Review: Coldplay at Etihad Stadium, November 13, 2012

COLDPLAY
Mylo Xyloto Tour
Etihad Stadium
Tuesday, November 13, 2012

*** 1/2

Coldplay lit up the hearts – and wrists – of all and sundry in a confetti-inflected, technicoloured, energetic love-in at Etihad Stadium last night. From teens to silver-hairs and even the nose-clogged (the toilets had suspiciously long queues, and one young bloke exited a cubicle with a blood nose), everyone got what they paid for. While favouring their latest album a little too much they still weaved in enough classics to remind us why they’ve been the soundtrack to so many lives. Standouts were God Put a Smile Upon your Face, Yellow, Warning Sign, Viva La Vida and Violet Hill. 　

Review: Muse - Madness

MADNESS
Muse, Warner Bros.

***1/2

It’s a million miles from Stockholm Syndrome and Assassin, but Madness, the poppy second single from the forthcoming Muse album (The Second Law, to be released October 1) brings its own level of interest.

I disliked it on first listen; it reeked of Queen (even more so than some of their recent efforts) and the slinky electronic pulse sounded just too camp to be taken seriously.

But subsequent hearings have softened my stance. It’s a nicely crafted slice of electro-pop with a chorus that should haul them to the top of the mainstream charts. Which, I can't help thinking, is the aim.

It’s like they enjoy toying with their fans’ heads. There’s that, and the fact that Matt Bellamy is one restless mofo.

Progressive? Not especially. Catchy? Absolutely.

Top 50 Radiohead Songs

 1  Let Down OK Computer
 2  Karma Police OK Computer
 3  Paranoid Android OK Computer
 4  Pyramid Song Amnesiac
 5  Bones The Bends
 6  Bodysnatchers In Rainbows
 7  Kid A Kid A
 8  There There Hail to the Thief
 9  Motion Picture Soundtrack Kid A
10 Idioteque Kid A
11 No Surprises OK Computer
12 Nude In Rainbows
13 2+2=5 Hail to the Thief
14 Everything in Its Right Place Kid A
15 Weird Fishes/Arpeggi In Rainbows
16 A Wolf at the Door Hail to the Thief
17 Last Flowers In Rainbows Disc 2
18 Exit Music (For a Film) OK Computer
19 How to Disappear Completely Kid A
20 Jigsaw Falling Out of Place In Rainbows
21 Fake Plastic Trees The Bends
22 Creep Pablo Honey
23 Where I End and You Begin Hail to the Thief
24 Fitter, Happier OK Computer
25 I Will Hail to the Thief
26 The Bends The Bends
27 15 Step In Rainbows
28 Morning Bell Kid A
29 Subterranean Homesick Alien OK Computer
30 Street Spirit (Fade Out) The Bends
31 Reckoner In Rainbows
32 Videotape In Rainbows
33 Lotus Flower The King of Limbs
34 Sulk The Bends
35 The National Anthem Kid A
36 My Iron Lung The Bends
37 Electioneering OK Computer
38 Sail to the Moon Hail to the Thief
39 Like Spinning Plates (live piano version) Amnesiac
40 Give Up The Ghost The King of Limbs
41 High & Dry The Bends
42 Anyone Can Play Guitar Pablo Honey
43 Codex The King of Limbs
44 Four Minute Warning In Rainbows Disc 2
45 Blowout Pablo Honey
46 Knives Out Amnesiac
47 Fog Non-album track
48 Life in a Glasshouse Amnesiac
49 Polyethylene (Parts 1 & 2) Non-album track
50 Stop Whispering Pablo Honey

Review: Pearl Jam - Twenty (Soundtrack)

***

Pearl Jam have released nearly as many live albums as studio albums, so it’s no surprise the soundtrack to the film that marks the 20th anniversary of Ten is chiefly a live collection. Twenty's director Cameron Crowe – himself a huge fan – has pieced together an inspired selection of cuts from across the globe that will satisfy casual and diehard fans. Disc one begins with a typically emotive Release from 2006 and ends with Walk With Me – the best of the Eddie Vedder-Neil Young collaborations – and a beautifully spare Just Breathe; in between the band's ascent to grunge superstardom is led by a raw but authoritative Alive from 1990 and a six-minute, unplugged Black. Disc two, laden with rarities and demos of varying quality, includes a rousing, audience-led Better Man.
Key track: A snarling take of Not for You from Manila in 1995.

Review: The Stillons - Earnest

*** 1/2

Every so often a band comes along whose effortlessness makes the difficult seem simple. The Stillsons are one such group, and with their second album they show our nation's many roots-country wannabees just where the bar sits. Earnest in musicianship and album title, the hard-working Thornbury trio – vocalists Justin Bernasconi and Cat Canteri, and former Waifs bassist Ben Franz – toss up a dozen charming and earthy tunes with lyrics that allude to broken relationships and a path to success not easily trodden. The pace varies, from sun-drenched opener Call Me Up and the downbeat Stillson, to the buoyant, menacing Death Country and languid closer In Violence. She Don't Wanna Know, meanwhile, nods warmly to Neil Young.
Key track: Lead single Nobody Knows You Tonight is a southern-twanged drunken escapade that you won't rid yourself of in a hurry.

U2 360-Degree Tour, Etihad Stadium, December 3, 2010

****

They've transcended the generations, released a dozen studio albums and, it seems, a zillion singles. They're one of the few bands who, if you attempted your top 20 songs of theirs, you'd still be leaving out some of your faves. Certainly, Ireland's greatest export (Guinness aside) had to make some ruthless cuts to restrict their show to 24 songs at a balmy, open-roofed Etihad Stadium last Friday night. But while such tracks as Angel of Harlem, Bad, Desire, Gloria, and Pride (In the Name of Love) were absent, there was an abundance of energy, showmanship and multi-million-dollar stage production (wonder how much The Claw would cost to hire for a bucks party?) instilled into the remaining classics - and some of the occasional filler - to compensate. Highlights (aside from easy bar access and arriving to Jay Z enrapturing the stadium with his modern classic New York State of Mind) included Until the End of the World (The Edge's twitchy funk riff rocked the stadium), a stripped back Stuck in a Moment, a remarkable and moving Miss Sarajevo (Bono's take on Pavarotti's vocal line was goosebump-sprouting stuff), and, of course, Where the Streets Have No Name. Post-punk-era singles I Will Follow and New Year's Day were both raw and authoritative. Passionate and overtly political, Dublin's stadium rock icons balanced passion with precision in an awesome display.

Review: Stone Temple Pilots - Stone Temple Pilots

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS
Stone Temple Pilots
Atlantic Records

***

Most bands from the early-to-mid '90s grunge-rock boom have either fallen by the wayside or reinvented themselves to stay in the game. Stone Temple Pilots – whose three failed attempts at matching their 1994 classic Purple, coupled with frontman Scott Weiland's heroin addiction, led to their seperation in 2003 – attempt to buck the trend on this self-produced comeback. What we get, however, is vintage STP: crunching, retro-guitar riffs (Dare if you Dare's chorus recalls Mott The Hoople's All The Young Dudes), bluesy swaggers and lashings of melodic grunge. Renewed spirit drives opening tracks Between the Lines and Take A Load Off, and the sunshine pop of Cinnamon is surprisingly effective, but, for the main, it's a mid-strength effort.

Key track: It's not Interstate Love Song, but diehards will embrace Take A Load Off.