PerthZine

Author: Paul B

  • The Constant Shifting Of The Mind

    Are there any activities or hobbies you’ve outgrown or lost interest in over time?

    There are two parts to answering this. One is the constant peak and trough of getting into things and out of them again. The other is the body deteriorating and not letting you do things anymore.

    I have this theory that life is all about slipping in and out of things. Call them hobbies, schemes, projects, whatever you like – they are fun and keep us occupied between the real parts of life, like work. Maybe one will catch on and follow you through life, maybe it’ll be a passing phase.

    I’ve been through martial arts, rock climbing, playing instruments, cricket, basketball, video game development, and let’s not forget writing! That’s just to name a few. Some have caught on (music, game dev, writing), others I think about all the time but haven’t gone back to (rock climbing), and some are just gone forever. I wonder what will be next.

    As long as there is something next, I think I’ll be happy enough.

    The only issue is part two of this ponder. Some things, I’m just unable to do anymore. I’d love to play footy (Aussie rules football that is), but I just assume my 44-year-old body can’t take it anymore. Maybe this is the wrong approach to life, but it does feel like some things are becoming out of reach as I get older. I can’t even jog these days without numerous aches throughout my body, and not good aches.

    Do others find this also? That there is a point in time when you can no longer do what you love to do? I imagine some things are easier to let go of than others. I’d be devastated if I couldn’t play guitar anymore. Less devastated about the jogging.

  • Album Review – New Nausea: Music For Frogs (2026)

    Album Review – New Nausea: Music For Frogs (2026)

    Ribbit

    Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

    The latest from New Nausea, Music For Frogs is an eclectic mix of indie pop sounds from the Perth group. Apparently recorded over 6 years (or 6 years in the making), it is diverse, rich in melody, and awash with that sound which has become synonymous with Perth music of late.

    Opening with Destroy Everything (aside from the spoken intro, which appears in different forms throughout), the album promises to go introspective. An anthem of a tune with a lot of apologies for broken relationships mixed with lush pop guitar melodies; it’s a solid opener.

    The album seems DIY – the first tracks being the rawest of the bunch. Snow Globe is next with lots of nice guitar melodies playing around throughout. When Icu is the catchiest tune on the album, and if this doesn’t capture the modern Perth indie-pop sound nothing does. It’s energetic and memorable; a proper ear worm.

    After another frog interlude we move into what feels like a slight shift in sound, perhaps recording location or just a different setup? A little more Methyl Ethyl-esque with reverb-tinged guitar melodies playing throughout Slip the Punch.

    This continues with Sleepwalker, which feels like a bit of an album centrepiece. Reverby guitars sounding miles away, and nice whistling and synth hooks grabbing you and pulling you out of the ether.

    A bit more folk tinge follows in Only Ever Coming Down with some lovely violin accompaniments. The acoustic vibe continues through Say Anything before we meet with another frog interlude.

    As expected, we get another shift in vibe and the catchier Barnacle delivers plenty of catchiness, while not straying from the love-lost themes of the album. Then a bit of redemption on the relatively mellow Back On Top.

    An album of catharsis and getting yourself up out of a hole. Polished in parts, scrappy in others, it’s a solid effort from the Perth group.

  • Classic Movie Review – Thief (1981)

    Classic Movie Review – Thief (1981)

    Michael Man’s Debut is Hot

    Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

    Made in the year of my birth, this interesting caper movie is Michael Mann’s directorial feature film debut. The Mann (sorry) who would go on to make Heat paves the way for the serious, violent crime movies that will dominate his filmography (he’s even working on Heat 2).

    James Caan plays Frank. A lone wolf, safe cracking thief who works alone aside from a little help from some trusted partners, including Jim Belushi playing it straight as his tech guy. Frank is about to open his world up in more ways than one, with both a kingpin crime boss hoping he’ll work for him, and love interest Jessie, played by Tuesday Weld. In doing this he exposes himself to the heat (sorry again).

    The main plot revolves around a job for the new crime boss father figure Leo (Frank was raised by the state), played by Robert Prosky. They have to crack a serious safe with five alarms and a titanium door. At this point it’s a pretty solid heist movie. Things naturally take a turn for the worst, with cops and crooks involved, and things get pretty ugly.

    The film is a bit of a mixed bag, ultimately a really solid premise perhaps just lacking the polish Mann would develop as his filmography progressed. Everything from the cinematography to the music has glimpses of brilliance, and if it weren’t for a few moments of madness, it would be up there as one of the best of its genre.

    Even Caan, a great actor when playing the right roles, has some clunky moments. The best bits are fantastic, especially when he’s wooing Jessie at a diner and opening himself up to her with full insight into his decade in prison. Some other bits are a little less on the money. The rest of the cast are also generally great, including a small role for Willie Nelson as the guy that taught Frank everything he knows.

    Overall, it’s a solid start from Mann and there is enough there to make it an enjoyable movie. The pulsating soundtrack by Tangerine Dream works great, and apart from a few teething issues the sign of good things to come from the director is evident.

  • Album Review – Dope Lemon: Golden Wolf (2025)

    Album Review – Dope Lemon: Golden Wolf (2025)

    Rating: 4 out of 5.

    One of the best albums of 2025, Angus Stone once again demonstrates he is as good a songwriter as Australia has produced. Between Angus and Julia, solo albums and Dope Lemon, he has been prolific with releases over the years. Golden Wolf is another gem, rich with catchy tunes and enough variation to keep it interesting.

    Starting things off with John Belushi, Stone and the band create a shimmering array of sounds that is big, full of hooks, and confident, and continues a line of songs referencing the rock n roll lifestyle. It’s an interesting concept and tribute to burning fast, but also doesn’t seem to romanticise the lifestyle, with lyrics “I’m going to give you all my love” and “You don’t have to go it alone” balancing the track with a message of support and love.

    This sound continues across Sugarcat and Electric Green Lambo before peaking with the title track, an excellent tune with a big stadium chorus, up there with Stone’s best work. At the age of 39 is he starting to focus more on the bigger questions in life? Escape, living your best life, and what lies after are all themes running through Golden Wolf.

    Then the album takes an interesting turn into Yamasuki – Yama Yama which is a great, unique tune – all the Dope Lemon cool but samples and loops throughout.

    A few more indie tracks, followed by another more out-there tune in Maggie’s Moonshine, with an almost trap like beat and smooth, laid-back vocals. On The 45 is catchy with great backing vocal hooks, very much in the Angus & Julia spectrum of sound, and full of on-the-road lyrics that also permeate through Stone’s catalogue.

    Ending on the instrumental, Dust Of A Thousand Stars, it’s nice to see these guys are willing to step outside the standard indie music and experiment a little, while keeping things poppy enough to hook you.

  • Nothing Day

    Nothing Day

    Do you need a break? From what?

    It’s interesting this topic would appear on a rare day that I’ve essentially done nothing but lie in bed; excellent timing. Days like this are few and far between and that’s not a bad thing. It’s nice to be active and busy, and if anything the biggest thing to overcome is feeling unnecessarily guilty about taking a nothing day.

    I don’t know about everyone else but I find myself more and more consumed by having to do things. This is half good, half bad. The bad half for me is work, and only because it occupies most of my waking hours, and while not entirely disliking what I do for a living, I would rather be doing something else.

    Because of this, and the pursuit of doing the good things outside of work, I often find myself with very little time doing nothing at all. Even as I lie here, apparently doing nothing, I’m still occupied be this – writing about something, working on content and trying to be creative.

    Does anyone else find themselves busy with similar things almost all the time? I’m talking when commuting, waiting, on the toilet, basically any chance available.

    I think this is healthy in its way, especially as a way of avoiding doom-scrolling and other mindless activities that don’t really stimulate the brain in a good way. It does mean I’m busy a lot though; almost all the time.

    So sometimes it’s nice to have a nothing day. No pressure to do anything, just taking a break from whatever it is you need a break from. Whether that is time away from the phone and technology, or just chilling playing games or lying around watching TV, everyone’s idea of a break is different, and there is no wrong answer to how you disconnect and let yourself rejuvenate.

  • Busy Making Other Plans

    Describe your most ideal day from beginning to end.

    The ideal day consists of many things for different people. I like keeping busy, doing the work that I want to do, and by this I mean what I’d love to get paid to do but currently need to support myself and family doing something else (the life that happens, when you are busy making other plans, to paraphrase the great man John Lennon).

    Get up nice and early, do some exercise (again, not anything I don’t enjoy doing, something fun). Follow that with a nice cooked breakfast (stir fry veggies and eggs these days, see my other posts).

    Then read a bit, play some music, write a bit.

    Lunch is the same as breakfast, but maybe something fresher like a nice roll with meat and salad. Watch some cooking shows or part of a movie (I rarely sit from start to end unless in the cinema).

    My ideal afternoon? Spending time in the studio writing and recording music would be number one. Again, you can’t beat doing what you love and believe yourself to be put on the earth to do. Maybe some more writing and absorbing any kind of art (film, books, music, video games being top of my list).

    Add the family to all this, spending a nice late arvo/evening with them would be perfect. Playing with the kids, maybe the beach, or doing something fun to feed their little minds.

    Dinner would be something more exciting, an interesting dish, maybe a dessert as well, all made from scratch of course. Eat with the family, either at the table or in front of a movie depending on the mood and food.

    Finish up with putting the kids to bed and spending time with the wife; watch a movie or something else. If there is still time I’d do more in the studio, write or develop video games; they are the things I latch onto when in the mood to be creative.

    I’m at my most satisfied when there are not enough hours in the day to get everything done.

  • Single Review – Poison Ruïn: Eidolon

    Single Review – Poison Ruïn: Eidolon

    I will admit I love everything Poison Ruïn have done up to now, and this single is no exception. It’s muddy, heavy, the lyrics barely audible, but just rocks like hell. They’ve captured the punk/hardcore damn nicely and I’m hoping it keeps going into their next album Hymns from the Hills (due in April). This being the first single from it, they are on the right track.

    It’s music that makes you want to look further into what the band are, how they present live, what they are singing and so on. Whenever music does this I always think this is what it’s all about; reminds me of being a teenager again.

  • Foody Feed – The Potato Chipper

    Foody Feed – The Potato Chipper

    This is basically a fan love letter to the perhaps misunderstood and underused potato chipper. I’m not sure if they come in different forms but I went decades without realising how great the one I now treasure is.

    I have spent plenty of my adult life using a knife to cut potatoes into chip or wedge form. Yes, there was a period in early adulthood where I’d buy frozen, but I came to understand how easy it is to chop up a fresh potato and get great results fresh.

    Wedges no problem, just cut the potato in half, and keep halving the pieces until you end up with wedges of the size you want. French fry size chips, on the other hand, have always been a challenge. Doable, but a fair bit of effort with the knife. Not anymore.

    With the potato chipper it’s as simple as chopping a bit off the top of the potato to make it flat, popping on top and pushing to chop. Done.

    Pop in a bowl, season to taste, add some paprika. One trick I discovered is coating with salt and vinegar before cooking. I don’t deep fry at home, it’s either oven or air fryer. That’s it, perfect sized home made fries.

    This is not an advertisement for an endorsed potato chipper, not even sure what brand mine is, just sharing a great tool in the kitchen.

  • I Was So Much Older Then, I’m Younger Than That Now

    How do significant life events or the passage of time influence your perspective on life?

    Being over 40 now, this question is something I think about a lot. It always makes me think of the Bob Dylan lyric from My Back Pages, amazingly written when he was only 22!

    I always interpreted the lyric to mean when you are younger you tend to take things more seriously (politics, beliefs, basically everything), especially in that late teens to early twenties period. As you get older I think these things ease up as you learn to accept things and become comfortable in both your own skin and the world you live in.

    This doesn’t mean you stop believing in things and maintaining ideals, it just means you become more open to others opinions; most likely because you meet more people and go through more experiences.

    It also doesn’t mean all people develop like this, as many stay fixed in position; stuck in their ways as the saying goes. Ever try building a piece of Ikea furniture with a 60 year old? Everyone develops differently.

    I think it is something to aspire to – to develop the mind over your lifetime and achieve some sort of potential. The Greeks called it eudaimonia. Basically achieving a sort of satisfaction with your existence; reaching a level of happiness and well-being. It’s a nice aim in life, and even if you don’t achieve, I guess that’s what it’s all about, having something to work towards.

    Significant life events and trauma play the role of striking a lightening bolt through your path, depending on the severity or good/bad it can be that moment where there was life before and life after.

  • Movie Review – Caught Stealing (2025)

    Movie Review – Caught Stealing (2025)

    Aronofsky Tries Lighter Action/Comedy but Can’t Help Himself

    Rating: 3 out of 5.

    Directed by Darren Aronofsky, Caught Stealing is about the right balance of fun and chaos that you want in a popcorn movie. Interesting considering previous movies from the director have been quite dark and serious (list any – Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, The Wrestler, Black Swan, Mother!). Despite leaning towards comedy, it is just as violent.

    Austin Butler is Hank, a mum-loving former baseball prodigy with an injury backstory, now tending bars and numbing the pain with booze. He has a steamy relationship with Yvonne (Zoe Kravitz) which is threatening to escalate to serious status. Oh yes, it’s set in 1998, so no smartphones; flip only.

    His punk neighbour Russ (Matt Smith) splits for homeland England, leaving Hank with his cat. Soon after some Russians arrive looking for Russ and bash Hank instead. He ends up in hospital, but the Russian gangsters aren’t done, continuing to harass him thinking he knows something. Anyway, Russ returns and as we expect he’s dealing with the Russians, you can guess where it’s heading.

    It’s an odd choice for Aronofsky, being closer to a Guy Ritchie film than his usual fare. It moves fast with plenty of action and goes for the violent, dark humour angle. The Russians are ruthless and the cops aren’t much better. People are getting viscously beaten and murdered at will. All up it’s a fun ride of a movie, held up by a great cast.

    Butler is likeable as the unlucky Hank. Kravitz is always great, but I wish she was in more of the film; she is as charismatic as they come. Vincent D’Onofrio and Liev Schreiber are great as the psychopathic Hebrews. In fact, all of the characters are really well played, with Regina King as the cop, not to mention bar friends and crazy Russians (Nikita Kukushkin is basically playing a bulldog). Everyone seems to be having a good time despite some dark content.

    Overall, it’s a movie I would recommend if you don’t mind mindless violence and mayhem. Anyone who likes the Tarantino through Ritchie era of gangster movies will likely love it. Some moments were shocking, others idiotic, but ultimately entertaining.