Albums of the Year # 150 Terry - Call Me Terry

 

We are 150 days from Christmas Day. A ridiculous time to begin a list of favourite records for the year given that we're still in July. But I've heard so many I've really liked already. Given that their are still five months of new releases I haven't heard, this will be arbitrary in the extreme. Still, gives me a chance to listen to the ones I've listened to thus far again while waiting for new stuff to arrive. We start with Terry.

                                          

During the Friday evening I've already written about on here, witnessing Holiday Ghosts fabulous performance at The Cumberland Arms, I had a good chat with their bassist Morgan. After agreeing on the dubious state of much of British Independent Guitar Pop, including the disparate set of bands generally grouped together as New Post Punk, he mentioned Terry, the Australian band that have been around for a while now as one that he personally likes.

As coincidence has it, or maybe not, Terry released a new record Call Me Terry the same day. It does what the band generally do with their releases. Surprise. The band are a difficult one to describe. DIY Glam, thrift store Pop music of the kind that would thrive in the Universe where Lawrence of Mozart Estate was the biggest star going, but is generally restricted in the universe we actually dwell in, to evening radio play and a cult following.

This is distinctly odd stuff. Casio farfisa, charity shop fare from two guys and two girls. Weird, underground ABBA. The kind of music that reflects the lives that many of us actually live, rather than the one depicted on glossy binge watch NOW TV seasons about dystopias or the mega-rich, good as they are.

The truth is actually deceptive, given the generally earnest lyrical subject matter, though you wouldn't know it unless you consciously chose to explore beneath the surface of Call Me Terry. Like Midnight Oil way before them, their songs actually  scrutinise issues such as colonialism and corruption, but do so without Midnight Oil's furrowed Bleeding Liberal brows. You wouldn't necessarily know this depth was there if it wasn't pointed out to you, (as it has been to me), but it adds an additional layer of intrigue to proceedings. The band do print the lyrics to the record on the sleeve so getting their message across is obviously important to the band

Terry in short are fab and they're fun but bear sustained enquiry too. They have a pop sensibility but it's one that is fed by The B-52's, Pulp, B-Movies and daytime soaps as well as cultural concern. They may delve into unusual subject matter, but  Call Me Terry is highly enjoyable first and foremost. Get another shrimp on the barbie and this on the turntable. and have yourself a heated debate.