Take 5

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Alexisonfire's outsiders Aug 26, 2022

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Alexisonfire have been releasing brilliant albums for more than twenty years, but it’s been a good thirteen since their last.

That changed recently when they returned with Otherness, a brilliant capture of a band renewed, and still holding the raw power and soaring beauty they always did.

Dallas Green is one of three lead singers in the band, and one of the friendliest fella’s you’ll meet. He also has a hugely broad musical palette, which we learned when I asked him to Take 5.

From Kimbra to Spiritual Cramp to Tropical Fuck Storm, this is a passionate embrace of those who do it differently.

Kimbra - Settle Down
Spiritual Cramp - Spiritual Cramp
Dead Tired - Vast Lethality
Zaki Ibrahim - Something in the Water
Tropical Fuck Storm – You Let My Tyres Down

Have a look at the Take 5 TV trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfEGnGSNlRM

Hilltop Hoods' show business Aug 19, 2022

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Hilltop Hoods are legends.

For more than twenty years they’ve dominated the local scene, with multiple Hottest 100 entries, ARIA’s and the record for the most #1 albums in Australian music. When they play a show, it’s an arena, and they’ve brought that energy to every one of their performances; on stage and on record.

Those are the accolades you hear about… but when I invited them to Take 5 I wanted to hear about their highlights in an epic career in show business.

From Def Wish Cast to Amy Winehouse, this is a fun and heartfelt ride through Pressure and Suffa’s peaks, and the music moments that have taken them to the top of the mountain.

Def Wish Cast - Rappin’ in my Sleep
Public Enemy - Welcome to the Terrordome
Maverick Sabre - I Need
Beastie Boys - Jimmy James
Amy Winehouse - Back to Black

Spiderbait's songs in the key of J Aug 12, 2022

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It’s not overstating it to say that Spiderbait are one of Australia’s most loved bands.

For more than 30 years, this power trio have ripped it up on stages and albums alike, and held a tight bond of friendship the whole way through.

Their latest venture is a compilation album celebrating their bassist and singer Janet English. It’s called Sounds in the Key Of J, and off the back of it’s release I asked the main character and her bandmate Kram to Take 5.

This is one of the wildest collections of songs I’ve ever seen in a Take 5, and I’m here for it. It’s also a beautiful reflection of friendship, curiosity, the genre bending they’ve done, and the foundations of where Spiderbait have come from.

From The Go-Go’s to the War of the Worlds album, jump in and take a trip through the foundations of Spiderbait with Janet and Kram.

The Go Go's - We Got The Beat
Marie Greene & Betty Wand - Dites-Moi (South Pacific Soundtrack)
Jeff Wayne, Justin Hayward & Richard Burton - The Eve Of The War
Talking Heads - Crosseyed And Painless
The Primitives - Spacehead

Casey Donovan's guiding lights Aug 05, 2022

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Casey Donovan, is one of Australia’s greatest voices.

We first met her as a 16 year old on Australian Idol. Her audition grabbed us immediately, and she would go on to win the second series. Since then, she’s been a star on musical theatre stages, written a memoir, made podcasts, and become our official Queen of New Years – belting out the biggest songs on ABC TV’s big broadcast.

But what are the songs that have been guiding lights for her? That have led Casey through an extraordinary life, and filled her heart (and lungs) with inspiration? From Kasey Chambers to Human Nature to Mama Cass, this is a beautiful conversation about finding strength in music, and finding your own voice.

Marie Osmond – Paper Roses
Human Nature – Wishes
Kasey Chambers – Million Tears
Tiffany Taylor & Company – Here’s Where I Stand
The Mamas & The Papas – Dream a Little Dream of Me

Phil Jamieson's solo songs Jul 29, 2022

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Where do you start with Phil Jamieson?

If you grew up in Australia, he’s been part of the musical fabric for decades. His band Grinspoon were the first band to ever be Unearthed by triple j, they dominated festival line-ups and made more than a few appearances in the Hottest 100.

His music with Grinners has soundtracked our lives, and whether on stage or having a chat, Phil has often been the most entertaining fella in the room. So I was stoked to finally have him Take 5. The catalyst was Phil Jamieson’s debut; on the day he released his solo album, I asked him to Take 5 with his fave solo songs. Other artists who had taken that great leap of faith, stepped away from their band and gone it alone. From Beyonce to Macca, Tim Rogers to Tina Turner, this is a joyous ride from a big music fan.

Beyonce - Crazy In Love [fat. Jay-Z]

Dave Dobbyn - Slice of Heaven [feat. Herbs]

Paul McCartney and Wings - Let Me Roll It

Bamboos - I Got Burned [feat. Tim Rogers]

Tina Turner - We Don't Need Another Hero

Joy Crookes' self Jul 22, 2022

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The South London singer joins Zan Rowe to Take 5.

It’s so good to be back with a new Take 5 in the feed!

ICYMI, over the last few weeks I’ve been off making Take 5 into a TV show. We’ve captured some incredible conversations with big names, everywhere from Melbourne to Los Angeles, to Nashville Tennesee. Take 5 will be coming to ABC TV later in 2022, and in the meantime, I’m stoked to be back where it all began; here in your ears on the Take 5 podcast. And what a return we have, with Joy Crookes.

The South London singer grabbed us as soon as we heard her first single, and she held us with her debut album Skin; a rich capture of the place, people, and sounds that have made her.

With so much genre hopping in her own record, I was curious to find out the songs that reflect her self, from others. And she delivered. This is beautiful conversation about community, connection, heart, and how history informs Joy Crookes future. From Solange, to Mariem Hassan, to D’Angelo, this is the musical DNA of Joy Crookes.

Mad (ft. Lil Wayne) - Solange

Haiyu - Mariem Hassan

Really Love - D’angelo and the Vanguard

Tezeta - Mahmoud Ahmed

Rich Spirit - Kendrick Lamar

Lykke Li's sensory songs Jun 03, 2022

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Lykke Li has one of those voices that stops you in your tracks.

It’s husky, it’s sweet, it can sound like love itself, then heartbreak in the next moment. From the first moment I heard it, I was a fan. And in her five albums since, Lykke Li has evolved as an artist whose depth as a songwriter and maker has mirrored her life experiences.

Her latest album is EYEYE; it follows the end of a big relationship and you can hear it in every second. Lykke recorded it in a totally different way; stripping back her production, abandoning click tracks and headphones, just feeling and being in that feeling.

It’s accompanied by a handful of short films, which bring this devastating heartbreak to life even further. It’s a truly sensory experience, and so I asked Lykke to share her sensory songs. From Funkadelic, to Brian Eno, to wildly beautiful Bulgarian choirs, this is therapy not only for the ears but for the soul.

Funkadelic - 'Maggot Brain'

Brian Eno - 'The Big Ship'

Lorenzo Senni 'Canone Infinito'

Melanie De Biasio - 'I'm Gonna Leave You (Cinematic Orchestra Remix)'

Bulgarian State Television Female Choir - 'Kalimankou Denkou (The Evening Gathering)'

Joan as Police Woman's musical heroes May 27, 2022

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Joan Wasser is prolific. As a musician, collaborator, and instrumentalist, she’s one of those people who needs to create to feel alive. Her career began in bands like The Dambuilders, before she lobbed in on records from Antony & the Johnsons and found her own voice as Joan as Policewoman.

And what a voice it is; its warm snarl captures everyone who hears it, and it’s the same when she talks. There’s something very magnetic about Joan. Which is why I will always be excited to talk music with her, and heroes. From Nina Simone to James Blake to Rufus Wainwright, this is a beautiful conversation about the love of art, from a great artist herself.

Tony Allen - ‘Go Back [Ft. Damon Albarn]’

Nina Simone - ‘I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free’

Krystle Warren & The Faculty - ‘If It Wasn’t For The Lake’

James Blake - ‘Retrograde’

Rufus Wainwright - ‘The Art Teacher'

Briggs' foundations May 20, 2022

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Yorta Yorta man Briggs is a real renaissance man. We may have met him first as an MC, but in the years since he’s shown his creativity knows no bounds. He’s an actor, a writer, a label head, an author, and one of the funniest people I know.

Briggs grew up in Shepparton in regional Victoria, it’s a big part of his identity. So when the opportunity came up for triple j and Double J to head to Shepp for a weeklong Takeover, Briggs immediately sprung to mind for a Take 5.

Shepp is on the lands of the Yorta Yorta Nation, and home to the largest Indigenous population in regional Victoria. The Briggs family looms large in Shepp, and the opportunity to come back to Adam Briggs’ hometown to hear about his foundations, was too good to miss. From Ice Cube to Ryuichi Sakamato, to The Simpsons, this is a beautiful capture of a true talent.

Ice Cube - 'It Was a Good Day'

The Simpsons - 'Monorail'

Danzig - 'Twist of Cain'

Ryuichi Sakamoto - 'Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence'

Sam Cooke - 'A Change is Gonna Come'

Bat For Lashes dedications May 13, 2022

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Do you remember, around 15 years ago, when Bat For Lashes first broke onto the scene? This Pakistani-British singer created haunting, dramatic music. She descended from a squash playing dynasty, and her music inhabited an otherworldly quality in the indie music scene.

In 2012 she had a huge hit with “Laura”, and a few months later when she was in Australia to tour, I invited her to Take 5. It was one of those conversations that has always stayed with me; we bonded over these five songs and it left me flying afterward. Which is why I wanted to bring it to the podcast. From James Taylor to a young Laura Mvula, soak up the sounds of song dedications care of Natasha Khan.

James Taylor - 'Fire & Rain'

Bjork - 'One Day'

Tame Impala - 'Music To Walk Home By'

The Cure – 'Mint Car'

Laura Mvula – 'She'