We chat to the brazen garage punks about the inspirations behind their debut album.
Caninus – Now The Animals Have a Voice (2004)
A groundbreaking release for grindcore with vocals provided by a dog, this record truly pushed animal liberation forward into the new millennium. It was either this or the infamous Beatle Barkers record (featuring covers of Beatles songs also sung by dogs) but Caninus won purely for their level of aggression and progressive lyrics. Under-representation has always been a big problem in a lot of musical styles and it’s fantastic to see acts like this break down boundaries. Further listening: the Caninus split 7” with Hatebeak (featuring a parrot on lead vocals).
Wild Wild West original soundtrack (1999)
1999 was a time of numerous Hollywood blockbusters with great soundtracks to boot, but only one of them provided a sonic introduction to Jim West, desperado. I can’t think of any other record I’ve heard that instantly evokes mental imagery of a giant mechanical spider in the wild west. I’m not sure if this qualifies as falling into the steampunk realm – because steampunk sucks – but it was crucial in the development of our record. I think we all miss the time where every new Will Smith movie would have an accompanying soundtrack and rap single hot on the charts. That spirit really stopped dead in its tracks after 9/11.
Jandek – Lost Cause (1992)
While the first side of the record is your run-of-the-mill atonal West Texas country blues, the second side is where the album really shines. The mysterious Jandek set up his room with microphones and tape recorder and proceeded to spend the next 20 minutes destroying everything in there and capturing it all on tape. It’s the most punk rock thing I’ve ever heard. If any new band in Melbourne did something remotely as cool as this they’d be my new favourite band. Take note!
Limp Bizkit – Chocolate Starfish and The Hot Dog Flavored Water (2000)
Growing up next to Northland Shopping Centre in Melbourne at the time this album came out, not a day went by that I didn’t see a lowered Commodore blasting this album around the neighbourhood. After kicking and screaming on the floor in my attempt to get the same red cap Fred Durst continues to rock, I knew that Limp Bizkit truly were the voice of my generation. It was the best of times; it was the Durst of times.
Juice Newton – Juice (1981)
Blurring the lines between traditional country and the AOR/soft-rock leanings of the era, Juice Newton became one of the first true country/pop crossover success stories. Modern players like Shania Twain and Faith Hill would not exist without this trailblazer. During many of our long highway drives through the plains of Australia, this record has long been in high rotation. Any time you’ve seen us get out of our van after driving all day to a show you can be sure that this record has been amping us up to rock for the last hour.
Private Function’s new album, St. Anger is out now via Disdain Records. They’ll unfurl the record at The Tote on Saturday September 28. Grab your tickets via Oztix.
