FOOLS PARADISE

I'd never heard of these guys before I saw them listed here - and days later, stumbled across their album at Vicious Sloth Collectables (for $1000! - I went away to think about it, then found a secondhand CD copy on the web for $40, funnily enough on Vicious Sloth's imprint). It's almost impossible to find any information on these guys other than what appears here, even on the more comprehensive resources on Australian music. And they are so unique within the Australian scene. Their songwriting skills are strong, whether on the shorter poppier tracks that fill the first side or the title epic that fills the second side. The arrangements are wonderful, the interplay between the two guitars, and the variety of additional instruments Peter Madden plays, always the right sound at the right time, with a great contribution from their guest rhythm section. The childrens choir that opens the title track is not the best choir I've ever heard - very breathy tone - but at least they're in tune, even when singing tritones. The standout tracks for me are "Wind At Eve", "O'Weary Brain", and the sidelong title track.