As shameful as it is now, the first record I ever bought was Live’s Throwing Copper. If only it could have been Led Zeppelin IV or Animals by Pink Floyd. But nope, it was Live. 

Back to 1994. A dangerous time to be 11 (not really). Back in 1994, MTV Unplugged was a big deal. I used to get up on Saturday mornings and watch the latest episode. Nirvana and Pearl Jam had cracked out memorable performances.  But, at the time, it was Live’s performance that had the biggest effect on me. I remember hearing rumours that the singer in Live was a Satanist. I remember being left in awe. He was so dangerous. And his band rocked so hard. I watched that Unplugged, and I remember thinking it was super cool.

Fast forward a month and Live’s Throwing Copper was in my hot little hands. It sounded so good. A standout was the totally rocky song “Stage” in which he sings, “Come on, come on, motherfucker.” Damn, he was dangerous dude. So edgy. And the rest of the songs – wow, “Lightning Crashes” was so dark and tragic. And that film clip where everyone’s just so damn sad. And the “I, Alone” film clip where they are dancing around a tree which is so clearly in a studio and in retrospect pretty crappy but at the time it was so cool because the singer wasn’t wearing a shirt even though it was raining and there was lightning and they were just a little too close to that tree. Do they not know about lightning and trees? They just didn’t care. If they died, at least they were doing what they loved. Being heaps sad and dancing around a tree.

But I guess that’s what your first album is all about. It gives you the ability to look back and laugh at yourself. Interestingly, the second album I bought was Green Day’s Dookie. I still listen to it. In some weird way I think it has stood the test of time. Unlike Throwing Copper, it has an energy about it. These days, Throwing Copper sounds like a bland rock band that were probably once ok but then received a severe fingering from a major label (Kings of Leon, anyone?). Sure, Green Day’s music is pretty ordinary these days, but at least it came from a good place. Live on the other hand are 100% vomit. A product of the 90’s that, unlike Nirvana or Soundgarden, no one really wants to be associated with. Shit, were they the Creed/Nickelback of the 90’s? What a frightening thought.

Alex Moore plays bass and sings in Australia’s Dappled Cities. This year they will return to the US with a brand new album and, having parted ways with their old label, a brand new enthusiasm for bringing their music to the good folks of America. The first single from that album is called “Run With The Wind,” already reviewed as “an epic space-pop odyssey” that picks up from the more expansive material from Zounds.

Mixed by Cenzo Townshend (Florence & The Machine, Bloc Party, U2), the track is the first taste of new material in two years. The upcoming album was recorded in Los Angeles, Paris and Sydney with US-based Jarrad Kritzstein on production duties.