A to Z of the 80s - S is for Sia, Swift, Stock, Aitken And Waterman

Same

by Jo Michelmore

Do we really think pop has changed and grown up since the 80s and the old days of what was an English music making pop factory, Stock Aitken and Waterman? They were three producers and songwriters responsible for so much poop, I mean pop in the 80s, it was impossible not to like at least one of their songs. Kind of like Taylor Swift today (but not really). You think Swift and Sia and all the other pop stars of today have come a long way since the tacky fabulous days of the 80s? You know that old saying, they don't make 'em like they used to? Well, they kinda do, actually.

Sinitta, in 87, released 'Toy Boy'. Featuring big hair, manic arm waving and at 3:30, probably the exact same mobile phone featured in Britney and Iggy's latest clip.

Sabrina, in 88 released 'All Of Me'. Featuring large hair, manic arm waving and some beach moves at 3:05, which I'm sure I saw Beyonce attempt in that 'Drunk In Love' clip.

Donna Summer, in 89 released 'This Time I Know It's For Real'.  Featuring large hair, manic arm waving and a hat at 1:24 that wouldn't look pout of place in topshop right now. 

Samantha Fox, in 87, released 'Nothings Gonna Stop Me Now'. Featuring large hair, manic arm waving and the classic pop clip phenomenon of horses running on the beach at 2:20. 

Sonia, in 89, released 'You'll Never Stop me Loving You'. Featuring large hair, manic arm waving and some dance moves at 1:22 which I'm sure were in one all of Sia's recent clips.

There's a reason that Swift song fits so well with the 88 Aerobic Championship routine. Because it's all been done before. They do make 'em like they used to.

Winter Is Coming

WINTERS END BRING THE HEAT TO BALCONY TV

Announce upcoming single 'Mayfair'

We became big fans of Sydney's Winters End last year when the two-piece released the brilliant single 'Walls'. Comprised of sister-brother duo, Marissa and Chris Pinto, Winters End earned a place in our music loving hearts with big hooks, driving percussion and Marissa's gorgeous, rocking voice. So it was nice to see them playing a new track and tearing it up with the good people from Balcony TV last week and having a chat about their recent overseas shows and what they've got coming up for the rest of 2015. 

Balcony TV have given us some of our favourite live performances and 'Waking Dream' is definitely one of them. There's a lot to love; those guitar lines, the full sound the two-piece are able to create and then there's the chorus where Marissa let's loose, showing off that previously mentioned gorgeous, rocking voice. The news that Winters End are heading back into the studio to record their next single 'Mayfair' is certainly welcome and you know we'll be featuring it right here on the blog as soon as it's out. They'll be working with Lachlan Mitchell on recording the new single and his history with the likes of The Jezabels and The Whitlams makes him a perfect fit.

The live performance of 'Waking Dream' shows us exactly why the band has been building a stellar reputation for fun, memorable gigs and Winters End have some gigs coming up in Sydney that you should check out if you're going to be around. There's one at the Oxford Art Factory on July 3 and August 27 sees them take the stage at The Vanguard. We'll just keep on hoping for a Brisbane show sometime soon!

Song Review - Spirit Down

Spirit Down

by Our Man In Berlin

EP: Spirit Down (due 19 June 2015)

It’s with a giant smile, a great big breath and a whole lotta love that I get to write some words about the latest single from a little band that I’ve found a whole lotta love for over the past few years; Our Man In Berlin. The giant smile is because as soon as ‘Spirit Down’ begins the beautifully familiar feelings and sounds OMIB have managed to create and maintain since long before their debut EP is it right? was released are there; the slow build and the subtle crescendo, rapid percussion, an elegantly powerful bass line and distinctively sweet synths, combined with that recognisably intimate vocal make this yet another track to add to the collection of tracks that this five piece have already made that I adore. The great big breath is in anticipation for the release of their sophomore EP, which is currently being crowd funded on Pozible, which so very close to its target and with only days left to go to score yourself music, signatures, a song written just for you or even better - up close and personal gigs(!), it would be silly not to go over there and spend a couple of bucks on it. And then, well, after all these words, the whole lotta love is kind of obvious, isn't it?

Jo Michelmore gives ‘Spirit Down’ three and a half Florence heads out of five…

Top 25 - 8 June, 2015

Tired Lion, The Grates, Ben Folds + Golden Features!

1. ALTA - Moves





2. Our Man In Berlin - Spirit Down





3. Holly Who - Gimme Gimme





4. Tired Lion - Suck (NEW)





5. The Grates - Call Me (NEW)





6. Montaigne - A Cinematic Plea For An End





7. Jeremy Neale ft. Phoebe Imhoff - Hold On Together





8. Golden Features ft. Thelma Plum - No One (NEW)





9. Dolo Jones ft. Passerine - Can't Give You Up





10. Eves The Behavior - Electrical





11. Panama - Jungle (NEW)





12. Melwonderland - Games





13. James Chatburn ft. Frank Nitt - We Drink (NEW)





14. TIO - Day Fort





15. Colour Bomb - My Resting Place





16. ATLAS ft. James Chatburn - Spinning Back





17. Hopium - Right Now





18. North Arm - Careless





19. Stonefox - Arrow





20. Ben Folds and yMusic - Capable of Anything (NEW)





21. Gin Wigmore - Written In The Water





22. Beirut - No No No (NEW)





23. The Rubens - Hallelujah (NEW)





24. Ayla - Waiting





25. Flume ft. Andrew Wyatt - Some Minds

A to Z of the 80s - R is for Romance

Isn't Dead. Yet.

by Jo Michelmore

Romance in this millennium seems to have become changing your relationship status on facebook or taking and uploading a picture of your (meat)lovers pizza before you eat it. But what were things like before we could tell all of our friends, workmates, ex-workmates, friends of friends, distant relatives and the people you haven't gotten around to deleteing yet about every aspect of our lives? Has social media killed all the mystery and romance in our lives? In the 80s, romance wasn't so public, romance was emotional and tear jerking and in the 80s romance was...

Richard Marx's curly bouffant.

Rick Astley in a skivvy.

Roxette in abandoned real estate.

Rick Springfield in high waisted wide leg pants

REO Speedwagon fawning all over some poor woman just trying to watch some daytime soaps on TV.

Roy Orbison and KD Lang. Wait, that song still makes me cry. Damn you 80s for still being relevant!

10 and 1 - Matt's Music

A.K.A IF YOU A FLY GAL, GET YOUR NAILS DONE...

GET A PEDICURE, GET YOUR HAIR DID

by Matt Bond

Mixtapes are making a comeback! Or so I quickly read yesterday on an article title that showed up in my news feed on Facebook, sandwiched between a billion Caitlyn Jenner pieces. Something about USB sticks that look like cassette tapes the kids can pass around instead of meth. We apparently have an ice epidemic, so I'm just assuming kids are passing it around. But the mixtape is back and don't I know it. Heading off home at my parents' place on Monday, my Dad handed me an old CD that said 'Matt's Music'. Now, I'm not old-old (just old), so when I made mixtape playlist things, they were in the form of a burned CD. For the youngsters, there was no fire hazard involved. It wasn't a literal burning of the CD. After spending a couple of hours downloading eleven songs (twelve if you were really lucky), you could spend ten minutes copying them to a 700MB or one hour duration blank CD that you could play in your handy discman or CD player. If you're lost on any of that, ask your friend Siri to help you out.

I used to make many a mixtape with all the latest "jams", so I couldn't wait to find out what was on Matt's Music'. But when was it from? What would it tell me about the kind of music listener I was whatever year it was from? Would I be ashamed? Not likely. It had my name on it, so obviously it was going to be amazing. I got into my car, put the faded neon blue CD into the player and was treated to the familiar sounds of Fat Joe. "Put the fucking mic on! Mic is on." 'What's Luv?' Featuring Ashanti and Ja Rule. Three artists that don't seem to exist on this planet anymore. I was excited. I remembered all the words, especially the iconic and thought-provoking lines, "you say you gotta man and you're in love, but what's love got to do with a little menage?" The following selection of tracks would lead anyone who found 'Matt's Music' today to think Matt was one fly gal. The flyest. I don't really know what that means, but you'd hear it in songs all the time back then. R&B jams dominated the charts and they sure dominated my chosen tunes of the time. 

As there were indeed eleven songs making the cut on 'Matt's Music', the opportunity for a '10 and 1' presented itself. And since I was only mildly embarrassed by one of those tracks, that's what we'll be looking at. Ten songs from 2002 you'll be needing to hear right now and one you'd likely sooner forget. The flashback starts now... 

THE 10:

What's Luv

by Fat Joe ft. Ashanti and Ja Rule

When You Look At Me

by Christina Milian

Nasty Girl

by Destiny's Child

4 My People

by Missy Elliott

Without Me

by Eminem

What Would You Do?

by City High

Foolish

by Ashanti

Hot In Herre

by Nelly

U Got It Bad

by Usher

Just Like A Pill

by P!nk

THE ONE:

Dear Lie

by TLC

I love TLC as much as the next fly gal, but this has to be their worst single. The opening lyrics suggest they agree. "Dear Lie... you suck." Can't argue with that. I must have been caught up in the post-'No Scrubs' TLC hysteria that was sweeping the world way back when. Those were good times.


Alright... I can't keep up this ridiculous facade. I still love this song and I am ashamed but I don't care but I do. It wasn't even released in 2002. It's from 1999 and it still made its way onto a mixtape of mine three years later. I've got nothing...