Yesterday i lost one of my earliest musical influences. In the same classes at high school, the boisterous and rambunctious Nick Buttifant, known affectionately as Butterz, was as inspiring as he was determined. Defiantly suffocated by the conservatism of our private boys school, he found solace in music and our bond was quickly formed. As a musician and a music critic, we did not always see eye-to-eye, (as we shouldn't) but his passion and talent for his craft, both as a guitarist and songwriter was evident, and impossible not to respect. Through Myspace, both of his bands, Forthcoming and later Passendale found legions of fans who followed his constant touring schedule leaving an everlasting legacy to the amount of people whom he touched through his personality and music.
Charismatic, ambitious and fiercely competitive, Nick's self-promotion of his bands earned them gigs and well earned praise, bringing their blend of punk/pop/rock to the Espy, Ding Dong Lounge, Revolver and many other venues around Melbourne and Australia. Nick's self-assurance was infectious and when he told you that his band were "going to be huge", you didn't doubt him, you couldn't, because in his mind he could do anything. One of the strongest and most dedicated people i've ever known, Nick lived for the music he played and the people he played to.
Sadly, the turning of the world was too much for him, and this lovable and gifted man took his own life, ending the story of a person who had so many more chapters to write for himself. What I found today was a promo-paper I wrote for him and his band Forthcoming as they were about to release their first EP. We were the ripe old age of 15 and i still remember the excitement and happiness on the boy's face when he saw that i had (illegally) posted more than 400 of these promotions around the school and train station urging people to buy their CD. So out of respect for someone who i held dear as an accomplished musician and as a loyal friend, here is one of my first ever pieces of music writing, dedicated to a man who i will never forget telling me that we were going to be the best in the world at what we do...Rest In Peace Nick, i'll miss you mate.
Nick Buttifant, Liam Jenkins and Michael Landers, who make up the St. Kevin’s contingent of Forthcoming have had to put up with a lot of doubters in their time, a lot of nay-sayers who have told them at various times that they didn’t have what it takes to make it in this savagely competitive music industry. Now in their final year at school, this three-year-old garage outfit have finally got their act together and are ready to take on the world, one doubter at a time.
Produced at the prominent Studio 52 here in Melbourne which has borne such artists as Jet, Missy Higgins and Alex Lloyd, Forthcoming have transformed their trademark scratchy garage sound into a solid, clean, polished six-track EP, which aims to put the heart back into garage Rock ‘n’ Roll. The band’s post-grunge structures are complimented perfectly by riffs obviously influenced by Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Metallica while reaching the minds of listeners through Nick’s thoughtful and often damning lyrics.
Pop/Rock opener ‘One Boys Life’ jumps along, and with the aid of Jules Zuliani’s persistent drumming, pounds away at the narrative lyrics that make this sing-a-long anthem as catchy as it is up-lifting. ‘Forthcoming Story’ an older song by the band has become an almost biographical introduction to their young rock and roll lives as Nick sings with an epic notion of ambition in his voice, ‘this is the forthcoming story…’ as a sonic crash of guitars proceeds to blow the nostalgia-lined chorus away. EP standout, “Tonight’s the Night’ showcases the boys’ range of musical influences as they toy with the post-Nirvana Seattle music scene contrast of louder metal and finger-plucking effects to enhance a guitar-solo Slash himself would be proud of. Though the maturity of Forthcoming is not seen through their catchy hooks and metal riffs but in the thought-provoking lyrics that speak not only of the boys’ life experiences but grapple with issues in a way that far outstrips their years. Most notably seen in ballad/rocker ‘Don’t Push Me Away’, Nick’s piano accompanying a more melancholic side of Forthcoming which serves to highlight their musical diversity and growth from a young garage band to an important, serious band on Melbourne’s local music scene.
Forthcoming’s debut EP succeeds in expanding their sound while also polishing their catchy garage tunes to a point where any doubter can feel free to adjust their hair in the reflection. An extremely professional and mature record, Forthcoming have grown up and for such a hard-working and determined band the taste in their mouths must be oh so sweet.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
For Karz
One music critic, who shall remain nameless, recently said that Lady Gaga is quote unquote, The Future Of Pop Music. Personally, and i think i speak on behalf of the poker playing community of the world when i say this, Lady Gaga is the future of everything shit in the music industry. This observation aside, i would rather give this honour to a lady much more deserving of the title. My pick of the week, flavour of the month, one to watch and every other journalistic cliché you can think of is Sia Furler. Some People Have Real Problems, released in January has already gathered the Chinese whispers kind of hype achieved two years ago by Miss Leslie Feist. And if there is any justice in the music world, Sia will be Miss 2009. She has created a unique and refreshing blend of pop and soul music and her voice has an amazingly unexpected range that can at times have hairs on end with tingles down your back.
Depth and intensity are the two things that set this girl apart from the rest of her whispy, female singer-songwriter clan. Sia well and truly wears her heart on her sleeve, to the point that at times when she sings you think it might slide off. (sorry for the gross mental image there...) Emotionally intense, her lyrics are as cathartic as they are intelligent but are by no means weepy or overblown. Her accomplishment lies in her subtly, these are her dark little thoughts, insecure and brash, regretful and worried; sung in a voice that is as vulnerable as it is softly delicate. There is an attachment to the words as she sings them, as if you can almost hear her insecurities as she confides in you, worried about what you will think of her.
It is easy to see Sia's influences, Death by Chocolate echoes the early greatness of Miss Keys, as Lullaby does Miss Norah Jones, while one can see the song writing shimmer of Tori Amos weaving throughout the entire album. But comparing Sia to these renowned mistresses of pop fails to stress the originality of this album, something that raises it above the recent efforts by most, if not all of the above mentioned artists. Sia is by no means a cover-artist, the depth of her lyrics showing a woman who has matured long before an LP has been put to her name.
The production on the album is lush, but never outplays her voice with the majestic, sweeping strings and minimal percussion, obviously an influence left over from her time spent collaborating with space-pop maestros Zero 7 and trip-hop pioneers Massive Attack. The track The Girl You Lost to Cocaine jumps along with the same amount of nervous energy as the drug itself while Beautiful Calm Driving is an epic serenade that floats like a crisp night wind coming in through the window of your car. The cleverest moment is provided on Academia, a track with welcome guest vocals by Beck that over analyses the breakdown a relationship using academic equations:
"But to you I’m just a novel that you wish you’d never wrote
I’m greater than x and lesser than y,
so why is it that I still can’t catch your eye?
a cryptic crossword, a song I’ve never heard
While I sit here drawing circles I’m afraid of being hurt"
The songs are dense and complex, with several listens needed to fully appreciate their unique blend of sarcasm, melancholy and disturbing honesty. But they are also immediately catchy and memorable; a pretty rare quality these days that gives the album Van Morrison-like longevity. The Australian born lass has definitely found her direction in adult contemporary pop music, and while she may have Feist for competition it's a promising sign that she didn't spend her album telling us that she knows how to count to four.
A
Depth and intensity are the two things that set this girl apart from the rest of her whispy, female singer-songwriter clan. Sia well and truly wears her heart on her sleeve, to the point that at times when she sings you think it might slide off. (sorry for the gross mental image there...) Emotionally intense, her lyrics are as cathartic as they are intelligent but are by no means weepy or overblown. Her accomplishment lies in her subtly, these are her dark little thoughts, insecure and brash, regretful and worried; sung in a voice that is as vulnerable as it is softly delicate. There is an attachment to the words as she sings them, as if you can almost hear her insecurities as she confides in you, worried about what you will think of her.
It is easy to see Sia's influences, Death by Chocolate echoes the early greatness of Miss Keys, as Lullaby does Miss Norah Jones, while one can see the song writing shimmer of Tori Amos weaving throughout the entire album. But comparing Sia to these renowned mistresses of pop fails to stress the originality of this album, something that raises it above the recent efforts by most, if not all of the above mentioned artists. Sia is by no means a cover-artist, the depth of her lyrics showing a woman who has matured long before an LP has been put to her name.
The production on the album is lush, but never outplays her voice with the majestic, sweeping strings and minimal percussion, obviously an influence left over from her time spent collaborating with space-pop maestros Zero 7 and trip-hop pioneers Massive Attack. The track The Girl You Lost to Cocaine jumps along with the same amount of nervous energy as the drug itself while Beautiful Calm Driving is an epic serenade that floats like a crisp night wind coming in through the window of your car. The cleverest moment is provided on Academia, a track with welcome guest vocals by Beck that over analyses the breakdown a relationship using academic equations:
"But to you I’m just a novel that you wish you’d never wrote
I’m greater than x and lesser than y,
so why is it that I still can’t catch your eye?
a cryptic crossword, a song I’ve never heard
While I sit here drawing circles I’m afraid of being hurt"
The songs are dense and complex, with several listens needed to fully appreciate their unique blend of sarcasm, melancholy and disturbing honesty. But they are also immediately catchy and memorable; a pretty rare quality these days that gives the album Van Morrison-like longevity. The Australian born lass has definitely found her direction in adult contemporary pop music, and while she may have Feist for competition it's a promising sign that she didn't spend her album telling us that she knows how to count to four.
A
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