Naked in the Woods
Naked in the Woods is a nice demonstration of some of the wonderful women artists we have in Australia. The compilation album features the work of the well-known in some circles – Little Birdy, Rebecca Barnard, Jen Cloher – and those that might well get some critical mass in the future.
It starts with the energetic Black Bird by Sophia Katos, which didn’t really work for me but might get some people bopping along. Kelly Auty’s Don’t Wanna Be had me imagining the film clip of Total Eclipse of the Heart – cheesy, earnest, but still kinda fun. Arowe’s Deaf Silence is a sad tune, mildly reminiscent of the lovely Sia and featuring some nifty lyrics and local references (riding past Fitzroy pool, anyone?).
The jazzy Let it slide is a nice, sleepy number, while Black Coffee has singer Milly Moodie getting a little sassy about a desired one. Sarah Carroll’s Crying at midnight is a melancholy country and western tune promptly followed by Gwendolyne O’Dea’s fast and catchy Bad’s Good, from which the album name comes.
Liz Stringer’s You Say So Many Things had a Melissa Etheridge vibe to it; this contrasts nicely to Jen Cloher’s sparse Hidden Hands. Cloher’s voice is particularly soft and gentle in this track, which delivers a dark crescendo. Suzy Blue’s Pretty Lies is one of those ugly absurdist tracks reminiscent, perhaps, of Bjork’s It’s Oh So Quiet. She’s got a nicer voice than Bjork, and the song is interesting (and would probably sound better live) but is jarring, particularly compared to the next song – the beautiful Six Story Caryard Apartment Block by Kate McMahon, which has soundtrack written all over it.
Little Birdy’s Katy Steele is a great performer and the band’s contribution to Naked in the Woods – Brother – is a simple and fun song that’ll probably have you tapping your toes. Rebecca Barnard – of the 90s band Rebecca’s Empire– lends her distinctive vocals to Sirens, which isn’t one of her greatest. Sally Ford’s Mother’s Day doesn’t sound of this day; there’s something dark and 80s about it. Rezzalp’s Year of the Tear might be someone else’s cup of tea; Angie Hart’s Don’t Be Shy is easier on the ear.
Like most albums, Naked in the Woods is a mixed bag, both in genre and quality. In some ways the album is too jumpy: while ‘women artists’ is the common theme, the ballads don’t always juxtapose nicely with the pop, for example, or work well individually. I suspect men would find this album emotion-overload too. Still, men are probably not the target audience, and there are plenty of good songs wrapped in there.
Naked In The Woods is part of the Victoria Rocks – FReeZACentral Program, a Victorian Government initiative, funded by the Department of Planning and Community Development, and managed by The Push.
