"Baby Caught the Bus"

BUY: $16.99 – iTunes Clairy Bower and the Bangin’ Rackettes: Baby Caught the Bus

WHY?

Actually, I catch the train more regularly but this has nothing to do with me and my travel habits. A review of the album in Spectrum on New Year’s Even caught my eye and after taking advantage of the sixty second preview on iTunes I knew this was an album (and local band) I would love.

Lacking the right understanding of music to properly describe the experience of listening to this album, to me Clairy Bower has a voice like whisky and cigarettes. The lyrics and sound is reminiscent of the sixties songs I was so fond of listening to when I was younger (and opened me up to ridicule on the bus to year 7 camp but there’s nothing positive about that story so I’m not going there) and the group name alone reminds me of great sixties bands like “Bill Hailey and the Comets” or “the Shangri-La’s”. Think the Ronettes fronted by Amy Winehouse!!

A couple of the songs (Far Too Late and I’ll Be Fine) create mental images of grainy black and white film clips with the backing singers off to the right, bopping along to the bee-hived lead singer in the centre.  For others, a spot light on Clairy Browne who is standing behind microphone singing her soul out to a darkened room while ashing her cigarette and drink spilling from her glass.

Defined as doo-wop, rhythm and blues, and soul , I don’t care what you call the music but I dare you to remain seated when Frankie is playing!

Reviewer Bernard Zuel writes “... you can tell Clairy Browne and her expansive band are a seriously good live act. She’s got a voice that has grit and kick but can run smooth when needed; they’ve got thrust and swing and aren’t afraid of letting go” . 

Sadly I won’t be able to see them perform live when they’re in Sydney for part of the Sydney Festival later this month as I am taking the first steps of my second New Year’s goal… to learn how to swing dance! I’ll just have to keep an ear to the ground for their next performances and put some of those moves to good use...

Duty free?

It's not, is it? Duty-free?

There may be no government taxes applied to the purchases but it's not free, and there seems to be a duty attached to buying something as you walk unwashed and unawake through the ceiling to floor stocks of alcohol, cigarettes, make up and perfumes cos it's, well, cheaper. But again, it's not is it? I mean, you've already forked out hundreds or even thousands of dollars to leave the country, for somewhere to stay, eat and entertain yourself and yet, it's easy to justify the further $100 or more on that bottle of vodka or small bottle of perfume.

I know. I do it every time I follow the signs to Customs. I get distracted by the pretty bottles, bright lights and promises of tax-free goodness. 

BUY:

$30.95 - earphones for my iPhone - I keep losing them :(

£3.66 - 100ml bottles of shampoo, conditioner and body wash

£16.90 - Clinique matte stay powder

£4.67 - toothbrush, tissues and toothbrush guards

$58 - bottle of 42 Below vodka and 20ml bottle of CK IN2U perfume (other rather, aftershave as I bought the men's fragrance)

Oh, and $40 for 2 little onesies with Australiana designs as a gift for V's twins when I caught up with them in London. 

WHY?

Cos they're so cute!

Oops?

BUY:

$1.69* - Is buying Pink's single "Raise your Glass" from iTunes considered buying something new?

I'm mean, it's a new single and it's very new to me but it's not like I could get it from anywhere else but iTunes cos that would be wrong and robbing a talented artist of royalties and I couldn't wait to the end of the month... At least the her new album isn't due out til 16th November so I won't break the 'buy nothing new' pledge. Again.

*$1.69 x 2 - I was a little drunk and eager when dowloading it last night and may have accidently bought it twice. And the Scrabble App $1.19 cos it was on sale.