Reconnecting...

An interesting article in The Australian's Review over the weekend, focused on the [re]gaining of social capital.

Matchett wrote, social networking sites have taken steps to reconnect us with each other. Sites such as MySpace and Facebook may open up more of the world to individuals, enabling to build a community from their own lounge. Sure, I do wonder about the depth of this community, but I know it runs very deep for some.

I wonder how community and political groups will use these sites, at the moment on Facebook you can join, create, and invite others to join a cause, but where does cyber-activism take us?

I mostly use MySpace to hear new music from bands I know (though sometimes I listen to new music by going to their 'friend's' pages). I use Facebook a little more, as with the plugins there lots of great "procrastinatory" things to do - join tipping competitions, music and film quizzes, and knowledge tests, and with all these you're always intrigued to see who you can 'reconnect' with and the links between your circle of friends.

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The Metro's [SMH] 25th Birthday

The votes have been cast, and the results are in: SMH readers voted: Return of the Jedi as the best film, and Nirvana's Nevermind as the best album of the last 25 years. .
Most popular album overall
Nirvana's Nevermind (6210 votes); R.E.M.'s Automatic For The People (6199 votes).

Bernard Zuel's [SMH music critic] selections.

Most popular films
Return of the Jedi (5661 votes); Dead Poet's Society (5216 votes)

Garry Maddox's (a SMH Film critic) selections.

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The way the survey worked, is each year you nominated a film (or effective you could select "I have no preference". The contenders for each year, unfortunately are no longer available on the SMH Website. For me, I would go with either OK Computer, or Kid A, and for film, its a little tougher, I'd lean toward either Paris, Texas; Whale-Rider, or The Two Towers, but ask me tomorrow, and I'd probably have a different film and album.

Voices

Larissa’s post a while ago, (almost 7 months ago now), made me think about my favourite male vocalists, so here they are, not in any particular order.

:: Thom Yorke (Radiohead)

:: Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes)

:: Glen Hansard (the Frames)

:: Bono (U2)

:: Andrew Osenga (formally with The Normals; now (I think) playing guitar for Caedmon's Call, and releasing his own music)

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Now, taking a few lines to think about who didn’t quite make my list: Neil Finn, Paul Simon (and Art Garfunkel), and sometimes I’m left wondering whether I prefer The Edge’s singing voice to Bono's?

More good news??

In Rainbows Tour, and download info.

A replanted tree? ... [thanks Joe~!]

.. oh I love these ..

SMH's Metro turns 25 this year; and it is polling for the best album and film of the last 25 years, I can't wait to see the results.

In Rainbows

I listened to In Rainbows for the first time over the weekend. On the first few listens All I Need // Weird Fishes – Arpeggi // Videotape (great closing track) // House of Cards // Jigsaw Falling Into Place, really stood out for me. Needless to say, I’m looking forward to immersing myself in it again.

It is distinctly Radiohead, and quite an amazing and intimate record; I’m not sure it is quite as good as either Kid A; OK Computer, but time will tell.

+++

While I do, in essence, like the way Radiohead chose to release this album, there was something missing when I listened it for the first time. I opened my computers media player and pressed play. (It was a shame that I couldn’t make Joe’s Listening Party, as it would have been nice to have listened to it with other people, and hear their impressions). Was interesting to read that a lot of the reviewers completed the review on their first listen.

I have to admit, I did miss the booklet, being able flick through the book, as the new music surrounded me, I don’t think it would have been the same if it had come with a PDF copy of a book. Yeah, maybe I am a bit old fashioned (weird) or both.

It's Time; and not before time

Waiting for the election has been quite painful. The rabbit the Howard had in the bag was the luxury of being able to name the date. I am finding my frustrations with Rudd growing. I was impressed when I read that a Labour Government would campaign against the Death Penalty in Asia. I do not support the death penalty and find it quite hypocritical that our government declares their opposition, yet does not act, save when Australian citizens are involved. But was disappointed it was reported that Rudd had "counseled the minister'.

It would have been encouraging to see the Labour party take a stand here. The coverage of the speech (and Rudd’s responses) are painting the Leader of the Opposition as quite the trapeze artist, performing a pirouette faster than you could Google it. 

If this is the case, I do find it quite a shame – as Rudd seems to have “counselled” his minister about both the content and timing of the speech, given to the Wentworth Human Rights Forum earlier this week. If Rudd agrees with the content of the speech (which was apparenty endorsed labour policy) you are left with more questions than answers; about his action of counselling the Minister.

Sure, Rudd may lose votes over this stance; but were they his votes to start with? Now opened up to charges of political aerobics; the votes he loses may be the undecided or his own. It may even be possible that a principled stand on issues, such as these, may gain him votes.

Glimpses from the paper

:: No decrease in abortions when illegal – study

Found this an interesting article. While I do not really agree with the practice of abortion, the reality is that people will chose to have an abortion (as this article states), whether it is legal or not.

The findings presented here indicate that unrestrictive abortion laws do not predict a high level of abortion, and by the same token highly restrictive abortion laws are not associated with low abortion incidence.

:: There's more to academic research than hitting the search button

I found this to be quite an interesting article about the impact of the internet on research.

:: Generation Q.

I thought that this was an interesting article outlining a little more about the current crop of college students in the US (and perhaps here too); though I’m not sure it needs to be limited to the students.

I am impressed because they are so much more optimistic and idealistic than they should be. I am baffled because they are so much less radical and politically engaged than they need to be.

“Generation Q” — the Quiet Americans, in the best sense of that term, quietly pursuing their idealism, at home and abroad.

America needs a jolt of the idealism, activism and outrage (it must be in there) of Generation Q. That’s what twentysomethings are for — to light a fire under the country. But they can’t e-mail it in, and an online petition or a mouse click for carbon neutrality won’t cut it. They have to get organized in a way that will force politicians to pay attention rather than just patronize them.

Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy didn’t change the world by asking people to join their Facebook crusades or to download their platforms. Activism can only be uploaded, the old-fashioned way — by young voters speaking truth to power, face to face, in big numbers, on campuses or the Washington Mall. Virtual politics is just that — virtual.

“Courage.” That is what real activism looks like. There is no substitute.

:: 9/11 President (Prime Minister)

While there is the focus on how the global community has change since Bali, or New York, what is often not spoken about, is who we are, and perhaps what should not change.

:: Keeping it all together in the iAge

Are we writing the obituary for the Album?

The album demands something very different of the listener than the iPod. It wants your time and patience. Great albums have ebb and flow, and even dud tracks. But they are made up, as rock writer Paul Williams put it, of songs that like to be listened to together. Something essential is lost when the album is broken up — and this is mostly what the iPod does.

NB: I have to admit that I often leave my mp3 player off shuffle, and listen to an album from track 1 through.

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4800

So, if you hadn’t caught it yet, the All Blacks are out of the Rugby World Cup. Aside from the question of who to support now, the folk back home are looking for a sacrificial lamb to blame it all on (the usual suspects have emerged, the players; the coach; the referee); other folk are calling it a choke.

For me, New Zealand was beaten by a better team (or perhaps a smarter team). The last twenty minutes New Zealand attacked the French line; wave after wave of silverbacks attacked the French line and for next to no gain. The French defended beautifully and on that alone they are deserved winners. (Check out some of the stats).

As for the referee; some say he made a mistake; but we should remember that there are 4800 seconds in a Rugby match, and each of these can turn a game. During the last 10 minutes, the All Blacks had near to 25 phases and at any point during this time, NZ could well have set up for a drop goal attempt, which may have turned a 2 point deficit into a 1 point win. It does sadden me to read that the NZRU laid blame at the referees feet, and some fans have threatened the referee. Anyway, was said famously not so long ago… "four more years" for the Kiwi’s (and Aussies).

I haven’t decided which of the remaining teams I’m going to support, but I do think it will be nice for “Bill” to go somewhere new; Argentina or France maybe but I’m expecting England and South Africa to meet in the final. Given last weekend, I’m not making that prediction with any degree of confidence.

Another list...

I think I'm a list person. When I was younger, I would walk into a record store, not to buy (or look at) CD's, but to pick up the ARIA Top 50 Chart, these days every so often I'll visit the website to see the top 50 "Singles" (physical, digital and the combination), the top 50 Albums. I like looking at lists of the top 10 CD's for the year, the top 1o sporting moments, the top 10 movies, the top ten places to drink a long black coffee. (And maybe I'm one of a few people who are curious about whether In Rainbows could chart).

Getting back to the point of my post.. given that we're almost two-thirds of the way through the decade, I thought that I would list my favourite CD's for the decade, so far~! (Note: these are not any any real order, save the order I thought of them).

# Kid A [Radiohead]
# Albertine [Brooke Fraser]
# I'm Wide Awake Its Morning [Bright Eyes]
# For the Birds [The Frames]
# The Swell Season [Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova]
# Neon Bible [The Arcade Fire]
# Good Monsters [Jars of Clay]
# Around the Sun [R.E.M.]
# Antics [Interpol]
# Dreams [Evermore]
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Yes I did put Pop in the list earlier, but realised it was pre 2000 (opps), though I initially included it because I think its their best CD over the last 10 years.

I'm curious as to what other people might have included.

The Frames (The Metro, August 14th)

Been a while since the show but thought that I’d post about it now too. I had read quite a fair bit about The Frames being a pretty special live act, so expectations were quite high. Needless to say my expectations were not only met, but exceeded. It seems that The Frames are rated more highly in Ireland than U2 - they have four CD's compared to U2's 3 in the best reviewed Irish CDs).

There is something fresh, about their style and lyrics. I quite liked the way the songs are constructed, and the enthusiasm with which they were performed. One of the other things I love about The Frames (aside from Hansards voice) is the acoustic guitar, and the violin (which just adds quite another rich layer to their music).

The highlights of the show for me were, Song for Someone, Seven Day Mile, Star Star, Say it to Me Now (performed acoustically) and Fitzcarraldo. The moment of the night was during the introduction to People Get Ready when he was teaching us the chorus, he mentioned that they had finally had written a song with a chorus, like U2~!

There were camera's filming the show, apparently it will be on the Metro's website, but wait and see. Another surprise during the night was Holly Throsby. I had not heard much of her music before but quite enjoyed her music. Towards the end of their set, Glen Hansard invited Holly Throsby on stage, and they sang New Partner (written by Will Oldham) together. The only real negative about the night for me, was how the crowd talked through Holly's set.

Setlist (Not quite sure about the below, I thought they played Fake, and am not sure about the order).

Song for Someone // Lay me Down // 7 Day Mile // Stars are Underground // Pavement Tune // God Bless Mom // Revelate // Star Star // Falling Slowly // Fitzcarraldo // Happy // Finally // Say It To Me Now // Ghost of Pickering Wood (instrumental) // Sad Songs // Rent Day Blues // New Partner (w/ Holly Throsby) // People Get Ready // Red Chord

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Rumour has it that, they will be back in Australia in March....