Trusty Chords

If you were to ask me my opinion on the greatest Australian bands of all time, The Fauves would be found pretty close to the pointy end of things.  I’m sure I’m not alone in that assertion either, after all, they’ve been around for 36 years now, constantly and consistently performing as one of the country’s most underrated and underappreciated groups. You won’t be finding them performing headline dates in arenas, and you won’t often find their albums on the ARIA charts, but their songwriting is impeccable, their hooks unmatchable, their live shows astounding, and their self-aware humour is as self-deprecating as it comes. For casual fans, The Fauves are probably best known for songs like ‘Dogs Are The Best People’ and ‘Self Abuser’ from their 1996 album ‘Future Spa’, which was nominated for Best Adult Alternative Album at the ARIA Awards in 1997. For fans, their back catalogue is a rich one full of 13 albums, EPs, singles, and B-sides that are better than most band’s hits.  For me, The Fauves are a band I could talk about for hours and never even begin to scratch the surface of what makes them one of the greatest Australian bands of all time. Luckily, this week I was able to talk to someone else who knows The Fauves quite well; guitarist and vocalist Andrew Cox.  Why was I talking to Coxy? Well, The Fauves are currently on the road with Custard in support of their latest album, ‘Tropical Strength’, which arrived earlier this month. It’s a stellar record full of the classic Fauves songwriting and musicianship which makes you evoke lyrics from one of their earlier tracks as you say, “crank it up, I really like this bit; fuck that riff sounds really sick”. Anyway, I strongly urge you to check out The Fauves’ ‘Tropical Strength’ while you’re reading through old copies of their ‘Shred’ magazine, grab a ticket to see them live, and once you’re done giving that a spin, have a listen to our chat, and I’ll see you at the end of the episode for some general housekeeping.

I don’t know about you, but when I try to describe Andy Bull, I have a hard time. After all, to simply call him a musician feels like it’s not going far enough.  Sure, he’s released a handful of EPs and albums over the years (including 2014’s ‘Sea Of Approval’) and he’s shared plenty of wonderful songs, such as 'Dog' (with Lisa Mitchell), 'Baby I Am Nobody Now', 'Talk Too Much', and much more, but it feels like he’s a little more accomplished than just a regular artist. Then again, he’s also won an Encouragement Award at the 2014 Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition for ‘Baby I Am Nobody Now’, he’s been nominated for four ARIA Awards, and his work on Netflix children’s musical ‘Beatbugs’ has won seven US Daytime Emmy Awards. Still, it feels like he goes beyond that scope. He’s also a stellar performer, and he’s a relentless creative as well. In fact, that creativity has recently manifested a new record by way of ‘Collapse In Bliss’. It's full of that soulful, introspective pop sound he's known for, but it's a gorgeous release. Add in the fact he made it over the course of 40 nights this year, and that it's a wholly solo endeavour (save for a resurfaced demo penned by Andy and late Deep Sea Arcade musician Nick Weaver), and you’ve got a record you can’t go past. So maybe when I say that Andy Bull feels hard to describe, well you can probably see where I’m coming from. So I decided to put it to Andy, largely since he’s my guest on the podcast this week. As always, it was a wonderful chat, though by his own admission, he wasn’t being ironic when he penned that song ‘Talk Too Much’. Anyway, I strongly urge you to check out Andy Bull’s ‘Collapse In Bliss’ album, and once you’re done giving that a spin, have a listen to our chat, and I’ll see you at the end of the episode for some general housekeeping.

For lovers of Australian music, the name Jamie Hutchings would be a familiar one.  Most notably, he’s known as the frontman of Sydney rock outfit Bluebottle Kiss, who lasted for 14 years and issued a raft of amazing records before their split in 2007. They’ve been called “Arguably Australia's most idiosyncratic guitar band,” and their music is arguably not as marketable as critics would like it to be, but Jamie isn’t exactly someone who puts that high on his list of priorities. Since Bluebottle Kiss split, he’s continued with a number of projects, including a solo career, work with Infinity Broke, The Tall Grass, and more. When you put it to Jamie, he’s relatively humble, but prolific doesn’t begin to cut it. Just a couple of years ago, the local music world welcomed Bluebottle Kiss back into the world with open arms, with a series of reunion shows taking place around the country. As someone who was at their Melbourne show, I can tell you now that it was a wonderful experience I’d recommend to anyone. This week, Bluebottle Kiss hit the road to launch a brief tour with Brisbane’s own Screamfeeder, playing shows in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. If I were you, I’d head along, but that’s just me talking out loud. Anyway, Jamie Hutchings is my guest this week, so I strongly urge you to check out the band’s impressive back catalogue, buy a ticket to their shows, and once you’re done doing that, have a listen to our chat, and I’ll see you at the end of the episode for some general housekeeping.

If you’re someone with a fondness for indie music, then the chances are good that your life has been touched in some way by Mac McCaughan. On one hand, he’s known as the vocalist for the likes of North Carolina band Superchunk, whose very output feels like the blueprint for any aspiring indie rock band of the ‘90s. Then, he’s been the head of groups like Portastatic, and played in the likes of Bricks, Seam, Go Back Snowball, and much, much more. However, if none of those names seem familiar, then you might know Mac because of his role as a co-founder of the great Merge Records alongside Superchunk bandmate Laura Ballance. Together, they helped make Merge into one of the greatest record labels to have ever existed. I can’t even begin to tell you how many iconic bands are part of the Merge stable.  Arcade Fire, Caribou, Lambchop, The Magnetic Fields, the Mountain Goats, Spoon, Sugar, Archers Of Loaf, and the great Neutral Milk Hotel. I'm not even scratching the surface here, by the way.  In fact, one of the greatest live experiences I've ever had was a Merge records lineup, when M. Ward and Superchunk performed in Melbourne in support of Neutral Milk Hotel. I'll never forget that night as long as I live. On that topic though, this December sees Superchunk returning to Australia for the first time since that aforementioned tour back in 2013, and celebrating 30 years of the ‘Foolish’ album. Since that last tour, they’ve released records like ‘What A Time To Be Alive’, and ‘Wild Loneliness’, and needless to say, fans like me couldn't be more excited to see them on our shores again. If you can’t tell, the wonderful Mac McCaughan is my guest this week, and I’m immensely grateful to be able to say that sentence. Anyway, check out Superchunk’s ‘Wild Loneliness’ as a reminder of their recent efforts (then check out their wider discography), grab a ticket to catch them live, and once you’re done, have a listen to our chat, and I’ll see you at the end of the episode for some general housekeeping.