About
The opening notes of David Bridie’s third solo album SUCCUMB feature a cracking snare drum and hard strummed guitar. A very deliberate rock band; not what you’d expect from this compelling Melbourne songwriter. “It’s kinda different for me,” explains David. “It was born out of creative searches… and fear.”
Five years after the release of David’s previous solo album Hotel Radio, this work begins a new recording relationship with Liberation Music. As the latest in more than 35 albums featuring David’s music over the last 25 years – through ambient pioneers Not Drowning Waving, acousticdriven band My Friend the Chocolate Cake, as collaborator with George Telek, creator of movie soundtracks and solo albums – he demanded something fresh of himself. But cataloguing it wasn’t easy.
From a recent workload that has included many soundtracks – Weary in 2005, RAN in 2006, Gone in 2007 and the unreleased The Man Who Sued God in 2007, The Circuit in 2007, Two Fists One Heart in 2008 – David took a while to get the creative juices flowing for his own album. There were halting starts and periods of writer’s block before arriving at Succumb’s very arresting, very immediate sound. “I had to figure out how to not repeat myself, to not just do what I’d already accomplished previously.”
It worked. At first inspection, Succumb is a startling departure from David’s previous solo recordings, which started with the luscious Act of Free Choice album, released in 2000. This has less sweeping, cinematic atmospheres – more lean and direct, almost abrasive for its confronting guitars and urgent rhythms. But listen closely and familiar signatures abound; lush, textural beds of intricately layered and densely overdubbed sound tapestries. The sum is an enticing amalgam of many parts, deliberately exploring sound palates that hadn’t featured prominently on albums before – guitars as a dominant voice, rock songs, Melanesian rhythms presented in a rock context. Raskol Dusty, inspired by the Papua New Guinea highlands, was a key song that unlocked this fresh direction. Ideas that had been kicking around for a while meshed together, inspiring David to explore what else was possible. Soon after, a brash rock song was belted out on the piano, Going Out With the Enemy, reminiscent of tracks David had admired from Bob Mould in Sugar. Suddenly, many new things seemed possible.
David’s words have also taken a more direct line. He addresses social and political issues that burn within contemporary Australia, though the lyrics still shimmer with robust optimism. Succumb is a resilient anthem about rebuilding a better community. First Chapter (Hearts are Heavy), articulates Australia’s opportunity write a new chapter in the history of black and white relations, its delicious spirit of possibility underlined by an anthemic chorus sung by the Spensley Street Primary School Choir (including David’s daughter, Stella).
Not surprisingly, given David’s deep social justice concerns, many poignant songs were written in the wake of the 2007 federal election, such as This Year is Better Than Last Year. Some earlier lyrics were adjusted after the election result. “After 12 years under the social conservatives, I see this as a time of possibility, an opportunity to move forward rather than be overwhelmed by despair,” says David. “A lot of the questions remain the same, but the beam of light shone upon them is brighter.”
While deliberately political, David resists being overtly dogmatic. Rather than chanting slogans or being polemic, he voices concerns that we should all be sharing, though it’s not only political intent that piques the album. Narratives embrace themes that are inherently Australian, in both character and geography, understanding our place in the Pacific, reaching across cultures, seeking ways to stretch across the divide. And always there’s a faint reminiscing of an older Australia, of more simplistic times that shaped the country we grew up in. He says we need to look at where we’ve been to figure out where we’re going, that the old stories and images are important stuff. “It’s too easy to get wrapped up in the here and now,” he warns. “There are so many other good stories to tell.”
These came together in an album David says was ultimately a joy to assemble in his own recording studio. The upbeat, positive sound of Succumb is a consequence of the people David worked with and the energy they brought; friends he trusts and respects, none more than guitarist Phil Wales, who has been among David’s closest musical allies over many years. Many other mates dropped in and contributed: Bart Willoughby, Alan and Stephen Pigram, MFTCC cellist Helen Mountfort, Rob Craw. “I loved going to work each day. It was like this long, continuous dinner party.”
Ultimately, Succumb is the album of a working band, with dynamic contributions from PNG drummer Airi Ingram, Adelaide bass player Paul Cartwright and producer Chris Scallan adding keyboards. David is now looking forward to taking this vibrant song set on the road. “This sound straddles anything else that’s currently happening in music. And to me, that’s important.”
David Sly, June 2008
