Augie March - from Down Under

Although you wouldn't guess it if you asked the average music listener in the States, Augie March has been around making music for over 10 years in their native Australia, where they've received six ARIA nominations (Australia’s equivalent of the Grammys), taken the #1 spot on the Triple J Hottest 100 year-end listeners poll (Australia’s leading alternative radio outlet) for the single, One Crowded Hour (check it out below), and to top it off, won the prestigious AMP Award (Australian Music Prize, the equivalent of England’s Mercury Prize) for artistic achievement. So one might ask, why have few people in the US ever heard of them? Good question, but that's about to change.

Although it was released last year in Australia, the band's third album, Moo, You Bloody Choir, is set to be released here on August 7th. From the very first listen, what strikes me as one of the greatest strengths of the album are the harmonies that really flow well with the instrumentation. Although I can't quite pin down why, they really evoke the sound of the 50's for me. Glenn Richards' voice really just soothes your ears while you listen. When asked about it, he replies,

“My conception of the singer/songwriter is very much a 70’s conception, which was generally somebody who wrote strong words, with the words no less a part of the song than the melody and the music. They’re all intertwined. That’s what I’ve always tried to do. For me that means having words that will read on their own quite strongly, not necessarily making a terrible amount of sense, but certainly something that every time I sing a line there’s substance to that line. It’s the only way I can sing so many words.”

So if you're not from down under and haven't given Augie a chance, enjoy the songs below and then look for the album on August 7th.


Augie March - One Crowded Hour : Moo, You Bloody Choir

(watch the video for the song)

Augie March - There Is No Such Place : Moo, You Bloody Choir

Visit their website, their label Zomba Jive Records, and become their friend on MySpace.