Just Released - 2013 [Ep.43]

“I suppose I should tell you what this bitch is thinking,

 You’ll find me in the studio and not in the kitchen …”

                                         “Hard Out Here” [Lily Allen 2013]

Sharing what’s on her mind is what Lily Allen does best. And what she’s thinking right now is anything but flattering. After 4 years away from the demands of a Pop career in favour of being a mum, Lily’s making what she calls a “mumback”.  On her new single her sights are squarely on the overt sexism and misogyny in music videos. Apropos all the hype-driven “uproar” about provocative video clips recently, Lily Allen’s comeback/mumback/bitchslap could not be more timely, or welcome.

There’s also good news this week for fans of Neil Finn. The Kiwi music legend has just released a new single ahead of his next solo album (‘Dizzy Heights’), coming a mere Christmas-hangover away, in early February. And Neil’s on the road again in 2014, touring Australia, the USA and Canada.  Meanwhile, you’ll hear a preview from the new album in this edition of JR.

Other Finn-related news coming our way is, ‘Goin’ Your Way’, the CD/DVD collection of a Sydney Opera House concert featuring Neil Finn with Australia’s foremost troubadour, Paul Kelly, at the end of their 2013 tour. As master craftsmen of popular song, they revisit the heart of each other’s songs with a warm, mutual respect. 

There’s more fresh Aus-Music in this edition including a new single from the currently touring Dan Sultan from sessions he recently recorded in Nashville, along with a new single from Sydney Electro band, RüFüS.  We also preview the forthcoming album from Texan singer/songwriter Robert Ellis, railing against conformity on his new single. (He’s playing select gigs in Victoria and New South Wales from this week.)

Coming soon to a cinema near you is the new Coen Brothers film, ‘Inside Llewyn Davis’,  about the Greenwich Village Folk scene before the arrival of Bob Dylan. Collaborating once again with T-Bone Burnett, the Coen’s have a soundtrack featuring contributions from Marcus Mumford, Punch Brothers and Justin Timberlake (who appears in the film).

The Beatles are back (again) with a second volume of recordings made for various BBC programs between 1963 and ’64. Barely beyond their teens, The Beatles are at the start of their exponential rise. In this audio time capsule The Beatles joke it up with various plum-in-the-mouth show hosts and play some (officially) rare versions of songs they either made famous, or never recorded.

      

Dan Sultan: “Under Your Skin” (new single)

Neil Finn: “Flying In The Face Of Love” (preview from the album, ‘Dizzy Heights’)

Stark Sands with Punch Brothers: “The Last Thing On My Mind” (from the soundtrack album, ‘Inside Llewyn Davis’)

Robert Ellis: “Sing Along” (preview from the album, ‘The Lights Of The Chemical Plant’)

The Beatles: “I Saw Her Standing There”/”I Feel Fine (outtake)”/”Happy Birthday Saturday Club”/”I Want To Hold Your Hand” (from the album, ‘On Air: Live At The BBC Vol.2’)

Lily Allen: “Hard Out Here” (new single)

RüFüS: “Tonight” (new single)

Neil Finn & Paul Kelly: “Four Seasons In One Day”/”Moon River”/”Leaps And Bounds” (from the concert CD/DVD, ‘Goin’ Your Way’)

To stream Just Released (any time):  Find 'Just Released' here. 

You can also connect via local web pages at the links below..

Just Released:  Heard Saturdays at 12pm & repeated Sundays at 4pm (AEDST or AEST) on ABC Digital Radio through Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne,Adelaide and Perth, and streaming on demand at the Gold Coast, Newcastle, Hobart and Darwin web pages. JR can also be heard on Radio Australia throughout Asia & the Pacific.

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Just Released - 2013 [Ep.42]

“I have only one burning desire,

 Let me stand next to your fire …”

                  “Fire” [The Jimi Hendrix Experience 1967]

Yeah, I’m sure that’s a conceptual metaphor, right there. But nobody seemed to care too much about Jimi’s lyrics compared to what he could say with a guitar in his hands. In this 120^th edition of JR, we have the latest official release from the Hendrix estate, ‘Miami Pop Festival’. Historically, this May 1968 performance sits neatly between the Monterey Pop Festival (June ’67) where Jimi set fire to his guitar and became a legend - and his headline appearance as the closing act at Woodstock (August 1969). The remastered ‘Miami Pop Festival’ recordings show The Jimi Hendrix Experience still intact, with the hits they were playing, still recently fresh.

In sonic contrast to Jimi, we dip into the self-titled debut by sisters Lily & Madeleine from Indiana. Their voices straddle Folk and Pop with light, airy harmonies evoking the wide open spaces of the American Heartland they call home. Also from the US, albeit from quite different musical standpoints, are Psychedelic Rock band, Midlake (with their first album since the departure of singer and songwriter, Tim Smith) - and Indie Electronica musician, Active Child. Pat Grossi (aka Active Child) was in Australia for last month’s Melbourne Festival. On a previous trip downunder he’d performed at the Sydney Opera House - as a 9 year-old member of the Philadelphia Boys Choir. Things change.

On the Australian front we have the latest from Brisbane band, The John Steel Singers (touring nationally this month), from their just released album ‘Everything’s A Thread’, along with a new single from Sydney singer/songwriter Josh Pyke.

From the UK, we preview the debut single from MT. Those initials may stand for ‘Many Things’ or perhaps, ‘Michael Tomlinson’, the name of the project’s Australian-born frontman. As if the name MT wasn’t hard enough to search on the internet then consider the challenge in the song title: “Alpha Romeo”. That’s ‘Alpha’ (as in ‘personality type’) and ‘Romeo’ (as in ‘…and Juliette’). Beyond that, MT’s “Alpha Romeo” is one of the more clever modern Pop songs around.

Meanwhile, the collaboration of producer Brian Burton (aka Dangermouse) and James Mercer (of The Shins) as Broken Bells are set to release their second album early next year. The title of ‘After The Disco’ is reflected in our preview song, “Perfect World” on which Broken Bells tap their inner Bee Gee.

Celebrating her 27^th birthday next week is Malaysian born singer/songwriter Yuna, whose new album ‘Nocturnal’ is her first on major label. Yuna’s blend of Trip-Hop, Soul and acoustic Folk has been finding a growing international following since her self-titled debut album was independently released last year. You’ll hear why in this edition.

    

  

      

MT: “Alpha Romeo” (debut single)

Broken Bells: “Holding On For Life” (preview from the album, ‘After The Disco’)

Yuna: “Falling” (from the album, ‘Nocturnal’)

Midlake: “Antiphon”/”The Old And The Young” (from the album, ‘Antiphon’)

The John Steel Singers: “Common Thread” (from the album, ‘Everything’s A Thread’)

Josh Pyke: “The Beginning & The End Of Everything” (from the album, ‘The Beginning & The End Of Everything’)

Lily & Madeleine: “Sounds Like Somewhere”/”Would You Come” (from the album, ‘Lily & Madeleine’)

The Jimi Hendrix Experience: “Introduction”/”Fire” (from the album, ‘Miami Pop Festival’)

Active Child: “Subtle” (featuring Mikky Ekko) (from the EP, ‘Rapor’)

To stream Just Released any time:  Find 'Just Released' here. 

You can also connect to local web pages via the hot links below..

Just Released is heard Saturdays at 12pm and repeated Sundays at 4pm (AEDT or AEST) on ABC Digital Radio in Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaideand Perth, and streaming on demand on our web pages including the Gold Coast, Newcastle, Hobart and Darwin.  JR can also be heard on Radio Australia throughout Asia & the Pacific.

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Just Released - 2013 [Ep.41]

“Your virgin bush, I love to roam,

 Your suburban sprawl – my, how it’s grown …”

                  “Australia” [The Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band 1975]

Maybe it’s not on your calendar but it’s certainly on ours. November is ‘Aus-Music Month’ and in this edition of JR we’ve set our focus on music from right across this green and gold (but mostly brown) land.

In those last few moments of innocence before The Beatles changed everything, Australian music was down at the beach. Fifty years ago this month, Little Pattie released “He’s My Blond Haired, Stompie Wompie, Real Gone Surfer Boy” and The Atlantics released “The Crusher” as the follow-up to their #1 hit, “Bombora”. In 2013, and away from the beach, the sound (and influence) of Australian music has changed considerably.

Melbourne singer/songwriter Gossling has been attracting attention for a couple of years and has just released her debut album, ‘Harvest Of Gold’.  Also from Melbourne we have the ever-changing but always-funky music collective, The Bamboos and the latest from Electro-Pop quartet, Cut Copy.

From Sydney, Sarah Blasko has a new single from her current album ‘I Awake’ (featuring the 52-piece Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra) and from Adelaide, we have the debut single from Indie Rock trio, Beautiful Fools.

As well, there’s the latest from Perth Rock music mainstays Eskimo Joe, some fresh Electro-Pop from The Lazy Calm’s debut and the new solo release for Panics’ frontman, Jae Laffer.

And from Brisbane, a new single from emerging Pop/Rock band, The Trouble With Templeton.

Meanwhile, the JR Radar picked up on an eccentric London duo who make music with audio samples from vintage films developed for education, propaganda and all points between them. The dryly-monikered Public Service Broadcasting make their intentions clear in their album title: ‘Inform-Educate-Entertain’. But banish all thoughts of those films you had to endure watching at school. Public Service Broadcasting is a lot more fun.

  

      

The Bamboos: “Avenger” (from the album, ‘Fever In The Road’)

Jae Laffer: “Don’t Make Me Wait” (from the album, ‘When The Iron Glows Red’)

Eskimo Joe: “Sad Song” (from the album, ‘Wastelands’)

The Trouble With Templeton: “Glue” (from the album, ‘Rookie’)

The Lazy Calm: “Paper Dreams” (new single)

Gossling: “Harvest Of Gold”/”That Feeling” (from the album, ‘Harvest Of Gold’)

Public Service Broadcasting: “Inform, Educate, Entertain”/”Theme From PSB” (from the album, ‘Inform Educate Entertain’)

Beautiful Fools: “Small Town” (from the debut EP, ‘Beautiful Fools’)

Sarah Blasko: “Fool” (from the album, ‘I Awake’)

Cut Copy: “We Are Explorers” (from the album, ‘Free Your Mind’)

   To stream Just Released any time:  Find 'Just Released' here. 

Just Released is heard Saturdays at 12pm and Sundays at 3pm (AEDT or AEST) on ABC Digital Radio in Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, and via the streams of our metropolitan stations on the Gold Coast, in Newcastle, Hobart and Darwin.  

You can also listen to JR on Radio Australia throughout Asia & the Pacific.

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Just Released - 2013 [Ep.40]

“We chopped a billion trees, to print up eulogies,

 But guys we should have guessed, the girls would say it best:

 Moondog! …”

                       “Moondog” [Prefab Sprout 1990]

Back in 1990, Prefab Sprout released one of the most sophisticated Pop records of the decade, a sprawling double album called ‘Jordan: The Comeback’. A loose concept album dealing with Love, Elvis, Religion and Death, ‘Jordan’ overflowed with bright hooks, lush harmonies and the polished production of Thomas Dolby. In many ways ‘Jordan: The Comeback’ was a near-perfect creation. And outside the UK, it went largely unnoticed. Back then Prefab Sprout was a band, whereas now, it serves as the solo umbrella for lead singer and chief songwriter, Paddy McAloon. After more than a decade of creative hibernation, we caught Paddy McAloon on the Comeback Trail with the Prefab Sprout album ’Crimson//Red’. And you’ll hear what the fuss is about in this edition of JR.

It’s not all that often we feature Syrian Techno music on JR. Okay, so we’ve never featured Syrian Techno - but that all changes in this edition. In Syria, Omar Souleyman is a bit like the Elvis of the Middle East. He’s been bootlegged more than Dylan - mainly from his live performances as a wedding singer (yeah, really) and he’s just released his debut studio album, ‘Wenu Wenu’ (‘Where Is She?’). He’s performed widely in Europe, Australia and the USA. (Admit it you’re a little bit curious about this, aren’t you?)

We also feature a couple of forthright women with careers on the ascendant in Anna Calvi (from England) and Lissie (from America). Both began their professional careers at much the same time and both have just released a second album.

Also in this edition we check out some of the best of new Americana, from Texan songwriting craftsman, Guy Clark (‘My Favorite Picture Of You’) and Patty Griffin, whose album ‘Silver Bell’ was recorded more than a decade ago but is only now seeing its first proper release.

Now that it’s been officially released, we revisit The Arcade Fire’s new album, ‘Reflektor’ and, we acknowledge the newly expanded ‘Deluxe Edition’ of one of the most successful records of the ‘90s: ‘Unplugged’ by Eric Clapton.

  

      

Lissie: “The Habit” (from the album, ‘Back To Forever’)

Anna Calvi: “Suddenly”/”Eliza” (from the album, ‘One Breath’)

Prefab Sprout: “The Best Jewel Thief In The World”/”List Of Impossible Things” (from the album, ‘Crimson//Red’)

Omar Souleyman: “Warni Warni (Come To Me)” (from the album, ‘Wenu Wenu’)

Guy Clark: “My Favorite Picture Of You” (from the album, ‘My Favorite Picture Of You’)

Patty Griffin: “Truth #2” (from the album, ‘Silver Bell’)

Arcade Fire: “Afterlife” (from the album, ‘Reflektor’)

Eric Clapton: “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out” (from the album, ‘Unplugged’ [Deluxe Edition])

Just Released is heard Saturdays at 12pm and Sundays at 3pm (AEDT or AEST) on ABC Digital Radio in Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, and via the streams of our metropolitan stations on the Gold Coast, in Newcastle, Hobart and Darwin.  

You can also listen to JR on Radio Australia throughout Asia & the Pacific.

To stream Just Released on demand, simply connect to our web pages via the hot links above. …(or even the shiny beast below): 

                                            Find 'Just Released' here. 

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Just Released - 2013 [Ep.39]

 

“Will you still need me, will you still feed me,

 When I’m 64…”

                       “When I’m 64” [The Beatles 1967]

When Macca recorded that song with The Beatles in December 1966 he was just 24 years old. It was released on the ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ LP 6 months later and he still hadn’t turned 25. Such is the nature of McCartney’s genius. With varying degrees of success, he tiptoes the fine line between Tin Pan Alley tradition and pure Pop. It’s an artistic gamble which, more often than not, has paid off. When it fails to, even someone of Macca’s obvious skills is prone to fall into nursery rhyme banality. Still, nobody does ‘simple’ quite so effortlessly as Paul McCartney and, as you’ll hear in this edition, his trend toward deeper personal introspection set with ‘Flaming Pie’ (1997) and ‘Chaos And Creation In The Backyard’ (2005) also continues on his latest solo album, ‘New’.

Also with a powerful track record and a great deal left to say in 2013 are Seattle’s Godfathers of Grunge, Pearl Jam. The band has just released its 10^th album (‘Lightning Bolt’) and 22 years on from their celebrated debut (‘Ten’) they sound just as vital and committed as ever.

Other welcome returns in this edition come from English Trip-Hop pioneers, Morcheeba with their second album since original lead singer, Skye Edwards rejoined the band three years ago – and, a noticeably revitalized Alex Lloyd, whose new album ‘Urban Wilderness’ was produced with the help of good friend, Shane Nicholson.

Meanwhile, a couple more Aussie acts with new songs in this edition are Sydney band The Jezabels (whose 2^nd album is due early next year) and Machine Translations (aka J Walker), ahead of a short east coast tour coming in November.

Last time of JR, we scratched the surface of Jonathan Wilson’s new album ‘Fanfare’. Rich in sonic textures and adventurous in scope, we return to Wilson’s just released album in this edition to reveal even more.

  

      

Pearl Jam: “Lightning Bolt” (from the album, ‘Lightning Bolt’)

Morcheeba: “Face Of Danger” (from the album, ‘Head Up High’)

Alex Lloyd: “Good Thing"/”Honestly” (from the album, ‘Urban Wilderness’)

Jonathan Wilson: “Dear Friend” (from the album, ‘Fanfare’)

Paul McCartney: “Queenie Eye”/”Early Days” (from the album, ‘New’)

The Jezabels: “The End” (new single)

Machine Translations: “Perfect Crime” (from the album, ‘The Bright Door’)

Jonathan Wilson: “Cecil Taylor” (from the album, ‘Fanfare’)

Note: Subject to Daylight Saving, some broadcast times have now changed. 

Just Released is heard Saturdays at 12pm and Sundays at 3pm (AEDT or AEST) on ABC Digital Radio in Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, and via the streams of our metropolitan stations on the Gold Coast, in Newcastle, Hobart and Darwin.  

You can also listen to JR during the week on ABC Dig Music Mondays @ 1pm, Wednesdays @ 7pm & Thursdays @ 10am (AEDT or AEST) and on Radio Australia throughout Asia & the Pacific.

To stream Just Released on demand, simply connect to our web pages via the hot links above. …(or even the shiny beast below): 

                                                           Find 'Just Released' here. 

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