posted by david on Thu 18 Sep 2008 @ 10:11 PM

It's been a long time since my last post. I won't try to recap everything since then, but I thought I'd jot down a few thoughts on music I've enjoyed recently...

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posted by david on Tue 17 Apr 2007 @ 11:16 PM

I bumped into a well known Australian comedian the other day who asked why I'd stopped updating gstring. I don't know which surprised me more, the fact that anyone read it or the fact that he read it. So for those looking for something interesting to read about music, check out this fascinating article about a world famous classical musician trying his hand at busking.

posted by david on Fri 9 Feb 2007 @ 10:02 PM

gstring has been much neglected for the past couple of years but in that time I've discovered some extraordinary music. The strange thing is that much of it has come from one woman, Patty Griffin, such that she became one of my alltime favourite musicians only weeks after I finally made the plunge into her catalogue. As this review explains best, it's almost impossible to explain her talent in words. When a Patty song gets under your skin, it's frightening how overpowering it can feel.

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posted by david on Wed 23 Nov 2005 @ 12:55 PM

In rock and pop music, there are plenty of musicians who simply love music and who aren't drawn to the fame or the money. Chris Whitley was something else again: he didn't just love music, he seemed to live and breathe it. It was easy to imagine that without it he wouldn't be able to exist. Anyone who saw him play live would have been taken aback by the ferocity and passion in his performances and anyone who then spoke to him off-stage would have been even more surprised at how gentle he was. He may have passed away on Sunday but through listening to his music again, we can be staggered by his talent all over again and more importantly, we can feel some of that passion he had for music. RIP Chris.

Links: official site - Rolling Stone news report

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posted by david on Sat 3 Jul 2004 @ 12:59 AM

Somewhere in the Cyndi Lauper catalog there's a haunting song by the title of "Fearless". While she didn't play that song tonight, that was the word that kept popping into my brain. Fearless. After a dumbfoundingly appalling support act (not quite as bad the support act on the recent Radiohead tour - these guys were listenable at least), Cyndi bounded on to stage and within the first couple of songs had clambered up on to the speaker stacks, the grand piano and on top of someone's seat in the middle of an adoring crowd. More surprisingly, such 'stunts' didn't feel gimmicky because she never stopped singing her heart out, showcasing a voice that is better remembered by most people for it's quirks than for it's devastating range and power. She twisted some covers (eg. Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood, Walk On By) and a few of her own songs (She Bop, Time After Time) and threw in some complete rockers (It's Hard To Be Me, Sisters Of Avalon). I came away from the show thinking that Cyndi is not only a complete original, she's probably one of the more exciting - and, yes, fearless - performers I've ever seen.

posted by david on Thu 10 Jun 2004 @ 10:41 PM

Bruce Springsteen has always shied away from siding with any one political party, preferring instead to champion particular causes close to his heart. As The Dixie Chicks saw when they denounced the current US president, you can turn away a lot of fans if you take an extreme stance (left, right or otherwise). Back in the 80s, Reagan famously misappropriated "Born in the USA" as if it was some celebration of the US, a mistake which frustrated Springsteen no end. Even then he couldn't bring himself to speak explicitly about his political views and merely asked that people pay closer attention to the song. Now as the global political climate looks decidedly wonky Springsteen has made his boldest political statement yet: he's soundly endorsed a recent speech by Al Gore by reprinting it on his official site. I guess desperate times call for desperate measures. In Australia, a similarly respected musician has also wandered into politics in a big way, with Peter Garrett (formerly of Midnight Oil) joining the Labor Party and being offered a safe seat so that he can enter Parliament. Just as with Springsteen, many long time fans are astonished by the bold move into mainstream political debate. It'll be interesting to see how things play out.

posted by david on Thu 3 Jun 2004 @ 08:48 PM

Every so often I get someone asking me for my postal address to send me a CD. I'm not sure whether they're thanking me for something they like about one of my websites or whether they're expecting me to proclaim nice things about the album or what. If I was a journalist for some big music mag maybe I could understand it, but I'm not so I don't. Anyway, I think Ralston Bowles opened for Hothouse Flowers at one (or more?) of their shows in the US last year. A couple of weeks ago Ralston emailed me for my postal address and this week his CD "Carwreck Conversations" turned up. He didn't explain why he was sending it to me but at this point I'm not complaining - it's a pretty good album.

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posted by david on Tue 30 Mar 2004 @ 09:30 PM

It's out! It wasn't supposed to be out for another couple of weeks but some who pre-ordered it have already received their copy. What the heck is it? It's an album called 'A Terrible Beauty' by a group calling themselves The Uncle Devil Show. In a way it's reminiscent of The Traveling Wilburys in that it's a bunch of musicians pretending to be anyone but themselves. The charade extends from the songwriting credits through to the press release to the appalling album cover artwork. The main figure of interest for me is Del Amitri frontman Justin Currie (calling himself Jason Barr), who is one of my favourite lyricists. Having heard the whole album through dodgy mp3 files, I can say it's one of the silliest albums I've heard in a while. There are songs about the joys of bicycles (Leonardo's bicycle and me/Away from all the trains and cars/Alone with gears and handlebars I'm free), Irish singer Gilbert O'Sullivan, bimbos in limos and a disturbing rant about those evil beasts popularly known as pigeons. Musically, it's bright and fresh and tremendous fun. If I ever get around to completing my 'best of 2003' list, you'll see this album listed there because it's a brilliant pick me up. It always gets me bouncing around, grinning at the lyrics, the harmonies and the irresistible pop hooks. Maybe Justin and friends meant this one as a joke but if he takes this sense of fun and energy back to the next Del Amitri album, it'll be a corker.