Ear Candy 2020.05 – Eat the Sun, Chew the Gum

In spite of ourselves we’ll end up sittin’ on a rainbow

Abigail Goldman makes beautifully morbid “DIEoramas”. Check this out.

Some new tracks, some old, and some rediscovered deeeeeep cuts this month – with a big crunchy opener from some kiwi legends who gave awesome live shows back in the day – and a chaotic closer.

I had to include a John Prine classic, rest in peace.

Damn this plague.

Key Albums #1: Hello Nasty

Fifty cups of coffee and you know it’s on

Packed like sardines in a tin

A recent conversation started me thinking about my favourite albums, or at the very least, the albums that shaped me and my personality (or possibly spoke to the personality I already had). It’s impossible to rank such a list, but some items that make the shortlist are obvious.

The first album I ever bought with my own money was Hello Nasty by Beastie Boys. At that time I was familiar with their previous work, but not intimately. My knowledge was largely drawn from their clever and often amusing music videos.

So in a similar vein, Hello Nasty was introduced by way of the video for Intergalactic. It was hilarious, fresh, and experimental. And I can’t pass a robot voice nor a thumping beat. That song was, and still is, a JAM. I wanted to see more, hear more and learn more.

Big Power Ranger energy

In 1998 I was 15. I had a job at the local pharmacy delivering medication to little old ladies on my bike. I made $6 for my 90 minute shift after school, two days a week. On a good shift, I’d get to deliver to Gladys Day – who, despite living only a block away from the pharmacy would give a whopping $2 tip. There’s a reason I remember her name 22 years later.

So in a good week, I’d make $15. An album was over twice that, and in those days all you had to go off was what you’d heard on the radio or seen on TV. I took the plunge and bought it, and got far more value than I had paid. I listened to that album on loop. I was a regular on the (very active for 1998) Beastie Boys message board and made friends from all over the world.

The first two minutes of this are pure comedy, as is Mike’s dance move at 3:25

Last year I read Beastie Boys Book, which I thoroughly recommend to general music fans. One thing that delighted me was a chapter by Adam Horovitz titled “Hello Nasty Is Our Best Record”. Horovitz goes on to outline his reasoning, and what grabbed me was that I agreed with all of it. Hello Nasty is weird, genre hopping, lyrically both deep and goofy, and yet all works. And the cover artwork encapsulates all of this. Horovitz says it best:

Hello Nasty is more mixtape than record. A gift from us to you. When you get a sec … listen to the songs Song for Junior, Song for the Man, Sneakin’ Out the Hospital, I Don’t Know, and Body Movin’. Are those songs supposed to be by the same band on the same record?

Adam Horovitz, Beastie Boys Book
This song still gets me – and only holds more weight after Yauch’s death

Most of those who only casually know Beastie Boys seem to draw their conclusions from Fight for your Right (To Party). In my case, I wasn’t even aware of their first album until years later and was surprised how different that was from the band I’d come to know from listening to (in this order) Hello Nasty, Check Your Head, Paul’s Boutique, Ill Communication, and To The Five Boroughs. To this day I still surprise friends when I play tracks such as I Don’t Know or Song For Junior and tell them it’s Beastie Boys.

I was fortunate enough to see these guys play three times, the highlight being their 2005 “dress to impress” tour at the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney – right up front in the January heat. When Adam Yauch died of cancer in 2012, it was the first time that a celebrity death had ever affected me. These guys were always true to themselves, did things the way they wanted, and pushed boundaries. They were never afraid to speak up for injustice, be it Tibetan freedom, endless war, or sexism (“Like you got the right / to look her up and down“). And all the while they were happy to goof around and have a laugh (“Dogs love me cause I’m crazy sniffable“) or drop cultural references in French or Spanish. When I visited New York City for the first time in 2011 I felt I already knew my way around based off Beastie lyrics.

They were never in it for money or fame – they just did what they loved and said what they felt. Ad Rock, Mike D and MCA had an overwhelmingly positive impact on that 15-year-old-me and the life that followed.

Play or fold, love is bold
What is the future that will unfold?
Some like it hot, others like it cold
But we all want to hold the remote control

Remote Control

Ear Candy 2020.04 – Happy In Denial

Log me in and out of my life

Hiroshi Nagai always delights, and serves as a perfect visual aid to this month’s playlist

I’ve thrown in a few more oldies this month. Being stuck at home has led me to dig through some old favourites seeking comfort during my slow descent into solitary madness.

The Strokes dropped The New Abnormal which really only made it clear to me that JC should just focus on The Voidz instead, and so I ended up listening to Tyranny and Virtue again instead.

And given it was the 15th anniversary of Guero last month I had to revisit it, and since I couldn’t decide on a favourite I threw one of the 8-bit remixes that came out at the time. Yes, the original is better, but chiptunes warm my soul and I get to feel like I’m collecting coins or rings as I listen.

Lyrically, Girl is a great example of what I love about Beck’s stream-of-consciousness style. The official lyrics for the hook are “My … girl” where the ellipsis is mumbled and interpretation is left up to the listener. Is it sun-eyed or cyanide? The rest of the lyrics can be read differently depending on perspective, but overall it’s a very dark song cast to an upbeat tune.

“I know I’m gonna steal her eye” isn’t quite as charming when taken literally.

Ear Candy 2020.03 – Love

I think you’re beautiful, well, isn’t it strange?
Stay here with me, and never change
We could be suitable, like one in the same
A light in the world, ever dark and mundane

One thing I’ve come to realise lately is that I’m not a fan of the increasing trend of drip-feeding 6 singles leading up to an album’s release. By the time the album drops, you’ve already played through half of it and it changes your relationship to the album as a whole. You can’t evaluate every song evenly since you already have favourite children. Just a thought. I’m looking at you Tame Impala.

Aside from that, what a great month of music. Here’s twelve songs keeping my ears warm this month. As usual, a couple of old classics thrown in for good measure.

Ear Candy 2020.02 – Sleep

Now I worry our horizon’s been nothing new
‘Cause I get this feeling and maybe you get it too
We’re on a rollercoaster stuck on its loop-de-loop
‘Cause what we did, one day, on a whim
Has slowly become all we do

A few tracks I’ve had on rotation in the last couple of months. Some old favourites and some freshies.

2019 in Music

Will I be known and loved?
Little closer, close enough
I’m a loser, loosen up
Set it free, must be tough

Well, I’m a month later than most with their best of 2019 list, but given the Hottest 100 was coming this weekend, it crossed my mind that I should revisit this.

Songs

  1. Borderline – Tame Impala
    By far my most played song. I still can’t get enough and am super hyped for The Slow Rush and the 2020 tour.
  2. UFOF – Big Thief
    Both of their 2019 albums got a good workout, but this track most of all.
  3. Andromeda – Weyes Blood
  4. RICKY – Denzel Curry
  5. Nobody – Mac DeMarco
  6. Georgia – Kevin Abstract
  7. Heavy Hearted – The Jungle Giants
  8. Skinshape – I Didn’t Know
  9. Real Thing – Middle Kids
  10. Doin’ Time – Lana Del Rey

Albums

Igor – Tyler, The Creator
The best albums have a consistent sound, theme, and exist best as a whole, in the specific order prescribed by the album. Plenty of tracks from this album can be listened to individually, but I rarely felt like listening to one song – I wanted to listen to the album.
The album follows the journey of a relationship from the initial excitement, onto the desperation to make it work, right through to it’s tragic end and the bitterness that comes along for the ride. I wouldn’t have imagined this in Tyler’s future when I saw OFWGKTA ten years ago at the Sydney Opera House playhouse – but it makes a lot of sense in hindsight. He’s always been a terrific storyteller.

You make my Earfquake

Other notable albums:

  • Omoiyari – Kishi Bashi
    (Also an incredible live show)
  • Titanic Rising – Weyes Blood
  • UFOF / Two Hands – Big Thief
  • Big Smooth Cat – Dope Lemon
  • Here Comes The Cowboy – Mac DeMarco
  • Closer To Grey – Chromatics
  • Hiding Places – Billy Woods
  • Labrinth, Sia & Diplo Present… LSD – Sia, Diplo, Labyrinth, LSD