theredsunband The Shiralee by: Dan Osmolowski Tue:08-Jul-08 Label: Enchanted Year: 2008 WB rating 79 out of 100

In D’Arcy Niland’s classic Australian novel, The Shiralee, Swagman Macauley’s daughter, Buster, exists as a burden on his nomadic lifestyle. He returns from the bush to find that his wife has ‘moved on’ so he takes his little girl and hits the road. To cut a long story short, the odd couple take some time and their share of bonding experiences to finally appreciate each other to the fullest extent. Sydney’s theredsunband have crafted an album that shares a similarly turgid relationship with the listener and it’s not quite clear (yet) whether it all ends with a knowing nod of the head or a searching scratch of the scalp.

I’d like to think it’s the former outcome that rings true with The Shiralee but, honestly (and for the first time for me), I really can’t commit. theredsunband have stood on that cusp of popularity since their 2004 debut, Peapod; high rotation on Australian ‘youth’ radio meant a slew of support slots and opportunities to tour the country. There was a buzz about the band, as you would expect when you open for the likes of Cat Power, Blonde Redhead, and legends Sonic Youth. Truth be told though, I saw them support Gaslight Radio and Art Of Fighting and they were truly awful on both occasions. They seemed to be playing a musical amalgam where one song was indistinguishable from the next: all drone and no dynamics. It was a shame that my early impressions of this young band were formed based on those unfortunate experiences, because album number two is certainly a step in the right direction.

Produced by Dean Dirt (Magic Dirt) and mixed by Australian luminary Tim Whitten, The Shiralee sounds big and drips with atmosphere. Even during the album’s less urgent moments, there is no breathing space: the guitars are resonant, keyboards are warm and even the delicacy of a sleigh bell seems to fill the most cavernous void. For a record produced with private funds and the money from a songwriting grant, it puts many major label funded releases to shame. Without the need to place theredsunband’s sound into a particular category, their influences paint a fairly descriptive picture: My Bloody Valentine, Polly Jean Harvey, Chan Marshall and Mazzy Star are all signposted by the band themselves and they all ring true.

Theirs is a dark and dense sound that is best suited to the midnight hour. Indeed, if bands had to pick a theme tune, this three-piece would have to opt for ‘It’s So Heavy’ with its funereal pace and bleak lyrics. “It’s so heavy,” sings the breathy Sarah Kelly, “It’s baggage weighing on me/I’m dragging my feet along the ground/It’s so heavy/That I look down/It’s so heavy/That I can’t see the light it shone”; there’s not a lot of joy to be found on The Shiralee,

(Pause… take a night off… listen to the album a few more times)

But while initial listens can render the album seemingly impenetrable, with patience it reveals some fine subtleties. There is nothing complex or groundbreaking about the musicianship on display, nor with Sarah Kelly’s voice, which is probably the major sticking point on the record. It can, at times, display a fairly monotonous quality and if the songs were not so judiciously cropped at a radio-friendly length (the longest comes in at a touch over four minutes) it would grow tiresome and draining. The reverb on her voice lessens the importance of the words she lets float off her tongue and it reaches a point on the album’s slower numbers that you desire a rawer, more guttural approach to the vocal production. During the climactic title track and on album closer, ‘Lonely Children’, things ramp up to boiling point but the music is somewhat held back by a reticence to allow the natural power of her voice to shine. Whether this was a conscious stylistic choice or a lack of confidence on Kelly’s behalf is a question worth posing. What is clear is that on her standout vocal moments (the catchy ‘Like An Arrow’, ‘The Shiralee’ and the country flavoured ‘Steer Your Helm Away’) she is allowed to sing, more or less, unfettered.

What The Shiralee does do is provide a continuity from song to song; the band are concerned with weaving a narrative and creating a journey. Sarah Kelly is a solid lyricist without being pretentious, the material is fairly straightforward relationship fare but with an interesting gothic tinge. Where she does deviate from the expected, Kelly shows a neat turn of phrase, like on ‘Lonely Children’: “Heaven help me/Lonely children/Set them free in un-imaginaries”. It is unfortunate that the presence of a cover of Smog’s ‘Bathysphere’ serves to highlight that Kelly has still has some ways to go as a lyricist – then again, the music world doesn’t throw up too many scribes of the calibre of Bill Callahan.

Not withstanding this, it is a brilliant cover; built on feedback and vocal rhythms, Kelly comes in sounding like a mix of Harvey and Marshall (who also covered the track) before the tension builds to a full band stomp. The ‘poppier’ tracks that fill the front end of The Shiralee, ‘Like An Arrow’, ‘Heart Breaker’ and ‘Steer Your Helm Away’ are all memorable and show a keen awareness of melody and crafting a song that stays with you after only a few listens. ‘It’s So Heavy’ is another highlight. It is majestic and possesses a genuine emotive pull as it lumbers under its own weight, seemingly suspended in a thick musical fog.

The album’s centrepiece lies with the title track and its climactic take on Niland’s bush tale; the guitar/bass/organ combination is at full strength and the band sound confident and comfortable with their own craft. All the stars align for the Sydney outfit on this occasion and Kelly’s lyricism and delivery provide a fine canvas: “I was the shiralee/Always following/Always discontent/Always hollering/So what did I do when I was lonely/But turn back to you/To die in your arms”.

Despite some rather obvious influences, theredsunband do well on The Shiralee to play music with conviction, passion and a keen perception for the desire of the music lover to be treated to a holistic listening experience. They are the sort of band that will garner a good local audience and hopefully produce album number three with the help of some major label money. After some early misgivings, I hear an album that honestly won’t set the bloggers’ world on fire or give the tastemaker glitterati goose bumps. But, for this listener, it is one of a few mid-year favourites and one that points to brighter things to come.

Oh, and my rating. 79.