Release
'Love Songs For Lonely People' marks the first-ever solo album from former Cockroaches frontman and industry icon Paul Field.Field began the project at the start of 2020, where he recorded the vocals for ‘Valentine’s Day’ in Brisbane. Before international travel was stopped, he travelled to Nashville to directed and film the video for the track. After concluding he wanted a duet partner for the song, he called his good mate Kasey Chambers where she added her iconic vocal stylising, emotionally rich vocal tones and elevating the song to a new level. After recording her vocals she said to Paul, “I hope I didn’t fu#k it up”, Paul laughed and said, “You’ve got to be kidding me. It’s sublime!".‘Love Songs For Lonely People’ is a combination of new originals and covers of songs special to him. “Some of these songs I’ve been singing since I was a teenager. The common element with all of these songs is that I love them, and it was always a desire to record them one day” says Paul.Featured on the album are friends Jimmy Barnes, Ria Pirelli, Chris E Thomas and Elly-May Barnes. Featured on all tracks playing the guitar is Bill Chambers. The majority of ‘Love Songs For Lonely People’ was recorded at Jimmy Barnes own studio in Sydney and is co-produced by Paul’s brother John, who wrote and co-wrote some of the biggest hits for The Cockroaches and The Wiggles and co-wrote ‘This Way to Love and Happiness’ & ‘Alison (You’re The One)’.Tracklist1. THIS WAY TO LOVE AND HAPPINESS (John Field, Paul Field)2. YOU AIN’T GOING NOWHERE Featuring Jimmy Barnes (Bob Dylan)3. SLEEPLESS NIGHTS Featuring Ria Pirelli (Felice Bryant, Boudleaux Bryant)4. VALENTINE’S DAY Featuring Kasey Chambers (Sean Sennett)5. GASOLINE AND MATCHES Featuring Chris E Thomas (Buddy Miller, Julie Miller)6. THEY REMIND ME TOO MUCH OF YOU (Don Robertson)7. TOMORROW IS A LONG TIME Featuring Elly-May Barnes (Bob Dylan)8. KISS HER FOR ME (Frankie Miller)9. WHEN YOU WALK IN THE ROOM (Jackie De Shannon)10. FACTORY GIRL (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards)11. ALISON (YOU’RE THE ONE) (John Field, Paul Field)12. YOU DON’T KNOW ME (Cindy Walker, Eddy Arnold)
Release
Finding improbable beauty in the more difficult aspects of love – transcendent moments of bliss giving way to overwhelming confusion, disappointment, and loss – two-time Golden Guitar-winning songsmith Andrew Swift delivers a stunning document of heartache with expansive sophomore album The Art of Letting Go.Produced by the inimitable Matt Fell (Sara Storer, Shane Nicholson, Fanny Lumsden), The Art of Letting Go found Swift partnering with a host of songwriting luminaries, from the Wolfe Brothers, to Phil Barton (Lee Brice, Eli Young Band), Sinead Burgess, Jay O’Shea, Margaret Valentine, Brian Maher (Taylor Swift), and Kevin Mac (George Jones, Zac Brown Band).Joining Swift on the album was a host of stellar players drawn from both Australia and Nashville: Josh Schuberth (Josh Pyke) on drums, Matt Fell, Ollie Thorpe on guitar, Tim Crouch (Alan Jackson, Jim Lauderdale) on fiddle, mandolin, and banjo; Rob McNelly (Miranda Lambert) on lead guitar, Sam Hawksley (Adam Brand), Pete Cornelius, Dan Biederman (Adam Eckersley Band), Andy Schrav, and Will Kimbrough (Emmylou Harris) on mandolin.The Art of Letting Go finds Swift deploying an array of rich sonic textures, building on and expanding the sounds that made incomparable debut Call Out for the Cavalry a breakout success.The Art of Letting Go finds Andrew Swift at the peak of his powers. Showcasing the singer’s soaring vocal, ‘Courting Calamity’ is carried on an updraft of swelling heartland rock guitars, as Swift courts disaster in the arms of a dangerous yet irresistible new love. The soulful ‘Never Meant to Break Your Heart’ charts the exquisite agony of romantic regret, before ‘Head Full of Honey’ offers up an earthy, rollicking ode to lovesickness peppered with mandolin and fiddle.The beating heart of the album, title track ‘The Art of Letting Go’ is a glorious, heartworn torch song, while there’s an irresistible locomotive country-pop jaunt in ‘Right On Down’, a delicate hymn to the healing power of friendship in times of trouble in ‘One Breath at a Time’, and a stoned and booze-addled waltz in the languorous ‘She Loves to Get High’.Glorious country-pop tune ‘Say the Word’ (Featuring Cass Hopetoun) couples summery sounds with illicit longing, setting the stage for soulful, slinky love song ‘Good Kind of Giving In’. ‘Taking the Blame’ is a heartsick, world-weary sway, before Swift reflects on the challenges of the past year in the meditative ‘Holding My Tongue’.A powerful document of love, longing, and loss, The Art of Letting Go is Andrew Swift at his evocative, expressive best.
Release
The Song Club’ is the debut album from Felicity Urquhart and Josh Cunningham. From a year that many would have gladly sent back for a refund, a joy bringing, spirit lifting collection of songs emerged as a reminder that even in the darkest of times, the light of music and love can never be extinguished.in January 2020, Felicity and Josh were invited to join Song Club - a creative collective that tasked members with writing a song a week. This challenge gave the pair a lifeline to creativity and community as well as an abundance of new material.Nine of the eleven tracks on ‘The Song Club’ LP were written as weekly ‘Song Club’ compositions. Resulting in an album of simple beauty, true to life narrative and music that celebrates the stories the songs tell.Josh (as a member of The Waifs), and Felicity in her own right, have both enjoyed lengthy, successful, enduring musical careers. A collective haul of Golden Guitars, ARIA Awards, multi-platinum album sales and extensive touring over nearly three decades forms a body of work that serves as a ready definition of success.A from the heart connection to music has been a constant for each, from the moment its’ power captivated them at an early age and set the course for their lives.The fact that all the songs were written, performed, recorded and produced by Josh and Felicity seems a fitting element to this deeply intimate work that was mixed by James Newhouse and mastered by William Bowden.'The Song Club' features eleven songs that speak of new beginnings, new journeys, new horizons, and a sense of freedom and flight.Track Listing:1. Seasons (J.Cunningham)2. Spare Parts (J.Cunningham)3. Wanna Go There (F.Urquhart/J.Cunningham)4. Open Sea(J.Cunningham)5. No Such Luck (J.Cunningham)6. Rain Fall (J.Cunningham)7. Catching A Feeling (J.Cunningham)8. Flying (F.Urquhart/J Cunningham)9. At Your Table (J.Cunningham)10. Hopeless and Good (F.Urquhart)11. A Year To Remember(J.Cunningham)
Release
Drawing profound inspiration from his identity as a Torres Strait Islander and celebrating the cultural traditions and natural rhythms of his island homeland, rising star singer-songwriter and musician Chris Tamwoy delivers a captivating self-portrait with debut studio album Reality Is.Recorded at Queensland’s storied Yama-Nui Studio and produced by the ARIA Award-winning Paulie “Paulie B” Bromley (Ash Grunwald, Katie Noonan), Reality Is showcases Tamwoy’ssignature virtuosic guitar-tap style, and boasts a suite of mesmerising vocal performances delivered in a mix Eastern and Western Torres Strait Islander language, Creole, and English.“My whole album is based on the reality of life,” Tamwoy relates. “It’s about me and who I am: it’s me as an individual covering every inch, every aspect of who I am as a Torres Strait Islander. I wanted to bring in my identity and the clans I originate from in the Torres Strait.”The 2020 single ‘Kulba Yaday’, featuring the incomparable Christine Anu, refers to “old talk”: a celebration of Torres Strait Islander culture and the passing down of knowledge between generations, is a mesmerising entry carried by transcendental vocal harmonies. “I’m very driven by my elders passing down information and keeping traditional culture alive from generation to generation,” Tamwoy explains. “I’ve been able to apply teachings from my elders to expressions of music and art. It’s a big influence in this album.”Sung in Anu’s mother’s language Kalaw Kawaw Ya, ‘Kulba Yaday’ is a song of profound importance to Tamwoy’s musical family. Anu herself has said of Tamwoy, “Chris Tamwoy should be celebrated for an individuality, his uniqueness! I am proud to call him a peer who will have a massive impact in the industry.”The album’s narrative songs are punctuated by a string of instrumentals that conjure the gently lapping wavelets of Tamwoy’s island country, and recall the likes of Xavier Rudd and John Butler: the richly resonant ‘Healing You’, frenetic album closer ‘LUV’, and the virtuosic ‘Waves’, with its hypnotic picking and tumbling rhythm, which is equal parts percussive and chiming with sweetness.Adding profound and very personal importance to Reality Is is the album’s cover art, which depicts a totemic shark, crocodile, and stingray bound together by a patterned circle.“Those three animals represent the three clans I’m from,” Tamwoy explains. “The crocodile sits to the left side, which represents my mother’s side, the shark sits to the right and represents my father’s side, and the stingray sits in the middle and is the clan animal for the Tamwoy clan.”Projecting Tamwoy’s powerful connection to culture and country, Reality Is is the songbook of a master musician and uniquely captivating songsmith. Teeming with arresting images and sounds drawn from the Torres Strait, it’s an unforgettable insight into the world of an enduring star on the rise.
Release
Inspired by the Songs Without Words of Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn, this trio of exquisite lyrical miniatures explores the relationship, in life and in music, between these two talented composers.The first of the three, ‘Ornamental’, references the double standard applied to the two gifted youngsters by their father, who declared that Felix could become a professional musician, but for Fanny, music could only ever be an ornament. The middle movement, ‘Lied’ (German for ‘song’), explores the close musical collaboration between Felix and Fanny, and the way in which their individual styles came to resemble each other. In both of these pieces, composer Anne Cawrse contrasts and brings together traditional stereotypes of masculine and feminine: strength and beauty, intellect and emotion, structure and decoration.The suite closes with ‘Swansong’, a reflection on aspects of loss in the story of Fanny and Felix: the struggle to be heard and understood, the disappointment of unfulfilled potential, and the sorrow felt at the death of a sibling – Felix, shattered by the loss of his beloved older sister, died less than six months later, aged 38Songs Without Words was commissioned by ABC Classic in 2020 as part of the ABC’s Fresh Start program.
Release
‘We’re All Fruit Salad!: The Wiggles’ Greatest Hits’ is the brand new, career-spanning compilation album from The Wiggles, released to celebrate the band’s 30th anniversary!The album is jam-packed with 40 iconic hits that have become part of the early childhood music canon. Unforgettable classics from across the band’s entire career including ‘Rock-A-Bye Your Bear’, ‘Hot Potato’, ‘Fruit Salad’, Toot Toot, Chugga Chugga Big Red Car’ and ‘Do the Propeller!’, as well as 7 brand new recordings that are exclusive to this album!Fans of The OG Wiggles (The ‘Original Guys’), will love reliving the soothing voice of Greg, scintillating guitar breaks from Murray, Jeff’s keyboard wizardry, and Anthony's commentary "What’s Next Greg?”, alongside their good friends; Dorothy the Dinosaur, Captain Feathersword, Wags the Dog and Henry the Octopus.The OGs started ‘cradle rock’, sold out Madison Square Garden 12 times and have created classics for children around the world! A few years later, Sam started Wiggling and the band kept rocking! In 2013, a whole new sound came along, when Emma, Lachy and Simon joined in on the fun!"This 30-year compilation is like looking back at a party that has been going for more than half my life”- Anthony Field (Blue Wiggle, Founding Member).This album is a celebration of The Wiggles music’s enduring appeal, and the band’s popularity with generations of families across the globe.30 years, yummy yummy!Track list:1. Get Ready to Wiggle (1993)2. Rock-a-Bye Your Bear (1993)3. Hot Potato (1994)4. Fruit Salad (1994)5. Dorothy the Dinosaur (1993)6. The Monkey Dance (1994)7. D.O.R.O.T.H.Y (My Favourite Dinosaur) (1994)8. Can You (Point Your Fingers and Do the Twist?) (1997)9. Romp Bomp a Stomp (1996)10. Go Santa Go! (1996)11. Toot Toot, Chugga Chugga, Big Red Car (1998)12. Captain Feathersword Fell Asleep On His Pirate Ship (Quack Quack) (1998)13. Food Food Food (Oh How I Love My Food) (1998)14. Here Come the Reindeer (2000)15. Wiggle Bay (2002)16. Anthony's Workshop (2003)17. Getting Strong! (2007)18. Follow the Leader (2007)19. Do the Propeller! (2013)20. I've Got My Glasses On! (2013)21. Ready, Steady, Wiggle! (2013)22. Say the Dance, Do the Dance (2013)23. Wake Up Lachy! (New 2021 version)24. Apples and Bananas (New 2021 version)25. Simon Says (2018)26. Who's in the Wiggle House? (2014)27. The Wonder of Wiggle Town (2016)28. Henry's Christmas Merengue (2017)29. Emma's Theme (New 2021 version)30. Welcome to the Lachy Wiggle Show (New 2021 version)31. I Went to the Library (2015)32. Hey, Wags! (2014)33. The Toilet Song (2018)34. Shirley Shawn the Unicorn (2018)35. Emma's Yellow Bow (New 2021 version)36. H.O.L.I.D.A.Y from ‘Wiggle Pop!’ (2018)37. Here Come The Wiggles from ‘Fun and Games!’ (2020)38. Handwashing Song from ‘Choo Choo Trains…’ (2020)39. Everybody Wiggle Along (2021)40. We're All Fruit Salad! (2021)
Release
Morgan England-Jones soprano • Acacia QuartetA musical tale of hope.The Night Parrot is one of the most elusive and mysterious birds in the world. Believed to be extinct for 100 years, this shy, nocturnal, ground-dwelling Australian parrot with its distinctive green and gold feathers was finally spotted in the wild, and a 56,000 hectare reserve has been created to protect and nurture the tiny remaining population.Setting a bush poetry-style text created by librettist Jeff Wells, composer Jessica Wells traces in music the story of the Night Parrot, and the quest to find it and bring it back from the edge of extinction: an exploration, she says, ‘of the human endeavour that had almost destroyed this little bird, but has now saved it.’ Her music evokes the vast and sparse outback environment that the Night Parrot inhabits; it examines the predators and dangers that threaten its existence; it takes us to Victorian England and the posh drawing rooms where stuffed birds were sent; it shows us the first time a bird was held in human hands for over 130 years; and finally, it reflects on the importance of the effort to preserve the species now and into the future.Performed by award-winning soprano Morgan England-Jones and the Acacia Quartet, this is a heartwarming and uplifting musical account of one of this country’s great stories. TRACKLISTING JESSICA WELLSThe Night ParrotI. PrologueII. Will-o-the-WispIII. Channel CountryIV. The Story of a Little BirdV. PredatorsVI. The Story of a Precious BirdVII. VictorianaVIII. The Story of Pezoporus occidentalisIX. Sundown in the Spinifex (Re-enactment)X. EpilogueXI. Reflection Morgan England-Jones sopranoAcacia QuartetLisa Stewart violinMyee Clohessy violinStefan Duwe violaAnna Martin-Scrase cello
Release
Featuring Jayson Gillham • Tamara-Anna Cislowska • Roger Woodward Eva Kupiec • Simon Tedeschi • Nat Bartsch • Sally Whitwell and many moreThe best Classical piano music to relax and unwind. Let the beauty of the piano carry you away to a world of blissful tranquillity and pure calm. This 5CD collection brings together soothing favourites by Ravel, Debussy, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Mendelssohn and so many more: Satie’s Gymnopédies, Beethoven’s Für Elise and Moonlight Sonata, Bach’s Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, Arvo Pärt’s Spiegel im Spiegel, Grieg’s Morning Mood from Peer Gynt, Sculthorpe’s Left Bank Waltz, as well as classics from the silver screen, including Amélie, Cinema Paradiso and East of Eden.Performed by Australia’s finest pianists, this is the perfect album for smoothing away the wrinkles of the day and enjoying the delights that only music can bring. Treat yourself! TRACKLISTING CD11 BLAKE The Snowman: Walking in the Air2 BARTSCH/HOWARD And Until Tomorrow3 BLAKE Berceuse4 KATS-CHERNIN Eliza Aria5 ALLAN The Dean Brig o’ Edinburgh6 AGNEW An Autumn Morning7 RAVEL Pavane for a Dead Princess8 FAURÉ Sicilienne9 BACH Sheep May Safely Graze10SATIE Gymnopédie No. 2 11MOZART Variation No. 5 on Willem van Nassau12ALBINONI Oboe Concerto in D minor: Adagio13CHOPIN Waltz in A-flat major, Op. 69 No. 114POULENC Novelette in C major15GRAINGER Bridal Lullaby16BEETHOVEN Piano Sonata No. 25: Andante17TCHAIKOVSKY Mamma18TRAD The Cliffs of Moher19BLAKE Isabelle20SCULTHORPE Evocation21MEDTNER Eight Mood Pictures: Prologue CD21 BEETHOVEN Für Elise2 SCULTHORPE Nocturne No. 13 DEBUSSY Veils4 TCHAIKOVSKY Evening Reverie5 BRAHMS Lullaby6 MENDELSSOHN On Wing of Song7 CHOPIN Berceuse8 TRAD/GRAINGER The Sussex Mummers’ Christmas Carol9 SKRYABIN Étude in F-sharp major, Op. 42 No. 410SIBELIUS Berceuse 11BRAHMS Intermezzo in B minor, Op. 119 No. 112MARCELLO/BACH Oboe Concerto in D minor: Adagio13TCHAIKOVSKY The Lark’s Song14GOULD Calm15SCHUMANN Piano Sonata No. 2: Andantino16SCHUMANN Scenes from Childhood: Träumerei17SUK Idyll18BEETHOVEN Piano Sonata No. 1: Adagio19BACH Flute Sonata No. 2: Siciliano20TRAD All Through the Night CD31 DEBUSSY Clair de lune2 GRIEG Morning Mood3 ROWLAND The Man from Snowy River: Jessica’s Theme4 TRAD Amazing Grace5 FLUME Never Be Like You6 MILEY Wrecking Ball7-8EDWARDS A Flight of Sunbirds: excerpts9TIERSEN Amélie: The Argument10ROTA Romeo and Juliet: Love Theme 11CHAPLINMandolin Serenade12VINE Love Me Sweet13BARTSCH Here I Am, Just for You14KATS-CHERNIN Butterflying15BACH/HESS Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring16BIEBER Sorry17THE KNIFE Heartbeats18BARTSCH Rockabye19ISAACS Barcarolle20GERSHWIN Prelude No. 2 CD41 BACH Prelude No. 1 in C major2 SCULTHORPE Little Serenade3 SCHUMANN Melody4 GOULD Quiet5 LISZT Andantino, S.192 No. 46 VAVILOV Ave Maria7 BACH Actus Tragicus: Sonatina8 RACHMANINOFF Musical Moment No. 19 BLAKE Make-Believe10BEETHOVEN Piano Sonata in E-flat major, WoO47 No. 1: Andante 11TRAD Valse Frontenac12VASKS White Scenery13TCHAIKOVSKY October: Autumn Song14HILL One Came Fluting15MOZART Sonatina in G major16PEZOLD Minuet in G minor17PÄRT Für Anna Maria18HUTCHENS Lullaby19BACH Sleepers, Wake20SABOLY Touro-Louro-Louro CD51 BEYONCÉ Halo2 NYMAN The Piano: Big My Secret3 BEETHOVEN Moonlight Sonata: Adagio sostenuto4 DEBUSSY The Girl with the Flaxen Hair5 TIERSEN Amélie: Nursery Rhyme from Another Summer6 LISZT Consolation No. 37 GLASS Opening8 THE XX Islands9 DUDLEY Poldark: Theme10CHOPIN Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 211KATS-CHERNIN The Rain Puzzle12ROWLAND The Man from Snowy River: Tom Fool’s Knot13VANGELIS Missing: Main Theme14BRAHMS Intermezzo in A major, Op. 118 No. 215SCULTHORPE Left Bank Waltz16PÄRT Spiegel im Spiegel17KATS-CHERNIN All Things Conspire18ROSENMAN East of Eden: Main Theme19SATIE Gymnopédie No. 120MORRICONE Cinema Paradiso: Main Theme
Release
Jabra Latham soprano saxophone • Douglas Coghill violaIvan James cello • James Menzies double bassAmanda Hodder piano • Meriel Owen celeste / harpPoles apart but joined in beautyThe Greyand The Bright are a contrasting pair of pieces composed for the distinctive combination of soprano saxophone, strings, piano and the magical sounds of harp or celeste. Together they exemplify the twin poles of Tasmanian composer Jabra Latham’s musical world – his soaring, lyrical melodies moving first above slow, thoughtful chords, and then over groovy, propulsive rhythms.‘I really enjoy each of these individual instruments, and the roles and colour they bring to the music,’ says Latham. ‘Perhaps more importantly, the musicians are all ripper players and fantastic people: the days we spent in the studio recording The Grey and The Bright were full of laughter and good vibes.’The Grey / The Bright was commissioned by ABC Classic in 2020 as part of the ABC’s Fresh Start program.
Release
Dylan Crismani cristal baschet • Gabrielle Smart pianoThe surprising harmonies and sounds of Australia’s first microtonal cristal baschets chase the colours and textures of a landscape of sea, sky and hills.Early in 2020, Dylan Crismani was commissioned by Arts SA to build Australia’s first Cristal Baschet, a rare and unusual instrument of French origin: designed by the Baschet brothers around 1952, it consists of slender glass rods which, when stroked gently, produce an otherworldly sound which is then transmitted to metal rods and amplified through fibreglass cones.For this unique instrument, Dylan Crismani has written Shades of Blue, inspired by Wara Wayingga, a dune system on the Kaurna (Adelaide Plains) coastline that is still home to a plethora of native flora and fauna. Atop the system of dunes, he writes, ‘one is surrounded by various shades of blue from the ocean, sky, and Adelaide hills.’ The mysterious sound of the cristal baschet connects performer and listener with Wara Wayingga and the beauty and power of the natural world.Shades of Blue was commissioned by ABC Classic in 2020 as part of the ABC’s Fresh Start program.
Release
Now in its 28th year, triple j’s Hottest 100 remains the most talked about and listened to radio event of the year, counting down the hottest songs of 2020.The hottest song in the strangest year of our lives came from Glass Animals. The woozy ‘Heat Waves’ refined the genre-twisting psych-pop sound that’s been the British band’s signature since first cracking the Hottest 100 with ‘Gooey’ in 2014. Its cycling guitar, sticky sonic trickery, and hip-hop inspired beats made it easy on the ear, but it’s a deceptively tragic reflection on doomed romance.This year’s Hottest 100 Volume 28 is packed full of the year’s biggest and best songs from Australia and around the globe featuring Glass Animals, Spacey Jane, Billie Eilish, Tame Impala ,Flume, Lime Cordiale, The Kid LAROI, Syccoand wraps up another huge year in music on this awesome double album!TracklistCD1:01. Glass Animals – Heat Waves02. Spacey Jane – Booster Seat03. Flume – The Difference [Ft. Toro y Moi]04. G Flip – Hyperfine05. Tame Impala – Lost In Yesterday06. The Jungle Giants – Sending Me Ur Loving07. Hilltop Hoods – I’m Good?08. Billie Eilish– Therefore I Am09. Lime Cordiale – On Our Own10. Ocean Alley - Tombstone11. Mallrat – Rockstar12. Halsey – You should be sad13. Stace Cadet & KLP – Energy14. Eves Karydas- Complicated15. Mac Miller – Good News16. Skegss- Under The Thunder17. Architects – Animals18. Birdz- Bagi-la-m Bargan[Ft. Fred Leone]19. Amy Shark - Everybody Rise20. DMA’S – Criminals21. HeadieOne - Ain'tIt Different [Ft. AJ Tracey & Stormzy]22. MashdN Kutcher – Get On The Beers [Ft. Dan Andrews]CD2:01. Ball Park Music – Cherub02. Sycco- Dribble03. San Cisco – Reasons04. The Avalanches - Running Red Lights [Ft. Rivers Cuomo & Pink Siifu]05. The Kid LAROI - SO DONE06. Bring Me The Horizon - Parasite Eve 07. Hope D - Second08. Jack Harlow – WHATS POPPIN09. Ruel – as long as you care10. Tash Sultana – Pretty Lady11. The Smith Street Band – I Still Dream About You12. Peking Dukx The Wombats - Nothing to Love About Love13. The Weeknd– In Your Eyes14. Alex The Astronaut – I Think You’re Great15. Ziggy Alberts – together16. Joji– GimmeLove17. Vera Blue – Lie To Me18. Doja Cat - Boss Bitch19. BeddyRays – Sobercoaster20. BENEE - Kool21. Genesis Owusu – Don’t Need You22. Tones And I – Fly Away
Release
Emma Jayakumar’s Bell Birds suite is an expression of profound love for the Australian bush and its unique, audacious animals. Inspired by Henry Kendall’s famous and beloved poem ‘Bell Birds’, it’s a delightful soundscape evoking the sounds of the birds, the gumtrees, the flowers and the rich smells of the forest earth.‘I grew up in the Hills in Perth, and have just recently bought a house back up in Gooseberry Hill after living in the city, and in Sydney and London for spells of time. I’ve always been struck by how profoundly homesick I became for the sights and sounds of the Australian bush whenever I lived away.’ The Bell Birds suite draws on childhood memories of trips to the Blue Mountains on the continent’s eastern coast, getting out of the car to listen to the unique beauty of the bell birds calling.Also reflected in the music are the songs of golden whip birds, djidi djidi (willy wagtails), currawongs and bar-shouldered doves. Each movement is inspired by a line from Kendall’s poem, and the rich melodies underlying the whole suite speak movingly of the poet’s love for the land and its creatures.Bell Birdswas commissioned by ABC Classic in 2020 as part of the ABC’s Fresh Start program.TRACKLISTINGEMMA JAYAKUMAR Bell BirdsI. Largo tranquillo — By channels of coolness the echoes are callingII. Allegro luminoso — They start up like fairies that follow fair weatherIII. Lento sognando — Loiters knee deep in the grasses to listenIV. Allegro furioso — When fiery December sets foot in the forestV. Largo con dolore — Charming to slumber the pain of my losses
