Dan Kelly and The Alpha Males are on the brink of releasing Drowning in the Fountain of Youth to the masses and embarking on a familiar trek around Australia in support of the release. The album breaks new territory for the band moving between power pop, psychedelic rock and general catchiness and does prove to be both topical and tropical. Dan had this to say about the pending release “The whole record is based around this idea of leaving. Going to the classical tropical island holiday and when you get there you realise that it is all tainted and I use that metaphorically with relationships as well.”

Drowning in the Fountain of Youth is rich with characters and relationship scenarios as Dan explains: “All of the characters on these songs are going through this slow process where they are either being on one side or another of the power balance. Whether it is the flushes of hot love or right at the other end where there is nothing left and it is just futile like in Babysitters (Babysitters of the World Unite), where the couple has pretty much got to the end and they are wondering how they are going to save this?”

The realist in Dan Kelly’s song writing is tempered by his own trademark witty lyricism that allows the issues to filter through to the listener rather than besieging them. At no point on the new record is this more pronounced than in the album epic ‘Fire and Theft’ which revolves around a desperate lover attempting insurance fraud to get the girl. Dan says “When I wrote it I was just thinking about dumb, bogan sex.” The immortal chorus lines of “I Want to Tear Your Dressing Gown” have evoked more than a curious sideways glance by those who have heard the track and Dan states that the intention was to highlight the need and lust that can be present in relationships. “It is based on a friend of mine who gave me some advice about how to do an insurance job on a car.” The song twists and weaves through two distinct sections, one half could be a “radio single the next a psychedelic freak out” and resolves with the protagonist facing the cops flashlight. “It’s not a stalking song, but it is one the edge of that sort of thing and it is good to deal with all that stuff but I am not condoning that in anyway … and the guy goes to jail in the end. So it is my happy Hollywood ending”.

Despite the colourful characters and pop culture references (that include Delta Goodrem, Ken Done and a whole song devoted to the video game Grand Theft Auto) the album is awash in social commentary engaging issues such as politics, commercialisation, vanity and alcoholism. “I have to use my sense of humour to deal with the heavy stuff; all of the songs have a pop side. I just do not want to write a heavy record that does not have a redemptive thing about it.” Rather than shy away from self analysis Dan admits that one of his favourite pastimes is embracing some of his most spectacular failures. “It amuses me that I am such a dork sometimes. In a way my songs are kind of an extension of that except I do not necessarily write them about myself. The characters are flawed but they are trying to deal with it. They are apathetic but they haven’t given up.”

As to a comparison between the recent supports with Claire Bowditch and Augie March and the upcoming headlining tour Dan points out that the band will now “get a chance to stretch out and represent the two sides of the band, the more laid back, acoustic thing and then the spaz rock side of things. It was really hard to represent that properly in forty minutes.” How will the multi layered harmonies of the album and sometimes mesmerising swirl of instrumentation translate to a live audience? “Some of it I am not even going to try and others work fairly well. The live show now is centred around the singing. On the record everything can be wrapped around the vocals enough so that it illustrates what the vocals are about. If you do too much stuff live then the vocals get lost.”

Dan speaks of his favourite tracks of the album (these include ‘I Will Release Myself’, ‘My Brains are On Fire’ and ‘Safeway Holiday’) with an affinity for the material but also a general wariness as to the stylistic nature of the tracks. In regards to ‘Safeway Holiday’ Dan says “I think it sounds like futuristic tropical rock which is funny because there is not much of that around and maybe there is a reason for that.” This is explored further when we discuss his ambitions for the record. Dan modestly states “I would like to sell enough that we cover the cost of it. I reckon that is a good gauge and just if people like it. In a way it is a success to me because we have finished it. At one stage I was like ‘How do you write songs?’ and whatever happens I am glad that this is a slice of our life.” Despite Dan’s obvious pride in the finished product he states “I am pessimistic about the whole thing, because it is just a complicated weird thing about my brain being on fire.”

Like the characters that grace Drowning in the Fountain of Youth, Dan Kelly has two sides; the band leader with as much lyrical bravado and musical ambition as the best in Australian rock and the realist social commentator wary of the scope for change and unsure of the potential success of his bands new album. Hopefully, for Dan’s sake (and the sake of Australian music in general), Drowning in the Fountain of Youth receives the critical and commercial success it deserves and Dan is not forced to utilise his new found skills in insurance fraud to fund the next release.

Dan Kelly and the Alpha Males – Drowning in the Foutain of Youth is available in record stores from August 12

See Dan Kelly and the Alpha Males performing at Falls Festival
Lorne, Vic Dec 30, 2006 – Jan 1, 2007
Marion Bay, Tas Dec 30, 2006 – Jan 1, 2007

For full coverage of the Falls Festival go here

For more info on Dan Kelly check the following:
Dan Kelly and The Alpha Males hit the road – http://www.fasterlouder.com.au/news/aust/5469/

Dan Kelly and the Alpha Males  @ The Corner Hotel -http://www.fasterlouder.com.au/reviews/events/5215/