Brief track by track.
These songs were mostly written over a couple of weeks in late August when it became clear Augie March's 3rd album would be released in 2006. They are not intended in any way to represent a serious solo outing, and are in fact largely recreational in nature, for want of a better word. I had a good time putting them together with the feeling that the fans who buy a copy at shows will enjoy their decidedly demo-ish quality, which is something I like to hear from bands sometimes. G.A.R. 2005-10-20


1. I Owe You
This one speaks for itself, or about as much as any song I write can. Its themes are obligation, loyalty and the wilting effect that poverty has upon a person's character over time. It was supposed to sound like Solomon Burke with a head cold but it ended up sounding like Will Oldham with a twisted bowel. Not bad.

1. Middle of the Road Class War Terra Nullius Blu-Hoos
Hopefully the last in my series of "young white male finds the world cold and empty" series, this song, like a couple of the others began life as a drum track really. It may sound like a semi-educated howl, which it is, and for the train spotters there are allusions to both the childhood of C.J. Dennis and the most famous poem of A.D. Hope.

2. Narragonia
Who knows where the ship of fools was headed? I like this because it reminds me of The Go-Betweens, albeit with a home computer reverb instead of an eighties castle gate reverb.

3. LJ's Third Summer in Heaven
Originally this was about where eco-rationalist Prime Ministers go when they cark it, which happens to be where everybody else goes, even the paedophiles and environmentalists. How disappointing. However it turned into just another slightly mysterious, little bit melancholy fluff piece. Sometimes you shouldn't add words, nice drum sounds though.

4. Bottle Baby
When you go to the fridge and pull out not a beer, but a high dependency unit. You open it up and your drummer's in there, your brother, your girlfriend, your dog. Songwriters on welfare are slovenly vampires.

5. The Making of a Bum
This is just a fun musical exercise with a melody chewing-gummed to it. Not quite the axeman's jazz, but something like his off color daydream. Dig the keyboard solo which I played with one hand while writing the lyrics with the other.

6. Shithouse is the New Good
Again, one made from mucking around with drums. I've always hated titles like this one, such as 'Quiet is the New Loud' etc. and wanted this parody of pop to target the rise and rise and rise and rise of mediocrity and safety in alternative cum mainstream Australian music. I'm the first to rubbish my own stuff but for christ's sake.