The Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC), the broadest coalition of Palestinian political parties, trade unions, NGOs and networks, warmly salutes those Marrickville councillors who remained steadfast and principled in their support of the three fundamental Palestinian rights that constitute the core of the boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS). In the face of what Mayor Fiona Byrne rightly described as a “sledgehammer of pressure”, these courageous councillors recalled the most sincere spirit of solidarity that marked the global struggle against South African apartheid by insisting on supporting the Palestinian struggle to end Israel’s decades-old occupation, colonization, apartheid, and obdurate denial of UN-sanctioned rights of our refugees to return and receive reparations. We deeply appreciate Marrickville’s moral commitment to the objectives of the BDS movement — freedom, justice and equality — despite the current inability to maintain a majority in support of taking effective BDS measures to help reach these noble objectives.

We sincerely hope that Marrickville’s commitment to Palestinian rights and international law will inform any future decisions it makes about its interactions with the apartheid state of Israel and those corporations and institutions that are complicit with its grave violations of international law. Denying contracts to companies implicated in massive and persistent violations of human rights and international law, as those committed by Israel against the Palestinian people, is not only a moral obligation – that may one day become a legal obligation as well — for any city council around the world; it also does not carry any price tag for taxpayers served by those councils.

We congratulate the supporters of just peace and Palestinian rights in Australia who have worked so diligently to further the BDS campaign. Disinformation and smear tactics may have partially lost us this battle, but the struggle for freedom, justice and equality is undoubtedly stronger as a result of your efforts. Marrickville will be remembered as the “battle” that effectively put boycotting Israel on the map in Australia!

- BDS National Committee

Amphibious means “to belong on land or water, or to have a twofold nature”. Sydney-band Amphibious has more than a twofold nature and while their music genre may be blurred there are strong elements of jazz and classical with a little bit of rock and pop mixed in for good measure. Amphibious has created a rich landscape of sounds, featuring cello; tenor sax; bass clarinet; guitar; and drums, and the quartet consists of talented musicians who know how to improvise. Their influences have ranged from Bach to Miles Davis to Sigur Ros to Radiohead and in 2009 they released their EP First Breath, and in 2010 aLive & Breathing followed. This is an album that has a little bit for everyone and it has been well received by both jazz and classical connoisseurs. aLive & Breathing should not be played in the background. It deserves your full attention with each moment being savoured.

***1/2

Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham were at the outer edge of the elite in the heady storm of pop composers of the early to mid-1960′s America. Together as a songwriting team they were responsible for only relatively minor hits for giant Motown stars like Dionne Warwick, Percy Sledge and Etta James. But Penn and Oldham’s songs had a swagger to them that no other white-boy combo could quite manage – and showcased here is a collection of the bigger hits and some interesting rarities. Percy Sledge’s signature performance of Out of Left Field is a doo-wop classic; and the waltzy bravado of Etta James’ I Worship The Ground That You Walk On is a real thrill. Sonny Bourke delivers an affectionate eulogy to his his god and his true love in  Take Me (Just As I Am) and things get a little more stomping with Art Freeman and the strip-racing blues Slippin’ Around. Ace have released a number of catalogue compilations in the last few years, and this is a no-brainer for the pop collector, in a glorious remaster and hip-as-hell packaging. Nice too, that two of the lesser known songwriters from the time get a solid showcase for a new audience.

****

The rolling afro-inspired percussion of the opening Songlines makes it clear that groove and feel are the priority here. Stuart doesn’t assert himself as a soloist, as can be the case is some more stentorian solo drummer ventures, but rather embraces the potential for exploration of sounds and feelings. There is a curiosity to Stuart’s writing, an inventiveness that can only be conjured by a composer on an instrument that is not his own. Melodies, such as on The Crossing, while often brooding, make more sense as the songs progress, and eventually stay in your head like an interesting remark from a friend. Sense of Place has a sense of space, and Andrew Robson’s delicate alto sax brings Manu Katche’s Neighbourhood to mind. It feels at times like there is a film that hasn’t yet been made to Someone Else’s Child, its soundtrack, as slow exploration sometimes borders on meandering. There is, however, never a moment that lacks true texture; interpretations of Stuart’s ideas by Robson, Matt Ottingon, Phil Slater, Chris Abrahams and Stu Hunter are all masterful. Occasional vocals and lyrics by Tina Harrod and the late Jackie Orszaczky, are welcome and heartfelt – “snow covers the pain” echoes feelings of Orszaczky’s native Hungary in the title track. Someone Else’s Child is a valuable lesson in musical humility from one of the true masters of his craft.

****

A collaboration between Steve Kilbey (The Church), Glenn Bennie (The Underground Lovers) and featuring Ricky Rene Maymi (Brian Jonestown Massacre) on guitar. An eclectic album with a moody, surreal sound coming from the psychedelic work normally associated with BJM. Unfortunately there is nothing on this album like the Milky Way “brand” that Kilbey created in the 80s, but still powerful enough to generate a younger generations interest. Some genuinely languid sounds, cultural references to Captain Cook and Aussie-isms like “get cracking”. The album has a sombre feel to it, fitting with the title theme of damage. Title track Damaged/Controlled is enjoyably dismal with a fatigued sounding Kilbey and emotive lyrics: “it’s all too soon, it’s all in ruins… I just wanna turn it off.” An interesting sample of the raagini, a droning device used in classic Indian music which gives the album a sinister feel at times.  Overall there are some breathtaking melodies and guitar harmonies with that iconic and classic Aussie-male sound that Kilbey is known for.

***

The kind of moody, post-rock you’d expect from a band that draws their inspiration from Pink Floyd and Mogwai. Tracks that open slowly with piano keys and crescendo with a splicing electric guitar riff and harmonise with an acoustic 6-string work magic. But the whispering vocals of Katy Wren McNamara are necessary to break the tension and are the highlights for me. The Sydney band (formally known as Greenland) have in their hands a hot little debut album of cinematic proportions. Ghostly, hypnotic and full of abstruse sounds, like a film score to a horror movie, it captures a mood. One of uncertainty, that plays on your fears with even the gaps between tracks making the silence seem eerie and the echoing notes that pulsate like funeral bells underwater. In fact, the whole album feels as if you’re walking underwater, weightless, in darkness, the lacking lyrics mirroring your inability to scream. The only comfort is in the three tracks were McNamara lends her voice, it’s the sweet relief of a decompression chamber on land. But still has the haunting feel of a Siren luring wise men to their death.

*** 1/2

Canadian treasure Sarah McLachlan’s main asset is her creamy mezzo-soprano voice, and in material terms (let’s face it), the royalty cheques from “that” song from her best-selling 1997 album Surfacing.  Following a smattering of studio and live recordings, and a Christmas album, we have her latest flamboyantly polished offering. McLachlan’s thoughtful songwriting is certainly intact, Illusions of Bliss pulls at the heart-strings like the very best of MOR, and the bittersweet lilt of single Loving You Is Easy feels like a release of sorts, McLachlan seemingly revelling in her laid-back career confidence. Her piano still drives the songs with heart and clarity, though its somewhat processed sound amid the wash of echoey clean guitars and backwards reverbs makes these songs feel over-baked, with a sad lack of dynamic across the spectrum. It really sounds like we’re listening to the end credits sequences from a dozen romantic tragi-comedies. The one exception to this generalisation is the gently flowing Out of Tune, which captures something of the spareness of Springsteen’s Streets of Philadelphia. It’s all very nice-sounding, but short of that elusive killer hit tune, this polite album may quickly fade from memory.

**1/2

Ozzy Osborne is a showbiz trooper. He must realise we’ve all seen him on the telly and know for a fact that he’s a harried, shambling old bloke who gets bossed around by the wife and kids. But still, he persists - at least on the cover of Scream, his latest album – in his accustomed role as Dark Prince of Metal. By turns crazed and melancholy, he traverses the astral planes, dressed like a natty Edwardian undertaker. He persists because he loves his fans, and because he’s been doing it for so long. Ozzy’s too old to give a damn about trends, which is why it’s such a shame to hear album opener Let It Die, which sounds like it’s been written by several committees, and with a panicky clutching at hipness, and mixed (as is the rest of Scream) with a dispiriting gloss. Ozzy and his band appear to have taken Black Sabbath IV as their template:  lurching electric riffing (Let Me Hear You Scream) interspersed with acoustic guitars (Diggin’ Me Down), but the result is a pale imitation.
**1/2

Ashes, Airplanes and An Earth Day First

by Elizabeth Hilts

RABAT, MOROCCO, April 23, 2010

Thanks to the cloud of volcanic ash that wreaked havoc on air travel this past week, there aren’t as many international journalists in Rabat as had been expected for Morocco’s premiere Earth Day Celebration. While there is a certain delicious irony to this fact (the Earth belched and we were humbled) it’s also a shame, because this North African country has completely embraced the concept driving this worldwide “holiday”—save the planet by making changes. Big changes, small changes; they’re all happening here. Perhaps that’s because Morocco is a democratic monarchy whose ruler, King Mohammed VI, has decreed that change must occur; it must be said, however, that the citizenship has embraced the King’s call to action with great enthusiasm.

Why does this matter to the rest of the world? Bottom line: Earth Day in Morocco feels exciting in a truly organic way.

For example, in the days leading up to Earth Day, the citizens of Morocco took part in Service Day actions including planting trees and waste collection campaigns on the (extraordinary) beaches, in parks, forests and towns—a dedicated website was established so that individuals and organizations could report specific “acts of green” (www.journeedelaterre.ma).

In addition there was a steady stream of visitors through the Eco Village set up on the banks of the Bouregreg River. This river is itself something of an ecological wonder. Until recently, the river served as a kind of open sewer, unregulated by any agency, unprotected by law. A water treatment plant has cleaned up the water and the harbor is in the process of being reclaimed—the jewel of the project is a marina complex with waterside restaurants, a boardwalk and recreation facilities.

Clearly, Morocco isn’t merely putting on a show for Earth Day—the entire country has been invested in the creation of an environmentally-conscious infrastructure for years.

The new tramline being constructed will run from the city of Sale (the site of the marina) through Rabat, out to the university neighborhood, cutting down on the runaway congestion on the one bridge currently connecting the cities and allowing students and workers who live in the less-expensive neighborhoods of Sale to commute into Rabat more easily. All of which is proof that what’s good for the environment can also good for education and— because of the jobs created by the myriad environmental initiatives underway throughout Morocco—the economy.

Other nations in the region—and the press from Morocco’s European neighbors—are paying close attention. Yet it seems that there are only a few American writers (though countless camera crews) here to witness this. Again, it’s a shame, because the news here is good and there is so much going on that this ought to be covered in a major way.

ELIZABETH HILTS is a freelance writer and the author of “Getting In Touch with Your Inner Bitch.”

The new wave is definitely alive and strong in Brooklyn. These guys are a reasonably new outfit from that epicentre of American alternate chic, and they have tapped into a musical energy that is palpable. The lead track from this EP Beach Queen rolls and stomps like Scary-Monsters era Bowie, brazen with melodious vocal yelps and vintage synth stabs; it’s a potent sound, followed up by the bizarrely vaudevillian psychedelic romp Afterthoughts & TV, where the group display a penchant for Wilson-esque harmonies and that familiar urgency of chordal stabbing made so popular by Talking Heads back in the day. The EP swings into a dynamic mid-paced anthem Easy Chairs, and It Gets Your Body Movin’ is almost an exercise in contradiction – with its slow-burning torch-sway chorus and rounds of noise echoing the pop experiments of labelmates Yeasayer and Animal Collective. The thing that makes these guys so enticing is their sheer selflessness – no one member seems to be the leader; it’s a shared jam of hard-hit drums, euphoric synths and drunken sing-song vocals that feels like a genuine party between artist and audience. Watch them soar with a full-length record.

***1/2