I make an effort every month to buy at least 2 albums by Aussie artists on "spec". ie based on a review in the JB Hi Fi mag or from Noel Mengel in the Courier-Mail.
The standout releases for me over the last few months have been the Huckleberry Swedes "Suburban Dreaming" and Suzannah Espie "The First & Last Hotel". Espie has been around for a while and has another album to her credit and was previously a member of Git. If you love hearing soul/blues ala Renee Geyer I think it will appeal.
The Swedes album was produced by Jim Moginie from the Oils - which is what first drew my attention. This review best sums up the Cd:
A lot of people like to say that there are no new sounds in the music industry today, however that simply isn’t true. Adelaide five piece Huckleberry Swedes have a unique sound that even has rock historian Glen A Baker excited. These guys take the old Motown blues sound and mix it with a fair whack of soul and alternative country, and the result is ‘Suburban Dreaming’ an album that sounds so sweet that you will have it one repeat for days. There simply isn’t a bad track on this album and from the opening bars of ‘Dust Storms Falling’ you know you are onto something special. The sound of soul and country mixed in together hits you straight away and it sounds great. Troy Loakes’s vocals sound terrific on ‘Will My Heart Stay On Track’ and the poppier rock sound of ‘Small Cage Big Land’ instantly reminds you of Paul Kelly. The variety of sound to be found here is there for to see with ‘We Farm Our Love’ which has a Brit-rock sound to it and then that is followed up by ‘My Luck Is Changing’ which sounds like it hails from American’s Mid-West. It doesn’t matter whether Huckleberry Swedes are doing folk (on ‘The Rise And The Fall’), sweet rock (like on ‘Somewhere By Sundown’) or country (‘Wild Peach Pie’, ‘Hair Trigger’ and ‘Cast A Line) they remember to include sweet melodies and amazing lyrics that make this one memorable album indeed. ‘Suburban Dreaming’ is a stunning album by an amazing band whose sound will see them go a long way.
Sam Fell - Tsunami Magazine 25 May '09
