Music I've been missing - Motorace, Five Star Laundry

Tonight before I started packing for my mid-week trip to Sydney (I'm so excited!!) I thought about more music I've been missing. I wanted something good to pack to, given I am the world's worst packer.

I repeat. The world's worst packer. I go somewhere for three days and I am equipped for a month of all seasons. And I hardly wear any of it when I get there. I need to do a short course in packing. I actually have an article about how to pack minimally by Janice Breen Burns stuck to my fridge. It's right below a letter from a senior manager in my organisation telling me what a great employee I am. This letter reminds me how I've succeeded. The article reminds me I am a failure in some things.

I digress.

The music I've been missing was Motorace. Their Five Star Laundry CD was perfect for packing. Grunty, rocky, indie, loud, Australian and great lyrics.

I bought this CD in 2001. I guess it was one of the first indie sounding CDs I owned. I felt cool because I was listening to something 'alternative'.

Motorace were also one of the first bands I'd seen play at a pub. Maybe even the first. In 2000, I saw The Whitlams, Stella One Eleven, Motorace and the Screaming Jets at The Termo (RIP - it's since burnt down) in Albury. Good times. After the Motorace gig, I learnt the effects of drinking and late nights and smoky environments. I remember presenting a Human Resources assignment to the class the day after Motorace, and I'd lost my voice.

Their song Death Defy was the theme song to The Secret Life of Us, an Australian TV show set in St Kilda starring Claudia Karvan, Deb Mailman, Joel Edgerton and Samuel Johnson. I love love love this show. When I moved to Melbourne I hoped I'd live in a Secret Life of Us type arrangement. Sadly, this did not happen. But my claim to fame is I once kissed a guy who lived in the house where they filmed the rooftop scenes for The Secret Life of Us.

Here is some of the fabulous Secret Life of Us.



And you can hear Death Defy in this mashup of my two favourite shows - Rush and Secret Life of US! Evan (Secret Life) narrates the scene to Rush! (Warning - it is graphic)



My favourite song from Five Star Laundry is American Shoes. But I cannot locate a video.

So here is the title track, which I also like.



I love their sound. Apparently there is a live Motorace DVD which I must purchase. They have since disbanded. They were a great band.

I am really enjoying finding the music I've been missing.

Music I've been missing - Lo-Tel, Teenager of the Year

Every morning my alarm goes off at 5.54 am. My alarm is my stereo which is tuned to Nova. Not all music Nova plays is to my taste. But sometimes they play gems (gems according to me, anyway!).

They have sadly increased the amount of ads played, but perhaps to compensate, there are less of right-this-minute songs and more songs that I haven't heard in a while. I like it.

Yesterday morning I heard this one.

Teenager of the Year by Lo-Tel.



Teenager of the Year was featured on the soundtrack to the book-turned-movie Looking for Alibrandi (by Melina Marchetta). I loved this movie. I remember watching it at the cinema in my first year of university and could relate to a lot of things the characters went through. I was always amazed that Pia Miranda was 26 or something when she played an 18 year old. I preferred Kick Gurry's character to Matthew Newton's.

So I dug out the brilliant Looking for Alibrandi soundtrack and had Teenager of the Year on replay. I also relished songs by Killing Heidi, Spiderbait, Hamish Cowan and one of my favourite bands ever, Stella one Eleven.

It's nice to be reminded of music you've been missing.

I find with my iPod I listen to the same artists over and over - I don't explore new bands as much, and I don't rifle through my extensive CD collection for treasured songs.

I think I am going to start a new blog 'segment' exploring the music I've been missing. I have a few artists in my mind to revisit.

What music have you been missing?