Hard News: Kids: Still alright
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Well Graham Reid expressed some misgivings about your last record ;-)
...he didn't hate it. I read Elsewhere often, but Graham got it round the wrong way; Happy Ending had our best album cover but was our weakest record - and Buffalo is our most cohesive and complete record to date. Well at least thats how the band sees it.
Oh god now I am talking about my views on my bands reviews in a public forum. Not such an admirable thing for an artist to do!
I do find it funny though how music is automatically considered something we should all classify and critique but writing about music is something musicians should never question (for fear of seeming self obsessed and petty, which is basically what all interesting people are).
But I'm not saying the whole thing's now meaningless because my pick didn't win.
I agree with that 100%. In fact the Silver Scrolls process is very transparent and has a huge judging base. APRA do a wonderful job, the votes are cast by any NZ songwriter who bothers to do so. Every now and again something totally awesome like Apple Pie Bed wins without receiving huge amounts of airplay, but more often than not the winner will be a big hit, people tend to like big hits, and more people love Young Blood than don't. It is about as far off some sort of industry stitch up as you can get.
PS did Graham really get hate mail? that would be hilarious!
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3410,
Every now and again something totally awesome like Apple Pie Bed wins without receiving huge amounts of airplay, but more often than not the winner will be a big hit, people tend to like big hits, and more people love Young Blood than don't
Okay, you can't expect everyone to 'get' the difference between a record and a song, but a Silver Scrolls panel still would, surely. :)
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It is about as far off some sort of industry stitch up as you can get.
No. I was a wee bit despairing the year that terrible Brooke Fraser song beat 'Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No!', 'Beautiful Haze' and Liam Finn's 'Second Chance'. But, as you say, last year 'Apple Pie Bed' won and that was great.
PS did Graham really get hate mail? that would be hilarious!
Well, sort of extremely indignant mail. He was quite amused given that, as you say, he didn't hate your album.
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Okay, you can't expect everyone to 'get' the difference between a record and a song, but a Silver Scrolls panel still would, surely. :)
Well its not decided by a panel. The shortlist of 20 is, but beyond that its voted for by every APRA member who bothers to do so.
I agree though, people genuinely do not think in terms of songs and records now. The hook is so often a clever piece of production, instead say, a crafted melody that complements a wry lyric. In a way I have no problem with that. Low has to be one the best albums in the history of the universe. I love those songs, but they don't sound written, they sound like they have squeezed out of many hours of experimentation with fancy contraptions. So do I love the songs or the recordings? The performance or the production? The Bowie or the Eno?
I love Eno, it settles the stomach.
Young Blood probably is a better record than it is a song, but I could say the same thing about lots of stuff that I have released, and lots of stuff that I love.
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Well its not decided by a panel. The shortlist of 20 is, but beyond that its voted for by every APRA member who bothers to do so.
I understand it wasn't always quite as transparent. A few years back, before the current APRA mgmt, the results sometimes underwent a bit of a massage to make sure an acceptable writer got the nod. Or so the stories went....
There were some odd ones down the years. Kapisi was one. I've always loved a bit of Bran Muffin but I really have trouble working out if the massed membership of APRA, who are overwhelmingly older working musicians, really voted for Reverse Resistance, a wonderful but minor hit that got little airplay, which few seemed to know. Certainly there was a pretty strong feeling of disquiet amongst the membership the night it was announced.
I think it's fab that a pop act got the nod this year. I kinda like the band and the art of writing a perfect pop song - the craft - which it very much is, is too often dismissed by the self anointed elite in NZ.
Looking through the list I just realised that Jordan Luck, who may be the most popular songwriter (with middle NZ) NZ has ever produced, and quite handly at writing a tune, is not on the list.....
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So Algerian Muslims dont like the pope much, and said as much over morning tea. Seems the Brit terrorist squads have got to do something to justify their existence.
The pain of abuse, this mans hurt is gut wrenching.
A bracing reminder, if you have the stomach. -
The pain of abuse, this mans hurt is gut wrenching.
A bracing reminder, if you have the stomach.I downloaded a new Channel 4 doco called The Trouble with the Pope and went to watch it on Friday night. Got about 3 mins in, to the personal story of an abuse victim. Had to stop.
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I downloaded a new Channel 4 doco called The Trouble with the Pope and went to watch it on Friday night. Got about 3 mins in, to the personal story of an abuse victim. Had to stop.
Stick with it - these are stories that have to be heard, especially given the squalid history of denial, harassment and flat out intimidation so many of these people have faced. They're true profiles in courage, IMO. They deserve not to be turned away from any more.
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They deserve not to be turned away from any more.
Yes. And Oh the dreadful irony of the Pope describing these as "unspeakable crimes"!
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Sam, congrats on the Qantas for the Boy soundtrack too
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3410,
Where's the current Apple thread, please?
I've got a motherfuckin' complaint.Mmmm... currant/apple!
PS. If you're listening to NatRad right now, here's a Rock chaser for that dirge.
(I wonder if they do Harry Nilsson's "I'd rather be dead than wet my bed"?)
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