Elbury

Divergence is the latest EP from Brisbane composer and producer Sepia Blue – a solo project from Brisbane’s Tom Beith (a former Elbury bassist and the major creative force behind studio project Soul Wide Open – along with a host of other creative collabs). As Sepia Blue, Tom has been incredibly prolific, releasing 13 EPs in just under two years!  All are available on Bandcamp and well worth a listen!  

Opener Echoes of the Sun combines a mid-tempo groove on the bass with a violin line and a joyful, cascading synth melody. An uplifting combination of sounds but tinged with a slight sadness – a good match for the yearning lyrics (“Shall I wish upon a star? My hopes and dreams rest where you are”). The synth/bass groove brought The Cure’s Close To Me immediately to mind and I was very happy with where we were at! 

Sepia Blue tunes are often bass-driven, with layers of synth woven around. On Divergence, this approach is refreshed with a range of orchestral instruments. These organic sounds (strings and horns and the like), add variety and expression and it’s a great development for the project.

Classical compositional techniques are deftly applied throughout – an example in Echoes being the reappearance of the synth theme (on delay-soaked violins) later in the song. This is more than just “texture” – expressive melodies and themes rise and fall, lurking and circling. Diverse instrumentation draws these additions out into the open and gives them their own space.

Track 2 Sertraline is more sombre – ominous, shifting synths and a brittle, glassy glockenspiel are walled in by looping piano arpeggios and strained strings. The result is bleak and tense – a sort of “everyday despair”. The strings lend an R.E.M. flavour (Automatic For The People era) which is a great place for a sombre song to land. 

Track 3 Eras pairs odd step-downs in the brass section against an Eastern-flavoured theme. The tom rolls through the chorus section are a nice addition, injecting rhythmic energy, and these perhaps highlight some future opportunities in diversifying the drum part (tuned percussion, perhaps?!).

Closer Ocean of Dreams is a bit of a surprise – opening with a simple guitar two-chord progression that would not be out of place on Nirvana Unplugged. Vocals – in lyrics and melody – also fit this mood, and it’s a pleasure really! Tom released a Nirvana cover a few years back (possibly under Soul Wide Open), so this is clearly an influence that he has been happy to own. This time around, the addition of orchestral counterpoint transforms the song into something new and different. 

I have not managed to keep up with the pace of the Sepia Blue catalogue but have been inspired to play catch-up over the next little while and track the development of this unique and engaging artist. Check out Divergence and get on board!

A Brief Smile is Peter Turk’s 3^rd album and, from what I can see, the first time that he has worked with a producer – Joel Myles, of Head Atlas, who also contributes a range of instrumental textures including electric guitar, synth and backing vocals). The result is something special – well-crafted songs, replete with insight, observation and reflection,  set to arrangements that are deliberate and restrained – drawing out the beauty at the heart of each work. I was impressed and happily had it on repeat for a couple of weeks!

Good songwriting strikes a balance between sharing personal insights and maintaining some mystery. Revealing and concealing in the right quantities to draw the listener in, without giving everything away. After a bit of time with A Brief Smile, I am struck in the first place by the careful line that is walked between over- and under-sharing, and the listenability (and re-listenability) that this creates.  Time and again I found myself caught on a lyric (or fragment), wondering about the intended meaning and injecting my own experiences into the gaps. There are heavy themes here – dementia and religious disillusionment to guess  at a couple – but the more mundane observations around struggling with small-talk or being judged superficially probably hit harder still. 

Lyrically, the strongest tracks are openly self-reflective – they are open and human, as the writer observes his own quirks, hang-ups and flaws. Woven through, the repeated references to dreaming, authority and control, and multiple “selves” build an ominous tone and cast uncertainty over everything. Is this real or imaginary? Literal or figurative?  And this uncertainty kept me coming back for another listen.

Musically, there is so much beautiful, careful arrangement supporting the songs.  Watery fragments of electric guitar and piano; whispers and calls from synths and strings; the occasional gritty guitar or vocal to sharpen the edges. I am struck by the restraint – the deliberate use of one or two effective coutermelodies rather than layers and layers of sound. The result is compositional, almost classical at times, and it serves the songs very well.

Stand out tracks for me are Where You Roam, indie-rocker The Impostor and Surface – the latter kicking off with a beautiful acoustic guitar, only to be transformed at the halfway mark by a dramatic, slow-plod beat and a soaring vocal through the chorus. Peter’s voice is great throughout – I’ve made a comparison to Brian Molko before but, for this album, something like Death Cab For Cutie seemed like a closer fit. Clear, strong and articulate – a storyteller’s voice and perfect for this kind of folk-rock.

From a brief look on socials, Peter and Joel are back in the studio, so here’s hoping for another album! Stream and then purchase on Bandcamp and give him a like on Facebook!

“Measure Once, Cut Twice” is the debut album from Brisbane piano-guitar duo, Treehouse Letters. Ten tracks of beauty, sadness, hope and yearning; the mostly unadorned guitar-piano arrangements leave these feelings unmuted and close to the surface.

Treehouse Letters is Dominic Pinzone (guitar and vocals) and Ethan Butler (piano and vocals). A dig through Spotify reveals a 2019 self-titled EP, and the band have released two advance tracks from the album – Wake Up Mary in August and Fall to the Ground in November, via a delightful hand-drawn animated music video.

This is a great place to start – Fall to the Ground opens the album, perfectly expressing a complex “resigned-but-still-hopeful-sadness” in the opening piano phrase. The band claim Bob Dylan and Paul Kelly as influences but, for me, the shape of the verse melodies and the richness of the lead vocal bring Elton John to mind, in the best way. Lyrically ambiguous but allusions to death and burial bring a slight chill, as the song reveals itself. These themes reappear, and more overtly, later in the album (the beautifully harmonised, spiritual-tinged Be Here Now) but whether death is the literal subject or a metaphor is a puzzle I haven’t cracked yet (nor the meaning of the album title, for that matter).

I’m a bit obsessed with the second spot in a track listing – the position of choice for so many sleeper hits (Counting Crows – Omaha, R.E.M. – Try Not to Breathe, Radiohead – The Bends… I could go on.). Which is why a slow-burn piano instrumental (Is Your Affliction Dear to You?) is such a brave and interesting choice here. Taking the yearning of the first track to deeper levels, it becomes an overture for the album – almost a reset after the first track, allowing the listener a chance to get lost in reflection and the mental images that are conjured up (for me – a lazy afternoon, sunshine, nothing is wrong but vague dissatisfaction hangs).

Throughout the album, beautifully crafted light jazz piano interludes punctuate verses and choruses, and this is a real strength of the arrangements – lightening up the mood at times, where the song content goes into heavier or more thoughtful territory. It’s a great balancing act – an emotional push-and-pull; light and shade that extends my appetite for the music. See Track 3 (Lovely) for a case in point but there are lots of great examples.

In the fairly infrequent moments when there is obvious use of layering, this is again thoughtfully and effectively done (Lovely – again – and Track 8 How Do You Like It? are good examples). I’m torn on this – I would like to hear more layers of voices and instruments and a “bigger” sound but the simple arrangement is central to what works about the album. Another balancing act, and again they have struck a good mix.

Other quick shout-outs for lead single Wake Up Mary, with beautiful guest vocals from Brisbane singer Ebony Walker and country stomper Silver Town – probably my favourite but that’s a hard call. It’s got a great energy!

“Measure One, Cut Twice” lands Feb 20 on streaming platforms and you can (and should!) pre-save it now. Have a listen and look out for a show – Treehouse Letters are well worth a look.

Collies and Co. is a café in Samford Village (with resident Border Collie and puppies) who recently hosted a morning of original live music, as part of the Moreton Bay Live and Local project. We were lucky enough to catch Lucid Safari, a new reggae-rock project fronted by Brisbane musician Daniel J. Lewis.

Let’s start with the fourth song – Lady – which lands November 18 (pre-save now!) and is a good showcase of the genre-mix the guys have got going on. Here is my internal dialogue – “it is definitely reggae, unmistakably, but am I hearing hints of Pink Floyd (Live at Pompeii era)?? Hold that thought – is it Ocean Alley? Sticky Fingers?” It’s a great combination of all these things – as advertised, Lucid Safari deliver a costal-reggae-vibe that is all their own.

Till the End takes the second spot on the set list delivering a smooth, driving reggae feel and I am there with them – cruising in a top-down convertible! Flickering Lights and Liquid Dreams roll into each other with Dan and guitarist Braeden Hall (who joined the band two days prior – you wouldn’t know it!) stacking the Stratocaster tones, as they wrap rhythm and counter-melody around the classic off-beat grooves. Drummer DJ brings home Liquid Dreams with an all-out punk beat and, before I know it, we’re into a slick cover of Arctic Monkeys’ Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High? (with a reggae twist).

Later in the set, Always On My Mind, takes a slower approach before Sunshine and Fever Dream pick it up again. By now, I’m settled in – no more analysis and comparison – just enjoying the Lucid Safari show (but maybe some solid riff passages à la Osaka Punch through this section??).

I caught up with frontman Dan after the set and realised what I’d just heard was his heart and soul – the sound he wants to be known for. Following an epiphany in the spring of 2019, Dan honed in on this idea.  He wrote set-opener – Walking Free – the very next day (and the rest is history!).

Today at Collies and Co. Dan and Braeden are joined by DJ and bass man Shane Kumar (also a new arrival). DJ keeps it impeccably “in the pocket” and Shane reinforces the low-end with confident, inventive bass lines, beautifully locked into the rhythm.

Their penultimate song is a confident cover of Ocean Alley’s Confidence, before original tune Delirium – the title track of their forthcoming EP (coming early ’22).

In between each song Dan keeps you engaged; Shane and DJ always in the pocket (oh I already mentioned that, well damn it needs to be said again) and Braeden only two days old in the Lucid Safari world; this is obviously a well-oiled machine and well worth a place on your list of local bands to see. Their website proclaims “bringing good vibes, immersive grooves and catchy hooks, Lucid Safari has the crowd in-step to their offbeat flow” and we can heartily endorse this message.