Bluebottle Kiss Come Across CD

Although only the group's second album to be distributed in the U.S., Come Across is the Australian band's fifth release, and it sounds it. Bluebottle Kiss' first record came out in 1995, which gave the quartet nearly a decade to tighten and refine their sound for this triumphant 2004 disc. Although by the liner notes alone this looks like a solo project for singer/songwriter/producer Jamie Hutchings who is clearly the band's driving force, the other three members -- augmented by Sophie Hutchings' glistening piano on nearly every track -- are to Jamie as the Who were to Pete Townsend and Crazy Horse were to Neil Young. They flesh out his poetic, often stream of consciousness ramblings, adding musical tension and passion to words and melodies that would not have the same impact without the band's input. Echoes of fellow Australians Paul Kelly, Midnight Oil and Nick Cave drift through these taut tunes whose lyrics are thoughtful and meaningful but never pretentious. The magnificent folk-turned-blistering-rock of "Everything Begins and Ends at Exactly the Right Time," complete with angelic choir, and the seven-minute epic "Cross Purpose," a story song whose doomy narrative is perfectly reflected in the yin-yang pull of the music, are a few of the outstanding set pieces. They work most effectively within the context of the album. Hutchings isn't a terribly happy guy, and his often bleak songs reflect the longing, guilt, conflict and occasional redemption of characters who likely mirror the songwriter's own demons and feelings. All of this turmoil makes for an intense listen that is not for those who are looking for easy resolutions or spoon-fed love songs. This is challenging, rugged, dramatic rock with folk tendencies woven intricately into its coarse fabric. Best digested whole where the dramatic songs build on and off each other, the unrelenting Come Across is a mature, fiery work that deserves to be heard by the masses. ~ Hal Horowitz

Come Across, Australian quartet Bluebottle Kiss' fifth full-length, and second to be released in the U.S., delivers an intense, narrative-driven, swinging affair and it has already received comparisons to such classic Australian rock albums as the Triffid's Born Sandy Devotional or Nick Cave's The Boatman's Call.Let's face it, though, the only people that don't realize the rich musical heritage of Australia are probably Australians. The past 25 years alone have produced sounds as diverse as the cold war, Reagan-era, post-punk of Midnight Oil's 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1, the rainy esoterica of The Church, the Dosteyevski meets Dickens dankness of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, the post-Birthday Party bruised sea shanties of Crow, the summery drones of the Underground Lovers, the awkward Brisbane romanticism of the Go-Betweens and on and on it goes. There's always been sand and red soil between the collective toes of Antipodean music.Then there's Bluebottle Kiss. All 3/4, 6/8, overnight Hume Highway hallucinations merged with Indian Ocean hopefulness. Convict music. Dreamed up because much of the time dreams are all you have here. Often lunging between dissonant punk-fused barrages to fragile folk and the wide screen, its noise you can smell, drink, taste, and see. And did someone say live performances? In a country renown for its grinding live circuit, Bluebottle Kiss has performed literally hundreds and hundreds of shows with artists ranging from Silverchair to Interpol and in the process have earned the reputation for a fiercely intense live band. The will be touring the U.S. with this release.Their fourth album, and first released in the U.S., Revenge is Slow, received many a hyperbolic reviews in Australia, the US, and Europe from such publications as Rolling Stone, the UK Independent, Alternative Press, The Face, The Australian, and many others. Expect accolades to follow the release of Come Across.