The Top 20 songs by Kate Miller-Heidke

It's hard to believe that it's been 10 years since Kate Miller-Heidke released her first ep "Telegram". Since then she has established (through two more EP's, four albums and a side-project with her husband) as an absolute powerhouse performer. I have long felt that she is one of the finest songwriters in this country. Here are 20 reasons why.....


20) "Little Adam"
From her first full album ("Little Eve"), this tale of a young man enjoying himself and being told off by God is still a crowd favourite today. The quiet pizzicato violin line during the verses and the explosion of the band in the chorus give this song some epic qualities. In the end, though, it's Kate's almost motherly tone she adopts throughout that elevate this song into the list

19) "I'll Change Your Mind"
If Taylor Swift's "Blank Space" had a slightly creepier older sister, this would be it. This song from "Nightflight" has a suitably dark video (NSFW). The jaunty melody and arrangement hide the real menace underneath.

18) "Out and In"

The opening track of the "Circular Breathing" EP is a deeply moving ode to heartbreak (a recurrent theme in Kate's earlier work before settling down with her co-writer and now husband, Keir Nuttall). This song, all played on the black keys of the piano, stays barely conscious and never really takes off- and for good reason. It's melancholic lyric is the kind that resonates with anyone who has a freshly broken heart. 

                                      

17) "Shoebox"

"Little Eve" has a fair share of gems on it, but this one has a particularly nice feel to it. The clever lyric goes from talking about the shoebox of a cramped apartment to feeling shoeboxed in a relationship in the space of a few minutes. The clever arrangement (like "Little Adam") masks a slightly edgier lyric. 

                                       

16) "The Devil Wears A Suit"

The dark tone of the "Nightflight" album reaches its peak with this song. Nuttall's guitar playing is superb here- sounding like a minstrel from Elizabethan times. This whole song has a sense of menace that underlines the lyrics about the creepy people in your town. The production values really shine on this track. 

                                       

15) "Career Advice"

Kate's ultra-rare second EP "Comikaze" contains this bright gem about the perils of being a young singer with a modicum of talent and the perennial comment that gets dished out- to appear on a certain singing program. Whilst the EP version is perfectly fine, it was live that this song really shone. Following this performance, Julia Zemiro remarked that she loved any song that concluded with the line "shove it up your a**"

                                      

14) "Drama"

"O Vertigo" is a staggering swing in feel from "Nightflight". Proving that Kate has not lost any of her wonderful sense of humour that endears her to concert audiences worldwide, this song- about one of those difficult actors you always hear about- is about as rocky as Kate gets. Guest performer Drapht adds to this as the frustrated director of this tale.

                                          

13) "Words"

The first single off of "Little Eve" is incredibly catchy and would fit perfectly well on a Kate Bush album. There's an element of frustration from the subject as she struggles to put into words to her lover what is going wrong with their relationship. Again, superb production make this essential in

any Kate collection.

                                             

12) "Are You Ready?"

From the "Fatty Gets A Stylist" project, this little ditty shows that Kate is every bit as good at writing a catchy, hummable tune, so much so that this gained airplay in America as well as other parts of the globe. There's an element of old-school production here that gives the song a more timeless quality than it might otherwise have....

                                              

11) "Sarah"

Another haunting number, based on a true life experience, from the "Nightflight" album. The lyrics have little depth, but they don't need it. The story is scary enough.Another crowd favourite.

                                             

10) "Blah Blah"

One day I hope Kate will resurrect this number from her first EP. It's a hilarious tale of a bad date where the man does nothing but talk about himself all night long. The irony is that words of the singer come out at a million miles an hour as if she's been bottling it in all this time.

                                            

9) "O Vertigo"

 A modern-day "Queen of the night" aria. If there was ever any doubt the Kate is one of our finest vocalists, then this song will dispel the naysayers. I love the vibe of this song and the general warm fuzzy it creates (although more than one person has described it as vocal hiccups...). Years of opera training and performance pays off in four glorious minutes....

                                             

8) "Can't Shake It"

 Another humorous gem- this time from the "Curiouser" album. Although Keir tries his best to accompany this song on his acoustic guitar, this really needs the full band to truly set this off. This song contains probably my favourite Kate lyric- "I execute the moonwalk like I stepped in shit". Of course, in pure Kate fashion, the song is eminently danceable....

                                              

7) "Ghost"

 The dream pairing of Megan Washington with Kate is an amazing experience that crowns the "O Vertigo" album. Who is the ghost? Is it Kate, is it Megan? The answer is both and neither but their spirit hangs over their relationship with the same man. These two are remarkable in selling this song and it would fit just as comfortably on one of Washington's outstanding albums as seamlessly as it does here. (sorry- can't seem to find a video of this one!)

6) "Nightflight"

My absolute favourite song from the "Nightflight" album. Anyone that has been on a long haul flight or train journey will relate to this song. There is a weariness in the vocals that almost breaks your heart. The sparse arrangement adds to the brooding feel of the song.

                                              

5) "The Last Day on Earth"

 The unexpected biggest hit of Kate's career to date. As musically powerful as the subject matter. What will you see as the world burns in your final moments? For the singer the answer is obvious. Probably as serious as the "Curiouser" album gets..,

                                              

4) "Space They Cannot Touch"

 The first version (from the "Telegram" EP) is a little rough, but the edges are smoothed over on the "Little Eve" album version. Lying in bed with your sleeping partner has never sounded so darn inviting. The absolute highlight is the use of the guitar to emulate the sun poking through the curtains as the day begins near the end of the song. It is still performed in her shows to this day.

                                              

3) "Politics in Space"

 Those darn hippies!! One of the funnest tracks on "Curiouser". Kate expresses her disgust at the previous generation and their way of life. As she sings- "the sixties were fifty years ago, you know. Get over it!". The song dissolves into an almost sixties-style rabble of noise while Kate calmly says "It's ok....it'll be fine!"

                                              

2) "Are You F*****g Kidding Me?"

 A throwaway song written when Facebook was still relatively new. This became the absolute highlight of her concerts as the females in the audience related to the tale of the desperate ex who wants to be friends with them on Facebook. It was never recorded officially in the studio and the live version can be found on the "Live at the Hi-Fi" album. Again....NSFW!!!

                                             

1) "Caught in the Crowd"

 This beautiful song about bullying and how we can live a life of regret is one of the most important songs Kate has ever written. It has spawned many a classroom discussion on bullying and how others respond to it. Kate has the ability to connect with her lyrics and sell them like no other and this is a prime example of that.

                                             

On turning 40....

 I remember when I turned 25- my first thought was "wow- a quarter of a century! I'm OLD!!"

 I remember when I turned 30- my first thought was "wow- three decades! I'm OLD!!"

 Now that I'm about to hit 40 my first thought is not so much about how OLD I am but what I have acheived. Have I really impacted the world in a meaningful way? Have I done all I could do with my first four decades? Sadly, the answer is no.

 In some ways, I haven't so much as altered the world one bit. I haven't created a masterpiece or influenced world thought. I haven't gone around the world and experienced every different kind of culture. I have had a number of opportunities slip through my fingers whilst people who at one point looked up and admired me now have surpassed me and acheived so much more.

 It's ok though- I'm not out for sympathy or messages of validation.

 Funnily enough I forced myself to think of some of the positive influences I have created. I have inspired people to be better than themselves. There are students of mine who still play and make some genuine money from it. My genuine friends have stuck with me for a heckuva long time too. I have people in my life who make me happy and encourage me to be the best person I can be. Yes, even at 40 you never stop wanting to be better.

 Three years ago I made the decision to go back to study and become a fully qualified teacher and I haven't regretted the decision. I have been blessed with meeting many wonderful people at that campus who I now consider a friend. I finish my final prac at the end of September and then I hopefully will able to help carve out some wonderful minds from our young generation. Being passionate about my subjects helps I think.

 I guess also turning 40 means you give out "sage" advice. The recent death of Charlotte Dawson (who I spoke about in an earlier blog), highlights for me something I heard from the musician Pinky Beecroft who was asked what his philosophy on life was and he simply replied "Don't be a dick to people". I wish I could carve that into wood and stick it up in every classroom. That simple 6 word phrase sums up everything that worries me about our current keyboard generation.

 Sadly, it's not just the young people that think it's ok to be rude and mean. A few of my Facebook friends have been blocked because of their constant stream of negativity. 50+ news articles a day from crappy sources with fudged facts and poor spelling, status updates about their pets, over dramatic updates that intimate they may just kill themselves because they don't like Tony Abbott (if ever there was a cry for attention, there's one). It started to affect my mood. It's amazing how removing negativity from your life actually helps you be a little more tolerant.

 Please don't get me wrong. You can run your page and say what you like on it- that's your choice. It's also my choice what I do and don't want to see on my own feed. Sometimes take a deep breath, get some sleep, listen to some positive music or watch a comedy series you like. Smile. Treat people with respect and dignity and be thankful that you live in a country where you can say what you like about the government or public figures without fear of being shot.

 I feel truly blessed to have had some wonderful experiences in my life despite the fact that I have not really travelled. Last year I got to conduct "Phantom of the Opera", the last in a line of shows for me to MD. I've had shows that I was glad to see the back of, but that wasn't one of them. I met and worked with some wonderful people and I believe we created a piece of absolute magic.
 Adelaide theatre has been, until recently, very kind to me. I guess I have started to feel more and more cut off from theatre as my involvement has lessened due to my studies. If I have a dream, it's to be asked to do a cabaret show with someone I truly want to collaborate with- nothing fancy, just a singer and myself. I have a list of people I'd love to work with and maybe I'll just get that call. I've never performed a cabaret show and I feel like I've truly missed out. I always feel like I'm the one pushing for things to happen. I can't remember the last time someone from theatre just contacted me out of the blue for a catch-up.

 Ok, before this gets too bogged down, I just want to say a couple more positive things and thoughts. Please don't let the world get you down. Be a positive force for change. Soak up as much information as you can and read up. Take time out of your day to read a classic novel. No seriously, do it. Set yourself a leisurely target and go for it.

 Try and be there for others. When people need your support then give it if you can. And take time to chat with people you've lost contact with. You don't have to become besties with them, but letting them know you care is a wonderful thing.

 40 years. Wow. Things are already on the improve for me and I hope for you too.

Non ad populum irrumatus

 

The Best (and worst) of Matt Smith's Doctor

Wow! Haven't blogged for a little bit (and I have a doozy planned for a few weeks time on the occasion of my 40th) so I decided to do a blog on a great important issue upon which nobody has ever written a single blog post about- Doctor Who.

 Matt Smith recently said goodbye and, I have to admit, I was sad. Of the three incarnations of the Doctor since the show came back in 2005 he has been my favourite. He was the Tom Baker of his generation- an absolute favourite with young kids because he reminded them of that crazy uncle you only saw at Christmas who you thought was really cool.

 That being said, his era was also the most inconsistent of recent years in regards to script quality. So what were my high- and low-lights of his era? Let's grab a fez and a bowl of fish fingers and custard and take a look. Before I do that though, a disclaimer. These are MY opinions, however wrong you may think I am. If you disagree then all power to you. Leave some (nice) comments below.....

THE BEST
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5) Asylum of the Daleks (Season 7, episode 1)

 This season opener was the first time that showrunner Steven Moffat had written for the Daleks and it's an absolute corker. The Daleks are both cowardly and menacing, and nearly every incarnation of them are peppered throughout the episode. Our three heroes are in absolute gold form and they are joined, in a shock to viewers, by the companion who was yet to be, played by Jenna Coleman. Since they first returned in the episode called "Dalek", they have had some pretty average adventures, but this one was a winner all the way

4) The Doctor's Wife (Season 6, episode 4)

 Legendary sci-fi writer Neil Gaiman writes one of the greatest Who stories ever. The conscience of the TARDIS is transferred to a helpless woman (played brilliantly by Suranne Jones) and the mayhem begins. What sets this apart from other episodes is how it not only provides some of the most delicious dialogue in recent memory ("You never took me to where I wanted to go" "But I took you to where you were meant to be") but also some of the most heartbreaking moments the show has ever produced. We will forever refer to the TARDIS as "sexy".

3) The Eleventh Hour (Season 5, episode 1)

 After David Tennant spent most of his first episode sleeping, Moffat decided that the new Doctor needed to hit the ground running. It was a gutsy, and brilliant move. The exchanges with young Amelia Pond are brilliant, the plot develops nicely and the camaraderie between Doctor and the grown-up Amy Pond already establish a wonderful connection. When I think back to first stories of freshly regenerated Doctors, this one sits right up there with "Power of the Daleks" and "Spearhead from Space". By the end of it you are in no doubt that this man IS the Doctor.

 

2) The Day Of The Doctor (50th Anniversary Special, 2013)

 Many fans, including myself, were probably dreading this. Not only were we only getting one real former Doctor (even if it was Tennant) but we had an incarnation of the Doctor nobody had ever heard of played by John Hurt. To many fans it was as if Moffat had kicked them in the sensitive areas. But then something happened. Firstly, out came a mini-episode that saw Paul McGann's eighth Doctor appear onscreen for the first time in 17 years only to regenerate into John Hurt's "War Doctor" (as the fans call him). Then, the special aired and people were amazed at how good it was. Matt Smith is in top form here, Tennant slips back into the tight suit and sandshoes as if he never left them and John Hurt plays his role as if he's been doing it for years. The script is tight and the effects great. I'll be the first to admit that it's not all brilliant (Elizabeth I is rather poorly portrayed, and the excellent Zygon plot seems to just fizzle out into nothing) but almost all is forgiven for that one scene where Matt Smith meets the oldest surviving Doctor- the unflappable Tom Baker. To hear a whole cinema nerdgasm at the same time is a rare and wonderful thing.

1) Vincent And The Doctor (Season 5, episode 10)

 Quite simply, the most beautiful thing to come out of Matt Smith's, or any Doctor's, era. Nobody cares about the plot involving an invisible chicken, it's the story of Vincent van Gogh battling depression and rejection that truly makes this legendary. For once though, the Doctor gets totally flummoxed by what he has to deal with and it's Amy who brings the troubled painter hope. The cameo from an uncredited Bill Nighy is beautifully underplayed and the final scenes, where the Doctor takes Vincent to a modern day gallery to see the impact he has had, has reduced stronger men than myself to puddles of tears. It's rare to see Who venture into new ground these days but this was one of those moments when it not only did that, it planted a flag that said "now owned by Doctor Who".

Honorable mentions-

The Impossible Astronaut/ Day of the Moon (Season 6, episodes 1 and 2)

 The opener to Season 6 introduced us to the Silence- another worthy villain created by modern Who. Although many of the questions would not be answered until either the season finale or Smith's last episode, it is a beautifully paced story filled with suspense, terror and lashings of great humour. The interplay between Smith's Doctor and Alex Kingston's River Song is never better than in this story. 

The Snowmen (2012 Christmas Special)

 Take a villain from the 60's (from episodes that, at the time, were considered largely lost), add in brilliant performances by Matt Smith, Jenna Coleman and Richard E Grant, add in a trio consisting of a Silurian and her lesbian lover plus a Sontaran nurse and some truly scary snowmen and you have an amazing Christmas episode. It's a solid story that flows brilliantly and manages to entertain even the most casual of fan. The best of Smith's Christmas specials by a long chalk.

 

THE WORST

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5) The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe (2011 Christmas Special)

 A boring, pointless farce that never reaches any kind of excitement. Bill Bailey wanders around wondering why he agreed to be a part of it as do most of the supporting cast. Smith, to his credit, does a good job at trying to keep the vibe of the show going but it really is an uphill struggle. The laughs seemed really forced a lot of the time.

4) Nightmare In Silver (Season 7, episode 12)

 After writing the brilliant "The Doctor's Wife" (see above), I bet Moffat thought he was in a safe pair of hands giving the cybermen to Neil Gaiman. He was wrong. To be honest, I don't think the cybermen have ever really hit their stride in New Who. To be fair though, apart from "The Tenth Planet", "Tomb Of The Cybermen" and "Earthshock", they never really hit it in Classic Who either. This story is an absolute stinker from a season that had more misses than hits. My biggest complaint is that Gaiman has obviously confused the Cybermen with Star Trek's Borg Collective. To make matters worse, we have a couple of kids running around getting trouble, so he's confusing Doctor Who with it's spinoff The Sarah Jane Adventures. The whole thing is ridiculous and a waste of the onscreen talent (which includes Warwick Davis). Smith again tries to carry this one but overacts to almost Tennant-like levels.

 

3) Victory of the Daleks (Season 5, episode 3)

 Oh how I REALLY wanted to love this episode. Smith's first encounter with the Daleks, plus it's set in Churchill's bunker during World War 2, plus it's written by Mark Gatiss. Why didn't this work? WHY? Because of the rubbish iDaleks/Mighty Morphin Power Daleks/ Kiddie Daleks (insert your own derogatory name here) Daleks that appear at the episodes conclusion but it also forces to suspend that little bit of disbelief too much. Too many coincidences, too many sloppy resolutions, too many things that shouldn't be able to happen happening. Yes it's cool to hear the Daleks say "Would you like some tea?" and "I am your soldier" but a couple cute phrases can't hide the overall stench. Interestingly enough, those "new paradigm" Daleks never really showed up again....funny about that...

2) The Rebel Flesh/ The Almost People (Season 6, episodes 5 and 6)

 I know a lot of fans will have their jaws on the floor with this one, but I simply found this story to be droll and way too padded out (it really should have only been a single episode). It's a highly convoluted story that never really goes anywhere and involves two Matt Smiths vying for "most lovable Doctor" award. It is, in fact, really irritating.  There really aren't any likeable characters throughout this story (even the ones who, ultimately, become nice people) and the ending is woeful. 

1) The Rings of Akhaten (Season 7, episode 7)

 The nadir of the Smith era. Stupid plot, ludicrous acting, lots of shouting and pointless singing all make for an annoying misstep. Sadly, it would not be a lone blemish in this season which is a shame because both Smith and Coleman are very good in this and the effects are certainly fine but when the basic story is so threadbare, it is hard to salvage much from it.

Honorable Mention

The Curse of the Black Spot (Season 6, episode 3)

Not even Hugh Bonneville can save this ridiculous farce. Flimsy plot and ridiculous ending plus some rather dodgy effects sequences just lower the tone of this one. I don't think it's quite as bad as some other fans do but it still can't match the very best of this era.

So now we wait and see what Peter Capaldi gives us. I, for one, can't wait!