Sample Song
Stiff Gins
The Stiff Gins came to light when Tiddas had decided to call it a day and inevitably took over from where Tiddas left off. It's hard not to make comparisons because effectively they're three girls and a guitar who melt their vocals together producing a polyharmonic sound.
But that's where the comparisons end and The Stiff Gins have come into their own.
In October last year they released their first full album Origins which contains twelve beautifully written tracks and contains the vocals of now departed Emma Donovan. The first song All began sets the mood for the album and lets the listener know what The Stiff Gins are all about and laid back is their middle name!
It's a more mature sound as you progress through the album and the thing that strikes you is that the Gins sound great unplugged and live but with a full band, the songs are taken to another level and you're left speechless. It appears the use of strings, drums, keyboards, electric guitars and percussion session bring out the full body of the compositions and complement the sound of the songs even more.
The album takes you through a number of styles from the jazz and blues fusion ("Knockin (I don't care)", "Weekend" and "Smarten Up") through to the reworking of the favourites like ("Theo's Song" and "Morning Star"), Origins will satisfy the most diehard Gins fan and convert the indecisive.
If you're into the old favourites, Origins breaths new life into some of the older tracks and gives them a fresh new sound. Theo's Song, for example has the harmonies we've become accustomed too and is expanded further by the use of a choir that fills out the song and lets it soar to a new heights. Provided by Voices from the Vacant Lot, Theo's song begins to take on a whole new dimension and expands the composition even further. "Morning Star" is also given a full band touch up with keyboards added into the accompaniment giving the track a new sound and beat.
This is a mellow album that you'd expect to hear on a lazy Sunday afternoon while hanging out in the sun of a winter solstice and there are two slower tracks for those who want to enter more of a chill zone. "Tell Me" and "Close Your Eyes" are slower tracks that have taken full advantage of the percussion section and have some elements of other Woodford favourites, Bluehouse. Although these tracks seem quite simple, they are complex in their harmonies and composition and illustrate the individual vocal stylings of the group.
The final track on the album, "Whispering" was recorded live in the car park of the Sony Music studios, and if you've never caught the Gins at the numerous folk music festivals they've played, this gives you an idea of just how amazing they do sound. Performed a cappella, it's an atmospheric track that makes you appreciate the difficulty of using ones voice as the sole instrument. It's ambient sound provides the perfect way to finish a cruisy but well written album.
Bio thanks to ABC Message Stick - www.abc.net.au/message/.
