Sunday, December 16

it must be thoroughly ambiguous / in view of the circumstances : the music of peter and graeme jefferies, part 1

For the AG team, this is something of a christmas special: a lovingly detailed, in depth night spent with two of NZ's most important musicians, Peter and Graeme Jefferies. From early provincial post-punk days together as Nocturnal Projections, to a moment of 'crossing the Rubicon' away from the industry into home recording as This Kind of Punishment, and then to solo divergences solo and with other musicians, their respective canons are a critical part of NZ underground's history, even though large chunks are out of print and have been for years.




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Playlist:

1. Nocturnal Projections, 'Nerve Ends in Power Lines' from s/t 7"(1982)
2. Nocturnal Projections, 'In Purgatory' from s/t 7" (1982)
3. Nocturnal Projections, 'Walk in a Straight Line' from Nerve Ends in Power Lines compilation (rec 1982, compilation1995)
4. Nocturnal Projections, 'Another Year' from Another Year EP (1982)
5. Nocturnal Projections, 'You'll Never Know' from Another Year EP (1982)
6. Nocturnal Projections, 'Isn't That Strange' from Another Year EP (1982)
7. Nocturnal Projections, 'Difficult Days' from Another Year EP (1982)
8. Nocturnal Projections, 'Out Of My Hands' from Another Year EP (1982)
9. Nocturnal Projections, In Darkness from Understanding Another Year in Darkness EP (1983)
10. Nocturnal Projections, 'The Down Song' from Nerve Ends in Power Lines compilation (1995)
11. Nocturnal Projections, 'My Neighbours' from Hate Your Neighbours compilation (rec 1981, rel 1997)
12. Nocturnal Projections, 'Worldview' from  Worldview 7" (rec 1981, rel 1998)
13. Nocturnal Projections, 'Non-Event' from  Worldview 7" (rec 1981, rel 1998)
14. Nocturnal Projections, 'Words Fail Me' from Biding My Time compilation (rec 1982, rel 1986)
15. Nocturnal Projections, 'People Who Told Me' from Nerve Ends in Power Lines compilation (rec 1982, rel 1995)
16. Nocturnal Projections, 'Moving Forward' from Nerve Ends in Power Lines compilation (rec 1982, rel 1995)
17. Nocturnal Projections, 'Restoration' from Nerve Ends in Power Lines compilation (rec 1983, rel 1995)
18. This Kind of Punishment, 'After the Fact; from This Kind of Punishment (1983)
19. This Kind of Punishment, 'Instrumental' from This Kind of Punishment (1983)
20. This Kind of Punishment, 'In View of the Circumstances' from This Kind of Punishment (1983)
21. This Kind of Punishment, 'If An Axe is An Arm' from This Kind of Punishment (1983)
22. This Kind of Punishment, 'Ahead of Their Time' from This Kind of Punishment (1983)
23. This Kind of Punishment, 'Prelude' from A Beard of Bees (1984)
24. This Kind of Punishment, 'From The Diary Of Hermann Doubt' from A Beard of Bees (1984)
25. This Kind of Punishment, 'East Meets West' from A Beard of Bees (1984)
26. This Kind of Punishment, 'Although They Appear' from A Beard of Bees (1984)
27. This Kind of Punishment, 'The Sleepwalker' from A Beard of Bees (1984)
28. This Kind of Punishment, 'An Open Denial' from A Beard of Bees (1984)
29. This Kind of Punishment, 'After The Fact' from Live 85 (1988)
30. This Kind of Punishment, 'Two Minutes Drowning' from Live 85 (1988)
31. This Kind of Punishment, 'Flipper Go Home' from Live 85 (1988)
32. This Kind of Punishment, 'Some More Than Others' from Live 85 (1988)
33. This Kind of Punishment, 'North Head' from 5 by Four (1985)
34. This Kind of Punishment, 'Out Of My Hands' from Live 85 (1988)
35. This Kind of Punishment, 'Immigration Song' from In The Same Room (1986)
36. This Kind of Punishment, 'Overground In China' from In The Same Room (1986)
37. This Kind of Punishment, 'On Various Days' from In The Same Room (1986)
38. This Kind of Punishment, 'Don't Go' from In The Same Room (1986)
39. This Kind of Punishment, 'Words Fail Me' from In The Same Room (1986)
40. This Kind of Punishment, 'Reaching an End' from Killing Capitalism With Kindness Box Set (rec 1986, rel 1992)
41. Peter Jefferies & Jono Lonie, 'Thief With The Silver' from At Swim Two Birds (1987)
42. Peter Jefferies & Jono Lonie, 'Where The Flies Sleep' from At Swim Two Birds (1987)
43. Peter Jefferies & Jono Lonie, 'Piano (two)' from At Swim Two Birds (1987)
44. Graeme Jefferies, 'All The Colours Run Dry' from Messages for the Cakekitchen (1987)
45. Graeme Jefferies, 'Prisoner Of A Single Passion' from Messages for the Cakekitchen (1987)
46. Graeme Jefferies, 'Nothing That's New' from Messages for the Cakekitchen (1987)
47. Graeme Jefferies, 'The Simple Tapestry Of Fate' from Messages for the Cakekitchen (1987)
48. Graeme Jefferies, 'The Cardhouse' from Messages for the Cakekitchen (1987)
49. Graeme Jefferies, 'Is The Timing Wrong?' from Messages for the Cakekitchen (1987)


50. Shayne Carter & Peter Jefferies, 'Randolph's Going Home' from 7" (1987)
51. Jay Clarkson & Breathing Cage, 'Raise The Glass' from Spilt Milk (rec 1987, rel 2006)
52. Plagal Grind, 'Vincent' from S/T EP (1990)
53. Plagal Grin, 'Starless Road' from S/T EP (1990)
54. Alastair Galbraith & Graeme Jefferies, 'Timebomb' from Timebomb 7" (1989)
55. Alastair Galbraith & Graeme Jefferies, 'Bravely Bravely' from Timebomb 7" (1989)
56. Peter Jefferies & Robbie Muir, 'Catapult' from Catapult/ Carbine 7" (1989)
57.Peter Jefferies & Robbie Muir, 'The Fate of the Human Carbine' from Catapult/ Carbine 7" (1989)
58. The Cakekitchen, 'Dave the Pimp' from s/t EP (1990)
59. The Cakekitchen, 'Silence of the Sirens', from s/t EP (1990)
60. The Cakekitchen, 'Airships' from Xpressway Pileup comp (rec 1988, rel 1990)
61. Peter Jefferies, 'Chain or Reaction' from The Last Great Challenge in a Dull World (1990)
62. Peter Jefferies, 'Domesticia' from The Last Great Challenge in a Dull World (1990)
63. Peter Jefferies, 'On an Unknown Beach' from The Last Great Challenge in a Dull World (1990)
64. Peter Jefferies, 'Guided Tour of a Well Known Street' from The Last Great Challenge in a Dull World (1990)
65. Peter Jefferies, 'The Last Great Challenge in a Dull World' from The Last Great Challenge in a Dull World (1990)
66. Peter Jefferies, 'While I've Been Waiting' from The Last Great Challenge in a Dull World (1990)
67. Peter Jefferies, 'Neither Do I' from The Last Great Challenge in a Dull World (1990)
68. Peter Jefferies, 'The Other Side of Reason' from The Last Great Challenge in a Dull World (1990)
69. Peter Jefferies, 'Listening In'  from The Last Great Challenge in a Dull World (1990)


Sunday, December 9

If this is goodbye I just know I'm going to cry / If I jerk the handle you'll die in your dreams : scott walker



The astonishing nature of the progression of Scott Walker's work from the singer's early teen-idol days to the bracing singular sounds of the most recent work is well noted. But the release of a new Scott album is a great opportunity to run through it once more... so here's the traditional Avant Gardening dense rundown through the whole career, in a "fun pop time" Dunedin-summer celebration of Scott which runs, as is traditional, a bit... er... longer than the requisite couple of hours...

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Playlist:

1. The Walker Brothers, 'Make it Easy on Yourself' (single, 1965)
2. The Walker Brothers, 'The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore' (single, 1966)
3. Scott Walker, 'Montague Terrace (in Blue)', from Scott (1967)
4. Scott Walker, 'My Death', from Scott (1967)
5. Scott Walker, 'Always Coming Back to You', from Scott (1967)
6. Scott Walker, 'Amsterdam', from Scott (1967)
7. Scott Walker, 'Jackie', from Scott 2 (1968)
8. Scott Walker, 'Best of Both Worlds', from Scott 2 (1968)
9. Scott Walker, 'Next', from Scott 2 (1968)
10. Scott Walker, 'Plastic Palace People', from Scott 2 (1968)
11. Scott Walker, 'Windows of the World', from Scott 2 (1968)
12. Scott Walker, 'It's Raining Today', from Scott 3 (1969)
13. Scott Walker, 'Copenhagen', from Scott 3 (1969)
14. Scott Walker, 'Two Ragged Soldiers', from Scott 3 (1969)
15. Scott Walker, '30 Century Man', from Scott 3 (1969)
16. Scott Walker, 'Sons Of', from Scott 3 (1969)
17. Scott Walker, 'Funeral Tango', from Scott 3 (1969)
18. Scott Walker, 'If You Go Away', from Scott 3 (1969)
19. Scott Walker, 'The Seventh Seal', from Scott 4 (1969)
20. Scott Walker, 'On Your Own Again', from Scott 4 (1969)
22. Scott Walker, 'Boy Child', from Scott 4 (1969)
21. Scott Walker, 'The World's Strongest Man', from Scott 4 (1969)
23. Scott Walker, 'The Old Man's Back Again', from Scott 4 (1969)
24. Scott Walker, 'Duchess', from Scott 4 (1969)
25. Scott Walker, 'Little Things That Keep Us Together', from Til The Band Comes In (1970)
26. Scott Walker, 'Time Operator', from Til The Band Comes In (1970)
27. Scott Walker, 'The War is Over (Epilogue)', from Til The Band Comes In (1970)
28. Scott Walker, 'Long About Now',  from Til The Band Comes In (1970)
29. The Walker Brothers, 'Orpheus' from Images (1967)
30. Scott Walker, 'Mrs Murphy' from Solo John/ Solo Scott split 7" (1966)
31. Scott Walker, 'The Plague' B-side from Jackie 7" (1967)
32. Scott Walker, 'The Ballad of Sacco and Vanzetti' from The Moviegoer (1972)
33. Scott Walker, 'The Rope and The Colt' from The Rope and the Colt OST (1969)
34. The Walker Brothers, 'Lines' from Lines (1976)
35. The Walker Brothers, 'No Regrets' from No Regrets (1975)
36. The Walker Brothers, 'Shutout' from Nite Flights (1978)
37. The Walker Brothers, 'Fat Mama Kicks' from Nite Flights (1978)
38. The Walker Brothers, 'Nite Flights' from Nite Flights (1978)
39. The Walker Brothers, 'The Electrician' from Nite Flights (1978) 
40. Scott Walker, 'Rawhide' from Climate of Hunter (1984)
41. Scott Walker, 'Three' from Climate of Hunter (1984)
42. Scott Walker, 'Sleepwalker's Woman' from Climate of Hunter (1984)
43. Scott Walker, 'Blanket Roll Blues'from Climate of Hunter (1984)
44. Scott Walker, 'Farmer in the City' from Tilt (1995)
45. Scott Walker, 'Cockfighter'from Tilt (1995)
46. Scott Walker, 'Bouncer See Bouncer' from Tilt (1995)
47. Scott Walker, 'Patriot (A Single)'from Tilt (1995)
48. Scott Walker, 'Rosary' from Tilt (1995)
49. Ute Lemper, 'Lullably (by-by-by) from Scott Walker compilation Five Easy Pieces (rec 2000)
50. Scott Walker, 'River of Blood' from Pola X OST (1999)
51. Scott Walker, 'The Darkest Forest' from Pola X OST (1999)
52. Scott Walker, 'Cossacks Are' from The Drift (2006)
53. Scott Walker, 'Clara' from The Drift (2006)
54. Scott Walker, 'Jolson and Jones' from The Drift (2006)
55. Scott Walker, 'Psiroatic' from The Drift (2006)
56. Scott Walker, 'A Lover Loves' from The Drift (2006)
57. Scott Walker, 'Part 1' from And Who Shall Go To The Ball? And What Shall Go To The Ball? (2007)
58. Scott Walker, ' 'See You Don't Bump His Head' ' from Bish Bosch (2012)
59. Scott Walker, 'SDSS14+3B (Zircon, A Flagpole Sitter)' from Bish Bosch (2012)
60. Scott Walker, 'Dimple' from Bish Bosch (2012)
61. Scott Walker, 'The Day The "Conducator" Died (An Xmas Song)' from Bish Bosch (2012)

Thursday, November 8

too hot to be cool / psych thing: the puddle, george and ian henderson, part #1



"The words and the music/ don't mean a thing/ listen to the rhythm/ listen to us singing"
- Lacsydaisical

"We were trying to impress god and the devil at the same time - hardly the epitome of cool"
- Too Hot to be Cool

Over the almost 30 years they've been in (somewhat irregular) existence, George D. Henderson and his band The Puddle have presented a rich array of different identities, to the extent that taking a genre-perspective on the work is comprehensively confounding. From mid-80s origins as a kind of orchestral-psychedelic band through to a current active life as a likeably ramshackle but precise indie pop band (organised with efficiency and care by Henderson's younger brother Ian, making an international and parallel name for himself with his curation of the Fishrider label), the band has generally followed a set of ideals and ideas all their own. The unifying line-through might be the combination of George's acutely intelligent songwriting and a capacity to re-invent and revive the band within both the usual and some quite novel constraints, be they financial, technical, emotional or intellectual.

Tonight Avant Gardening presents the first of a comprehensive two-episode trip through the musical history of the Henderson brothers, ranging from art-rock home experiments (as Crazy Ole and the Panthers) in Invercargill in the early 70s through George's days in Wellington and Christchurch with the And Band and Spies, to the various lineups of the Dunedin-based Puddle, from the 80s big psychedelic band, through 90s pop versions, through to the current day stable line-up featuring the two Hendersons along with Gavin Shaw and Alan Starret.

The first part concentrates on the 70s and 80s, featuring copious rare and unreleased recordings.

Part 1.
 
Part 2.
 

Part 3.
 

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Playlist:

1. The Puddle, 'Let's Go' from Live at the Teddy Bear Club (rec 1986, rel 1991)
2. The Puddle, 'Into the Moon' from Into the Moon (1992)
3. Crazy Ole and the Panthers, 'Science Fiction' (rec 1975)
4. Crazy Ole and the Panthers, 'This For You' (rec 1975)
5. Crazy Ole and the Panthers, 'Guitar Thing' (rec 1975)
6. Crazy Ole and the Panthers, 'Rattlesnake Jive' (rec 1975)
7. Spies, 'Birdsong' (rec 1979)
8. Spies, 'Cats Keep Falling' (rec 1979)
9. Spies, 'Lacsydaisical' (rec 1979)
10. The And Band, 'Dr Brill' (rec 1981)
11. The And Band, 'Lollipop Man' (rec 1981)
12. The And Band, 'We Are Right' (rec 1981)
13. The And Band, 'Interstellar Gothic' from spilt 7" with Perfect Strangers (1981)
14. The And Band, 'Go Through Hell' (rec 1981)
15. The And Band, 'Cloudy Old Day' (rec 1981)
16. George and Ian Henderson, 'Weight of the Stars' (rec 1983)
17. The Puddle, 'Billie and Franz' (rec live 1985)
18. The Puddle, 'Interstellar Gothic' (rec live 1985)

[plus bonus tracks.]

Sunday, November 4

fragments of a broken glass / endless descent: suishou no fune

Fusing the classic japanese psych sound with an almost shoe-gaze fuzzy introversion, Suishou no Fune are based around Pirako Kurenui and Kageo, often as a duo, sometimes with the addition of a drummer. Moving slowly between glacial drifts and dense swells of noise with an unusual ability in the genre to generate pretty vocal melodies to ride through lengthy passages. Active since the early 2000s - and frequent world travellers, like many of the newer generations of Japanese psych musicians - and with a large body of recorded output, both self-released and through the international psych underground. Generally tending towards a moderately lengthy duration of build up of sound and emotion, Avant Gardening could go on for a while tonight...




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Playlist:

1. Suishou No Fune - 'Your Tears Drop From The Sky' from The Shining Star (2007)
2. Suishou No Fune - 'Entrance to the Labyrinth' from The Gold Labyrinth (2008)
3. Suishou No Fune - 'Fragments of a Broken Glass' from The Gold Labyrinth (2008)
4. Suishou No Fune - 'Endless Descent' from I Throw A Stone into Endless Depths (2007)
5. Suishou No Fune - 'Uzume' from Mystic Atmosphere (2008)
6. Suishou No Fune - 'A Midnight Ode - Like the Wind' from Writhing Underground Flowers (2007)
7. Suishou No Fune - 'Go Go Go' from Live 2002 - 2003 (2003)
8. Suishou No Fune - 'Black Phantom' from Suishou No Fune (2005)
9. Suishou No Fune - 'The Storm of Light - Cherry' from The Shining Star (2007)
10. Suishou No Fune - 'Resurrection Night' from Prayer For Chibi (2008)
11. Suishou No Fune - 'I Descend into the Oasis of Your Eyes' from I Throw A Stone into Endless Depths (2007)
12. Suishou No Fune - 'A Rose Bloomed' from Where The Spirits Are (2006)

Sunday, October 28

journey through an elemental kingdom / i'm gonna take you home: father yod / yahowa and the source




"Periodically there appears in ten year cycles a musical phenomenon that best the age and times we live. YAHOWHA 13 is a culmination, a peaking of meaningful musical expression that occurred in the past two decades. Our music cannot be related, however, to anything that has sounded in the past.
The intensity and life within the sound YAHOWHA is beyond imagination and, foremost, beyond assimilation (for now). There is no in-between ground, you either love it or hate it. You might say it's something like a Picasso painting… well, that's not a good comparison either, for this music makes sense. , in fact, almost  too much sense. It's so far ahead of its time that its intensity is jarring to the senses. It is this very fact which makes it so unforgettable. There is a saying among those who have listened to YAHOWHA 13's "PENETRATION" three times --- that the listener finds it impossible to listen to any other sound after that.
All other sound pales into insignificant expression of what should be vital expression. YAHOWHA 13 points up dramatically the lack in our music today. In a very short time now YAHOWHA 13 will be the last note to be sounded on the Planet Goddess Earth.
Hearing is Believing.
In Cosmic Harmony."
- Yahowha 13/ Higher Key Records press release



Tonight we dip a tentative toe into the deep, murky waters of one of the foremost bodies of work in the "religious cult music" category, with a visit to the Source led by self proclaimed manifestation of god, Yahowa or Father Yod, an LA based community centred around a wholefood restaurant and commune, preaching a (surprisingly media savvy) version of Aquarian bliss with a striking soundtrack... ranging from tribal outsider bursts and rushes through solid west coast garage rock (featuring Sky Saxon from the Seeds of Pushing Too Far fame) to some gorgeously wracked chant and roll exorcisms.  Despite the diverse array of music and the whole project's outsider/ cult vibe, this is surprisingly full, emotional and impressively consistent body of work...





"The story of Father Yod begins sometime in 1969. Tom Baker was a middle aged follower of the Yogi Bhajan  a kundali yoga master and health food prophet who came to the U.S. on the heels of the Maharishi. Mr. Baker became disenchanted when Mr. Bhajan declared that he was not god, so Mr. Baker decided to assume the mantle. He soon gathered a group of acolytes named "The Source" and opened a health food restaurant in the Laurel Canyon section of Hollywood called The Aware Inn.

Dubbing himself Father Yod (later changed to Yahowha), Mr. Baker espoused a philosophy based on kindness to animals, a fruit heavy diet, the wearing of cotton clothes, and sex without orgasm.


Then, on August 25, 1975, Yahowa decided he wanted to go hang gliding. He'd never done it before, but he was adamant, so the family went along with it. He took a short flight, landed badly and broke his back. He refused medication, asking instead for massages and salt packs. He died after about nine hours. Following his instructions, the family gave him an enema, lit incense, and chanted for three days before they called authorities to remove his heat bloated corpse. Another rumor has persisted that Yahowa was stuffed and mounted in the family's house, but it seems more likely that he was cremated." - Byron Coley

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Playlist:

1. Ya Ho Wha 13 - 'Yod He Vau He' from Penetration an Aquarian Symphony (1974)
2. 'Sky Sunlight Saxon Speaking Directly to the Earth Aquarian Family' from God and Hair CD Box (1998)
3. Ya Ho Wa 13 - 'Little Doggie' from Ya Ho Wha 13 (1974)
4. Ya Ho Wa 13 - 'Kind of Depressing' from Ya Ho Wha 13 (1974)
5. Ya Ho Wa 13 - 'A Thousand Sighs' from Savage Sons of Ya Ho Wa (1974)
6. Ya Ho Wa 13 - 'Making a Dollar' from Savage Sons of Ya Ho Wa (1974)
7. Ya Ho Wa 13 - First side (untitled) from To the Principles for the Children (1975)
8. Ya Ho Wa 13 - 'Four' from I'm Gonna Take You Home (1974)
9. Ya Ho Wa 13 - 'Five' from I'm Gonna Take You Home (1974)
10. Fire, Water, Air - 'Wolf Pack' from Golden Sunrise (1977)
11. Yodship - 'Suite Two' from Yodship (1979)
12. Father Yod and the Spirit of 76 - Untitled second side from Kohoutek (1973)
13. Fire, Water, Air - 'We Are Atlanteans' from God and Hair CD Box (1998)
14. Fire, Water, Air - 'Chant/ Chant/ Don't Give Up The Ship/ Chant' from God and  Hair CD Box (1998)
15. Ya Ho Wha 13 - 'Ya Ho Wha' from Penetration an Aquarian Symphony (1974)
16. Yodship - 'Suite One' from Yodship (1979)
17. Fire, Water, Air - 'Celebration' from Golden Sunrise (1977)
18.  Ya Ho Wha 13 - 'Journey Through an Elemental Kingdom' from Penetration an Aquarian Symphony (1974)
19. Ya Ho Wa 13 - Second side (untitled) from To the Principles for the Children (1975)


Sunday, September 30

networks of foam / i want more: can's 'the lost tapes' and beyond...


2012 has seen the first comprehensive and official trawl through one of the most legendary bodies of lost musical work in recent history: the supposed "mountain of tapes" recorded by Can at their rehearsal/ living space at Weilerswurst between 1968 and 1977 and still presumably buried away somewhere... Well it turned out to be four filing cabinets full, from which keyboardist Irmin Schmidt and and his son in law Jono Podmore assembled a pretty stellar collection of unheard tracks, most of which have never been heard before.
But Can were always a pretty comprehensively and interestingly bootlegged band. Tonight Avant Gardening takes a trip through both the recently rediscovered and some of the still grey-area-only corners of this most stellar and organic of bands.



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Playlist:

1. Can, 'Waiting for the Streetcar' from the Lost Tapes (2012)
2. Can, 'Abra Cada Braxas' from the Lost Tapes (2012)
3. Can, 'Networks of Foam' from the Lost Tapes (2012)
4. Can, 'Midnight Sky' from the Lost Tapes (2012)
5. Can, 'Millionspiel' from the Lost Tapes (2012)
6. Can, 'E.F.S 108'' from the Lost Tapes (2012)
7. Can, 'Private Nocturnal' from the Lost Tapes (2012)
8. Can, 'Dead Pigeon Suite' from the Lost Tapes (2012)
9. Can, 'Tape Kebab' from The Peel Sessions 73-75 (1995)
10. Can, 'Kama Sutra 1' from Unopened (date unknown)
11. Can, 'Kama Sutra 2' from Unopened (date unknown)
12. Can, 'Outside my Door' from Unopened (date unknown)
13. Can with Tim Hardin, 'Soundcheck' from Outtake Edition (date unknown)
14. Can with Phew, 'I'm Your Doll' from Outtake Edition (date unknown)
15. Can with Phew, 'Hot Day in Koln' from Outtake Edition (date unknown)
16. Can, 'Up The Bakerloo Line With Anne' from The Peel Sessions 73-75 (1995)
17. Can, '15:40 (side 1)' from Prehistoric Future (date unknown)
18. Can, 'Moving Slowly' from Unopened (date unknown)
19. Can, 'When Darkness Comes from the Lost Tapes (2012)
20. Can, 'Midnight Men' from the Lost Tapes (2012)
21. Can, 'Messer Scissors Fork and Light' from the Lost Tapes (2012)
22. Can, 'Blind Mirror Surf' from the Lost Tapes (2012)
23. Can, 'On the way to Mother Sky' from the Lost Tapes (2012)
24. Can, 'One More Saturday Night' from the Lost Tapes (2012)
25. Can, 'Graublau' from the Lost Tapes (2012)
26. Can, 'True Story' from the Lost Tapes (2012)
27. Can, 'Bubble Rap' from the Lost Tapes (2012)
28. Can, 'Your Friendly Neighbourhood Whore' from the Lost Tapes (2012)
29. Can, 'Obscura Primavera' from the Lost Tapes (2012)





Sunday, September 9

lie still, sleep becalmed / and yet the sea is not full: the lost domain


"The greatest rock and roll group in Australia" - Jon Dale

"The Lost Domain were and are one of Australia’s best kept secrets, the centre of gravity for a whole scene... who re-wrote the free rock manifesto as radically as The Dead C. " - David Keenan, Volcanic Tongue

Brisbane's The Lost Domain (and the sometimes confusing circle of bands around them, especially their earlier 90s iteration,  Invisible Empire) represent one of the more fertile and dense canons in Antipodean music, but its not exactly as well known a story as it would otherwise be.
A comparison to what  (along with David Keenan above) I'd peg as their closest contemporaries at the time, the Dead C - who were glibly speaking, noise rock in the same way that the Lost Domain could be glibly described as noise blues, and had a similar longevity - is interesting in so far as it demonstrates the startling range of the Domain (and also perhaps the networking and positioning skill of the Dead C's Bruce Russell.)
Over the twenty year lifespan of the band - or more precisely perhaps the core creative relationship of mainstays guitarist John Henry Calvinist (David MacKinnon) and singer Ragtime Frank (Simon Ellaby) - they created essentially a new idiom for dealing with their view of the history of music, applying a combination of an intense and scholarly study of music history filtered through post punk performance and what the band describe as "mood disorders".
David MacKinnon died this week after a two year battle with cancer. 




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Playlist:

1. The Lost Domain, 'At Sea The Storm' from Sailor Home From The Sea (2004)
2. John Henry Calvinist, 'In The Rigging' from King Solomon Hill (2006)
3. The Lost Domain, 'And Yet The Sea Is Not Full (excerpt)' from And Yet The Sea Is Not Full (2003)
4. The Lost Domain, 'Lie Still, Sleep Becalmed (excerpt)' from Lie Still, Sleep Becalmed (2007)
5. The Lost Domain (Invisible Empire), 'Requiem For The Slow Drag' from Blondes Chew More Gum (1995, re released 2011)
6. The Lost Domain (Invisible Empire), 'Indian Pacific' from Blondes Chew More Gum (1995, re released 2011)
7. The Lost Domain, 'Sun House ii' from An Unnatural Act (1990, re released 2006)
8. The Lost Domain, 'Fuck the White Race' from An Unnatural Act (1990, re released 2006)
9. The Lost Domain, 'Suicide Drive' from An Unnatural Act (1990, re released 2006)
10. The Lost Domain, 'Death Funk' from Wayouthere (2006)
11. The Lost Domain, 'Guilty' from From Son to Sun (2002)
12. The Lost Domain, 'Two Trains Running' from White Man At The Door (2006)
13. Two Poor Boys, 'Casey Jones' from The Dead Set (2006)
14. The Lost Domain, 'Stack O'Lee' from The Empire Never Ended (1999)
15. John Henry Calvinist, 'Broken on the Wheel' from Shackles First To Fit (1993, re released 2000)
16. John Henry Calvinist, 'Hospital' from Shackles First To Fit (1993, re released 2000)
17. The Lost Domain, 'Pearline' from White Man At The Door (2006)
18. The Lost Domain, 'In My Time of Dying' from White Man At The Door (2006)
19. The Lost Domain, 'Alain Fournier's Dream' from Alain Fournier's Dream (2002)
20. Grubbage, 'Chicken Wire' from Pie-Eyed and Mulish (1995)
21. Neil Armstrong Experience, 'Down in the Hole (excerpt)' from Now Wait For Last Year (2000)
22. The Lost Domain, 'The New South' from Blondes Chew More Gum (1995, re released 2011)
23. The Lost Domain, 'Pearline' from The Empire Never Ended (1999)
24. The Lost Domain, 'Prayer of Death' from Blondes Chew More Gum (1995, re released 2011)
25. The Lost Domain, 'Indian War Whoop II' from Blondes Chew More Gum (1995, re released 2011)
26. The Lost Domain, 'Air' from Blondes Chew More Gum (1995, re released 2011)
27. The Lost Domain, 'Memorium' from The Dead Set (1995)
28. The Lost Domain, 'Second Mystery' from The Mystery of the Lost Domain (2008)
29. The Lost Domain, '(On) The Waterfront' from Sailor Home From The Sea (2004)
30. The Lost Domain, 'Night Boat' from Sailor Home From The Sea (2004)
31. The Lost Domain, 'Boll Weevil' from White Man At The Door (2006)
32. The Lost Domain, 'Funeral March for Charley Patton' from An Unnatural Act (1990, re released 2006)
33. The Lost Domain, 'Last Go Round' from Blondes Chew More Gum (1995, re released 2011)
34. The Lost Domain, 'Sun Zoom Stomp' from The Empire Never Ended (1999)
35. The Lost Domain, 'The Wall in the Window' from An Unnatural Act (1990, re released 2006)
36. The Lost Domain, 'Indian War Whoop I' from Blondes Chew More Gum (1995, re released 2011)
37. The Lost Domain, 'Frankie and Albert' from White Man At The Door (2006)
38. The Lost Domain, '(I Walk a) Lonely Avenue' from Blondes Chew More Gum (1995, re released 2011)