Augie March - Moo, YouBloody Choir

Fri 10th Mar, 2006 in Music Reviews

In his nostalgic novel The Adventures of Augie March author Saul Bellow depicted his lead character as a romantic hero who rejected philosophical scepticism and courtship of the void. Just as Bellow questioned the validity of modernist estimates of man and society, Augie March, the band, fill that modern phenomenon of the alienated hero. Out of time, out of place. Literate musings, classical compositions and an all-round timelessness have become hallmarks of Augie March’s craft. In Australia they have few peers. Outside, looking in: they are their own scene.

So I don’t know if there was ever any doubt. How could Augie March possibly flatter to deceive? From the raw bar-band beginnings through to the effortless beauty of Sunset Studies and the more rambunctious but all the more beguiling follow-up Strange Bird Augie March have maintained a standard of quality that a mere reviewer cannot begin to question.

Yes, there have been moments of indulgence, where songs have wandered in parts but hope and, in equal measure, dashed hopes have never sounded so good. Moo, You Bloody Choir, the band’s eagerly anticipated third album, is effectively a streamlined version of everything Augie March do, and do so well. Perhaps more reminiscent of the hushed tones on Sunset Studies than the busy, marching band sound of Strange Bird, the album was variously produced by the renowned Paul McKercher, Eric Drew Feldman (PJ Harvey/Captain Beefheart) and the band.

That said, Moo, You Bloody Choir is comfortably familiar without sounding like a retread. Glenn Richards appears to have rediscovered the alluring power of his own voice. Where on Strange Bird the band did their utmost to camouflage his vocals under layers and layers of overdubs, here Richards’ sweet Buckley and Dylan coo (should that be moo?) returns to the forefront. Back too are simpler song structures which act only to emphasise Richards’ erudite wordplay and the depth of emotion on display.

It all starts with a familiar yet spine-tingling fingerpicked guitar. Yes, what can be said that hasn’t already been about first single ‘One Crowded Hour’? From a gentle waltz-like beginning the song rises and rises into such a scene of ecstatic melodrama that you don’t know whether to smile or cry. That is the quality of Augie March – it is hard to decide whether you should rejoice in the genius on display or emote literally based on the often bleak subject matters and lyrics. Take the opening lines of ‘One Crowded Hour’:

“Should you expect to see something that you hadn’t seenIn somebody you’ve known since you were sixteen?If love is a bolt from the blue,Then what is a bolt but a glorified screwThat doesn’t hold nothing together?”

The song sets the tone of a happy/sad dichotomy for what is to follow. From the self-defeating ‘The Cold Acre’ and the old wireless intimacy of ‘The Honey Month’ to the scathing garage of ‘Just Passing Through’, Moo… is a masterful lesson on how to match intensely meticulous lyricism with equally sustained attention to musical detail.Like any great teacher Augie March do not simply demand that their choir sing. The message lies deep and takes time to appreciate.

Moo, You Bloody Choir confirms what a lot of people in Australia and overseas already know. That is, Augie March should not be considered an alienated hero but rather an exhaustive treasure that may never be fully uncovered. Can you keep a secret?