:: Those Bloody McKennas - Time and Tide

Those Bloody McKennas

The McKennas have been touring and gigging for some time, and this EP is a very nice showcase of what they can do. It is a bit of a musical journey, through folk music, mixing themes of change and social commentary, with the ocean imagery suggested by the title. It opens with the tranquil instrumental number “Turquoise Bay”. “Intention” and “Circles” deal with dissatisfaction and a longing for change, but do so in a fairly abstract manner. The second instrumental track, “Grace Emily Jam”, is packed with an energy, but best seen live. The album is at its strongest, however, when the themes are explored through more concrete discussion. “Crazy Idea” deals with a girls longing to change her situation in life, and almost has a Ben Lee quality to it. The strongest track by far is “Time and Tide”, the final and title track. It takes the album from the calm marine attitude of Turquoise Bay, to the story of the Siev X, the refugee ship which sank off Australia prior to the 2001 election with great loss of life. Latching the bands sentiments to a specific story makes them much more powerful. A little reminiscent in theme to U2’s “Sunday Bloody Sunday” about the Derry massacre of 1972 (although the incidents described are different, there are certain parallels), it also prompts thoughts of what kind of song Redgum would have written had they been in existence during these days of the Pacific Solution, Woomera, the Tampa and Siev X incidents. This album is a great showcase of the McKennas versatility and range. It is well worth picking up.