The Drones - Wait Long By The River...

MINE

He does this all the time.  He buys music, and then says "Oh, I bought this and it sounds good" and then I never hear about it again.  Which is why we really needed this project.  Because here we are, almost at the end of the task, and I'm still finding albums I swear I've never heard of tucked away in the drawers.  Sheesh.

Anyway, this isn't bad.  It's not really my kind of music, but I wouldn't object if it was on. It's the sort of bluesy rock that gives YourZ a thrill, so I can see why it's here.  But I wouldn't grab the CD out of choice.

VERDICT: TURN IT DOWN

YOURZ

I forgot about this band.  I seriously forgot.  

I bought this CD after reading about it and seeing lead singer/songwriter Gareth Liddiard on RocKwiz.  Wait Long By The River and the Bodies of Your Enemies Will Float By is uncompromising in its raw, passionate delivery, so much so its release in 2005 garnered the band best release at the inaugural Australian Music Prize that year.

But this isn't why I forgot about it.

I saw a snippet of the band doing this album in its entirety at the All Tomorrow's Party Festival in 2009 and the performance is pure, intense and massive.  I was totally blown away by the band.  The only comparison I have of this is seeing Nick Cave live at the Enmore many years ago.  Again, it is uncompromising in its raw emotion.  Watch a bit of here and you'll see what I mean.  

But this isn't why I forgot about it.

You see, I bought the CD, got it home, copied onto the iPod and then put it away.  With well over six and half thousand songs on it, I forgot about The Drones.  Completely...  Thankfully, Mine found it when doing the last scout through the collection to see if there was anything we missed.  

This is the sounds of a band happy in the mire, where the rest of us flounder.  This is a band comfortable putting everyone on edge, with stirring up the cobwebs and muck.  This is band making brilliant uneasy listening music.  It's not blues nor is it rock or punk.  What it is, is unforgettable.

And I forgot about it.  This won't happen again.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information go to http://thedrones.com.au/

Squeeze - 45's And Under

MINE

Hey, there's a song on here I never listen to!  It's called If I Didn't Love You and it's not very good.  As opposed to the rest of this album, which is not just good, it's essential listening.  I'm sorry, are you one of those people who think Squeeze only did Cool For Cats? Shame on you!

I was trying to decide which song's my favourite, and I'm kind of surprised to find that it's Up the Junction.  Not that Tempted isn't great, it's so well written I'm sure it makes songwriters cry, but it's the lyrics that get me in Junction.  You see the song follows this relationship from go to whoa, from first kiss through cohabitation, childbirth and divorce.  Often skipping months or years in a single line.

And there's so much more on here that's wonderful.  Is That Love, Goodbye Girl, Black Coffee In Bed... this is one of my favourite albums ever.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

YOURZ

I remember seeing Glenn Tilbrook on RockKwiz in the not too distant past, doing my favourite Squeeze song, Tempted.  He absolutely killed it, as did the house band.  It was blisteringly brilliant and I often go back and watch it again, as I did for this review.  Tilbrook doesn't just have a killer voice but has his guitar chops too.  Check it out for yourselves here and see if I'm wrong.  

But to be honest, I wasn't much of a Squeeze fan back in the day.  I liked Cool For Cats and had it on one of those vinyl collections back in the day.  And I remember Up The Junction being played on radio.  But beyond these three tracks, I hadn't listened to any Squeeze or at least not that I can remember anyway.

But there are some really great tracks on this collection.  I have to thank Mine for introducing me to them.  I even liked the song she didn't even though I'll admit stacked up against some of the other gems in this collection is a bit unfair.  But only a bit.  Top stuff!

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information go to http://www.squeezeofficial.com/

Augie March - Moo, You Bloody Choir

YOURZ

I originally bought Moo, You Bloody Choir after hearing a live performance of the first track, One Crowded Hour, on the show RocKwiz.  I was stunned by the intelligence of the lyrics and the beauty and simplicity of the melody.

I'm not much on hype, as regular readers might be aware of by now.  And Augie March were, at one time, hyped up by Australian music press, particularly, like they were saviours of some sort. 

The fact is this band is worthy of any hype, writing literate, contemporary indie pop.  Ostensibly a  vehicle of singer/songwriter Glenn Richards, Augie March have slowly yet surprisingly wended their way into the consciousness of the Australian public, who, while discerning, don't usually take to such intelligence without taking the piss out it as well.

Augie March sit somewhere between the deliberate provocativeness of Bob Dylan and the lush beauty of Jeff Buckley.  Richard's voice effortlessly moves between these territories, both captivating and inspiring listeners, while the rest of the band provide worthy accompaniement for his melodies.  From the previously mentioned opener to the slow, almost sensual The Honey Month and the alt-country The Baron Of Sentiment, Augie March are a heck of a ride and well worth taking.  Just beautiful...

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

It's beautifully put-together pop music that seems to be vaguely flavoured with hints of other styles, other eras.  Much like the fresh air of our backyard in the morning when it's occasionally faintly flavoured with aviation fuel (what you get for living near the airport).  I'm still not sure who Glenn Richards' voice reminds me of.  One minute it's got the raw honesty of Bruce Springsteen, the next there's that almost-falsetto that could lead to Bon Iver comparisons.  There's a flutter and a yaw in it, like a small boat tacking on a large lake.  Some songs are sparse, some lush, at least one would have been at home in the 60s.  Taking bennies and hanging out with Twiggy-60s, not the patchouli-flavoured LSD rocker-type-60s.

What this album is, is unmissable.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information: http://www.augiemarch.com/

Wagons - The Rise And Fall Of Goodtown

YOURZ

Yeehaw, this is as close to liking country and western I get (except for the occasional Man In Black track or two).  Thank fuck bands like Wagons exist, because often times, the music of this particular genre is so much fun, it's almost irresistible, while the lyrics make me gag harder than a tight-throated hooker.  Wagons, thankfully, avoid hackneyed clichés such as this in favour of lyrics of a substantially darker nature.

The main attraction of this motley band of musical cowboys is their leader, Henry Wagons, who has a rich baritone and unbridled passion for his art (sorry about that pun).  Coupled with a great backing band, The Rise And Fall Of Goodtown is a listening pleasure, from the driving rock of opener Drive All Night Til Dawn, to the slow burning closer, Lightning.  The track listing jumps from more traditional country-sounding songs to darker, brooding tunes and also includes a faithful rendition of the Three Dog Night track, Never Been To Spain.

Sounding like a cross between Nick Cave and Merle Haggard, Wagons has slowly but surely gained popularity with relentless touring, drawing fans not usually drawn to country music.  They've also become a festival favourite, particularly known for their raucous live show, led by the big personality of their leader, whose take-no-shit attitude and humour have made him a favourite of the punters and provided the band with the title of Australia's lead alt-country act.  Can't wait to see 'em.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP, little dawgy

MINE

Country that isn't, this was a Christmas present from YourZ last year and came after we saw the lead singer on RocKwiz, our favourite TV quiz show.  Henry Wagons is bigger than life and has a voice to match.  It's a country album for people who don't like country music - like us.  Songs about trucks and mothers and how your old dog died don't feature in our collection.

But this album, featuring great tunes like Goodtown (very Stepford Wives-reminiscent) and Keep Your Eyes Off My Sister has no lyrics Nashville would condone.  In fact one description I've read labels the band as Gothic Country.  I can live with that - with a side order of humour and piled high with Rock.  They're touring here this month and I vote we go and see them. (YourZ sez: seconded!)

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information: http://www.wagonsmusic.com/

Magic Dirt - Young & Full Of The Devil

MINE

We love Adalita.  Seriously cool rock chick par excellence.  Loved catching her cameo in Rockwiz earlier this year.  The woman who can reduce my husband to a drooling heap on the floor. (YourZ sez: any red-blooded rock-loving man would be similarly reduced)

But I don't love this album.  It's just a little - young for me.  It's all a bit angsty-youth with long distorted-guitar intros and outros and while her voice is great, there's not a lot on this to appeal to me.  The band moved to a more radio-friendly sound after this, and I'm afraid that's the sound that appeals to me.

VERDICT: TURN IT DOWN

YOURZ

Mine mentions the love we have of Adalita.  It truly exists.  But she doesn't mention the heady dose of unadulterated lust I feel for her as well.  This girl defines the meaning of rock babe.

I think I've probably seen Magic Dirt perform more than any other single Australian band.  And every show has been a winner, from their early, ear-bleedingly loud pub shows, their fesitval performances (they've been a consistent Big Day Out favourite) and  their more recent headline shows at large venues.

Over the years, Magic Dirt have changed their sound becoming more accessible as their career's progressed.  It is sad that the recent death of founding member and bass player, Dean Turner, after a long struggle with a rare form of cancer, has left the future of this very fine act up in the air.

As an album, Young & Full Of The Devil defined their early sound, the heavy, abrasively distorted guitars and heart-shaking rhythm section, their incredible loud/soft dynamic (used by lots but mastered by few) and Adalita's wild-eyed, sneering vocal delivery.  It also show the direction they were heading as well.

Mine says it is young but I see it more as an album full of maturing.  They highlight a greater range of song writing, moving from their distortion-riddled noise-rock numbers to more layered, accessible tracks.  It still isn't the sound they have now but it is definitely becoming.  .

If you've not heard this band before, then you definitely need to get some Dirt under your fingernails.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP (RIP Dean)

For more information: http://www.magicdirt.com/

In our collection we also have Life Was Better, Friends In Danger, What Rock Stars Are Doing Today and Tough Love

March - Wrapup

YOURZ

I can't believe we've got this far without a major disagreement occurring between Mine and YourZ (truly). Oh there have been plenty of heated discussions but this is to be expected.  You can't put two spirited, opinionated and intelligent people together on a project like this and not expect some heated debate. Add to the mix we're married and it really is a surprise we haven't resorted to base urges and tried to strangle each other in our sleep.

I think we've mentioned in previous wrapups how much we're enjoying this.  To reiterate, it has invigorated our collective love of music, has us actively talking about and seeking out new artists and opened our eyes to just how fucking awesome our collection is (even if I do say so myself).

This month, I was stoked to be able to review a few of my all time favourite bands (Led Zeppelin, Queens Of The Stoneage and Gomez) as well as one of my new favourite bands (Clutch) who I also got to see perform a blistering live set.  They kicked serious arse!

We also had the chance, as Mine mentions below, to see Rockwiz, where we stood out by being loud, boisterous know alls.  We spent half the night laughing and the other half rocking out.  We would gladly do it all again tomorrow and the day after too.

Our giveaway, after much deliberation, is to one of our regular(ish) respondents but also the author of some of the funniest, most astute music writing we've read.  We're going to send one of our favourite CDs, The Sleepy Jackson's Lover (review here) to Seano from Circle Of Fits (see this blog here), because we think he'd enjoy it as much as we do.  Seano, if you read this, send us an email with your address and we'll send you some padded baggy goodness.

Finally, another word about our Freebies.  This is the list in our sidebar of CDs we are GIVING AWAY. We're not asking for anything of you other than an email stating what you'd like, why you'd like it and an address where we can send it.  You don't even have to worry about postage.  If there is nothing on the list that interests you, tell your friends to check it out.  Our only motivation is we'd rather see these CDs go to a good home than become landfill.  Let me say it again - FREE CDS!

MINE

We're a quarter of the way through this journey and I'm still getting a thrill from all the music I'm listening to and talking about.  Plus each time we get the pointy stick and the blindfold out (that's how we pick the CDs to review, dear reader) we always have another conversation - about how close we came to almost picking more favourite albums.

And this month we both established ourselves as true music nerds, by going to see RocKwiz being filmed at the Enmore Theatre in Sydney.  Neither of us had the opportunity to  show our mean music skillz, but we sure had fun yelling out the answers and waving our hands in the air.

So at the three-month-mark, I guess I'm just getting more and more enthused about the wide range of music we enjoy.  Onward!