The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema  

It's time for some power pop after wallowing reading the news and listening to Gene Clark.  

I have a handful of albums on both cd and vinyl. This is one of them. 

My friend Tony introduced me to the New Pornographers, putting a bunch of tracks from this album on a mix cd for me. It was 2005 and we were still making mix CDs then. He's a ridiculously talented musician and I remember him telling me how much he liked the harmonies and drums on this. On first listen I was hooked. I went and bought the cd. We then saw them at the Gov shortly after this release and it sounded fantastic live. It was a small crowd but I remember thinking it was one of the best indie gigs I'd been to in a while (along side Deerhoof who we also saw). I put this cd on in the car sometimes when I need a bit of pep. Yes my car still has a cd player.

We were in Big Star Magill a couple of years ago and someone had sold their indie vinyl collection. A lot was not my cup of tea but this original was there. I almost didn't buy it thinking I didn't need it, but I'm glad I changed my mind.

It's now given me the pep to go brave Ikea.

#vinyl #records #nowplaying #nowspinning #TheNewPornographers #NewPornographers #indie #2000sindie #nekocase

Why Diet When You Could Riot - compilation 

One of my favourite records and one that is very sentimental. Despite that, I have not spun it in years. Was good to dig this one out. I've been on a bit of a punk tip lately.

This album is a collection of tracks from the bands that preformed at the DIY space Riots Not Diets in Bighton UK from 2011 - 2012. It's a cute little package with surprise feature of Jarvis Cocker throughout the record (use to go to the gigs from what I can gather), a cartoon of Kathleen Hanna on the label, cardboard zine about the DYI space and insert with snippets about the bands all packed by the DIY label Tough Enuff. It includes early singles by Trash Kit who were one of my favourite post punk revival acts of that era, Skinny Girl Diet and many others. I use to play tracks from this comp a lot on our radio show. 

I bought this at a time when we were going to lots of DIY punk shows in Tarntanya / Adelaide at Animal House (now something different) and Mad Mouse Alley (RIP). After years of not going to gigs because the only local shows playing in my local area were white men in pubs noodling on guitars, it was incredibly refreshing to have these DIY spaces and sounds. 

In the current political climate queer punk DIY spaces are needed more then ever right now. 

Keep On Rioting. ✊️

#vinyl #records #nowplaying #nowspinning #punk #postpunk #queercore #riotsnotdiets #riotgrrrl #feministpunk #queer #dyi #dyipunk #tuffenuff

Tom Tom Club - Self Titled

It was second year uni 2003. The new chicks on speed album had come out and I was excited. I was listening to lots of that electro punk/clash stuff then. I won a vinyl copy through the local street press dB magazine. I think it was just one of those ring us up we've got 5 copies or something. Anyway, I walked up to their office on Hindly Street. Andrew P. Street who worked there at the time was enthusiastically talking to me about the record. But what I mostly remember him saying was - "they do an excellent cover of Tom Tom Club's Wordy Rappinghood". I nodded not wanting to look like an idiot. I went home, dialled up my internet when mum got off the phone and looked up Tom Tom Club. 

I think I picked this up at a record fair. This is one of my favourite album covers. Inside the cover is a stamp from Umbrella Music which use to be a record store on the corner of Rundle Street and Frome Adelaide. 

Everytime I spin this record I remember how much I love it.

#vinyl #records #nowplaying #nowspinning #tomtomclub #WordyRappinghood #TinaWeymouth #samples #newwave #newwavemusic

Hailu Mergia & The Walias - Tche Belew

I have a bad habit of thinking I've heard something and if I'm not into it then rule chunks of albums /artists out. It's a flaw I've been trying hard to avoid over the years. Now I love the Awesome Tapes from Africa label. I thought I'd heard the releases by Hailu Mergia and whilst cool, his covers are amazing, and politically taking risks at the time, the albums seemed a lot for one sitting. I mean they are taken from tapes so it's going to be mixed...

Yesterday I was watching an interview with Max Richter spinning records and he picked a track by Mergia to play. My ears pricked up cos it sounded great. That night I went back to listen and realised the first two records were with the Walias band. They sounded completely different to what I remembered hearing. Mind blown. They were so good! So good I went and bought one today.

This has a great funk / jazz sound mixed with Mergia on keys bringing a blend of jazz funk and 70s Ethiopia sounds. The sound quality is great. 11 years later I'm glad I eventually realised this and didn't remain an ignorant twit.

#HailuMergia #Ethiopia #ethiopianmusic #Africa #awesometapesfromafrica #vinyl #nowplaying #nowspinning #expandyourmusic #africantapes #70s #jazzfunk

I bought this back in 2017/2018 from a local DJ record fair. It was outside in a laneway and it was bloody cold and I was almost about to give up. But then I saw this and was intrigued by the cover. The guy selling it went "oof fantastic" when I went to purchase and told me how much he loved them. He looked a little pained he was selling it to be honest. This is an original 1978 pressing too. This is what started my love for The Lijadu Sisters.

I didn't know until today, there is a clip of them playing live on Jimmy Fallon in 2014 with David Byrne for the Atomic Bomb! Band. It's an awkward watch with Fallon acknowledging and introducing Byrne and other male members of the band, but ignoring the twins despite their significant legacy...

I was excited to read that Numero Group will be reissuing their catalogue as their records have been hard to come by and go for ++. They are now all up on streaming. They will also be the first ever to contain transcription of the record’s lyrics in Yoruba and English, in addition to correcting album credits.

#vinyl #records #nowplaying #nowspinning #afrobeat #LijaduSisters #Nigerianmusic #nigeria #afrodisia

Does one hit a new depth of nerdom when you start reading about tax scam vinyl? It's a fascinating topic - I went down a wormhole over the Christmas break reading about it. I hate Christmas so this was a good distraction.

Which leads me to this. I've loved the the Jackson Sisters version of Miracles since I first heard it on a 12inch remix I bought from a junk shop in Strathalbyn of all places. I also love a girl group. I knew the original album went for a lot but I naively didnt know it was on the tax scam label. I was put off buying a repress of this album as the Mr Bongo one sounded terrible - although I am aware now tax scam labels were not known for the audio quality...However I found a 96 Japanese repress whilst away and decided to roll the dice. Spun it today and it sounded surprisingly good. Even my partner commented how good it sounded.

I have this vauge memory from many years ago picking up a Tiger Lily record at a fair or something and not knowing it was a tax scam record. I just remember thinking- that's a nice record label and putting it back...I possibly put down some collectable gold.

#vinyl #nowplaying #nowspinning #jacksonsisters #soul #funk #tigerlily #taxscamrecords

It peaked 39 degrees and it was HOT.

1. Nana Benz du Togo - unexpected highlight and absolute fave. From Togo West Africa this five piece fronted by 3 incredible woman, and backed by drums, a korg synth, and handmade percussion of pipes and thongs this was ace. The album went straight to my want list.

2. Digable Planets - why they were put on at 5pm is unknown to me. Terrible decision imho. Great set with live jazz band but fuck me it was hot. I stood near the sprinklers and swayed. Shout out to the people who crowded the stage and braved the heat to give the show some oomph!

3. Queen Omega - given how electric the Saturday night performance was I was keen for a second round. She looked incredible in this pink retro flower number. But 3 songs in it was too hot and probably cos of the heat, the energy was different. Not to say it was bad, but decided to leave before the excellent memory of Saturday night was lost.

5. Shabaka - I'm very sad I was unable to see him play in the Comet Is Coming. It would have been phenomenal. This show featured his new solo compositions with a band including a piano and harp on stage in addition to trombone and drums. He has this huge smile and talked to the crowd about his philosophy of music and educating about the instruments. It was a beautiful set albeit the sounds of Khruangbin starting 30 seconds earlier and overlapping the last part of the show. Twats.

#womad #womadelaide #womadelaide2025 #shabaka #digableplanets

By day 3 I was feeling pretty tired from the heat. But there was music to be enjoyed so with the aid of an ice neck wrap off I went. I would have liked to see more but the timetabling and staging made it a challenge trecking back and forth in the heat.

1. Andrew Gurruwiwi Band: From North East Arnhem Land this eight piece funk band rocked! Led by Andrew who is blind and plays the keytar. They packed a huge crowd for the start of the day. I ended up watching on the hill under a tree.

2. Sun Ra Arkestra: The sun had moved so the stage area was shaded and everyone was in the zone. What a coincidence! The vibes were perfect. Their respect and acknowledgement for Allan who couldn't be there (being 100 is a good reason) was throughout the show. Led by Knoel Scott and decked out in everything that glitters and shines, backflips on stage, jokes about the grammys, and peace / kindness this was a magical set. I remember this sense of immense calm and ease I had when watching them. Wonderful.

3. Protoje and the Indignation: I have a huge reggae hole of knowledge and whilst I've started to really enjoy it, I aint going to pretend here I know what I'm talking about. The crowd for this set was huge! I stood and watched next to the band Bala Desejo through the smoky haze.

4. Etran De L'Aïr: Nigerian family playing Tuareg style. It went off! They played non stop for an hour without any breaks. I kept thinking how sore their hands must be and how boring Khruangbin are who were headlining the following night. It was phenomenal to watch. Hilariously the band Bala Desejo arrived and were dancing up a dust storm right next to us. It was like a show within a show. When my friend had to go to the loo I went with, cos by this point I didn't want to look like a weird stalker. Sharing moments of music with other artists from Womad is one of the unique and by chance experiences of the festival. Last year I watched Yussef Dayes with the Zamrock legends Witch.

5. Yemi Adele: The third female to headline this year's festival and close the main stage, the Nigerian pop star seemed like a fitting choice. The Beyonce influence was notable (who she's also collaborated with) but there was also a good mix of Afro Beats and other styles throughout this high energy 90 min show. My little 9yr old neice was glued to the front stage rail in awe.

#womad #womadelaide #womadelaide2025 #sunraarkestra #jazz #yemiadele #afrobeat

Saturday was great. The vibes were good and I was feeling refreshed to survive the heat. (Scroll down for photos).

1. O. Ta. i. Ko Za Myoji. - Japanese Takio ensemble. Stunning.

2. Saigon Soul Revival - Vietnamese 60s / 70s garage / RnB. Good fun. My 20 year old self would have gone nuts for this.

3. Amaru Tribe - Naarm / Melbourne based Cumbia band. Poor buggers were plauged with sound issues for their set. I heard their second set on monday (whilst getting more sobet...) and they sounded great!

4. 47 Soul - Palestinian hiphop / group. The decision last year to not include them still leaves a bitter taste for me amongst other weird womad feelings. However the punters showed so much love. The energy around the main stage was fab. I also saw their records sold out. Woot. ✊️

5. Bala Desejo - Brazilian 60s & 70s Tropicalia inspired. I was keen to see this group and thankfully they did not disappoint. Incredibly talented bunch and fantastic outfits sparkling in the belting sun. A stunning early evening set. I met the guitarist later that evening by chance. An on going theme of the weekend but more on that later.

6. Queen Omega. What a fucking queen! Playing on International Women's day no less. She took care of us like your cool but loving aunt. This set was such a highlight. The atmosphere was perfect, the sun had gone down, and the crowd were keen to dance. Was one of my favourite.

7. O. - UK jazz drum duo doing Jazz, punk, noise. Tracked all the way to what felt like Siberia to see this group. When I got there, there was a handful of people near the stage and my heart sank - competeting with Roisin would be tough. But then after about 10 mins the crowd was huge and pumping. Despite having just landed from the UK in a jet lag haze and being spooked about the bats this duo were another surprise fave.

8. Roisin Murphy - With more costume changes then when I have a flush this was a SHOW. My neices were so excited to see her, one fell asleep 3 songs in after doing 50 cartwheels before.

#womad #womadelaide2025 #womadelaide #RoisinMurphy #O. #QueenOmega #BalaDesejo #47soul #AmaruTribe #Saigonsoulrevival #Takio #O. Ta.i.KoZaMyoji

This year I treated myself to a womad holiday. I have lots of thoughts about womad. But for this post I'll stick to the music.

Lindigo from the Reunion Island got the crowd warmed up. Durand Jones and the Indications played in the belting sun but that didn't stop Durand stomping around and singing his heart out. They are much better live imho - the records don't have the same energy...
Nitin Sawhney was an unexpected surprise - particularly the 90s D&B tracks.

Then there was queen Polly Jean channelling some Kate Bush with her opening poses - very ethereal. First third was new album material, second Let England Shake era, third old stuff. Highlights include her sitting and having a cup of tea on stage, belting out 50ft Queenie, Black Hearted Love, to bring you my love era and the Let England Shake tunes live - got a bit teary.

I've seen PJ 4 times now. This set seemed a lot better then the slightly dreary one I saw last time she toured in 2017. It was incredibly hot that night and she didn't seem to be having a great time. The energy seemed off both on stage and in the crowd. I was melting.

Last night's show made up for that.

#womadelaide #pjharvey #DurandjonesandtheIndications #lindigo #livemusic

I'm a sucker for an all girl group.

The Wet Ones were a Melbourne /Naarm based all girl punk /rock group from the 80s. Both records were on Polyester records which was a melbourne institution.

Think Girl group sounds with fuzzed guitars, and at times a bit b52s/pixies/Nina Hagen. They were a real mix bag but bold for their time with their tongue in cheek feminist messages.

Next Summer from their first 12″ It’s Premoistened World is still a favourite. Use to thrash that on our radio show.

Not gonna lie on relisten the album Crack Up is hit and miss. "Dream of Love” is an English language version of “Toutes les nuits” by french group Les Calamités and is my favourite off this album. Lots of different ideas on this and seems they broke up shortly after. I didn't notice until now (maybe i forgot) that my copy is signed on the back and limited edition release.

Keen to hear their first ep but it's cassette only have never come across a copy.

#vinyl #records #melbounrepunk #Melbourne80s #postpunk #girlpunk #girlgroups #polyesterrecords #Australianpunk #nowspinning #nowplaying

This is a perfect record.

I could really just end this post there to be honest. This was was a gift from friends and is on regular rotation in our house.

I played piano and clarinet growing up. I wanted to play saxophone in the school band but there weren't many spots. I had quite old fashioned and conservative music teachers and I lost interest in playing instruments towards the end of highschool. I tried to teach myself things I was listening to but found it hard with my tiny hands which doesn't help. I don't know why they thought clarinet would be good for me haha.

Skip forward to my early uni days. A lot of my friends were studying music or involved in bands. Some were heavily involved in the jazz scene. I'd go to shows or they would play me jazz records but nothing clicked. Over the years I thought Jazz was not for me. That it was one of the few genres I couldn't enjoy despite liking a lot of music.

Many years later a culmination of multiple events - more curiosity about different music, being exposed to different types of jazz and this gift just blew all the misconceptions I had about Jazz.

I'm reading the Neneh Cherry memoir currently and it opens with her listening to this album whilst cooking. She talks about how music makes her life bigger, richer, and deeper. I couldn't agree more, and this is what listening to jazz has done for me.

#jazz #records #Coltrane #vinyl #music #coffeeandvinyl #nowplaying #nowspinning

Long weekends call for extra coffee and records!

I picked this one up on Saturday afternoon from Lennys. It was a real high fidelity record store moment with everyone kinda talking about music in the shop. I love record stores when it's like that.

Anyway this has become my favourite Blondie album over the years (the first one was my favourite for a long time) but I never had a copy on vinyl strangly. Always in terrible condition or too expensive.

I got into Blondie when I was 16. I loved 60s girl groups and was just starting to explore 70s punk and this felt like the perfect blend.

I have seen them live once in 2003. This line up included Chris Stein who rejoined for the tour. It was probably a bit late to see them to be honest. It started badly and my heart sank. But then Debbie seemed to feel more comfortable once the enormous wig she was wearing came off and the show rocked with thebbie theatre pumping.

Featuring some wild keys and melodies, there are some fantastic tracks that don't get as much love as the hits. To me it was like a soundtrack to a trash B movie and that cover is fire.

#blondie #records #punk #vinyl #music #coffeeandvinyl #nowplaying #nowspinning