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Things Not Worth Posting On The Front Page, But Which I Feel Strongly About Nonetheless

Posted May 5, 2010

1) The Subway on Pirie Street in the city has the most consistently great subway cookies… they’re always perfectly cooked (a little soft and chewy). I would suggest anyone who wants really great Macadamia or choc chip cookies should get them from their.

2) I’d like to know how much ear damage have people taken in the name of rock and roll? Personally I’ve lost 3% in my left ear, and have now finally decided to get musician’s ear plugs (cheers to Mark and Zoe from the British Robots for turning me on to them). I figured that if I ever lose my hearing I would seriously want to kill myself… And I’d definitely rather lose my eye site than my hearing since at least I’d still be able to pitch notes and hear musicI wouldn’t be completely wasting my talent.

That’s all for now

New Album Recording Halted In Earnest

Posted March 25, 2010

hey guys (the two or so people who check this blog)

So, Here’s a long overdue update on the recording of the new album… we’re almost done.

Unfortunately Anthony’s computer is currently broken (apparently it will be repaired/replaced by the end of this week).

While I wait for the computer to be fixed, I figured I’d give you two a rundown on some of the tracks that will be on the album, and what I reckon they sound like.

‘Kids In Love’: This track is like nothing that we’ve ever recorded before (which is very exciting for me, personally). It starts with 40-plus seconds of glockenspiel, and then explodes into pounding drums, hypnotics guitars, and doubled vocals spitting lyrics of the sort of disillusionment and apathy that tells you that this is an Anthony song.

“Staking out in suburbia again, heatwave pessimism wastes another Sunday evening. Kids in love with their earnest apathy build a life of indecision on deserted city streets”

This song is dark, and strange, and for those of you who are used to the sunny pop of ‘Night Kitchen’ it will take a few listens to get used to. I think it’s musically and lyrically amazing.

‘Just To Entertain‘: This song continues the themes of disillusionment, loneliness, and apathy established in ‘KIL’. Musically, it covers a lot of ground and almost sounds like 3 songs put together.

From the ramshackle, folky-pop of the verses (complete with tremelo guitar, and close two part harmonies with Mark from the British Robots), to the guitar stabbing sing along chorus.

the song also contains a bridge that changes the feel and time of the song completely to a reggae-esque strut (complete with three part harmony).

It feels to me like this song is almost breaking at the seams with ideas… which add musical resonance to the uncertainty present in the lyrics of the song…ie: the song doesn’t know what type of song it is (and feels trapped), and the lyrics share this uncertainty.

“I don’t know where I’m going”

“Everything we say, is just a drink away, it’s just to entertain”

This song is intermittently darker and prettier than any of the songs on night kitchen… depending on which section you’re listening to.

‘Since you’re always running through my head’: The Closest I’ve ever come to writing a love song (although a messed up one)… this is a folky, country-tinged, pop song that seems more subtle and confident than anything I’ve written before.

The Bridge of the song is particularly pretty. It strips away all drums and guitar from the song, leaving a bed of vocal ‘ahhhhs’ and organ for me to sing over.

The lyrics are a mixture of straightforward emotion and tragically comic one-liners, most similar in tone and theme to ‘Social Moth’.

“even though I’m sure that we’re just friends, I wish it was more”

“I’d love to kiss you sober, but you’re always drunk when you come over”.

Lines: One of the best and most emotionally affecting songs that Anthony has ever written. Lyrically heartbreaking, and musically gorgeous.

“So hold them close and make love with handcuffs, ‘cause if they leave it’s just you, alone”

……… Overall I think the album is going to be just as good as night kitchen… if not better.

More song descriptions to come… when I have time.

Anthony’s Favourite Albums Of The 00’s

Posted September 15, 2009

81 - Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy - Ease Down The Road

80 - The Fiery Furnaces - Bitter Tea

79 - Darren Hanlon - Fingertips and Mountaintops

78 - Joanna Newsom - The Milk-Eyed Mender

77 - Sunset Rubdown - Random Spirit Lover

76 - Doves - Some Cities

75 - Placebo - Sleeping With Ghosts

74 - Danielson - Ships

73 - The New Pornographers - The Electric Version

72 - Devendra Banhart - Nino Rojo

71 - Final Fantasy - Has A Good Home

70 - Roisin Murphy - Ruby Blue

69 - Handsome Furs - Face Control

68 - Bright Eyes - Digital Ash in a Digital Urn

67 - Yeah Yeah Yeah’s - Show Your Bones

66 - Spoon - GAGAGAGA

65 - Grizzly Bear - Yellow House

64 - Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings The Flood

63 - Spoon - Kill The Moonlight

62 - Interpol - Our Love To Admire

61 - Of Montreal - Sunlandic Twins

60 - Caribou - Andorra

59 - Bjork - Medulla

58 - Outkast - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

57 - Beirut - Flying Club Cup

56 - Dizzee Rascal - Boy In Da Corner

55 - Belle & Sebastian - The Life Pursuit

54 - Sufjan Stevens - Illinoise

53 - Jolie Holland - Escondida

52 - Bright Eyes - I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning

51 - Humble Bee - When I Should Be Sleeping

50 - Goldfrapp - Supernature

49 - Matt Sweeney & Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy - Superwolf

48 - Iron And Wine - The Shepherd’s Dog

47 - Spoon - Gimme Fiction

46 - The Decemberists - Picaresque

45 - Interpol - Antics

44 - The Shins - Oh, Inverted World

43 - White Stripes - Elephant

42 - Antony & The Johnsons - I Am A Bird Now

41 - Destroyer - Destroyer’s Rubies

40 - Regina Spektor - Soviet Kitsch

39 - Final Fantasy - He Poos Clouds

38 - The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema

37 - M.I.A. - Arular

36 - The Knife - Silent Shout

35 - Hidden Cameras - The Smell Of Our Own

34 - Sleater-Kinney - The Woods

33 - Elliott Smith - From A Basement On The Hill

32 - A.C. Newman - The Slow Wonder

31 - Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

30 - Of Montreal - Satanic Panic In The Attic

29 - Bright Eyes - Fevers and Mirrors

28 - Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans

27 - Handsome Furs - Plague Park

26 - Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

25 - Li’l Willderness EP - L’il Will

24 - CocoRosie - The Adventures Of Ghosthorse And Stillborn

23 - Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

22 - Joanna Newsom - Ys

21 - We Are Scientists - With Love And Squalor

20 - The Fiery Furnaces - Blueberry Boat

19 - Okkervil River - The Stage Names

18 - Liam Finn - I’ll Be Lighting

17 - Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand

16 - Destroyer - Your Blues

15 - White Stripes - White Blood Cells

14 - Animal Collective - Feels

13 - Radiohead - In Rainbows

12 - Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News

11 - Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer

10 - Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree

9 - Elliott Smith - Figure 8

8 - Bloc Party - Silent Alarm

7 - Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

6 - Interpol - Turn on The Bright Lights

5 - Wolf Parade - Apologies To Queen Mary

4 - Dog Day - Night Group
I had bought this album and listened to it months before it hit me, this is the most honest and open album of music I have heard. There is zero pretension behind these songs. The raw pop rock is made beautiful by the sheer joy the players have in the playing of it. Simple songs played simply that come off spectacularly by the weight put behind them. This record sounds like it was created by four people in one day in one room just playing the music they love. The chorus’ are built around perfect pop melodies driven by the mash of chiming guitar and banging rythm section. It’s a gloriously imperfect masterpiece.

3 - Augie March - Sunset Studies
The adventurous debut. This is Augie March at their purest, least self conscious. A long meandering LP that pulls and stretches the tension in songs, often without (an obvious) release, every moment is a catharsis in itself. Glenn Richards’ sensitive lyrics at this point are neither saccharine, nor sterile, walking the middle ground perfectly to create something sincere, timeless and downright beautiful.

2 - Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer
This album is so spectacular partially because it doesn’t hint at the second album blues that so many trendy bands suffer from, which goes to show the genuine timeless talent of these song writers. Wolf Parade’s sophomore album could easily be a second side to their marvelous first LP, this time taking the raw energy and wild performance and focusing it, settling the pace but without removing the heart and passion. Incredible album ender Kissing The Beehive is a drawn out explosion of energy that not only has been earnt by the previous tracks, but is their dessert… so fucking delicious.

1 - Arcade Fire - Funeral
There is no way not to love this album. This is both an epic masterpiece and a delicate campfire ballad. Undoubtedly poignant Win and Regine have mastered the musical release, every single track is a perfect catharsis guaranteed to send chills down the most bitter spine. The introduction of Tunnels lets us into their world mid sentence to a rebellion against the cynical freeze, to a neighborhood of their own. Their love, loss, hope and pain expressed perfectly through every note of this glorious album.

New Album Recording Has Begun In Earnest

Posted June 3, 2009

Hey guys,

Jon here.

Figured I’d take the time to update everybody on what is going on regarding our next album.

I can report that we have begun what I’m sure will be a long and arduous recording process… so far we are in very good spirits. We have bought a new mixer, and we’re pretty excited about the early drum tracks that we have recorded so far… the lift in sound quality is massive! and Tom is doing an awesome job of finding great/interesting drum parts, which add to our songs without complicating them too much, or overpowering them.

So far we have recorded drums for 4 tracks… including: Just to Entertain, The Flowers, Sobriety, and Ball and Chain… and Anthony has also recorded acoustic guitar and organ for a song of his that doesn’t have drums on it.

Due to our shrinking personnel, the album will be full of guest appearances, particularly from members of The British Robots, who will add harmonies, guitar and keyboard to various tracks on the new album.

Oh yeah! In related news I’m thinking about adding a new, better recorded version of ‘Legs Crossed, Arms Folded’ onto the upcoming album… I think this song (more than any other from the first album) could do with an updated version. I was never too happy with the way it ended up sounding (it was the first song we recorded for our first album, and therefore was a bit dodgy)… I want to give it an overhaul of sorts, and emphasize the catchiness of the melody… make it more ‘pop’, I suppose.

By the way, it’s looking like our next album will be mixed by somebody very noteworthy. we are in talks with him at the moment. you may not know him by name, but you will most likely know the bands he has worked with in the past… more details to come.

cheers,

Jon

Art Vs Entertainment

Posted March 18, 2009

This is an Anthony post… you’ll pick it up by the self indulgence.

Art Vs Entertainment
In relation to pop music/pop culture

“An unexamined life is not worth living”
- Socrates

I consider myself an artist and not an entertainer, and when I start to ask why I believed this I came up with more questions than answers. Here is how I fooled myself.

Art helps us examine our lives and the world we live in, giving us the ability to step back and take an observers view of what would usually be background and side story to our life. In particular, the art in pop music is how it mirrors our life, with emotions and actions we can relate to our own experiences (lyrics). Generally the best music is considered to be the one that hit’s close to home, not just lyrically, but the sensations that the chords, melody, instruments and arrangement muster inside us. If we feel nothing about a song, we feel nothing for the song and it has no purpose beyond white noise (like that Living End song… you know… dull and soulless).

While entertainment gives us pleasure, it cannot have the same resonance as art. It is a fleeting sensation of happiness that once the lights and sounds are over we generally aren’t better for it and it doesn’t enhance our lives longer than the run time. I’m not saying that entertainment can’t be art or that art cannot be entertaining, personally good art is entertaining as well as insightful and meaningful (bad art being entertainment that attempts to have meaning beyond instantaneous stimulation and fails and art that just… fails. This is my personal ‘definition’.).

If we set out to create entertainment, it’s likely that unless we’re incredibly lucky and we make something that accidentally has meaning beyond it’s intentions, we’ve got a reasonable chance that we have something entertaining and yet ultimately forgettable. It is the resonance of a work, the emotion connection between the viewer/listener, the art and the artist which makes the piece memorable, which gives it strength beyond the total of the parts.

If we do not aim as musicians to create art first and settle for treading water in trends and niches to get popularity, money or whatever it is we are after beyond self expression and social commentary, then we cease to be anything more than glorified wallpaper, but hey, I’m a cynic.

So now, lets all put our finest skinny jeans our blackest waistcoat, forget all we’ve learnt beyond picking up girls, screwing and beer and let’s rawk!

Anthony

Plan In The Works For A Stimulus Package Tour Of Melbourne And Sydney

Posted February 10, 2009

Hey folks,

Just thought I’d give you an update on what the band is planning for 2009… for starters we’re going to finally finish up our film clip for ‘Wrote It All Down In My Diary’, which has been in the works since late last year.

We’re also going to go on a tour of Melbourne and Sydney… one funded by Kevin Rudd’s cash hand out… it will be We Grow Up’s Stimulus Package Tour and it is planned for June.

More details to come… so watch this space!

Welcome To The We Grow Up Blogspace

Posted December 11, 2008

This is the area of the site wherein the band will be relating various half-baked plans and ideas that aren’t official enough to go in the news section of the site.

This is Jon by the way… and I’m bored.

To give you an update on where the band is creatively at the moment, Anthony and I (the principle songwriters of the band) have around 5 songs each, which are either ready, or close to ready to record.

We have so far recorded a few drum tracks and a few stripped back demos, which you can hear and rate at redfizz.com (just search for we grow up). We also have a working title for the new album: Kids In Love 

The new songs seem, to me at least, to be darker in tone to those that were on Night Kitchen, but equally strong melodically.. there may also be some more shifts of time and feel on the new album, and more rhythmic tracks in general (since we’re partly writing around a full band nowadays).

First Blog Post

Posted November 18, 2008

We Grow Up are testing our blog. This is a pretty redundant post, but will spark much greater things to come