Springtime
As the world continues to plunge into a fiery blaze of calamity, the Southern
Hemisphere’s air warms, its leaves glow green, and the damp earth jolts awake.
Springtime is coming to Australia, and it will be ushered in by three sonic shamans who
are no strangers to our ears. Gareth Liddiard (Tropical Fuck Storm / The Drones), Jim
White (Dirty Three / Xylouris White) and Chris Abrahams (The Necks) are Springtime—
a new endeavor that is as much a tonal experiment as it is a meditation on modern-day
absurdity.
Springtime’s self-titled debut combines free jazz, poignant lyricism crafted alongside
renowned Irish poet Ian Duhig -- aka Gareth Liddiard’s uncle-- and improvisation to craft
austere portraits of a world paralyzed by shellshock. It’s as monstrously ravishing as it is
clumsy in its elegance.
Words run into each other with little regard for one another’s injuries. There are sounds
which come out of nothingness to wallop and brutalize their fellow sounds. The live
recording of Will Oldham’s “West Palm Beach” is treated with love and respect and
would certainly be met with open arms by its author.
Across the span of seven tracks, Liddiard incants with wild-eyed fury as White and
Abrahams lay down stuttering strings, fizzling electronics, and feathery piano melodies.
It is within these raving abstractions that one may find an answer to the enduring
question, “What fresh hell will this new season bring?"