A quartet of albums spotlighting the rich musical talent from below the equator.
Americana music comes in all shapes and sizes, originating from many different places. That is the beauty of the genre, and the Southern Hemisphere is no exception to that rule. We have recently covered the “Spin the Wheel” album from the excellent Australian band Lloyd and the Leftovers, along with Australian troubadour Paul Kelly’s latest record “Seventy”, which includes the gorgeous ‘Rita Wrote A Letter’, a strong contender for song of the year. Regular readers will be familiar with Lachlan Bryan and the Wildes, who are frequent visitors to our island. This month, we received four further examples of work from way down south—three from Australia and one from neighbouring New Zealand.
We begin in New Zealand with a radio and television journalist-turned-performer, Gina Malcolm. Leanne Malcolm left her presenting career behind, changed her name to Gina (her actual middle name), and began recording music. Malcolm always loved to sing, adding her distinctive vocals to a cover band in Queenstown. When the pandemic hit, she decided to start writing and recording her own material, and the aptly titled “First Rodeo” is the result. The first single, ‘Travellin’ Heart’, is a stunning country-tinged song carried along by a beautiful and haunting fiddle. You get a sense of riding across the prairie with vast open space all around. The second single, ‘Blood Left’, opens the collection and starts with a guitar that is reminiscent of U2’s The Edge. It’s a brooding and atmospheric building tune about a failed relationship. Still carrying wounds after the hurt is gone, Malcolm declares “I’m not okay / I’m not okay” over a wonderful jangling guitar. Malcom’s voice and style have been likened to The Delines’ Amy Boone, and there is a deep resonance to it, similar to Boone, but only at times, as Malcolm has her own distinctive delivery. The album offers sufficient variety to keep the listener engaged throughout. ‘Tumblin In’ is a marvellous seven minutes fifty-five seconds of swaggering americana with a guitar interlude that is laid back and terrific. You can see this one becoming a live favourite. For Malcolm’s first rodeo, she has shown resilience in holding on all the way and finishing with style. This is a fine first album with sharp writing and delivery. (7/10)
Australia’s Jules Sheldon & The Boundary Riders are next up with their album “Electric Transport”. Sheldon worked previously with New Zealand’s Spencer P. Jones. Jones had worked with Paul Kelly, The Johnnys and the fabulously named Beasts of Bourbon, amongst others. Jones produced Sheldon’s eponymous album back in 2010, and following Jones’ passing in 2018, Sheldon questioned if he wanted to carry on as his mentor and friend were gone. Joining with The Boundary Riders, there is a renewed optimism to Sheldon’s songs and writing. This latest collection begins with the single ‘Tramways In My Mind’. Sheldon finds comfort in the rumbling Melbourne transport system and in those of others around the world. It’s a country rock jaunt on the tramway where you can lose yourself in the moment. There is a retro feel to the sound that may remind you of Ian Prowse and Amsterdam. It’s the same sort of guitar-driven songs that Prowse is known for. ‘Travellin’ In’ analyses how dreams can take you back to places you know but never want to visit again. Sheldon sings “You come travelling in / I don’t ever want to play that part / Ever again”. ‘The Uncles’, complete with lap steel adding to the sombre mood, is a tribute to Jones and his Beasts of Bourbon bandmate Brian Henry Hooper. Lyrically, Sheldon gets this one right, and the line “The Uncles are missing / Behind our eyes / All the tears we’ve cried / When finality arrives / And your strings they go quiet” is heartbreaking. ‘Carried Away’ has an ’80s new wave feel, with an echoing guitar at the back of the mix. Sheldon front and centre, reminding us not to be carried away. Acoustic guitar takes us into the final track ‘When I’m Old”, along with more of the talented Joseph Foley on lap steel. A song about how our memories are what make us people, and to lose them would be the “last straw”. The collection is a short yet enjoyable one, featuring a variety of musical styles at each tram stop. Don’t forget to buy a return ticket. (7/10)
Melbourne alt-country band The Distance are back after a hiatus of six years with a concept album, “Deep Down Underground”. Concept albums in the world of americana music are not unheard of, but are rare. This one is based on the events and stories that unfolded during the coverage of the 2006 Beaconsfield Mine collapse in Tasmania. Vocalist and musician Mitchell Dean wrote the set of songs with fellow vocalist and guitarist Gavin Leadbetter. Bass player Dean Harris provides voice-overs that connect the pieces. Seventeen miners were trapped, with fourteen able to scramble to safety. Of the other three, Larry Knight was tragically killed, with Brant Webb and Todd Russell trapped almost a kilometre below the surface before being rescued. The collection serves as a powerful reminder of the dangers people face while working in the mines. This disaster was caused by an earthquake and led to enhanced safety measures and risk assessments across mining operations in Australia. The first single taken from the set, ‘So Destitute’, is driven along by Dan Shieils’s outstanding percussion. You would expect, given the subject matter, for this to be a sombre suite, but as this track proves, some of the tunes are raucous affairs that belie the lyrical content. A trapped miner reflects on his life and the people who meant so much to him. One of the standout tracks, ‘You In My World’, has been chosen as the second single and has a miner’s view of how he would change if he gets out of this alive. The trauma doesn’t stop with rescue. Waking up in the dark, wondering where you are, fear of it happening again and survivor’s guilt. It is all covered so eloquently and benefits from an uninterrupted, concentrated listening experience. The music flows well, and the band has produced not just a credible concept album but an exceptional tribute one. (7/10)
Finally, we come to the impressive “Now Things Ain’t Coloured Rose” from Melbourne’s Team Love. Ruby McGrath-Lester’s vocals have a laid-back quality to them that fans of Katie Crutchfield (Waxahatchee) will really appreciate. Straight out of the gate, ‘Tomorrow Is A New Day’ sets the tone for the whole set. The band had twenty-six songs going into the studio, many of which were written during the pandemic. Trimming the original sheaf of writing down to the ones that made the final eleven can’t have been easy. The first single, ‘Winter’, is a pulsating country-rock song with everyone having a part to play. The guitar entrance at the beginning is worth the entrance fee alone. McGrath-Lester ‘s voice soars in the chorus delivery, “I made plans / But there’s no use waiting for the winter now / It’s just another season to remain unfound”. ‘Good Thing Get Me Down’ is such a self-deprecating ode to herself, that part of all of us when we feel things are too good to be true or going too well. The song has a tenacious groove that takes you along with the narrative; it is simply wonderful. Shaun Stolk takes over vocal duties in the midsection of the collection to sing the beautiful ‘Bones’. Similar in feeling to M J Lenderman’s ‘Pianos’, it is a slow, layered affair with a mournful harmonica in the background. A song about not revealing the skeletons that exist in your life. Wasn’t it Counting Crows’ Adam Duritz who sang, “There is a skeleton in every man’s house”? ‘No Longer Your Birthday’ is a track about loneliness and being on the outside of everything. Set to a waltz, McGrath-Lester sings, “I know a party would be more than I could handle / and I couldn’t think of a list of guests that I could ring / I could make a wish for a better way / But it’s no longer my birthday”. The whole thing is marvellous, forlorn as our subject twirls magnificently on her own. At least Lesley Gore got her party, even if it meant crying all the way through. The record ends with ‘Young’, which includes the words used for the overall title “I’m feeling stronger / Now things ain’t coloured rose.” Young and impressionable, taking other people’s opinions at face value, wearing your rose-tinted spectacles and then learning you have value. It’s an optimistic conclusion. Ruby Cattell adds a wonderful violin piece, which musically and mood-wise fits perfectly, adding another special moment to what is one of the year’s best albums. (9/10)
