Forgive my less frequent posting, but I’m in a pretty hectic year of university and I’m not going to have a lot of time to dedicate to this anymore.

Most people probably won’t be aware who Gareth Liddiard is, so for those who aren’t he’s an Australian singer-songwriter and frontman of the Drones. Late last year he released his debut solo album, which from what I understand (having never listened to the Drones) is quite a departure from his band work. It’s hard to classify the album – it’s not quite folk, but at the same time I feel like I’d be selling the album short if I described it as a purely singer-songwriter fare. The intensity and eloquence of the lyrics are incredible, and the delivery is powerful without being overblown. Liddiard sings in an Australian drawl and at times sounds unhinged at others bitter and at others bemused, as if the absurdity of what he’s singing about is being observed from some high place. With that said, the music itself is minimalist at best, largely Gareth and his guitar – it’s almost as if you’re getting a view of an artist at their most bare. It feels voyeuristic at times and the lyrics tell some dark tales, particularly on ‘The Radicalisation of D’ a 16 minute epic that needs to really be listened to until the last haunting line of “and it’s burning…”. Seriously, get a hold of this record because it’s one of those ones that slips through the cracks way too easily.