The Legend!
Everett True Connection (3rd Acre Floor)
The singer on this collection of raw, edgy songs is worryingly direct.³You know I want you,² he laments in a trembling, almost choirboy voice over jarring guitars, no bass, and drums that clatter like they¹re living entities. ³You know I do.² Then he pulls in imagery of cold walks through star-lit, empty streets ­ no one around, just the soft patter of rain and the ache of a soul wrenched away from his love by too many miles to count, cast adrift by events far out of his control. ³It¹s too much like a regular song,² he laughs self-consciously at the end. This is music stripped down to its essence ­ a handful of wrought chords,simple melodies and words that reflect upheaval.
³One-dimensional town,² he berates over fundamental keyboards,
double-tracked to the point of confusion, a female voice increasing the palpable sense of betrayal. ³Is everyone as scared as you?² he pleads. It¹s not possible, is it?
The songs here are mostly named after various spots in the Northwest of America ­ ³Seattle² (several times), ³Spokane², ³Tacoma² ­ except for one scary moment when the action switches to Brighton, England and we discover the singer waking up, only to discover that his girlfriend has turned into Courtney Love: ³Now this wasn¹t so strange in itself but what was odd was that Courtney Love had turned into the living personification of evilŠ So I woke her up and I said, ŒLook, don¹t take this the wrong way but I¹ve had this dream and you¹re now Courtney Love and you¹ve turned into the living personification of evilŠ²
And in case you don¹t realize where the singer¹s sympathies and musical heritage lies, listen to him repeating over and over again, like a mantra,³Olympia/Everyone knows your name/Everyone knows your name² (on ³Olympia Pt 2²)Š this is music to be laughed at, to be picked upon, bullied, teased, except ­ it¹s clear the singer has a shining inner belief.
He eulogies Daniel Johnston on the dust-swept ³Portland² ­ and hearing the musicians on ³Everett True Connection², it¹s obvious why. Lonesome nervy human: David Nichols (Huon, ex-Cannanes) plays the drums, Julian Teakle
(Tasmania¹s Frustrations) plays guitar and, of course, backing vocals come from the fiancée mentioned in over half the songs.
There are two stand-outs: one (³Seattle Pt 3²) that lifts a few evocative lines from an old Toussaint McCall soul song and places them in an entirely new context, the tune always on the verge of crumbling, the resonance even sweeter for the juxtaposition of female and male voices. This is 2.21
minutes of poignancy. And the final track, entitled ³Melbourne² but really a reinterpretation of 13th Floor Elevators¹ ³You¹re Gonna Wake Up One Morning², recorded on a one-track with various members of the Olympia rock community (Al Larson, Tobi Vail, Rich Jensen) in support.
This could melt your heart.