00.001+05:30

The Australian dollar is killing me!!!!!! Damn being paid in foreign currency at a time that the Aussie economy is so strong....

New Albums:

Glasvegas - Euphoric//Heartbreak
Holy Ghost! - Holy Ghost!
The Middle East - I Want That You Are Always Happy

Music for April

2011-04-08T22:28:00.005+05:30

Only a few sleeps until Splendour lineup no.1....... Will i be able to go??? hmmmmm

Current update: my Uranium stocks are battling after this Japan thingy......

Albums to get:

Architecture In Helsinki - Moment Bends
Noah and the Whale - Last Night on Earth
Cage the Elephant - Thank You Happy Birthday
The Kills - Blood Pressures
Drapht - The Life Of Riley
The Vaccines - What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?
Peter Bjorn & John - Gimme Some
The Subs - Decontrol

Songs to get:

Icona Pop - Manners
Glasvegas - Euphoria, Take my Hand
Noah and the Whale - L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N. (Fake Blood Remix)
Peter Bjorn & John - Second Chance
Pogo - Mending
Friendly Fires - Live Those Days Tonight
Savage Skulls & Douster - Bad Gal (featuring Robyn)
Justice - Civilization
Chase & Status - Blind Faith
Arctic Monkeys - Brick by Brick
The Stanton Warriors - Get Up
Grouplove - Naked Kids
The Wombats - Jump into the Fog
Datarock - Catcher in the Rye

Albums coming out soon!!! (on pre-order):

The Wombats - This Modern Glitch
TV on the Radio - Nine types of Light
The Aston Shuffle - Seventeen past Midnight

Easy come, easy go.........

2011-04-08T21:58:00.005+05:30

The return to Bombay and work.... In colour......

Above, The Times of India Building... A Bombay landmark.

It is hard to explain the workings of the Indian government and its civil service bodies... No one knows exactly how things work, not even them... A visit to the Foreigner's Regional Registration Office has to be made regularly to extend my working visa - and the whole process puzzles me no end. Processes are outdated, respect is demanded furiously by the civil officials and if there is ANY way possible to delay the stamping and approval of anything, then it will be done. Above is a a snap of the downstairs section of the FRRO building in Mumbai, which i think serves as the welfare office / records office for Mumbai... It is very much the same upstairs where we have to get our passports and registration booklets signed and stamped and verified in triplicate yada yada yada ... A little bribe never goes astray in this place either... Note the bundles of paperwork, stacked up to the ceiling. I thought this kind of thing only existed in movies.

My home away from home.... A view of one of the newer rigs here in Offshore India... This rig is actually very close to the Pakistani border, about 10km from land. The helideck in the foreground is my sanctuary for walking around with the iPod in, a couple of hours a day.

Albums of March 2011

2011-04-08T21:14:00.005+05:30

What a great month for music..... Luckily i ducked back to Australia for a couple of weeks and managed to get some one-on-one time with my Mum and Dad's internet connection in order to download a heap of new stuff....

While back there I also managed to witness the massive spectacular that is the Mark Ronson & The Business Intl stage show... His album (Record Collection) was without a doubt one of the highlights of 2010, with its witty pop-culture electronic riffs and a modern age take on 80's indie rock from the likes of Boy George (who features on this album) and Duran Duran (also features).

The show was no let down either. Although I nearly did miss the opening, as I had gone to dinner with a few friends and was well drunk off red wine by the 10pm start.

We were the idiots of the crowd - fortunately for us because the 8 or 9 of us had the time of our lives but unfortunately for those who were anywhere in the vicinity of us... I left The Palace a dripping mess, soaked mainly in my sweat and probably two cups of my own beer which had been knocked around during the jumping around... The show centered around Ronson who was surrounded by a plethora of keyboards and synths which was then bookended by two other members either side, one on drums and one on another array of synths... The special guest vocalists ran around frantically and just added to the light and colour visual... Truly an amazing show...

Two days later I was also blessed with the opportunity to visit for my first time the Meredith Supernatural Ampitheatre for the annual Golden Plains Festival... Although I cannot remember much due to an excess consumption of beverages, I do have some fond flashbacks of witnessing the likes of Belle & Sebastian (whom I have been aching to see), Wavves, Boy & Bear, Os Mutantes, Hawkwind, Best Coast, Airbourne and Pulled Apart by Horses. The terrific weather added to the brilliant atmosphere of the festival and this just added to the ridiculously awesome time spent there with so many great friends... One to remember....

Okay, on to music for the month...

Albums:

Lupe Fiasco - Lasers (epicly good)
Oh Mercy - Great Barrier Grief
Elbow - Build a rocket boys!
The Strokes - Angles
Tinie Tempah - Disc Overy
Sparkadia - The Great Impression (awesome !!)
Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes
Les Savy Fav - Root for Ruin

Songs you must get:

Pnau - The Truth
Architecture in Helsinki - Contact High
TV on the Radio - Will Do
Foster the People - Helena Beat
Zowie - Bite Back
Two Door Cinema Club - What you Know

Albums of February 2011

2011-02-02T09:11:00.001+05:30

Cut Copy - Zonoscope
The Go! Team - Rolling Blackouts

Albums of January 2011

2011-01-31T20:57:00.002+05:30

White Lies - Ritual
Smith Westerns - Dye it Blonde
Crystal Fighters - Star of Love
Cold War Kids - Mine is Yours

Hottest 100 Shortlist

2010-12-17T14:47:00.004+05:30

Top songs according to me from 2010:

Ou Est Le Swimming Pool - The Key

Yeasayer - O.N.E.

Pendulum - The Island: Part 2

Hot Chip - I feel Better

Swedish House Mafia - One (your name)

Magnetic Man - I Need Air

Ou Est Le Swimming Pool - Curtain Falls

Crystal Castles - Baptism

Delphic - Doubt

Ducksauce - Barbara Streisand

Hot Chip - One Life Stand

Kanye west - Power

Pendulum - ABC News Theme

Arcade Fire - Ready to Start

Gypsy and the Cat - Time To Wander

Sufjan Stevens - I walked

Bag Raiders – Sunlight

Kanye West - See me now

Ou Est Le Swimming Pool - Outside

Boy & Bear - Mexican mavis

Magnetic Man - Karma Crazy

Yolanda Be Cool & DCUP - We No Speak Americano

Kanye West - All of the Lights

Chiddy Bang - All Things Go

Foster the People - Pumped up Kicks

Kid Cudi - Mr Rager

Deadmau5 & Wolfgang Gartner – Animal Rights

Magnetic Man - Box of Ghosts

Two Door Cinema Club - Undercover Martyn

LCD Soundsystem - Dance Yourself Clean

The Gaslight Anthem - Old Haunts

Sleigh Bells - Rill Rill

Arcade Fire - Sprawl II

Booka Shade - This is not Time

Darwin Deez - Radar Detector

The National - Bloodbuzz Ohio

Crystal Castles - Celestica

Last Dinosaurs - Honolulu

Boy & Bear - Fall at your Feet

Klaxons - Echoes

Miami Horror - Soft Light

Sufjan Stevens - Age of Adz

Ou Est Le Swimming Pool - These New Knights

Kanye west - Lost in The World

Crystal Castles - Sex Panther

Ou Est Le Swimming Pool - Dance the way i feel

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

Bag Raiders - Way back Home

Hot Chip - Hand me Down Your Love

Klaxons - Future Memories

Delphic - Halcyon

Ou Est Le Swimming Pool - Jacksons Last Stand

Bag Raiders - Snake Charmer

Broken Bells - High road

Vampire Weekend - Cousins

The Drums - Saddest Summer

Booka Shade - Havanna sex dwarf

Twin Sister - Phenomenons

Sleigh Bells - Run the Heart

Fyfe Dangerfield - When you walk in the Room

Crookers - Cooler Couleur (feat Yelle)

Underworld - Scribble

Mark Ronson, Ghostface Killah - Lose It (in the end)

Deerhunter - Coronado

Daft Punk - TRON Legacy (end titles)

Oh Mercy - Get you Back

The Chemical Brothers - Escape Velocity

November Playlist

2010-11-04T23:11:00.010+05:30

Week of Nov 07...

Awesome Download links:
Krafty Kuts Mix for Triple J
DJ Cal -Autumn 2010 (on Salacious Sound)
BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix: Wolfgang Gartner eeeeeee!! (link to original article & setlist on SS)

Find these ones: here
Dada Life - Unleash The Fking Dada (Original Mix) (techno)
Christian Falero and Adrian Villaverde - Think About Me (Digital Lab Remix) (house)
Gypsy and The Cat - The Pipers Song (Aeroplane Remix) (disco)
Deadmau5 vs Far East Movement - Ghosts on a G6 (Basic Physics Mashup) (electro house)
Example - Kickstarts (Myndset Remix) (electro)
Torro Torro - Knockin Boots (Original Version) (techno)
Plan B - The Recluse (Nero remix) (dubstep / electro)
Basement Jaxx - Flylife (Dan Castros Back To Eivissa Re-Work) (disco)
Kesha - Take It Off (DJ Kue Remix) (electro)
Skrillex - Kill Everybody (Original Mix) (techno)
Ghosts Of Venice - Her (Bit Funk Remix) (disco)
A-Trak - Ray Ban Vision ft. CyHi Da Prince (pop/hip hop)
Cassius - I Love You So (Popskarr Remix) (electro house)
Uffie - Difficult (2006 Parties Remix By SebastiAn) (electro)

Find these two: here
Porter Robinson and Lazy Rich feat. Sue Cho - Hello (Radio Edit) (electro / techno)
Porter Robinson - Say My Name (electro / techno)

Find these: here
Nero – Innocence (Original Mix) (dubstep)
The Moody Blues – White Satin (Zeds Dead Remix) (dubstep)

Dance / Electro albums to get:
Blow Your Head Vol. 1: Diplo Presents - Dubstep
Temper Trap - Conditions Remixed
Kaskade - dance.love
Pulshar - Inside
Various Artists - Secret Weapons (on DJ History)
Simian Mobile Disco - Is Fixed
Tensnake - In the House
Space Dimension Controller - Temporary Thrillz

Rock / Indie / Pop / Hip Hop / Nouveau albums to get:
Bryan Ferry - Olympia
The Black Angels - Phosphene Dream
John Steel Singers - Tangalooma
Cee Lo Green - The Lady Killer
Of Montreal - False Priest
The Smoke Fairies - Through Low Light And Trees
N.E.R.D - Nothing

October Playlist

2010-10-25T17:44:00.002+05:30

October albums to get:

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Bag Raiders - Bag Raiders
Les Savy Fav - Root for Ruin
Ou Est Le Swimming Pool - Golden Years
Magnetic Man - Magnetic Man
Wolf Parade - Expo 86
Menomena - Mines
Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
These New Puritans - Hidden
Holy Fuck - Latin + Ghost
Mark Ronson & The Business Intl - Record Collection
Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz
Neon Indian - Mind Ctrl: Psychic Chasms Possessed

SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS 2010 - Playlist

2010-05-14T09:16:00.004+05:30

A playlist showcasing the acts associated with SITG for 2010... It is weighted so that the songs at the top are the ones you MUST know or should know... SITG will be held at Woodford in 2010 for the first time and is boasting one of the most impressive line ups the southern hemisphere has ever seen!!!

Splendour 2010 (Mixed) !!

Something Good Can Work(2:50) - Two Door Cinema Club -"Random"
Drumming(3:43) - Florence And The Machine -"Lungs CD 1"
Cult Logic(3:56) - MiikeSnow-""
Juicebox(3:15) - The Strokes -"First Impressions Of Earth"
This Momentary(4:35) - Delphic -"Acolyte"
Shadows(4:17) - Midnight Jugger nauts-"Dystopia"
Laura(3:40) - Scissor Sisters -"Scissor Sisters [UK]"
Blood(5:26) - The Middle East -"The Middle East"
Over And Over(5:47) - Hot Chip -"Over and Over"
after hours(3:50) - we are scientists -"top 40 singles"
Coca Cola(2:19) - Little Red -""
Dance Yrself Clean(8:58) - LCD Soundsystem -"This Is Happening"
Remember Me(4:21) - Tame Impala -"Sundown Syndrome"
Mouthwash(5:04) - Kate Nash -"Top 40 singles"
Beneath the Satellites(3:10) - Br itishIndia -"Avalanche"
Killer(2:52) - Whitley-"Go For th,Find Mammoth"
AHorse Is Not a Home(4:12) - MiikeSnow-""
Halcyon(4:43) - Delphic -"Acolyte"
ode to lrc(4:18) - Band of horses -"Cease to begin"
Shooting Stars(3:55) - Bag Raiders -"Turbo Love - EP"
Cheerleader(4:54) - Gr izzlyBear -"Veckatimest"
LayEver ythingOn Me(3:10) - Oh Mercy -"In the Nude for Love"
Little Secrets(3:59) - Passion Pit -"Manners"
The Beast(3:49) - Angus & Julia Stone -"A Book LikeThis"
One Pure Thought(4:53) - Hot Chip -"Made in the Dark"
Sweet Disposition(3:54) - The Temper Trap-"Conditions"
CaravanGirl (4:05) - Goldfrapp -"Seventh Tree"
detlef schrempf(4:30) - Band of horses -"Cease to begin"
Walking On A Dream(3:18) - Empire Of The Sun -"Walking On A Dream"
You’ve Got The Love(2:48) - Florence And The Machine -"Lungs"
IFeel Better(4:41) - Hot Chip -"One LifeStand"
Moth’sWings(4:16) - Passion Pit -"Manners"
Someone Great(6:25) - LCD Soundsystem -"Sound Of Silver"
Saddest Summer(3:25) - The Drums -"Summer time!"
Animal(4:23) - MiikeSnow-""
Undercover Martyn(2:48) - Tw oDoor Cinema Club -"Tour istHistor y"
Vital Signs(5:32) - Midnight Jugger nauts-"Vital Signs EP"
Last Nite(3:17) - The Strokes -"Is This It?"
Great Dj (3:23) - The Ting Tings -"WeStar tedNothing"
One LifeStand(5:24) - Hot Chip -"One LifeStand"
Spanish Sahara(6:49) - Foals -"Total LifeForever"
O.N.E(5:23) - Yeasayer-"Odd Blood"
YouOnlyLive Once(3:05) - The Strokes -"First Impressions Of Earth"
Honolulu(4:43) - The Last Dinosaurs -"Recorded"
Sometimes(4:11) - Miami Horror -"discodust.blogspot.com"
Electric Bloom(4:54) - Foals -"Antidotes"
We NoSpeak Americano(4:29) - Yolanda Be Cool & DCUP -
Fader(3:12) - The Temper Trap-"Conditions"
All My Friends(7:37) - LCD Soundsystem -"Sound Of Silver"
Doubt(4:06) - Delphic -"Acolyte"
The Good News(2:59) - Philadelphia Grand Jur y-"Hope Is For Hopers"
Vitriol(2:29) - Bluejuice -"Problems"
Tombstone(4:04) - Midnight Jugger nauts-"Dystopia"
You’re No God(2:27) - LauraMar ling-"Alas I Cannot Swim"
Get You Back(3:10) - Oh Mercy -"SXSW 2010 Showcasing Artists"
Moon Theory(album version) (4:24) - Miami Horror -"Moon Theory(Bonus)"
Coin Laundry(3:11) - Lisa Mitchell -"Wonder"
Girl from Mars(3:30) - Ash -"1977"
Leave It Alone(3:38) - Operator Please -""
IDon’t Feel Like Dancin(4:48) - Scissor Sisters -"Ta-Dah"
Animal Arithmetic(3:23) - Jónsi -"Go"
Someday(3:07) - The Strokes -"Is This It?"
Clementine(3:07) - Megan Washington -"Teenagecolor.blogspot.com"
Make Light(4:56) - Passion Pit -"Manners"
Solitude Is Bliss(3:34) - Tame Impala -"Innerspeaker"
Turbo Love(4:26) - Bag Raiders -"Turbo Love (Single)"
2080(5:23) - Yeasayer-"All Hours Cymbals"
Counterpoint(6:18) - Delphic -"Acolyte"
Into The Galaxy(4:54) - Midnight Jugger nauts-"Dystopia"
Where Is My Mind?(3:49) - Pixies -"treeswingers.wordpress.com"
Science Of Fear(4:19) - The Temper Trap-"Conditions"
This Orient(4:04) - Foals -"Total LifeForever"
Rabbit Heart[Raise It Up](3:52) - Florence And The Machine -"Lungs"
Broken Leg(3:13) - Bluejuice -"Head of The Hawk"
Out At The Pictures(4:26) - Hot Chip -"Made in the Dark"
Love Me Girl(5:02) - Yeasayer-"Odd Blood"
Daft Punk is Playing at My House (5:18) - LCD Soundsystem -""
NewMoon Rising(3:45) - Wolfmother -"Cosmic Egg"
Neopolitan Dreams(3:13) - Lisa Mitchell -"Wonder"
no ones gonna love you(3:38) - Band of horses -"Cease to begin"
Take Your Mama Out(4:36) - Scissor Sisters -"Scissor Sisters [UK]"
The Reeling(4:47) - Passion Pit -"Manners"
Hand Me Down Your Love(4:33) - Hot Chip -"One LifeStand"
We Walk(4:05) - The Ting Tings -"WeStar tedNothing"
Ghosts(3:01) - LauraMar ling-"Alas I Cannot Swim"
Just A Boy(3:57) - Angus & Julia Stone -"A Book LikeThis"
Road ToRecover y(6:21) - Midnight Jugger nauts-"Dystopia"
Tw oWeeks(4:03) - Gr izzlyBear -"Veckatimest"
Drunk Girls(3:44) - LCD Soundsystem -"This Is Happening"
ReadyFor The Floor(3:52) - Hot Chip -"Made in the Dark"
Tits On The Radio(3:18) - Scissor Sisters -"Scissor Sisters [UK]"
Rocket(3:51) - Goldfrapp -"Head First"
Standing On The Shore(4:24) - Empire Of The Sun -"Walking On A Dream"
I Can Change(5:54) - LCD Soundsystem -"This Is Happening"
The OnlyF*cking Rave Party(Demo)(3:37) - The Only -"The Only F*cking Rave Par ty-EP"
Foundations(4:05) - Kate Nash -"Made of Bricks"
Hurricane Drunk(3:13) - Florence And The Machine -"Lungs"
White Feather(3:04) - Wolfmother -"Cosmic Egg"
Happiness(4:16) - Goldfrapp -"Seventh Tree"
Fruit Machine(2:54) - The Ting Tings -"WeStar tedNothing"
Almost Sorry(3:15) - Scissor Sisters -"Ta-Dah"
Sleepyhead(2:54) - Passion Pit -"Manners"
We Are The People(4:27) - Empire Of The Sun -"Walking On A Dream"
Fun Punch(Original Mix)(2:58) - Bag Raiders -"Ministr yOf Sound - The Annual 2008"
Reptilia(3:39) - The Strokes -"Room On Fire"
Love Lost(3:36) - The Temper Trap-"Conditions"
Hear tIn A Cage(3:30) - The Strokes -"First Impressions Of Earth"
Nor thAmerican Scum(5:26) - LCD Soundsystem -"Sound Of Silver"
Wrestlers(3:45) - Hot Chip -"Made in the Dark"
Dog Days Are Over(4:12) - Florence And The Machine -"Lungs"
While You Wait For The Others(4:29) - Gr izzlyBear -"Veckatimest"
12:51(2:28) - The Strokes -"Room On Fire"
NewYork I Love You(5:35) - LCD Soundsystem -"Sound Of Silver"
Wasted(3:44) - Angus & Julia Stone -"A Book LikeThis"
Shake A Fist(5:10) - Hot Chip -"Made in the Dark"
To Kingdom Come(4:03) - Passion Pit -"Manners"
Little Lion Man(4:20) - Mumford And Sons -""
Eat That Up, It’sGood For You(3:45) - Tw oDoor Cinema Club -"treeswingers.wordpress.com"
Honolulu(4:01) - Last Dinosaurs -"BackFrom The Dead"
Vanilla(3:57) - Br itishIndia -"Avalanche"
Twenty Thousand Leagues(4:26) - Midnight Jugger nauts-"Dystopia"
Seemed Like A Good Idea(2:42) - Oh Mercy -"Seemed LikeAGood Idea (Single)"
Do-Wah-Doo(2:34) - Kate Nash -"My Best Friend Is You"
Balloons(2:59) - Foals -"Balloons"
This NewTechnology(4:28) - Midnight Jugger nauts-"Single"
BoyLilikoi(4:29) - Jónsi -"Go"
It’sAlright(2:17) - Little Red -""
RemedyFt. Miike Snow(3:05) - Crookers & MiikeSnow-"Tons Of Friends"
Debaser(2:54) - Pixies -""
ACommunity Service Annoucement(4:22) - Jonathan Boulet -"Jonathan Boutlet"
Hold On(6:20) - Hot Chip -"Made in the Dark"
Going to the Casino (Tomorrow Night)(2:57) - Philadelphia Grand Jur y-""
Don’t Dance(4:42) - Hot Chip -"Made in the Dark"
Time ToGet Away(4:12) - LCD Soundsystem -"Sound Of Silver"
Kiss You Off(5:02) - Scissor Sisters -"Ta-Dah"
Devil’sSpoke(3:39) - LauraMar ling-"I Speak Because I Can"
Don’t Be On With Her(3:42) - Miami Horror -""
Strawberr yWine(2:12) - The John Steel Singers -"tr iplej: newmusic podcast"
Pumpkin Soup(2:01) - Kate Nash -""
Mind’sEye(4:53) - Wolfmother -"Wolfmother"
Kiss With A Fist(2:04) - Florence And The Machine -"Lungs"
Cosmic Egg(4:04) - Wolfmother -"Cosmic Egg"
BarelyLegal (3:58) - The Strokes -"Is This It?"
Gigantic(3:13) - Pixies -"Death ToThe Pixies"
Ooh(3:29) - Scissor Sisters -"Ta-Dah"
Laredo(3:12) - Band Of Horses -"Inﬁnite Arms"
Roscoe(4:49) - Midlake-"Midlake"
Track06(8:04) - LCD Soundsystem -""
Joker And The Thief(4:39) - Wolfmother -"Wolfmother"
Eyes As Candles(4:07) - Passion Pit -"Manners"
Dumb Things(2:32) - Paul Kelly -""
He’sARocker(1:54) - The Vines -"Melodia"
Love Me Like You(4:53) - The Magic Numbers -"The Magic Numbers"
Get What You Want(3:49) - Operator Please -""
Ambling Alp(3:57) - Yeasayer-"Odd Blood"
Submission(5:33) - Delphic -"Acolyte"
Cassius(3:49) - Foals -"top 40 singles"
ISaid I’m Sorry(3:37) - Br itishIndia -""
I’m Going ToKill You(2:29) - Philadelphia Grand Jur y-"tr iplej: NewFree Music"
Ooh La La(3:24) - Goldfrapp -"Super nature"
Here Comes Your Man(3:25) - The Pixies -"Here Comes Your Man"
She’sMyMan(5:31) - Scissor Sisters -"Ta-Dah"
Diamonds On The Inside(4:26) - Ben Harper -"Diamonds On The Inside-ADVANCE"
is there a ghost(3:02) - Band of horses -"Cease to begin"
Fools(4:35) - The Temper Trap-"Conditions"
YouWanted A Hit(9:12) - LCD Soundsystem -"This Is Happening"
Howl(3:34) - Florence And The Machine -"Lungs"
Keep Your Head(3:23) - The Ting Tings -"WeStar tedNothing"
Filthy/Gorgeous(3:52) - Scissor Sisters -"Scissor Sisters [UK]"
Half Mast(3:54) - Empire Of The Sun -"Walking On A Dream"
Cosmic Love(4:16) - Florence And The Machine -"Lungs"
ShowMeALittle Shame(3:44) - Ben Harper -"Bur nTo Shine"
Head First(4:30) - Goldfrapp -"Head First"
Head, First, Down(3:40) - Whitley-"Head, First, Down//M A A M F"
11 Faker(2:33) - MiikeSnow-""
Steal My Kisses(4:05) - Ben Harper -"Bur nTo Shine"
Rest(3:42) - The Temper Trap-"Conditions"
Summerfest ’86(3:48) - Miami Horror -"SeekSickSound"
03 Son of Sam(3:00) - Violent Soho -"self titled (for now)"
Girl With One Eye(3:38) -Florence And The Machine -"Lungs"
Countr y(5:04) - Empire Of The Sun -"Walking On A Dream"
Facades II(4:26) - Whitley-"Go For th,Find Mammoth "
Lights(3:35) - Scissor Sisters -"Ta-Dah"
Iamundernodisguise (alternate version)(3:42) - School of SevenBells -""
WatchThe Tapes(3:55) - LCD Soundsystem -"Sound Of Silver"
Bella(4:04) - Angus & Julia Stone -"A Book LikeThis"
Clean White Love(3:47) - Lisa Mitchell -"Wonder"
Brothers(4:21) - Hot Chip -"One LifeStand"
Mar y(4:44) - Scissor Sisters -"Scissor Sisters [UK]"
Silver Coin(4:55) - Angus & Julia Stone -"A Book LikeThis"
WitchDoctor(2:10) - Little Red -""
Without You(5:00) - Empire Of The Sun -"Walking On A Dream"
We Star tedNothing(6:22) - The Ting Tings -"WeStar tedNothing"
Compliments(3:25) - Band of Horses -"Inﬁnite Arms"
BackRound(3:56) - Wolfmother -"Cosmic Egg"
IWanna Life(4:13) - Goldfrapp -"Head First"
Sidekick(4:07) - Lisa Mitchell -"Wonder"
Woman(2:55) - Wolfmother -"Wolfmother"
ride a white horse(4:41) - Goldfrapp -"Super nature"
Take It In(4:10) - Hot Chip -"One LifeStand"
Hope(9:49) - Fat Freddy’sDrop -""
Acts of Man(2:57) - Midlake-""
All I Want(6:43) - LCD Soundsystem -"This Is Happening"
Southern Point(4:59) - Gr izzlyBear -"Veckatimest"
Goodbye England (Covered In Snow)(3:46) - LauraMar ling-"I Speak Because I Can"
Comfor tably Numb(4:29) - Scissor Sisters -"Scissor Sisters [UK]"
Folds In Your Hands(3:39) - Passion Pit -"Manners"
White Unicorn(5:01) - Wolfmother -"Wolfmother"
World Sick(6:47) - Broken Social Scene -"Forgiveness RockRecord"
Go Do(4:40) - Jónsi -"Go"
Hollywood(2:37) - Angus & Julia Stone -"A Book LikeThis"
Winter Dies(5:07) - Midlake-"The Courage Of Others"
Live to Tell the Tale(5:15) - Passion Pit -"Chunk of Change [EP]"
Misty I(2:30) - Little Red -""
Thieves In The Night(6:09) - Hot Chip -"One LifeStand"
IRemember(4:25) - Yeasayer-"Odd Blood"
We reLooking For A Lot Of Love(4:43) - Hot Chip -"Made in the Dark"
Better Things(4:32) - Passion Pit -"Chunk of Change [EP]"
Nine Lives(4:36) - Midnight Jugger nauts-"Dystopia"
The Camel (9:37) - Fat Freddy’sDrop -"Dr Boondigga and The Big BW"
Stevie(4:53) - Lisa Mitchell -"Wonder"
Merr yGo Round(2:12) - The Vines -"Melodia"
Done All Wrong - BlackRebel MotorcycleClub(2:50) -"NewMoon OST"
Lover’sSpit(6:22) - Broken Social Scene -"You Forgot It In People"
Logic(3:33) - Operator Please -""
Don’t Give Up The Fight(2:59) - The Magic Numbers -"The Magic Numbers"
Pull The Catch(5:17) - Fat Freddy’sDrop -"Dr Boondigga and The Big BW"
Half Full Glass Of Wine(4:26) - Tame Impala -"2008 Hottest 100"
The Darkest Side(5:07) - The Middle East -"The Recordings Of The Middle East- EP"
Catholic Pagans(3:12) - Surfer Blood -"Astro Coast"
Outside 109(3:12) - Br itishIndia -""
Desire Be Desire Go(4:11) - Tame Impala -""
Nil By Mouth (KnightlifeRmx)(5:29) - Bag Raiders -"neversleepagain.com"
Forever Lost(4:00) - The Magic Numbers -""
My Cabal (5:09) - School of SevenBells -"http://regnsky.dk"
Waiting(2:22) - Little Red -""
Bell (3:45) - The Mess Hall -"For The Birds"
Kung Fu(2:17) - Ash -"1977"
Lonely(7:27) - The Middle East -"The Middle East"
Rome(3:50) - Yeasayer-"Odd Blood"
Red Lights(6:11) - Delphic -"Acolyte"
Swim(3:18) - Surfer Blood -"SXSW 2010 Showcasing Artists"
09 Plastic Jungle(3:54) - MiikeSnow-""
Gold Canary(3:30) - Cloud Control -"Gold Canary"
The Time(3:50) - Br itishIndia -"Counter Culture [EP]"
HowToTame Lions(3:46) - Washington -"SXSW 2010 Showcasing Artists"
ReadyToRoll(1:53) - Philadelphia Grand Jur y-"Demos"
Something Good (Van She TechSomething Good Just Happened Remix)(5:55) - Utah Saints and Van She""
Divorcee By 23(3:25) - Claire Bowditch and The Feeding Set -"Triple J’sHottest 100 Volume 13"
Another Night (Vocal Mix)(5:00) - Hook N Sling & Kid Kenobi -"Progression"
Clarion Call(2:56) - Delphic -"Acolyte"
This Is The Life(3:30) - Tw oDoor Cinema Club -"treeswingers.wordpress.com"
Friends - Band Of Skulls(3:10) - Fr iends - Band Of Skulls -"NewMoon OST"
Get Away(4:01) - The Mess Hall -"Feeling Sideways"
Make You Mine(4:13) - Miami Horror -"neversleepagain.com"
5Feet Of Snow(Miami Horror Remix)(4:31) - The Dirty Secrets -""
Myst(3:59) - The Last Dinosaurs -"Recorded"

2009-07-29T19:10:00.005+05:30

And how about this cracker of a song from the greatest band on the planet!!! I have always been a massive fan of MUSE, they are at the forefront of electro-rock and always put on a great show....
Enjoy.

Muse - United States of Eurasia

Myspace

2009-07-29T17:18:00.004+05:30

WOWEEEEE!!!! What an amazing five days!

With the Splendour in the Grass weekend now done and dusted, there is no better way to top it off by resisting doing any uni work and writing about what was hot and what was not.

The weekend began with a night out to see bag raiders play a set at one of the locals... Although I have seen them a million times before, I still enjoyed the pop dj's set and still went crazy to Shooting Stars.

That was followed up the next day by an amazing set by Australian pop rockers Art vs Science... We were entering the sight as Parles Vou Francais was being played, which got us in the mood, jumping all the way in past the cute little beagles that seemed to love jumping at every second person's pocket hahaha. Flippers went nuts after that, and that certainly had set the tone.

That night Yuksek blew us away with an impressive live set which I didn't want to end. The light show made up for the lack of stage action, but the quality of the music meant that he could have been anywhere and I wouldn't have cared... Extraball and tonight went nuts, two tracks that i highly recommend!

After that Architecture in Helsinki ripped it up, but i decided it was time to take a break and chill out near the main stage where The Specials were playing. They had a good sound, and were interesting to watch. We then moved back to get a good position for the Midnight Juggernauts who were really a little disappointing. We had seen them two years ago at Falls Festival, but to put in the words of a mate of mine "I have never enjoyed a band so much and then been so disappointed the next time". The new stuff appeared a little repetitive and boring - hopefully it is touched up a bit for the release of their new album very soon. Having said that, Tombstone still was INSANE !!!

Following them i made the move to Bloc Party, which was a bit of a mistake. They put on a fantastic show once again (5 times now i think), but it was impossible to get anywhere near them. Ended up just listening from the bar which wasn't too bad. A good way to end the night really...

The next day, feeling like a bus had hit me - I rocked up a little late and hit up Doves first. Unfortunately I was a little worse for wear from the night before so missed Scottish band Danananakroyd, but I heard they put on a great show. The Doves show seemed a little lacking for the later-in-the-day time-slot, but i did enjoy their brand of music.

After that, much to my surprise, MGMT put on a good show. I had missed them on their tour of late last year, but had heard nothing but criticism of their performance. Those same people enjoyed their set immensely this time around, so they must have changed something for the best.

Fully hyped for a massive next act, The Flaming Lips did not disappoint. They absolutely carved it up, with a brilliant visual and musical display that seemed to only contain about 6 or 7 songs that seemed to go for 9 or 10 minutes each. They controlled the crowd well, or failed to control the crowd, however you want to look at it. It was utter mayhem, everyone had lost their shit! They were the perfect act to finish the festival, very glad that I have seen one of the best groups in the business...

And now for some new tunes, a couple dance ones...

Blue Skies (The Twelves Remix) - Noah and The Whale ... Myspace

We Are Terrorists - Ground Zero (Dilemn Remix) ... Myspace

This next one is a great little tune from a post-indie four piece from Sydney...

The Paper Scissors - Howl ... Myspace

Oh, and check out the Flaming Lips cover of Madonna's 'Borderline' and Kylie Minogue's "Can't get you outta my Head' here care of Triple J... Its pretty sweet!!! (scroll across to just before the 25min mark...

First time caller, long time Listener...

2009-07-18T17:49:00.001+05:30

Having trawled the massive depths that is the blogosphere for many years, I finally felt that it was time that I give a little back. I hope to be able to open your eyes to some of the music that I am enjoying as well as pointing you in the right direction so that you can check out track samples. But most importantly, I just want to be entertaining as hell!!!!!!!!!! Because its a boring old world otherwise....

I make no promises as to what musical genres will be highlighted here, I enjoy anything from Techno and Prog, right through to Rock or Alternative. There will also be an element of an Australian influence, purely because of my geographical arrangement, so I hope that those of you who read this overseas can get a bit of an insight into the music scene down here. There is some great Aussie stuff floating around!

Because pages like this don't succeed without feedback - feel free to hit me up, make suggestions / additions and generally use what you find here to complement your musical interests. I look forward to hearing from you.

I think thats about enough for an intro....