There’s little about Augie March that could be called everyday. With singer Glenn Richards’ distinctive voice, his sharp, literary lyrics and the band’s off-kilter rock ‘n’ roll, the Melbourne band has created a niche for itself in the past twelve years. The world Richards has created for Augie March’s fourth album, Watch Me Disappear, is a place of extraordinary beauty, which offers escape from the from the anarchy — from the everyday.
Animal Collective / In The Flowers
I love how these dudes mash up folksy harmonic progressions and melodies performed on traditional rock instruments with everything-bar-the-kitchen sink cut and paste rhythm tracks, incidental and found sounds, field recordings, and more. By no means are they the first to do this but, damn, they do it well. And with tonnes of heart.
K-OS / The Rain
I got put onto this guy through a mate who worked on this album. This song sounds like an until-now-lost Motown artist outtake: tight
syncopated string arrangement, tight syncopated backing vocal arrangement, jazzy drum part, some gnarly axe work, and killer Sam Cooke-like vocals.
Fleet Foxes / He Doesn’t Know Why
Young bucks from Seattle discover Neil Young, Bob Dylan and others, along with an Alesis mid-90s-issue reverb unit. Together at last. Good on them.
Feist and Ben Gibbard / Train Song
This bird could sing the phone book and I would be mesmerized. I’m also a recent convert to Death Cab For Cutie, coming around to Mr Gibbard’s understated vocal delivery while his band thrashes away behind him. Strangely, I thought for a second that Adam Donovan did the electric guitar part. He assured me it wasn’t him, but he will be seeking compensation for copyright infringement.
Crowded House / Nobody Wants To
A perennial favourite of mine. To put no finer point on it, Neil Finn’s
voice and words strike at my heart, while Nick Seymour’s bass playing strike at my crotch. This song opens their most recent release, and while it took a while for me to connect with it, it has rusted itself on to my ticker now. My heart-strings are drawn back as if they are bow strings every time Neil sings ‘Yeaaaahh’, leading into the instrumental break. It’s awesome, powerful stuff. Ethan John’s playing and production also deserve mention: he is a wonderfully intuitive, musical presence on this record, contributing fully, but never once casting a shadow. This record has been of great comfort to me.
Oliver Mann / A Book
Oliver, along with his brother Paddy, have been making wonderful,
interesting, moving music for close to ten years now. Oliver comes from an operatic background and has used it as a launchpad to fully explore and master his voice. Folk tunes, musical theatre tunes, children’s songs, accapella, his is a broad palette, indeed, from which he takes his colours to paint his vivid musical pictures. This is a simple
recording of one man’s voice, overdubbed singing what sounds to me like a prayer. I still choke up listening to this one.
Lee Hazelwood / My Autumn’s Done Come
This song came to me via a compilation my older brother Carl made for me a while back. He has always had a great ear for interesting, enigmatic, humorous music. An insanely cool string arrangement coupled with Hazelwood’s sardonic, witty words and vocal performance make this essential 60s orchestral pop listening.
Ned Colette / The Country With A Smile
For a dude who is a master on guitar, Ned is a whiz-bang textural keyboardist. Endless streams of melodies flow from this man’s mind and heart, and this song is a vehicle for his and his band’s sublime musicality. Joe Talia is a personal tub-thumping favourite of mine and,
along with Ben Bourke, they make up a cracking rhythm section.
Related posts:
- Loch Lommond Effortlessly combining symphonic chamber pop with the most raw,...
- Jack Breakfast Toronto’s Jack Breakfast has recently released The Escapers, a...
- Petter Ericson Stakee, Alberta Cross Alberta Cross are amazing. They’re from Brooklyn (via London...
- Computers Want Me Dead Computers Want Me Dead are a two-piece electro-synth pop...
- Villagers Villagers is the brainchild of Conor J. O’Brien, who...
{ 0 comments… add one now }