Brisbane has been quite monumental, musically – in it’s own small way. The 90s certainly was a rich time for Brisbane; the town of downtrodden misgivings with a raw flagrancy of authoritar where debarred bands like Custard, Powderfinger, Screamfeeder, Resin Dogs, Butterfingers, TISM, george, Wolfmother, Spiderbait and even Savage Garden set the scene for a notorious apathy for anything vaguely wonderful, settling instead for coolly kitsch and brazenly independent. They were hatched by legacy-lasting progenitors like the Go-Betweens and the Bee Gees but more distinctly, guys who initially bucked the system like The Church, Midnight Oil, Cold Chisel, AC/DC, The Angels and The Saints as the ruling pub sound of the 80s. And it is from such foundations that journalist and musician Chris Cobcroft was conceived – spiritually and physically.
As the beloved voice for the New Releases Show on community radio 4ZZZ, Chris is an undisputed stalwart of the local music industry. And while his Bachelor of Honours degree in Media & Communication, specialising in music programming from UQ means he could have had the pick of any international or national radio station – even, potentially a Howard Stern in the making – he remains an indefatigable cornerstone for Brisbane’s artists, performers – and sound. As 4ZZZ’s music coordinator since 2010, he has heard – and released – a great deal of music, underground, overground and in between. But it is the music that made him in his youth that set his feet on this path where he prepares to front the session Networking – Meeting Your Musical Allies at Little BIGSOUND that he reflects: The Top 5 Tracks Of My Youth.
Metallica – …And Justice For All
Metallica was the band that turned me on to alternative music. …And Justice For All is a great album that really spoke to the very generically angsty, teenage me with the title track one of the best songs on the record.
Nine Inch Nails – Happiness in Slavery
I quickly moved to the even harder-core angst of NIN which was my gateway into a whole world of industrial and gothic music. The Broken EP is a sliver of Trent Reznor at his sharpest.
Tori Amos – Crucify
I might have been cooler if I’d been a couple of years older and got into Kate Bush instead, but I devoured the early discography of Tori Amos. Eh, there’s always been something quite angsty about her too. Little Earthquakes remains a brilliant album.
DJ Shadow – Mutual Slump
Entroducing was, and is, a giant of instrumental hip hop, hookiong me into the West Coast underground for many years to come – especially DJ Shadow and the rest of the Solesides crew.
Squarepusher – Fat Controller
I’d already been combing through the catalogues of Warp and Ninja Tune, but this jazzy idm banger blew my mind and became the bar by which I judged every other piece of electronic music for far too long.
