You know what everyone says that the weekend starts here (Friday night)…well it’s almost right. Tonight, and for most of next week, live via New Zealand, we are going to explore some of the antipodean bands that I have become quite attached too. Sunday is a little messed up as we still have the lunchtime KLF post and then I’ve programmed an evening with Ladytron, but Monday is back to the pounding surf along the beaches of Australia continuing through to a Saturday night climax…yeah, don’t be getting too excited, I don’t mean that literally. Aussie bands haven’t really oozed as much high risk sex appeal before or since Saturday’s offering.
Split Enz found their place in the new down under new wave with True Colours, shedding the eccentricities and excesses of their past in favour of bright, highly memorable, Beatlesque pop. The album also marked Neil Finn's emergence as a great song craftsman; his infectious "I Got You" helped to push the album and the band to international success. I downloaded the album on the strength of the single "I Got You" which in one respect is unfortunate; that track opens True Colours and the band never quite manage to attain that level again but their brand of spiky pop does provide some other highlights. I know before True Colours the band had released a number of strange, almost experimental albums and this bridged the gap into a more lucrative market. But traces of that experimentation remain - particularly in the two instrumental tracks; "The Choral Sea" and "Double Happy". But when you can write shimmering pop gems like "Nobody Takes Me Seriously", "What's The Matter With You", "How Can I Resist Her" and "I Wouldn't Dream Of It" then it can't be all bad. Both the single and the album stand as high points of the new down under new wave era. As part of its marketing, the album was released in several different coloured covers with laser-etched vinyl. Kewl!
If you are anyway interested in the pure pop genius of Neil Finn or Crowded House take a step backwards in time to a previous incarnation as Split Enz. The brothers Finn are still together on True Colours although the difference in their musical styles is strikingly evident: Neil is classic pop; Tim is edgy, quirky rock.