The Triffids - Born Sandy Devotional

My favourite period in the history of pop is also the one that is most overlooked. The second half of the 1980s is often remembered for overproduced albums and that annoying synth solo ruining a pop song. But this was the period where my music tastes fell into place. This was the era in which R.E.M. established themselves as America's finest band - long before they dominated the world with the likes of "Losing My Religion". Husker Du added melody - and melancholy - to their fuzz-driven angst and did their magnum opus with "Warehouse: Songs and Stories". Then recent acts such as Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, The Pixies and Throwing Muses restored the faith in rock music with their inventive approach just when the press was proclaiming its death. It was also in this period that Australia was back in the map of pop with a brew of accomplished acts at their creative peak: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, The Go-Betweens and The Triffids.
From these, The Triffids were the most underrated. Coming from the isolated city of Perth, they were praised by critics and had pockets of fans throughout the years even after their demise in 1990 but they never achieved the same reverence and acknowledgement as Nick Cave or the Go-Betweens. The recent expanded re-issue of their 1986 album "Born Sandy Devotional" - which will be followed by their other two essential recordings, "In the Pines" and "Calenture" - is a good chance to re-appreciate them at their peak. Ten songs penned by the late, great David McComb, a gifted singer-songwriter who was able to filter the history of great songwriting from Cohen to Springsteen, Dylan to Hank Williams and add a myriad of influences (Velvet, John Cale, The Birthday Party, Talking Heads) to produce an epic of big gestures and transcendental passion which stands in its own as a timeless pop album. Great storytelling can be heard on "Seabirds" and "Stolen Property". Just check lyrics to the former to see how it all mattered then. In Sandy the desolated landscapes of rural Australia are often used to convey images of inner turmoil. In "Wide Open Road", the road is a metaphor for a freedom that is far from liberating. You can imagine the heartbroken character at the end of a relationship, contemplating the great outback where "now you can go any place that you want to go". In "Lonely Stretch" a wrong turn on a drive through the outback sets the motion for a song full of dark corners, rough stretches and pulsating rhythms which suggest a rush of emotional despair. The string arrangements complemented by pedal-steel, marimbas and Hammond are a proeminent feature throughout the album but they never sound busy nor out of place, always adding drama and depth where it asks for. The finest example of this comes in "Stolen Property", a six minute slow epic that make mountains move - unlike it is suggested by the narrator in the song. Like many good albums riddled with drama, it all ends on a positive note with "Tender is the Night" a gentle pop ballad sung by keyboard player Jill Birt that could be the soundtrack to any August night on the porch with the light on and the great night welcoming you.