Arcade Fire - New York, 17 February 2007

If you'd placed a bet that any Australian festival would feature Arcade Fire in third spot you could of made a hell of a lot of money. But that's what Big Day Out has managed to produce. At the moment the middle of the lineup is pretty light (they've said that this will be the focus of the second announcement), but what a hell of a top three.

This is a set from way back in 2007 (there'll be something more recent later on). There are a few rough points - Régine isn't the greatest singer (she sounds ok on Poupée de cire, poupée de son, so maybe it's just the comparison with the studio versions that hurts her), but this is also a point where the band were still small enough to be able to play multiple nights at a church.

The sound is good - Wake Up isn't up to the same quality as the rest of the set, but that's explained in the introduction. Like I said, I'll be putting up a couple of shows from all the headliners, so if you want something more recent just a wait a while.

Wake Up
Black Mirror
Keep the Car Running
No Cars Go
Haïti
Poupée de cire, poupée de son
Black Wave/Bad Vibrations
The Well and the Lighthouse
Ocean of Noise
Rebellion (Lies)
Intervention

My Body is a Cage
Neon Bible

Neighbourhood #2 (Laika)

https://mega.co.nz/#F!oRdjFL6b!DXnumTx8_udedC_-L87wow

The Strokes - Reading Festival 2011

There were so many rumours that these guys were about to be announced that I figured I should have this ready. Looks like those rumours were just that. Either way, this is a pretty decent set from a couple of years back. Unfortunately, Just What I Needed with Jarvis Cocker isn't as good on record as it is on paper. The rest of the set is good though (I should mention that the sound, while good, isn't quite up to the standard of most of the other soundboards I've put up).


Is This It
New York City Cops
Under Cover of Darkness
The Modern Age
Machu Picchu
Reptilia
Someday
Life is Simple in the Moonlight
You Only Live Once
You're So Right
What Ever Happened?
Alone, Together
Just What I Needed (w/ Jarvis Cocker)
Juicebox
Last Nite

Hard to Explain
Take It Or Leave It

https://mega.co.nz/#F!JBMEDTCT!SIBManiq24sPlIFmIr5wdQ

Japandroids - Corner Hotel, 30 August 2013

The second Japandroids gig was substantially better than the first. The effect of having a night off and playing on Friday were pretty evident. Vocally the band were much better, although, like the first night, the sound quality wasn't great. They were also a lot more engaged (or maybe the crowd were just more enthusiastic), at one point slightly after midnight inviting a fan (who had just turned 18, having managed to get in underage) on stage for shots, followed by crowd surfing for the entirety of To Hell with Good Intentions.

The setlist was virtually identical to night one. The only difference being Crazy/Forever being played in place of I Quit Girls. Like I said, the sound quality isn't outstanding, although it isn't horrible either. A fun show, and hopefully Australia will get a visit a little earlier on the tour for the next album.

Adrenaline Nightshift
The Boys Are Leaving Town
Fire's Highway
Art Czars
The Nights of Wine and Roses
Rockers East Vancouver
Younger Us
Wet Hair
Evil's Sway
Heart Sweats
Sovereignty
Continuous Thunder
To Hell with Good Intentions
Crazy/Forever
Young Hearts Spark Fire
The House That Heaven Built
For the Love of Ivy

https://mega.co.nz/#F!1I9iRLha!JfqinlcQSpgV46ntIzVwOg

Franz Ferdinand - Lollapalooza Brazil 2013

This is why we can't have nice things. A festival in a nice location, that doesn't try to pack people in and manages to attract people that aren't obnoxious. Harvest is gone for good but hopefully they'll manage to put on a smaller version (maybe a Melbourne only show with sideshows in other cities along the lines of Release the Bats). Anyway, they've managed to organise some tours for next year, including one from Franz Ferdinand [I've seen some suggestion that maybe they'll be touring around when Harvest was going to be (BRMC and Neutral Milk Hotel will definitely be doing tours then)].

This set is from just a few months ago, and includes material from their latest album (which is actually pretty good). Sadly, we won't be seeing them at Harvest, but it looks like an early 2014 tour is locked in.

No You Girls
Bullet
The Dark of the Matinee
Fresh Strawberries
Do You Want To
Love Illumination
Walk Away
Stand on the Horizon
Michael
Evil Eye
Take Me Out
Ulysses
Goodbye Lovers & Friends
Can't Stop Feeling
Outsiders
Treason! Animals
The Fallen
This Fire

https://mega.co.nz/#F!VZsh3KBT!M8iJUAYXhoNmLDwzfLQREg

Japandroids - Corner Hotel, 28 August 2013

I've been waiting for a loooong time to see these guys do a headline set. Their show earlier in the year at Laneway was pretty good, but these guys are better suited to a club. Unfortunately, the time taken to get to Australia meant these shows were at the very end of their Celebration Rock tour and, as they admitted at the shows, their voices are a bit fried. It can't have helped that they were playing consecutive nights in Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne.

Putting all that aside, the show itself was still pretty great. At times the strain on their voices really shows through, but hell, they still played almost all of both their albums, plus a couple of non-album tracks. Having had a day off, their show on the 30th was a bit better (plus it was a Friday night with a crowd who were more into it), but this was still a good show.

Adrenaline Nightshift
The Boys Are Leaving Town
Fire's Highway
Art Czars
The Night of Wine and Roses
Rockers East Vancouver
Younger Us
Wet Hair
Evil's Sway
Heart Sweats
Sovereignty
Continuous Thunder
I Quit Girls
Young Hearts Spark Fire
The House That Heaven Built
To Hell with Good Intentions
For the Love of Ivy

https://mega.co.nz/#F!1Z9kSKbC!M_s-RTCbuEB0aAdeG7iCBg

Jay Bennett - Whatever Happened I Apologize

It was interesting listening to Billy Bragg talk at his show last year about the influence of Jay Bennett on the Mermaid Avenue sessions. Clearly the guy was incredibly talented. His departure from Wilco is captured in I Am Trying to Break Your Heart. But despite all that, and despite the fact that he never gained much public attention again, he produced some really good music right up until his death.

The obvious first question people will ask is does this sound like Wilco, and the answer is no. But that might put some people off but in reality its a good thing - rather than try to recreate his past glories he's moved on to something different that can more easily be judged it its own right. And doing so shows a pretty rewarding album. Ironically, given the disagreements seen in I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, this is very underproduced. In the post part its Bennett playing acoustic guitar, with some minimal additional instruments (all played by Bennett too). The sound is folky and country sounding. Lyrically its bleak but never overly morbid (in some ways it reminds me of Elliott Smith). Bennett's life had some fairly tragic elements, and his death came at time when people close to him said he had finally got himself in a good place. But Bennett's legacy remains in a wealth of fantastic music, including his solo work which is likely to be overlooked in favour of his work with Wilco.

http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jay_Bennett/Whatever_Happened_I_Apologize/

Twitter

If anyone cares, I'm now on Twitter. I'm only using it to see what musicians I like are saying and because word of tours seems to break there early, but I might ocassionally say something (and I'll respond to questions, suggestions and personal abuse). If you want to follow me - @shakeysounds

Old Crow Medicine Show - World Cafe, 25 October 2006

It seems like a long time since these guys have toured, but its only been four years. Anyway, this is a very short promotional set from just after the release of their second album.

Cocaine Habit [aka Take a Whiff on Me]
God's Got It
James River Blues
Wagonwheel
Tell it to Me (Interlude)

https://mega.co.nz/#F!EEMFwJ5C!Cojc6jKc8zxsgeqhCpijnw

Pearl Jam - Xmas Singles

I was kinda hoping that the rumours that Pearl Jam were going to headline Big Day Out weren't true, since I'd much rather see them play their own shows. Now I'm hoping that since this is the start of the tour for their new album they will (for the first time ever) make two trips through Australia for this album.

Given they release every show they play there isn't much that is hard to get anymore (they also allow shows that are no longer available to be freely traded - check out the links section for sites that have their previous Australian shows for download). Every year Pearl Jam put out a vinyl single to their fan club. The quality of the material varies enormously, but some of it is outstanding (their only number one was originally an Xmas single). This is a collection of all the singles released to date (nothing was released in 1994, so they released a double single in 1995).

I'll try to add the new singles as they're released, but if this isn't up to date in the future just drop me a line. Lastly, for anyone who is easily offended by nasty words, probably best to skip Ramblings Pt 3.

[Update: I've added the 2013 single. If you want everything then click the link at the bottom of the page. If you only want the new songs click on each of them below]

Let Me Sleep
Ramblings
Sonic Reducer
Ramblings Pt 2
Angel
Ramblings Pt 3
History Never Repears (w/ Tim and Neil Finn) [Live]
Sonic Reducer (w/ Joey Ramone) [Live]
Swallow My Pride (Green River) [Live]
My Way (Eddie Vedder and Terry Presley) [Live]
Olympic Platinum
Smile [Live]
Happy When I'm Crying
Live for Today [1997 was a split single with REM, so this isn't by Pearl Jam]
Soldier of Love [Live]
Last Kis
Strangest Tribe
Driftin'
Crown of Thorns [Live]
Can't Help Falling in Love [Live]
Last Soldier [Live]
Indifference (w/ Ben Harper) [Live]
Gimme Some Truth [Live]
I Just Wanna Have Something to Do (Jeff Ament)
Don't Believe in Christmas
Sleepless Nights (w/ Beck) [Live]
Reach Down (w/ Chris Cornell) [Live]
I Believe in Miracles [Live]
Someday at Christmas
Betterman [Molo Session]
Little Sister (w/ Robert Plant) [Live]
Gone [Demo]
Love, Reign O'er Me
Rockin' in the Free World (w/ Bono and The Edge) [Live]
Santa God
Jingle Bells [Instrumental]
Santa Cruz
The Golden State (Eddie Vedder and Corin Tucker)
Turning Mist

Hawaii '78 [Live] [Pretty sure this is with Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, but I can't confirm it]

No Jeremy [Live]

Falling Down [Live]

Better Things

Devil Doll (X and Eddie Vedder)

All Night [Live]

In the Moonlight (w/ Josh Homme) [Live]

99 Problems (w/ Jay-Z) [Live]
Shattered (w/ Jeanne Triplehorn) [Live]

https://mega.co.nz/#F!lVEBwR4S!foMoRh5RdxtEnGsMbLE4Vg

The Return of the War on Drugs

So one of my favourite bands have been announced for an Australian return. So far it's only Falls, but they'll surely play some sideshows. Anyone that doesn't know these guys (you can't have been visiting here often because I post about them all the time) can check out some recordings here. I haven't heard a release date for their new album, but it'll either be out when they tour or not far away, so we should get to hear some new stuff.