Rhythms Magazine

This week’s On The Record with Brian Wise and Michael Mackenzie begins where most music chats don’t: with a gripe about what the ARIA charts don’t show.

Wise is baffled that Emma Donovan’s Take Me to The River—an album he rates highly after seeing her preview it live at Port Fairy—can’t be found on the main chart or the Australian chart. 

The question isn’t aesthetic; it’s structural. Where do “successful” albums live now—physical sales, streaming equivalents, store reporting, some opaque blend of all three?

Show Notes
Emma Donovan — Take Me to The River (and the ARIA chart mystery)
The revived Rhythms Chart (Top 30)
World Cup ticketing + dynamic pricing discussion (BBC)
Wilco — Morocco/Marrakesh 3-night concept (hotel pricing reality check)
Squeeze documentary — Take Me I’m Yours (2012)

Listen here to Michael's debut album Oversharing With Strangers

Widow’s Bay Trailer (Apple TV)
Spider-Noir (Prime Video)

Episode 26 of On The Record is the first fully international edition—Brian Wise filing from Melbourne, Michael Mackenzie beaming in from the ancient fortified town of Monemvasia, deep inside the Peloponnese. The contrast isn't just geographic: Wise is braving Melbourne winter; Mackenzie is swimming in warm salt water off Byzantine fortress walls. 

The hate is, as he cheerfully acknowledges, entirely deserved.

Show Notes

RN's The Music Show: Miles Davis Centenary 

RN's The Music Show: Tribute To Sonny Rollins 

The Rolling Stones, Tracks Of My Years, with Vernon Kay 

It's Only Rock 'n' Roll - Ronnie Woods original home recording with David Bowie 

Ron Sexsmith - Don't Lose Sight (Official Video) 

Paul McCartney: 10 tracks defining his life including from Chuck Berry, Elvis, Prince & John Lennon 

Wilco Play 3 Nights in Marrakech - go into the comp to win the concert/hotel package 

The Boroughs | Official Trailer | Netflix 

"Spider-Noir" - Authentic Black & White Final Trailer | Prime Video

Episode 25 of On The Record with Brian Wise and Michael Mackenzie begins where so many arguments in roots music eventually end up: Bob Dylan—specifically, the minor detail of him turning 85 (born 24 May 1941) and still looming over popular music like a sarcastic weather system.
Plus two streaming recommendations, a bit of tech talk, and Brian’s fave Beach Boys album gets exposure on a new tour.

Episode 24 of On The Record with Brian Wise and Michael Mackenzie opens not in a record shop or a green room, but in the unglamorous reality of domestic collapse: Brian’s gas hot water service fails, leaving him hunting for a plumber and waiting five days for resolution.

Musically, the emotional high point is a warm, informed appreciation of David Byrne. 

The hosts tip their hats to Byrne’s wider career, including his work with Brian Eno, particularly ** My Life in the Bush of Ghosts **, and note his recent appearance at Jazz Fest.

Show Notes

Legends | Official Trailer | Netflix 

Shetland On Iview 

Talking Heads - Road to Nowhere (Official Video)

Brian Eno -- David Byrne - My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts - A1 - America Is Waiting 

Brian Eno -- David Byrne - My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts - A4 - Help Me Somebody 

David Byrne with Choir! Choir! Choir! - Heroes 

Talking Heads – Psycho Killer (Official 4K Remastered Video, Live 1983) 

The Waterboys - Fisherman's Blues (High Quality)

Chris Franklin Doco on Spectrum's I'll Be Gone “Someday I’ll Have Money”

On The Record’s Episode 23 leans in to great songs, better stories, and the strange afterlife of pop careers.

Michael Mackenzie’s big night out is Split Enz at Rod Laver Arena, a reunion-sized crowd of “people in roughly our same demographic” packed into a venue that, he notes, holds 14,860. 

The gig itself? A triumph. Plus UK crime reviews and the long overdue recognition of The Zombies.

Show Notes

Split Enz Forever Enz Tour 

Bergerac Series 2 

Legends | Official Trailer | Netflix 

Hung Up On A Dream: The Zombies Documentary | Official Trailer | Utopia 

The Zombies - She's Not There 

The Zombies - Odessey And Oracle (2025 Mono Version) 

The Zombies Reveal the Real Story Behind “Time of the Season” | Hung Up on a Dream