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louderthanbombsus · 7 years

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Song notes for Chestnuts – Neil Sims.

Cold Chisel, Khe Sanh (1978): basically the Australian National anthem. Cold Chisel are absolutely one of Australia's best ever pub rock bands. Lyrically brilliant, with a proper alcoholic fighting frontman, wonderful guitarist from Alice Springs (desert - smack bang in the middle of Aus). I absolutely dismissed this band in my youth largely because this song has somehow been adopted as an anthem by Aussie bogans (footy playing meathead types). I cannot fathom why this song has become so anthemic. The lyrics are about a guy returning from the Vietnam war and wanting to get back to Hong Kong to shag Chinese whores! If you go to a pub, and it's choc full of bogans and this tune is played, they will, en masse, yell every word of this song in your face while spilling some of the world's worst beer down your front. It's a kind of bonding thing. Cold Chisel have many other very beautiful songs. Flame Trees is another that often gets mentioned. Check out their album 'East' if you like this kind of thing.

Courtney Barnett, Avant Gardner (2015): Courtney is something of a superstar nowadays. This song comes off the album before she struck it big. Courtenay writes beautifully about life in Melbourne's suburbia. This is the most beautiful song ever written about having an asthma attack. The lyrics at the end "I'm not that good at breathing in" - fantastic.

Saints, I'm stranded (1977): Punk was invented in Australia! This tune pre-dates the Sex-Pistols and appears to have evolved independently. Apparently these guys were shipped to the UKL as Punk was exploding and they didn͛t really like it, so they came back. The guitarist, Ed Keupper, continues to play throughout Australia. In the saints he used a PA for a guitar amp and his sound was based on extreme volume. I like that kind of thing. Anyway, another affirmation of Australian musical heritage.

Black Cab, Heart's on Fire (2007): Melbourne band. We are super lucky to have some of the world's best radio stations in Melbourne - 3RRR and PBS - these funded entirely by subscriptions, and they command a much larger share of the listening audience than they should for their income. Uncensored, very left wing, catering to true music lovers (funny story - Sydney has these right wing shock jocks that basically control our politics through terrifying the public and politicians - same as everywhere. Some super wealthy conservative bastards heavily backed a similar thing in Melbourne and it went bust in a couple of years because we just all ignored them- yay!). Anyway - there is one particular radio show on a Friday afternoon with 'the ghost' who has been on radio for about a thousand years. Somehow, on many occasions, he has played tunes that have been absolutely perfect soundtracks for what I was doing at the time - really quite remarkable. I remember driving in my VW beetle back into Melbourne from some interstate place, and there's this part of the highway coming into town where you get this amazing view of Melbourne City. I was kinda feeling odd about being in Melbourne at the time, and the ghost played this tune at exactly the point where you this amazing view emerges from the highway and open fields. It shaped my feelings about Melbourne. Good tune, too.

Warumpi-band, Black Fella, white fella (1985): Like every country that has been colonized by white people, there is a strong movement in Australia to recognize and respect our indigenous (aboriginal) cultural heritage. I strongly support our indigenous aspirations. This was one of the first tunes by an indigenous band that I can recall hitting the record charts. Bit of a classic.

The Drones, How to see through fog (2013): Another Melbourne band - This is just one of the best summer tunes I know. I always think of being in a shabby apartment in the stinking heat with light curtains waving in the gentle breeze. This tune also has one of the best Lo-fi guitar solos I know. I've been playing guitar for a million years and I still can't harness whatever wildness Gareth Liddiard is channelling here - awesome stuff. Gareth is becoming a ͚figure͛ in the Australian arts scene now. He͛ ll get really big soon.

Australian Crawl, Beautiful people (1980): Aussie Crawl were super popular in the early 80s though I never really got into them. Aussie Crawl always seemed to be playing as I was spewing into the sick bag at the back of the coach heading to school camp. Now every time I hear them I have to lie down. This band is also famous for having virtually unintelligible lyrics courtesy of James Reyne.

Civil Civic, the Gift (2016) – this is one of three instrumentals I͛ve selected. The guys I played with in my first band in high school turned out to be some pretty amazing people. The drummer is just a remarkable character who is now a band manager (Boy & Bear, Airborne, Paper Kites etc) - one of the key figures in the music industry in Australia. At 12 years of age, the Keyboard player was the smartest guy I have ever met - still is. Now the head of a significant finance company. Our singer and bass payer, Ben, was the most creative person I have ever met - beautiful artist and writer, and a great muso. We would be taking a break, mid-set, and he would just pick up a guitar and do a solo show, singing passionately and beautifully - the chicks and the parents loved him. An absolute talent. He plays bass in this band which is comprised of two ex pat Melbournites; Aaron living in London and Ben in Barcelona, and ͞The Box͟ which is a drum machine and few other bits of kit with some flashing lights on the front. Ben is a super smart guy and the intricacy of the bass playing on this album reflects the massive size of his brain. I can't even comprehend some of the stuff he plays, let alone remember what the heck happens from one section to another throughout most of the songs. Anyway, big ups to Ben and Aaron - much luck.

Bat Piss, Weatherboard man (2017): I like this recent tune from another Melbourne band. The lyrics cover a lot of ground. The weatherboard thing refers to his background and ambitions etc. But houses are also more expensive in Australia than anywhere else on the planet (except Hong Kong - true) so any lyrics mentioning some housing thing stirs the ire of the people. Anyway, I just like the tune.

Grinderman, No pussy blues (2007): I bloody hate Nic Cave, but he͛s something of an Icon for emotionally challenged people. I like his side project with Grinderman more than any of his other stuff. This tune is kinda rockin, and has a sense of humour which is bloody rare for Nic. Nic has lived in England for most of his life now, but somehow we maintain him on the register of Australian artists. While we are on this issue, I'd like to apologise for Rupert Murdoch.

Slim Dusty - Pub with no beer (1957): Slim Dusty has more gold and platinum records than any other Australian Artist. He was the first Aussie recording artist to have an international #1 with this song. Slim Dusty was also the first artist broadcast from space when astronauts played his rendition of Waltzing Matilda from Space Shuttle Columbia as it passed over Australia on its maiden flight in 1981 (Wikipedia - could be wildly incorrect). Everyone knew Slim and this song (and Khe Sanh) when I was growing up. Part of Australia's musical history to be sure. The other good news is that if you hate the song, it's over pretty quickly.

Ball Park Music - Nihilist Party Anthem (2016): We, DJ Chestnuts, became acquainted with one another via the very awesome Maux, whom I met at the greatest conference I will ever attend in Corvallis, OR. Maux and have I kept in touch via facebook ever since and we've shared a few tunes. This is one I sent to Maux some time ago and I think she liked it. These guys are from Brisbane. They͛re all music Nerds so you get a mix of some decent groove (like this track) and some overintellectualised slow stuff that I immediately ignore.

Leader Cheetah - Bloodlines (2009): We have a national youth radio station called JJJ There's a running joke that it's run by 50 year olds, which I think is not that far from the truth. Still, some great shows and DJs. This station holds the Hottest 100, which is where people vote for the best songs of the year. They reckon it's the world's largest popular vote thing of its kind. They also have an 'Unearthed" thing which gives new bands a chance to play their stuff on radio, and I think this is where I heard this song first. These guys are from Adelaide, which along with Canberra (Australia's capital), is the butt of more Australian city jokes than any other. People who don͛t live in Adelaide hate the place. I kinda like it – many beautiful women riding bicycles and excellent Indian food is my main impression – it͛s like the Indian Amsterdam of Australia without the canals. Anyway, apparently Leader Cheetah have toured with Interpol, Dinosaur Jr. and Elbow. They've been pretty quiet lately and I've got no idea what they're up to. This song struck me with the very beautiful chorus and lyrics - totally channelling Neil Young here.

C.W.Stoneking - Get on the floor (2015): This is the music they should have played in The Heart of Darkness, and I imagine a big white wooden boat going up a slow river on a still hot day, heading towards a raunchy drugged-up pagan festival of some kind every time I hear it. CW was born in Katherine, which is absolutely in the middle of bloody nowhere (NT, Australia). I think he only has one set of clothes, which is an impeccable white suit and shoes with spats. He records in a very beautiful and old fashioned way as far as I understand, which is to basically place a microphone in a room and play! They move instruments back and forth to get the mix right. Fantastic stuff.

The Bamboos - Eel Oil (2006): The Bamboos are the elder statesmen of Aussie funk. They command a heap of respect in the industry and they get all the cool guest artists. The outfit is basically led by their guitarist, and when you see them live you get the impression that all the other (very capable) musos are in awe of this guy and playing to his beat. Very cool guy. I like some of their darker tunes, and you needed a couple of instrumentals, so here's another one.

The Bee Gees - You should be dancing (1979): Believe it or not these guys are somewhat Australian. We like to own anything that once visited our shores and has since done well. Russel Crowe (NZ), Crowded House (NZ), Mel Gibson (USA), AC/DC (England/Scotland) etc etc... I think these guys parents moved to Australia at the dawn of time for about 6 months and so now we own them. I hear that sometimes you like to dance, DJ Chestnuts, and dancing is Disco! I wish I could rock skin tight white flares, high heels and a shirt tucked in so tight you couldn't get a cigarette paper into the inherently low friction gap between nylon shirt and gaberdine trouser if you tried. Alas I am too fat.

Gold Class - life as a gun (2016): Good Melbourne fellas, essentially the embodiment of modern Joy Division. I dig this tune. They launched this album late last year and it sold out on vinyl in about a second. There's a couple of other goodies on the album too.

Fractures - Low Cast (2017): Melbourne band. Don͛t know much about these guys but I dig the layered harmonies and smooth feel of this tune. A newey and a mellow goodie.

AC/DC - Have a drink on me (1980): What would an Aussie playlist be without AC/DC, who have graciously accepted being considered Australian despite not having resided in Australia for many many years. This is from the Back in Black album, which was a tribute album to Bon Scott, their first singer who died choking on his own spew. That is so cool. It͛s the only AC/DC album that I really got my teeth into, and it was the soundtrack to a phase in my life where my buddies were getting their first cars, beer (we can drink at 18), some very dodgy parties, and experimentation. I listened to this a lot on cassette in my old mans car. I didn't know which song to pick from this album, but I support the inclusion of alcohol in all facets of life so this one jumped out at me. These guys are basically on their last legs these days, but luckily they have an almost direct replacement in the form of Airborne, who are much more famous in Europe than they are in Australia, and who happen to be managed by one of the guys I played in that band with: Greg, the drummer.

Rocket Science - Burn in Hell (2000): THIS is the kind of music I like to wake up to - fast, groovy, and reminding you that you are damned either way. Fucking inspirational. There's a fantastic line in an LCD Sound System song about 'your favourite music helps you sleep'. To me, that is the wrong way to use music, and it signals a deficiency in the human organism for which this is true. We should pity people like that. Another Melbourne band.

Peter Sculthorpe - String Quartet # 14 (1998): Peter Sculthorpe died recently, and was probably amongst the most famous residents of Canberra (our Nation's capital), along with Jackie Chan (no shit). I like this kind of whacko classical gear - it conjures up all kinds of landscape features, which helps me sleep. People who don't have music to sleep to should be pitied.

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - Julie's Place (2017): Greater Melbourne is split in two by the Yarra River and there's a saying that "you're either on one side of the river or the other". The southern suburbs are salubrious and expensive. Things are green and tidy and everything is organised by accountants and lawyers and school mums in black Range Rovers. North of the river is where there are still lots of live music venues, young creative people and nobody ever cleans their front yard. The film clip to this song ("A time to mow") is pretty funny and nicely encapsulates a typical home situation in Melbourne's North. The tune itself is one of the best implementations of excellent song craft over the "we have no musical skills and made this song up in 7 minutes" sound. I dig it (and so does Maux if I recall correctly).

Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Which way to go (2008): These guys are described as Punk. A good (Melbourne!) guitar band. They basically started from a jam at the record pressing plant where they worked, with vocals improvised over the top. Good riff. Good lyrics. Good clip - what's not to love.

A.B.Original - January 26 (2016): January 26 is "Australia Day" and we get a public holiday for it. Nobody actually knows specifically why Jan 26th is the holiday. I could probably google it, I guess. But nobody knows. It is being increasingly seen as a celebration of European invasion, and many people are even calling it Invasion day. This song says a lot about how indigenous people feel about Australia Day. These guys recently won an Australian Recording Industry Award (ARIA) for their album, "Reclaim Australia", which, just like it says on the box, is full of protest. This song caused a bit of drama in the press - it rated top 20 in the Hottest 100 but the Murdoch press had a field day and said something like ͞song denouncing Australian values wins award͟ - surprise surprise. I'd like to apologise for Rupert Mordoch again.

Science Fiction - Divinyls (1983): I never really got into this band, but I like this song's cool groove and flowy bass runs. Their singer, Chrissie Amphlet was an icon for many young Australian women. She had this really sexy look and she shoved it in your face. Great voice, too. Not sure how well known this song is outside of Australia.

Good boy - Poverty line (2016): another of my morning music favourites and another JJJ Unearthed find. These guys are from Brisbane, which is in Queensland in Australia͛s north east. Queensland is affectionately known as the 'deep north', in reference to the US Deep South, as it is chock full of mosquitos, terrible beer, and all of the very worst of our politicians (Tasmania, that shitty island just off the bottom of the mainland runs a bloody close second for political retards). Only real estate agents and corporate criminals wear closed-toe shoes in Queensland, which makes it easy to spot the remainder in their board shorts and thongs (which is the correct name for 'flip-flops').

Something for Kate - Captain (million miles an hour)(1997): Something for Kate are one of those bands that everyone in Australia and especially the music industry knows and greatly admires, but have never really broken it huge. These guys are another Melbourne band, and somehow I manage to see their singer, Paul Dempsey, all over the place around town - supermarket, laundromat, Chinatown. My brother had the same thing (”Did you see Paul Dempsey again today?””Yeah, WTF?”) and so we think that maybe he is stalking us. That's cool - being stalked is a like a compliment from an introvert. This song is an oldie. There's been many excellent Something for Kate newies, but I just love this one. I dig the straight ahead guitar and bass working together, and the lyrics send me to some dreamy place when I was very young.

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