Regardless of all of that, here’s a few of my favourite pop-culture things of late I’d like to share to make up for some missing posts:

Music

If you want to hear a blogger with great taste in new indie(ish) music, be sure to head over to Ocean’s Never Listen. Wayne has put me onto a number of bands/albums that are simply fantastic and he writes some of the best musical reviews and rants around. Some of my favourite albums of late include:

» Iron & Wine – The Shepherd’s Dog. If you’ve never heard much Iron & Wine you are missing out. This record is more upbeat and musically diverse than ‘Our Endless Numbered Days’ but it’s still politically charged and Sam Beams amazing silky smooth vocals should win over newcomers. Liking this more and more on repeat listens.
» Editors – An End Has A Start. Comparisons to Interpol are inevitable but it’s definitely a record full of hits. Seeing these guys live in August.
» The New Pornographers – Challengers. Challengers for reaching my top 10 of 2007? Perhaps. Really loving the title track.
» Okkervil River – The Stage Names. It’s Okkervil River. It’s brilliant. It takes more than a few listens to fall in love with it but it happens.
» The Cinematic Orchestra – Ma Fleur.Grab the best pair of headphones you can for full effect.
» The National – Cherry Tree (EP). Excellent older EP from the band of 2007. C’mon with that Australian tour!
» Handsome Furs – Plague Park. Taking a while to warm to this but I’m liking what I’m hearing. Hearts of Iron is a great track.
» Battles – Mirrored. Kinda reminds me of the !!! vibe but with a larger spatial musical arena.
» The Chemical Brothers – We Are The Night. Definitely their best record in years. The last track ‘The Pills Won’t Help You Know’ features Midlake and is quite good (albeit a different feel from the rest of the album though).

A few disappointments:
» The White Stripes – Icky Thump. Haven’t had this on repeat listens very much. My guess is it would be much better to see them perform this one live.
» Ryan Adams – Easy Tiger. Adam’s is one of those artists who hits and misses like a mofo. This one is borderline because it feels like his best effort to top Gold. I can’t pick a highly memorable track from this record though.

Film

» Zodiac (2007) – Fincher’s most polished and adult work to date. A tad long but still this year’s best thriller.
» In the Bedroom (2001) – Measured, cold yet very human look at loss within the family. My first time seeing this since it’s release 6 years ago. Appreciate it more now.
» Little Children (2006) – Todd Field’s excellent follow-up to In The Bedroom is equally as moving and distressing. One of the better contemporary American film-makers working today.
» Used Cars (1980) – Early film from Robert Zemeckis/Bob Gale (the team behind the Back to the Future franchise) and freakin’ hilarious. If you’ve never seen it, give this one a rent!
» Near Dark (1987) – For the vampire genre, this amounts to one of the better 80′s examples. Next to no plot but it sure looks cool thanks to Kathryn Bigelow’s direction and Adam Greenberg’s cinematography. Don’t take this one seriously and you’ll enjoy it.
» American Werewolf in London (1981) – If you’re going to make a horror/comedy then look no further than this classic. Holds up just as good today thanks to the naturalistic dialogue and sense of fun.

TV

» On The Lot – 16 aspiring film-makers compete to become the next big Hollywood director and sign a development deal with Dreamworks. How could I not watch? But it’s a fairly badly mounted show that you would expect much more from considering it’s produced by Spielberg.
» Scrubs (Season 6) – The show kinda lost me during season 5 but towards the end of 6, it starts to pick up and ends on a major cliffhanger (probably to get renewed for the final season). New season begins end of September.
» Pimp my Ride (Season 2) – Great fun in small doses.

Here we go again. Another bunch of exhaustive and useless lists. Enjoy!

Top 5 Albums

1. Band of Horses – Everything All The Time

Band of Horses weren’t necessarily the most dynamic band live but this debut album is full of memorable tracks. However it was ‘The Funeral’ that clinched this one for me, having heard that track first and still not getting sick of it. Other particular favourites on the record include ‘The Great Salt Lake’, ‘I Go To The Barn Because I Like The’ and of course ‘Monsters’.

2. Gnarls Barkley – St Elsewhere

Where the fuuuuuuuuuck is this on people’s lists? Are you all insane? The freakin kick ass beats, the lyrics, the arrangements. ‘Necromancing’ is a dark, twisted tune and I love it. But the consistency of the album is just phenomenal. There’s not a dud tune to be heard. I’m thinking everyone just forgot this one. Go back. Listen to it again. You WILL be in awe.

3. Guillemots – Through the Window Pane

Another one of those ‘rollercoaster of emotions’ albums with plenty of orchestrations, the Guillemots ‘Through The Window Pane’ opens with the beautiful track ‘Little Bear’ and closes with the powerfully, spirited epic ‘Sao Paolo’. In between ain’t too shabby either. Such a positive and uplifting record. I look forward to a tour in 2007 (fingers crossed).

4. Joanna Newsom – Ys

Well what is there to say that hasn’t been said already? ‘Ys’ is an instant classic from the Californian singer and harpist (well multi-instrumentalist since she also plays the guitar and piano). Sounding a little like a cross between Emiliana Torrini and Bjork, at first it took a while to warm to her sound. But after a few listens, I was under her spell. Favourite track is probably the opener ‘Emily’. She’s touring here in January.

5. Shearwater – Palo Santo

This album came out without much attention and true, it doesn’t contain any huge anthems but the band have really come into their own since the departure of Okkervil River’s lead singer Will Sheff. ‘Palo Santo’ was written and sung entirely by Jonathan Meiburg this time around and truly is one of the most heartfelt and haunting albums of the year. Here’s hoping a tour down under in 2007 will raise their profile.

Other Notables: The Knife – Silent Shout, Yo La Tengo – I’m Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass, Dappled Cities Fly – Granddance, Tapes ‘n Tapes – The Loon, Sarah Blasko – What The Sea Wants The Sea Will Have, My Latest Novel – Wolves, Midlake – The Trials of Van Occupanther, M.Ward – Post-War, Lupe Fiasco – Food & Liquor, Hot Chip – The Warning, Calexico – Garden Ruines, Ben Kweller – Ben Kweller, Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, Thom Yorke – The Eraser, Regina Spektor – Begin to Hope, Cat Power – The Greatest, Plus/Minus – Let’s Build a Fire

Biggest Disappointment: It’s a tie between Ben Harper – Both Side of the Gun and The Flaming Lips – At War With The Mystics.

Most Overrated: Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Show Your Bones. To me, they sound like a band selling out, jumping upon the ‘nursery rhyme’ bandwagon that so many bands are attempting at the moment.

Top 5 Films

Note: All films were released in Australia during 2006.

1. United 93

No film in 2006 was as powerful, intense or well-made as Paul Greengrass’s United 93. I was sweating in my seat as things unfolded mainly due to the documentary-style approach and ‘in the moment’ camerawork. I don’t really have any plans to see this again in a hurry but it’s a definite must-see if you haven’t checked it out already. (read review)

2. Dave Chappelle’s Block Party

Dig! made my top 5 list last year and it’s only fitting to have another music doco sit proudly in the list. Chappelle is so likable here, energy so infectious and although it probably helps to enjoy Hip Hop music, you can’t deny the power of a music block party like this. Michel Gondry was perhaps the perfect choice to direct this due to his love of all styles of music and the arts. Funnily enough I’m not really a fan of Hip Hop but this got me (and the crowd) up on their feet dancing away in the cinema. (read review)

3. Brick

Film noir hasn’t been so expertly put on its head as Rian Johnson’s debut film Brick. Setting everything within the confines of a high school system with young, very capable actors was genius because it worked so well when it could have been an unintentional disaster. The script is wonderfully inspired by Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler and you need to pay close attention to make sense of it all. Touted as the ‘next big thing’, Johnson is already in pre-production on his next feature about a bunch of family con men who get more than they bargained for when they target a millionaire (Played by Hooverdust favourite Rachel Weisz). Can’t wait! (read review)

4. The Squid and the Whale

I’d nearly forgotten about this one since it came out near the beginning of the year. Glad I remembered because this family drama/comedy boasts some brilliant performances (especially from Jeff Daniels) and an excellent script about how divorce affects everyone within the family unit. Writer/director Noah Baumbach has made a film that you can tell is very close to home but it makes it that much more realistic and devastating. (read review)

5. The Devil and Daniel Johnston

You couldn’t ask for a better documentary on the life of Daniel Johnston. Director Jeff Feuerzeig explores the highs through to the darkest moments of this gifted musician and artist. Painful to watch at times, you can’t deny the power of Jonhson’s body of work and his effort to fight his mental illness. One of the best documentaries ever to be made on any artist, living or dead. (read review)

Other Notables: The Departed, Little Miss Sunshine, Casino Royale, Hard Candy, The New World, A History of Violence, Capote.

Biggest Disappointment: Miami Vice. While the reviews weren’t great, I still expected something better in the story department from director Michael Mann’s film treatment of his own 80′s TV Show.

Most Overrated: Clerks II. Saying Smith is back in form, etc… is complete BS. The only way he’d be back on form is if he made something remotely as decent as Chasing Amy.

Top 5 Gigs

I didn’t attend a great deal of gigs this year mainly because most of my favourite bands are from overseas and they don’t tour very often (still no The Arcade Fire tour?). Even if they do, I don’t always know exactly WHEN they are in the country and then it also comes down to cost. And it wasn’t until the end of the year that most of my favourites made their way down.

1. Okkervil River (4th Sep, East Brunswick Club)

2. Tapes N Tapes (13th Dec, The Corner)

3. My Latest Novel (7th Dec, The Corner)

4. Midlake (10th Dec, The Corner)

5. Midnight Juggernauts / Children Collide (2nd July, The Spanish Club)

Top 5 Watched TV Shows

Yes it’s true. I am a HBO addict! But when episodes cost as much as $5 million each, it’s good to know that money is well spent on the most important aspect of any TV series – the scripts!

1. The Wire

I only began this series this year on DVD and although I’m not really a fan of cop shows, this one, like all great HBO series, draws its focus on 3 dimensional characters while providing a complex and perfect story arc throughout the season. The first season is the best so far (although I’m only a 3rd of the way through season 3).

2. Deadwood

Recommended by JR over at Dogmatic, Deadwood became my new favourite show. Filled with humour, four letter words, drama and a commandeering performance from Ian McShane as Al Swearengen, you’ll never look at Westerns in the same light again. Next year we’ll see two movie length episodes to put closure to this classic series but I still would have preferred another full season (as creator David Milch had originally planned)

3. Lost

Well there’s only been 6 episodes of season 3 screened so far but it’s still highly watchable due to the fact that we know who the ‘others’ are and what their deal is (well more or less). However they better start answering some of the bigger questions or they will lose their audience.

4. Entourage

Season 3 saw Vince and the boys back fresh after the success of James Cameron’s Aquaman. Guest stars included the brilliant James Woods, Paul Haggis, Bruno Kirby, Seth Green and the gobsmackingly hot Emmanuelle Chriqui. But the real star once again was Jeremy Piven as Ari Gold. Drama nearly stole the limelight as well but it was another enjoyable ride from all concerned. Apparently there’s another 8 episodes of the season left to be screened around the same time as The Sopranos returns in 2007.

5. The Sopranos

The Sopranos really went into unchartered waters this season. The early surprise shooting was a great opener and then the series got deeply spiritual concerning Tony’s place in the world. Perhaps the most complex of all the seasons but not necessarily the most rewarding, season 6 will probably need to be watched again to be fully appreciated. Still beats the hell out of any of the other ‘big’ shows on local TV such as House, Grey’s Anatomy, etc…

Guilty Pleasure: Australian Idol. Only really because of Bobby Flynn. My interest dropped significantly when he was eliminated.

Top 5 Personal Flickr Favourites

1. Oliver Henry Portrait

2. Kari Portrait

3. Okkervil River – Will Sheff

4. Dappled Cities Fly Fan

5. Belinda & Van

Top 5 Moments

1. Resigning from an office job

Best decision I made all year by far. Freelancing so far so been up and down but with my new portfolio on the way and a bunch of new ways to promote myself, things are gonna kick ass in 2007.

2. Mike’s Birthday at the Hofbrauhaus

Outings with Mike are always unpredictable but a hellva lot of fun. We never know where we’re going but it’s guaranteed to be eventful.

3. Tassie trip for work

Well this was when I was at my office job and I was on assignment to video a live gig and photograph an artist over there for a weekend. Unfortunately I was never allowed to post the pics on Flickr. My first and only interstate paid job at this stage but I had a lot of fun. And I met a woman on the plane trip back too ;)

4. Photographing all of the kick ass bands!

I’ve gotta thank all the editors at Fasterlouder and Naked Dwarf for giving me the opportunity to shoot all of these gigs. They’ve been extremely generous and saved me a lot of cash. They rock hard.

5. Making a Mix Tape

Couldn’t end this list without a pure Rob Gordon moment. I made 2 in actual fact and it took me A LONG time to put both of them together. Luckily, they were greatly appreciated which made it that much more rewarding.

So ends another year. Can’t say 2006 has been the best year of my life but it certainly wasn’t the worst. NYE should be really fun this year (costume house party) as opposed to last years pretty average (and bloody hot) one down at St Kilda beach. So I hope you all have a happy and safe New Year everyone!!!