Predictions for 2011

Here are some predictions for 2011.

#1. Rap will remember its more down-tempo jazzy roots and we will start to see a more laid-back genre of hip hop start to emerge. After all, groups like Tribe Called Quest are sleeping giants and its only a matter of time before their brand of hip hop has had enough time to finally come back in full force.

For a memory check:



#2. Cal-skate punk will finally eat itself and implode. Every time I turn on cable TV I hear some 17yr old girl sponsored by Disney singing a bastardized skate punk style song. Miley Otis for christ sake is singing songs written along the exact same chord progressions and style as some of the great skate punk bands. It seems the music industry machine has finally sucked that genre completely dry. What started off as complete rebellion and total expression has, 20 or so years later been beaten to death with a corporate stick. Long live the real stuff. Bad Religion is one of them. Hopefully Big El will give me some help and I might do a cal-punk special in an upcoming post.

Forget me not:



#3. Slayer will continue to get no recongition from anyone playing metal. OK so I love Slayer. I am 35 in March and totally uncool when it comes to metal, only my bro Big El would understand. I simply wish Slayer would get the nod they deserve from those playing heavy music today. Perhaps because they are still around releasing great stuff they are seen as more of a threat than the Godfathers that they are. Hard to believe that they released their first album in the early 1980's and are still going strong and have not lost their edge. How the hell does an artist do that? Might need to think that one through, inspirational.

Deja Vous

As we are at the end of 2010 I thought it useful to remind everyone that as the years pass the wheel also turns. What has passed will come to be again. In music like most things, everything is re-invented. Take a look at Dr Dre in this NWA video from 1985. Dre was a trail-blazer  and in 1985 with the rest of NWA he defined a genre and a style which continues on today.

Dre dancing around in his white shirt and sunglasses.....remind you of anyone you have seen recently? Jay Z perhaps? Can you believe this video is 25 soon to be 26 years old?

Making Hay

COLIN HAY. Going Somewhere

This album took a while to grow on me but its quickly become a favourite. For those of you who dont know him he was the front man of Men At Work and after a long absence has landed back with this really brilliant acoustic album. This is an album about love, loss and life, its sentimental but so well done that the real beauty of the songwriting can easily pass you by unless you give it a  really good listen. He does a cover of Overcare, which was one of Men At Work's best songs and its absolutely brilliant as an acoustic track. I am generally bored with acoustic albums but this one is an exception. And by the way, for those of you who have not heard Men At Work's Business As Usual album in a long long while (or perhaps ever) get a copy. Now that some years have passed since its heyday it stands tall as one of the best from the era. I might talk about it next actually.

Protect your Head

HELMET. Discography

I recently acquired the Helmet Discography including their new album released this year called Seeing Eye Dog. From a quick listen the new album seems to be fairly decent but is not breaking any new ground which is exactly what Helmet did for a long time in their heyday in the 90's. Helmet are a grinding, punchy and totally groove-orientated band that seemed to be able to create endless rhythms, endless hooks and endless songs over a career that saw them release over 112 tracks. They really coined a very compressed production style, thin hollow-sounding snare drum, vocals that sound like they were recording in a train tunnel and they always made beautiful use of what came to be one of their signatures of their distinctive style - stop/start rhythms with tiny gaps in almost every song.
Helmet are totally under-appreciated for their influence on all kinds of music ranging from Hardcore to whatever genre you might want to fit Tool into. If you know an aussie band called Cog then take a listen to their Size Matters Album - a direct precursor. Aligned with skateboard culture for a long while Helmet found an appreciating audience but for some reason never became that popular. Big respect to these guys who fast found a sound and continued to explore their style through a series of really quite excellent albums. Check the Helmet Discography out.

Holy Fuck -LP

Hows this band? Do you reckon they had a hard time convincing their label of their name choice....I dont know much about these guys other than this album is very good and they look like they play it live with real instruments not just a full set of electronics but real guitars and drums etc. A lot of it reminds me of that band from the late 90;s and beyond called Red Snapper. It's also in a similar vein to LCD Soundsystem but whithout vocals and without the critical/ironic edge that made LCD so appealing to many.

Holy Fuck are electronic, hard edged, snappy and punchy, its a bit abrasive in parts but most of the songs drag you in and make you feel like your driving a ferrari down a long tunnel at night by yourself - you just go into a trance like state and realise your bouncing your head and really enjoying yourself before you even realise it. I would love to see these guys live it would be a great show. If you like it edgy yet really catchy check this album out.

I just found out they are playing at the Laneway Festival in Brisbane in February...HOLY FUCK indeed!

Soul Revival

I have just heard some of the best soul that I have ever heard - up there with the greats anyway - and its modern, its happening now and you need to know about two fantastic bands. The first is Lee Fields and the Expressions. From what I have heard, and I know this could be fairly wrong but the general jist of goes like this:- a group of young classically trained muso's discovered this guy called Lee Fields singing around the place who was apparently a big deal about 30 years or more ago and had basically given up on his career, these guys found him and built a band around him and the results are staggering, like a second chance at life this guy grabbed it and here is some of the results:



The album is called MY WORLD.

The other album on high rotation for me is called The Defamation of Strikland Banks by a guy called PLAN B. Check him out:-

Nothing Like a Roots

How I Got Over. THE ROOTS

These guys get better and better and better, they are so far ahead of the game that they define their own game. There is nobody near them, nothing like them and no chance that anyone will come close. Real artists, real magic, real chemistry, real power. I can't give this band a better wrap, if you have not hear of these guys check this album out then go back and check everything before. Hip hop for those who like it smooth, musical and honest.

Back from Dead

Yikes it has been so long I barely remember how to type. I have not been listening to much lately that has really inspired me but I can always put you in touch with some of the best stuff ....

Take My Stuff

Kicking off 2010 by fulfilling some ambitions, starting with giving away some of the things that I have loved the most, I am trying to wittle away all the "stuff" that you accumulate through life which ends up attaching you to "things" rather than to things that matter so I am starting with my entire CD collection.

I have around 1000 CD's and as they are almost all now in my iTunes I figure whats the point of having them lying around taking up space just looking impressive in my office. So as a reward to all my millions of blog readers I offer them to you for FREE. If you want a few of my most beloved CD's email me with what style of music your after (I have everything reviewed on this blog if you want one of them in particular) and I will select a few for you and post them to you, all I ask is you cover the postage cost and they're yours forever. Email me if your interested in boosting your collection or drop me a comment on this posting.

stephen@stephenburton.com.au