Ailan Songs Project: Four Winds

Indigenous singer and social historian Jessie Lloyd is the daughter of Joe Geia, a member of pioneering 1970s/80s Aboriginal band No Fixed Address, who also wrote the anthemic song ‘Yil Lull’. In 2015, Lloyd began researching and recording the Mission Songs Project, a chronicle of tunes written and performed on Aboriginal reserves from 1901-1967, when Indigenous Australians were forced by the government to leave their traditional lands and live on designated state-run ‘missions.’ Her resulting 2017 album and subsequent live tours, featuring Indigenous singers Emma Donovan, Deline Briscoe and Shellie Morris, were widely praised for their historical importance.

This new stage of the project sees Lloyd turning her attention to the Torres Strait Islands – where some of her ancestors are from. The unique northern archipelago, which links mainland Australia to Papua New Guinea, was a historic trade route connecting the Indian and Pacific Oceans, and remains rich in seafaring and pearl-diving stories. The distinct Torres Strait cultures of the region are well-represented in this collection of songs, many of which are given breezy Pacific reggae treatments. Tracks like ‘Black Swana’, ‘Taba Naba’, ‘Loka Keni’ and ‘Pacifika Medley’ all carry the unmistakable ambience of Oceanic tradewinds. Along with a six-piece backing band, a number of impressive guest vocalists and Torres Strait songwomen, Lloyd successfully blends a mix of local languages, Pidgin-Creole and English lyrics.