The Best Albums of 2017

As selected by an ensemble of south-west Victoria's most talented musicians, artists, media personalities and other D-list celebrities!

In my previous life as a journalist, I would compile an end-of-year list in which I got a bunch of the top musos and musically-connected people from my region to share their favourite albums of the year. Rather than let that tradition die, I've migrated it to my blog and upped the ante by inviting even more of my super-talented friends to take part.

Hopefully you can find some great music to listen to here, including some of the great music created by some of the selectors (links are everywhere, people!).

So behold - talented people sharing their favourite music of 2017.

Jono Colliver (Dr Colossus, Vance Joy, Gums, Money On Verema)

1. The National - Sleep Well Beast

"A rare example of a band hitting their stylistic stride without becoming comfortable and repetitive. Lyrically an open wound, sonically an electrical storm, and a dynamic tracklisting which rewards multiple listens as much as it instantly gratifies on the first. Dark and sharp."

2. Father John Misty - Pure Comedy

3. Kirin J. Callinan - Bravado

4. Thundercat - Drunk

5. Arcade Fire - Everything Now

6. Frenzal Rhomb - Hi Vis High Tea

7. Electric Wizard - Wizard Bloody Wizard

8. Tyler The Creator - Flower Boy

9. Dead Cross - Dead Cross

10. Harry Styles - Harry Styles

Joe Gardner (Aika, Gullies, Red Eagle, Mr John McKensie)

1. Valerie June - The Order of Time

"Valerie does things to me. From first listen to many after, this album is such a treat.  If 'feeling at home' ever had a sound, it would sound like this.

2. Chris Stapleton - From A Room: Volume 1

3. Spoon - Hot Thoughts

4. Robert Finley - Goin’ Platinum!

5. Mount Eerie - A Crow Looked At Me

6. The National - Sleep Well Beast

7. The War On Drugs - A Deeper Understanding

8. Polish Club - Alright Already

9. Alex Cameron - Forced Witness

10. Benjamin Booker - Witness

Gareth Colliton (artist)

1. UNKLE - The Road: Part 1

"It's an album of post-apocalyptic melancholia, storms of driven strings, iron-framed piano ballads, and haunted vocals hanging in the dusty clouds. Like the book and the film that inspired it, The Road goes deep and it goes dark."

2. Gorillaz - Humanz

3. Camille - OUÏ

4. Bjork - Utopia

5. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - Soul Of A Woman

6. Father John Misty - Pure Comedy

7. Saskwatch - Manual Overdrive

8. Laura Marling - Semper Femina

9. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Flying Microtonal Banana/Murder Of The Universe/Sketches Of Brunswick East/Polygondwanaland 

10. London Grammar - Truth Is A Beautiful Thing

Bill O'Connell (Bill, Gums, Kashmere Club)

1. Aldous Harding - Party

"This record is minimal in its production but loaded with conviction and emotion. Aldous has an entirely unique voice and approach to song structures. I hear and feel things I never have before, and believe every second of it."

2. Father John Misty - Pure Comedy 

3. Big Thief - Capacity 

4. The Teskey Brothers - Half Mile Harvest 

5. Benjamin Booker - Witness

6. Kirin J Callinan - Bravado

7. Dr Colossus - The Dank 

8. The Cactus Channel - Stay A While 

9. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Murder Of The Universe

10. Paul Kelly - Life Is Fine

Jeremy Lee (ABC Radio, Farmers Co-Op)

1. The Orbweavers - Deep Leads

"Melbourne's The Orbweavers have crafted another gorgeous set of crystalline tunes continuing their fascination with history and science. A lush, dreamy, and deeply rewarding listen."

2. Saint Etienne - Home Counties 

3. Various ‎– Closed Circuits (Australian Alternative Electronic Music Of The '70s & '80s, Volume 1)

4. LCD Soundsystem - American Dream

5. Beck - Colours

6. Joe Goddard - Electric Lines

7. St Vincent - Masseduction

8. Real Estate - In Mind

9. Thundercat - Drunk

10. Methyl Ethyl - Everything Is Forgotten 

Brady Jones - (Red Eagle, Gutsy As!!)

1. Benjamin Booker - Witness

"In what was a surprisingly decent year for new releases, Booker's smoky and soulful second offering is the cream of this year's crop. While the pace and grit of Benjamin Booker's debut album is still present, Witness has rounded the edges and backed off on the beats per minute to great effect. Bonus points for a great Mavis Staples collaboration."

2. Queens of the Stone Age - Villains

3. Aldous Harding - Party

4. Holy Holy - Paint

5. Big Thief - Capacity

6. Elder - Reflections Of A Floating World

7. All Them Witches - Sleeping Through The War

8. Valerie June - The Order Of Time

9. Royal Blood - How Did We Get So Dark?

10. Hiss Golden Messenger - Hallelujah Anyhow

Liam Barling (Aika, Blackwood Jack)

1. The National - Sleep Well Beast 

"Lonely, lustful, textural, near-masterpiece."

2. The War On Drugs - A Deeper Understanding

3. Chihei Hatakayama - Void XIII

4. Cigarettes After Sex - Cigarettes After Sex

5. Harry Styles - Harry Styles

6. Akira Kosemura - In The Dark Woods

7. Moses Sumney - Aromanticism 

8. Four Tet - New Energy

9. Rainforest Spiritual Enslavement - Ambient Black Magic

10. Ben Frost - Super Dark Times

Corey Verhaegh (The Ascended)

1. Veil of Maya - False Idol

"This album is a compilation of everything I wish to achieve in my own writing, Thick riffs, great scream and clean vocals, and very melodics hooks."

2. The Ascended - Part II
3. Trivium - The Sin & The Sentence
4. Miss May I - Shadows Inside
5. The Acacia Strain - Gravebloom
6. Northlane - Mesmer
7. August Burns Red - Phantom Anthem
8. Counterparts - You're Not You Anymore
9. Kreator - Gods Of Violence
10. Body Count - Bloodlust

Derrick Price (The Alamo)

1. Frenzal Rhomb - Hi Viz High Tea

"Although their lyrics for this album have deteriorated somewhat compared to previous instalments, the lads have kept the bar high when it comes to kick-ass, energetic punk rock. Switching across to producer Bill Stevenson (Descendants) on this and their previous album has been the real winner here. Mix and master quality is out of this world."

2. Orsome Welles - Rise EP
3. Bodyjar - Terra Firma EP
4. Blink 182 - California (Extended Edition)
5. Queens Of The Stone Age - Villains
6. Rancid - Trouble Maker
7. Dropkick Murphys - 11 Short Stories Of Pain & Glory
8. Dr Colossus - The Dank
9. Steel Panther - Lower The Bar
10. The Real McKenzies - Two Devils Will Talk

Jade McLaren (The 80 Aces)

1. EXO - The War

"This album is pure pop mastery. The production of the sugary sweet melodies is first-class work and reminiscent of the dedication put into chart-topping disco albums of the late '70s and early '80s. Each song bleeds in to the next making it impossible to not bop along for the entire album."

2. Beck - Colours
3. G-Dragon - Kwon Ji Yong EP
4. Action Bronson - Blue Chips 7000
5. Black Pink - Blackpink EP
6. Queens Of The Stone Age - Villains
7. Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.
8. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Sketches Of Brunswick
9. Dr Colossus - The Dank
10. Poppy - Poppy.Computer

Andrew Kirkland

1. Spoon - Hot Thoughts

"Hot Thoughts is a tremendously strong album and I've rated it my #1 purely because I reckon I've listened to it more than any other album in the list during 2017. It boasts incredible mature production, catchy songs, and is balanced very well in its track order. It's an eclectic collection of tunes that range from in-your-face stomp pop with mesmorising bass lines and drums patterns to esoteric chants. The haunting electric piano used on several tracks also harks back to early Supertramp or Zombies. I’m a sucker for jangly-but-powerful guitars too, which always rockets any musical product up my favourites list."

Neil Finn - Out Of Silence
Rebecca Barnard - Music For Listening & Relaxation
Husky - Punchbuzz
Beck - Colours
Elbow - Little Fictions
Paul Kelly - Life Is Fine
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds - Who Built the Moon?
Neil Young - The Visitor
Dhani Harrison - In Parallel

Brady James

1. Nothing But Thieves - Broken Machine 

"Broken Machine is an emotional rollercoaster. This band is so unbelievable to watch growing and playing. Conor Mason's voice is ethereal, angelic and delicately interwoven throughout. Some of the hardest hitting rock out there right now. Gut-wrenching, melodic, soaring, kinetic, powerful. Highlights: Particles, Sorry, Amsterdam."
2. Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.
3. Stormzy - Gang Signs & Prayer 4. Nancie Schipper - Sleeptalking 5. Logic - Everybody 6. Jay-Z - 4:44 7. Tyler The Creator - Scum Fuck Flower Boy 8. Julien Baker - Turn Out The Lights 9. Paul Kelly - Life Is Fine 10. Bjork - Utopia

Nigel Wearne

1. Sun Kil Moon - Common As Light & Love Are Red Valleys Of Blood 

"This year Sun Kil Moon has been on high rotation. Common As Light & Love Are Red Valleys Of Blood is so different that I honestly can't remember hearing anything else like it. Spoken word poetry, prose, and random stories (including one about a chameleon versus a cat), diary entries, musings on David Bowie and Ali, augmented by busted-up dad hip-hop. It's completely whacked and compelling. A slow burn that requires the lyrics booklet."

2. Andy Irvine & Luke Plumb - Precious Heroes
3. Red Tail Ring - Fall Away Blues
4. Rowena Wise - Rowena Wise
5. James Kenyon - Imagine You Are Driving
6. David Rawlings - Poor David's Almanack
7. Jen Lush - The Night's Insomnia

Emily Bissland (ABC)

1. Aldous Harding - Party

"I’ve never heard anything like it. She sings powerfully from a deeply vulnerable and feminine place. Her songs build to epic crescendos, her vocal range is surprising, and her songs are beautifully punctuated."
2. Eaten By Dogs - Anxiety Ain’t No Currency 
3. Benjamin Booker - Witness

Jacob Pugh (Runk)

1. Freddie Gibbs - You Only Live 2wice EP

"Fresh out of a jail, Gangsta Gibbs proves again he’s one of raps most effortless storytellers with this release, laying down vivid narratives over woozy, hard-hitting production. On this record, Gibbs is as authentic as he is vulnerable, going from dropping dizzying schemes about the perks of trapping (Alexys) to reflecting on the strain being locked up away from his family has had on his mental health (Homesick). Definitely one of the top 5 MCs alive, dude stays dropping fire and these joints are no exception."

2. 21 Savage & Offset - Without Warning
3. Foley - Hey, Don’t Worry About It
4. King Krule - The Ooz
5. Future x Young Thug - Super Slimey
6. The Smith Street Band - More Scared Of You Than You Are Of Me
7. Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.
8. Migos - Culture
9. XXXTentacion - 17
10. Future - Future

Adam B Metal (The Departed)

1. Enter Shikari - The Spark

"Enter Shikari redefine their sound once again with The Spark by delivering a more melodic approach without sacrificing any of their trademark energy. You know you are on a winner when songs like Live Outside and The Sights hit the speakers and everyone in the house from 5 to 35 starts singing along with it. An absolute ripper of an album."

2. The Midnight - Nocturnal
3. Royal Blood - How Did We Get So Dark?
4. Perturbator - New Model
5. Fox Capture Plan - Untitled
6. Body Count - Bloodlust
7. He Is Legend - Few
8. Converge - The Dusk In Us
9. Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.
10. Vince Staples - Big Fish Theory

Nancie Schipper

1. Lorde - Melodrama

"The four-year wait since her debut album was proved well and truly worthwhile, and as a result each track is stunning, anthemic and memorable. Highlights: Green Light, Liability, Supercut."

Alex Lahey - I Love You Like A Brother
Amy Shark - Night Thinker EP
HAIM - Something To Tell You
Julien Baker - Turn Out The Lights
Maggie Rogers - Now That The Light Is Fading EP
Middle Kids - Middle Kids EP
Stella Donnelly - Thrush Metal EP
Tired Lion - Dumb Days
Vera Blue - Perennial

Wil Ridley 

1. Linkin Park - One More Light

"They got hammered for trying something new (which they’ve been doing since A Thousand Suns) and on reflection it's a very sad cry-out of an album. I wasn’t too taken on the first listen but some really nice pop tracks in there and a very easy album to listen to in full."

Harry Styles - Harry Styles 
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds - Who Built The Moon?

Jordan Lockett (Southern Ocean Sea Band, Silverkane, Gramps)

1. Robert Plant - Carry Fire 

"Robert Plant gets better with age and Carry Fire is further proof that it’s cool to age, and that you can age/mature well. Carry Fire (Plant’s 11th solo album) is the second album with backing band The Sensational Space Shifters, and it's a cosmic folk global melting pot of brilliance. I don’t know how but there are existential guitar tones (which are a delight) blended with harmonies, subtle rhythms and Plant’s powerful yet subtle voice. It's a modern masterpiece and a true testament to the album as an art form."

2. Paul Kelly - Life Is Fine 
3. David Rawlings - Poor David’s Almanack
4. Neil Young - Hitchhiker
5. George Maple - Lover 
6. Curtis Harding - Face Your Fear 
7. LCD Sound System - American Dream 
8. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - Soul Of A Woman 
9. Charlotte Gainsbourg - Rest 
10. Brian Eno & Tom Rogerson - Finding Shore

Jack & Michael Fitzgerald (Capricorn Records)

1. The Teskey Brothers - Half Mile Harvest 

"Just love their old school Stax soul sound coming from eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Can't get enough of it."

2. War On Drugs - A Deeper Understanding
3. Dan Auerbach - Waiting On A Song
4. Steve Earle & The Dukes - So You Wannabe An Outlaw
5. RVG - A Quality of Mercy 
6. Joey Bada$$ - All Amerikkkan Bada$$
7. David Rawlings - Poor David’s Almanack
8. Paul Kelly - Life Is Fine
9. Liam Gallagher - As You Were
10. The Rollings Stones - On Air

Gus Franklin (Southern Ocean Sea Band, Sheahan Drive, Gramps, Architecture In Helsinki)

1. Laura Marling - Semper Femina 

"Laura Marling is an amazing artist using evocative lyrics and intimate songscapes.  Here she teams with my current favourite producer - Blake Mills (also producer on Perfume Genius’ No Shape from this year) - to conjure up a deeply textural and intricately detailed paean to her personal experiences with intimacy in and out of love and everything female (the title itself paraphrasing a Latin text to create the slogan "Always Woman"). This is one of those records full of amazing texture, depth & detail, and will no doubt continue to be a world to step inside and be surrounded by for many years to come."

2. Mount Eerie - A Crow Looked At Me
3. Aldous Harding - Party
4. Perfume Genius - No Shape
5. Cornelius - Mellow Waves
6. Kendrick Lamar - DAMN. 
7. Sarah Davachi - All My Circles Run
8. Ariel Pink - Dedicated To Bobby Jameson
9. Karl Blau - Out Her Space
10. Phoenix - Ti Amo

Matt Neal (Doctor & The Apologies, Gutsy As!!, The 80 Aces)

1. Idles – Brutalism

"Boasting an acerbic wit to match the caustic guitars, these Bristol post-punks kick out the jams on their first album, slinging a whole swag of uptempo noisy rockers in the face of anyone who'll listen. It's angry, volatile and bloody good fun, as all the best punk should be."

2. St Vincent – Masseduction
3. Metz – Strange Peace
4. Gang Of Youths – Go Farther In Lightness
5. Foo Fighters – Concrete & Gold
6. Beck – Colours
7. Mount Eerie – A Crow Looked At Me
8. Batpiss – Rest In Piss
9. Algiers – The Underside Of Power
10. Dr Colossus – The Dank
11. Nothing But Thieves - Broken Machine


BONUS READING: The story behind Mount Eerie's A Crow Looked At Me - the most devastating and powerful album of 2017.

Mount Eerie - A Crow Looked At Me

Of all the albums to come out in 2017, none hit listeners the way Mount Eerie's A Crow Looked At Me did. It's the musical equivalent of the days either side of a funeral - it's grief turned into art, in all its painful, stark, honest glory. It is a tragic package of sounds and words that are bound to reduce you to tears because it gives you nowhere to hide from its sad truth.

The consensus on the album is that it's beautiful, moving and honest, but it's so good at what it does that no one wants to hear it more than twice. We humans don't deal with death very well as a general rule, so Phil Elverum AKA Mount Eerie's raw sonic exploration of his partner Geneviève Castrée's passing from cancer is uncomfortable and confronting. Nothing is hidden, no punches are pulled. A Crow Looked At Me hits you where Elverum is hurting, and you feel it.

Take this verse from the opening track Real Death:

A week after you died a package with your name on it came
And inside was a gift for our daughter you had ordered in secret
And, collapsed there on the front steps, I wailed
A backpack for when she goes to school a couple years from now
You were thinking ahead to a future you must have known deep down would not include you

The first time I heard that, I wasn't prepared, and I burst into tears at my desk. That is a narrative of very heavy duty proportions. Throughout this song and many others, you can hear Elverum's voice crack under the weight of it all. The album is the sound of someone trying valiantly to keep it all together in the face of incredible emotional turmoil, purely because they have to.

But enough from me. The reason I wanted to post this blog about the album is because I want people to hear this album, but also because I wanted to share some words written by my good friend Gus Franklin. Gus travelled from Australia to the US in 2008 to record an album and ended up living with Phil and his partner Geneviève. He later produced Geneviève's 2013 album Fleuve. For people that didn't know these guys, A Crow Looked At Me is devastating. I can't even begin to contemplate what it was like for friends of Phil and Geneviève - for people like Gus - to hear the record.

But here is Gus, trying to put all that into words:

*******

The Elverums

"Phil Elverum (the person behind the musical project Mount Eerie) has always been a songwriter and lyricist with a knack for serving up the most lucid observations and extrapolations of life and its experience, all the while experimenting with studio techniques and varying musical forms. His subject matter has often mused on that which is just beyond our reach, such as the concepts of death, infinity, entropy and the spirit world.

"On A Crow Looked At Me he goes on his deepest dive to exorcise something unfathomable from a most terrible personal experience; that of losing your closest friend and life partner to cancer merely a year after parenting your first child with that person.

"Phil’s partner’s name was Geneviève Castrée (herself a formidable illustrator and musical artist), and in this album he uses her instruments and records occupying the void left in the room she died in, quietly documenting his days and moments in the months leading up to and following her death. The record is like a diary of grief without platitude, as he scrambles to remember the wild moments leading up to her leaving and the subsequent attempts to make any sense of the vicious new reality he now faces without her.

"Having become friends with Phil & Geneviève in 2008, this album is all too real and sad for me, though the absolute beauty of the observations and his way with words over seemingly simplistic musical arrangements sewn tightly with deft phrasing and great chord changes are amazing renderings of memory and experiences with Geneviève in her final moments in our world, and her absence, once she was gone.

"The album is a detailed look inside an unimaginable personal experience unlike any to be expressed in this way ever again.  Thank you Phil, and sleep soundly, dear Geneviève."

- Gus Franklin, December 2017

*******

Phil Elverum AKA Mount Eerie is touring Australia in January, 2018. Here are the dates:

Sunday, January 21

Mojo's Bar, North Fremantle, WA

Tuesday, January 23

City Recital Hall, Sydney, NSW

Wednesday, January 24

Melbourne Recital Centre, Melbourne, VIC

Thursday, January 25  

Theatre Royal, Castlemaine, VIC

Paddington 2

(G) ★★★★

Director: Paul King.

Cast: Ben Whishaw, Hugh Grant, Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Brendan Gleeson, Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin, Julie Walters, Noah Taylor, Aaron Neil, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi.

"And you won't believe what happens when someone drops the soap."

The first Paddington film was surprisingly wonderful. Despite spawning a creepy meme, losing its main star mid-production, and boasting an uninspiring and somewhat unrepresentative trailer, it proved to be one of the best films of 2014. No one saw that coming.

This success was born out of director Paul King's visual inventiveness, a light but heartfelt tone that perfectly suited and summed up its subject, and a wonderfully British sense of humour matched by an impeccable sense of timing. Add in Ben Wishaw’s under-rated voice performance as a decidedly not creepy Paddington, and wonderfully villainous bit of scenery chewing from Nicole Kidman, and you had a family film for the ages (and for all ages).

Follow-ups are hard to do, but Paddington 2 knows which side its bread is buttered (with added marmalade, of course) and repeats the winning recipe.

The second outing of the duffle-coated bear finds its titular hero enjoying life in London with the Browns (led by Hawkins and Bonneville) but with an eye still on his homeland of darkest Peru, in particular his Aunt Lucy and her impending birthday. In his hunt for the perfect gift, Paddington inadvertently ends up as the fall guy in a bizarre theft which lands the poor bear in prison while his family hunt for the real culprit.

The story is stranger and more outlandish than the original's, but it’s still enjoyable, with a fair amount of the credit for the enjoyability going to Hugh Grant, who stars as the film's villain Phoenix Buchanan. Grant is all ham with extra bacon in a role which he is allowed to attack with relish (mmm... bacon and relish). He flips through a range of silly voices, wears a bunch of silly costumes, and generally revels in the silliness of it all, much like Kidman did in the first film. Grant is having so much fun, and it certainly doesn't harm the film at all.

In fact it seems everyone is having a ball in Paddington 2. Gleeson, a forgotten dab hand at comedy, shines as the thuggish prison chef Nuckels (sic), while Hawkins and Bonneville look like they're having just as much fun second time around. Capaldi is also a minor treat as the returning angry neighbour Mr Curry.

It all helps to ensure the charming humour and whimsical tone return as well. Paddington 2 is frequently, like its predecessor, laugh-out-loud hilarious. Both of these films are lessons in comic timing, and the most recent one, while not quite as funny, has the ability again to make all ages laugh.

The visual wizardry is also on display once more. King's directorial bravura was a hit in the first film, and it's the same here - a pop-up book tour of London, a sped-up marmalade cook-up, and a prison break that would make Wes Anderson jealous are among the key scenes that showcase the inventiveness. Its pixel-intensive bear is also a work of art, although the film's special effects do fall down somewhat in a CG-heavy climax.

A fantastic sequel, Paddington 2 is really only marked lower because it's not quite as funny or as visually impressive as its older sibling. But it's still the best non-Pixar family film of the year.

Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi

(M) ★★★★

Director: Rian Johnson.

Cast: Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Kelly Marie Tran, Domhnall Gleeson, Laura Dern, Andy Serkis, Benicio del Toro, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie.

I'm not sure if this new "Luke Skywalker" character's going to catch on with the kids.

There are no spoilers in this review. So carry on without fear.

One of the biggest (and not inaccurate) criticisms levelled at Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens was it followed the beats of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope too slavishly. To be honest, I thought that was one of its strengths; that it was something that helped The Force Awakens feel classic and tickle our nostalgia bones while simultaneously creating something fresh.

So if The Force Awakens was another New Hope, it follows that Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back will be the touchstone for Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi. And it is in so many ways. The somewhat darker tone and the downward story trajectory with a glimmer of hope at the end are on display here. There are even some familiar story elements.

And just like The Empire Strikes Back set the benchmark for the "orig trij", The Last Jedi does the same for the sequel trilogy.

Picking up from where The Force Awakens left off, The Last Jedi finds Princess Leia (Fisher) and her Resistance (AKA the Rebels) on the run from General Hux (Gleeson) and his the First Order (AKA the Empire), despite the destruction of the First Order's superweapon Starkiller Base.

Meanwhile, Rey (Ridley) is trying to convince the legendary Luke Skywalker (Hamill) to return from isolation to aid the Resistance, but finds him unwilling, with the Jedi Master still torn up over his evil nephew Kylo Ren (Driver) crossing to the dark side.

Kylo Ren remains the most fascinating of the new characters and Rey is close behind, but what makes The Last Jedi next level is the interaction between those two players in the film. Theirs is a psychological battle unlike anything seen in the saga to date. In just one film, their relationship offers a more nuanced exploration of the light and dark than Luke's attempts to return Darth Vader to the light in Return Of The Jedi, or Anakin's downfall across the entire prequel trilogy. In The Last Jedi, we are starting to learn about the power that lies within Rey, and further explore the conflict within Kylo.

Of the new newcomers (ie. those not in The Force Awakens), del Toro and Dern are great additions, while Tran's character Rose gets an interesting subplot to share with ex-stormtrooper Finn (Boyega). For those who seem to think this subplot is irrelevant and could have been cut, think about the impact this subplot has on the Resistance, how much pain it inadvertently causes, the affect it has on smug fighter pilot Poe Dameron (Isaac), and how rare it is for a film to show the actions of heroes having such devastating impacts. It's one of the examples of the bold decision-making at play in Johnson's excellent script.

The humour in the screenplay is also welcome, harking back to the many oft-forgotten laughs in the original trilogy (which were sadly lacking in the prequels) - never forget that Han Solo killed Boba Fett with slapstick sight gag. Luke's reaction to being handed his old lightsaber is priceless and some of his other antics are like a toned-down Yoda, while the hamster-penguins called porgs are surprisingly amusing.

Best of all is the look of the film. A major lightsaber battle involving Rey and Kylo is a visual treat and one of the best lasersword sequences in the saga. Similarly, the final showdown between Rebels and Imperials on a salt plain is striking.

Of the returning old favourites, Luke fares best, and it's great to see him in action again. Whereas the prequels were too concerned with Lucas’ myth building, this is about tearing all that down, and that's were the original trilogy characters come into play. Luke is a character wrestling with his own legend, while Leia is struggling to find the all-important hope in the face of utter annihilation. Both are faced with their lowest moments. Like Empire, The Last Jedi wants backs against walls. It wants to ensure things are darkest before the dawn.

That dawn is on the horizon, andwith JJ Abrams back in the chair for Episode IX, Han Solo and Obi-Wan spin-offs in the works, and Rian Johnson about to start a new trilogy, it's a bright one indeed. The new cast are shining as the series ploughs ahead, with nothing sacred, no-holds barred, and a three-out-of-three strike rate for the latest additions to the saga. The Force is strong with the new Star Wars films.

Coco

(PG) ★★★★★

Director: Lee Unkrich & Adrian Molina.

Cast: (voices of) Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Alanna Ubach, Renée Victor, Ana Ofelia Murguía, Edward James Olmos.

"Smell it! Smell my shoe!"

Every Pixar film ranked from best to worst? Why yes - I do have that! Click here.

Pixar are not only the gold standard of CG animated films; their name has become a by-word for quality cinema.

However, in the past six years you could have been forgiven for accusing the digital wizards of coasting somewhat. Since the incredible Toy Story 3 in 2010, they have wheeled out some of their least impressive films. The dire Cars 2 and the boring Cars 3, the so-so Monsters University, and the good-but-not-great The Good Dinosaur have all been released since 2011. It's only Finding Dory, Brave, and the truly remarkable Inside Out that are holding up the average over that time.

But just when you wonder whether that gold standard had lost some of its lustre, Pixar drop this incredible tale of family, memory, music and death. Coco is one of their best yet. Visually vibrant, deeply moving, and wonderfully written, it is a hugely inventive but classic-seeming saga that surprises and entertains before hitting you right in the heart in its final act.

Coco is the tale of Miguel (Gonzalez), a 12-year-old Mexican boy who yearns to be a musician. Unfortunately for him, he was born into a family of shoemakers that have shunned music ever since Miguel's great-great grandfather left his family to go and seek his fortune as a musician.

In an effort to follow his musical dreams, Miguel flees his family on El Día de Muertos (the Day Of The Dead) and is accidentally magically transported to the land of the dead. In order to return to the land of the living, Miguel must receive the blessing of his deceased ancestors. But when conditions are attached to that blessing, Miguel finds himself caught between offending his family and pursuing his goal of becoming a musician. There's also something much bigger at stake - if Miguel can't get home before sunrise, he'll be stuck in the land of the dead forever.

Coco is probably the most straight-faced Pixar film - the jokes are few and far between - and it's also one of the most mature. Up at least had Dug while Inside Out had Bing Bong, but the biggest bone Coco can throw to its younger crowd is a goofy (non-talking) dog named Dante and some wacky skeleton antics. And while it goes out of its way to be non-scary by using a light and bright visual palette, there's no escaping that this film is about death.

Thankfully it's about a Mexican perspective on death, which is far less morbid and frightening than we're used to in the English-speaking world. Not only does this viewpoint soften the central topic into something more palatable for many young (and older) audience members, but the Latino setting and cultural richness of the film is a joy to behold.

Much has been made of this being the first nine-figure-budget film to feature an all-Latino cast, which is both a welcome and "how has this taken so long?" move. The voice cast are pitch perfect, but on top of that they add authenticity to the story, making it feel more real and less like cultural appropriation. This is a celebration and a heartfelt ode to Mexican culture, from the way it remembers its dead to the value it places on family and music. View this up against upcoming Blue Sky film Ferdinand, which is set in Spain but bursting with American A-listers and tell me which one feels more authentic. Odds are it's Coco.

As well as being a rich ode to Mexico and to Latino culture, Coco is a damn fine story. It has the classic Wizard Of Oz-style hero's journey going on, but it pops with surprises even amid inevitability of its plot.

Best of all is its heart. Pixar is renowned for pulling the heartstrings nice and hard, and Coco doesn't disappoint. It's not manipulative - it's just the sheer weight of the story and what's at stake. Its key moment is a doozy, and it shows the smarts of the script - Coco's power lays in how its key themes manifest as actual plot devices, and it's an ingenious move.

When I update my Best to Worst of Pixar list, it's safe to say Coco will be very high up the list. Coco is one of the best things Pixar has ever done, and that's saying something.

GIG REVIEW: Midnight Oil - Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne, November 6, 2017

Midnight Oil
Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne, 
November 6, 2017

There are plenty of descriptors that get thrown around when talking about Midnight Oil. Icons, legends, elder statesmen, Aussie rock veterans. But how about we just cut to the chase and call them The Greatest Australian Rock Band Of All Time?

The evidence is in, the votes are tallied. Across 11 incredible albums and a handful of legendary EPs, they have carved out a career that is unlike any other in Australian contemporary music. If you had to pick one rock band whose back catalogue summed up what it is to be Australian, warts and all, it would be Midnight Oil.

I say this not as a dyed-in-the-wool Oils zealot. In fact, I only have a couple albums and one EP. I wouldn't even say they were my favourite Aussie band (that's probably You Am I or Something For Kate or Custard or Regurgitator or Crowded House, depending on the day of the week).

But looking at this as objectively as possible, Midnight Oil are the kings of our music scene. Lyrically, rhythmically, dynamically. The songs, the musicality, the message. All these elements are exemplary, but add to that a live show that is second to none. Who else has - dare I say it - the power and the passion to match? AC/DC and The Living End put on a hell of a show, but they can't match the Oils in terms of content. The Oils are actually saying something, even if it's more than likely going over the heads of a certain percentage of their audience. The closest The Living End got to saying something of great import was "we don't need no one to tell us what to do". Compare that to the lyrics of Truganini or US Forces or Beds Are Burning or any number of Oils songs.

If there was any doubt to the Oils' claim to the throne, the Great Circle World Tour should put those questions to bed. The first of their three shows in Melbourne was an absolute triumph (and I hear the Hanging Rock gig was even better).

*Note: they didn't play Ships Of Freedom.

Opening with a galloping trifecta straight out of the gates (sorry - it was Melbourne Cup Eve) of Read About It, Don't Wanna Be The One and Truganini, the band showed they weren't messing around and that age hadn't wearied them. And that Rob Hirst is an absolute machine. It was a pummelling statement of intent.

From there the five-piece (with bonus horn section borrowed from Hunters & Collectors) rolled into the deep cuts with Species Deceases' track Hercules and Head Injuries' fan favourite Section 5 (Bus To Bondi) (which suffered from Martin Rotsey's guitar issues). With a reported 150 songs worked up in rehearsals, the band could flick between forgotten gems and hit singles with ease, keeping every show different and fans on their toes. The first Melbourne show was good evidence of this. Dreamworld (more of a hit in the US than in Australia) was followed by Redneck Wonderland non-single Safety Chain Blues, the very old track No Time For Games slotted in front of crowd-pleasers When The General Talk and My Country, while Warakurna was dropped in before a heavy run of the big-hitters.

What's most affecting about seeing these guys in the flesh for the first time was the way the old classics you've heard a million times come to life again with renewed vitality in a live setting. The likes of Beds Are Burning and King Of The Mountain - played to death by commercial radio over the past three decades - erupt from their instruments shorn of baggage and carried by the voices of the throng, and it's like hearing them for the anew and realising what makes these songs so great to start with.

And unlike a lot of other big bands I've seen live, Midnight Oil still look like a real band in the sense you can picture them in a sweaty shed rehearsing together or playing in a sticky carpet pub to 25 people. This gig was pre-Jim Moginie doing himself an injury, so I can honestly say they looked as though age had not wearied them. Peter Garrett has always had an old head, so he looks much the same as he did in the '80s, and Rob Hirst is still a machine.

Here's the setlist in Spotify playlist form:

In summary, Midnight Oil are the rock band all Aussie rock bands should aspire to be, making them utterly deserving of the GOAT title. Some bands can put on a show to rival Midnight Oil. Some bands can boast a back catalogue to match Midnight Oil. But no other Aussie band has both those qualities while simultaneously boasting the ability to stare deep into the heart of our country and its people, and deliver all our flaws and triumphs back to us while we sing along with gusto.

Wonder

(PG) ★★★★

Director: Stephen Chbosky.

Cast: Jacob Tremblay, Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, Izabela Vidovic, Noah Jupe, Danielle Rose Russell, Nadji Jeter, Bryce Gheisar, Mandy Patinkin, Daveed Diggs, Millie Davis.

The pollen count was particularly bad that day,.

You would have to be an utter, utter bastard to give Wonder a bad review. It's so heartwarming and hopeful and so damned nice that it almost dodges criticism. It mines deep layers of pathos and boasts a main character you can't help but feel for and cheer for. There will be tears.

Of course, film critics are often cynical by nature, and just because a film boasts an incredibly positive message and makes you feel things, it doesn't mean it's automatically a good film.

Thankfully Wonder is a solidly made film, with few real cinematic or structural issues, which means I don't have to stick my neck out and be an utter, utter bastard. Wonder is far from perfect, but it meets its goal in delivering an affecting and uplifting story in these seemingly increasingly dark times.

Based on the book of the same name by R. J. Palacio, it tells the story of August "Auggie" Pullman (Tremblay), who is dealt an unfortunate genetic hand which leaves him with severe facial differences. Having been home-schooled all this life, his parents (Roberts and Wilson) decide it's time for him to venture into public schooling.

As expected, Auggie is the treated like a freak and bullied by his fellow students. He slowly begins to find his place in school and make friends, but it's never an easy situation.

Perhaps the biggest flaw of Wonder - and here's where my critical scepticism kicks in - is that it's too nice and almost complete devoid of cynicism, which adds a level of belief suspension that's almost unfathomable.

It paints a picture of a world in which almost everyone is much nicer and more understanding than you'll probably ever be. Many, if not all, of the kids learn a lesson and no one is set in their ways. It's not a deal-breaker by any stretch of the imagination, but there's so much niceness that the whole thing becomes close to impossible.

But the biggest drawcard for this film is Tremblay's remarkable performance. You'll find yourself forgetting that this isn't a real child with facial differences and that it's actually a kid acting beneath prosthetics. It's a truly incredible turn, and as much as the overall outcome of the film may be somewhat unbelievable, Tremblay is utterly believable. This kid is astonishing.

Given the strength of the central character and Tremblay's delivery, the time and depth given to the other characters is also particularly impressive. Although awkwardly shoehorned in at first, segments on Auggie's sister Via (Vidovic), Auggie's best friend Jack Will (Jupe), and Via's best friend Miranda (Russell) are welcome, giving interesting alternate perspectives on Auggie's situation and his effect on others.

Roberts and Wilson are also good, but they're largely overshadowed by the child and teen stars, who have more remarkable characters and arcs. The adults are the supporting cast here, despite their screen time. It's also good to see Patinkin again, in a small but important role.

If you can shut off your cynicism and revel in the hope and heart of Wonder, you'll have a teary yet heartwarming time in the cinema. And even if you can't allow yourself to indulge in such empathetic niceties, then at least settle in and marvel at Tremblay giving one of the best child performances of all time.