Album of the week- Rowland S. Howard- "Pop Crimes".

Well, here it is. Rowland's first new album since 2000's "Teenage Snuff Film".
At first glance, it may seem that there's not a lot to it- only eight tracks, two of which have already appeared on a recent single. But repeated listening brings out an astonishing degree of subtle depth. From the unapologetically intelligent lyrics, to the way a single chord or slight tempo change lifts whole songs, this collection has some real class. The closing two tunes, "Ave Maria" and "The Golden Age Of Bloodshed" are a perfect pairing of opposites- one a love story, the other a compelling reading of (bad) omens.
Launch dates in Melbourne & Sydney later this month. Oh, and yes, it'll be available on vinyl as well as CD.

Fitting tribute.

I can't really add enything to the email I got telling me about this.

Ron Asheton Tribute Night featuring Bored! with guest vocalists Fiona Maynard and Mike Keane playing the songs of The Stooges and Destroy all Monsters! Also playing Kim Salmon, Mick Harvey and Deafwish! Its a benefit for injured wildlife in the Victorian bushfires so come on down!!!
$10, at Cherry Bar, in AC/DC Lane.

The old rogue.

I've mentioned Nick Cave here a couple of times previously.
By an interesting coincidence, the same week as I was considering going to the current exhibition on his life and works at the Arts Centre here in Melbourne, I was also doing some digging through the Honeysuckle archives- a vast underground complex, under a hillside in a secret location somewhere on the edge of town.
And I found this:

Hmm, they all look very young there.
Keith Glass, of Missing Link Records, gave me a few of these promo shots years ago. I got this signed after a show one night- at either the Ballroom or at Hearts, I can't quite recall. And I'm not sure why Mick Harvey signed it left handed, either. And no, it's not for sale- it's been framed and is now hanging up in my house.
I also found a couple of other interesting bits and pieces- more to come.

"Suburban Mayhem" on DVD

I mentioned this movie a while back. This is a just a note that it's now out on DVD, and is available as a limited edition 2 disc set which includes a CD of the (excellent) Mick Harvey soundtrack.

Suburban Mayhem soundtrack wins AFI award

A while back, I said the soundtrack for this movie was great.
Well, last night it won the 2006 Australian Film Institute award for best feature film soundtrack. The beautifully shot and edited official announcement is here
Congratulations to Mick Harvey, and to everyone who contributed.
And no, I still haven't seen the movie.

Suburban Mayhem

There's a new movie out, called Suburban Mayhem.

Directed by Paul Goldman, it's a story of lust and money and murder and all that good stuff. It's had fairly average reviews so far, and I haven't seen it yet, BUT for the first time ever I may have to go and see a movie because of the soundtrack. Check out the listing:

Adalita – Double Dare
The Buff Medways – Troubled Mind
Spazzys – Paco Doesn’t Love Me
Your Wedding Night – White Hott
Bird Blobs – Inbred Disco
Adalita – Sex Beat
Magic Dirt – Daddy
Theredsunband – Devil Song
Little Birdy – This Is A Love Song
Suzi Quatro – 48 Crash
Spazzys – The Sunshine Drive
Magic Dirt – Sucker Love

And that's only part of it- there is also some actual soundtrack type music by Mick Harvey as well.

No, I don't quite understand how the Buff Medways & Suzi Quatro fit in there either. But the Adalita stuff, which features Mr. Spencer P. Jones on guitar, is great, especially "Sex Beat".
There are samples available here , and if you like what you hear you can buy tracks or the whole thing as a download here.
Hmmm, $15.00 to see the movie and be entertained for an hour and a half, $22.50 for a CD that will last forever...decisions, decisions.