Xmas Cheer

It's a rare person who doesn't like waking up on Christmas morning to find a CD or - more commonly these days, a music DVD - under the tree. Here are some of the best for your gift-giving consideration this festive season.

SUNK LOTO - Between Birth & Death (CD)

Rock is well and truly alive in 2003 and the proof is right here on Sunk Loto's second album. They were young boys once when they released their debut 'Big Picture Lies' three years ago but they sure as hell have come of age since. 'Between Birth & Death' represents their graduation to manhood. It's an album that contains some highly intense brutal sounds that will surprise some of those cynics that see them as just another nu-metal clone. There are also melodic moments where the band really shines. An example would be the first single 'Everything Everyway' and the Triple J favourite 'Empty and Alone'. The band has certainly progressed since their debut and this album should cement their place as one of this country's finest heavy acts.

RUN DMC - Greatest Hits (CD)

Run DMC were truly one of the most important groups to come out of the 80s. They weren't the very first rap act born but they were certainly the first to get on MTV and crossover to a large mainstream audience. They were also innovators who mixed rock riffs with rap beats before anyone else was doing it. This CD captures all of the greatest moments from the trio. Everything from their debut single 'It's Like That' to their huge breakthrough hit with Aerosmith 'Walk This Way' is here. Other highlights include 'Mary Mary', 'Run's House', and 'Rock Box'. If you're a rap fan and you don't own a Run DMC album, then this one is highly recommended.

YOU AM I - Best of: The Cream & The Crock (CD)

You Am I, one of the country's most critically acclaimed rock acts, have finally put out a greatest hits collection. This compilation features 15 of their best tracks taken from their BMG years - they parted ways with BMG in September. Classics on here include: ‘Berlin Chair’, ‘Purple Sneakers’, ‘Jewels and Bullets’, ‘Mr Milk’, ‘Heavy Heart’, and a swag of others. The addition of early favourite ‘Coprolalia’ would have made this that much more complete but you can’t please everyone with Greatest Hits compilations. For the uninitiated, this is a great introduction to one of Australia's most respected bands. And for those You Am I fans out there, watch out for a new album next year as the band plan to head back into the studio in early 2004 to record new material.

VARIOUS ARTISTS – Straight From The Art (CD)

This compilation showcases some of the finest talent in Australian hip-hop. Featuring a diverse range of artists including Koolism, Cannibal Tribe, Two Up, Mnemonic Ascent and Blunted Stylus to name a few, this CD is the perfect introduction to the rich and original Hip Hop community that has existed in this country since the early 80’s. This release is also the first of its kind for a major label - Warner Music being its distributor. Compiled by female DJ and Hip-Hop activist Josie Styles, some of the country's finest female talent is also represented with cuts from Eternia, Layla, Sydney's Jade Nemesis, Newcastle’s Jobi One, and 2002’s Nescafe Big-Break winner A-Love. This is the most comprehensive Australian Hip-Hop compilation to date and is well worth a listen if you want to hear what Australian hip-hop has to offer.

VARIOUS ARTISTS - The Sex, The City, The Music: Berlin (CD)

The ‘City Series’ of releases from Petrol Records continues with the release of ‘The Sex, The City The Music: Berlin’. Showcasing some of Berlin’s sweetest sounds, this compilation features some damn funky electro beats with a jazz flavour added to the mix as the album progresses. Every track here offers an interesting listen. The CD kicks off electro heavy with tracks from Gonzales, Martini Bros, Kotai, and Captain Comatose. Things start getting cruisier when Micatone’s ‘Plastic Bags & Magazine’ sets in in what is the perfect track to sip a glass of fine wine to after a big night out. The CD ends on a smooth note with cruisy chillout tracks from Zeljko Kerleta and Koop. If you’re wondering what kind of sounds are coming out of Berlin at the moment, this is the place to find out.

BON JOVI – This Left Feels Right (2CD)

This is a Greatest Hits collection with a special twist. Bon Jovi have reworked some of their biggest hits and re-recorded them acoustically. Each song has been broken down to its core elements, re-discovered and re-crafted, constructing an album that takes the songs you thought you knew in a whole new direction. It works well on some tracks (‘Wanted Dead Or Alive’, ‘It’s My Life’, ‘Bed Of Roses’) but classics like ‘Bad Medicine’ and ‘Livin On A Prayer’ just can’t be topped and therefore you always have the original rockier versions playing in the back of your mind. But if you’re one of those fans who has worn out all of those old Bon Jovi records, then you may just enjoy the new life that has been breathed into these tracks. The limited edition version also comes with a bonus live DVD which should give you your money’s worth.

ROB ZOMBIE – Past, Present & Future (2CD)

Rob Zombie is one colourful character. He may be a musician but for years he has ensured that his fans are treated visually through the videos he has directed and all of the special artwork that accompanies each of his CDs. This can certainly be said of his latest offering, a greatest hits package that looks more like a soundtrack to a spooky horror movie. Kicking off with White Zombie’s ‘Thunder Kiss 65’, it also features other Zombie classics such as ‘More Human Than Human’, ‘Dragula’, ‘Living Dead Girl’, ‘Feel So Numb’ and collaborations with Iggy Pop, Alice Cooper, Howard Stern, and Lionel Richie (what the?). What makes this collection so complete is the bonus DVD that features 10 videos from his career – 9 of which were directed by Zombie himself. So in the words of Alice Cooper who wrote the album’s liner notes, “shut off the lights, light a candle, turn up the volume and be prepared to travel into the nightmare that is Rob Zombie.”

BLOODHOUND GANG - One Fierce Beer Run (DVD)

What can one say after viewing this DVD? Any band that films themselves getting up to all sorts of mischief and frivolity and then unleashing it to the world raw and uncut has balls (and I mean that quite literally – if you happen to watch this DVD, you’ll know what I mean!). Filmed on the road during their ‘One Fierce Beer Coaster’ tour, it captures the band in all their glory (quite literally again) talking about getting laid, drinking heavily and then vomiting the results, arguing constantly, setting their pubic hair on fire and…. well you know, the normal stuff that rock stars do. And to prove that these guys do play music, the videos from all of the singles lifted off ‘One Fierce Beer Coaster’ are also featured. This DVD may shock you but one thing’s for sure and that is that it sure will entertain you.

TRIPLE J Hottest 100: The Hottest Videos for 2002 (DVD)

Triple J’s Hottest 100 has come far since it started way back in 1989. Combine this with the fact that DVDs have also come far in the last few years and you get the very first Triple J Hottest 100 DVD. The great thing here is that you can experience all of the highlights from the countdown both aurally and visually. Containing some of the hottest videos from 2002, artists featured include: The Vines, Coldplay, Silverchair, Rocket Science, Ben Lee, N*E*R*D, The Living End, Grinspoon, The Waifs, Bodyjar, Pacifier, and the big #1 ‘No One Knows’ from Queens Of The Stone Age. You also get the option to view the commentary from Triple J DJs such as Rosie, Robbie, Mel & Charlie who comment on each of the clips to give it that radio feel. If you want to re-live some of the greatest moments of 2002, pick this up.

GRINSPOON - 23 Hours Of Waiting Around (DVD)

Everything you ever wanted to know about Grinspoon can be found on this - the first DVD release for this country’s hardest working rock band. Providing lots of interesting footage, including an onstage scuffle between Phil and Joe which they describe as the lowest point in the band’s history, the DVD also features exclusive documentary footage, the shenanigans that the boys get up to on their UK tour, video clips from ‘New Detention’ with hilarious commentary from Phil and Joe yet again, behind the scenes shots of the band on their recent ‘Panic Attack’ Tour, interviews and other hidden extras. In addition, you can see the band doing what they do best - that is, rocking out in front of a live audience. For an insight into the world of Grinspoon, check out this DVD.

Danny Canak