Helldorado Album Review

Some of you may have noticed that I have put a 'listening to' post on my sidebar. The plan is to update this with really, really good albums and then follow them up with a review. In this day of itunes music store downloads, there is (i think) too much music to be consumed as every aspiring artist with a decent computer and pro-tools gets in on the act. So, if you like the review and end up purchasing the product I would really appreciate any feedback. Also, I am keen for others to recommend me music that I should check out, and this includes classic albums from years gone by. I'm always looking for extra pieces of plastic to grace my turntable.

Artist: Helldorado
Title: The Ballad of Nora Lee
Label: Glitterhouse records


Norwegian contribution to world music has often been entrenched in the slightly bizarre and comical. Famous for an ignominious brand of death metal and often-hilarious Eurovision song entries, Helldorado could be the ticket to resurrect some Scandinavian respectability. Formed in 2001 in Stavanger, Norway, this four-piece defies categorisation and excels at it. All multi-instrumentalists, the performances captured here really showcase the talents of musicians with years of live experience.

Twelve songs of loss, losers and old Lucifer himself, The Ballad of Nora Lee is the long lost soundtrack to David Lynch’s ‘Wild at Heart’. Comparisons to film scores don’t end there. Helldorado have fattened their sound on Ennio Morricone spaghetti, the regurgitated mélange reeks of refried beans and corn chips. Helldorado’s interpretation of the sounds associated with the American West and the dodgy border territory just South of the Rio Grande is infectious.

In a nutshell, The Ballad of Nora Lee eloquently rocks. It infuses the subconscious with layers of guitars (both twangy and surfed up), harmonicas, trumpets, banjo and glockenspiel. Instrumentation chimes in unison with the fantastic vocal delivery of Dag S Vagle who really captures the best elements of the American accent, and a not bad Nick Cave impersonation either.

The album is littered with standout tracks, from the opening tale of dangerous liaisons in The Ballad of Nora Lee to the slide guitar and reeds blowing down the tumbleweed-strewn alleys of Guitar Noir. There is rarely a dull moment and surprises lie around every corner. The Mariachi trumpets serenade the intoxication on A Drinking Song and Rock Your Soul kicks the spurs into overdrive, inciting a bar room brawl. Final track Waiting around to die takes the prominent theme of death to a new epoch, built upon a haunting Chris Isaac –ish vocal. Helldorado ain’t a bad place to be.

Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed By: Mark Orton

Supernova-and there were four!

Well, after tomorrow night (NZ time) I will be lost for programmes to watch to television after Rockstar Supernova has the season finale. Have you voted for your favourite on my blog yet? Sorry Toby fans, I left him off as a selection as I honestly didn't think he would make it this far. I just hope that the Lukas the Troll doesn't get the gig, way too much eyeliner dude! So, Dilana (pictured) it is and based on the strength of tonights performance I think she deserves it, if not Magni's my man. Stay tuned...

Black Holes and Revelations

Strange things are happening on this album. Speculation of New World Order conspiracy theories abound. Alien invasions, oil dependency, thievery, corruption and general disenchantment with global politics, the Muse revolution is upon us, well not quite. Lyrical content aside, the most unusual aspect of Black Holes & Revelations is the sound. The Teignmouth trio are older, tighter and have a lot more leverage with recording time. There seem to be no constraints; the only way to describe this aural assault is seamlessly schizophrenic, if that makes any sense? This album is completely bonkers, and it is all the better for it.

Opening track ‘Take a Bow’ is slightly misleading as its grandiose nature hints at the previous album ‘Absolution’. However, proceedings then take a sharp turn. Second track, ‘Starlight’ is a big ballsy disco anthem with an infectious fuzzy bass loop and dare I say handclaps, is this really Muse? Third track ‘Supermassive black hole’ sounds like Beck has been trapped in a pair of Lenny Kravitz bell-bottoms, all falsetto vocals and funky double tracked guitar. Assassin starts with a pummelling riff that is straight out of the Queens of the Stone Age songbook. All angst and aggression layered with an ethereal lilt from singer Matt Bellamy. The tub-thumping then gives way to a subtle Weezer-like groove that slowly reveals the most infectious melodic moment on the album in Exo-politics.

With recordings spread over two continents, it is the numbers completed at Electric Lady studios in New York that really get the feet tapping. There are hints of Scissor Sisters, Bowie, any number of studio 54 disco acts and the ghost of Hendrix never too far away. Yes, this is the result of three very talented musicians holed up in an alien environment with an eclectic music collection for solace.

Black Holes & Revelations is a great genre mash-up. It is also, the most accessible and enjoyable MUSE album yet.

Rating: 4 stars.

The Human Riff

Topic: The Human Riff

By now I had at least expected a couple of questions concerning the nature of my pseudonym 'humanriff', alas there have been none. However, for those curious souls that have not found a voice the term human riff is commonly used to describe none other than the mighty Keith Richards (pictured below).

A lifelong fan of The Stones, I continue to marvel at the ability of Mr Richards to cheat the Reaper and continue to hammer out those fantastic rhythms in open 'G'. However, one post on another blog caught my eye and I just have to post a link to it. Please click here and read about how one lucky soul met Keith backstage at The Stones recent Western Springs concert. I would give my right testicle for such an opportunity!

Fancy asking Keith if he had done it with a carrot?

Anyway, speaking of Kiwi ingenuity I was amazed to see that Jim Anderton was jumping on his hobby horse again to declare that all drug smoking paraphernalia will be outlawed for sale in New Zealand. Well sorry to tell you Jim, but does that mean you are going to legislate against fruit and vegetables. In case your wondering where this is going, I happened upon a really interesting article on the Hard News Blog and thought it should be linked here. Please feel free to come forward with your own ingenious tales on DIY bongs, water pipes etc.

Steve Irwin R.I.P

Date: Friday, 8 September 2006

I am a bit late with this posting but I had to pass on my thoughts about the sad ending to a very colourful life. Yes, this is a blog with a focus on making documentary films and I am learning more about capturing wildlife on camera all the time. I didn't grow up on a diet of David Attenborough (unlike many of my filmmaking colleagues). However, I did notice Steve Irwin and was always entertained by him. I admire people who push the envelope and don't sit on the fence, there are far too many mediocre people balancing there as it is. That is why I'm incensed that Germaine Greer has had the temerity to openly criticise Steve Irwin after he has no opportunity to defend himself. What would she know about animal behaviour? If I'm really cynical I suspect that Irwin's biggest fault in Greer's eyes was his unashamedly colloquial performance of 'ocker' masculinity that got up her nose. It seems that every ex-aussie based in the U.K. has a real sense of embarrassment about their homeland, just think of Clive James! Thankfully, I'm not alone in condemning Greer and her misguided comments.

In fact, where do all these so called animal rights spokespeople get off?

Sure, in the name of entertainment Steve Irwin did things on camera with animals that weren't exactly conventional. In the bigger picture he raised untold awareness for ecological issues and generated a lot of money (from his own pocket as well) that has been used to benefit animals. Enough said!

Macraes Corporate Governance Policy?

Sounds like a lot of wank doesn't it? Let me put this in context.

On Wednesday the 30th of August I was very kindly driven up to Macraes Flat to visit the Department of Conservation (DOC) headquarters and more importantly the mammal-proof enclosure. Lesley Judd from DOC was the perfect guide, so enthusiatic about her role in the Otago/Grand Skink program. I really envied her obvious excitement about finding a career that she was so interested in. I would also like to thank Shaun who is training as a DOC mammal control worker. He was quite understanding of my naievity regarding the trapping methods used for feral cats, hedgehogs, stoats, weasals and rats.

Shaun setting a trap

Fortunately the day was quite warm and we managed to locate a Grand Skink who very kindly posed for a number of photographs. The environment is extremely beautiful apart from one major scar...the Oceana Gold Macraes Mine right next door. Gee, these Skinks have an uphill battle, not only are they sitting prey for the really large feral cats roaming the area, the farmers are rapidly burning their food sources and your neighbour is a ruddy huge gold mine!

I applaud the work being conducted by DOC in this area, in particular the feral cat dog training programme. Shaun has just acquired a puppy (Keila) that will be trained to sniff out cats. It is such a valuable contribution that these dogs make, as the monsters of the tussock have such a negative impact on endangered native species. Unfortunetly, some members of the public often have trouble distinguishing the difference between feral cats and urban cats. A real emotive issue this one as cat-dog personal have been singled out for abuse by cat loving freaks. This is a shame as the feral cats being trapped bear scant similarities with domestic cats. How many domestic moggies weigh 7-10kgs and can travel 150 kilometers in a 7 day period? Just to highlight this issue, my collegue Kat Baulu very kindly posted a couple of good links to my blog, they make interesting reading:

http://www.johnkinsella.org/essays/scapegoats.html
http://www.feralcat.com/action.html

Lesley with Keila

While the visit was incredibly productive in allowing me to visualise the scenery and look at possible angles for a shooting script on skinks, I was really taken with an art installation on the road to the skink enclosure. It seems that Oceana Gold in an attempt to uphold some form of corporate good behaviour have gifted the landscape a billboard installation and have called it an art-park? Hey, I liked some of the images on the billboards but it really stood out like muts nuts! At a reputed $30K, I couldn't stop thinking how money could have been spent more wisely assisting the 'Real Gold' of Otago, the charming lizards. Don't get me wrong, I love art and would hate to be labelled a cultural philistine, but the art-park really did not gell with me and contrary to Oceana Gold's press statement, it does not enhance the environment. I guess a clever mock-up of the Tui Brewery billboard campaign in the nearby Stanley's Hotel summed things up for me, 'Artwork'....Yeah Right!

Art Park?

Stereophonics / Radio Birdman Reviews

The last week has been quite intense for research so unfortunately I haven't updated my blog as regularly as I would like. However, I'm still consuming new music and searching for the right words to describe it. In the next week I will review the new MUSE album 'Black holes and revelations which I'm really enjoying at the moment, so look out for that one. In the meantime, I have included two reviews submitted to the Otago Daily Times recently and will post a blog about my experience with feral cats, skinks and an art-park shortly.

The Stereophonics: Live from Dakota


After five studio albums the Stereophonics release the obligatory live album to complement the recently released DVD. Hot on the heals of the often excellent Language, Sex, Violence, Other? this double album features 20 tracks distilled from the 2005 tour. Contrary to the title ‘Live from Dakota’, each track on the album has been selected by the band as the best performance of that song from the tour.

Once upon a time, live albums allowed bands to stretch out with rambling jams that rarely reflected the studio tracks. Sometimes they were even afforded the luxury to cover obscure favourites and engage in friendly banter with the audience. This album has little of that. Instead you get all the hits sandwiched between a few lesser-known gems; a best of package sequenced for portable music devices. This is a pity, as the sound for the most part is huge. Kelly Jones’s gravely voice never misses a beat, belting melodically over the classic tone of his Gibson guitars. The rhythm section of Richard Jones and Javier Weyler are fantastically tight amounting to quite an impressive racket for just three musicians.

Crowd appreciation comes to the fore in the mix, often providing backing vocals to support Jones during the quieter moments. Yes, the Stereophonics have an extremely solid fan base and this album encapsulates the intimate relationship that the trio on stage have with the hoards in front of them. Opening track Superman is a cracker with a cutting guitar solo that will no doubt have bedroom air guitar aficionado’s jumping off their air monitors. There is a cool segue way into Motorhead’s Ace of Spades during The bartender and the thief and encore track Dakota rounds disc two off nicely.

Live from Dakota is essentially a gift from the band to their fans to commemorate the very successful 2005 tour. It is raw (just as it should be), there are no overdubs and the mistakes are intact. Existing fans will love it and to those who haven’t discovered the Stereophonics brand of rock n roll; this would be a fine introduction.

Rating: 3 stars.

Radio Birdman: Zeno Beach

Fans of Radio Birdman must have been salivating over the prospect of a new release from a band that last released an album of original material 25 years ago. A pioneer of Aussie Punk, this release by four of the original members of Radio Birdman is straightforward rock-n-roll, Sydney bar-band style. However, if you didn’t warm to their sound the first time around, then chances are Zeno Beach will not create seismic waves in 2006. Not that Zeno Beach is full of sour notes; it’s just a tad mediocre.

Rob Younger’s vocals are an acquired taste, less punk, more new-romantic. Performance wise, the remaining band including You Am I drummer Russell Hopkinson, are probably tighter than ever. But, the opening tracks are stacked full of perfunctory riffs that seem to plod along at zimmer-frame pace. This is a pity as the tracks improve as the album progresses. For instance, ‘Locked Up’ (track 11) is an absolute stormer, a Stooges inspired discordant fuzz-fest that gives away to some frantic fretwork that fully grooves. Similarly, the next track ‘The Brotherhood of Al Wazah’ is quite hypnotic with a vocal delivery borrowed from Jordan Luck. The melodic goods are delivered by way of a stripped back bass/keyboard interlude in the bridge.

Unfortunately, the opening track, ‘We’ve come so far (to be here today’; which probably carries untold sentiment for the reunited Radio Birdman, equates to nothing more than filler. Surely the euphoria of a new release should sound more uplifting? After 25 years there must have been more than a few goods songs waiting for the re-assembled Radio Birdman treatment, the evidence presented here would suggest only five.

Rating: 2.5 stars.