Musings on Music

I haven't been blogging much but I just discovered this fun (if somewhat predictable) list on NME of the 20 Best Tracks of NME's Lifetime.  They should have just called it Songs The Ship Loves, Plus Bob Dylan.  It makes for great reading, and at the bottom there's a Spotify playlist.  I didn't know what Spotify was until 2 days ago, but now I have it and I am listening to the songs for free and I'm pretty sure I won't even go to jail. 


20. Bittersweet Symphony, The Verve
This song is totally great, I love it so much.  I always think of Cruel Intentions when I hear it, which just adds to its appeal since that movie rocked.  (The sequels are no good though, don't watch them.)


19. Like A Rolling Stone, Bob Dylan
This song is okay, but I wouldn't put it in my top 20.  Or even my top 200.  I don't really care for Bob Dylan. Sorry! 


18. Eleanor Rigby, The Beatles
I don't really care for the Beatles either.  I think I have this song on my iPod, but if it came on I'd definitely skip it, every time.  I did enjoy that Yellow Submarine movie a lot though.  But I wouldn't put any Beatles songs in my top 20.


17. Paint It Black, The Rolling Stones
I don't mind the Rolling Stones but this isn't my favourite of their songs.  I think my favourite is Ruby Tuesday, but honestly I don't think the Stones would make my list either.


16. Heroes, David Bowie
This isn't my fave Bowie song, but somehow it's the one I listen to the most because I just find it so emotive.  This is the lowest point of my blog, nerd-wise, but I read a Harry Potter Marauders-Era fanfiction involving this song over a year ago, and I just haven't been able to forget it.  I don't really know why.


15. Common People, Pulp
To me this is a real late night Rage song. It's awesome.  The singer is Jarvis Cocker, who I only just this minute found out is not Joe Cocker's kid/dad/brother/pseudonym.  Oops.


14. My Generation, The Who
SO GOOD.  SOOOOO GOOD.


13. Seven Nation Army, White Stripes
DOO-doo-doo-doo-doo-dooooo-doo.  This song is in my head nearly every day.  Can't say I really mind.


12. How Soon Is Now, The Smiths
I won't lie: the main reason I love this song is that it's the theme song from Charmed.  Incidentally, I watched one of the later season episodes today and it wasn't that good.  Still, The Smiths rule.


11. Wonderwall, Oasis
Oh, this song is the greatest.  I love it so much.  It reminds me of my high school friend Ryan (hello if you're reading!), who burned it for me.  We were talking about music on MSN Messenger (hello Nostalgia if you're reading! My Desperate Yearning For My Teen Years says hi!) and he told me it was one of his favourite songs and I said I didn't know it.  I had actually heard it, I just didn't know that it was Wonderwall.  Anyway, I guess Ryan said he would give me a copy, but I always say that and I never remember to do it, so I was pretty surprised the next day when he rocked up to the train station with a CD for me! I still have it.


10. You Really Got Me, The Kinks
I really love this song too.  The Kinks are one of my 4 favourite bands (along with Bright Eyes, Meat Loaf and The Cure), and this is one of their best songs.  They sliced up an amp to get that cool sound.  Also the members were aged 17-21 when they recorded this, and it was almost fifty years ago.  That's younger than I am, and I don't think I've achieved anything that could keep people talking for fifty minutes.  At least my name isn't Dave Davies though.


9. I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor, Arctic Monkeys
I really really like Arctic Monkeys, but this isn't my favourite of their songs, maybe because it was so overplayed.  Mardy Bum would be on my list instead.


8. London Calling, The Clash
Another song that I absolutely love. I have the London Calling album on a proper record ("vinyl", as they say) because my Mum used to be a punk. I have lots of others too. Probably that's what I would grab if there was a fire.


7. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out, The Smiths
I don't know that The Smiths necessarily deserve two songs when everyone else just got one, but I do really love this song.  There are some amazing letters from Morrissey (the singer) to a penpal, which you can see here, here and here.  If I were in charge, I'd keep this but get rid of How Soon Is Now.


6. Boys Don't Cry, The Cure
I LOVE The Cure and this is one of my favourite songs of theirs, and one of my favourite songs period. The lyrics are depressing, but it still puts me in a good mood because it sounds so upbeat. I have seen The Cure live and they were really brilliant, even though Robert Smith is pretty old by now.


5. Smells Like Teen Spirit, Nirvana
I don't even know what to say about how good this song is but it's so good.


4. Last Nite, The Strokes
I have always liked this song but I don't think I knew it was by The Strokes.  I tend not to know songs that were released in this millennium, not because I'm pretentious about music but just because I'm a dweeb.


3. Love Will Tear Us Apart, Joy Division
I don't mind this song, but when I hear it I'm reminded of that song Let's Dance To Joy Division by The Wombats and I wish I were listening to that instead.  I don't think this song would make my list.


2. Mr Brightside, The Killers
I really really really like this song.  I think the lyrics are pretty clever in a playground-rhyme sort of way (now they're going to bed/and my stomach is sick/and it's all in my head/but she's touching his - chest now...) and the film clip is pretty cool.  And it sounds like they've copied a little bit of Ode To Joy too, which is sort of nifty.


1. Rehab, Amy Winehouse
Instead of making a joke I will just say that I like this song a whole lot and I love Amy Winehouse.  I don't think this is her best song though; my list would have Valerie instead.


I don't know how I feel about the order of those songs, but I think most of them deserve to be in the list.  If I were in charge, it would be a top 25.  I'd make the aforementioned changes, which would bring me to 16, and add:

17. Rockaway Beach, Ramones

18. Paradise By The Dashboard Light, Meat Loaf

19. Killer Queen, Queen

20. Khe Sanh, Cold Chisel

21. You Can Call Me Al, Paul Simon (or maybe Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard?)

22. Banana Pancakes, Jack Johnson

23. Piano Man (full version), Billy Joel (or any of his other songs)

24. Bennie and the Jets/Goodby Yellow Brick Road/Tiny Dancer/I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues, Elton John

25. anything/everything Tom Waits recorded back when his voice didn't sound like Cookie Monster. 


Oh, and Relator by Scarlett Johansson and Pete Yorn for a bonus round.  Sounds dweeby but I swear it's really good, please give it a listen.


What do you think of NME's list?  What would be on yours?


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Copper Pot Indian, Bargains and Ramones

A couple of weeks ago, James and I went to Copper Pot Indian Restaurant at Menai.  As usual, we had a voucher.  I think it cost $35. 

It was a small restaurant and looked a bit old; most of the Indian restaurants I've been to were quite nicely decorated and ambient, which you expect when you are paying more than you would at a local Thai or pizzeria, so I was a little disappointed.

The waitress told us we could each choose any entree from a list, but when we ordered two mixed entrees from the waiter he told us the mixed one was for sharing so we could only have one.  Even though it was the same size as the other entrees, not a double serving.

Anyway, it had a samosa (good, not great), a piece of tandoori chicken (nice but a pretty boring entree), a "kebab" which was really a sausage on a stick (not really my thing but if you like sausages you'll like it) and allegedly an onion bhaji, which seemed to involve many small pieces of fried onion (like the onion rings you get at takeaway shops). 

For the main course, we ordered a butter chicken and some kind of lamb with spinach.

The butter chicken sauce was much thinner than I'm used to, not the rich creamy consistency you get at Murraya.  It tasted nice enough but it didn't have really rich flavours either.  It was more like a good curry from one of those Indian takeaways like Mr India.

The lamb one was a bit hot.  The spinach sauce was really nice, but the meat was quite fatty.  Some people don't mind this but I am a fusspot.

We also had rice, which was fine, and naan breads, which were okay but again, not what I'm used to at Murraya.  They were a bit chewy, not light and fluffy.

Our voucher also included soft drinks, but we didn't want any and we couldn't swap for something else like sparkling water.  We did order tap water, but we had to ask a second time before they brought it.

It wasn't really a bad dining experience but it wasn't an especially good one either.  I suppose I am spoilt from going to Murraya so often, but I don't think I will go back to Copper Pot.  If you aren't accustomed to exceptionally delicious Indian, though, you might find Copper Pot quite satisfactory.

I bought some cool stuff at The Reject Shop.

I got this crazy letter-holding bird for my sister.  It was only $3 and they also had them in orange, yellow and pink.  I might have to go back and grab one for myself.  Don't you think it's so cute and funny?

I'm too cheap to buy body scrub so I normally use exfoliating gloves.  I can't believe supermarkets charge like $6 for them when they are only $2 at junk shops.

I also bought some VO5 hair stuff for $3 - did you know The Reject Shop sells heaps of good hair products and toiletries?  Some of it's "parallel imports" (some of which are good, others not so much) but some of it is just excess stock or discontinued packaging.  I also bought some $2.50 false eyelashes with diamantes because I'm classy like that.

At Priceline, I bought another tube of my favourite mascara, Max Factor False Lash Effect.  They've repackaged so the ones in the old packaging were on sale for $10.  They are normally $25 so quite a bargain.  And the tube is pink.  PINK.

As always they had a big bin of Australis products for $2.99.  I bought this black Mineral Eyeshadow, which was absolute rubbish (I have thrown it away already) and this foam latex Base Eyeshadow Applicator, which was spectacular.  I used it to apply a MAC eyeshadow and it made the colour look SO much more noticeable than when I use a brush.

Here's some Bay Vista desserts.

Sundae was less blurry in real life.

I had butterscotch sauce on my waffles this time but it was a bit too sweet.  I think I will go back to chocolate next time.

My parents gave me a record player a few years ago and I have a great assortment of records.  Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley courtesy of my friend Sarah E (hello if you're reading!).  Blondie and Siouxsie Sioux courtesy of my parents' collection that was still in the house, even when we didn't have anything to play it on.  Village People, Billy Joel, Meat Loaf and the Dirty Dancing soundtrack volumes 1 and 2 from various op shops.  And best of all, Ramones, The Clash, Sex Pistols and Dead Kennedys from when my Mum used to be a punk.

Isn't that so awesome that my Mum used to be a punk?

Anyway, this Ramones album, Rocket To Russia, is my favourite.  I listen to it a lot in Winter, because I spend so much time in my room with the heater on, avoiding the outdoors.

I tried on this Basque dress the other day.  I didn't buy it because I wasn't wild about the pattern or the cheap nasty fabric, but I thought it was a very Kate-esque style.

And last but not least, here is a photo of a dinner my Mum cooked.

I thought the green and orange veggies looked pretty attractive.  Does anyone else like Brussels Sprouts, or is it just me?

As you have probably noticed, I have been jazzing up my blog a bit.  There are some new handy features like links to the Facebook and Tumblr, a list of my most popular posts and a pageview counter.  Feel free to check them out if you're so inclined.

Is the layout working okay for everybody?  What broswers are you guys using?  Do you usually keep your Favourites tab open all the time?  I never knew there would be so many factors to consider.