So it’s not totally brand new music but I do love a great comp album, well sometimes and I think this is by far the best I’ve come across last year. I know I’m a bit late but I picked it up at Red Eye record store over east a little while ago but just like normal it’s taken me a long time to listen more than a few times and think of something to say here on my blog. Anyway it was released at least a couple of months before maybe more? I never seen anyone blog about it, not that I really looked for it but I didn’t see anything in the normal or even mainstream press too! I might have missed it too, I guess but here’s my own little writing about it today on this Saturday morning post for anyone who wants to have a look?
Buying the CD, I know it’s a bit of a dirty word now but I no idea if it’s released on vinyl? In that format you get two discs with 42 tracks with 21 on each disc plus inside the liner notes are amazing with pages and pages about everyone, two artists per page with mainly color photos and bio about each one. It’s all pretty great really but why wouldn’t it be? It says NIMA presents at top left corner and that’s short for National Indigenous Music Awards, yeah they have their own awards because the Aussie mainstream award show don’t bother to give awards to indigenous acts. Well, it’s it does happen but it’s very rare so why not have your own awards?
In the opening page intro it tells me it’s the very first release by them and dividing into two discs of ‘Now’ and ‘Before’ or present and past so highlighting the current Indigenous Aussie music scene and to quote directly “commemorating it’s illustrious past.” It’s goes on to say the ‘Before’ disc is “the first successful attempt in bringing the key Indigenous rock & pop songs of modern times together into the one collection.” Which I’ve wanted for a very longtime. Say last time I was in bloody JB’s buying a washing machine I looked at the now smallest music part of the shop and then comp albums bit is full of Aussie BBQ songs, Dad’s drinking tracks, shit radio stations various artists etc. and I was just thinking “Oh, god help me” and then some JB hipster looking staff asks me “Can I help you?” which I said nicely “no thank you” Anyway I’m getting sidetracked but this comp album so totally great. If I did have a comp album section with my albums of 2017 list, it would be this one.
The ‘Now’ side of things have mainly up and coming acts but maybe the biggest star here is Jessica Mauboy who was an ex-Aussie Idol, maybe the most successful of all-time and is now a big movie and TV star which this track comes from her latest TV series. The opening song would be another biggie here with A.B. Original who co-stars Briggs who’s becoming or became maybe a very unlikely TV star too. I totally enjoyed every and all, some I’ve never heard before but I’ve surprised myself by noticing I’ve seen some of them live too.
Back to ‘Before’ side but what do you say about these songs? Opening song is the world wide hit for the 90’s and most likely the biggest track here with Yothu Yindi’s Treaty. I would hope all Aussies know that and the rest of these songs but who knows? I’m so happy to have them all in one place now. I have wrote about some of these acts myself here on my blog before with songs from albums that I’ve said are my ‘Classic Albums’ with all links, you know? 80’s Big Name No Blankets by Warumpi Band, 90’s Charcoal Lane by Archie Roach and 2000’s Gurrumul’s epic self-titled album which I sadly wrote about last year when he passed away. Which is not bad but could be better, maybe I will have to do some more of my faves soon, OK? Oh yeah, also last year L.J. Hill’s Pretty Bird Tree song was included in Gareth Liddiard’s playlist here too, I only remember that one because it was pretty late last year. Maybe others have popped up here but those are the main ones I can think of right now.
One little thing I did note is the total lack of metal on this comp album but there is a long history of Indigenous Aussies playing metal style of music like say I did blog about the most intense band last year too, linked here too. Maybe that style didn’t really fit into it all because they do have rock, pop, roots, rap, electronic on this which is a lot and I can’t say that a bad thing missing that, I guess.
Sounds of Indigenous Australia Now & Before track-list:
‘Now’ disc one:
1. A.B. Original – January 26
2. Yirrmal – Mayangan
3. Emily Wurramara – Black Smoke
4. Gawurra – Ratja Yaliyali (Vine of Love)
5. Thelma Plum – How Much Does Your Love Cost?
6. Kuren – Home (ft. Ben Alessi)
7. Birdz – Black Lives Matter
8. Ziggy Ramo – Blackface
9. Apakatjah – Waru
10. Cassi Williams – How Can I Live
11. Eleanor Dixon – My Spirit is Free
12. Dan Sultan – Kimberly Calling
13. Emma Donovan & the Putbacks – Black Woman
14. Jessica Mauboy – Risk It
15. Benny Walker – Save
16. Luke Daniel Peacock – Dreambox
17. Busby Marou – Best Part of Me
18. Leah Flanagan – Chills
19. Robbie Miller – The Pain
20. Tia Gostelow – Vague Utopia
21. Electric Fields – Shade Away
‘Before’ disc two:
1. Yothu Yindi – Treaty
2. Archie Roach – Took The Children Away
3. Coloured Stone – Black Boy
4. No Fixed Address – We Have Survived
5. Warumpi Band – Black Fella/White Fella
6. Christine Anu – My Island Home
7. The Pigram Brothers – Going Back Home
8. Gurrumul – Wiyathul
9. Frank Yamma – Nguta Waljilpa
10. Blekbala Mujik – Walking Together
11. Joe Geia – Yil Lull
12. L.J. Hill – Pretty Bird Tree
13. Ruby Hunter – Ngarrindjeri Woman
14. Tiddas – Innanay
15. Troy Cassar-Daley – Freedom Ride (feat. Paul Kelly)
16. Roger Knox – Streets of Tamworth
17. Blackfire – Island Paradise
18. Us Mob – Wrong Side of the Road
19. Vic Simms – Stranger in my Country
20. Jimmy Little – Yorta Yorta Man
21. Kev Carmody – From Little Things Big Things Grow (feat. Paul Kelly)
Please feel free to let me know what you think about this VA album below, OK? Did you listen to it, all of it or just some, going to buy it now or just what your fave track is, OK?
Cheers 🙂
a1000mistakes 