:: Various Artists - Dirt Music: Music For A Novel By Tim Winton

Various Artists

Tim Winton, a name synonymous with Australian literature, is the brain behind this collection of organic, raw blues and country infused ballads, the inspiration of which sprung from the birth of his novel by the same name. Ideas, flashes of images and sounds in his day-to-day life gave birth to his brainchild, a book set in the wild landscape of Western Australia. Coming together with Lucky Ocean, a Philadelphia born steel guitarist Winton produces this emotive, ambient collection. The first of the two CDs is a mixture of instrumentals and simple songs, music complimented by unique, soulful voices. ‘I Scare Myself'’with its banjo, acoustic guitar and percussion took one take to record, Renee Geyer’s vocals a delight, so honest and refreshing. ‘Irene Goodnight Variations’ is an ambient instrumental piece, long drawn out banjo the lone sound, drawing you in, while ‘He Fades Away’ tenderly tells the story of the pain and torture individuals endure in the wake of asbestos mining. Various artists collaborated on this release, stories of loss, of love, of heartache and pain peppered throughout. ‘White point breakdown’ is a fast, up tempo instrumental addition, making way for ‘I still haven’t found what I’m looking for’ a fantastic rendition of the original, spitting out guitars, banjos and vocals raw and fast, the country, blues feel knee slappingly upbeat. CD 2 brings a slightly different feel, five creations of cinematic proportions utilising an orchestra and at one point, a choir. They illustrate various plot points in the book, from thoughts and feelings to walks in the bush and even death. ‘Djilile’ opens slowly but steadily, strings caressing you through peak and trough to set you down at a final, faded out ending. ‘III. Romanza’ is much more gentle and soft, leading into the fast paced, piano and string wonder, ‘III Scherzo’ heightens and lifts with its dramatic high pitched strings. ‘No. 53: Befiehl Du Deine Wege’ takes a choirs magic and weaves it to tell the story of a man lost in the wilderness. The main character of the book this collection was crafted for, when questioned about the music his ill-fated family used to create with him, is quoted as saying “Anything you could play on a verandah…you know, without electricity. Dirt music.” This theme paints an apt picture of what to expect from this album; that uncomplicated, easy listening feeling flows freely throughout.