Simon Kirk's Blog

Here is the first chapter of my forthcoming third book, Welcome To Charmsville - the sequel to Borrowed Time. Enjoy.



A BATHROOM INCIDENT
 
“Don’t shuffle the tits off the Queen!”

            Occupying the backseat of the bus, Alan Sutton was shuffling his trusty deck of cards while reflecting on the weekend he had just had with his bowling crowd. Alan, or ‘Al’ to his bowling mates, had spent months organising the weekend bowls trip to Port Macquarie. By and large it had been a thankless task. The first challenge had been to get a sufficient number of bowlers to commit. Then there were the rigours of organising motels and transportation, not to mention collecting money from each person to cover all the costs.
But Al had figured it would be worth the trouble to experience a weekend away with a few blokes, and take on a rival club, in this case the Port Macquarie Bowling Club, and have a few laughs over a couple of beers. Well, more than a couple of beers, pretty much a weekend piss-up for all involved.
It wasn’t competition bowls by any stretch, merely a social event. And Al harboured aspirations that the members of the Port Macquarie Bowling Club would reciprocate and visit his local club in the not too distant future. He had hoped to turn it into an annual event and be something to look forward to for all involved.
            Due to an air-conditioning malfunction, the bus was as stifling as an industrial oven. Al looked towards the front of the bus and in his line of vision was one Frank Patterson. Frank was suffering from the after-effects of too much Bundaberg Rum the night before and his head bobbed and jolted as the bus negotiated around the numerous potholes which graced the asphalt.
            Al shook his head as he dealt the cards. “I’ll shuffle as long as I bloody well want. These bloody cards are starting to stick!”
            “Excuses, excuses,” said Slimy Steve, glancing at the Euchre scorecard. He and Jimmy Fishwick were up, eight to four.
            Al had suffered some unrest over the last two-and-half years. Or more specifically, his beloved bowling club had. A reduction in membership and revenue had left the bowling club pursuing other avenues or as some may call it, diversification.
            That was followed by Big Davo’s death, which had hit Al hard. It was an unfortunate incident at Christmas dinner, where Davo had choked on some pork crackling. It led to poor Davo slipping from the mortal coil far too soon. Then just after they had all said a final goodbye to Davo, the Siamese twins, Kenny King and Dudley Walters, revoked their memberships, only to join the scum across the river. The “other” bowling club in town, the North Lions Bowling Club, were Al and Frank’s most fierce rivals.
            Davo would be turning in his grave!
            The kicker was the club’s name change. Formerly known as the Bowling Club, due to changes within the town council regime, Al’s beloved bowling club had suffered the same fate as many other establishments and business houses in town. It was now known as the Charmsville Bowling Club.
            “Did you hear those pricks on the third rink yesterday, Al?” asked Jimmy Fishwick. “Taking the piss out of the town’s new name?”
            “Yes, Jimmy, I did,” said Al.
            “Charmsville. I kind of agree. It is a fookin’ cheesy name,” said Jimmy.
            “Well, Jimmy, if ya don’t like it ya can always go back to Pommy land,” suggested Slimy Steve.
            “Fook that, S.S. As long as that cunt Cameron is runnin’ the show I won’t be back there any time soon.”
            “We’ve got Abbott, though, Jimmy,” said Al.
            “Bit different here, Al. No fooker cares about the regional areas in Oz, do they? Every man for himself in Charmsville, innit,” said Jimmy.
            “Whatever you say, Jimmy,” said Al.
            “Should’ve protested this name change business,” said Jimmy.
            “Whaddaya mean?” asked Slimy Steve.
            “Picket fences and street marches. Protests, S.S. We used to do ’em all the time during the Thatcher era. The fookin’ old cunt tried to shut down our steel mill. In the end she did and in the process broke the unions’ backs with all her austerity shite. We had some right rucks with the police. Fookin’ good fun ’n’ all!”
            “Picket fence?” squawked Al. “We don’t have enough members to form a fence for a fucking backyard, mate!”
            “Got to ask the question, Al. That’s the ticket, my mate. Anyway, although the name sounds fookin’ cheesy it’s a better name than “The Town”, innit?” said Jimmy.
            “T-H-E T-O-W-N, Jimmy,” said Al. “Isn’t there originality to that? I bloody well thought so, anyway.”
            “Obviously not to the powers that be,” said Jimmy.
            Al liked Jimmy Fishwick, who was the newest member to grace the club. He had migrated to Australia to avoid David Cameron and anything relating to the British Tory government. With his strong northern accent, Jimmy added some vigour to the bowling ranks. His arms were covered with dubious tattoos that looked like they had been etched onto his limbs in someone’s backyard or in the corner of a shoddy Sheffield alehouse after the tattooist had downed his fair share of pints. Jimmy was proud of his native Yorkshire and had a penchant for Sheffield Wednesday Football Club, the union and obscure music. His hero was The Fall’s Mark E. Smith.
            At the front of the bus, Frank Patterson remained comatose. Once again, Charmsville’s star bowler was heralded as the weekend’s liability.
            There’s always one.
            The night before, Frank had stumbled into the toilets in the Port Macquarie Bowling Club and, near paralytic, had projected vomit into the nearest unlocked cubicle. Unfortunately, the Port Macquarie Bowling Club President, Cyril Baxter, was on the toilet taking a shit at the time. Cyril was covered in a deluge of liquid gore, which consisted of beer, rum and chunks of fish thanks to the bowling club’s ten-dollar dinner special.
            The incident culminated in the Charmsville boys being kicked out of the club and told in no uncertain terms that they were not welcome there again; a patent red card moment. It also meant that any chance of a reciprocal visit from their trans-coastal rivals was well and truly off the table.
            Al shook his head in frustration and then took a look at his cards. He had both bowers, and the ace, king and the queen of diamonds. Al looked over to his partner, Gary James, who had barely mumbled a word the whole trip. It was very unlike Gary. His alleged run in with the Gold Coast faction of the Mafia must have really put the shits up him, thought Al.
            “Take a break, Gary. I’m going alone on diamonds,” said Al.
            The score was about to be eight apiece.

Finally, some news!

Yes, after five years, the time has come to release the follow up to Borrowed Time.

Welcome To Charmsville (artwork above) contains more chaotic soap operas not limited to locals councils, gentrification, pensioners listening to The Fall and, of course, a bowling club!
As always, there are profanities and untraditional grammar, so if you scare easily, stick to Mills and Boon. You've been warned...
Welcome To Charmsville will be available on all major eBook platforms in the next couple of weeks, so expect further announcements before I go back into the abyss for the next five years.
Here's the description:
Darren Ferguson has been voted in as The Town’s new mayor and plans
wholesale changes. Not least, renaming “The Town” to Charmsville.
With the Global Financial Crisis in full-swing, it seems to have bypassed Charmsville, courtesy of Ferguson's financial ingenuity and mental nimbleness to get things done for his constituents.
However, not everyone is impressed with the new mayor's decisions. Least of all the boys from the Charmsville Bowling Club who are firmly in the ire of Ferguson and his aggressive approach to gentrification in his quest to take Charmsville into a new dawn.
In their pursuit to keep the bowling club from Ferguson's clutches, Charmsville stalwarts, Alan Sutton, Frank Patterson - along with everybody's favourite lovable rogue who is fresh out of prison, Terry Blanchard - embark on what can only be described as an unhinged soap opera, with more farcical chaos bound to flood the streets of Charmsville. Will they save their beloved bowling club from the evils of capitalism?
All royalties received from Welcome To Charmsville will be donated to the Cardiac Risk in the Young (better known as CRY).
CRY is an organisation whose vision is to prevent young sudden cardiac deaths through awareness, screening and research, and supporting affected families.
For more information and/or to donate directly to CRY, visit https://www.c-r-y.org.uk/.

For those interested, the lovely folk at Getintothis published my Sleaford Mods article. Big thanks to Pete and Rick at Git.

Check it out here.

In addition, thanks to the band for Tweeting and sharing on Facebook.

Nice words from Simon Kirk @Getintothis ere. https://t.co/cZGR7ZYvXu— Sleaford Mods (@sleafordmods) November 14, 2017

SK.

Photo taken by Andriejus Lasys @ The Engine in Lincoln, October 19, 2017.

For those who trawl the backwaters of the internet whereby you have stumbled upon my blog, I do apologise.

It's been a while since I've been on here, however it's been quite the year. Alongside my last post earlier this year, as the picture above suggests, I have moved country and am now an inhabitant of the great city of Liverpool.

Amid the unpacked boxes of CDs and books (the vinyl is unpacked, don't worry!), not to mention full-time employment, I've still been working on things. Another couple of drafts for future novels are done, plus I hope to have the follow-up to Borrowed Time out next year, with money currently being saved for production costs etc. I will provide more on that in the new year.

Furthermore, I have been doing a bit of writing for Liverpool's great independent online music publication, Getintothis. I've been some album reviews over the last couple of months. You can check them out here and here.

Speaking of music, like clockwork, my albums list will be released next month and instead of my usual 30 and 20 honourable mentions, it will be 50 straight, this year. No fucking about. 50 through to 1, folks.

Until then, I bid you farewell.

SK.

Artist: GrailsDate: March 10, 2017-03-16 Venue: The Deaf Institute
Now entrenched on foreign soil, there is no better way to mark the occasion by witnessing a band that has eluded me for some time (or more specifically, me eluding them – refer below). Portland stalwarts, Grails. Having previously missed their 2013 Brisbane show due to a major fuck up on my part (criminally, I thought it was the day after they played), from a personal point of view, this show has some historical implication.
Manchester’s Deaf Institute is a nice venue, with loud acoustics evenly spreading out the sound across the well-worn floorboards. Opening act, Majeure, is a worthy choice, producing a frenetic  kraut/space rock pastiche but expanding the boundaries further to something likened to Lightning Bolt.
After Majeure’s warm reception, the stage is set for one of Portland’s finest acts. With little fanfare, after their sound check Grails enter the stage and shred ‘I Led Three Lives' - an excellent opening track and performed with a raw vigour that is not replicated on record. Later in the set, ‘Deep Snow’ receives similar treatment, washing over the Manchester faithful very nicely indeed.
Throughout the night material from the band's Black Tar Propheciesseries provides a nice psychedelic back drop and gives the crowd enough time to catch their breath. Cuts from new long-player, Chalice Hymnal, are scarce and given the performance of drummer, Emil Amos, it's hardly surprising. 
Where Hymnal possesses more cinematic leanings, Amos' craft behind the skins remains fully harnessed by the band’s back catalogue of work. The mastermind of the excellent Holy Sons (I know, I’ve talked about that project at length throughout these parts), Amos could be mistaken as the mongrel offspring of either Keith Moon or John Bonham. As drummer for the spiritual doom purveyors, Om, Amos’ drumming is more of a shimmering undercurrent of percussion as opposed to the thunderous and behemoth-like snare toil that is the centrepiece to the Grails cannon. Guitarist, Alex Hall's heavy-ended riff-a-rolla cuts through perfectly while the underrated Zak Riles adds the intricate harmonics and noodlings with clever finger picks that round out the band's sonic manifesto.
‘Origin-ing’ is a full on post-rock assault and is the perfect way to end the night, or so I thought... The encore sees 'Reincarnation Blues' ripped through at a snarling pace while arguably Grails' finest cut committed to disk, ‘Silk Rd’, is a blood and thunder bastardisation of anything Ravi Shankar ever did. It is quite simply flooring.
It's a stellar performance and one that dispels the notion of these hipster dickheads suggesting that the post-rock genre is on the wane. Band's like Grails continue to be a beacon for instrumental music, providing sonic interpretations that enhance the post-rock pantheon. In the live arena, Grails can match it with any other. They are simply that good.
Words and photo by Simon K.   

So, here it is. Another year and with it more wrinkles, less hair and an expanding waistline. Living the dream! Suffice to say, it’s been an odd year for all the well documented reasons to which I won’t go into. We’re lucky that we have music to get us through, though, right?
In any case, my waffle from previous top 30s has been somewhat reduced this year, for I am swapping the sunny climes of Queensland, Australia for the cooler metropolis of Liverpool, Merseyside over in ol’ blighty, therefore my time has been largely taken up with packing boxes (including vinyl), applying for visas and so forth. Again, it’s been a great year for music and below are my favourite thirty long players. Hope you enjoy:

30.Artist: Kid Canaveral Album: Faulty Inner DialogueLabel:Lost Map Records
Scottish power-poppers, Kid Canaveral, strike me as being one of those dependable bands who are immune to making a bad album. Although their third album, Faulty Inner Dialogue, is my first encounter with the Scots, I imagine their first two albums are equally just as impressive (upon further investigation since the time of writing this, it has proven so). Scotland has always manufactured great indie-pop acts, but Kid Canaveral aren’t your run-of-the-mill pop collective off the conveyor belt. Unlike their contemporaries, they replace the feminine skin-and-bone leanings of twee with more muscle, adding shoegaze and power chords to an evolving framework. Kid Canaveral are a band that possesses all the hallmarks for your dyed-in-the-wool cult following; the ultimate band to treasure for the music nerd.
Favourite Tracks: First We Take Dumbarton, Pale White Flower, Listen to Me.

29.Artist: The Skiffle Players Album: Skifflin’Label: Spiritual Pajamas
Without truly being able to floor me, Cass McCombs has always intrigued me. His involvement with Neal Cassel and The Skiffle Players is as close to anything that has, though *. Skifflin’, although rather low-key, operates close to the bone of psychedelia while staying true to the roots of folk. It’s something that would resonate with fans of The Grateful Dead and is a gorgeous collection of songs which provides the perfect backdrop for a road trip across America. In fact, Skifflin’ feels like one of those great American folk albums that form the fabric of the country’s landscape, which, in conclusion, is a shame considering the little press it has received this year. Even some fans of McCombs’ solo work are yet to stumble across it.
* Then came Cass’s new solo album – more on that later.
Favourite Tracks: A Star for You, Skiffle Strut, When the Title Was Wrote.

28.Artist: Conrad Keely Album: Original MachinesLabel: Superball Music
After years of sonic toil, …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead frontman, Conrad Keely, has splintered off from the mighty Deads to carve out an impressive debut solo opus in Original Machines. It’s Keely’s Robert Pollard moment, knocking out twenty-four songs in under an hour. Unlike Pollard’s lo-fi ditties that sometimes fail on the quality control front, Keely has trimmed the fat off the ToD sound template and presented a melange of anthemic chords and raw pop melodies. There’s a lot to like on Original Machines which seldom wavers in quality. Although it probably won’t garner many new listeners, ToD devotees will find a lot to like here. Admittedly when ToD are concerned us diehards aren’t that hard to please, but partiality aside, Conrad has added another feather to his cap here. 
Favourite Tracks: Inside the Cave, All That’s Left is Land, Out on the Road, Before the Swim.

27.Artist: Kevin Morby Album: Singing Saw Label: Dead Oceans
With two albums already in the bag, former Woods bassist, Kevin Morby, really arrives with his third LP, Singing Saw. Although the Dylan comparisons will be rampant, it’s worth pointing out that Morby manages to form his own identity throughout Singing Saw. While a worthy stereo listen, it’s with headphones that Singing Saw really reveals itself. The subtle horn sections and soul singers provide a lovely orchestral-like backdrop for Morby’s stories. It’s an album which contains a slew of tender moments and it’s these passages that transcend this release from a good one to a great one. While Singing Saw sees Morby arrive at his creative arc, I would urge those who are yet to indulge in his back catalogue to do so. It’s just as striking. 
Favourite Tracks: Drunk and on a Star, Destroyer, Ferris Wheel, Water.

26.Artist: Lone Album: LevitateLabel: R&S Records
Like Zomby, Matt Cutler, under the guise of Lone, brings us nostalgia through the snapshot of ’90s rave with his latest album, Levitate. However, his ability to weave an impression ensconced in the modern leanings of tech-house, not to mention the misty crate digging soundscapes, is a striking exploit. While a lot of electronic albums embark in self-indulgence and incessant knob-twiddling that almost feels like a journey from dusk till dawn, Levitate is very much an in and out approach, clocking in at under thirty-five minutes. In a landscape where electronic music has been in somewhat of a lull during the past eighteen months, Levitate does a good job in presenting us a nexus between the past, present, and future.
Favourite Tracks: Alpha Wheel, Vapour Trailer, Breeze Out.

25.Artist: Ed Kuepper Album: Lost CitiesLabel: Prince Melon
The former Saints man continues to churn our modestly fine albums and his latest oeuvre, Lost Cities, is no exception. With over forty-five albums in the bag,Lost Cities occupies the upper echelon within Ed Kuepper’s temple of sounds. Kuepper’s involvement with the Last Cab to Darwin OST is evident here, for those sonic remnants throughout the soundtrack remain here on Lost Citiesand the album is better for it. Kuepper has created a proper Australian album here. I find that most artists from Australia these days appear to have lost the identity of localism, instead embracing American ideas culture, or the like. Kuepper is an old school purveyor and Lost Cities is a fine representation of good music that has been produced from these shores. It’s a charming sparse tour-de-force and a fine addition to his already impressive arsenal of long players.
Favourite Tracks: Pavane, What Can I Leave You?, Some Said, Queen of the Vale (That’s V.A.L.E.).

24.Artist: The Besnard Lakes Album: A Coliseum Complex Museum Label: Jagjaguwar
Where end of year lists are concerned, releasing albums so early in the year can be hazardous in the realm of forgotten quantities. Unfortunately, The Besnard Lakes’  A Coliseum Complex  Museum probably falls into this trap and while many will suggest that the band’s fifth album doesn’t stray too far from their sonic template, when that template is so monolithic, then sometimes it’s not such a bad thing. ACCM  is a slow burner, but when it cottons on the results are fascinating. The Besnard Lakes’ neo-psychedelic shoegaze assault is raucous as much as it is ethereal. The band has conjured up a gale-force of melodic psychedelia, tailor-made for small rock clubs and these songs will add further mass to their already awe-inspiring live show. Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas have pulled off yet another coup here.
Favourite Tracks: The Bray Road Beast, Golden Lion, Nightingale, Tungsten 4: The Refugee.

23.Artist: Julia Jacklin Album: Don’t Let the Kids WinLabel: Polyvinyl Record Co.
There’s always an album in my end of year list that creeps up and lands a flooring one-two combination. Julia Jacklin’s Don’t Let the Kids Winis that album. The Blue Mountains native has delivered a folk gem here. The album is top heavy with backing-band ditties not too dissimilar to Angel Olsen and while these tracks are impressive, it’s when Jacklin strips it back to just her and an acoustic guitar when things go to another level. Along with Olsen, there are also leanings of early Devendra Banhart, as Jacklin takes us through her stories about airports and growing up in Australia. It’s a majestic piece of work and highlights her precocious gift. Quite bluntly, over the years I’ve found most singer-songwriters from our shores to possess an inherent lack of soul and panache. Jacklin stands alone, though. This lady is the real deal.
Favourite Tracks: Elizabeth, Same Airport, Hay Plain.

22.Artist: Bloodiest Album: BloodiestLabel: Relapse Records
A collaboration between Chicago pinball artists (including the great 90 Day Men and Russian Circles), Bloodiest’s self-titled sophomore album is less like a pigeonhole and more like an ocean. They aren’t metal per se, nor are they neo-classical. They are, well, just Bloodiest, and I have to say they have released one of the nice surprises of 2016. The closest thing to compare the Chicago natives to would be the end time ballads Crippled Black Phoenix perfected during their first two albums. With little fanfare, Bloodiest have released something for the thought-provoking men and women of the sonic chapel. There’s a primal ferocity with Bloodiest. There are moments where the slender fragments of Shipping News are ensnared with the fierce bludgeoning of Neurosis. Post-rock nerds will dig the swirling quality of Bloodiest, while certain quarters of the metal community will cherish its edgier moments. Even the interests of those in the trad-rock pantheon may be piqued. Sonically, Bloodiest  is a subversive declaration and although it won’t garner the plaudits it deserves, there’s little doubt of its eminence.
Favourite Tracks: Mesmerize, Crooked Teeth, Separation.

21.Artist: Ital Tek Album: HollowedLabel: Planet Mu
Once ingrained in the dubstep genre, Alan Myson (Ital Tek) has followed his contemporaries out the door, stepping away from the dance floor and into something of a menacing whirlpool with Hollowed – his largest sonic leap yet. Drenched in drone not to mention the bowel twitching sub bass, Hollowed is a dark record ensconced in ambiance with slight techno leanings, resulting in moments where the peaks hit you square in the solar plexus. Whilst dubstep is deemed a dirty word in 2016, its purveyors seemed to have moved on, plying various alternative sonic incursions. Post-dubstep or whatever you wish to call it, Ital Tek’s Hollowedis a notable journey and with electronic music currently experiencing a lull in superiority, there aren’t many electronic albums released this year that are greater than Hollowed.
Favourite Tracks: Terminus, Cobra, Murmur, Jenova.

20.Artist: Jim James Album: Eternally EvenLabel:  Capitol/ATO Records
Jim James garners his inspiration from the ’60s and ’70s and his work as frontman of the great My Morning Jacket has demonstrated as much. His solo output – notwithstanding his the Monsters of Folk collaboration or the EP of George Harrison covers – is an avenue where he gathers more inspiration from the golden eras of music. And he does so with aplomb during his second solo album, Eternally Even. While its predecessor, Regions of Light and Sound of God, had its moments (‘I.O.U.’), Eternally Even sees James in full on soul boy mode with the back drop of old school psychedelia. It’s a political record and perhaps a facet which James has not been afforded with MMJ so overtly. James has always been a soul boy at heart and here he harnesses those influences so incisively. It’s a lovely piece of work and one of his greatest releases yet.   
Favourite Tracks: Same Old Lie, Here In Spirit, We Ain’t Getting Any Younger Pt. 2, Eternally Even.

19.Artist: DeftonesAlbum: GoreLabel: Reprise Records
Some will suggest that Gore is a return to form for the Deftones. However, other than the underwhelming Saturday Night Wrist, the Sacramento natives have rarely dipped from their creative arc and Gore further illustrates this notion. Still somewhat tarnished by their association with the late ’90s nu-metal incursion, Deftones have always had so much more about them. Spiritual leader, Chino Moreno, is a dynamic artist, spreading his wings throughout various projects over the years, but Deftones has always been the focal point of his creative apex. Goredisplays all of the Deftones’ genre-defining traits; the atmospheric beauty of the acclaimed White Pony to the downright belligerence of Around the Fur. Although drawing from their past at times, they still manage to penetrate their sound template to provide a fresh hybrid of street-rock. Gore is certainly a triumph and a striking addition to their already impressive body of work.
Favourite Tracks: Prayers/Triangles, (L)MIRL, Phantom Bride, Rubicon.

18.Artist: Moonface and Siinai Album: My Best Human FaceLabel: Jagjaguar
Although better known for his work in Wolf Parade, Spencer Krug has used his Moonface moniker to expand his sonic boundaries and dabble in other genres. Over the years, Moonface have been consistently good without causing seismic ripples throughout the independent music landscape, and in context My Best Human Face probably won’t change that. That’s not to say it isn’t Moonface’s finest work yet, because for me it is. For the second time, Krug teams up Finland prog-rockers, Siinai, and presents seven tracks that are entrenched in a hypnotic glam pastiche whilst holding onto an ’00s indie-rock ambiance; the latter, a genre Krug has always been at the pointy end of. If Roxy Music were still on the go, they would probably be making something like this.
Favourite Tracks: The Nightclub Artiste, Risto’s Riff, City Wrecker.

17.Artist: SwansAlbum: The Glowing ManLabel: Young God Records
Although I enjoyed Swans’ last two albums in parts, The Glowing Man is a captivating end to this current incarnation of Swans. It’s a cathartic journey of sonic purveyance. A transcendent out-of-body experience. The quiet/loud build ups are something that Steve Albini would be proud of. John Congleton deserves all the credit for creating such a work of art, continuing to enhance his worth as one of the modern day’s great rock producers. He best manages to harness the sonic hailstorms of post-rock and sludge belligerence, entwining these blocks of sound with quasi-Tibetan howls. Out of the last three albums, I feel that this one has truly captured the behemoth that is Swans’ live show and for that all involved must take great applause. The title track is one of the best things I’ve heard Michael Gira actually create. A flint-hearted maelstrom of sound. The song itself is an absolute masterpiece.
Favourite Tracks: Frankie M, The Glowing Man, Finally, Peace.

16.Artist: Wrekmeister HarmoniesAlbum: Light FallsLabel: Thrill Jockey
JR Robinson’s Wrekmeister Harmonies project is starting to reach its peak, to the point where the band is making the chamber-doom hybrid their own. Robinson has been on a consistent run of form these past few years with Light Falls following up from last year’s Night of Your Ascension. Enlisting Godspeed You! Black Emperor members, Tim Herzog (drums), and Sophie Trudeau (violin, piano), Robinson has cultivated an array of ominous soundscapes to form a perfect milieu for his art. Notwithstanding the immeasurable dark themes which are centred on the Holocaust, at times it feels as though this could be post-rock designed for the campfire, with the slow orchestral build-ups forging a shadowy juxtaposition with Robinson’s acoustic noodlings. Light Falls is Wrekmeister Harmonies finest effort yet and sets up an intriguing future for the project.
Favourite Tracks: Light Falls II – The Light Burns Us All, Where Have You Been My Lovely Son, Some Were Saved Some Were Drowned.

15.Artist: Black Mountain Album: IVLabel: Jagjaguwar
Black Mountain’s IV operates in a vein of cosmic psychebilly where monstrous Sabbath-like chords transform into ’Floyd-esque bliss, clashing with the melting vocal harmonies of one Amber Webber; one of my favourite modern day singers to boot. If Marissa Nadler’s voice makes you melt then Webber’s almost freezes you to the marrow. Thawing out never felt so good, though, and once again Webber adds to her impressive array of vocal performances throughout IV, alongside brains trust and partner-in-crime Stephen McBean. The celestial psych-rock hybrid that Black Mountain deliver on IV is best consumed out from the barnyard and under the stars. It’s easily Black Mountain’s best album since their eponymous debut and just when many thought the fire had all but smouldered, it’s safe to say that the behemoth that is Black Mountain is certainly ablaze. Suffice to say, McBean and Co. have sprung one of the pleasant surprises of 2016 with IV.
Favourite Tracks: Mother of the Sun, Florian Saucer Attack, Constellations, Space to Bakersfield.

14.Artist: A Dead Forest IndexAlbum: In All That Drifts from Summit Down Label: Sargent House
London based duo, A Dead Forest Index, are an intriguing bunch. In All That Drifts from Summit Down, the band’s debut LP, is a conception from the stables of the excellent Sargent House. It’s an  androgynous sprawl, rendered through a warped, brooding prism. The songs consisting of In All That Drifts from Summit Down aren’t exactly end time ballads, per se, but by the same token you can almost imagine this as your soundtrack whilst emerging from the high seas. It has that empowering quality, injecting equal parts of masculine drone and feminine slow-core dirges. Those who have fallen in love with Chelsea Wolfe’s Abyss will find this album equally gratifying, for its aesthetic moves in a similar realm.
Favourite Tracks: No Paths, Summit Down, Myth Retraced.

13.Artist: Cass McCombs Album: Mangy LoveLabel: –Anti
It’s been quite the year for troubadour, Cass McCombs. Firstly, he put together some of his best work yet the Skiffle Players. Then, he released what is arguably his greatest feat thus far with Mangy Love. McCombs has always possessed a sharp wit and that is once again at play here on Mangy Love. As stated in my aforementioned Skiffle Players love-in, I’ve always found McCombs somewhat of a hard sell. His music needs undivided attention. His messages are buried deep within a swathe of dark humour and with Mangy Love,  McCombs joins the pantheon of great modern day storytellers. Where McCombs differs slightly is that he possesses a severe intolerance for fools, further enhancing his legend. It’s hard to say whether Mangy Love is McCombs’ artistic crest, for his ceiling is undoubtedly lofty. If his best is yet to come, then it will be worth the wait.
Favourite Tracks: Rancid Girl, Medusa’s Outhouse, In A Chinese Alley, It, I’m A Shoe.

12.Artist: Drive-By TruckersAlbum: American BandLabel: ATO Records
Immigration, race, guns and politics. These are the themes which underpin the Drive-By Truckers’ latest album, American Band – perhaps their best album since their fine run of form in the early ’00s. It feels like a Drive-By Truckers album. The foot-stomping licks, southern fried and served up red hot. It’s the tone of the album which stands alone in the Truckers’ canon, though. Before listening, you knew judging by the album’s artwork that this was going in the direction of a protest album and band leaders, Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley, have delivered a plethora of home truths throughout this empowering release.  Although very much a protest album, it doesn’t have that feel of division. As a listener, whichever side of politics the individual occupies, you can’t help but just nod your head in agreement. Along with Sturgill Simpson, Driver-By Truckers continue to set the benchmark for this genre.
Favourite Tracks: Ramon Casiano, Surrender Under Protest, Ever South, What it Means.

11.Artist: Touché AmoréAlbum: Stage FourLabel: Epitaph
As the album title suggests, Stage Four is a concept album based on Touché Amoré frontman Jeremy Bolm’s mother, who passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer. With the assistance of his band mates, who have provided Bolm with a tempest of melodic riffs and heavy chords, the frontman has poured his heart out in one of the most moving accomplishments recorded to tape this year. It’s a perfect storm that Touché Amoré has created and certainly Stage Four is a defining moment for the post-hardcore genre. From a literal standpoint, it’s been a confronting year for artists to use music as a muse to wrestle with their personal struggles. Nick Cave broke hearts with Skeleton Treeand although Stage Four is just as emotionally taxing, you can’t help but feel a sense of hope throughout its journey. It's almost like you feel better off for having this album in your life.
Favourite Tracks: Flowers and You, Displacement, Benediction, Water Damage, Skyscraper. 

10.Artist: Lambchop Album: FLOTUSLabel:Merge Records
Let me start off by saying that it takes a lot for me to hate. Auto tune is an exception, though. My view relating to auto tune is that it’s a complete abomination and in thirty years it will be frowned upon as the worst thing ever to be introduced in music, even surpassing every rotten aspect of the ’80s. However, reverting back to those exceptions and even fucking auto tune has one. That very exception is Kurt Wagner, or more specifically, Lambchop’s FLOTUS. This shouldn’t really work, but for some uncanny reason it ticks all the boxes. Wagner has carved out a career of bending genres and blurring the lines of sonic styles in his quest to create something original. Hands down, FLOTUS is yet another string to his bow. He doesn’t overdo this auto tune business. It’s subtle and while truly noticeable, the gorgeous backdrops of sound – not limited to spatial hip-hop beats and palatable lounge riffs – are what makes FLOTUS the accomplishment it truly is.
Favourite Tracks: FLOTUS, Writer, Relatives #2, NIV, The Hustle.

9.Artist: Neurosis Album: Fires Within FiresLabel: Neurot Recordings
After my first listen to Fires Within Fires, I felt as though Oakland’s finest, Neurosis, had tanked. For a start, Neurosis making an album closing under forty-five minutes is about as rare as rocking horse shit. Upon further listening, Fires Within Fires – the band’s eleventh long player – had begun to reveal itself, to the point where it now feels as though Neurosis have taken us back to the days of Times of Grace. Fires Within Fires is a revealing piece that hits in all the right places during its forty-two minutes of speaker bleeding fury. The band has always operated inside a unique dark vortex and this album is yet another demonstration of their aural bludgeoning. This time that aural bludgeoning is more compressed, delivered at break-neck ferocity. The breath-catching ambient interludes are replaced with balls-to-wall low-end riff-a-rolla that will undoubtedly give the ’90s faction of Neurosis adherents much pleasure. In fact, it’s a moment where those older fans may well come together with the new breed, enjoying this in unison. Neurosis’ fire still rages in the belly, while their soul remains ever-present.
Favourite Tracks: Bending Light, Fire is the End Lesson, Broken Ground, Reach.

8.Artist: Weyes Blood Album: Front Row Seat to EarthLabel: Kemado Records
Weyes Blood is the solo project of Jackie-O Motherfucker's Natalie Mering. Weyes Blood’s second album, Front Row Seat to Earth, captures Mering nestled within the pastiche of ’70s west coast with some hippified Laurel Canyon vibes thrown in. All told, this is tailor-made for churches. Mering’s glacial arrangements are sparse along with her melodies that are presented so flawlessly. Lyrically, things are just as impressive. Mering may just be the only person on earth who can gracefully get away with singing “YOLO” during a chorus (‘Generation Why’). Although Nick Cave’s Skeleton Tree might be the ultimate alone record released this year, the compositions which comprise of Weyes Blood’s Front Row Seat to Earth are certainly its closest rival. It’s an album that has infinite layers, which reveals itself more and more after each listen. There aren’t too many records of this ilk being released these days. It really is a thing of beauty.
Favourite Tracks: Diary, Generation Why, Can’t Go Home, Away Above.

7.Artist: David Bowie Album: BlackstarLabel: Columbia Records
Sentimentality aside, with Blackstar David Bowie delivered an album that many would place in his top ten. Given the tragic circumstances surrounding Blackstar, in context it may be one of his greatest accomplishments; the perfect parting gift. The saxophone reappears. Not since Let’s Dance has it been so prominent throughout Bowie’s music, but during Blackstar the skronk isn’t ’80s pastiche but more like a gale-forced wind of Sun-Ra. The production is exquisite, its architect at the top of his game.  While the video for ‘Lazarus’ provided a shocking prescience, it’s ‘I Can’t Give Everything Away’ that hits the hardest. In the history of art, not many have written their own eulogy, but with Blackstar’s closing track, David Bowie has accomplished that very feat. For the man once described as “the closest thing to God”, it’s fitting that it was the Thin White Duke who achieved it. Rest In Peace, David Bowie.
Favourite Tracks: ’Tis a Pity She Was a Whore, Lazarus, Dollar Days, I Can’t Give Everything Away.

6.Artist: MJ Guider Album: Precious SystemsLabel: Kranky
To describe MJ Guider (Melissa Guion), many will draw upon the classical noodlings of Nils Frahm, the out-there eccentricity of Julia Holter and enchanting mood-scapes of Julianna Barwick and Grouper. Although perhaps lazy to lean on the aforementioned touchstones, I would imagine that these intentions are not to suggest Guider’s debut album, Precious Systems, is derivative. Guider reaches similar moments to her ambient colleagues by experimenting in vastly different backdrops, not limited to post-punk and dream-pop. The result is Precious Systems and it’s as good and if not better than any releases of those very artists. Kranky’s stable of aural transmitters are generally aloof figures, receiving very few plaudits apart from the devoted few soundscape connoisseurs. MJ Guider probably won’t differ, for the shadowy guise of most ambient artists goes hand-in-hand with the art in which they create. Precious Systemsis an uplifting series of swelling drone and glacial soundscapes. It’s as good as anything Kranky have released since Labradford dominated their roster.
Favourite Tracks: Lit Negative, White Alsatian, Their Voices Clear Now, Evencycle.

5.Artist: Eric Bachmann Album: Eric BachmannLabel: Merge Records
Chapel Hill native, Eric Bachmann, is best known for his sonic incursions as frontman of the venerable indie-rockers, Archers of Loaf. During the ’00s, though, Bachmann carved out quite the modest vocation, releasing two solo albums and various other long players with his band, Crooked Fingers. Not to beat around the bush, but his new self-titled LP is arguably his finest work since his days of perforating listeners’ ear drums with the Archers. Almost against all odds, Bachmann has gone from being one of the key purveyors of ’90s American indie-rock to becoming one of the finest modern day troubadours. Although many are talking about other singer-songwriters in 2016, the wily veteran has just about blown the rest of the competition out of the water with this set of achingly beautiful tracks. It’s emotionally raw, brutally candid and cuts ocean deep. Aesthetically, Eric Bachmann is a snapshot into the future of Americana. What makes it so great is that its source is an unlikely one.
Favourite Tracks: Belong to You, Mercy, Carolina, The Old Temptation.

4.Artist: Emma Ruth Rundle Album: Marked for DeathLabel: Sargent House
Having worked within the post-rock pantheon (Red Sparowes, Marriages), Emma Ruth Rundle is back in a solo capacity, delivering her finest piece of work with her third LP, Marked for Death. Marriages’ 2015 release, Salome, was a truly breathtaking affair (it finished in my top five last year) and Marked for Death is every bit as good. While Rundle’s sophomore solo album, Some Heavy Ocean, was impressively virtuous, it’s Marked for Death that lifts her into a whole new stratosphere. Rundle has a mysterious penchant for dragging us into her dark vortex where she forges a truly spellbinding matrimony between heart-aching diatribes and bruising sonic aggression. Eight tracks and not a dead spot to boot here. Marked for Death is good. Marked for Death is cry-into-your-beer-glass good. In fact, Marked for Death is even better than that. Marked for Death is an astonishing work of art and to be honest, I can’t quite believe just how astonishing it is.
Favourite Tracks: Protection, Hand of God, Heaven, Furious Angel.

3.Artist: Holy Sons Album: In the GardenLabel: Partisan Records
One of the most gratifying facets in my life is based on the knowledge that Emil Amos, or more specifically his Holy Sons project, is still releasing new music. Another year passes and Amos, (Grails, Om, Lilacs & Champagne fame) never fails to deceive. This time he brings us In the Garden – an album that represents a wider berth of sounds. It’s hardly surprising, though. He has been working up to this moment since 2014’s The Fact Facer. Then there was last year’s excellent Fall of Man, which contained vibes attributed to Dennis Wilson. Amos has rounded off his Berlin trilogy moment by going into full Dennis mode here, backed by something akin to Pink Floyd circa The Dark Side of the Moon. Holy Sons has always garnered from the ’70s, revelling deep within the realms of lo-fi. This time Amos breaks the lo-fi shackles and appears comfortable in doing so. If you ever wanted to disappear into a dark corner of the world, then In the Garden would be your perfect companion. While Grails and Om are truly fantastic projects in their own respective rights, Holy Sons is where Amos showcases his talent best. Hands down, he is the greatest hidden artist in the world today. A true outsider.
Favourite Tracks: Robbed and Gifted, Denmark, Original Sin, Eyes Can See Clearly, In the Garden.

2.Artist: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Album: Skeleton TreeLabel: Bad Seed Ltd
What can you say? When death arrives, that’s all you really can say. Feature film, One More Time With Feeling, is gentle, vexing and just plain sad. Nick Cave looks like he’s at the ends of the earth, to the point where you just want to reach through the screen and give him an infinite hug. To be frank, Skeleton Tree is one of the most moving listening experiences I’ve ever encountered. Despite a proportion of Skeleton Tree having been written prior to the death of Cave’s son, Arthur, the crushing aftermath naturally weighs heavy throughout this heartbreaking journey, to the point where it’s almost best to avoid listening. Like all great albums, though, it has a haunting ability to keep drawing you in. Cave shares his despair, and in turn his audience are duty bound to lighten the load by vicariously experiencing this harrowing moment. It may just be one of the saddest records ever made. It’s also Cave’s greatest moment as an artist.
Favourite Tracks: Rings of Saturn, Girl in Amber, Magneto, I Need You, Skeleton Tree.

1.Artist: Radiohead Album: A Moon Shaped PoolLabel: XL Recordings
After the hysteria which always surrounds the announcement and release of a Radiohead album, it’s always important to step back and apply rational thought. Even then, a notable bias can always make its presence felt within one’s subconscious. Announcement, released, listened to a dozen times and after the dust settled, it’s fair to that A Moon Shaped Pool is indeed, one of the best albums Radiohead has delivered. While Hail to the Thief was dubbed as the album that “had all the good bits of their previous albums,” as explained by guitarist, Ed O’Brien, twelve years later, A Moon Shaped Pool is an enhancement of Hail to the Thief and if anything, feels like a companion cut to OK Computer. The strings are beautiful with Jonny Greenwood’s solo oeuvres finding their way within the walls of Radiohead manor. Thom Yorke’s melodies haven’t sounded better (‘Daydreaming’ better than ‘Pyramid Song’?). While the only thing that got more media attention this year was the tedious US Election (I loathe to say that name, or – in all honesty – those names!), A Moon Shaped Pool received just as much coverage from all corners. While my intention is based around unearthing albums people may have missed during the year, sometimes you can’t discard certain releases that have the pull to reach more ears. Radiohead’s A Moon Shaped Pool really is a triumph and their best album since Kid A. As far as masterpieces go, it has a seat at the table.
Favourite Tracks: Daydreaming, Decks Dark, Ful Stop, Indentikit, The Numbers.
Top 30 Recap:
30. Kid Canaveral – Faulty Inner Dialogue29. The Skiffle Players - Skifflin'28. Conrad Keely – Original Machines27. Kevin Morby – Singing Saw26. Lone - Levitate25. Ed Kuepper - Lost Cities24. The Besnard Lakes - A Coliseum Complex  Museum23. Julia Jacklin – Don’t Let the Kids Win22. Bloodiest - Bloodiest21. Ital Tek - Hollowed 20. Jim James – Eternally Even19. Deftones - Gore18. Moonface and Siinai - My Best Human Face17. Swans - Glowing Man16. Wrekmeister Harmonies – Light Falls15. Black Mountain – IV14. A Dead Forest Index - A Dead Forest Index13. Cass McCombs – Mangy Love12. Drive-By Truckers – American Flag11. Touché Amore – Stage Four10. Lambchop - Flotus9. Neurosis – Fires Within Fires8. Weyes Blood – Front Row Seat to Earth7. David Bowie – Blackstar6. MJ Guider - Precious Systems5. Eric Bachmann -Eric Bachmann4. Emma Ruth Rundle – Marked for Death3. Holy Sons - In The Garden2. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Skeleton Tree1. Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool
Previous Top 30 Albums:
2015 Top 30 Albums2014 Top 30 Albums2013 Top 30 Albums2012 Top 30 Albums2011 Top 30 Albums
By Simon K.

Well, they say time goes faster as you get older and it's starting to feel that way, for it didn't seem like five minutes ago since I was here penning the very same diatribe for albums which tickled my fancy in 2015. In any case, we're here again and like all robustly assembled conveyor belts, here are twenty albums which just missed the final cut. I could have numbered them from 50 to 31, but I deemed that somewhat inequitable. How's about we call them equal 31st? Honourable mentions as follows:  

Artist: Heron Oblivion Album: Heron Oblivion Label: Sub Pop Favourite Tracks: Oriar, Rama, Your Hollows.



Artist: Sturgill SimpsonAlbum: A Sailor's Guide to EarthLabel: AtlanticFavourite Tracks: Breakers Roar, Oh Sarah, Call to Arms. Artist: PinegroveAlbum: CardinalLabel: Run For Cover RecordsFavourite Tracks: Old Friends, Aphasia, Size of the Moon.
Artist: Joseph ArthurAlbum: The FamilyLabel: True North RecordsFavourite Tracks: They Called Him Lightening, Machines of War, You Keep Hanging On.
Artist: Angel OlsenAlbum: My Woman
Label: Jagjaguwar

Favourite Tracks: Heart Shaped Face, Sister, Woman.
Artist: Solar BearsAlbum: AdvancementLabel: Sunday BestFavourite Tracks: Man Plus, Gravity Calling, Separate from the Arc. Artist: Haley BonarAlbum: Impossible DreamLabel: Memphis IndustriesFavourite Tracks: Hometown, Kismet Kill, I Can Change. Artist: SpotlightsAlbum: TidalsLabel: Crowquill RecordsFavourite Tracks: The Grower, To the End, Joseph. Artist: Richmond FontaineAlbum: You Can't Go Back If There's Nothing to Go Back ToLabel: DECORFavourite Tracks: Wake Up Ray, Don't Skip Out on Me, A Night in the City. Artist: Marissa NadlerAlbum: StrangersLabel: Sacred BonesFavourite Tracks: Divers of the Dust, Hungry is the Ghost, Janie In Love.
Artist: The Brian Jonestown Massacre
Album: Third World PyramidLabel: A RecordingsFavourite Tracks: Government Beard, Don't Get Lost, Third World Pyramid.

Artist: Preoccupations
Album: PreoccupationsLabel: JagjaguwarFavourite Tracks: Anxiety, Memory, Stimulation.




Artist: Cian Nugent
Album: Night FictionLabel: WoodistFavourite Tracks: Lost Your Way, Shadows, Year of the Snake.



Artist: LUH
Album: Songs for Lovers to SingLabel: MuteFavourite Tracks: Unites, Future Blues, Loyalty, Lament.



Artist: RLYRAlbum: DelayerLabel: Magic BulletFavourite Tracks: Slipstream Summer, Reconductor, Descent of the Night Bison.



Artist: Purling Hiss
Album: High BiasLabel: Drag CityFavourite Tracks: 3000 AD, Teddy's Servo Motors, Everybody in the USA.




Artist: Sophia

Album: As We Make Our OwnLabel: The Flower Shop RecordingsFavourite Tracks: Resisting, Baby, Hold On, It's Easy to be Lonely.



Artist: Cymbals Eat GuitarsAlbum: Pretty YearsLabel: SynderlynFavourite Tracks: Dancing Days, Well, Shrine.




Artist: The Warlocks
Album: Songs from the Pal EclipseLabel: Cleopatra RecordsFavourite Tracks: Only You, Easy to Forget, Dance Alone.






Artist: Julianna Barwick
Album: WillLabel: Dead Oceans
Favourite Tracks: Nebula, Big Hollow, See, Know.






Top 30 to drop tomorrow.

By Simon K.


So, let me start by telling you a story. Back in 2014 I was touting around my first book, Borrowed Time, to a few eBook publishing organisations. A couple of days after sending it, I received a call from a guy, who said he liked it and it reminded him of his favourite author. A guy by the name of Robert G. Barrett. Him: “Have you heard of him?”
Me: “Yeah, but I’ve not read a word.”

There it was. Some young clown trying to get his work out there, but hadn’t read one of Australia’s finest artistic treasures. Idiot! In any case, me being the curious sponge, I ended the call and started scouring the Internet for Robert G. Barrett's books and from there, I guess you could say the rest is history. After the necessary procurements, three pages into Bob's first novel, You Wouldn’t Be Dead For Quids and the cynic in me says: “fuck, I’ve spent the last five years copying this bloke!”

On the flipside, perhaps it was an aligning of stars? I do adopt that spiritual belief that things happen for a reason. You know, the book you pick up off the shelf, or the album you select off your iPod. The fact that Barrett passed away after a lengthy battle against bowel cancer further illustrated an aligning of the stars somewhat, as my Dad also battled against the same illness. Thankfully, he survived.

So was this the spirits coercing me towards RGB all along, or does my cynicism prevail? Yes, it does, I’m just another copyist. Although in this case, it’s largely irrelevant.

After reading the first five Robert G. Barrett novels, I have a question for you and it relates Barrett’s main protagonist, Les Norton. Is the big Queenslander from Dirranbandi the last Australian working class hero? I can almost hear the slight snigger, or high-pitched sigh. But seriously. Think about it…

Yes, we have athletes, actors, musicians and various other ambassadors around the world plying their trade in the world of stardom, but as far as ordinary working class heroes are concerned I put this to you. Fictitious or not, is Les Norton the last working class hero to ever grace Australian shores?
Here is an excerpt from The Godson.

"I wonder who that red-headed bloke is? He's come into town out of nowhere, flattened six of the best fighters in Yurriki plus the biggest man in the valley. Then he arrives at my dance in an army uniform drinking French champagne and imported beer like it's going out of style. And ups and leaves with the best young sort in the joint... Don't know who he is. But he's not bloody bad."
From all the Robert G. Barrett I have had the pleasure of reading thus far, this is the perfect summation of Les Norton. The man with fists like Darling Downs hams is somewhat made of Teflon throughout, but you can do nothing but shake your head at the man. Why? We’ve all known a Les Norton in our lives. That person who could seemingly write a book about themselves without even a hint of narcissism. And I’m not suggesting for one minute that Barrett based himself on Norton (despite many suggesting this to be the case, I think it’s bullshit).

Upon reading about Bob’s life, the one particular point of interest which I find amusing and embarrassing at the same time is the fact that many claimed Barrett to be a racist and a homophobe. On what grounds exactly ? Because Barrett’s characters teeter on the fringes of marginalisation? Here’s a little piece of advice. This doesn’t actually make the author himselfthat way inclined. It’s what Barrett experienced throughout his life, subsequently choosing to write about it through the voice of his characters. Lesson one in writing; write what you know. It’s called gritty realism and in Bob’s case, it was used fictitiously to constructive effect. Anyone suggesting otherwise is subscribing to a world which continues to revel within the realms of a destructive democracy. A world where common sense is long forgotten. A world where taking the piss out of all and sundry is seen as marginalisation, thus rendering satire as something akin to a rotting corpse.

After all, the man dedicated royalties to organisations such as Greenpeace and the R.S.P.C.A., as well as others. Not exactly behaviour one would associate with a creative persecutor. So why all the cat calls from his contemporaries, you ask? These perpetual slurs directed Barrett’s way were from the upper-echelons of the literary establishment and, in my opinion, were done out of pure spite and jealously. A classic example of Australia’s tall poppy syndrome, which doesn’t discriminate against various social demographics. Surely someone without an arts degree couldn’t possibly flourish in the literary world? And shock horror that the author in question could create a readership that boasts similar credentials? You want to talk about art. That’sfucking art! His ability to pick apart his detractors with his piss-taking antics held no bounds. It epitomised the larrikinism of Australian culture. 

And for the record, Barrett’s books were the most read within the Australia prison system once upon a time. I’m sure there’s many a copy of Davo’s Little Something and/or Mudcrab Boogie floating around the prison walls of Long Bay, Wacol et al.

Barrett was to Australian literature what the Beasts of Bourbon were to music in this country. Rough as guts, “raw as a greyhound’s dinner” and completely uncompromising. Quite simply, he didn’t give a fuck. It was real. It was art! He was undoubtedly one of the great artisans this country has ever produced. If only there were more Robert G. Barrett’s around, then Australia wouldn’t be enveloped in a midlife crisis. Someone not afraid to speak their mind and weed out the fools, as opposed to a political class and their empty-suit-bearing creators of policy, suppressing democracy and free speech more and more as each day passes.

Les Norton, the last of Australia’s working class heroes? Ironically, the very thought would probably have Bob turning in his grave.


By Simon K. 

P.S. Please visit this page which contains Bob's personal farewell.

Good morning folks,
The posts around these parts have dried up but with good reason. I have been working on some short stories and am pleased to announce that they are ready for consumption.
The best thing about this collection of short stories, titled The Scrapheap: A Collection of Short Stories,  is that you will not be required to get the cheque book out. This release is FREE.
A book description is below, as well as the cover and a link to download. There's some insight into how these stories developed, too, so for those bored enough on a Saturday morning to spare me five minutes, you can read by simply clicking the link located to your right, under "my books".
I hope you enjoy.
Description:
The Scrapheap: A Collection of Short Stories comprises of five bawdy tales throughout regional Australia. Within these pages you will meet Joey Wilson - a scouser living Australia on a Working Holiday visa who lands a job at Woolworths, stacking shelves. You will also find yourself out in the middle for a game a cricket where blood, sweat and tears are shed by young debutant, Nathan Hamilton. Then it’s straight to the pub with the irrepressible abattoir worker, Meat Axe, for an all in brawl or two. And of course, no Australian tale is complete without a foray on the Gold Coast, as number one ladies’ man and Borrowed Time’s bit part player, Gary “Hurricane” James, returns and does his best to etch his name into Gold Coast folklore. The place will never be the same.
Book Cover:

 
Link:   FREE DOWNLOAD - The Scrapheap: A Collection of Short Stories
 By Simon K. 

Let me start by saying I’m gutted. Truly gutted. Like many, All Tomorrow’s Parties meant the world to me. Yes, the world.
I was fortunate enough to attend four of these spellbinding weekends, not counting various other one-off events, such as Release the Bats and ATP in Australia spearheaded by The Drones. Over the past 10 to 15 years, many people have based their lives around this artistic institution, including sacrifices that have been made. From a personal point of view, I worked all year to save up my holidays just so I could travel to England from Australia to attend. I even based my honeymoon around Jabberwocky! Like many, at the time I took that particular cancellation on the chin, merely giving ATP a leave pass, because, well, it was ATP! An institution where lifetime friendships have been forged and memories will forever remain. When you’re having a shit day, you cast your mind back to Minehead or Camber Sands, having a ciggy and a cup of tea outside your chalet talking shit with your mates while seeing who can spot the biggest seagull. All of a sudden, the day isn’t so bad and that's not even mentioning the slew of incredible acts that have graced the stage at this festival. Yes, these are the imprints this great festival has left on many.
Now, I’ll probably be castigated for these comments. Called a cunt and various other delightful remarks. As per the tone of this blog, it seldom ventures into negative territory, but after weeks of deliberation, I feel that this needs saying.
With its legacy well and truly tarnished via the suspected activities of its founder, ATP doesn’t need to take a Rohypnol and go to sleep for the afternoon. The stone cold truth of the matter is that, for its own good, it actually needs to end. Enough is enough. Too many people have been hurt due to perpetual financial mayhem, shoddy business practice and an astounding lack of accountability.
There’s a long list of that have suffered at the hands of ATP, not limited to musicians, production crews, optimistic creditors impaired by the burden of hope, and most notably, the fans. The decibels of denial echoed by Barry Hogan’s devoted few won’t change that fact either, and are merely nothing more than a ceaseless ego stroking exercise at the mercy of blind faith.
As for this whole argument of anti-establishment sentiments and sticking it to the man. People have talked about corporate sponsorship and Hogan's unremitting refusal to go down that path. While the sentiment is most certainly admirable, by the same token a few Converse or Vans (or insert whatever) banners at the side of stage are merely wallpaper to most of us. Quite simply, it's all about the music, with or without a few advertisements from solid outside supporters. Say what you like, but sponsorship of this magnitude wouldn’t have impaired the awesomeness of ATP. It just wouldn’t have. Besides, dining at Minehead's Pizza Hut to the sounds Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds was quite unique and, actually, kind of fucking cool, if not slightly odd. I didn't see many boycotting Burger King, either, just quietly. A dose of saturated fat to suppress a hangover didn't hurt anybody...
In a cruel twist of fate, it’s a plausible argument to suggest that it was actually the fucking establishmentwhich enabled ATP to operate within the paradigms of “the system”. The various companies created, the alleged shifting of assets and various other frugal practices demonstrated by a flawed businessman. All the sneaky loopholes within a defective financial system which empower those with imaginary business acumen to prosper. That doesn’t strike me as sticking it to the man. It actually strikes me as sticking it up the arse of your respected factions. Rubbing shoulders in a corporate world rife with turf accountants, which is quite ironic considering Hogan himself parted with the analogy that organising a festival is likened to, yes, a horse race. While the dubious specimens operating within the system of the establishment are as much to blame as anyone for this farce, that doesn’t exonerate Hogan himself from reproach. I’m no numbers guy, but fiscally it’s evident that the man is a disaster. The “yeah, she’ll be right, mate, we trust you,” mentality won’t wash anymore. Borrowing money to pay off past debts is a recipe for disaster and the very system enabling this to occur should be questioned more than it has, thus far. As a result ATP's cards should be well and truly marked.
As for certain quarters calling for government bailouts (because Spain and Poland do it, look at the bigger picture!) I think we all know the position of the British Government. Yes, the self-serving Tories don’t much care for a bunch of snotty idealistic middle-class kids with Pavement vinyl in one hand, a copy of The Guardianin the other. I can almost hear the collective echo from the Houses of Parliament; “Dip into your parents’ trust fund, you little fuckers”.
Finger pointing aside, of this there is little doubt. ATP’s legacy has been destroyed beyond repair. Its entrusted base of followers has been blinded by the sheer power of music (guilty) and a couple of slices of hedonism (hmm, okay, guilty there, too). For so many years that very base of followers made ATP the success it truly was, which, in turn, was presented to us by its architect, Barry Hogan; I sincerely thank him for that. But paraphrasing what Steven Patrick Morrissey once said. If you read your good press, then you have to read your bad press, too. Once the orchestrator of some of the greatest times many of us have ever experienced in our lives, sadly Barry Hogan is now the proverbial shepherd who has ushered his flock to the slaughter. A person who doesn’t know when enough is enough.

By Simon K.