The Natural Selection Australian Songbook

Australia has a long tradition of bush bands: Ned Kelly-a-likes playing tunes from the Aussie folk songbook, an Irish-and-Scottish fuelled tradition with lyrics that tell of heartbreak and tragedy, displacement and resilience, sung in a nasal keening and very often given an irreverent antipodean twist. Melbourne trio Bush Gothic take the subversion further, lending anthems such as ‘Waltzing Matilda’ and ‘Wild Colonial Boy’ a knowing postmodern aesthetic with arrangements that variously soothe, stir and surprise. Asserting their rebel credentials with a brief instrumental opener featuring a dark and spooky drone, Chris Lewis (drums, banjo-mandolin and backing vocals), Dan Witton (double bass, backing vocals) and singer Jenny M Thomas (also on piano, viola, violin) dive deep into the Australian national psyche and give its chain a yank.

By slowing down the deceptive jauntiness of the likes of ‘Botany Bay’, and turning its famed ‘Toora-li/Oora-li Addidady’ refrain into something dream-like and ghostly, Bush Gothic expose the terrible truths of Terra Australis. And while some of the tracks seem to slip into each other with a homogeneity, the spine-tingling a capella vibe of ‘Female Transport’ conveys the wretchedness of the convict's sea-crossing. Other standouts include ‘Swag on My Shoulder’, which showcases Thomas’ sweet vocals and features a chorus phrase from the song ‘Treaty’ by Aboriginal stars Yothu Yindi – a reminder of just who the first Australians were.