Most people got their first taste of Australian singer-songwriter Josh Pyke’s music with the release of his exceptional ARIA Award winning debut album, Memories and Dust. But we knew of him way back in the day when he was the frontman for the sadly before-its-time Sydney rock band, An Empty Flight. His latest solo album, Chimney’s Afire, is another collection of fluid, sanguine, and deeply personal music from one of Australia’s finest young songwriters.
Arcade Fire / Antichrist Television Blues
I love all the songs from Neon Bible, but the frenetic nature of this song gets my blood pumping. I saw these guys at Glastonbury last year, as well as on the Big Day Out tour of Australia, and I came to realise they are probably the best band in the world right now.
Guns n’ Roses / Rocket Queen
Guns n’ Roses are still my favourite band ever. So much of my teenage years were spent obsessing over this band. Rocket Queen (especially the reprise) shows Axl at his most vulnerable, and the band at their most dynamic.
Mclusky / Alan is a Cowboy Killer
I love this band, and the subject matter in this song is as absurd as the music is angular. I’m a real sucker for angular, rough guitar that still somehow sounds quite beautiful and melodic. It’s a great regret of mine that I never got to see them play live, as they broke up a few years back.
Pinback / This Red Book
I got into this band when i was working at a record store, and this song reminds me of that time in my life. I really lived this song for some time. The arrangement is so cool, kind of abstract with quirky beats and sounds that layer up over each other to miraculously sound totally cohesive.
Interpol / Slow Hands
Out of all the ‘new rock’ bands that have sprung up in the last ten years, these guys are my favourite. I’ve seen them play a few times now, and they make me feel a bit like a teenage girl, all giggly and hysterical. You can tell the whole crowd feels the same. They are just so damn cool.
Sufjan Stevens / Chicago
I love Stevens’ ambition and output. He manages to follow a concept (writing an album for every state of America), without it disappearing into schtick. He still writes songs that run the gamut of emotional content in the lyrics, and the fact that he plays and produces almost all of the music makes it all the more interesting to me.
Elliot Smith / Everything Means Nothing
I love Elliott Smith. I have all his albums, but I find that if I listen too much, I get horribly depressed. This song is a good representation of that. It’s a beautiful, accomplished piece of music, but somehow quite damaged and leaves a kind of mark on you after it’s gone.
Augie March / Men Who Follow the Spring the Planet Round
This song is off the first, and what remains my favourite, Augie album. Glen’s Lyrics are just ridiculously good. You can read them like poetry. The instrumentation is amazing also, always beautiful and evocative, but also with a deliberate imperfect quality to it.
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{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
a friend sent me this link, kinda creepy to have “Josh Pyke’s playlist” at your fingertips. But, its still a cool idea.