SMILE LIKE YOU MEAN IT

Dear X-Press,

Just a quick thank you to all the crew that made it down to Serial Killer Smile’s debut EP launch for The Elephant In The Room. We had a blast.

Thanks a lot to Further Earth, Copious and This Other Eden for being such amazing support acts and to Big Daz for our live sound. Also thanks to the Rosemount staff and production crew for their help on the night.

See you all at the next show!! \m/

Richo (Serial Killer Smile)
Via Email

TALK IS CHEAP

Dear X-Press,

Laneway has come and gone, and once again proved to be one of the more palatable festivals (no shirtless guys, YAY!). However, if you’re within 30 metres of the stage, you’re presumably interested in seeing and hearing the artist performing at that time; I believe that’s a reasonable assumption.

Whilst it’s okay to have a chat with your mates during songs being performed by louder acts (Horrors, M83), the amount of chatter during the performance given by Feist was intolerable. Feist is one of the most talented performers around and do those people who insisted on talking during her set truly believe that their conversation is so important and/or riveting that it could compete with her songs or that it couldn’t wait until after she had left the stage?

Either that or if you’d rather have a talk than listen to a genius, move away from the stage and let the true music fans enjoy the music, and not have to suffer through your inane chatter.

Angela C
Via Fax

WAILING 100

Dear X-Press

Did you guys listen to Triple J’s Hottest 100 the other day? What an absolute joke! Was it just me or was every single song “wail, wail wail”, “oohhhhhhhhhhhh”, “aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah”, one syllable, ‘can’t string any words together’ bullshit. We’ve had to put up with Gotye for the last few months being overplayed and overplayed and overplayed – and then he gets #1 – and we have to listen to it AGAIN. And then, AGAIN because Nina Las Vegas decided to remix the entire Hottest 100 AGAIN. Triple J is turning to shit. There is an abundance of great Australian music out there, let’s play it and not just put on repeats of Lana Del Rey, 360 and San Cisco.

Via Email
Tod Meddleton

HARVEY FRESH

Dear X-Press (and Jennifer Peterson Ward),

You don’t know me, but I’d like to congratulate you on your review of PJ Harvey from Friday night. It certainly runs rings around that hideous ABC review by Ian Clarke*** and shows there are some talented music writers in this city.

Keep up the great work!
Kate Ferguson

*** Ian Church. Sorry, I have already tried to remove his name from my memory!

UNLIKE

Dear X-Press,

I’m writing to complain about a video I saw on Facebook this afternoon on the wall of one of your competitors. This magazine posted a clip they likened to their Christmas break and I was in need of some distraction so I clicked watch. This clip from Vice Magazine’s website was disgusting. Showing ravers partying in the Ukraine, there was a particular moment when they showed a six-year-old boy licking a grown woman’s chest and then another woman making out with a dog. I was disgusted. We have a word for that type of video here in Australia, ILLEGAL. I have a six-year old boy myself, so needless so say I was outraged. I immediately reported the video to the powers that be and hope that X-Press doesn’t go down the same path of peddling smut.

Concerned Parent
Via Email

Dear X-Press,

Headspace is a youth mental health initiative, and we’re about to open the doors to a new centre in Osborne Park. At Headspace, we’re all about helping out young people with a range of issues, from mental health, homelessness, physical health, sexuality issues, problems with alcohol and other drugs… To put it simply, if you’re a young person and you feel like you need some help coping with things in your life, we’re here for you (whatever it is the problem might be).

To help us do this, we’re putting together a ‘board’ of young people (we’re calling it the Youth Reference Group). It’s a group of around 10 young people who’ll provide advice and direction to us as a service. Keep us honest, ensure we’re youth-friendly and maybe even be involved in some community awareness raising exercises.

If you’re aged between 16 and 25 and are passionate about mental health and youth issues, we’d love to hear from you. Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more info.

Thanks,
Eddie Drury

THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE

Dear X-Press,

I’m Youness Istanbul, the vice president of Ibn Hayan Association in Taounate City, Morocco. We would like to have some free copies of your magazine to use in teaching about American journalism, can you send us some free copies!

Youness Istanbul
Via Email

NICKLE GOT BACK

Dear X-Press,

Re: Nickleback Hack (Reactions #1296), having read your paper for years, I felt obligated to defend your fantastic review of Nickelback’s latest work, and did not find it to be insincere or facetious one bit. That N-B hater Luke W clearly has no taste, and no sense of how underrated this band truly is. I consider Chad Kroeger to be the ultimate modern day poet, with inspired lyrics such as “I love the white stains on your dress” - who could possibly argue? Chad is a wordsmith of the purest form, and Nickelback should be hailed as undoubtedly the most formidable force in music for the past few decades, arguably since Right Said Fred. To Luke W, hands off our Chad mate. Next thing you’ll be telling us Guy Sebastian’s last album was a piece of shit.

Mike B
Via Email

A NICKLE FOR YOUR THOUGHTS

Dear X-Press,

Re: Nickleback Hack (Reactions #1296), Luke W, I think you’ll find Daniel Parkinson had his tongue firmly planted in cheek when he reviewed Nickelback’s latest opus. Chad Kroeger and Leonard Cohen as peers, funniest thing I’ve read in ages. Time for a new Nickelback LP, now where did I put my book of obvious rock cliches?

Anthony Ferguson
Seville Grove

NICKLEBACK HACK

Dear X-Press,

In the space of one CD review, X-Press has come alarmingly close to undoing several decades of good work and completely blowing its credibility. What sort of crack are you smoking to publish a review that without any trace of apparent irony compares Nickelback to the Rolling Stones, Beach Boys and other ‘pioneers who have changed the world’.

And to compare the band’s lyrics to Leonard Cohen and its melodies to Lennon/McCartney - WTF?

Nickelback are a musical abomination and anyone with a skerrick of musical taste knows this - it is well documented the world over that the band are purveyors of bland, unoriginal, middle of the road, generic crud. Yet you call their album ‘by far the most important work that we’ve been gifted from the most influential rock band of the past 25 years’.

Look them up on Metacritic - the band’s average score across its four albums is 52/100, based on dozens of reviews from around the world. Their latest effort, which X-Press has heralded as ‘a masterpiece’ is sitting on an average score of 57/100 - AKA ‘mixed or average reviews’ from the critics, while the user reviews are even less kind. Any other website you would care to reference will reinforce these facts.

You might want to explain to your many currently very annoyed music loving readers what the hell sort of sick joke this is exactly. I say sack the reviewer and bring back the old editor, if this is a sign of things to come.

Luke W
Perth

Dear X-Press,

In the space of one CD review, X-Press has come alarmingly close to undoing several decades of good work and completely blowing its credibility. What sort of crack are you smoking to publish a review that without any trace of apparent irony compares Nickelback to the Rolling Stones, Beach Boys and other ‘pioneers who have changed the world’.

And to compare the band’s lyrics to Leonard Cohen and its melodies to Lennon/McCartney - WTF?

Nickelback are a musical abomination and anyone with a skerrick of musical taste knows this - it is well documented the world over that the band are purveyors of bland, unoriginal, middle of the road, generic crud. Yet you call their album ‘by far the most important work that we’ve been gifted from the most influential rock band of the past 25 years’.

Look them up on Metacritic - the band’s average score across its four albums is 52/100, based on dozens of reviews from around the world. Their latest effort, which X-Press has heralded as ‘a masterpiece’ is sitting on an average score of 57/100 - AKA ‘mixed or average reviews’ from the critics, while the user reviews are even less kind. Any other website you would care to reference will reinforce these facts.

You might want to explain to your many currently very annoyed music loving readers what the hell sort of sick joke this is exactly. I say sack the reviewer and bring back the old editor, if this is a sign of things to come.

Luke W
Perth