Le Petit Mort

You are not the kind of guy who would be at a place like this at this time in the morning. But here you are, and you cannot say that the terrain is entirely unfamiliar, although the details are fuzzy.-- Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney p. 1

Current Music: REO Speedwagon - Music Man

The Little Book by Selden Edwards

My review

Current Music: Night Ranger - Hearts Away

After the demise of his band, Australian Crawl, James Reyne, has for several years continued to enjoy success as a solo artist. From his pop-friendly early material to his more laidback and eclectic recent releases Reyne has continued to show himself to be an excellent singer/songwriter.

His 2005 predominantly acoustic endeavor is an aural treat. Featuring a mix of acoustic versions of some of his Crawl classics like Errol, Reckless, Downhearted, and Oh No, Not You Again along with acoustic versions of material from his own solo career. The album is rounded out with covers of songs by Townes Van Zandt, Dan Hicks, John Hiatt and fellow Aussie singer/songwriter Paul Kelly not to mention a cover of the English folk classic Mr. Frog Went a Courtin'.

The acoustic versions of his material differs considerably from the original versions. The already melancholy Australian Crawl classics, Reckless and Downhearted take on an even more somber vibe when stripped down to merely Reyne's vocals and guitar.

Perhaps the greatest treat of this collection is how Reyne's voice has matured and improved with age. The minimalist approach of these recordings allow his voice to really shine. While his vocals with Australian Crawl were quite enjoyable, this album shows that his voice, like a fine wine, has grown considerably better with age.

Whether you're already familiar with Reyne or have never heard of him and are merely on the lookout for something new-- if you're a fan of acoustic music, chances are you'll find yourself enjoying this exceptional collection.


Related Links and Media
James Reyne - Downhearted (acoustic)


James Reyne - Reckless (acoustic)


Interview with James Reyne


The Official James Reyne Website
James Reyne Wikipedia entry
James Reyne - "... and the horse you rode in on" (Order the album on Amazon.com)
James Reyne Myspace.com site

Current Mood: relaxed
Current Music: James Reyne - Stood Up

As a follow-up to my post on British Classic Rock, I felt it fitting to delve into some of the better music to come from our friends from the South Pacific.

AC/DC: Many will argue that Led Zeppelin were the fathers or creators of heavy metal-- a label that not even Robert Plant himself agrees with. With that in mind, it can just as easily be argued that AC/DC were the fathers of metal. There's a certain energy and attitude about the. Even if some really have trouble calling what Bon Scott or later Brian Johnson were doing "singing," one thing that certainly can't be argued is Angus Young's talents on the guitar.

Bee Gees/Andy Gibb: While these guys were born in England, they were raised in Australia and it was there that they first made a name for themselves. Whether it's their early days as a tight R&B/Blue Eyed Soul trio with tight vocal harmonies or when they were at the pinnacle of their success as Disco Kings in the late seventies thanks to a little film called Saturday Night Fever. While younger brother, Andy opted not to turn the trio into a quartet his music was cut from the cloth as that of his older brothers. Unfortunately, due to his teen pin-up status he's never really been taken seriously despite having an exceptional voice and a respectable catalog in his own right.

Cold Chisel: The definitive Aussie pub rock band of the late seventies and early eighties. While they attempted to make a splash with the US music scene, they went largely ignored by the American public-- which inspired their Aussie hit, You Got Nothin' I Want. Songs like Khe Sanh, Flame Trees, When the War is Over and Breakfast at Sweethearts remain fan favorites today. Cold Chisel also spawned vocalist Jimmy Barnes whose solo career eventually eclipsed the success of the very band that spawned him. However, arguably one of his best vocal performances remains All I Wanna Do from Cold Chisel's 2003 Ringside tour.

Crowded House: After the Finn brothers pulled the plug on their initial musical endeavour, Split Enz (see below), Neil Finn embarked on a new musical endeavor, Crowded House. A huge concert draw in New Zealand and Australia the band split up in 1997, and re-formed in 2007 after a 10 year hiatus and the death of their original drummer, Paul Hester, to release their first new studio album in over ten years, Time On Earth. Crowded House is best known for their mega-hit Don't Dream It's Over.

The Cruel Sea: Other than a minor US hit, The Honeymoon Is Over, in the early 90s these guys aren't generally known outside their native Australia. Initially these guys started out as an instrumental unit inspired by the surf music of the 60s. They later added Beasts of Bourbon vocalist, Tex Perkins, to give their music a bit of extra dimension. Perkins' deep vocals helped propel the band to much greater success than they'd ever had as instrumentalists.

Hunters & Collectors: Named after a song by Can, Hunters & Collectors made a name for themselves in the Aussie pub rock scene of the eighties and nineties. With a tight rhythm section that served as not just a backbone but also a focal point of many of their songs, a horn section that gave their songs an extra chutzpah, and the vocals of Mark Seymour. Touring with Midnight Oil in the early 90s, saw the one and only US album release, Fate. Unfortunately, the suits in the States had no idea how to market them. And much like Cold Chisel before them, they went largely unnoticed. In 1998, they entered the studio for what would be their final album, Juggernaut. Their hit, Throw Your Arms Around Me remains a karaoke staple in Aussie bars to this day.

INXS: Next to AC/DC, INXS is likely the most well known Aussie musical export. Vocalist Michael Hutchence had a stage presence reminiscent of the late Jim Morrison that was truly a sight to be seen. Unfortunately, the band lost a lot of credibility when they replaced Hutchence with Canadian, J.D. Fortune, on a reality tv show-- despite releasing one solid album with Fortune on the mic (Switch).

Little River Band: Essentially these guys were the Aussie version of the Eagles. While arguably not as strong instrumentalists as their American counterparts, they more than made up for it with the rock solid super tight vocal harmonies of Glenn Shorrock, Graham Goble, and Beeb Birtles. Despite an ever shifting line-up that even saw the departure and return of lead vocalist Glenn Shorrock at one point, the core of Birtles, Goble, and Shorrock created some of the tightest vocal harmonies in pop/rock history. Even the three albums released with vocalist John Farnham in the early 80s had some exceptionally strong material. While Farnham's voice may have been better/stronger than Shorrock's it lacked the chemistry Shorrock's voice gave the band.

Men At Work: These days these guys are more fodder for eighties trivia games but in their day they put out some rather catchy and solid songs including Who Can It Be Now, Down Under, Be Good Johnny, and my personal favorite Overkill. Even many of the deeper album cuts by these guys were quite catchy.

Midnight Oil: With lyrics that were often largely political in nature, it's likely no surprise that lead vocalist Peter Garrett left the band to pursue a career in politics. But any band that can score an international hit from a song about Aboriginal land rights deserves some serious kudos.

Split Enz: Across "the ditch" from Australia in nearby New Zealand the brothers Finn (Tim & Neil) put together a string of New Wave hits (some of which caught on in the US and some which did not) including Six Months in a Leaky Boat, History Never Repeats, Bold as Brass, I Hope I Never, and perhaps their biggest hit I Got You.

Jimmy Barnes: After Cold Chisel split up Jimmy Barnes embarked on a largely successful solo career which spawned a string of solo hits including Working Class Man, Driving Wheels, and Ride the Night Away. Barnes is not just a vocalist but an Aussie icon!

John Farnham: Farnham made a respectable career and name for himself in Australia but remained a star until after his short stint as Little River Band's lead vocalist. In 1986 his Whispering Jack album became an Aussie staple largely on the success of its hit single, You're the Voice but also scored hits with covers of Cold Chisel's When the War Is Over and The Beatles Help, not to mention his collaborations with Jimmy Barnes and Aussie boy band Human Nature.

Wendy Matthews: Born in Canada, Wendy Mathews saw little success in her native North America. Then as fate would have it the then recently ousted LRB lead vocalist, Glenn Shorrock, invited her to sing back-up on his 1983 Australian tour. In Australia she found the success that had eluded her half a world away. Starting out as an in-demand session vocalist in 1990 Matthews recorded her solo debut, Emigre. Wendy is best known for The Day You Went Away.

Current Music: Split Enz - I Got You

Chicago

Current Mood: calm

For any who may be interested, I've started a Fantasy Football League over on Yahoo Fantasy Sports. To set up a team, here's the league info:

League ID#: 295902
Password: sisyphus

Current Mood: amused

As many of you know from my previous postings, I'm a regular reader of Sam de Brito's All Men Are Liars blog. In de Brito's most recent entry, Where are all the male school teachers de Brito broaches a very intriguing subject-- is the relative lack of male school teachers adversely affecting society as a whole? Is the lack of positive male role models leading to dumbed down males who, due to the preponderance of female teachers, see learning as a largely "effeminate" practice or discipline?

Would having more male school teachers help curb the dumbing down of the male portion of the species?

I can't speak for anyone else, only from my own experiences, but in grade school I dreaded having male teachers (other than for Phys Ed.). They were stricter disciplinarians and ruled by a firmer hand. In hindsight I realize this was a good thing. That being said I didn't have my first male teacher until 5th grade. And he was one of the best teachers I've ever had (I'm not discounting female teachers I've had several good female teachers as well over the years as well). It's not what I learned from him when it came to reading, writing, or the sciences... It's what he taught in life lessons-- respect, honor, dignity, basic manners. For example whenever a"guest" entered the room we were taught to stand as a sign of respect. Something I don't know that many students today are taught.

I do think having a good mixture of male and female teachers as I was growing up was a very positive thing. I believe it gave me a good balance. I do encourage you to follow the link and read de Brito's original post but I am curious to hear the thoughts of others on this subject.

Current Mood: curious
Current Music: Boston - Don't Look Back (RIP Brad Delp)

Happy Monday... Moonday/Lunes. Here's a bit of new randomness for this week as my brain isn't able to collate and organize ideas with any success or efficiency whatsoever lately (but it's not going to stop me from trying):

1) My wife subscribes to Marie Claire. This weekend in one of my pilgrimages to the porccelain throne I noticed it sitting face down on the back of said throne-- a heavenly vision on the back cover. It's an ad for Nexxus Shampoo. The woman in the picture is absolutely captivating. She has a classic beauty about her not seen since Liz Taylor in her prime (Liz Taylor in her prime = Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and/or A Place In the Sun).

2) This past summer, after 9 seasons with the Red Wings my then-favorite player, Brendan Shanahan fled for the Big Apple. I bet he wishes he'd stayed in Detroit now. Detroit is only 1 point behind Nashville in the Western Conference and (barring an historic and cataclysmic slump) are assured of a playoff spot and Shanahan's NY Rangers will be lucky if they sneak into the playoffs and even if they manage to sneak in, they'll likely be dispatched within the first round. Naysayers in the off-season were saying the Wings dominance in the Western Conference was likely to be ending as a result of Shanahan's departure and the retirement of the Captain (Stevie Y, 20 years, longest serving captain of any pro sports team in any sport in any league in the world). These guys have proven the naysayers wrong... Go Wings!

3) I've been a Pittsburgh Penguins fan since about 1999 when Jaromir Jagr (now with NY), Martin Straka (also in NY now), Robert Lang (Now in Detroit), Darius Kasparitis (playing in the minors for the Rangers farm team), Alexei Kovalev (now with Montreal), and Tom Barasso (retired) were still on the team and Herb Brooks (the very same Herb Brooks who led Team USA to upset the Russians in the 1980 Olympics) was their coach. The past 6 years have not been good to the Penguins or their fans. By mid-January this year's Penguins had already won more games than they'd won ALL last season and are already playing playoff calibre hockey. Go Penguins! Hopefully the Penguins will be able to stay in Pittsburgh! I'd hate to see them move to Kansas City.... KANSAS CITY?!?!?!

4) Tasteless sports joke of the day: It's too bad A-Rod wasn't on the plane with the late NY Yankees pitcher, Cory Lidle... Then the plane wouldn't have hit anything.

5) Last week I received a $25 gift certificate for Amazon.com. My wife and I each picked 1 item to order. She picked the 2007 Grammy Award Nominees CD, I picked Hunters & Collectors Juggernaut CD which I'm waiting for with baited breath. As one of Australia's best kept secrets, I've come to love these guys and I have to respect them for how they "retired." They went into the studio knowing this was going to be their last album. So they just went in and had a blast, putting an exclamation mark on their careers-- burning out rather than fading away. I'll be sure to write a review of Juggernaut for my other blog.

Current Mood: scattered
Current Music: What About Brian?

Awhile back I posted a music video by Hunters & Collectors... Since then I've found a few more H&C (and related) goodies:

Betty's Worry or The Slab (this one is truly bizarre)


Talking To a Stranger


Is There Anybody In There


Holy Grail


When the River Runs Dry


Oh and in case you missed it the first time I posted it:
Throw Your Arms Around Me

Enjoy the musical joy from the Hunnas fron down unna...

Current Mood: chipper
Current Music: Hunters & Collectors - When the River Runs Dry

This movie was a delight from start to finish. Edward Norton and Paul Giamatti delivered exceptional performances and the cinematography was reminiscent of classic silent films which gave the film a very classic and at times "sepia" feel, as if the viewer wasn't watching a film on DVD but on a kinetescope.

Jessica Biel isn't a good actress, she never really has been any more than a pretty face. Her performance in this film while adequate does nothing to set her apart from any of her peers. Luckily, her screen time is limited as the film is much more focused on Norton, Giamatti, and Rufus Sewell. Sewell plays Crown Prince, Franz Leopold. His performance is delightfully sleazy. Sewell has seemingly made his career (at least thus far) as playing foils or villains, and right he should as he does so well at playing pure villainy (the exception being in Tristan & Isolde where he played a rather sympathetic and likable Marke).

Saying too much about the plot would likely give away far too much and ruin it for those who are yet to see it. So, to put things as basic as possible, Norton plays the titular "illusionist", Eisenheim, Giamatti plays a police inspector investigating Eisenheim, Biel plays the love interest and as mentioned before Sewell plays Franz Leopold.

But don't take my word for it, give this film a chance, you won't be disappointed.

Current Mood: amused
Current Music: Def Leppard - Rock of Ages (live)