The Formative Years – Discharge

I vividly remember the first time I was exposed to Discharge’s masterpiece and piece de resistance, i.e. their Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing album.

In equal measure, it was minimalist, heavy, aggressive, political, raw, had barked vocals, distinct drumming and songs that sounded like the sonic equivalent of a targeted assault. 

I was hooked straight away and could not believe that such a well-calibrated melange of metal and punk was conceived as early as 1982. 

With an unrivalled intensity, confronting immediacy and well-timed sub two minute songs that were stripped of all ornaments, it eclipsed literally all other punk bands in terms of intensity I had heard before.

Needless to say, Discharge’s iconic and distinct aesthetic comprised of confronting black and white imagery along with what became the patented studded leather jacket style along with coining a drum beat that was not only named after them but became synonymous for a whole genre, helped to further set them further apart. They quintessentially forged what was become known as crust core.

If you listen to early Discharge today, it is nigh impossible to not become instantaneously aware of how much they have influenced and created the foundation and template for generations of not only punk, hardcore but also metal bands, especially in the more extreme realms of the genre such as grind-, death- and even black metal.

While Discharge’s evolution and discography took some interesting turns, e.g. a detour into hair metal territory with their album Grave New World, which was not exactly badly done but understandingly not well received by their punk followership of the time, it is one of the bands whose emissions have stood the test of time.

If you are into hardcore punk and for whatever strange reason have so far evaded the majesty that is early Discharge, do yourself a favour and check out Discharge’s early releases or peep their most recent live incarnation at the Hellfest Festival which is testament to the timelessness of their legacy.

Oceania Burger Special

Five Guys incarnating on terra australis

What is the secret to a great hamburger?

According to those who make great burgers, the answer seems to be simple: By focusing on quality ingredients and ensuring consistent quality.

Five Guys has firmly established itself as a veritable heavyweight on the firmament of North American burger chains and would be a known quantity to readers in the new world. 

Needless to say, I was intrigued when word around the campfire had that they were going to materialize on terra australis in collaboration with Seagrass Boutique Hospitality Group, an entity that so far has focussed its efforts solely on developing its own unique brands, each of which is imbued with a distinctive DNA and widely appreciated for going above and beyond when it comes to customer service and satisfaction.

Given the aforementioned and the fact that it was the first time Seagrass Hospitality Group endeavoured into franchising, expectations were high.

Now, for the uninitiated: Five Guys streamlined offerings are centred around crispy yet pillowy soft fries and four core burger variations, the latter of which come with a standard serve of two patties which can be customised via fifteen different toppings than can be chosen from, i.e. mayo, ketchup, mustard, A1 Sauce, barbecue sauce, hot sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions, relish, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, green peppers, and jalapeño peppers; resulting in over two-hundred fifty thousand permutations to individualize your burger and thereby enabling you to make it unique not unlike a snowflake.

While purists and aficionados wax lyrical about their ways of assembling their burgers, the common denominator is that every burger cooked at Five Guys is prepared well-done without further variations on offer and to serve them as fresh as possible and with the bookending eggy cake-like buns striking a borderline perfect balance between fluffiness and toastiness, with just the slightest hint of a char courtesy of being cooked directly on the grill.

Another Five Guys USP is their use of applewood-smoked bacon, resulting in what could be best described as a melange of sweet and smoky, which, curiously enough, can also be had as an ingredient in their hand-spun milkshakes.

With Five Guys’ commitment to freshness, it should not be further wondrous that their locations neither house any freezers nor heat lamps, with all produce including the hand formed patties being made, sliced and chopped fresh every morning and temperature controlled via wireless sensors throughout the day in a bid to ensure that raw ingredients are stored at a safe temperature at all given times.

Taking all of the aforementioned points into account, Five Guys’ unconventional approach  results in a total that is much more than the mere sum of its individual components: Essentially, Five Guys is more of casual Fifties throwback restaurant rather than a mere fast-food joint, with the employees adding their own idiosyncratic touches in the open kitchen which does add a Willy Wonka-esque approach.

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image from company website

Audio = Ground Zero

Harman Kardon Citation MultiBeam 1100 soundbar 

The first time I was exposed to Dolby Atmos was at the recent premiere of Rammstein’s new album Zeit, which was streamed live in select cinemas around the globe. 

Given that Zeit is Rammstein’s most digitally influenced record to date and heavily informed by their trademark enigmatic sound design with post-production effects galore, having it mixed in Dolby Atmos made a lot of sense and the premiere proved to be an example par excellence for an immersive sound experience.

Now, if you are remotely familiar with Harman Kardon, Citation would ring a bell as some of the most prominent and highest performing amplifiers in Hi-Fi history carry that name, with the Multibeam 1100 being Harman Kardon’s latest emission, channelling their audio technology alchemy into your home.

If you are looking for a soundbar that not merely adds Dolby Atmos to the mix but takes things to the next level in terms of creating an all-enveloping sounds experience, look no further: By adding overhead audio channels and employing the total of its eleven drivers, six racetrack drivers and three one inch tweeters, you would be hard pressed to currently find a match to this powerhouse. 

With its two up-firing height channels to create the equivalent of a three-dimensional wall of sound, it can not only be connected to your TV via regular means but has the capability to stream music directly from its in-built Apple Air Play, Alexa Multi-Room Music and Chromecast services.

But first things first: With its automatic room calibration, Harman Kardon’s Citation MultiBeam 1100 meticulously analyses the layout of your abode, to then calibrate and make the most of its audio output by aligning it with the nature of its surroundings.

While quite a few soundbars that we have previously covered come equipped with the aforementioned feature, what sets this model apart if Harman Kardon’s PureVoice technology, which manages to precisely clarify and enhance nuanced sounds and speech through its centre channel at any volume. 

The fact that the MultiBeam 1100’s elegant design is informed by the utmost attention to detail does not hurt either. 
With its subtle, delicate real wool dirt-repelling and flame-retarding fabric covering and timeless aluminium details courtesy of the renowned Danish design innovator Kvadrat, this sleek little number blends in with your home decor and adds a delightfully understated stylish nuance.

Further accentuated via its fine resolution and intuitive, tactile luminous LCD touch screen interface, it shows the album cover and name of the artist. That is if you do not prefer to conveniently control the system via its remote control or the voice-assistant enabled function.

Summa summarum, no matter what your jam is – be it movies, music or games - within the confines of soundbars and home sound systems, Harman Kardon’s Citation MultiBeam 1100 has raised the bar significantly and elevated things to a whole new, highly defined level.

As an audiophile, I can attest that this baby is of the most complete, expansive and accomplished systems I have experienced so far. 
It not only adds joy to the listening experience but provides an excellent balance of good quality sound and easy installation without the added complication of having to buy individual components.

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image from company website

I spent a lot of time with music. It's why I started writing with SPB and it's why I keep doing it some 10 years later.

The world has changed, media has changed. But I always have something playing. Sometimes I look at my PC with its 20 open tabs and 12 open programs, to see I have 3 different music players open in some capacity at the same time. It's a big part of my life.

And what does that have to do with this playlist below? Not much, except that one constant is my love of listening to music actively. Finding ways to relate. Thinking about ways to share it with others. Giving it new life.

The majority of the bands on this list have been covered by me at the site, some just sent me stuff that wasn't covered. Some were probably discovered elsewhere along the journey.

It's always a journey.

Enjoy the latest Search/Play/Repeat playlist and thanks for reading.

Thus Let Us Drink Beer – New England Brewing Co new range

Located on the East coast of Australia, imbued by an ambitious willingness to innovate yet inspired by traditional Teutonic approaches to brewing, the flying ram that adorns the logo of New England Brewing Co has established itself as an eyecatcher but a veritable heavyweight on the firmament of craft beer breweries, especially the ones channelling their alchemy in the creation of hazy IPAs. 

With a solid core range comprised of hop forward expressions as well as delicately calibrated saisons, farmhouse ales and collaborations, I am intrigued every time New England Co announces a new release, which is why it should be further wondrous that I could not wait until I got my mitts on the Naughty Corner Hazy IPA.

While a lot of breweries have “hazy” IPAs as part of their line-up, things are redefined and taken to new levels when New England is at the helm with Naughty Corner IPA just being a recent example for them knocking things out of the park in the realm of bitterness getting lost in mango nectars, which are flanked by a melange of Galaxy, Citra and Callista hops. 

Given the velvety mouthfeel, other than the slightly higher ABV of 7.1%, there is hardly any naughtiness to be detected. Having paired it with a dram of Ardbeg Corrywreckan, it proved to be one of the better and dangerously moreish IPAs I have had the fortune of trying this year.

Truckload IPA is New England Brewing Co’s expression marrying Australian Enigma and Vic hops with Centennial and Mosaic suds from the new world, with the result being a wonderful homage to distinctly fruity, resinous and earthy aromas with a reverberating bitterness that traditional American IPAs became known and loved for.

While I usually find stouts to be an acquired taste, New England Brewing’s Patchwork Oatmeal Stout is a borderline ideal entry point to what can be achieved in the realm of darker beer territory. Based on a foundation of an array of malts, bitterness reminiscent of coffee beans mix in with a chocolatey, chewy sweetness, which evokes a Pavlovian response with its soul-warming warmth and the faintest hint of smoke.

Hope to see New England Brewing Co release DIPAs in the future.

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images from company website