Between Last Night & Us / The Audreys
Source: The Herald Sun, 2006 The sound has all the hallmarks of Nashville and Kentucky, but The Audreys are in fact proudly Adelaide, with a strong Melbourne connection as well, thanks to solid gigging in clubs and cafes. The three years between the bands formation and this classy, confident and radiant debut album have been well-spent. Brothers Tristan and Cam Goodall (guitars, banjo) and Mikey G (violin, mandolin) have created an empathetic, almost telepathic relationship in which the individual instruments slip and slide in and out of focus to create a multi-layered sound that sounds deceptively simple. Much of the credit for this must go to producer Shane O'Mara, whose previous work has been with Lisa Miller, Tim Rogers and Stephen Cummings. In his hands, singer Taasha Coates' exquisite, robust voice and clear enunciation sit richly in the mix, allowing her to sound rather like Neko Case or Michelle Shocked. The fact that Coates has contributed to the album's clever lyrics does no harm, either. There's a certain sassiness as she tartly observes "there's nothing wrong with me, maybe there's something wrong with you" in one song, while she hints she may well know the answers to the questions raised in Where Are You Now?: "Are you in some bar, drinking for two, I'm sorry baby if it was all too much for you." There's enough variety here to keep this album fresh and steaming. On Long Ride, Cam Goodall steps in to provide a sombre, breathy duet with Coates. On Oh Honey, the mounting sexual frustration implied by Taasha's repeated plea "don't you do that thing to me" is matched, notch by notch, by a slow building of visceral drums and grinding guitars. If the bouyant mood slips towards the end on the sombre Susanne and Come on In, it's saved by a conversation-stopping violin and banjo version of INXS' Don't Change. For this band, it's good advice indeed. |
|
 |
