The
Age, 3 September 1997
- The Earthmen,
- by David
Challenger
|
For
a while there, one could have been forgiven for thinking The Earthmen had joined the
much-hyped about Pathfinder. Hurtling through space towards Mars, perhaps discussing the
fall and rise of their favourite '60s girl, The Earthmen seemed destined to join the ranks
of the many good, but ultimately unsuccessful, pop bands. This self-imposed exile occurred
just after their '94 US and UK tour. Arriving back in Australia, most of the members
decided to leave the band. And, despite numerous singles and EP releases through Atlanta's
Slumberland label, it looked as if The Earthmen's days were numbered. But that was then
and this is now, and my how things have changed.
The Melbourne-based band has
stabilised with what appears to be a genuinely fixed line-up; they've signed with the
prestigious Warner Records; and, most importantly, released Love Walked In, an
album that has left critics gushing with praise. "Yeah, it makes you feel pretty
good," enthuses singer Scott Stevens, "and the high praise has been quite
surprising. But if you accept the good reviews, then you have to take the bad ones as
well." Stevens, who started the band in the early '90s, still works a day-time job in
South Melbourne, helping young, long-termed unemployed people find work. The band's other
main protagonist, guitarist Nick Batterham, forms the crux of The Earthmen's creative
partnership. "Our songwriting style changes from song to song. Sometimes, I might
sing the melody to Nick first, or he might come up with some chord structures. It chops
and changes."
Despite the differing songwriting process,
the end result is always the same: richly structured pop melodies. So perhaps it's not
surprising to find that Stevens' influences encompass pop legends such as The Byrds (the
band owns a Fender amp that was used in The Byrds song Turn, Turn, Turn,) The Smiths and
The Go-Betweens. "I love The Byrds, partly because, like us, they've had so many
line-up changes! Oasis have a few songs that are just amazing, while I sort of like Blur,
but it's hard to warm to them."
Music critics have been quick to throw The
Earthmen into the so-called Brit-pop basket, a tedious label even for bands that actually
come from Britain. "It's a really lazy comparison," says Stevens. "The term
is like a manifestation of a dying country ... a jingoistic and nationalistic response.
It's just a tag. Every year there's a different fad." The album Loved Walked In
took about three months to record and, like The Go-Betweens' masterful 16 Lovers Lane,
reflects personal subjects and romantic themes. "The CD is about people and
relationships, and how people get along. Each song has a thread - some lines may be
autobiographical, some might be about friends ... writing about relationships [is]
implicitly political."
There's no doubting that The Earthmen's
latest recording is impressive, particularly in a country that continues to embrace
Seattle-esque rock in a sycophantic manner. Love Walked In will remain an important
milestone in Australian pop for some time to come. |
